Five Keys To The Titans Record Turnaround

The Vince Young bandwagon has now become so full that fans are reportedly falling off the back of the wagon. Despite this fans continue to pile on.

Ironically enough it's probably the same fans that were calling for his head just a little over a year ago. It's funny how success can change what people think of you in a matter of a few games.

Even though Vince Young has been spectacular there's still other reasons why the Titans have become the first team in NFL history to lose their first six and then win their next five.

1. Vince Young: Of course Young is the main reason for the Titans turning it around. He's picked up key first downs that Kerry Collins would have never converted with his erratic arm and he's also made defenses have to worry about something else other than Chris Johnson.

Fisher has to be kicking himself for not making this switch a few games earlier like I was begging him to. Lucky for Fisher it may not be too late. The Titans are only one game behind the wild-card leading Jaguars.

2. Chris Johnson: Johnson was already great even during the o-6 start, but now he's become even more effective thanks to the defenses having to worry about Vince. Johnson has also done a great job at providing protection for Vince, something that widely gets overlooked. He's been great at picking up blitzes and being a safety net for Vince in the passing game. Kudos to Johnson for all of those things.

3. Cortland Finnegan: Just by simple logic you have to realize that Finnegan has a huge part in this turnaround. Since Finnegan has returned the Titan secondary has gotten a whole lot better. There's still a ton of room for improvement but it has gotten better. Finnegan has a lot to do with that. He may only have two interceptions since his return but he's still done a great job against some of the NFL's best receivers. The most recent of those being Larry Fitzgerald which he held under 40 yards.

4. Kenny Britt: This guy is going to be one of the better receivers in the NFL in a few years. Most of the time rookie wide receivers never really produce, but Britt has been an exception. The last two games he has really stepped up as he's got 11 receptions, 170 yards, and two touchdowns. Not to mention the clutch fourth-down catch to spark the 99-yard game winning drive against the Cardinals. When you think about this five-game winning streak don't leave Kenny Britt out of the equation.

5. Bud Adams: This may be a little bit of a curveball, but it's really quite simple. If Adams didn't ask Fisher to make the switch to Vince, would we still be stuck with Collins.? By now Fisher probably would have made the change, but then it would have definitely been too late as far as the playoffs are concerned. Credit Adams for stepping in and showing that he cares greatly about the success of this franchise.

TCU and Cincy: Good, But Not That Good

First of all, congratulations to the TCU Horned Frogs for completing a perfect regular season today by blowing out the New Mexico somethings. It's impressive no matter what conference you're in to go undefeated, and I commend them for that.

As for Cincinnati, they need to beat No. 9 Pittsburgh next week to also finish the season undefeated. That's going to be a tough game for the Bearcats and if they pull out a win then they jump ahead of the Horned Frogs in my book.

The bowl selection committee has to be counting their blessings that Auburn didn't upset No.2 Alabama on Friday because that could have created a whole mess of problems.

Here's the deal. I don't want to jump on my SEC soap box, but you can't tell me that TCU deserves to be ahead of a one-loss Florida or Alabama. They don't face nearly the same competition as Florida and Alabama do on a weekly basis.

Teams like Auburn, Kentucky, and Georgia would be the best team in the Mountain West conference if they played in it. Sorry all you Horned Frogs out there, but that's just the way it is. Schedule tougher teams on your non-conference schedule instead of scheduling the cupcakes to pad your record.

However, I do have a little more respect for Cincinnati. They play in the Big East which is way better conference than the Mountain West ever dreamed of being. Cincy has blown out respectable conference opponents such as South Florida and Rutgers.

They also challenged themselves way more by playing Oregon State and Illinois. Now these two non-conference opponents may no be the cream of the crop from their respective conferences, but they're still solid opponents.

Once again, let me play devil's advocate. I can't see Cincinnati's offense being nearly as effective against an SEC defense that is simply more athletic. The SEC sends more defensive players to the NFL than any other conference. Even Texas's defense is better than any defense the Big East has to offer. That's where Cincy trips up for me.

Now TCU and Cincy most certainly deserve BCS bowls. Just not the National Championship. For all of the SEC haters who are out there, hate mail can be received at cmm5g@mtsu.edu.

