Former Penn State head coach Joe Paterno was a coach players loved to play for and a coach who will forever be the staple of Nittany Lions football.

According to multiple news sources, including ABC News, Paterno was pronounced dead on the morning of Jan. 22 at 85 years old.  In a report by Reuters, the family spoke on Paterno’s legendary coaching career and his unmatched dedication to his work and those he loved.

“His ambitions were far reaching, but he never believed he had to leave this Happy Valley to achieve them,” the family said. “He was a man devoted to his family, his university, his players and his community.”

Paterno was not only one of the most accomplished coaches in Penn State history, but is known as arguably the most successful to ever grace the sports world.

In spite of having a career somewhat tainted by scandal, as a head coach Paterno was known for coaching some of the better defenses in college football history during his 46-year tenure that began in 1966 with Penn State.

Top-notch defensive talents from Paterno’s program who made noise in the NFL included LB LaVar Arrington, OLB Jack Ham and safety Darren Perry.

In his 46 years as a football coach, Paterno was a whopping 409-136-3, with 24 bowl game wins in 37 bowl appearances.

What makes the feat all the more impressive is Paterno had just five losing seasons his entire coaching career, boasting a whopping 41 winning seasons. The 2007 College Football Hall of Fame inductee coached two national championship teams in his career.

His accomplishments are simply too difficult to even fathom, while he also boasted a work ethic unmatched by most every coach.

JoePa’s coaching legacy lives on strong, not only in the world of college football but  is considered a coaching career to go down as one of the more memorable tenures in the history of sports.

It’s pretty apparent that it’s time for a change in the way the college football postseason works. For anyone who still believes that the Coaches poll is still a legitimate ranking system, grow up. Saban and the Tide only got a shot at the national title because they harshly underrated Oklahoma State, which is absolutely ridiculous. I believe the time has come for a playoff system to be implemented in college football. This process requires three very important steps. First, there must be six major national conferences established with all teams being forced to join a conference. Secondly, the season would be shortened to 11 games. Finally, the six conference champions and two wild card teams will play in an eight-team playoff.

First, six major national conferences must be established. The obvious choices here are to keep the six major conferences in existence now (Big 10, Big 12, ACC, SEC, Pac 12, Big East), though they would have to be restructured. All of the aforementioned conferences would have 12 slots, making room for 72 major programs eligible to compete for the national championship. The existing teams would then be segmented into the six conferences based on region and talent level. All of the independent teams would be forced to join a conference in order to be eligible to play in the playoff system.

Second, the schedule would have to be reverted back to an eleven game season with a conference championship and a two-week playoff leading up to a national championship. Shortening the season back to eleven games prevents the season from running too long and further interfering with the NFL playoffs. This also takes strain off of teams playing in the playoffs who could play up to three additional games. The longer the season gets the greater chance there is for injury and that is the absolute last thing that anyone wants too see in college football. Nobody wants a rising star’s career to be cut short because their body wore down in college.

Finally, the six winners of the conferences championships would enter the playoff and two additional wild card teams would be selected. The wild card teams would be chosen by a selection committee, much like it is done in college basketball now. This would ensure that teams who are deserving of entering the playoffs but who may have been defeated by tough competition in their conference championship would still get an opportunity to compete in the playoffs.

While the execution of this plan would be near impossible at the moment due to contractual obligations the teams have to their current conferences and the contracts those conferences have with television stations, it could be implemented in the future if the NCAA were to set a date past which no contractual obligations between any team and conference could be established. This would require a lot of work on the part of the NCAA (so they probably would never consider it) but it would provide for the most merit-based system in which a national champion can be crowned in college football.

FIESTA BOWL

Site: Glendale, Ariz.
Date: Jan. 2
Time/TV: 8:30 p.m./ESPN
Matchup: Oklahoma State (11-1) vs. Stanford (11-1)

Or, National Semifinal #1.  How great would that actually be? Ok maybe this should be Oregon instead, but either way – the winner getting a shot for the title… on the field. To dream, the impossible dream…

Should you watch: yes

Who wins: OK State, then Indy in April (what kind of conniption will Manning throw if they draft Luck…)

SUGAR BOWL

Site: New Orleans
Date: Jan. 3
Time/TV: 8:30 p.m./ESPN
Matchup: Michigan (10-2) vs. Virginia Tech (11-2)

ACC vs. Big Ten matchup that could see Michigan return to relevance as a college football power.  Virginia Tech is in a familiar place representing the ACC in the the BCS, but this time they are not going up against a conference champion.  The Hokies will try to change their fortune this time by not losing in the BCS, or at least not getting blown out last year like they did against Stanford.

