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      For second straight year, kicker costs Boise State shot at BCS

      November 12, 2011 /
      Boise State Broncos defensive tackle Chase Baker (97) sacks Louisiana Tech Bulldogs quarterback Ross Jenkins (11) on fourth down during the first half at Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho, October 26, 2010. REUTERS/ Brian Losness (UNITED STATES)

      That cigar smoke you see floating over your house is coming from BCS headquarters, where they’re lighting them up at a furious pace for the second straight season.

      Boise State lost to TCU 36-35 today, and just like in last year’s shocking loss to Nevada, the Broncos missed a very makeable field goal at the end of the game. This time, it was Dan Goodale who missed a 39-yard kick as time expired to give the Horned Frogs the win in stunning fashion.

      Like last year, the Boise State defense gave up a late lead, and that’s probably where a lot of the blame lies. But watching Goodale miss that kick certainly had to give Boise fans flashbacks to Kyle Brotzman’s miscue against Nevada. One big difference with this is that unlike Brotzman, Goodale hasn’t built up a ton of goodwill around campus for having been a spectacular kicker throughout his career.

      The loss puts an end to any hopes the Broncos had of possibly squeezing into the national title game, and probably douses all hopes of getting into a BCS game at all.

      And how’s this for schadenfreude? The game was played in Boise only because the Mountain West was trying to stick it to TCU as it was set to leave for the Big East. That worked out well, didn’t it?

      College Football, External Sports, News

      Without Paterno and in shadow of scandal, the game goes on at Penn State

      November 12, 2011 /
      A Penn State fans show their support as the team arrives at Beaver Stadium before the start of the Penn State – Nebraska NCAA football game in State College, Pennsylvania on November 12, 2011. The football head coach Joe Paterno was fired by the college early in the week. UPI/Archie Carpenter

      As I type this, the seniors on the Penn State football team are being introduced for their final home game. Senior Day is always an emotional experience, as a four or five year journey comes to an end. But this Senior Day is unlike any other we’ve ever seen.

      If you allow yourself, for just a brief second, to think about what these kids have gone through in the last week, it’s mind-boggling that they’re about to play a football game. They just lost their coach in an unimaginable way, as Joe Paterno was fired on Wednesday night for his inaction in regards to the child sex scandal surrounding his former defensive coordinator, Jerry Sandusky.

      The psyche of these players is the collateral damage of a scandal that goes so far beyond football, it’s hard to imagine they’re even stepping onto the field today at all.

      Paterno’s reputation is also collateral damage, although it’s of his own doing. Every time I begin to feel any sadness over what has become of the legacy of a man who has meant so much to college football, I go back to that inaction, and those thoughts disappear. For what he’s done — or more accurately, what he didn’t do — Paterno deserves to have his reputation tarnished. Any child that was hurt after Paterno had a chance to stop the monster that was Sandusky is a million times more important than any of his 409 wins. They’re a million times more important than his national championship. They’re much bigger than football and the Penn State program.

      Of course, they were put aside to help protect all of those things, which is the most disgusting thing I can think of. This scandal is so much worse than the free tattoos, elicit boat trips or even elaborate pay-for-play scandals that the NCAA has cast its eye upon. This one looks to be outside the NCAA’s jurisdiction, and maybe that’s a good thing. For once, the men who were at the center of it all will be punished, and the kids, like those seniors that are walking onto their home field for the final time, will not be. That doesn’t change what has happened or make it better, but in a society that has obviously failed in protecting the kids, it’s a good start.

      College Football, External Sports

      Fade Material: College Football Week 11 Predictions

      November 12, 2011 /
      Penn State University head coach Joe Paterno looks toward the scoreboard during his team’s game against the University of Illinois in their NCAA football game in Champaign, Illinois October 3, 2009. REUTERS/Jeff Haynes (UNITED STATES SPORT FOOTBALL)

      Technically I went 2-2 last Saturday but I did produce this gem, which was worth another win in my eyes:

      My 2-2 effort last week puts me at 21-13-2 ATS for the season. Again, chances are two of these four picks will be winners while two will be losers. Soooo, have fun with that.

      My two winners? Iowa (+4) and UCLA (+8.5). My two losers? Alabama (-4.5) and Texas A&M (+14).

      My latest .500 week puts me at 23-15-2 on the season and once again, if you can figure out which two picks will hit and which two won’t, you’ll have a 4-0 Saturday. It’s like a game. A twisted, nauseating game.

