Championship Week's biggest losers: Vols or Cajuns?

(11/30) This is Norman Arey with your Norman’s No-Nos, where I pick losers in the top college football games. Last week, I was 11-4, 133-62 for the year. That’s 68.2 percent, well below my 78 percent last season.

First, the conference championships:

SEC: LSU vs. Tennessee - LSU’s vaunted defense hasn’t been very vaunted lately. Vols’ Eric Ainge may be the second best quarterback in the SEC right now and UT is one of the hottest teams in the country. Big Orange offensive guru David Cutcliffe has a few surprises in store for the Tigers. NO-NO. No surprise can negate LSU’s talent. Cotton is falling out of the sky! Rocky Tops toppled, 38-21.

ACC: Virginia Tech vs. Boston College - Does anybody really care? Surely no one in Jacksonville. Not a tasty menu for the ACC to present. OK. We all know about Frank Beamer’s special teams and we all know about BC’s Matt Ryan. So what’s left? Not much so the Hokies tie up Ryan for the win. NO-NO. Ryan’s too fine, VPI falls, 28-17.

BIG 12: Oklahoma vs. Missouri - Oklahoma has proven it can beat some of the best and lose to some of the worst. Missouri has had an amazing year but may have spent itself against Kansas last week. The Show-Mes have enough left for one last fling. NO-NO. Sooners play as if there’s no tomorrow, which there isn’t. Tigers are caged, lose 35-31.

Conference USA: Central Florida vs. Tulsa - George O’Leary’s UCF team was up two years ago, down last year. Up again this year. The former Georgia Tech coach isn’t one to allow more downs than ups. Tulsa misses Steve Kragthrope and you can be sure the Louisville coach misses it. The Oil Men rise to smite the Knights. NO-NO. Tulsa goes down hard, 29-10.

Others losers:

>UCLA to Southern Cal as the Bruins say goodbye to coach Karl Dorrell

>Oregon to Oregon State as the Ducks simply don’t have a quarterback left standing.

>Pittsburgh to West Virginia as the Mountaineers flex their muscles - they’re not going back after coming all this way.

>Arizona to Arizona State - Dennis Erikson pulls the Sun Devils out of the swan dive that has ruined their season.

>Washington to Hawaii - Ty Willingham’s defense will be embarrassed by Colt Brennan.

>and San Diego State to BYU as the Cougars desperately hope for one of the BCS at-large berths.

From the Department of What a Difference a Year Makes:

Zook, Groh named top coaches in their conferences

(11/28) I’m not sure exactly what this means but Forbes magazines recently evaluated the five most valuable football programs nationally. They were, in order, Notre Dame ($101 million), Texas ($92 million), Georgia ($90 million), Michigan ($85 million) and Florida ($84 million). So why hasn’t Arthur Blank bought Georgia? Better investment than the Falcons.

As of Wednesday afternoon, there had been 12 football firings or resignations in Division I. I’ve just become a huge Ole Miss fan. Former Arkansas coach Houston Nutt, who resigned under fire as Razorback coach Monday, agreed to terms to coach the Rebels. He takes over for Ed Orgeron, who was making $900,000. Nutt will make $1.7 million..

I was shocked Jeff Bower at Southern Miss was forced out. Bower had built the Golden Eagles into a top mid-major program and had several wins over biggies like Alabama, Georgia, Auburn and LSU. Bower had put together 14 straight winning seasons and had gone to bowls 11 straight years. He was named Conference USA’s Coach of the Decade in ‘04.

Former Florida and now Illinois head football coach Ron Zook has been named Big 10 Coach of the Year. . . Today’s tally shows 71 teams are bowl eligible with at least six wins for the 64 spots in 32 bowls. . . Al Groh, who was coaching for his job this season before he went 9-3 and was named ACC Coach of the Year, was given a one-year extension on his contract at Virginia.

Just in case there was any doubt, Florida State says it is working on a contract extension for 78-year-old Bobby Bowden.

Quote of the Week from Wake Forest head coach Jim Grobe talking about recruiting a defensive end: "You don’t want to just take one that can’t play dead in a cowboy movie."

SI.Com’s power rankings of all 119 Division I teams has SMU, Minnesota, North Texas, Idaho and Florida International as the bottom five.

And finally, sports writer Rick Cleveland of the Jackson (Miss.) Clarion-Ledger points out that the paper’s story on Jeff Bower leaving Southern Miss as head football coach got 75,000-plus more hits than the paper’s story on Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott leaving his post in the Senate.

Tomorrow: Norman's No-Nos goes into the post-season with conference title games and the few leftovers still playing.