Should you watch: Yes

Who wins: Virginia Tech pulls this one out because they play good defense, and Michigan plays no defense.

ORANGE BOWL

Site: Miami
Date: Jan. 4
Time/TV: 8 p.m./ESPN
Matchup: Clemson (10-3) vs. West Virginia (9-3)

How snitty are these bowls?  These two matchups aren’t horrible but there are better games to be had. And what the hell was the point of the ACC Championship game if both teams just get the cush bowl games (and payouts) anyway.  At least Clemson at some point was undefeated and in the conversation for competing for a national title, but West Virginia is kind of laughable being in this game (What Big East representative would not have been).

Should you watch: Begrudgingly perhaps.

Who wins: BCS Bastards.

COTTON BOWL

Site: Arlington, Texas
Date: Jan. 6
Time/TV: 8 p.m./Fox
Matchup: Arkansas (10-2) vs. Kansas State (10-2)

On January 6^th? And not at THE Cotton Bowl but at JerryWorld? Screw it, just call the Dallas Cowboys Bowl and move on, hell the Yankees do it.

Should you watch: might actually be a decent game.

Who wins: Jerry

BBVA COMPASS

Site: Birmingham, Ala.
Date: Jan. 7
Time/TV: 1 p.m./ESPN
Matchup: Pittsburgh (6-6) vs. SMU (7-5)

This is probably one of the worst games on the schedule for the 2011 bowl season, and the fact that the game is on January 7th is even worse.  This is going to be one of the last games of the college football season?  Really?  An average SMU team against a banged up even more average Pitt team whose coach took a new job before the bowl game, is a recipe for a garbage football game.  We will see if the teams prove us wrong.

Should you watch: Probably not

Who wins: Does it really matter?  Umm Pitt!

GODADDY.COM BOWL

Site: Mobile, Ala.
Date: Jan. 8
Time/TV: 9 p.m./ESPN
Matchup: Northern Illinois (10-3) vs. Arkansas State (10-2)

A brilliant or cynical strategy by the tourism folks of Alabama. We will shoehorn our shite bowls right into the BCSapalooza, maybe people will just keep watching and not notice. That’s why the Pitt-SMU game is first; these teams did once play a Cotton Bowl game that had national title implications. And then maybe no one will notice the next night that they are watching freakin’ NORTHERN ILLINOIS and ARKANSAS STATE! Hey, they have 10 wins! Each! By the way Cotton Bowl, your January 6^th gambit lumps you in with these posers.

Should you watch: I don’t care anymore.

Who wins: no one.

BCS TITLE GAME

Site: New Orleans
Date: Jan. 9
Time/TV: 8:30 p.m./ESPN
Matchup: LSU (13-0) vs. Alabama (11-1)

Look, what’s the point? You don’t give us a playoff. You screw over OK State, but equally screw at least 2 other teams as well. LSU already beat these guys in Alabama, now you want to have them try again… in New Orleans?!? And even if Alabama were to win what’s that solve? We don’t get a rubber match; no other 1 loss team gets a shot at Alabama. Used to be the last undefeated team got voted #1 in the final polls and they were named champ. But that caused too many issues so instead of a playoff we get this crap sandwich. Drawn out to mid-January when I don’t give a damn anymore. If any year called for the final polls to call it, this is the year. So sure, geaux Tigers and eff the BCS.

BELK BOWL

Site: Charlotte, N.C.
Date: Dec. 27
Time/TV: 8 p.m./ESPN
Matchup: N.C. State (7-5) vs. Louisville (7-5)

I had to Google Belk to figure out what or who the hell a Belk was. So mission accomplished marketing bastards! Turns out it’s some crap regional department store along the lines of a Beall’s or Kohl’s.

Should you watch: This is one of those standard Thursday night ESPN match ups that you never remember is happening unless you happen across it. You watch for like 20 minutes then get bored and go to bed. And that’s on a Thursday, this is a Tuesday.

Who wins: The marketing geniuses at Belk, your move Kohl’s/Beall’s!

