Morning Links

Sure to be all about the BCS:

• The BCS, “worked as well as it could” – LA Times.
• “Boise is in, but BCS still flawed“.
• “Fiesta Bowl Matchup is good for Boise State“. – Idaho Statesman
• Is Texas in the title game wrong?
• An epic fall for Troy, who plays in the Emerald Bowl.
• Michael Vick reminded Atlanta of the old days.
• And the pain felt by Washington Redskins fans is likely only matched inside the knee of E.J. Henderson.

CBK Power Rankings

Week of Dec. 7th.

#1) Kansas, 7-0: Just really no reason to drop them. The Jayhawks are cleary the cream of the crop in college basketball right now, with their only real challenge residing in conference. They are beating opponents by an average of 34 points per game. And it is all happening the Cole Aldrich averaging only 11 points.

#2) Texas, 6-0: Longhorns haven’t played a game within 15 points. Losing Varez Ward definitely hurts, but freshman Avery Bradley is one of five remaining players averaging at least eight points per game, giving Texas some options.

#3) Purdue, 7-0: Robbie Hummel is chipping in 13 and seven for the Boilermakers, who may be the Big Ten favorite with some of Michigan State’s struggles and a big injury at Ohio State. Already has wins over Tennessee and Wake Forest.

#4) Villanova, 8-0: Five players averaging in double-figures for a team that has yet to do anything spectacular, which is sometimes good. Really doesn’t play another tough game until January.

#5) Syracuse, 8-0: Probably have the most impressive wins early in the season with blowouts of Cal and North Carolina. Wesley Johnson has been a monster inside and Scoop Jardin has taken over the point guard job. ‘Cuse plays a resurgent Florida team on Thursday.

#6) Kentucky, 8-0: Nice win over North Carolina as well and has three close finishes that may help in the long run. John Wall has been better than advertised, if that is possible. John Calipari’s new team plays Connecticut this week.

#7) West Virginia, 5-0: One of five undefeated Big East teams, which includes Seton Hall. Mountaineers haven’t played in a week and don’t until Wednesday. Their last win over a strong Portland team shouldn’t be overlooked. Nor should one of the more underrated head coaches around.

#8) Tennessee, 6-1: Classic Vols squad averaging more than 86 per. Only real competition played so far is Purdue, and lost. But the name of the game is winning the ones you’re supposed to and they are. Scored 124 on UNC-Ashville. Still wondering when Wayne Chism and Tyler Smith are going to graduate.

#9) Duke, 7-1: Weird to have the highest-ranked ACC team at nine. Never led at Wisconsin in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler both averaging more than 17 per, but Blue Devils really need more from the front line.

#10) North Carolina, 7-2: Hard to punish the Heels for losses to Kentucky and Syracuse. Especially with wins over Nevada and Michigan State (the latter coming rather easily). Scary part about Roy Williams’ is how young they are, with at least three sophomore as key contributors. Add in the return of Marcus Ginyard rebound, assisting and scoring, and the Tar Heels will just get better.

Honorable Mention: Washington, Michigan State, Ohio State, Florida, Connecticut, Texas A&M, Cincinnati.

