ESPN-Jets head coach Rex Ryan is never afraid to offer his opinion and Monday was no exception. Ryan told the NY Daily news that he would be “shocked” if his team lost to the Colts on Sunday. His predictions have been accurate so far, we’ll see if he gets this one right Sunday

I guess Rex Ryan is just saying what any coach should say if asked about their teams chances. So, do the Jets really have a chance Sunday? Well, usually, I would say no. In fact, the Colts would be my lock of the week…if I were to put money on any game this week.

The irony in all of this is the Jets are only in this position because the Colts laid down for them at the end of the regular season. The Jets were in a “must win” situation facing the NFL’s best team (record wise) and league MVP. Luckily, for the Jets, the Colts had already clinched home field advantage throughout the playoffs and rested most starters and key players the majority of the game. The Colts now face the team that they allowed into the playoffs with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.

The NFC seems to be a better match up with two very balanced teams. I am not sure who to take in this game. I’ll let you decide…

For those of you who need to get caught up on the coaching shift in college football, i thought this video might help out a little bit. Enjoy.

Enter Lane Kiffin. The now former coach of Tennessee. I guess he was already screwing up Tennessee’s program…what would it hurt to hire him? This had to be what USC was thinking. Now what does Tennessee do? Man, this story couldn’t get anymore interesting could it?

When i was nine years old, I was obsessed with baseball’s “bash brothers”. Big Mac was my hero! I read the paper everyday to see if he hit a home run. He helped make baseball fun for me when my favorite team (Cleveland’s Indians) absolutely sucked. Other than the movie “Major League”, I did not have many chances to be a proud fan. Then, In the mid-90′s, the Indians were close to dominant in the American League and I had a lot to cheer about. But, for most of the country, baseball had lost its interest. After the strike in ’94 most people were left with a bad taste in their mouth when it came to the game. Baseball needed a hero!

In the summer of 1998 something magical happened. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa would captivate America with their season long home run derby. This is exactly what baseball needed. Even my mom would keep tabs on who was ahead in the home run race. Everybody was watching baseball again.

So, the past few days’ headlines have once again had “Big Macs” mug all over it. Not everybody has been so joyous to see it though. I am sure you all know the story. Mark was juiced. In other words…he cheated. Most people suspected it for most of the past decade. Now it is confirmed. Now the question is raised, should he be in the Hall Of Fame? What do you think? I think this all sucks. I loved the guy growing up. Do i still want him in the hall? Sure I do! He is the reason I ever got into collecting baseball cards. My first World Series to watch in its entirety was in 1989 when Mark and the Oakland A’s defeated the San Francisco Giants. I could go on and on about how much I enjoyed following the guys career but i won’t. I’ll just ask you…should he be iin the Hall in Cooperstown? Please, leave your comments.

I’m sure you all remember the incident from this summer involving former Sooner and current New Orleans Saints Garrett Hartley.  If you don’t, check it out here.  Hartley sat our the first four games of the season after testing positive for a banned stimulant.  Good news for Garrett… his four-game suspension is over. Bad news for Saints third-string QB and former Mizzou Tiger Chase Daniel….back to the practice squad to make room for a kicker.  Look on the bright side Chase, you’ll never have to face OU in the Big 12 championship again.

poor kid

If you didn’t believe me before, I am sure Saturday’s loss against Miami has made you a believer. The Big XII gods have taken aim at Oklahoma for the tiebreaker debacle from last season. The evidence for those who need to be reminded one more time:

Gresham is out for the season after knee surgey. Would have been a first round pick.

Bradford’s return is still uncertain. When Dean Blevins asked Bradford today if he would definitely return this season, the Heisman trophy winner’s response was, “I don’t know if I can give you a definite answer but I do feel like right now, yes, I will be back at some point.” That doesn’t exactly sound like a ringing endorsement for his return. I translate this to mean, “I will not return unless I am clearly 100% ready to play. No way I am risking any more to the damage that has already been done to my draft stock. And if we lose again before I return, then I am definitely sitting out the rest of the season.”

And the blows continue with news of Ryan Broyles fractured left shoulder. Reports are that he will miss up to 4-6 weeks. My only explanation here is that the Big XII gods felt the need to punish Broyles even more for stealing that gasoline. This makes everyone wonder who exactly Bradford will throw the ball to if he returns. And if my calculations are correct, that leaves only two starters left standing on the offensive side of the ball from last seasons team – Murray/Brown (only one is considered a starter. And don’t get me started on that situation) and Trent Williams.

So where does the Big XII curse strike next. 2 of the 4 potential first round NFL picks have been struck. That leaves Trent Williams and Gerald McCoy. So to all Sooner fans, please pray for these two men. We need to unite as one to turn the curse in another direction, preferably at TU (after all, they caused the whole big XII tie breaker mess anyway by choking against Tech).