TCU's non-conference schedule: Virginia (3-9), Texas St. (7-4 in FCS), Clemson (8-4), Southern Methodist (7-5)

Cincy's non-conference schedule: Southern Missouri St. (2-9 in FCS), Oregon St. (8-3), Fresno St. (7-4), Miami-Ohio (1-11), Illinois (3-8)

Pekka Rinne: The Key to Success

The Nashville Predators have completely turned things around after starting off extremely slow and being well in last place in the division. They've won 11 of their last 13 and have beaten some top NHL contenders along the way.

So what's the deal with this unexpected turnaround? It's the same thing that has always been the key to the success of the Predators. It's the goaltending.

In this case it's second-year man Pekka Rinne who is quietly becoming one of the best goaltenders in the NHL. The only thing that would do better in the net right now would be a brick wall and I don't think that's allowed by the NHL rulebook.

The Predators have won seven straight overall and during that streak Rinne hasn't given up more than three goals in a game. He also has a shutout in that span.

It's not just the stats that are proving how good Rinne really is. It's also his toughness. He's racing to the pucks to clear them out of the zone and, if necessary, he'll even take out one of the opposing players on a breakaway.

Sometimes that can result in a goal by the other team, but the risk is worth it. It shows toughness and other teams will respect a goalie that's not afraid to knock you down to the ice.

A seven-game winning streak is impressive in itself but consider some of the teams they've beaten during this span. Three division wins over Detroit, St. Louis, and Columbus. Wins over San Jose and New Jersey, which are both conference leaders. Their latest victory came in overtime over Colorado which is third in the Western Conference.

It's still pretty early in the season but you have to give credit to a franchise that gets overlooked so much by the rest of the NHL. Here in Nashville everyone knows that they're one of the hardest working teams in the NHL.

One prime example of that is the fact that they make the playoffs almost every year with little talent to show for it. That shows that sometimes heart trumps talent. The Preds keep proving that year after year and don't be surprised if they make another run into the playoffs.

Pekka Rinne

• 11-4 record
• 2.33 goals against average
• 91% save percentage
• 2 shutouts
• Zero overtime losses
  

Johnson Has Chance For Rushing Record

It's crazy how fast things can change in sports. One second I'm questioning whether or not the Titans are the one of the worst teams in the NFL and the next second I'm thinking about nothing but positives for the Titans.

Not only has Vince Young completely changed the direction of this team, but now there is a possibility that Chris Johnson could break the NFL single season rushing record of 2,105 set by Eric Dickerson.

If you go inside the numbers then Johnson has to average around 140 to 150 yards a game to break the 25-year-old record. It's possible, but very unlikely.

Johnson has only eclipsed the 140-yard mark three times this season, which is still remarkable in itself. He's projected to finish just 13 yards shy of 2,000 yards for the season.

With all of this said I will step away from being devil's advocate for a second. If anyone can break the record then it's Chris Johnson.

When Johnson first came into the NFL I saw him as a speed only type of running back. Even though he's not the ideal power back, he's still very capable of breaking tackles on jacked up linebackers. Just check out last night's 36-yard run against the Texans and you'll know what I mean.

The remaining schedule does have some pretty weak rushing defenses on it. Both San Diego and St. Louis are ranked outside the top 20 in rushing defense so look for Johnson to easily eclipse the 100-yard mark in those games.

The big question is how he'll do against Arizona, Indy, and Miami which are all ranked in the top 13 respectively.

Here's my best assessment of how C.J. will do in each game:

• Arizona: 110 yards
• Indy: 95 yards
• STL: 145 yards
• Miami: 95 yards
• San Diego: 130 yards
• Seattle: 115 yards

Projected Season Total: 1,932 yards

Jimmie Johnson Dynasty Bad for Nascar

Most people think of the most popular sport as being football but that's really never been the case.

For years Nascar has been considered the most popular sport in the country. No other sport covers such a wide fan base. That might start declining if the competition doesn't become more balanced.

Jimmie Johnson just won his fourth straight Sprint Cup championship. This has never been done in any major sport. Storied franchises such as the Yankees, Lakers, Celtics, or Steelers have never won four straight championships.

Nascar has never been a particular favorite of mine, but my interest has decreased to basically non-existent over the past couple of years. There's simply no reason to watch a race anymore because you know who will be in the top five; Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, and a few other drivers will occasionally sneak in there.

In no way am I taking anything away from Jimmie Johnson. What he has done is absolutely amazing and I give him all the credit in the world. It's not his fault he's running, or I should say driving all over the competition.

Not only is there no parody among the drivers, but there's no parody over the teams. Hendrick Motorsports fielded the top three drivers this year. The team concept of Nascar has all but disappeared during this historic run by Jimmie Johnson. ?