MILITARY BOWL

Site: Washington
Date: Dec. 28
Time/TV: 4:30 p.m./ESPN
Matchup: Air Force (7-5) vs. Toledo (8-4)

Ok, Air Force I get… but Toledo? Is it because they are nicknamed the Rockets? Does this game always feature a military academy vs. war-hardware nicknamed universities? And how bad were Army/Navy that Air Force gets this game over them?

/Googles Army, Navy 2011 seasons

Oh.

Should you watch: No, because on a Wednesday you’re only getting one bowl… and it should be the Holiday.

Who wins: Take the actual academy.

HOLIDAY BOWL

Site: San Diego
Date: Dec. 28
Time/TV: 8 p.m./ESPN
Matchup: California (7-5) vs. Texas (7-5)

Our second bowl game of the 12 (TWELVE!) we’ve covered thus far that actually should exist.  The Holiday has always been a personal favorite. I cried in 1980 when Jim McMahon and BYU came back to beat my hometown SMU Mustangs. (For some reason I always remembered this game as being in 1984 – making me 12. But no, it was 1980 – I was 8, perfectly acceptable age to cry over a crushing loss!) I felt a bit of childhood revenge when Bucky Richardson and my Texas Aggies stomped BYU in 65-14 in 1990.  San Digo, good weather so good TV and usually a good game. Right in the mid-week between Christmas and New Year’s so a good break if you are stuck on the road for the holidays. As increasingly useless bowls this is a good one.

Should you watch: Yes.

Who wins: You, if this is the first bowl you’ve actually cared to watch.

CHAMPS SPORTS BOWL

Site: Orlando, Fla.
Date: Dec. 29
Time/TV: 5:30 p.m./ESPN
Matchup: Florida State (8-4) vs. Notre Dame (8-4)

And back to the slog. You ever take a whole loaf of sliced bread out to get to the far end piece? You are not getting that loaf back into the bag intact. And you can’t really use anything else other than that particular bag to store a loaf of bread.

Should you watch: Only if you are a Fl State or Notre Dame fan, in which case you have no soul anyway. I kid. About the Florida State part.

Who wins: The increasingly irrelevant ND mystique. Pick a conference all-freakin’-ready.

ALAMO BOWL

Site: San Antonio
Date: Dec. 29
Time/TV: 9 p.m./ESPN
Matchup: Baylor (9-3) vs. Washington (7-5)

Texas has a lot of bowl games. And that’s mostly OK by me. The Alamo always seems to pit teams that were pretty good that year but had expected to do a little better, but upon reflection realizes they had the season they should have had. It’s the bit-of-a-disappointment-but-ok-in-the-end Bowl. Which seems fitting that it’s in San Antonio.

Should you watch: RGIII so sure.

Who wins:  Everybody’s just happy to be here.

ARMED FORCES BOWL

Site: Dallas
Date: Dec. 30
Time/TV: Noon/ESPN
Matchup: BYU (9-3) vs. Tulsa (8-4)

Ok, we already have the Military Bowl so… Now a plus that this game is at neither the Cotton Bowl nor JerryWorld, thus no redundant venue. Instead it’s at Ford Stadium on the SMU campus, home to the George W Bush Presidential Library. Ideally this game should pit two 6-6 teams that have no business being in a bowl in a spectacular Charlie Foxtrot of a game.

Should you watch: Noon on a Friday? The day before NYE? Take a nap, rest up.

Who wins: The 1%

PINSTRIPE BOWL

Site: New York
Date: Dec. 30
Time/TV: 3:20 p.m./ESPN
Matchup: Rutgers (8-4) vs. Iowa State (6-6)

Shoe horn a football field into the confines of a historical baseball park. Cool idea, except this Yankee Stadium is not that Yankee Stadium. This game should rotate among Yankee Stadium (I’ll give it a pass) and Fenway and Wrigley. And it should be given a better match up than Rutgers and 6-6 Iowa State.

Should you watch: Only the first 10 minutes to check out the field.

Who wins: Whatever mediocre pitcher the Yankees wildly overpay at the trading deadline next year.

MUSIC CITY BOWL

Site: Nashville, Tenn.
Date: Dec. 30
Time/TV: 6:40 p.m./ESPN
Matchup: Mississippi State (6-6) vs. Wake Forest (6-6)

The Music City bowl pits two teams that are barely bowl eligible against each other, when you go 6 – 6 do you really deserve to play in a bowl game?  It’s a matchup of a middle lower tier SEC team vs. a lower tier ACC team, and if the way Wake Forest was pummeled by Vanderbilt earlier this year is any indication of how this game will go then be prepared to cut it off early.

