What to really watch for

At this time of the year, when college football is coming to an exciting finish and college basketball is just heating up, where does your attention turn to? Power conference football championship games before an even better bowl season? Non-conference basketball tournaments for serious bragging rights?

No? 

Did someone say volleyball? Soccer? Field hockey? 

Sure, those contests broadcasted during primetime on big-time channels are exciting. But if you're looking for the best athletic spirit, look no further than the non-revenue sports. The programs that have student-athletes that you know are really playing for love of the game. There's no big draft for the softball season or after the cross country national championships.

Sure, the information may be a bit harder to come by and you can't watch it as easily, but it's worth the extra effort.

What have you done for me lately?

In the world of sports, especially in regard to coaches, it's all about now. It's not about what someone once did or what they could be capable of in the future.

It's no different and Notre Dame for the football program and it shouldn't be. It's an elite program with a rich history and a strong alumni base that will settle for nothing less than wins, baby, wins.

So why the long leash for Charlie Weis? 

The head coach, tabbed as one of the most brilliant offensive minds in the football world — college or pro — has overstayed his welcome at the Golden Dome and is being paid a hefty dime to do so. He was offered a 10-year contract for more than $30 million before he even finished his first season with the Irish and now they're paying for it — literally.

The Irish are suffering another dismal losing season after a pathetic home loss to Syracuse and a thrashing at the hands of rival USC. With losses to the Trojans and rival Michigan State, it's pretty much a rivalry win against an even more pathetic University of Michigan team that's keeping Weis afloat.

The Irish were quick to cut Tyrone Willingham loose after a few disappointing seasons (by Irish standards). Weis should receive the same treatment, Super Bowl rings and phenomenal recruiting classes aside.

Brian Kelly, anyone?

Missing out on a fun chance to see college basketball

Anyone with a vested interest in college basketball with access to a nonconference holiday tournament that is passing up that opportunity is making a mistake, and it's a well-noted one.

For nearly all of the holiday tournaments on television this week from Disney World to Maui to Madison Square Garden, there were hundreds of empty seats. And these are not games pitting Nobody University against Insignificant College. We're talking games pitting top-10 teams against each other!

Granted, it's Thanksgiving weekend and the games are played on neutral floors, but I would think people would either make a trip out of it or locals would take advantage of the chance to see high-caliber teams and players. Tickets can't be that expensive and the venues are either historic (like the Garden) or incredibly unique (i.e., the Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney or Chaminade University's gymnasium in Maui).

It's a great experience for teams to play in these tourneys before delving into the conference season and it'd be a great experience for a fan to check out the games in person.

You think the Big Ten is boring now?

For many people who think Big Ten football doesn't measure up to the level of other powerhouse conferences in the country (for one, you're right), it could be worse.

Many wonder why the Big Ten season ends usually two weeks before other conferences. It's because the Big Ten doesn't hold a conference championship. This is because the conference keeps the 11 teams in one division, instead of splitting them into two like other conferences (see Big XII, SEC) that are the traditional power conferences.

The problem with a split (other than uneven numbers) would be the discrepancy between the teams in the Big Ten. After Ohio State and Penn State, it's been made very clear that there is a significant drop-off in talent. After all, third place Michigan State was throttled by both these teams in the regular season. Fourth place Northwestern? Get real.

With conferences like those who split into two and have championship games, they have teams who can level out the playing field from top to bottom in the conference. If the Big Ten had a championship, it'd be a joke — either an average showing between two mediocre teams or a blowout of a lesser opponent by an above average top-15 team.

You couldn't pay me to go

The University of Michigan's basketball program has hit an all-time low. With a dismal student turnout for men's basketball games, the athletics department has decided to offer students incentives for coming to games.

First, the school has halved the student ticket price (from $200 to $99) after repeated losing seasons. Most recognize that students are essentially paying $33 for three games — Ohio State, Duke and Michigan State. Of course, those are three games the Wolverines don't stand a fighting chance to win, but they'll probably attract the biggest crowds.

For the students who show stellar attendance records (gosh, that sounds a lot like U-M), they'll be rewarded with money back for their ticket fee and even university apparel. Come watch our team lose and we'll give you stuff. We'll see how it works.

How far would you go?

..for your favorite college football team?

On perezhilton.com, which is normally known for its juicy celebrity gossip, there is a post about two college football fans who argued over a game and the conclusion? Death.

That's right. Investigators on the case say one Alabama fan really got into it with two LSU fans over an SEC game between the two schools, which ended in a 27-21 overtime win in favor of Alabama.

Supposedly, the two LSU fans — Dennis and Donna Smith — phoned 'Bama fan Michael Williams after the game to heckle him. They later arrived at his home with firearms and met Mr. Williams, who was wielding a shotgun.

Needless to say, the matter was not settled over tea and after the dust settled, both Dennis and Donna were dead. Believe it, because I can't.

For more, check out the post at http://perezhilton.com/2008-11-10-its-not-worth-it#respond.

Indiana students have abandoned ship?

It's been a tough year for Indiana Basketball.

Amidst a less-than-stellar 2007-08 campaign, their coach, Kelvin Sampson was removed from his post as head coach after committing second offenses of NCAA recruiting violations. The team was recognized as a top-25 team to begin the season and was in contention for the Big Ten title, but the NCAA investigation appeared to be too much for the program toward the end of the season, as they lost four of their last five games, including first-round exits in the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments.