Parody is very important in sports. There has to be good competition otherwise what is suppose to draw you in? If the same three drivers win every week then the interest will quickly be lost by the casual Nascar fan.

One major reason why college football, college basketball, professional football, among others all continue to be popular.

Nascar needs a big driver to come in and spice things up a little bit. Dale Earnhardt Jr. could have elevated this sport trememdously if he could just manage to win a race every now and then.

Something or someone has to rise up and challenge these same drivers that continue to dominate otherwise it could slowly fade away from being relevant in today's sports world.

Ok Titans Fans, Lets Come Back Down to Earth

It's time to get real for all of us Titans fans.

Yes, things are looking 50 times better than they were just a month ago when some were actually wondering if the Titans were the worst team in the NFL. Well that may not be the case, but there's still a ton of room for improvement.

The Titans were a product of their schedule after the first six weeks of the season and ended up 0-6 when they could have very well been 3-3. In the same regard, these past three weeks have also been a product of their schedule.

Two of the three teams the Titans have beaten during their three-game winning streak have records below .500. The Jaguars are 5-4 but are still an average team at best.

All I've been hearing lately is "The Titans are back!" and "We should be 7-2!!". And my favorite..."We're going to run the table and make the playoffs!"

Let's not get ahead of ourselves. The Titans just went through the weakest part of their tough schedule and came out with three wins. All that proves is that they're not as bad as we originally feared they were.

The Titans still have four games remaining against teams above .500. I'm not saying the Titans will lose all of those games, but winning out is a little too much wishful thinking for me.

There is a huge positive to pull out from this three-game winning streak. We've finally gotten a good idea of where Vince Young is and where he's going. Young has shown a ton of improvement and has instilled a lot of hope in me that this franchise won't stay down for long.

LeBron as an NFL Tight End?

There's no denying it anymore. LeBron James is one of the best, if not the best basketball player in the world. So just how good would he be in the NFL?

Apparently LeBron is already thinking that over. He recently said that if he put the time and effort into playing football then he could be a good player in the NFL.

This same scenario was brought up to Browns coach Eric Mangini and he said he would welcome LeBron to play for arguably the worst team in the NFL.

A handful of pro athletes have played multiple sports before but none have ever really had much success. Deion Sanders probably had the most success by going from football to baseball.

LeBron was an all-state football player in high school and it's definitely not crazy to think that he could be a good player in the NFL if he put his full effort into it. Think about how nice it would be as a quarterback to have the 6'8'' LeBron James to throw to down the middle. He'd be one of the bigger tight ends in the league.

This probably will never come close to actually becoming reality, but it's still fun to think of LeBron James showing up in the box score on NFL Live.

Stockstill Getting Offers From Memphis

Doesn't it always feel good when someone wants what you already have? That's the feeling I got when I found out Memphis wants coach Rick Stockstill to possibly fill their coaching vacancy.

The news leaked just recently that Memphis has contacted Stockstill to do an interview. Stockstill said that he talked with them but has not done an interview. He didn't rule out his interest but stated that he's just focused on next week's game against Arkansas State.

That's the common answer you'll get from a coach who is currently with another team.

Since Stockstill was hired in 2006 he has taken this program to a whole new level. In his first season he led the Blue Raiders to a conference championship and it's still possible that they could win one this year.

Not only has Stockstill produced in that regard, but the Blue Raiders have won some huge games under him over BCS opponents.

Hopefully Stockstill will stick around. This program has become completely his own and I can't see him leaving it just at it is on the rise.

On the other end, Memphis is a program in shambles and playing in a conference that has been stagnant for years now. He's not dumb enough to put himself in that bad of a situation.

Notable Accomplishments Under Stockstill

• School record six Sun Belt wins in 2006
• Nine national broadcasted games in his tenure
• Sun Belt Championship in 2006
• Two wins over Maryland
• Set Floyd Stadium attendence record in 2009

Bud Adams Still Has the Fire In His Belly

The wallet of Titans owner Bud Adams became a little lighter today after being fined by the NFL $250,000 for flipping birds from his luxury skybox.

The funny part is he wasn't discreet at all in doing this. Someone from the stands filmed this whole fiasco with their cell phone and caught Adams flipping his middle finger up on one hand, then on the other hand, and then finally both at the same time.

It was like watching a WWE wrestling match and I personally though it was hilarious.