Should you watch:  Only if you are one of those people who really think that teams from the SEC are must watch TV, even if it’s a lower tier team like Mississippi State.

Who wins: Mississippi State, because Wake Forest only has about 8000 students total enrolled at their university .  They are all about academics.

LIBERTY BOWL

Site: Memphis, Tenn.
Date: Dec. 31
Time/TV: 3:30 p.m./ABC
Matchup: Cincinnati (9-3) vs. Vanderbilt (6-6)

Of the 4 teams in your bowl games Tennessee,  3 (3!!) have 6-6 records. No – you get one bowl game and you’re lucky I’m giving you that. Pick one!

Should you watch: Maybe, but just one!

Who wins: The SEC, their crap teams get to go bowling!

INSIGHT BOWL

Site: Tempe, Ariz.
Date: Dec. 30
Time/TV: 10 p.m./ESPN
Matchup: Iowa (7-5) vs. Oklahoma (9-3)

Sheriff Arpaio of Maricopa County, AZ has – among many other horrible things he’s done – allegedly mishandled numerous sexual abuse cases. How happy are the Insight people that Penn State did not fall to their game.

Should you watch: Boycott all things Arizona.

Who wins: If you are brown, not you.

TEXAS BOWL

Site: Houston
Date: Dec. 31
Time/TV: Noon/ESPN
Matchup: Northwestern (6-6) vs. Texas A&M (6-6)

Normally, I’m ok with THE TEXAS BOWL. I’ll even give props to Reliant Stadium as a nice venue. But two 6-6 teams? Even if one is my Texas Aggies, bowl inflation – we should not be party to it. You should have poached the TicketCity Bowl’s lineup.

Should you watch: Well, I probably will so I can’t really say no…

Who wins: BEAT THE HELL OUTTA NORTHWESTERN! WHOOP!!

In no particular order except chronological…

NEW MEXICO BOWL
Site: Albuquerque
Date: Dec. 17
Time/TV: 2 p.m./ESPN
Matchup: Temple (8-4) vs. Wyoming (8-4)

Why? New Mexico is a perfectly nice state, and I suppose they could use the marketing – which is all the bowls are pretty much for anyway – but why would a Philly school and a Wyoming school want to go to New Mexico in December?

Should you watch: If you happen to be in front of a TV at 2p on a Saturday…

Who wins: Wyoming, unless this is actually a basketball game and I have it wrong.

FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO BOWL

Site: Boise, Idaho
Date: Dec. 17
Time/TV: 5:30 p.m./ESPN
Matchup: Ohio (9-4) vs. Utah State (7-5)

Wait, we have more than one game on a random Saturday in early November? Bully for us! Look, Boise State students don’t want to be in Boise in December. You’re doing no favors for… Utah State and Ohio.  Ohio is weird in that there’s such a huge disparity in name recognition b/w THE Ohio State University and … Ohio. Almost the same problem for Utah State except the Utes of Utah are no THE Ohio State University.

Should you watch: When I was in the 3^rd or 4^th grade we put on a Thanksgiving play for all the lower grades. I was a FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO. I cut a random oval shape out of cardboard and I taped my lines on the back of it thus negating any need for memorization . So, yes.

Who wins: Utah State are the Aggies. YOU LOSE THE A&M – YOU GIVE UP THE RIGHT TO BE AGGIES! So, THE OHIO UNIVERSITY.

NEW ORLEANS BOWL

Site: New Orleans
Date: Dec. 17
Time/TV: 9 p.m./ESPN
Matchup: Louisiana-Lafayette (9-3) vs. San Diego State (8-4)

Look New Orleans, you already have the Sugar Bowl and this year you get the BCS game. Everybody knows those games are in New Orleans, your December marketing is well covered. This game is absolutely redundant and useless.

Should you watch: No, on principle.

Who wins: The New Orleans Chamber of Commerce.

BEEF O’BRADY’S BOWL

Site: St. Petersburg, Fla.
Date: Dec. 20
Time/TV: 8 p.m./ESPN
Matchup: Florida International (8-4) vs. Marshall (6-6)

Beef O’Brady’s is a horrible sports bar type joint that serves crap fried foods. It seems to be very popular in the Tampa Bay area. This tells you a lot about the Tampa Bay area. This game is played in the tomb that is Tropicana “Stadium”.  It pits a school with a glorious history that dates to the Watergate era and a Marshall team that went freakin’ 6-6!

