These are a collection of thoughts I’ve had about the world of sports the past few days.  None of them really deserve a full length article, so they’re all just kinda thrown together here.

I’m not quite sure what the Dodgers are trying to do with their offer to Manny Ramirez.  It’s rumored to be two years for $45 million.  I understand the concept of low balling to start of negotiations, but I get the feeling that Scott Boras is going to do to that offer what manager Lou Brown did to Roger Dorn’s contract in Major League, that is, take a piss on it.

Major League Baseball should probably take away the San Diego Padres right to call themselves a major league organization.  The only players who matter in San Diego (Jake Peavy, Adrian Gonzalez, and Trevor Hoffman) have all indicated that they have at least some interest in playing elsewhere because the team apparently has no plans to try to win.

These reports that MLB would never let Mark Cuban buy the Cubs are somewhat troubling to me.  If he is the highest bidder (which is probably a safe bet) why not let him buy the team?  Apparently Bud Selig is afraid of having an owner who will have the guts to stand up and say how bad he sucks as a commissioner.

It’s probably a safe bet to say that if Nick Saban went to Washington he could make the Huskies a contender within 3 years, right?  It’s also probably safe to assume he isn’t going to stay at Alabama for too long, he doesn’t exactly strike me as the loyal type.

I’m wonder what sort of golf karma is going to hit this idiot.  Here’s a guy who has recorded five hole-in-one’s in one week, something bad has to happen to him on the course right?  He must have had the worst bounces ever seen to man for the past 10 years in order to deserve recording a hole in one five times in one week.

* I’m struggling in this column, so I wouldn’t call these best bets

Last Week: 2-2
Season: 13-19

Kansas -1.5 over Texas Tech: Okay, so Tech is undefeated. But we’ve seen this before. This is a bit of a sandwich game for the Red Raiders, who are coming off a rivalry win at A&M and getting ready to host Texas next week. But they better not sleep on Kansas, who always come to play at home. Texas Tech’s pass defense is in the 100s, which sets up nicely for Todd Reesing. Look for Tech to get exposed…again.

Colorado State -9 over San Diego State: The “bet against the Aztecs” train rolls on week after week. SDSU is coming off arguably the worst performance in the program’s history, losing 70-7 to an average (at best) New Mexico team. Chuck Long has been given a vote of confidence by the athletic department, but has the team quit on him?

Ohio State +2 over Penn State: Can you remember the last time the Buckeyes weren’t favored at the Horseshoe? Me neither. The Buckeyes showed they’re still a force to be reckoned with last week, destroying Michigan State in East Lansing. I’d love to see Penn State win, but I think the Buckeyes take this one in a defensive battle. 

Illinois -3 over Wisconsin: What happened to Wisconsin? A team pegged as a co-favorite to win the Big Ten is sitting at 0-4 in conference play so far this year. Their quarterback play has sucked and even the once-reliable defense is lousy. Juice Williams and Co. torched this defense last year, I expect something similar to happen this time around.

*Until I get back to winning weekends, I’m giving up the “Best Bets” title. 

Last Week: 1-3
Overall: 11-17

Ohio State -3 over Michigan State: I hate the Big Ten and therefore, I’m not a fan of Ohio State. But while the Buckeyes struggle against athletic competition from superior conferences, their grind-it-out style is right at home in the Big Ten. It comes down to stopping MSU running back and Heisman candidate Javon Ringer, who has already surpassed 1,000 yards. I think they’re up to the challenge.

Colorado -3.5 over Kansas State: Colorado got a tough draw to open conference play by facing Texas and Kansas, but I still think they’re an up-and-coming team. As for Kansas State, they’ve done nothing to impress me. Beating Texas A&M isn’t an accomplishment. In fact, it’s one of the easiest things to do in D-1 athletics. 

Texas Tech -21 over Texas A&M. Speaking of those Texas A&M Aggies, have you seen them play this year? It’s not pretty. Tech had a scare last weekend against Nebraska, so I don’t see them coming out flat again. A&M has allowed 100 points over their last two games…and now Michael Crabtree comes into town. See ya. 

New Mexico -14 over San Diego State. The good news for Chuck Long’s Aztecs is quarterback Ryan Lindley might be back under center. The bad news? Everything else. The Aztecs haven’t beaten New Mexico in seven years and they’ve only covered one time in that span. Against a defensive line absolutely destroyed by injuries, New Mexico will wear down SDSU with their effective running game.