      Nebraska @ Penn State, 12:00PM ET
      One of two things are going to happen this week at University Park. Either Penn State is going to play the most inspired football of the season or the Jerry Sandusky/Joe Paterno fiasco is going to bury them. I’m banking on the latter, which is why I’m riding the brutal-against-the-spread Huskers this week. Nebraska will be fired up and while Penn State may show plenty of emotion at the start, I think they’ll run out of steam eventually.
      THE PICK: NEBRASKA –3.5

      Michigan @ Illinois, 3:30PM ET
      I’m going right back to the well in picking against Michigan. Outside of trouncing Northwestern, the Wolverines have played poorly in two of their three road games this season. While Illinois is going backwards, this is a good opportunity for the Illini to snap their current three-game losing streak. They also seem to play Michigan tough, which is supported by their 4-1 record against the spread in the last five games these two teams have met.
      THE PICK: ILLINOIS –1

      Louisiana Tech @ Ole Miss, 7:30PM ET
      I’m choking on chalk this week but I really love this matchup. Some bettors will look at this game and all they’ll see is the WAC vs. the SEC, and the fact that Ole Miss is getting points at home. But in some respects, this is the Bulldogs’ season. They take down a SEC opponent on the road and regardless of whether or not they catch Nevada, their season will be a success. As for the Rebels, will their hearts even be in this one? They’ve been terrible all year and now they have a non-conference game that means absolutely nothing to them. Even though LA Tech is favored, I like the Dogs in an “upset.”
      THE PICK: LOUISIANA TECH –2

      Hawaii @ Nevada, 10:15PM ET
      I’m choking on chalk this week. Hawaii has had issues coming to the mainland, as evidence of its embarrassing 40-20 loss to UNLV in Week 3. UNLV is one of the worst teams in college football this season and it steamrolled a Warrior team that was a 17-point favorite. Nevada is 4-1 against the spread in its last five home games against Hawaii and the home squad is 8-2 ATS in the last 10 meetings between these two teams. I hate that the line is a full point and a half above the key number of 14 but I like the Wolf Pack anyway.
      THE PICK: NEVADA -15

      Check out College Football Point Spreads at Bullz-Eye.com.

      College Football, External Sports, Free Picks

      Candlelight vigil at Penn State

      November 12, 2011 /
      More than 10,000 Penn State students show their support for the victims of a Penn State child sex abuse scandal at a peaceful gathering in front of Old Main on Penn State’s campus in State College, Pennsylvania on November 11, 2011. A candlelight vigil for the alleged victims of former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky was held instead of a pep rally for the football game against Nebraska. Long-time head coach Joe Paterno lost his job in the wake of the allegations. UPI/Archie Carpenter

      After some Penn State students acted like idiots on Wednesday by staging violent protests after Joe Paterno was fired, many more students did the right thing and tried to show their support for the alleged victims of Jerry Sandusky. An estimated 10,000 students gathered for a candlelight vigil on campus last night.

      Penn State plays Nebraska today in a game that has Big Ten implications, but everyone will be focused on the crowd and how everyone reacts. Let’s hope that the class showed last night is repeated again today at the game.

      College Football, External Sports, News

      UFC on FOX: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos Preview

      November 11, 2011 /

      The UFC makes its national television debut on FOX Saturday night with one of the biggest heavyweight fights in the history of the organization as Cain Velasquez defends his heavyweight championship against Junior dos Santos.

      Coming into the fight, the oddsmakers like the champion Velasquez to retain, as he has a money line of -190 to win on Saturday night. Dos Santos comes in with odds of +155. These two will clash from the Honda Center in Anaheim at 9 p.m. ET live on FOX.

      Here is a look at both fighters and my pick for the winner.

      Cain Velasquez (9-0) – The former wrestler from Arizona State is unbeaten in his short MMA career and he holds wins over top fighters like Cheick Kongo, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and Brock Lesnar. Velasquez started as a wrestler, but has quickly developed his boxing and turned into one of the top knockout artists in the division. The questions for the champion coming in are his conditioning and health, as he is coming off rotator cuff surgery that has sidelined him for over a year. His longest fight in the UFC is 15 minutes and he struggled to make it to the end there, so if this fight goes deep, he could be in rough shape.

      Junior dos Santos (13-1) – The Brazilian is 7-0 in the UFC and holds wins over the likes of Fabricio Werdum, Mirko CroCop, Roy Nelson, and Shane Carwin. Junior is a powerful striker that likes to throw heavy punches. His uppercut has been his signature strike to finish opponents, but he also works in devastating body shots. A black belt in jiu-jitsu as well, dos Santos hasn’t had to show those skills because he has been able to dominate fights standing. The test for him in this fight will be whether or not he is able to stuff the takedowns of Velasquez, as he has not faced a tough wrestler in the octagon. Like Velasquez, dos Santos hasn’t been pushed past 15 minutes yet, so fatigue could be an issue if this bout reaches the championship rounds.

      Who Will Win? – This fight could go 25 minutes and it could go 25 seconds. Both fighters have a lot of explosiveness to them but both also have some big questions coming in. Ultimately, I feel Velasquez’ striking is closer to matching dos Santos’ as opposed to dos Santos’ wrestling being anywhere near Velasquez’. I think both fighters will land some early strikes, but Velasquez will be the one to get the fight to the ground and control Junior from there. I am actually going to be part of the minority that sees this fight going the distance due to Velasquez going with the wrestling.

      Mixed Martial Arts, News, UFC

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