Should you watch: If you do you will make Jesus sad, and just before his birthday.

Who wins: Not your gastro-intestinal tract.

POINSETTIA BOWL

Site: San Diego
Date: Dec. 21
Time/TV: 8 p.m./ESPN
Matchup: TCU (10-2) vs. Louisiana Tech (8-4)

San Diego, not a bad place to be in December. But you already have the Holiday Bowl, a perfectly good bowl and one of my personal faves. And you’re San Diego – do you need to market yourself much more. Also, this is not much of a consolation to TCU. This is a good team that hangs around the national contender conversation constantly in recent years and they get relegated to the hinterlands of the bowl schedule?

Should you watch: Meh, it is a Wednesday night. And no NBA- yet.

Who wins: TCU if they can shake the crushing disappointment.

LAS VEGAS BOWL

Site: Las Vegas
Date: Dec. 22
Time/TV: 8 p.m./ESPN
Matchup: Boise State (11-1) vs. Arizona State (6-6)

Again, Las Vegas – not a bad place to be in December. And they don’t have any other kind of bowl game – but does Las Vegas need still more marketing? And Boise State gets the shroud just like the Horned Frogs. They’re supposed to get up for a 6-6 Arizona State?

Should you watch: What else is on Thursday nights? No really, there’s gotta be something else.

Who wins: Boise State, if …

HAWAII BOWL

Site: Honolulu
Date: Dec. 24
Time/TV: 8 p.m./ESPN
Matchup: Nevada (7-5) vs. Southern Miss (11-2)

Ok, this is the first bowl game on this list that should actually exist. Hawaii in December – now that’s a reward for a good season. And of the 12 teams listed above only 2 belong in a bowl, Boise State and TCU. Send them to Hawaii! C’mon BCS, you’re totally screwing them over – at least give them a nice vacation.

Should you watch: It’s Christmas Eve you heartless SOB! (Now, if it were Boise St v TCU…)

Who wins: Southern Miss, for being able to get the hell out of Southern Miss.

INDEPENDENCE BOWL

Site: Shreveport, La.
Date: Dec. 26
Time/TV: 5 p.m./ESPN
Matchup: Missouri (7-5) vs. North Carolina (7-5)

Nobody wants to go to Shreveport, LA… ever. Much less spend Christmas there.  If any bowl game should have pitted two 6-6 teams (which does happen… TWICE) it’s this one. But no, they reached for a couple of 7-5 teams.

Should you watch: Well, you might be getting bored at the in-laws at this point…

Who wins: Any Mizzou or UNC students that didn’t let their buddies talk them into ROADTRIP! SHREVEPORT!!.

LITTLE CAESAR’S PIZZA BOWL

Site: Detroit
Date: Dec. 27
Time/TV: 4:30 p.m./ESPN
Matchup: Purdue (6-6) vs. Western Michigan (7-5)

Did this take the place of the Papa John’s Bowl or did we used to have two Crappy Pizza Bowls? Why doesn’t Hooters have a bowl? If any crappy food joint is gonna have a bowl you would think it’d be Hooters.

Should you watch: Watch what?

Who wins: Someone should start a nation-wide campaign that no one anywhere in the country orders from a Little Caesar’s for the duration of this game. They get 0 orders nationwide for like 3+ hours on a Tuesday night. That’d be a great prank and might make other crap food joints think twice before slapping their name on a useless bowl game. Except Hooters, they should totally have a bowl game.

Boise State was a missed field goal away. TCU was two spots in the BCS rankings.

If TCU had beaten SMU or Boise State hadn’t lost to the Horned Frogs, then we would have one of these teams in the BCS. Instead, the Las Vegas Bowl got the luck of the draw and selected Boise State, while the Frogs are stuck against WAC champion Louisiana Tech in the Poinsettia Bowl.

While watching Kellen Moore or Casey Pachall take shots at Denard Robinson and Michigan would’ve been far more entertaining, we still have reason to watch this game.

Louisiana Tech went 1-1 on the road against the SEC and almost went 2-0 against the SEC, while the Bulldogs lost by a point against Houston, who was a C-USA title away from the BCS.

If you were to pit the WAC champion against the MWC champion last year, you would’ve had a great battle between two of the best teams in the country. Now, they have 8-4 Louisiana Tech.

