Mark Herzlich could not make a tackle this season, and he’ll still have accomplished more than any other player in college football.

The Boston College senior linebacker has a victory under his belt that cannot be matched by anything on an athletic field: He beat cancer. More specifically, he beat Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare bone disease that can — and often does — have fatal results.

Today, he will lead his team onto the field for its game against Weber State — in uniform. I don’t know how much Herzlich will play today, or throughout the season, and I wouldn’t imagine he’ll ever be able to regain his 2008 form, when he was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, but it doesn’t matter.

The simple fact that he’s beaten cancer makes him an inspiration for all of us. But to get back onto the field as a Division I college football player? That’s unbelievable. Some people never recover from turf toe.

If you don’t know the full story on Herzlich, do yourself a favor and watch this and this. Then at 1 p.m., log onto ESPN3.com and watch at least the beginning of the game to see Herzlich get back onto the field. And make sure to have a box of tissues near you.

The major media outlets are hyping the fact that a Pac-10 team finally showed up in a bowl game this season after USC downed Boston College 24-13 in the Emerald Bowl on Saturday night. But a little more attention should be paid for how Boston College was bent over by the refs not once, but twice during the game.

Early in the second quarter, Trojans’ QB Matt Barkley found Damian Williams for a 38-yard completion down the right sidelines to set USC up at the BC 6-yard line. But Williams looked out of bounds during live action and in replay, yet the officials reviewed the play at let it stand. The fact that the officials couldn’t tell that Williams didn’t come in bounds was one thing, but they actually screwed up twice on the play because he made the “catch” with his right foot out of bounds at the 8-yard line, not the six. So not only did they let the “catch” stand, but they also gave USC two extra yards just for the hell of it.

There was also a, uh, questionable call in the second half during a Boston College punt. The ball had clearly hit a USC player first and even though an Eagle recovered it, the refs challenged that since the Trojan was blocked into the ball that it would remain with USC. Yet, it looked like the USC player was coming forward and accidentally kicked the ball, which would have meant that the recovery was just and that the Eagles would have retained possession.

Now, there’s no way of knowing if those plays would have affected the outcome of the game. If Williams’ catch was ruled incomplete, USC still could have scored on the next play. If the punt would have resulted in BC getting the ball, they could have thrown a pick six on the next play, so nobody can say with absolute certainty that if the calls went the Eagles’ way instead of the Trojans’ that the outcome would have been different. (Plus, BC couldn’t move the ball offensively, which was a much bigger problem then getting jobbed by the refs.)

That said, the officials blew both calls and that’s the bottom line. And there’s no excuse to get a play wrong when it’s reviewed; it’s just ridiculous.

The longest game in NCAA history ended on a simple force out at second base, as Texas defeated Boston College 3-2 in 25 innings at the Austin Regional of the NCAA collegiate baseball tournament. The game lasted seven hours, three minutes.

Longhorn Travis Tucker, in his 12th at-bat on the evening, bounced a single through the right side of a drawn-in infield to score Connor Rowe from third base in the top of the 25th inning.

UT reliever Austin Wood was the unsung hero of the game, as he threw 13 shutout innings in relief. He pitched no-hit ball through the first 12 1/3 innings, striking out 14 Golden Eagle batters on 169 pitches thrown.

After the final out was recorded, the entire Longhorn team celebrated the victory on the field, and saluted the remaining crowd with a rendition of “The Eyes of Texas.”

Boston College has an early wake-up call. They will play Army in an early afternoon elimination game on Sunday, while Texas will not play until later that evening at 6 PM.

Last night, you got a taste of madness…March Madness, as Connecticut/Syracuse played a 6-OT historic Big East quarterfinal game that seemed like it would never end. The player’s performances in this contest sum up why we love this time of the year in college basketball. You watch teams that will fight tooth and nail just to compete for another day. Neither team will receive a special trophy for last night’s game. No, Syracuse gets the opportunity to play West Virginia in a semifinal matchup this evening. Enjoy your hoop du jour.

All times ET…

NBA
Friday, 7:30 PM: Indiana Pacers @Atlanta Hawks (NBA TV)
Saturday, 9 PM: Los Angeles Clippers @ Denver Nuggets (NBA TV)
Sunday, 3:30 PM: Dallas Mavericks @ Los Angeles Lakers (ABC)
Sunday, 9 PM: Phoenix Suns @ Golden State Warriors (NBA TV)

NHL
Saturday, 3 PM: Ottawa Senators @ Pittsburgh Penguins (CBC)
Sunday, 12:30 PM: Philadelphia Flyers@ New York Rangers (NBC)

College Basketball
Friday, 7 PM: #13 Villanova vs. #5 Louisville (ESPN)
Friday, 7 PM: Maryland vs. #9 Wake Forest (ESPN2)
Friday, 9 PM: #23 Arizona State vs. #20 Washington (Fox Sports Net)
Friday, 9:30 PM: Boston College vs. #8 Duke (ESPN2)
Friday, 9:30 PM: #7 West Virginia vs. #20 Syracuse (ESPN)
Friday, 11:30 PM: USC vs. #14 UCLA (Fox Sports Net)
Saturday, 1:30 PM & 4 PM: ACC Semifinals (ESPN)
Saturday, 1 PM & 3:15 PM: SEC Semifinals (ESPN2)
Saturday, 1:40 PM & 4 PM: Big-10 Semifinals (CBS)
Saturday, 6 PM: Pac-10 Final (CBS)
Saturday, 6 PM: Big 12 Final (ESPN)
Saturday, 9 PM: Big East Final (ESPN)
Sunday, 1 PM: ACC Final (ESPN)
Sunday, 1 PM: SEC Final (CBS)
Sunday, 3:30 PM: Big-10 Final (CBS)
Sunday, 6 PM: NCAA Tournament Selection Show (CBS)

