Padres, Giants, and Braves: Only Room For Two

Almost every season there is one or two good teams who don't make the playoffs.

It's going to happen this year in the National League for sure.

Padres

Currently the Padres are imploding by losing to teams like the Cubs and the Dodgers. They need to pretty much win out if they want to win the NL West.

They have a little bit more room for error in the wild card race with the Braves, but it's important to remember that the Braves end their season with a series against the Phillies.

That means bad news for the Padres because the Phillies will most likely rest the strong part of their lineup considering they've already clinched the division.

The Padres need to win out against the Cubs and win at least two of three if they want all that hard work they did over the regular season pay off.

Giants

The Giants sit in the best position to make the playoffs out of these three teams. They've done a great job at taking care of teams they're suppose to beat, like the Diamondbacks. The Giants are in the middle of a three-game series with the D'backs right now.

If the Giants sweep the D'backs then that will put a ton of pressure on the Padres going into their season ending series with the Giants.

Even if somehow the Giants do find a way to lose the division, they still have the wild card to most likely fall back on. They have Lincecum going tonight on short rest to make sure that doesn't happen.

Braves

This team gradually began to fall apart after losing Chipper Jones and now Martin Prado is also out for the season. That's a lot to overcome.

They got a huge win against the Marlins earlier today which puts them two games ahead in the NL wild card standings.

The Braves have to be hoping that the Giants sweep the Padres. If that happens then the Braves are in the playoffs regardless of what they do against the Phillies.

To top it all off the Phillies will most likely rest a good chunk of their star power in their finall series of the regular season.

NL West

1. Giants 89-68
2. Padres 87-70 (2 GB)

NL Wild Card

1. Braves 90-69
2. Padres 87-70 (2 GB)
   

Vick Named Full-Time Starter...At Least For Now

Andy Reid couldn't deny it any longer that Michael Vick gives the Eagles a better chance at winning than Kevin Kolb.

The concussion that Kolb suffered in the opener against the Packers may have been just what Vick needed to finally become a full-time starter in the NFL once again.

However, some people are jumping on the Vick bandwagon just a little too soon.

In all reality Vick has played only six quarters and already some people are crowning him as a player that has completely revived his career. Slow down there sweethearts.

His only full-time game came against the Lions, a team that isn't necessarily the cream of the crop when it comes to NFL defenses.

No disrespect to Vick because he did put up great numbers, throwing for nearly 300 yards and two touchdown passes. Maybe the most important statistic is the fact that he has yet to throw an interception.

Next up for the Eagles is the Jaguars, another team that is in the bottom half of the NFL much like the Lions. Don't be surprised if Vick puts up solid numbers against the Jags, which will have the media salivating over him even more about how he is better than ever.

When it comes to Reid's decision to make Vick the starter after just six quarters makes me believe that he never really had that much faith in Kolb to begin with.

Some of the things that Reid has said this week I put way up on the BS meter:

• "This isn't about Kevin Kolb's play."
• "You're talking about Michael Vick as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL right now."
• About Kolb, "He's going to be a championship-caliber quarterback."

The last quote may be the biggest BS of them all. Not to say that Kolb won't one day be that kind of a quarterback, but for Reid to say that just doesn't make any sense.

If you believed that then you wouldn't be benching him for a guy that only has one start since 2006, and that was against the Lions.

Also to say that Vick is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL right now. That means he's elevating Vick to be one of the best in the league based on six quarters of action.

Something really strange is going on in Philly and as of right now I'm not sure where this mystery might end up.

Reggie Bush Forfeits Heisman, Still Deserves Respect

Something that hasn't happened in the 75-year history of the Heisman Trophy happened today when Reggie Bush announced that he is forfeiting his Heisman Trophy he won in 2005.

Many expected Bush to have his trophy taken away by the Heisman committee, but very few expected him to voluntarily give his Heisman away.

Bush may have did things in his past to merit this situation, but he deserves at least some respect for giving up the most hallowed trophy in all of college sports.

Here is a part of his statement regarding his forfeiting of the trophy:

"I would like to begin in this effort by turning a negative situation into a positive one by working with the Trustees to establish an educational program which will assist student-athletes and their families avoid some of the mistakes that I made. I am determined to view this event as an opportunity to help others and to advance the values and mission of the Heisman Trophy Trust."

Obviously Bush realizes that he made mistakes and that he needs to put this nightmare behind him and that the best way to do that is to own up to his mistakes.

Even though he is physically giving up the Heisman Trophy, you can't erase the memories of college football fans. He'll always be remembered as the winner that year.