Still, the Bulldogs won seven straight to end the season, and led by Colby Cameron, the offense can be powerful. Remember, TCU lost a home game to SMU, and although they are known for a strong defense, they gave up 28+ points four times (and 40 to SMU).

Louisiana Tech beat two bowl-eligible teams and brought a huge hurdle to three more. If they bring their “A” game, this game could be closer than people think.

For Boise State, you have Kellen Moore and Doug Martin, two players that lead arguably the best offense in the nation. Moore is playing his last game against a struggling Arizona State team, but the Sun Devils have shown what they are made of.

Arizona State dominated USC, who would likely be in the BCS if it wasn’t for allegations earlier this year, and they held off Utah and Missouri. This team can win quality games if Brock Osweiler is on, and the offense can turn on the jets.

Even against stellar defenses, Arizona State’s offense functions like a conveyor belt that keeps moving. Cameron Marshall is a great compliment to Osweiler, and against a Boise defense that lets opposing offense creep into games, that could be a factor.

Arizona State ended the season with four straight losses (they should’ve been four straight wins), but they have three weeks to prepare for this game. Dennis Erickson will coach his last game, and ASU wants to send him out a winner.

These teams can bring a lot to the table and create a good matchup, and if you add that on to a high-powered offense led by Casey Pachall and Kellen Moore, and great compliments with Doug Martin and Matthew Tucker, you would be interested.

Or you should be.

Anyways, if you were moping last night about how you have to wait until New Years for some quality college football, think again. With upsets in mind, Boise State and TCU will take the field on December 21 and 22, ready to kick off bowl season for real.

Miguel Cotto showed he is still an elite fighter that needs another chance at the title.  Cotto retained the WBA Super Lightweight title with this fight, but he is ready to go for a higher profile prize. And that means either a bout with Floyd Mayweather or a rematch with Manny Pacquiao.  Cotto was on top of his game and looked as good as ever. His feet looked quick and his punches were accurate.  He spent much of the fight backpedaling and landing bruising left hooks as Margarito charged toward him. The punishment resulted in the refs stopping the fight after the 10th round.

College Football

Oklahoma State had never won a conference championship, and their head coach did not want to lobby for a shot at the National Title until they accomplished that.  Well on Saturday Joseph Randle ran for 151 yards and two touchdowns, Richetti Jones returned a fumble for a score and No. 3 Oklahoma State throttled No. 13 Oklahoma 44-10 Saturday night to win the Big 12 championship and make its case to play for the BCS national title.  Many think that even with an impressive win over an Oklahoma team that was highly ranked to start the season it won’t be enough for them to leap from the Alabama Crimson tide and play LSU in the BCS title game.

NFL

Tim Tebow led yet another late rally, passing for a season-best 202 yards and two third-quarter touchdowns to help the Denver Broncos win their fifth straight game with a 35-32 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.  Before people get carried away though, the Vikings Christian Ponder threw two crucial interceptions that led to 10 Denver points, and the Broncos defense took full advantage of facing a rookie QB.  Tim Tebow hooked up with Demaryius Thomas on a few big plays, and Willis McGahee rushed for over 100 yards to lead a balanced attack.  The Broncos are now 6 – 1 under Tebow, but it’s difficult to say they are an better off because the schedule has been favorable, we will only see where Tebow goes from here.

Golf

For the second straight year, Tiger Woods found himself locked in a battle with a gritty little competitor who refused to go away at the Chevron World Challenge at Sherwood Country Club.  This time, Woods delivered the clutch putts at the end, making an eight-foot, and downhill birdie putt to finally put away Zach Johnson.  Woods gave a violent fist pump as his second straight birdie disappeared into the cup, perhaps reigniting one of the most storied careers in golf.  Woods was attempting to break the longest winless streak of his career, a 749-day dry spell that spanned 26 starts in which he had been unable to prevail in either an official or unofficial tournament. No one could have guessed on Nov. 15, 2009, when Woods won the JB Were Australian Masters, that it would be this long before he won again.  Does this mean that Tiger is back and going to return to his old form?  Stay tuned…

MLB

Manny Ramirez is applying for reinstatement to Major League Baseball, his agent, Scott Shapiro, said.  Ramirez played five games in April for the Rays before being suspended 100 games for his second positive drug test and consequently retiring. Sources said Ramirez still has to serve a 50-game ban before he can play again. MLB is showing sympathy since Ramirez would have filled out the full suspension had he simply served it last year.  It’s unclear how much Manny has left in the tank, or which team would be interested in the aging slugger and his sure to be hefty contract demands.