Football Bowl Schedule

Bowl	Location	Date/Time	Network
New Mexico Fresno State vs. Wyoming	Albuquerque, N.M. University Stadium	Dec. 19 4:30 p.m.	ESPN
St. Petersburg UCF vs. Rutgers	St. Petersburg, Fla. Tropicana Field	Dec. 19 8 p.m.	ESPN
R+L Carriers New Orleans Southern Miss vs. Middle Tennessee	New Orleans Louisiana Superdome	Dec. 20 8:30 p.m.	ESPN
MAACO Las Vegas Oregon State vs. BYU	Las Vegas Sam Boyd Stadium	Dec. 22 8 p.m.	ESPN
S.D. County Credit Union Poinsettia Utah vs. Cal	San Diego Qualcomm Stadium	Dec. 23 8 p.m.	ESPN
Sheraton Hawaii Nevada vs. SMU	Honolulu Aloha Stadium	Dec. 24 8 p.m.	ESPN
Little Caesars Marshall vs. Ohio	Detroit Ford Field	Dec. 26 1 p.m.	ESPN
Meineke Car Care Pitt vs. North Carolina	Charlotte, N.C. Bank of America Stadium	Dec. 26 4:30 p.m.	ESPN
Emerald Boston College vs. USC	San Francisco AT&T Park	Dec. 26 8 p.m.	ESPN
Gaylord Hotels Music City Kentucky vs. Clemson	Nashville, Tenn. LP Field	Dec. 27 8:30 p.m.	ESPN
AdvoCare V100 Independence Texas A&M vs. Georgia	Shreveport, La. Independence Stadium	Dec. 28 5 p.m.	ESPN2
EagleBank Army or UCLA vs. Temple	Washington, D.C. RFK Stadium	Dec. 29 4:30 p.m.	ESPN
Champs Sports Miami vs. Wisconsin	Orlando, Fla. Florida Citrus Bowl	Dec. 29 8 p.m.	ESPN
Roady’s Humanitarian Bowling Green vs. Idaho	Boise, Idaho Bronco Stadium	Dec. 30 4:30 p.m.	ESPN
Pacific Life Holiday Arizona vs. Nebraska	San Diego Qualcomm Stadium	Dec. 30 8 p.m.	ESPN
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Houston vs. Air Force	Fort Worth, Texas Amon G. Carter Stadium	Dec. 31 Noon	ESPN
Brut Sun Oklahoma vs. Stanford	El Paso, Texas Sun Bowl	Dec. 31 2 p.m.	CBS
Texas Navy vs. Missouri	Houston Reliant Stadium	Dec. 31 3:30 p.m.	ESPN
Insight Minnesota vs. Iowa State	Tempe, Ariz. Sun Devil Stadium	Dec. 31 6 p.m.	NFL Network
Chick-fil-A Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee	Atlanta Georgia Dome	Dec. 31 7:30 p.m.	ESPN
Outback Northwestern vs. Auburn	Tampa, Fla. Raymond James Stadium	Jan. 1 11 a.m.	ESPN
Capital One Penn State vs. LSU	Orlando, Fla. Florida Citrus Bowl	Jan. 1 1 p.m.	ABC
Konica Minolta Gator West Virginia vs. Florida State	Jacksonville, Fla. Municipal Stadium	Jan. 1 1 p.m.	CBS
Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi Ohio State vs. Oregon	Pasadena, Calif. Rose Bowl	Jan. 1 4:30 p.m.	ABC
Allstate Sugar Florida vs. Cincinnati	New Orleans Louisiana Superdome	Jan. 1 8:30 p.m.	FOX
International South Florida vs. Northern Illinois	Toronto, Canada Rogers Centre	Jan. 2 Noon	ESPN2
Papajohns.com South Carolina vs. UConn	Birmingham, Ala. Legion Field	Jan. 2 2 p.m.	ESPN
AT&T Cotton Oklahoma State vs. Ole Miss	Arlington, Texas Cowboys Stadium	Jan. 2 2 p.m.	FOX
AutoZone Liberty Arkansas vs. East Carolina	Memphis, Tenn. Liberty Bowl	Jan. 2 5:30 p.m.	ESPN
Valero Alamo Michigan State vs. Texas Tech	San Antonio Alamodome	Jan. 2 9 p.m.	ESPN
Tostitos Fiesta Boise State vs. TCU	Glendale, Ariz. U. of Phoenix Stadium	Jan. 4 8 p.m.	FOX
FedEx Orange Iowa vs. Georgia Tech	Miami Land Shark Stadium	Jan. 5 8 p.m.	FOX
GMAC Central Michigan vs. Troy	Mobile, Ala. Ladd-Peebles Stadium	Jan. 6 7 p.m.	ESPN
Citi BCS National Championship Game Texas vs. Alabama	Pasadena, Calif. Rose Bowl	Jan. 7 8 p.m.	ABC

BCS Selection Show

Follow the BCS selection show and other bowl selection updates now.

