| Was it really just a week ago that Texas beat | | | | with a mere 176! U Conn is now second with |
| USC 41-38 in the Rose Bowl? Can Vince Young | | | | 49.Both Duke and Florida play tonight, while |
| possibly be as good in the NFL as he was in his | | | | Pittsburgh plays Thursday (home versus DePaul). |
| two Rose Bowl appearances? Is the 'monkey' | | | | Duke hosts Maryland tonight on ESPN at 9:00 ET |
| finally off Mack Brown's back?Putting to rest the | | | | and the Blue Devils are favored by 14 points with |
| CFB season, note that Texas' 83 wins the last | | | | a total of 156 1/2. Florida is home to an 11-3 Miss |
| eight years are the most of any school. The | | | | St team but the gators are still favored by 18 1 |
| Longhorns are also the ONLY school to have | | | | 2 points!ESPN2 features a triple-header tonight |
| finished in the final BCS standings in EACH of the | | | | beginning with Syracuse at Notre Dame at 7:00 |
| last seven years. Texas is also the only | | | | ET. That game is followed by Texas A&M at |
| BCS-affiliated school to win at least 10 games in | | | | Oklahoma State (9:00 ET) and TCU at New |
| each of the last five years.My free play for | | | | Mexico (11:00 ET). Prior to the Maryland/Duke |
| Wednesday is the Min T-wolves over the Chi Bulls | | | | game, ESPN opens its coverage with Indiana at |
| in the NBA at 8:05 ET. I've jumped to a 3-0 start | | | | Michigan State at 7:00 ET (Spartans are favored |
| with my CBB 15* plays in '06 and offer another | | | | by five with a total of 146 1/2).NBA fans get a |
| 15* play tonight (rare back-to-back 15*s!). Also, I | | | | busy 10-game slate tonight and all eyes are in |
| feature my 10* SEC Game of the Month and my | | | | Portland, as Kobe tries to get 45 points or more |
| 10* NBA Favorite of the Month. Get them ALL, | | | | for the 5th consecutive game. However, he's got |
| right now!Putting to rest the bowl season, 16 of | | | | a little more work to do if he plans on catching |
| the 28 games were decided by a TD or less, with | | | | Wilt, who set an NBA record in 1964 of NINE |
| EIGHT decided by three points or less (two in | | | | consecutive 45-plus games!Who ever said 13 was |
| OT). Fifteen of the 28 winning teams came from | | | | an unlucky number? It surely wasn't for Bruce |
| behind to win, with EIGHT of them erasing | | | | Sutter. Sutter became just the 4th reliever to get |
| double-digit deficits!The average margin of victory | | | | elected to baseball's Hall of Fame, joining Hoyt |
| was 10.9 PPG, the lowest in the BCS-era and the | | | | Wilhelm, Rollie Fingers and Dennis Eckersley. |
| lowest since 1992. Next year sees the addition of | | | | However, Sutter is the ONLY one of the four, to |
| 5th BCS bowl game but there is NO playoff plans | | | | have NEVER made a major league start!His |
| in the near future. Speaking of which, it's | | | | 'election' in his 13th year of eligibility, is the latest |
| BASKETBALL season!Tonight's college hoops | | | | of any player since Ralph Kiner was elected in |
| schedule features 46 games. Last week was a | | | | 1975. Jim Rice fell 53 votes short in his 12th year |
| bad week for top-25 teams, as 15 ranked teams | | | | on the ballot and Goose Gossage 54 votes shy, in |
| lost, including two losses by Michigan St. FOUR | | | | his seventh year of eligibility. Sutter's election was |
| teams fell from the ranks of the unbeaten last | | | | long-overdue but I wouldn't expect 13 to be the |
| week. Connecticut, Illinois, Ohio St and | | | | charm for Rice next year.First-timers on next |
| Villanova.That leaves Duke (14-0), Florida (14-0) | | | | year's HOF ballot will be Tony Gwynn (lock) and |
| and Pittsburgh (12-0). Duke's been ranked No. 1 all | | | | Cal Ripken Jr (lock), not to mention a member of |
| season but was a unanimous No. 1 this week, for | | | | Sports Illustrated's so-called "Liars Club", Mark |
| the first time all season. Florida, unranked at the | | | | McGwire. Just in case the voters have forgotten, |
| beginning of the year, has to be the season's | | | | Rice has 382 career HRs, 1,451 RBI and a .298 LT |
| biggest surprise team, in Billy Donovan's 10th year | | | | batting average. He topped .300 seven time, |
| at Gainesville. Pitt is 12-0 but ranked just 12th. | | | | knocked in 100 runs eight times, while winning |
| Kentucky fell out of the AP poll for the first time | | | | three HR titles, two RBI titles and the AL MVP in |
| this week, after 88 straight rankings, as did Wake | | | | 1978.Larry Ness is a documented member of the |
| Forest (60 straight appearances). The current | | | | Professional Handicappers League. |
| leader in consecutive poll appearances is Duke, | | | | |