| Was it really just a week ago that Texas beat USC | | | | Duke, with a mere 176! U Conn is now second with |
| 41-38 in the Rose Bowl? Can Vince Young possibly be | | | | 49.Both Duke and Florida play tonight, while Pittsburgh |
| as good in the NFL as he was in his two Rose Bowl | | | | plays Thursday (home versus DePaul). Duke hosts |
| appearances? Is the 'monkey' finally off Mack | | | | Maryland tonight on ESPN at 9:00 ET and the Blue |
| Brown's back?Putting to rest the CFB season, note | | | | Devils are favored by 14 points with a total of 156 1 |
| that Texas' 83 wins the last eight years are the | | | | 2. Florida is home to an 11-3 Miss St team but the |
| most of any school. The Longhorns are also the | | | | gators are still favored by 18 1/2 points!ESPN2 |
| ONLY school to have finished in the final BCS | | | | features a triple-header tonight beginning with |
| standings in EACH of the last seven years. Texas is | | | | Syracuse at Notre Dame at 7:00 ET. That game is |
| also the only BCS-affiliated school to win at least 10 | | | | followed by Texas A&M at Oklahoma State (9:00 |
| games in each of the last five years.My free play for | | | | ET) and TCU at New Mexico (11:00 ET). Prior to the |
| Wednesday is the Min T-wolves over the Chi Bulls in | | | | Maryland/Duke game, ESPN opens its coverage with |
| the NBA at 8:05 ET. I've jumped to a 3-0 start with | | | | Indiana at Michigan State at 7:00 ET (Spartans are |
| my CBB 15* plays in '06 and offer another 15* play | | | | favored by five with a total of 146 1/2).NBA fans get |
| tonight (rare back-to-back 15*s!). Also, I feature my | | | | a busy 10-game slate tonight and all eyes are in |
| 10* SEC Game of the Month and my 10* NBA | | | | Portland, as Kobe tries to get 45 points or more for |
| Favorite of the Month. Get them ALL, right | | | | the 5th consecutive game. However, he's got a little |
| now!Putting to rest the bowl season, 16 of the 28 | | | | more work to do if he plans on catching Wilt, who |
| games were decided by a TD or less, with EIGHT | | | | set an NBA record in 1964 of NINE consecutive |
| decided by three points or less (two in OT). Fifteen | | | | 45-plus games!Who ever said 13 was an unlucky |
| of the 28 winning teams came from behind to win, | | | | number? It surely wasn't for Bruce Sutter. Sutter |
| with EIGHT of them erasing double-digit deficits!The | | | | became just the 4th reliever to get elected to |
| average margin of victory was 10.9 PPG, the lowest | | | | baseball's Hall of Fame, joining Hoyt Wilhelm, Rollie |
| in the BCS-era and the lowest since 1992. Next year | | | | Fingers and Dennis Eckersley. However, Sutter is the |
| sees the addition of 5th BCS bowl game but there is | | | | ONLY one of the four, to have NEVER made a |
| NO playoff plans in the near future. Speaking of | | | | major league start!His 'election' in his 13th year of |
| which, it's BASKETBALL season!Tonight's college | | | | eligibility, is the latest of any player since Ralph Kiner |
| hoops schedule features 46 games. Last week was a | | | | was elected in 1975. Jim Rice fell 53 votes short in his |
| bad week for top-25 teams, as 15 ranked teams | | | | 12th year on the ballot and Goose Gossage 54 votes |
| lost, including two losses by Michigan St. FOUR teams | | | | shy, in his seventh year of eligibility. Sutter's election |
| fell from the ranks of the unbeaten last week. | | | | was long-overdue but I wouldn't expect 13 to be the |
| Connecticut, Illinois, Ohio St and Villanova.That leaves | | | | charm for Rice next year.First-timers on next year's |
| Duke (14-0), Florida (14-0) and Pittsburgh (12-0). | | | | HOF ballot will be Tony Gwynn (lock) and Cal Ripken |
| Duke's been ranked No. 1 all season but was a | | | | Jr (lock), not to mention a member of Sports |
| unanimous No. 1 this week, for the first time all | | | | Illustrated's so-called "Liars Club", Mark McGwire. Just |
| season. Florida, unranked at the beginning of the | | | | in case the voters have forgotten, Rice has 382 |
| year, has to be the season's biggest surprise team, in | | | | career HRs, 1,451 RBI and a .298 LT batting average. |
| Billy Donovan's 10th year at Gainesville. Pitt is 12-0 but | | | | He topped .300 seven time, knocked in 100 runs |
| ranked just 12th. Kentucky fell out of the AP poll for | | | | eight times, while winning three HR titles, two RBI |
| the first time this week, after 88 straight rankings, as | | | | titles and the AL MVP in 1978.Larry Ness is a |
| did Wake Forest (60 straight appearances). The | | | | documented member of the Professional |
| current leader in consecutive poll appearances is | | | | Handicappers League. |