Even though Adams was wrong for doing what he did I don't think it mandated such a stiff fine. Michael Vick was only fined $10,000 for flipping off the fans in a hateful manner a few years ago in Atlanta.

Adams was just doing this in celebration and having a little fun. But then again I forgot, this is the No-Fun League, not the National Football League.

What is even more ironic is the fact that commissioner Roger Goodell attended the game and at one point was sitting in the same skybox that Bud Adams performed these gestures.

It's great to see that Bud Adams is still pumped up about his team even though in all reality the Titans are still 3-6 and most likely not going to the playoffs. That's more than you can say for some of the NFL's owners.

He probably shouldn't have resorted to the gestures that he did but we all get carried away in the moment.

This should be taken like whenever you yell out a curse word after stumping your toe. You shouldn't have said but it doesn't make you a terrible, immoral person. This case should be looked at the same way.

Offense Shines Again In Another Blue Raider Win

Nothing seems to be able to stop the offense of the Blue Raiders at this crucial point of the season. Earlier in the season Dwight Dasher seemed to be the only threat, but now some other guys have joined in on the fun.

Saturday's win over Louisiana-Lafayette marked the Blue Raiders' fourth straight game of scoring 27 points or more. On top of that, the Blue Raiders have scored 30-plus points in all but one of their seven wins this season.

The schedule get's incredibly weak for the last two games of the 2009 campaign.

Arkansas State comes to town next week for the last home game of the season, and the season finale will be at Louisiana-Monroe. Monroe barely got past the winless Hilltoppers this past weekend so that should be a fairly easy win.

The other big story outside of the Blue Raiders cruising to a bowl bid is the fact that Dasher broke the school record for total offense in a single season. Dasher has 3,040 yards of total offense on the season.

Even the ESPN guys are giving Dasher their praises. During the broadcast of a Friday night game one of the commentators announced Dwight Dasher as one of his offensive players to watch for on Saturday.

What has made the Blue Raiders so much more dangerous is that they're no longer one-dimensional in the rushing attack.

Sophomore running back D.D. Kyles has added a whole other problem for opposing defenses to worry about. Kyles now has three straight 100-yard games on the ground.

As of right now the bowl projections are putting the Blue Raiders in the PapaJohns.com Bowl or maybe the EagleBank Bowl.

It's very unlikely the Blue Raiders will get the New Orleans Bowl, which is awarded to the Sun Belt champion. Troy would have to lose their remaining two games and that probably won't happen.

Either way, the Blue Raiders are most likely going bowling for only the second time in school history.

Just When Everything Seemed Good On Rocky Top

Another title wave hit the young Lane Kiffin era on Thursday as three freshman football players were arrested after attempting to rob a convenience store in Knoxville.

It's almost impossible to even believe this story is true. To think that not one, but three players were dumb enough to do this beyond my comprehension. You've got the world in front of you and endless opportunities and you throw it all away.

This all occurred early this morning and all three players were arrested for attempted robbery.

There are two main reasons, among others, that makes this a hard hit on the Tennessee football program.

For starters, two of the three players were huge pieces to Lane Kiffin's great recruiting class. That's the small impact.

You have to look to the future to see the bigger impact this has on the program. Imagine how parents are going to feel sending their kids to play for a team that has a blemish like this on it's reputation.

Everything was finally starting to run smoothly for Lane Kiffin. The Vols have reached 5-4 and are coming off a crushing of South Carolina. The chanting of "Rocky Top" was finally starting to be heard around the streets. This might quiet them down a little bit.

You can't help but feel sorry for Kiffin because it's not really his fault that three knuckleheads decided to throw everything away and attempt a robbery with a pellet gun. One of them even had the audacity to wear UT gear during this whole charade.

Kiffin is really going to have to pull this team together as they prepare for Ole Miss on Saturday. It's Tennessee's last true test of the season and they need to make the most of it.

If Tennessee figures out a way to finish 8-4 then hats off to Lane Kiffin because he truly is fit for coaching the big boys in college football.

It's Time To Go Mr. Weis

When you become coach of one of the most storied football programs in college football a lot is expected of you. That was no different when Charlie Weis was hired in 2004 and he just simply hasn't produced the expected results.

After the latest loss to Navy, many are speculating that Weis will be out at the end of the season.

It's only fair that Weis is let go after Tyrone Willingham was fired after only three seasons.

