Penn State situation: A complete and utter catastrophe

Oh, where to begin.  No matter where you go as far as sports following, that's what everyone's talking about: the Joe Paterno and Penn State child abuse situation.  It's disgusting, repulsive and catastrophic all at the same time.  Just a few thoughts to ponder tonight.

1. Heath Evans, former National Football League running back, who played in the league ten years or so and has his own website designed specifically for victims of child abuse, was on the Jim Rome radio show today and offered some thoughts.  A couple of the stats he threw out there are flat out scary: one in six men before the age of 18 are sexually abused every single day and one in four women prior to turning 18 are sexually abused every day in our country.  The stats are magnified especially since there are rumors of about 20 people coming forward with horror stories from this Penn State scandal.  I am not privy to all the details of child abuse, but in any language this is an exceptionally serious situation and I pray to God that those who were abused have the strength to come forward.

2. Then there's the question of whether it was a deliberate cover-up or not.  While Joe has a great track record in the 45 or so years he coached PSU, there are too many signs to point towards this being a cover-up.  This has been going on over a decade and NO ONE in leadership at Penn State had the fortitude to step up and address what was going on?  What's shocking to me is that the head man at Penn State, Graham Spanier, worked at UNL before ending up in State College.

3. The Penn State students and fans taking up for Paterno.  That is just as repulsive as the situation itself.  The students who went on Paterno's lawn and took up for him, I can almost forgive.  They are ignorant as they are students and really don't know what the whole situation is about.  But the Penn State alumni I have seen take up for Paterno is pathetic.  Part of me was actually hoping Penn State fans would stage a walk out Saturday at this coming game.  That is obviously far from the case.

4. But that leaves a much bigger issue which I believe has not been talked about enough: if this happened at Penn State, then what in the HELL has been going on in other locker rooms across this country?  That's what makes me aghast about this situation.  In college athletics, PSU was supposed to be a beacon, a program which stood for things done the right way.  Now, we know that is far from the case, and that as a matter of fact, they stand for everything that is wrong in college athletics, maybe even more so.  So what in the WORLD has been going on in other locker rooms in college athletics?  Would it surprise anyone to see this story rear its ugly head again in the near future? 

I've seen a lot of friends who think this is an isolated incident in college athletics.  I am skeptical of this.  Again, I repeat: Heath Evans said on NATIONAL RADIO today that one in six males before the age of 18 get sexually abused in this country.  Football programs like my beloved program, Nebraska, are deeply tied to the community in Lincoln.  Can we really be sure this doesn't go on at programs across this country which have deep ties to the community?  It scares me to know that this epidemic might go on at other major programs as well.  It's a situation where university presidents (like Harvey Perlman at my alma mater, the University of Nebraska) needs to step in and make a stand.

It's truly an appalling situation, and I pray from the bottom of my heart that an epidemic like this doesn't (or hasn't) spread to other programs across the country.

Nebraska vs. Michigan State: Finally, They Gave the Ball to Burkhead

It's been quite some time since I posted a blog on this website, so first of all, I think a few housekeeping issues are in order.  Remember, as a disclaimer, this is a Nebraska Cornhusker centric post.  Keep that in mind.

1. The Dirk Chatelain issue after the Ohio State game a few weeks back.  I admit, I was probably in the same boat as Dirk the week after the Wisconsin game.  Some of the remarks I made on this blog were quite incindiary...I don't know about slanderous but they were not nice.  Martinez brought the team back against an improving Ohio State team and the team has continued to get better week to week.  It's a reminder that we must be careful when we write these blogs and columns...you never know who might be reading.  I'm not going to go politically correct on everyone but it is something to keep in mind.

2. National Championship contenders are dropping like flies.  The previous week it was Wisconsin and Oklahoma, last week it was Kansas State and Clemson (although I'm not sure anyone is surprised that Kansas State lost).  This should be a fun month of November.

3. Last night's Monday Night Football game?  All I can tell you is I'm hardly surprised.  San Diego is still coached by Norv Turner and the day they get rid of him might be the best day in the history of the San Diego Chargers franchise.  Not that I have anything against the Chargers, I don't...they are an original AFL franchise, much like my hometown Houston Oilers as well as the Chiefs, who I somewhat follow after spending my college years two hours from Kansas City.

Now that this is out of the way, let's get to business.

Where has THAT effort been from the Huskers all season?  And more importantly, where were Burkhead's 30 to 35 touches?  This is what we've been clamoring for all season long.

See the thing about Burkhead is, he's a football player.  He finds holes in defenses, he can line up at quarterback, catch passes and more importantly there's a presence about that guy that rubs off on the rest of the team.