Blazers dropping like flies

The ghost of Sam Bowie lives.

These Portland Trail Blazers just can’t buy a break, with the latest blow coming in the form of a fractured left patella (knee cap) for Greg Oden that will probably end his season (will, according to an article in The Oregonian).

You have to start wondering whether it’s just not in the cards for the big man. Look at the the contact with Aaron Brooks on the play that did the damage. We’re talking MINIMAL, MINIMAL contact, and his right leg came down first. It’s a move NBA players make every day, with far more contact. The replay makes it look like the two players barely brushed legs, and yet Oden ends up with a major injury. And of course Portland fans also have to live with the fact that Kevin Durant came after Oden in the draft and is developing into one of the league’s premier stars already, bringing back Bowie/MJ references.

To make it worse, Oden was starting to come into his own and was putting up 11.1 ppg and 8.5 rpg while blocking 2.5 shots. Another bigtime setback for a franchise that many people thought could take a big step toward joining the West’s elite this season. Now it’s a very similar team to last year’s, and Brandon Roy will again be called upon to carry this young group even more (though he does have another veteran in Andre Miller).

And that’s far from the only injury. Check out all the casualties in this Oregonian article, with Nicolas Batum and Travis Outlaw out with their own respective surgeries. The kicker, though, came this week when coach Nate McMillan tore his Achilles tendon while suiting up to play with his team in practice because of their limited numbers. He’s not making this next road trip with the Blazers. What a horrific and freakish start to the beginning of the season, and you have to wonder how this team will respond — more accurately, how it CAN respond with the limited numbers/depleted personnel. A positive could be getting Jerryd Bayless some more time on the floor, but that’s digging pretty deep.

Texas title step

Alabama is going to play for the national championship.

Mack Brown likely has Texas in the National Championship

Likely, so is Texas. That could mean the University of Texas. Or Texas Christian. Mack Brown or Gary Patterson. Big-12 or Big D.

This is surely a Texas-sized debate.

When Texas offensive coordinator Greg Davis had his Les Miles moment, running a time-consuming rollout pass with that precious time expiring, TCU, just 15 miles away from Cowboys Stadium where the Big-12 Championship game was being played, had to be celebrating. How could he make such a bad call and how could the quarterback with more wins than any other in history let the clock run out? Who cares, the Horned Frogs are going to Pasadena!

Not so fast, my friend.

Officials reviewed the call, adding a second to the clock and giving Texas all the time it needed to kick a game-winning, championship-clinching, trip to Pasadena-guaranteeing field goal. Listen carefully and you can hear chairs, tables, walls and hearts breaking in Fort Worth, Boise and a Pittsburgh hotel.

Those damn Longhorns escaped again.

The debate immediately began. Does Texas really deserve to play in the title game despite barely beating Nebraska? Considering their schedule is strong-in-name-only, should that Pasadena-bound plane come from Fort Worth or Austin?

Colt McCoy has led Texas to an undefeated season and a chance to go back to the place they last won a national title, the Rose Bowl. If there was ever a chance for McCoy to have the Vince Young moment everyone is waiting for, that would be it. One thing is for sure, he didn’t have it yesterday.

Gary Patterson has TCU undefeated, despite having to travel to ACC runner-up Clemson and perennial Mountain West power BYU. Those Cougars, you may remember, also beat Oklahoma at Cowboys Stadium, just like Texas did. TCU crushed BYU.

Actually, if we’re talking about pillow-soft schedules being the deciding factor, would Texas be in the conversation. Southlake Carroll High School is definitely better than some of the teams on their schedule. The Horns toughest road game was, wait for it, at Wyoming. Okay, so maybe Texas A&M wasn’t so bad, but it was a rivalry game. By contrast, TCU traveled to Clemson. They traveled to BYU. Gary Patterson’s top-ranked defense also played at Virginia, at Air Force, and…at Wyoming.