Weis is now in his 5th season as head coach of the Fighting Irish and has hardly anything to show for it.

He's failed to beat the program's biggest rival in USC and has went 2-3 against Michigan.

Don't let Notre Dame's 6-3 record fool you. It should be a lot worse. The Fighting Irish had a ton of luck on their side by narrowly defeating sub-par teams like Purdue and Michigan State. They also relied on some last-second heroics to get by Washington.

Notre Dame hasn't been at the top for a long time now. Even when the Fighting Irish are gifted with a high preseason ranking they can never seem to do anything with it.

I've always cheered for the Fighting Irish. How can you not be at least a casual fan of the Fighting Irish after seeing "Rudy"?

In all seriousness this program is one great coach away from returning to the top. You can't tell me that recruiting is the issue because there are thousands of great players all around the country that would give anything to play for a program as prestigous as Notre Dame.

Even with this season's loaded roster Weis still can't seem to take this team to the next level.

The final step to returning to the top is finding a great coach to replace the bust that is Charlie Weis.

Key Losses Under Charlie Weis

Loss to Navy 46-44 (2007)
Loss to Air Force 41-24 (2007)
Loss to Syracuse 24-23 (2008)
Loss to Navy 23-21 (2009)

SEC Men's Basketball Season Preview

College basketball is upon us again. A few teams, like the defending champion Tar Heels, tipped off the season tonight. It's still a few more days until most of the nation gets the season underway.

The SEC had a very down year last season but 2009-2010 season looks to be a better year for the SEC as a whole. A good majority of SEC teams have improved from last season. Here's what you should expect:

SEC East

1. Kentucky Wildcats: By UK standard this program has not been successful in a few years. New head coach John Calipari brought in a ton of talent and it looks like Kentucky is poised to return back to the top. Look for junior Patrick Patterson to lead the way for the Wildcats this season.
   
2. Tennessee Volunteers: Basketball season use to be something that Tennessee was not known for, but that has slowly changed ever since Bruce Pearl became head coach. This squad has a virtually their entire starting lineup returning from last season's campaign that ended in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Seniors Tyler Smith, Wayne Chism, and J.P. Prince will be the main weapons for the Vols.
3. Vanderbilt Commodores: The Commodores have to be happy basketball season has returned. Vandy got somewhat robbed last season from going to the big dance despite having a solid 19-win season. Like much of the rest of the conference, Vandy has a ton of starters returning. Vanderbilt has a very experienced team and the only thing they really like is toughness in the paint. If A.J. Ogilvy can become a duel threat of both defense and offense then watch out for the Dores in March.
   
4. Florida Gators: Florida use to be the toast of the SEC but times have gradually changed. I still think Florida will notch a few big wins and sneak into the tournament. However, they're not going to be as powerful as they were just two seasons ago. The Gators have only one senior on the team and many of the players are unproven. The non-conference schedule isn't very forgiving either so look for this to be somewhat of a rebuilding year.
5. South Carolina Gamecocks: Don't look for anything special for the Gamcocks this season. They'll playing average basketball and make a respectable NIT berth. The reasoning behind that prediction is their lack of a real playmaker and the fact that the SEC won't be as easy as it was last year. Besides Georgia, every team in the SEC seems to be more improved than the Gamecocks.
6. Georgia Bulldogs: This team is still a season or two away from making a run at the big dance. The Bulldogs have a pretty tough non-conference schedule that included Georgia Tech, Illinois, Missouri, and St. John's. Then it's on to the loaded SEC East. Looks like the Dawgs are going to stay in the doghouse for a little longer.

SEC West

1. Miss. State Bulldogs: The Bulldogs fought hard last seaosn despite being a sub-par team. They made a strong push at the end of the season and came up just short. This year should be more successful for the Bulldogs. The SEC west is a little bit weaker than the SEC east so that should leave more room for success for teams like Mississippi State. The Bulldogs could easily have only one loss going into conference play. Just look at their schedule and you'll know what I mean.
2. Arkansas Razorbacks: This team probably has the most talent in the entire SEC West. The question is can they finally execute? They'll definitely improve on last season's mark of 14-16. It's not going to be a championship season, but a NCAA tournament berth is very probable.
3. Ole Miss Rebels: Unless the injury bug plagues the Rebels again, then this season will be a lot better than last season. Look for them to make a strong push for the SEC west title. There's not a player on this roster that is good enough to carry this team alone so the Rebels have to play as a solid unit and use their talent collectively. If they do that, then they'll be playing in March.
   