Tough love: The only solution to finding a coach to please Tech's fan base

(11/28) So Georgia Tech fired Chan Gailey.

The problem was (1) he had a bland personality; (2) the Fan Base wasn’t excited by him; and (3) football at Tech is a business which needs something to make it competitive for the entertainment dollar in Atlanta.

Well, let’s consider what would excite the Fan Base.

How about a coach who is an"A" personality, who has a proven track record at other big-time schools and can really coach.

Oh that’s right. Tech had Pepper Rodgers already and ran him off. Although Rodgers won, he didn’t win big enough, he didn’t fit the Tech image and he excited the Fan Base in the wrong way.

So how about Steve Spurrier? Great personality. Great turnstile draw. Can out-coach most of college America and has a proven track record.

Wait. That’s right. Not only is Spurrier not good enough to be considered for head coach, he was run off as an assistant in 1980 and he’s never forgotten or forgiven. So you’re correct in assuming he wouldn’t come.

Now let’s see, how about a former Tech man? That would be the untilmate Tech man -- Bill Curry. But Curry was there, left for Alabama where he won big, then went to Kentucky where he didn’t and now is a TV color commentator. What? You had a chance to bring him back to head up your athletics department but spurned him in favor of a businessman from Baton Rouge? Ah, well, can’t always make the right decision.

Then, let’s see, Bobby Ross wouldn’t stay, Bill Lewis was a disaster, George O’Leary was too Irish.

So what’s left here -- really?

Well, Jimbo Fisher looks good on paper but would a guy with the first game of "Jimbo" really fit the Tech Image?

How about your wonderful defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta? Tenuta is a good coach but has a funny last name and is somewhat of a recluse. Is he gonna excite the Fan Base?

Ditto for fine coaches such as former Southern Mississippi’s Jeff Bower and Auburn’s Terry Bowden. Bowden’s out because he’s short and he’s kin to that coach you’ve never beaten down in Tallahassee. Also Bowden’s not a Tech Man in any sense of the word.

Glen Mason? Naw, he was once chosen by Georgia. Paul Johnson? Are you saying that Tech is a better job than Navy? David Cutcliffe? He’s at Tennessee now, was fired from Ole Miss. And you hate Ole Miss for keeping Tech out of the Southeastern Conference which is where the Fan Base really wants to be. Gary Crowton? Hey, he’s a Morman. Fan Base wouldn’t approve.

So that leaves one choice.

Get rid of the Fan Base. That’s the problem. You can’t because it’s made up of Tech Men.

Next thing you know, they'll fire Bobby Cremins.

Chan canned, Roof hit and some 'turkey' leftovers

(11/27) Does it look as bizarre to you as it does to me that Missouri is ranked No. 1 in college football and West Virginia No. 2?

No shocker that Georgia Tech decided to fire football coach Chan Gailey. The question was never if it wanted to but if it could afford to do it. Obviously Jacket athletics director Dan Radakovich felt the upside of creating some excitement about the program and consequently selling more tickets overrode the $4 million hit they would take for cutting Gailey loose with four years remaining on his contract.

Where will the Bulldogs go bowling? It’ll most probably be one of these three - Rose, Fiesta, or Orange accompanied by a payout of something like $14 million. Where will the Yellow Jackets go bowling? It’ll be Boise, accompanied by a payout of, maybe, A Dollar Two Ninety-Eight..

Parity in college football: Think about this. All four SEC intra-conference games last weekend were decided by seven points or less, including three games won on the last play of the game This season, the SEC has had 15 of its intra-conference games decided by five points or less.

And whatever happened to Brian Brohm? The Louisville quarterback was the rage of the pre-season college football magazines and acknowledged as the best pro prospect in the collegiate ranks. Brohm may still be in favor with the NFL but the Cardinal player is nowhere to be found in mentions for The Heisman Trophy.

SI.Com ran its annual list of Turkeys in Sports for 2007. The ones I hardily agree with include Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy for his tirade after his Cowboys beat Texas Tech, Tim Donaghy for fixing NBA games, Michael Vick for whatever, O.J. Simpson for taking up space on this planet, Charlie Weis for putting that Notre Dame team on the field so unprepared and Nick Saban for going 6-6 with a team that did that well last year. SI also chose Dale Earnhardt Jr. for not making the Chase for the second time in three years and finishing a very mediocre 16th in the NASCAR standings. I’m not so sure about that one. I thought he was mediocre anyway, not just this year.