Since Sampson's exit, the Hoosier's brought in one of the most prominent up-and-coming coaches in the country, Tom Crean. Crean was an assistant coach at Michigan State under Tom Izzo before heading to Marquette and leading that program to years of success.

Billed as a successor for Izzo in the future, it surprised many when Crean took the IU job, but it also seemed almost too good to be true. In the aftermath of the Sampson fiasco, nearly the entire starting five graduated, left early or transferred, leaving Crean with a completely clean slate.

Now, Indiana, a traditional NCAA basketball dynasty, is facing problems with ticket sales. Crean told the Indiana Daily Student that student ticket sales are selling at a disappointing rate.

"I don't think they are where they need to be," Crean told the paper. "I don't want that to become a disappointment because we might be disappointed in the short term. But the students who don't get them — or don't choose to buy them — are going to be disappointed in the long term."

The bottom line is that Indiana is and will always be a legendary basketball program. All schools go through rebuilding phases. If those tickets don't sell, they'll be sold to the public and the students will never get them back. Crean's right — they'll soon be disappointed.

PSU's probable fate: fair or foul?

With a statement win against Ohio State this weekend, the Penn State Nittany Lions improved their record to 9-0 and remain undefeated in the Big Ten. The showdown in Columbus was likely the only place where the Lions would mis-step.

With the loss, they closed the gap in the BCS standings behind undefeated Texas and undefeated Alabama. So what separates PSU from these two teams? The Big Ten.

In a matter of speaking, the Nittany Lions are competing in a conference that is more down than ever. Perennial conference title contenders Michigan is having one of the worst years in its program's history and teams such as Iowa and Purdue, who occasionally put up a fight are nowhere to be seen. Penn State has a showdown with Michigan State to finish the season, which could very well determine which team represents the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl.

If PSU wins out, they could still be left out of the national championship picture. At No. 3 in the country, they could be stuck outside the picture and watching Alabama and Texas, who come from much more difficult conference, play for the top spot.

Texas heads to Texas Tech this weekend to take on the No. 6 Red Raiders. It is probably the last chance to shake up the top three spots. You can bet the Nittany Lions will be watching.

Bigger and better coverage

Consider this. In the last 30 years, we have seen sports coverage evolve so greatly that we we went from essentially nothing to now having multiple "all sports, all the time" networks — with the strongest example being ESPN.

In that time and with that increasing demand for more, there has been a tremendous increase in the coverage of college sports as well. Following ESPN's path, the network created an additional channel within its own family with ESPNU — an area of the network that is dedicated solely to college sports. Since then, we have seen the evolution of college sports coverage and now channels such as the Big Ten Network or the Big East Network are spanning the country.

Just a few short years ago, we never would have expected to see channels solely dedicated to small-revenue teams at small-market schools on a 24-7 basis. In truth, those channels are about much more than just being able to catch a few more football games on Saturdays. It gives fans the opportunity to go behind-the-scenes with programs they may not now or watch a game they never would have seen otherwise. They're fantastic for the little guy.

Sometimes we get caught up in the "more, more, more" aspect of our society. But in this case, it's a good thing and I hope it continues.

A Day in the Life

For those sports journalists who think we know everything about the games we watch, write about and critique (and believe me, it's a high percentage), Tom Izzo gave us our shot. 

Last week, the Michigan State men's basketball coach gave members of the MSU media a chance to go through one of the widely-popular coach's practices. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity after covering the team last season in its run to the Sweet 16. 

The day began with a short film session in the team's theater in the locker room once we were fully decked out in MSU garb.

It didn't matter who it was — young, old, man, woman — Izzo and his staff took the practice seriously and certainly didn't coddle any of us journalists. We went through all the drills the team endures on a daily basis, from ballhandling to shooting and even participated in a full-court scrimmage.

After the scrimmage, coach Izzo brought everyone together for a group photo and then we all wolfed down a huge meal, entirely erasing any calories we'd burned that afternoon.

All in all, it was an experience that I'll certainly never forget and kudos to coach Izzo and his staff for keeping  up with the transparency that he's always exhibited — we need more coaches like him in this world.

No-braska?

What has happened to Nebraska football?  

Once a perennial college football powerhouse, the Cornhuskers program has made its way toward the bottom of a relatively weak (by its own standards) Big 12 conference. 

After achieving legendary status, the Huskers brought in former Oakland Raiders head coach Bill Callahan to lead the team. The Huskers, typically known for running the option system to perfection, all of a sudden began running the West Coast offense, which appeared to be doomed.

Callahan recorded the program's first losing season (5-6 in his first year) in 40 years, including a 70-10 thumping by Texas Tech in Lubbock. After putting together a 5-7 campaign, Callahan was quickly fired and the administration made the right decision by bringing in former defensive coordinator for Nebraska and fellow powerhouse LSU, Bo Pelini.

Pelini, however, doesn't seem to have a handle on things. Granted, it's tough on any first-year coach to come in and restore a team to greatness, but Nebraska was handed its worst home loss (52-17 massacre by Missouri) this weekend and things only get tougher for the Huskers in the following weeks.

To make matters even worse, Missouri QB Chase Daniel called the Cornhuskers "one of the dirtiest teams (he's) ever played" and claimed a Husker spit on him during warm-ups for the contest.

Pelini said he's reviewed the tape of the game and hasn't seen anything particularly dirty, but he has a lot more on his plate than some trash-talking or dirty hits. If he doesn't right this ship, he's going to be the next in a long line of potentially great college football names who have been taken down with one of the nation's best programs.