World Baseball Classic
Saturday, 8 PM: Puerto Rico vs. United States from Miami, FL. (MLB Network)

This weekend, you will have a wide variety of sports entertainment to choose from for your viewing pleasure. If you’re in the mood for speed, then the Daytona 500 on Sunday should rev your interest. Or if you’re looking for a good rivalry matchup, then the Georgetown and Syracuse contest on Saturday should be at the top of your list. If you’re longing for a star-studded extravaganza, take a moment to tune into the All-Star Weekend from Phoenix. The NBA gets it right by showcasing the incredible talents of their stars in multiple categories, even though they lose points by changing the game of H-O-R-S-E to sponsor approved G-E-I-C-O.

All times ET…

NBA
Saturday, 8 PM: Slam Dunk Competition, Three-Point Shootout, Skills Challenge (TNT)
Sunday, 9 PM: The NBA All-Star Game from Phoenix, AZ. (TNT)

NHL
Friday, 7 PM: Boston Bruins @ New Jersey Devils
Saturday, 8:30 PM: Dallas Stars @ Chicago Blackhawks
Sunday, 12:30 PM: Philadelphia Flyers @ New York Rangers (NBC)

College Basketball
Friday, 9 PM: #13 Villanova @ West Virginia (ESPN)
Saturday, 12 PM: Georgetown @ #22 Syracuse (ESPN)
Saturday, 1 PM: #6 UCLA @ Arizona (CBS)
Saturday, 4 PM: #25 Florida State @ #8 Wake Forest (ESPN Full Court)
Sunday, 1 PM: #20 Illinois @ Indiana (CBS)
Sunday, 5:30 PM: #5 Duke @ Boston College (Fox Sports)

PGA
Friday-Sunday, see local listings for broadcast times: AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Tournament (CBS/TGC)

NASCAR
Sunday, 2 PM: The Daytona 500 (Fox)

Entering the Virginia Tech-Cincinnati Orange Bowl matchup Thursday night, the ACC hadn’t earned a BCS victory since 1999 and some media outlets were even suggesting that the conference champion should lose its automatic BCS bid. Making matters worse, the conference was just 3-6 in non-BCS bowl games this year, further adding to the embarrassment.

But Frank Beamer’s Hokies put an end to the ACC’s drought with their convincing 20-7 win over the Big East Champion Bearcats. Tech held Brian Kelly’s dynamic offense to just 239 passing yards and picked off Cincy quarterback Tony Pike four times.

Offensively, Hokie frosh running back Darren Evans did most of the damage, rushing for 153 yards and a touchdown, while sophomore quarterback Tyrod Taylor added 47 rushing yards and a score. As a team, Tech rushed for 259 yards, which was their third 250-yard rushing game of the year.

Maybe this win will breathe some life into the ACC, which certainly has some talented programs, but inconsistency seems to be the conference’s major drawback.

VA Tech always has one of the more talented defenses, but poor quarterback play doomed them for most of the year. Georgia Tech’s triple option was impossible to stop at times, but LSU’s 38-3 rout in the Chick-fil-A Bowl proved that the Jackets still have a long way to go to compete for a national title. Boston College, NC State and Maryland have some great young talent, but once again, inconsistency doomed those three programs throughout the year.

With players like Evans, Taylor, Da’Rel Scott and Russell Wilson, the ACC will feature some of the best young talent in college football heading into 2009. So hopefully the ACC can turn their BCS misfortunes around and produce a legit title contender next year, instead of being the conference that’s best known for its underachieving.

All times ET…

College Basketball

Saturday, 3:30 PM: No. 4 Duke vs. Michigan, ESPN
Saturday, 1:30 PM: No. 5 Gonzaga vs. Indiana
Saturday, 4 PM: Ohio State vs. No. 7 Notre Dame, ESPNU
Sunday, 6 PM: No. 21 Florida vs. Florida State, ESPN Full Court

College Football

Saturday, 12 PM: Navy vs. Army, CBS
Saturday, 1 PM: No. 17 Boston College vs. No. 25 Virginia Tech-ACC Championship Game, ABC
Saturday, 4 PM: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Florida-SEC Championship Game, CBS
Saturday, 4:30 PM: No. 5 USC vs. UCLA, ABC
Saturday, 8 PM: No. 20 Missouri vs. No. 2 Oklahoma-Big 12 Championship Game, ABC

NBA

Friday, 8 PM: Portland Trail Blazers vs. Boston Celtics, ESPN
Friday, 10:30 PM: Toronto Raptors vs. Utah Jazz, ESPN
Saturday, 9 PM: Utah Jazz vs. Phoenix Suns
Sunday, 1 PM: Portland Trail Blazers vs. Toronto Raptors, NBA-TV

NFL

Sunday, 1 PM: Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Giants, Fox
Sunday, 4:15 PM: Dallas Cowboys vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, Fox
Sunday, 8:15 PM: Washington Redskins vs. Baltimore Ravens, NBC

NHL

Friday, 8:30 PM: Colorado Avalanche vs. Dallas Stars
Saturday, 2 PM: Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Ottawa Senators
Saturday, 10 PM: Edmonton Oilers vs. San Jose Sharks

Boxing

Saturday, 9 PM: Oscar De La Hoya vs. Manny Pacquiano, HBO PPV