4. Auburn Tigers: The Tigers had a surprisingly good 2008 season, but they won't be catching anyone off guard this season. They do have a very favorable non-conference schedule before getting into SEC play. One major problem with the Tigers is they are relatively inexperienced and they'll need a fair share of production from freshmen and sophomores.
   
5. LSU Tigers: Don't hold your expectations too high for LSU this season. They lost more players than any other team in the SEC. Guys like Marcus Thornton aren't around anymore and a few newcomers are going to have to step up. It's not a good year to be rebuilding in the SEC and the Tigers will find that out quickly.
   
6. Alabama Crimson Tide: The Tide are going to wish football season was still going on when February gets here. They've got a new coach who has had some success in his career, but the challenge of teaching a whole new system to a team that's already average at best will be a tough task. Alabama will compete and they won't necessarily be a doormat. However, I see this team going nowhere fast. Maybe the NIT if they're lucky.
   

Blue Raiders Are Bowl Eligible

The Blue Raiders officially became bowl eligible yesterday with their 27-point win over Florida International.

It should've been more like a 40-point win. The Blue Raiders dominated in every part of the game to cruise to their sixth victory of the season.

The real question coming out of this game is concerning quarterback Dwight Dasher. At some points in the game he looked dominant and other times he looked like a true freshman all over again. His final stat line was 182 yards passing, two passing touchdowns, three interceptions, three rushing touchdowns, and 178 yards rushing.

Needless to say, he was busy on Saturday.

This sixth win simply isn't enough to secure a bowl game. If the Blue Raiders were to lose their last three games to finish 6-6, they wouldn't get a bowl game. When you play in the Sun Belt you have to do a little extra to get the recognition.

There's no reason why the Blue Raiders can't at least win two of their last three which would most likely give them only their second bowl game in school history.

The remaining schedule is UL-Lafayette, Arkansas State, and UL-Monroe. These teams combined record is 12-14.

As long as Dwight Dasher stays smart and continues to use those legs then the Blue Raiders will be just fine.

Vandy Allegedly Defeats Tar Heels in Private Scrimmage

Ok before you start going crazy Vandy fans, this alleged defeat of the Tar Heels in a private scrimmage is not completely official. However, thanks to many sources ( another source) there is reason to believe that it is true.

To give a quick history lesson, fellow coaches Kevin Stallings and Roy Williams are former Kansas alumni and they agreed to a home and home private scrimmage prior to the 2008 season.

Apparently the NCAA allows teams to have one private scrimmage to their choosing per season.

Last season's exhibition game was in the Chapel Hill, North Carolina area and the eventual national champs made work of the young Vandy team and won by around 20.

Just recently however it is speculated that Vandy won this time around by double digits without the services of AJ Ogilvy. Much of this information comes from tweets ( I can't belive I'm using that word) from players invovled with the teams.

Now if this is true, then when the hell does basketball season start?? Forget football season!

In all seriousness, there is already great things happening with Vandy men's basketball, and all of these you can definitely confirm are true.

First off, coach Stallings took the team out to Australia over the offseason to compete against professional and semi-professional teams that obviously had a lot more experience than these kids that wear the black and gold.

Despite playing much more experienced players, the Commodores won three of their five games in the land down under and that is something you should be happy about if you're a Vandy fan.

If you follow the men's basketball team closely then you've already heard about this great recruiting class that's coming in for the 2010 season. Two of the recruits in this class are ranked in the top 50 in the nation.

They were recently picked to finish third in the SEC East by the media, but my SEC basketball preview will be coming up shortly so stick around for that!

It would not surprise me if this rumor is true. We see upsets all the time in college basketball and an upset in an exhibition game is even more possible.

A small D-II school in Syracuse called Le Moyne defeated No. 25 Syracuse this past week by three in an exhibition game that was not private, so these things can definitely happen.

Urban's Policy on Discipline Needs Some Fine Tuning

So all the Florida Gator haters got more ammunition for their arsenal after Saturday's ugly scene that was displayed by linebacker Brandon Spikes, which is the face of that defense.

It was clearly caught on video the image of Spikes eye gouging Georgia running back Washaun Ealey in the middle of a scrum.

This is something you never want to see a player resort to, especially someone as respected as Spikes.

The expected apology from Spikes came shortly thereafter with the normal explanation of "There's no excuse for my actions".