And the other thing is, that guy is a warrior.  He suffered an injury in the third quarter of the game, then comes back in when asked to and scores a touchdown soon after.  I'm not saying everyone should play like that.  However, I'm saying that Burkhead has the desire and want to as far as winning games goes.

Props also to that defense for stepping up and earning their Blackshirts, although I seriously wonder if Michigan State did any game preparation at all.  Nebraska's defense was in the same two safety defense from beginning to end.

Another thing about the game Saturday: Urban Meyer is my new favorite college football color commentator.  It was interesting to watch him break down both teams Saturday...and it was great to hear him describe some of the tendencies of a Tom Osborne led offense and how some of those tendencies are still used today.

So what's next for the Huskers?  Yeah, it's a tough November stretch.  Northwestern game one should think would be fairly straight forward but those trips to State College and Ann Arbor...tough games.  But right now, with Nebraska's win over Michigan State, it's still anyone's race in the Big Ten Legends Division, which is all Husker fans could have asked for after the Wisconsin game.

Nebraska vs. Wisconsin Post-Mortem: Red In Limbo

OK, it's been three full days since the debacle in Madison.  Yes, I am a disgruntled Nebraska alumnus - someone who wanted the current coach, Bo Pelini, when he was hired back in December 2007.  But it's obvious there are some pretty deep-seated problems within the program.  It's even obvious to people like me, who live 800 miles away from Lincoln.  The thing is, it's not like this is the first year of the Pelini era when the Huskers were coming off a horrid 5-7 year in 2007.  The Huskers knew they were rebuilding and quite frankly they did well to win eight and then ten games in Pelini's first two years.  But we're now in year four, and it's obvious that the program isn't much better than it was when he was hired - the program has regressed sharply from the first two years Pelini was on the job.

So Husker fans, let's commiserate.  Among the numerous problems within the Nebraska program are:

1. Nebraska is still capable of getting embarrassed on national television in big time games.  In the last year of the Callahan era, the team was repeatedly blown out and not just by elite teams.  They got blown out by average teams as well.  The matchup against the Badgers reminded me so much of the 2007 USC game, which I was at.  The team hung in for about a quarter and a half and then got smoked.

2.  The quarterback position.  Oh my God, where to begin.  Taylor Martinez is obviously the biggest problem with the Huskers right now.  I'm not the only one who thinks this either: I know people close to the program who say that he is a divisive force in the locker room.  He is not a leader who is respected in that locker room - not in the way that guys like Tommie Frazier were anyways.  Furthermore, he is just an awful passer.  It wouldn't be so much of an issue if he were an athletic freak like Vince Young was in college but he's about a foot shorter than Vince.  All he can do is run fast and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that to stop Nebraska's offense you simply have to keep Martinez in the pocket.  Saturday is an example of what happens when Martinez is kept in the pocket and forced to pass.

Additionally, Nebraska hasn't developed its backup quarterbacks near well enough.  I am generally not a conspiracy theorist, but I have had fleeting thoughts of a conspiracy theory involving Taylor Martinez being the starting quarterback.  You cannot possibly tell me that adequately developed, Brion Carnes would do any worse than what Taylor Martinez has done.

3.  The entire coaching staff, Bo Pelini included.  My problems with the coaching staff and Pelini are two fold.  The first thing is that Nebraska's assistant coaches are...somewhat lacking, to be kind.  A head coach is only as good as his assistants and it seems obvious from afar that Pelini has incompetent assistants who don't help much.  Tim Beck's play calling did not put this offense in the best position to succeed Saturday, needless to say.  Furthermore, Bo Pelini hired these assistants after casting the previous ones aside which creates a theory in my head that Pelini hires "yes" men who tell him what he wants to hear, not what he needs to hear.  Nebraska fans may have had an inkling that Bo Pelini is stubborn and arrogant before, but the problems early on this year have revealed the problems within this program for all to see.

So where are the Huskers at this point?  It's hard to say but one thing is for certain.  The Huskers better get it back, fast, before things spiral out of control and Pelini loses this program....completely.

Bigger Chance for an Upset: Nebraska or Florida?

So as I'm listening to some football (as I type Texas A&M is trying not to blow another second half lead, they are up on Arkansas 35-27 in the second half), we are bearing down on two big games tonight.  Both will be played at the same time, in two of the toughest places to play in all the land.  In one contest, Nebraska makes its Big 10 debut against Wisconsin on ABC and on CBS, Alabama heads to Florida's infamous Swamp to face a surging Gator team with one of the most dynamic players in the country in Chris Rainey.

So then, that begs the question: Which of the underdogs in tonight's main events, Nebraska or Florida, has a chance to pull off the upset?