This article contains explicit information.  The worst kind of sick and demented human behavior has taken over the sports headlines this week.  If the accusations are true, everyone who knew what happened in 2002 and sat idly by while this predator was allowed to prey on more young victims must be held accountable for their lack of action.

Nobody gets a pass here.  From the top of Penn State to the bottom.  If you were part of the program and let these crimes continue, you are accountable.  The Penn State football locker room had become a personal house of horrors for more than a few very young boys during the 1990s and early 2000s.

The court documents show the abuse that former Penn State defensive coordinator, Jerry Sandusky, has been accused of, and it is some of the worst kind of predatory, deviant behavior one could engage in.

If the accusations are true, Sandusky is one sick individual and should never see the light of day outside of a prison cell for the rest of his life.  The grand jury indictment begs the question: How could this crime, the first time it was observed, have been reported even internally and yet the offender was still allowed to walk around freely at Penn State, in the company of young boys?

This is beyond me, and this is also what has most people shocked and perplexed about the whole series of events.  If the grand jury report is true, then what in the world was wrong with Mike McQueary?

Most have heard the version that McQueary was a young graduate assistant who was simply trying to get his foot into the world of coaching big time college football.

Then one afternoon in 2002 McQueary saw a sexual assault take place, and he did the bare minimum by reporting what he say to Paterno, who also took the easy route and just passed the information up the chain of command.

The problem I have with the whole thing is where is Mike McQueary, “the man,” when he saw this act?

Mike McQueary was a 28-year-old man, big in stature, in good physical shape, he was a former college quarterback and he could have handled some 55-year-old pedophile in short order had he seen a man molesting a little boy!

Why did McQueary not sprint, in a bee-line, toward the shower and try to take Sandusky’s head off?  It makes no sense at all.  I do not want to hear the argument about keeping his job and not soiling his name for possible future jobs.

The fact is, I do not think, if I tried, I could find a grown man or woman who would just stand idly by and let a child be sexually assaulted by a 55-year-old pedophile.

I do not care if a person witnessing such an assault was sick and frail or a senior citizen, the fact remains, if you are a man or a woman with any kind of character and compassion (and this is especially true if you are a parent), then you are going to give it all you have got to stop the assault.

Now, if you are one of those people who freezes under pressure, possibly like McQueary could have been, or if you are just terrified of confrontation, then remember, all you need to do is dial 911 on a telephone.

Had McQueary just called the police in 2002 it is very possible that the victims since then could have been spared the torture and anguish they had to face for years after the shower incident.  Most people will automatically protect young kids when they are in trouble.

You’ve heard the story about the man who could barely swim immediately jumping into the water and drowning while saving a toddler from drowning.  This willingness to help a child, at all costs, is something most adults possess.

It is the same reason you hear of neighbors fighting with firemen while trying to get into a burning home where they believe a neighborhood child could be being trapped.

Anytime you hear of a disaster, people always try to save the children first.  In any emergency the plan is to always “get the children out first.”  If these crimes are true, then you had better believe it was the emergency.  But this was an emergency where multiple people knew children were in danger and did nothing to protect them.  In the end it took one brave child coming forward to bring an institution to its knees.

College football logic flew out the window Sunday night when the latest standings for the Big Cash System—I mean, Bowl Championship Series—were released.

Conventional wisdom and historical precedent indicate that unbeaten teams get punished in the rankings when they lose at home in November. Alabama was No. 2 going into this year’s “Game of the Century” Saturday night against No. 1 LSU in Tuscaloosa. LSU escaped with a 9-6 overtime win.

That means Alabama was poised for a fall in the rankings, right?

Make no mistake: The Crimson Tide fell—all the way to No. 3 from No. 2.

So now the remainder of the regular season will be filled with speculation such as that which went on Sunday night and on into this morning: Will the Tide and Tigers meet again in New Orleans on Jan. 9?

The answer is a qualified “maybe.”

If Oklahoma State and Stanford, currently ranked No. 2 and No. 4 respectively, were to lose at any point then, yes, Alabama would likely vault back to No. 2 provided they win-out against Mississippi State, Georgia Southern—really??— and Auburn. Given the rate at which the Cowboys, in particular, can surrender points, an Oklahoma State loss isn’t out of the question.