Now where have I heard that from before? Oh yeah, from the thousands of other apologies I've heard from athletes on the hot seat. Come on, Brandon. You have to show a little bit more sorrow than that. It's not like you had a helmet to helmet hit. It was eye gouging and there's no excuse for that in football no matter what your emotions are.

The worst part about all this is Urban Meyer's disciplinary action, if you can even call it that.

He's suspending Spikes for the first half of the Vanderbilt game. For all you people who aren't gifted in math, that equals a grand total of 30 game minutes.

Ouch. I'm sure Spikes felt that one.

It's not like you're heading into a showdown with Alabama. We're talking about Vanderbilt here. A team who is struggling to keep its head above water right now. A team that only has one win against a FBS opponent this season, and that's against the winless Rice Owls.

Meyer better get a hold of this team because they're not as dominant as everyone thought they were going into the season. Mississippi State, Arkansas, and Tennessee all showed that and this team seems to be in disarray right now.

It might be time for another jaw dropping Tim Tebow speech to get this team back on track.

Favre Returns to Lambeau In Triumphant Fashion

To my surprise Brett Favre returned to Lambeau Field on Sunday to an overwhelming amount of boos. You heard a few claps here and there, but it sounded more like a WWE event than it did an NFL game.

Needless to say, Favre was the villain, and the villain won.

Favre entered the historic Lambeua Field to a chorus of boos and even a few middle fingers. Favre just laughed it off before taking the first snap of the game.

The Packers are now 0 for 2 against their rivals in purple this season and a lot of that can be attibuted to the man who brought this frachise back to the top in the mid-90's.

None of this should be put on the shoulders of Aaron Rodgers. Simply put, he's been great and has proven he's got a great future in this league. It's the rest of his team that needs to start pulling its weight. Especially against the more formidable opponents.

It still seems like the Packers defense has a ton of holes in it. The defense has looked good against the weak opponents and horrible against the good opponents.

As for the Vikings, they now have a powerful grip on the NFC North and unless they collapse like Favre's Jets did last season, an easy road to the postseason lies ahead.

Favre definitely deserves kudos from the entire NFL. Even the die-hard Packer fans. He came in there under enormous pressure and threw four touchdowns and led his team to a huge victory. This all at the age of 40.

Simply unbelievable, and there's no other way to put it.

Going into the season I was one of the more cynical people of Brett Favre. I thought he had acted like a diva with the whole Packers situation, and I still think he did.

However, I stand corrected on the fact that he's performing the way he is. I saw him being just another average quarterback in the NFL. Much like a Chad Pennington or a Matt Hasselbeck. I was way off on that one.

As good as Favre has been, you can't forget the fact that this team was already one of the better teams in the NFC even before Favre. They went to the playoffs last season.

I'm not ready to jump all over the Favre bandwagon just yet, but I'm definitely checking out the brochure.

Favre's 2009 Numbers: 16 TD's, 3 Int, 1925 pass yards, 106 QB rating
Favre's 2009 NFL Ranks: T-1st in TD's, 7th in Pass yards, 4th in QB Rating

Phillies Have Backs to the Wall

My how things can change so fast when you're playing a team as stack as the Yankees are this season.

Just when everyone thought the Yankees had finally met their match after being man-handled in Game 1, the Yankees string together two convincing wins to take control of the series.

As if things couldn't get any worse for the Phillies they now have to face that pesky C.C. Sabathia for the second time this series. Sabathia shut down the Philly bats in Game 1 but Cliff Lee bailed them out by pitching a little bit better.

It's becoming all more apparent why I took the Yankees to win the World Series back in April. This team can beat you in so many ways, much like the Phillies. It could very much be 3-0 right now if now for Cliff Lee's heroics in Game 1.

Ryan Howard has struggled greatly in the World Series and it has really hurt the Phillies in key situations. Howard is now hitting .159 with nine strikeouts. Another important bat is Chase Utley and he has also struggled the last two games.

As bad as all of this looks the Phillies have the hitters to come back, but they have to solve the puzzle of C.C. Sabathia. In Game 1 Chase Utley was the only one that could figure Sabathia out, and I doubt he'll do that again.

The Phillies will throw Joe Blanton at the Yankees tonight and he's as shaky as they come. Sometimes he looks like he could be an ace of a staff, and other times he looks more fit to be pitching for the Nashville Sounds.

Needless to say, he better pitch like an ace if he wants his team to have any chance of repeating as World Series champions.