At first glance, it seems there would be an easy answer to this question: Florida.  They're at home, with one of the fastest players in the country, a great running attack and this is Alabama's first real road test (I mean, come on Penn State wasn't even a game).  Meanwhile, Wisconsin is being highly touted, with one of the nation's top running attacks and a solid quarterback in Russell Wilson.  And, Nebraska's defense has been rather lackluster to begin the year.

But wait a minute, as Lee Corso would say: not so fast my friend.  I offer some other things to think about.  Disclaimer: I'm a Nebraska alum, so keep this in mind.

The first thing to consider in tonight's game in Madison is this: Wisconsin hasn't played anyone.  In their four games, they've played a UNLV team that lost to Southern Utah 41-16, an Oregon State team that hasn't even won a game, a half decent Northern Illinois team, and South Dakota.  Their schedule, needless to say has been rather lackluster.  If anything, the Badgers have something to prove as well.  I'm not going to brag about Nebraska's schedule, it hasn't been great but Washington, Fresno State and Wyoming are probably better than any team Wisconsin has played.

Also, Nebraska's team is built on speed.  Remember that Nebraska played in a pass happy conference for a number of years so they have had to recruit speed to compete with fast, undersized Big 12 defenses and pass happy Big 12 offenses.  Wisconsin, for years, has been a physical team but has lacked the speed to keep up with truly elite teams.  The last time they played a team with any sort of speed was in last year's Rose Bowl against TCU and they lost.  How much faster have they really gotten in several months?  Wilson is an athletic player, I'll give you that.  But as a team, it's hard to say if they've really improved speed wise in less than a year.

Also, with regards to the game in the Swamp tonight: keep in mind Alabama is a battle tested road team.  They won't be intimidated by Florida's crowd even though their quarterback is inexperienced.

In the end, I would give both Nebraska and Florida about a 25 to 30 percent chance of pulling off the upset.  Maybe Florida has the slight edge because their game is a home game but both are probably about the same chance of an upset.  A lot of things will have to go right for either team to win.

College Football Conference Realignment: Has Larry Scott become a legend?

OK, now that I've talked some NFL and Detroit Lions football, let's double back and talk some college football for a minute and in particular, college football conference realignment.  Note that I'll be talking Food Network from time to time on this blog as I'm a huge food fan as well.

As a Nebraska alumnus and fan, it would be pretty easy for me to say that it's fun sitting in the warm shelter of the Big Ten (or the B1G if you want as some internet nerds have played off the Big 10's new logo).

But the truth is, if Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott pulls off what it sounds like he's about to do in bringing four schools from Texas and Oklahoma to his conference, think about how significant a development in college athletics this would be.

In the world of college athletics, considering where college sports have always been with the limit being 12 team conferences, this would be something which changes the college sports landscape forevermore.  This is college football's version of Armageddon.

Gone forever would be the old, archaic way of 10 to 12 team conferences.  It would be a new day in college athletics, of 16 team superconferences with an even greater possibility of college football playoffs in the future.

Thing is, as someone who watches the Big 10, I think Big 10 commissioner Jim Delany is a shrewd, sly commissioner and you'd be hard pressed to find anyone much better at his job than he is.

But if Larry Scott pulls this off, he becomes a sports legend bottom line.  He'd immediately be in the conversation with the greatest sports visionaries of their time, names such as NBA commissioner David Stern and former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue.  If he pulls this off and draws Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas and Texas Tech into the fold, the Pac-16 immediately becomes the most dominant conference in college football west of the Mississippi.

And I've already seen some of my fellow Husker fans call Scott a pansie for allowing Texas to head west with their Longhorn Network, call him basically a puppet a la Dan Beebe in the Big 12 and that the Pac conference is in trouble for bringing in the four Texas and Oklahoma schools.  I beg to differ.

I don't doubt that the south schools and in particular Texas have never been privy to being one of the fellas.  They're Texas, they do what they want when they want, that's been their history.  I don't think that's going to happen out West though.

See, one of the differences is that I get the sense Larry Scott knows what he's doing.  I think he thinks he can control the egos that are going to show up in that room for the first meeting.  And oh, will there be a lot of egos in that room.  Texas, Oklahoma, the Californias, etc.  Larry Scott is not a mindless figurehead like Dan Beebe was and is actually visionary and forward thinking.  In his four years on the job as Big 12 commissioner, I don't think Dan Beebe has even formed a visionary, forward thinking thought.  Kevin Weiberg, who came before him, was probably the best commissioner the Big 12 ever had and guess where he now is - the Pac conference.

