- For starters, let's talk about all those bowl games. There are 40! of them, not including the National Championship Game. That's 80 teams that get to go to a bowl game. Except the problem is, there aren't 80 teams that are even .500, which means 5-7 is good enough to get you to a bowl. Am I the only one who finds that ridiculous? Do we finally have enough proof that there are too many bowl games?
- I know that there are going to be the people who'll argue that the 5-7 bowl teams aren't a big deal, and they'll probably use the "how come nobody has a problem with sub-.500 teams making the NCAA Tournament?" rationale. Except the sub-.500 teams that qualify for the various NCAA Tournaments earn their way in by winning a conference title. They aren't the 11th place team in the ACC getting to go just because you need 11 ACC teams. You've even got a freakin' conference game in a bowl! C'mon!
- Former USC coach Steve Sarkisian is suing for wrongful termination. If you remember, he was fired back in October (via email) while on his way to get treatment for alcoholism. I have no idea how this lawsuit is gonna go, and I really have no opinion on whether or not Sarkisian should've been fired. But what I do know is that this once again makes USC AD Pat Haden look like a bumbling idiot. He didn't do it the right way. There are a lot of other ways this could've gone down, but with the way it did, a lawsuit seemed inevitable.
Moving on to the NFL, which is obviously where my allegiance lies.
- Keeping with the college theme for a second, it's clear the Bucs made the right choice, at least in the short-term, with the No. 1 pick. I still think Mariota has more of an upside than Winston, but the Titans are hopeless. The Bucs, meanwhile, are going to fall just short of the playoffs.
- It sure seems like Peyton Manning's spectacular career is all but over. The Broncos are 3-0 behind Brock Osweiler, and they've committed to Osweiler as the starter for at least another week. They're taking this on a week-by-week basis, and the longer Osweiler plays well, the longer Peyton has to get back to 100 percent. But the longer Osweiler plays well, the longer you think they'll be inclined to stick with him. Brett Favre's Hall of Fame career ended with him sitting on the bench due to injury during that final year in Minnesota. The script looks awfully similar for Peyton's potentially final year in Denver.
- If Mike Pettine doesn't resign as Browns coach at the end of the season, I'll be shocked. Sure, they might fire him, but either way, Pettine wants nothing more to do with that organization. If it was up to him, Johnny Overrated wouldn't even be on the team, let alone the starting quarterback. But ownership keeps forcing him on Pettine. For some reason, the Browns owner has as much of a man crush on Johnny Overrated as Jim Dolan does on Isiah Thomas. I have no idea why.
- When did the NFC East become the bad division? I mean, seriously, did you ever expect to see a three-way tie for first? At 5-7?! In this division?! The division with four major-market teams that won five out of six Super Bowls once upon a time! It used to be that the winner of the NFC East never had less than 10 wins. Now we might get one that's below .500. Right now the division "leader" is Washington.
- All four of them find different ways to lose every week, but the scary thing is, if the Giants do manage to emerge as the best of the worst and get into the playoffs, it's very conceivable to see them once again doing their thing and beating the Patriots in the Super Bowl.
- Speaking of the Giants, it seems like the Super Bowl win over the Patriots will be the only thing that saves Tom Coughlin's job. I've seen a lot of articles about this very topic in recent days, and I agree with the conclusion drawn by the great Daily News columnist Gary Meyers. Coughlin should be allowed to step down on his own terms at the end of the season. That's the best way for him to go out. He led the team to two Super Bowl titles, including the greatest upset in Super Bowl history. He's earned the right to resign/retire rather than be fired. If he makes that decision on his own, he'll save the Maras and Tischs from having a very uncomfortable meeting on January 4. With that being said, though, it's time for the Giants to move on from Coughlin. They know it, he knows it, and the fans know it. If that means they have to fire him, so be it. But don't just do it. Give him the dignity he deserves.
Lastly, a couple non-football topics that I've had a vested interest in.
- After first announcing that they weren't going to, the Rio Olympic organizers backtracked and decided that they will provide the athletes with free air conditioning in their bedrooms, after all. The original move was made as a budget cut, but it was an unnecessary one that didn't make them come off well. This was the only move they could make PR-wise. Although, ultimately, I'm not sure how big a deal it would've been. August is the winter in Rio, so the nighttime temperatures are relatively comfortable. And this really wouldn't have been an issue for the larger, more affluent nations. Nick Symmonds (of course) said that it was "unacceptable" when he heard the news, but the USOC certainly would've taken care of it for the American athletes. It's the athletes from smaller nations who would've had to suffer. Regardless, reversing course and providing air conditioning for all athletes was the right move. They can make budget cuts elsewhere.
- The Oscar Pistorius appeal has been heard, and the verdict was overturned. So, you mean, shooting (repeatedly) at a locked door when you know there's a person in there IS murder? Weird! My only problems here are that Pistorius has been under house arrest since October, even though there was a possibility he was going to return to jail. He should've had to stay in jail until the appeal, especially if he was just gonna go back. And they granted him bail. Again. Saying he can stay under house arrest until sentencing. Seriously? C'mon! You want to tell me he's NOT getting special treatment? Please.
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