* May not be entirely accurate
Last Week: 1-3
Overall: 10-14

Arizona -6.5 over Stanford: With the exception of a loss to New Mexico, Mike Stoops’ team has been pretty solid this year. They can throw the ball all over the field, which will come in handy against a lousy Stanford secondary that allows over 270 passing yards a game. Zona is 2-0 in conference play and are set up for a big game against 2-0 Cal this week. But they can’t overlook the Cardinal.

Georgia -12.5 over Tennessee: The Vols are in disarray. They’re 2-3 and now have to head between the hedges to take on a Georgia team itching to play again after losing to Alabama. For me, this matchup comes down to the revenge factor. Remember when Tennessee steamrolled the Dawgs at Neyland Stadium last year, eventually costing Georgia a spot in the BCS National Championship? I don’t think they’ve forgotten either. Look for Georgia to get back on track here.

Air Force -10 over San Diego State: In last year’s matchup between these two teams, Air Force racked up a ridiculous 569 rushing yards against the Aztecs. While I don’t look for that to happen this time around, I do like AFA coming off a loss to Navy. SDSU struggles with the option game, as was made evident by their loss to FCS Cal Poly earlier this year. Promising quarterback Ryan Lindley will likely be out of this one, so look for Drew Westling, who went 6-17 versus TCU, to get the start.  

Vandy -2.5 over Mississippi State: I wanted to go the other way on this game really bad, but I’m not going to. This has all the makings for a Vandy letdown: After beating Auburn and before facing Georgia. MSU is 1-4, but have played tough against both Auburn and Georgia this year. Nevertheless, I see the Commodores somehow getting out of here with a win. It’s not going to be pretty, but I can’t pick against them until they don’t cover a spread. 

Last Week: I don’t want to talk about it
Season: 9-11

Ole Miss -2.5 over South Carolina: While this could be a letdown game for the Rebels after knocking off Florida, I don’t see that happening. The fact remains that this is a very good Ole Miss team. They were unlucky to lose to a good Vandy team and battled Wake Forest on the road a couple weeks ago. South Carolina hasn’t covered a spread since their opener against NC State, so I don’t see Ole Miss slipping up here.

UCONN +7 over North Carolina: I’ve ridden UCONN a couple times this year and they haven’t let me down. While I credit UNC for their gutsy comeback win against Miami, lets not forget the Huskies winning at Louisville last week to remain undefeated. Sure, they lost quarterback Tyler Lorenzen (1 TD, 6 INT) to a foot injury, but the nation’s leading rusher Donald Brown is still standing. That makes UCONN dangerous. 

Notre Dame -6.5 over Stanford: I think the jury is still out on what kind of team Charlie Weis has at Notre Dame this year. Hanging 35+ in their last two home games could indicate that this young offense is starting to come together. The Irish have beat Stanford six consecutive times. Look for them to add another win to that total. 

Alabama -15.5 over Kentucky: The undefeated Kentucky Wildcats finally get to face a real football team this week after smacking around three straight cupcakes. All Bama has done is score 40+ points the last three weeks and send a feeling of dread through the SEC. Yes, folks, Nick Saban has Bama back on the map.

In my College Football Best Bets of the weekend, I mentioned I was a little weary about the home underdog on Thursday night games. But come on, this was USC! “They’re the best in the country!.” “They can beat an NFL team.” No, no and no. The mighty Trojans were thoroughly outplayed from the opening kickoff and are now forced to pick up the pieces after a 27-21 loss to Oregon State. 

Lets get this out of the way right now. USC is all but eliminated from the National Championship race. Why? Because of how much fail is in the PAC-10. With every team in the conference already having at least one loss the Trojans are going to be hard-pressed to pick up any quality wins in conference play. Sure, they get Notre Dame to close things out. But even if the Trojans emerge from this wake-up call and run the table, they’re still not going to have enough on their resume to surpass a one team loss from superior conferences like the SEC and Big 12. Running through the likes of Texas/Texas Tech/Missouri/Kansas or Georgia/Alabama/LSU/Auburn is a lot more impressive than UCLA/Arizona/Oregon/California.

Most upset-minded teams usually have the benefit of some good calls, a turnover returned for a touchdown or a variety of trick plays. This was not one of those games. Oregon State did get lucky on their 3rd touchdown, but USC’s defense was pushed off the ball all night. Credit the Oregon State offensive line and true freshman Jacquizz Rodgers (all 5′7 of him) for smacking USC in the mouth for 60 minutes. 

In a nutshell, what we saw last night was shocking. It was unexpected. It was college football. With conference play getting into full gear over the next couple weeks, don’t expect things to change anytime soon