TCU’s road schedule is better than Texas’ entire schedule. Period. That was the reason no one even knew Texas was playing football games until the Red River Rivalry. They were lining up scrimmages every week and McCoy still wasn’t playing well. Just like yesterday.

It is about time the BCS stopped rewarding teams for taking the road easiest traveled. Here’s an idea: it isn’t like it would cost anything to put these two teams in Cowboys Stadium and settle it on the field. You’d sell the place out to the tune of more than 100,000 fans. Longhorns complaining that TCU would have home field advantage playing in Dallas? Texas has played there twice this year, TCU, never.

Alright, alright, so that won’t happen. But seriously, why haven’t these teams played? They are two of the best two programs in Texas and have been for a while now. They both used to play in the Southwest conference. Yet they have played just one time since the Longhorns moved to the Big-12. That should change quickly.

Without having that as a measuring stick, TCU has a better resume. The Horned Frogs should be smelling roses.

Alabama dominates Florida for SEC title

The expressions on the face of Tim Tebow said it all. His team was being handled in every aspect in his last SEC football game and more importantly the one that would decide the first representative in the national championship game.

McElroy led Alabama to its first SEC title since 1999.

It would not be Florida.

On this day there would be no comeback. No last drive heroics. No promise.

Instead the Gatorade shower would rain onto Nick Saban. Mark Ingram would be making his Heisman case. And Alabama would make a statement about how far it has come since losing to Utah a year ago in the Sugar Bowl.

Today, Alabama would stun Florida, 32-13, in the SEC Championship game.

The Crimson Tide scored 32 points, the only team to come anywhere near the 30 point mark on Florida this year. They racked up an astonishing 490 yards of total offense. And the quarterback that took the place Tebow himself was supposed to take at Alabama, Greg McElroy, was 12-18 for 239 yards and a touchdown. Against Florida. Yes, that happened.

As for Mark Ingram’s Heisman candidacy? His 28 carries, 113 yards and three touchdowns in the biggest game of the year should probably help. Those ballots are due Monday.

This game was really never in doubt. Alabama never trailed. The only tie was at 0-0. They scored the first 10 points and the last 13. They scored in every way possible, driving in 52 seconds and more than eight minutes for touchdowns.

The defense forced Florida into four punts and a huge fourth quarter interception. Tebow was never comfortable for a second. Now Alabama will get a chance to do the same thing Cincinnati is doing tonight – sit and watch Texas and Nebraska play.

It’s already known who the number one team will be tomorrow.

NFL Trouble Makers

What would another week in the NFL be without a quick check of the police logs? Before tomorrow’s games get underway we have a couple players in trouble with the law, a story about a guy who is known for being in deep (dog) sh**, and two men who have effectively been put on probation by their coach.

Speedy Bernard
With all the emerging talent on the Minnesota Vikings, especially at wide receiver, Bernard Berrian is trying to stay relevant and prove he is still fast. Berrian was ticketed Monday for driving more than 100 miles per hour. Driving on I-694 in Oakdale, Minn., Berrian was gunned at 104 in a 60-mph zone. This traffic stop came just two days after Vikings’ star running back Adrian Peterson was pulled over and ticketed for driving 109 mph in a 55. Berrian has seen his numbers slip with Brett Favre at the controls for Minnesota. Last season’s leading receiver is currently third on the team in receiving yards, behind budding young stars Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin. Berrian is being targeted much less, and is not getting the call for deep routes this season. The funny part is, the one-time speedster (Berrian had a 99-yard reception last season) is slower than Peterson off the field, too.