Also, let's face it, the Pac-10 is and always has been a California and west coast based conference.  I think if any Nebraska fans who stumble upon this blog think that the California based schools won't have a big stick in this conference you are sadly mistaken.  Texas has money and Texas has power wherever they go, there's no denying that and I can respect that - and they have geographical allies coming with them assuming this move goes down.  But the four Californias carry a big stick too.  Though I am a Big 10 fan, I will be interested to see how this conference develops.

Now I just wonder who the Big 10 will go after if all of this does indeed go down.  As someone who followed this closely last year as well, I was hoping Mizzou and Nebraska would go to the Big 10 together assuming Notre Dame is brought into the fold as well.

Welcome to the end of college football's old days, and the death of truly regional conferences.

Why the Detroit Lions will make the NFL Playoffs

You can thank me later for this bit of information, but remember that I said this when it's January.

The Detroit Lions will be in the National Football League playoffs.  It's going to happen.

Yes, I realize that the Kansas City Chiefs are probably the worst team in the National Football League.  Injuries abound for that team and today they lost Jamaal Charles for the season with an ACL injury.

But just think about what the Lions are capable of.  There are explosive players all over the field.  It would be easy to say that my main man Ndamukong Suh is the reason - he's changed the culture there for sure.

Let's talk about some of the other key players though.  For example, let's talk about Matthew Stafford, arguably the key player to my prediction.  If he stays healthy, they are not only a playoff team but can play with anyone in a one game scenario.  This guy's got a rocket arm, throws a fastball and can fit the ball into tight windows.

It also doesn't hurt that he has weapons all over the field.  He's got Jahvid Best at running back, who is a very capable back.  He's got Calvin Johnson, a huge target on the outside.  He's got two very good tight ends, Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler, and a reliable wide receiver in Nate Burleson.

And then there's the defense, and it's not just about Suh.  Certainly, he has created a culture where the Lions are now a feared unit.  But they've also got Kyle Vanden Bosch, a solid pass rusher on the end.  And their secondary kept a talented quarterback, Josh Freeman, in check for the most part and made mincemeat out of poor Matt Cassel and the Chiefs offense.

Don't forget that coach of theirs, Jim Schwartz.  He's embraced a blue collar city with a blue collar mentality of his own and the Lions have become a tough, physical team.

And look at the "contenders" around them: they all have flaws aside from Philadelphia, New Orleans and Green Bay.  Jay Cutler is a soft quarterback and the Bears got exposed against New Orleans, the Lions already beat Tampa Bay on the road, the Redskins quarterback is Rex Grossman, the Cowboys have all sorts of issues, Atlanta is fighting just to stay away from 0-2 and who from the West is any good?

The Lions as a 5 seed in this year's NFC Playoffs?  Yeah I could see that.  And I think it's going to happen.

For Detroit, the future's so bright that....well, they have to wear shades.

LSU vs. Mississippi State - Defense Still Wins Titles

So, last night's college football game was supposed to be a game which pitted two of the best teams the Southeastern Conference had to offer.  Third ranked LSU was taking on borderline-ranked Mississippi State who had gotten a lot better in recent times as Coach Dan Mullen won nine games with them last year.

LSU's defense took all the sizzle out of this fight however, and while Jarret Lee didn't have to do a whole lot, going 21 for 27 for 213 and a touchdown might just be enough with the defense LSU fields.

The LSU defense is the buzz of the college football world today and there are several reasons why:

1. Depth.  The Tigers are deep on the defensive line especially and they play like it.  They're also extremely well conditioned, as they are quick to get players in and out against up-tempo offenses like the offense they faced last night.  Playing eight guys on the defensive line and keeping them fresh is a big advantage for that defense.  Anyone who has watched five minutes of football knows it starts up-front and the Tigers have one of the deepest defensive lines in America - and one of the best conditioned lines in the country as well.

2. Discipline.  For those who were watching the game, note how many times explosive State quarterback Chris Relf had to stay in the pocket to pass.  There's little doubt to anyone who has watched a little bit of Mississippi State football this year that Relf is best when he gets outside the pocket and can make plays with his feet or his arm.  In the pocket, he's much less deadly.  LSU kept its lanes all night long and would not let him break contained.  They also did a great job staying with their assignments on the zone read play. 

3. Motivation.  Andy Staples of SI noted in his column today that LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis said the defensive unit blew a bunch of assignments.  It sounds like the words of a defense that has a deep, burning desire to be the best in the country and it sounds like the words of a unit which knows the heavy lifting is still yet to come.  LSU still has to go to West Virginia next week, must grind through the SEC and still must play at Alabama.  That being said, try asking Mississippi State's offense if LSU's defense missed a bunch of assignments.  It sure didn't look like it from this perspective.

A word to the wise, especially those who follow college football: Defense still wins games.  LSU proved it last night.