It's like when the NCAA takes wins away from a program that is punished for certain violations. You may be able to erase those victories from the record books, but you can't erase the memories of thousands of fans.

Now the speculation will move to whether or not Vince Young will receive the vacated award. He came in a distant second to Bush in the voting that year.

There's no doubt about it that Young put up Heisman-like numbers that year. However, the award should remain vacant because Young didn't win the award the year that he was eligible.

If Young does win the award thanks to Bush's wrong doings then it could end up opening up a can of worms.

Big Week of College Football Up and Coming

The opening week of college football ended in great fashion with Boise State's thrilling victory over Virginia Tech last night against an enormous crowd that was pro-Virginia Tech.

Looking ahead to the upcoming weekend, all I can say is that it's great to be talking about college football again.

This weekend is loaded with heavyweight matchups with major implications on the rest of the season.

• (12) Miami @ (2) Ohio State
• (17) Florida State @ (10) Oklahoma
• (22) Georgia @ (24) South Carolina
• (18) Penn State @ (1) Alabama
  
• Michigan @ Notre Dame
• (7) Oregon @ Tennessee

Where do I begin here?

There are four games this week between two ranked opponents, with the biggest one being Miami and Ohio State.

These two teams haven't played each other since the controversial 2002 National Championship game when pass interference was called on the Hurricanes and leading to the loss.

I'm sure Boise State will be temporarily Hurricanes fans on Saturday in hopes that they can leap frog Ohio State in the rankings.

It's going to be tough for the Hurricanes to win in Columbus despite all of their talent.

Then of course you have another heavyweight matchup between Florida State and Oklahoma.

The Sooners looked horrible in their win over Utah State in the opening weekend. If they play that way against a much more talented Florida State team then they won't only loss, they'll get embarrassed.

In somewhat of an upset I see Florida State winning this game and exposing Oklahoma as a middle of the road team.

Penn State really has their hands full as they travel to Tuscaloosa this weekend. If Penn State wins then the rankings will be all shook up with TCU and Boise State looming at numbers three and four in the rankings.

There are a few other less meaningful, but still important games this weekend as listed above.

One thing I can say about the Oregon-Tennessee matchup is that the Vols have to figure out a way to not get blown out here. Losing is one thing, but getting embarrassed right on Rocky Top would be devastating for the entire team.

In case you forgot, Oregon is coming off a 72-0 blowout over New Mexico this past weekend. The Ducks probably would've hung 100 on New Mexico if not for the Oregon coaches subing in all the backups after the 59-point lead at halftime.

If the Vols manage to make this an interesting game then it will at least give them confidence going forward.

It should be a great weekend of college football action.

Preview For Minnesota-MTSU Season Opener

The Blue Raiders welcome just the fourth ever team from a BCS conference into Floyd Stadium when Minnesota comes tomorrow night.

The Golden Gophers may be bigger, in fact a lot bigger, at offensive line but they're greatly inexperienced compared to the Blue Raiders.

I would go as far as to make the Blue Raiders the favorite in this game if it wasn't for the unfortunate suspension of Dwight Dasher.

Here's are some things that could hinder Minnesota's chances against MTSU:

• Inexperienced, especially on defense
• On the road, not use to the humid conditions
• Third offensive coordinator in four years

Those three factors are huge for the chances at the mild upset for the Blue Raiders.

What's really going to be the true test for the Blue Raiders is stopping the run. The offensive line is way bigger than the defensive front of the Blue Riaders and Minnesota has a senior quarterback.

Even though the quarterback is experienced, he's dealing with his third offensive coordinator in his collegiate career.

It's tough to win on the road in college football no matter where you're at, but the heat and the noise will test this young Minnesota team.

The three previous times the Blue Raiders have welcomed in a BCS-conference school they have played competitive football, and they should be 2-1 in those games if not for a fourth quarter meltdown against Virginia in 2007.

This game will be similar in style to the Mississippi State game from last season. The Blue Raiders lost that game in somewhat convincing fashion because the Mississippi State players eventually just overpowered them with their size and strength.

Minnesota is in the bottom half of the Big Ten so the Blue Raiders aren't getting the cream of the crop here.

They're going to commit to the run game. Here's a stat for you: Minnesota is 11-2 in the last two seasons when they rush for at least 100 yards in a game, and 2-11 when they don't.

If the offense can put points on the board consistently and force this Minnesota offense to pass the ball rather than run it up the gut, then the Blue Raiders will have a great chance to win this game.