Suggs Restrained
The Associated Press is reporting a woman has taken out a restraining order Friday against Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs. The Ravens brass said they are “aware of the situation” and “discussed the matter.” Hard to say how big of a problem this is since Suggs is injured, thus a suspension is rendered useless. However, since there has been no arrest, it is probably not going to be big deal. The interesting part, though, is the details of the restraining order, “The order dictates that Suggs cannot abuse, contact or enter the residence of the woman, pending a court hearing on Dec. 11.” Hold on, cannot abuse? Is that a special restraining order for professional athletes? Or just extremely large men?

Vick Back to Atlanta
It’s a huge sports weekend at the Georgia Dome. Right now Alabama is moments away from knocking Florida from its undeserved perch atop the college football mountain. Tomorrow, one of the most anticipated stories of the NFL will unfold on the carpet of the Georgia Dome. Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles come into the Dome to take on the undermanned Atlanta Falcons. It is Vick’s first trip back to the place he made so many defenders miss since his well-documented legal battles.

ESPN The Magazine has tagged this as the No. 13 sports story of the year. We won’t get into how they can decide the list before the year is over, instead we will just enjoy the accompanying story that gives Vick the floor.

I’m looking forward to going back to the Georgia Dome. I may not do much. I may not even play in the game. But just having the opportunity to be there and maybe have a chance to talk to the Falcons owner, Mr. Blank, before the game — that would be a great thing for me. I spent many a Sunday making that crowd go wild, and I appreciate all those fans. They were great. Man, I miss them days. But now it’s time for the second half of my career. I was a dynamic player before I left the game, and I will be again. Every day I’m making progress. It might be baby steps, but I’m getting there. I feel like that old swagger is coming back, and I’m finally starting to feel like myself again.
                                                                                               -Michael Vick

Check out the full article that is almost entirely in Vick’s words.

Giants Fall
A couple of long-time starters on the New York Giants defensive line might find themselves watching the Cowboys’ first drive from the sideline. Defensive end Osi Umenyiora and tackle Fred Robbins were demoted earlier this week to the second unit at practice. New York Head Coach Tom Coughlin did not comment on personnel issues, but a major shakeup is not out of the question for the struggling Giants. Heading into the season, New York’s imposing front line was supposed to lead it back to championship form. Instead, the Giants rank 19th in sacks and only Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka rank in the top-50 in tackles by defensive linemen.

Cincinnati, Pike come back for Big East title

A Championship team did what championship teams do. Got the job done when it counted.

Heinz Field in Pittsburgh stood in stunned silence as Cincinnati marched down the field four times in the second half, after once trailing 31-10, to beat Pitt 45-44 in the de facto Big East championship game.

The Bearcats keep their undefeated season and national championship hopes alive. They will need Texas to lose. Said head coach Brian Kelly: “We’ll be rooting hard for Nebraska. Go Cornhuskers.”

By all accounts it should have been a tied game, headed for overtime, but after Pitt took a 44-38 lead on a Dion Lewis touchdown with just over 90 seconds left. But the Panthers botched the extra point when the holder was unable to handle the snap, meaning a Cincy touchdown and extra point could win it.

It didn’t take long.

Tony Pike threw four passes, culminating in an easy long toss down the right sideline to Armon Binns for the touchdown. Jake Rogers’ kick was good and Cincy had the lead with 33 seconds to go.

Bill Stull then threw three incompletions, followed by a sack and the celebration began.

Now they’ll gather in front of the television and hope to celebrate a Nebraska win.

Will a woman be in the NBA soon?

Perhaps you’ve heard about NBA commissioner David Stern’s interesting comments concerning the possibility of women playing in the NBA. The statement in question came from an article by SI.com’s Ian Thomsen, which can be found at this link. Stern says he thinks there’s a good possibility that we could see women in the NBA within the decade.

An interesting discussion, and there have already been comments from around the NBA on whether Stern’s opinion is valid. All thoughts will probably turn to the top woman players in the game today and how they stack up.

LeBron James was quoted in this ESPN story as saying that he thinks 10 years might be a little much. Thoughts?