Rematch talk becomes moot, however, if either Oklahoma State or Stanford runs the table.

The Cowboys still have a marquee matchup on the docket, a Dec. 3 season-ending Bedlam game with Oklahoma in Stillwater.

The Cardinal, likewise, has a red-letter date on the schedule when Oregon comes to The Farm on Saturday to, for all intents and purposes, decide the Pac-12 North title.

All of this assumes, of course, that LSU finishes unbeaten. The Tigers still have some work to do, hosting Arkansas to close the regular season. If LSU survives that, it likely gets Georgia—winners of seven straight since starting 0-2—in the SEC title game.

While Stanford is currently slightly behind Alabama in the latest BCS standings, the key word is “slightly,” as in “negligible.” If the Cardinal beats Oregon on Saturday, Stanford will likely leapfrog Alabama in the standings due to the computer boost associated with beating a Top 10 opponent.

But Stanford will need an Oklahoma State loss somewhere along the way to reach the coveted Top 2; the computers are giving much love to the Big 12 and not so much to the Pac-12 this season. So there’s not really a scenario by which Stanford passes Oklahoma State if both remain unbeaten.

If both Oklahoma State and Stanford stumble against their remaining Top Ten foes, it would put Oklahoma and Oregon back into the title-game picture along with a one-loss Alabama squad.

I know some of this seems like I’m reaching, but there have been too many years in the “let’s arbitrarily pick two teams and call it a championship” era when unlikely and unexpected scenarios became reality.

The one scenario that isn’t going to happen, regardless of how it fares the rest of the way, is Boise State playing for the big crystal football.

I’m not saying it’s right or wrong or making a determination of whether or not it’s fair, I’m simply being the pragmatist that I am and stating that this is just the way it is—the BCS machine will never allow the Broncos to play in the designated big game at the end.

So while it’s a nice topic for the talking heads this time of year, that’s all it will ever be until Boise State is able to secure alignment with a conference that is a BCS automatic qualifier.

The most likely scenario for the Broncos, should they win-out, would be an at-large BCS bid against Houston (should they win-out), keeping with the BCS’ tradition of not allowing non-automatic qualifiers to play AQ schools if at all possible.

I’m not necessarily opposed to a rematch between LSU and Alabama in the BCS title game. But should it come to pass, I’ll make sure to stock up on caffeinated beverages.

If you are a Wisconsin fan, think back all the way to 2010. There was a one-man wrecking crew at defensive end named J.J. Watt. His sheer size and unbelievable talent caught offensive lines off guard as he attacked off tackle.

Watt embodied the program. He was Wisconsin.

Now, pretend for a moment he was suspended for punching another player, but most fans will point to a rather malicious facemask penalty on another team’s quarterback.

A penalty so flagrant that it did not simply cross the line, it threw the line off a cliff. Coach Bret Bielema would have a hard time suspending him, if not publicly. It would be a private conflict between administrators, coaches and players.

The world would watch.The pundits would judge and the analysts would agonize.

Finally, the heart of the defense would be banned from the biggest game of the season. It would be heartbreaking. Not for the simple position the man played but for the emotional leadership displayed. The engine would be missing a piston, and it would not be able to fire as it used to.

Open your eyes and welcome to Michigan State the week before its strongest challenge of the year. Say hello, and goodbye, to William Gholston.

Gholston by all off-the-field reports is a generous, warm guy. He is a charismatic leader, and an incredibly intense football player.

Is he the best weapon on a lethal Michigan State defense? No. Defensive tackle Jerel Worthy is, as he should be. Is he the most vocal? No, safety Isaiah Lewis wins the “Most Likely to Give Bulletin Board Material” award.

But, is Gholston the tempo setter? Yes.

The Badgers are also salivating because the loss of Gholston means the largest NCAA offensive line can do what it loves: double team. The big uglies can concentrate on the other playmakers and use their girth to seal the lanes without worry of the speedy defensive end who led the team in tackles for loss.

Michigan State fans will point to Gholston’s backup. And they would be very justified. Denzel Drone had a huge play against Wisconsin last year, sacking then-QB Scott Tolzien and then forcing a fumble.

But this Wisconsin team is not the same that came to East Lansing last year. It is faster, angrier and somehow, more offensively prolific. Gholston’s talents would have been tested to the limit.

Now, we will never know if those talents would have made a difference.