And finally, Duke fired Ted Roof, former Georgia Tech player and native of Lawrenceville, Ga., after the head coach finished this season at 1-11 and 6-45 overall. The real interesting thing is: Who can the Blue Devils attract to Durham to take over what is the worst program of any BCS school?

One of college football's most stunning regular seasons ends--or does it?

(11/26) The college football regular season of 2007 ended mercifully, or maybe not so mercifully, Saturday much as it began -- upsets, overtimes, firings, disappointments, elations, revelations and one premature Gatorade dumping on a losing coach who’s team thought it had won...

Alas for Duke’s Ted Roof, who ended up soaking wet and with his 11th loss of the season as North Carolina rallied to beat the Blue Devils when the Dukes had the game in their grasp.

And let’s not forget that rallying cry -- who’s No. 1?

Well, we’re not real sure. That’s right. Here we are a few steps from December and there’s no clear-cut best in the land -- at least not yet and maybe there never will be. Even a play-off system wouldn’t help out this mess.

Let’s see: No. 1 LSU was beaten. No. 2 Kansas saw its perfect season go away. West Virginia -- now there’s a team easy to love and looks to be in good shape. Missouri, at No. 4, could jump up and Ohio State is just sitting at home and watching all the ups and downs with some sense of amusement and more than a little apprehension ...

Georgia certainly made a strong case for itself by (1) beating Georgia Tech, and (2) NOT qualifying for the SEC title game next week and having to play a mad-as-hell LSU team that’s not going to take it anymore. That honor belongs to Tennessee, who ruined a nice season for Kentucky in four overtimes. I’m still not sure who won that one but I think Georgia should be thankful. It probably played itself into a BCS game of some sort and might we possibly dream of the mythical national title game?

And what of Hawaii, the only undefeated still standing?

By my unofficial count, there could be 14 head coaches fired or resigned by the time this week plays out. Let’s see: there’s Michigan, Texas A&M, Nebraska, SMU, Baylor and Mississippi already done. Then there’s strong possibilities of unemployment at Georgia Tech, Duke, Arkansas, Arizona, UCLA and Washington State. Plus there’s some movement expected at Auburn and LSU, although that will be a coach’s choice scenario. And there will be the annual will-he-or-won’t-he at Florida State.

There is no such uncertainty at Penn State where Joe Paterno says he’s not even thinking about retiring.

So, all and all, an amazing year which was started by Appalachian State and finished with Ted Roof’s dousing.

No-Nos: And the real turkeys this holiday weekend are ...

(11/23) This is Norman Arey with your last regular-season Norman’s No-Nos where I pick the losers in 15 games. Last week I was 12-3, 122-58 for the year or 68 percent. Down considerably from 78 percent last year.

GEORGIA at GEORGIA TECH - Thought this one might be interesting at the first of the year but just another win for the Dawgs. WAIT! Tech is playing for Chan Gailey’s job, sort of, maybe, kind of. Jackets pull an upset. NO-NO. Georgia’s not messing around, Tech falls, 35-14.

CLEMSON at SOUTH CAROLINA - Tigers couldn’t finish the job last week against BC. Gamecocks have had a down slide since mid-season. Tommy Bowden outduels the Evil Genius this time around. NO-NO. Spurrier has one up his sleeve, Clemson downed, 21-17.

TENNESSEE at KENTUCKY - Vols need a win to go to the SEC title game. Kentucky needs a win to go to bowl game east of the Mississippi. UT has too much fire-power. NO-NO. Wildcats have Andre Woodson and looking for eight wins. Tennessee whipped, 27-18.

ALABAMA at AUBURN - I might mention that the mighty Tide lost to Louisiana-Monroe last week. The Tigers lost to Georgia, which ain’t disgraceful. Lovely Lou Saban rallies his troops. NO-NO. Tommy Tuberville takes this one and leaves for Texas. ‘Bama down, 21-10.

FLORIDA STATE at FLORIDA - FSU defenders are talking smack this week. Mickey Andrews has them nasty. The Gators aren’t quite ready to go quietly into the sunset. Seminoles’ ‘D’ takes Florida out of its game. NO-NO. Tebow for Heisman!. Florida cruises, 42-17.

VIRGINIA TECH at VIRGINIA - Hokies have stabilized after a rocky start. Cavaliers are the luckiest team in the country with seven wins by 5 points or less. Wahoos continue streak. NO-NO. Frank Beamer’s squad leaves no room for doubt, UVA whopped, 35-14.

KANSAS and MISSOURI (at Kansas City) - The Jayhawks have coach-of-the-year Mark Mangino drawing up the plays. Missouri has quarterback Chase Daniel running its plays. I’ll take the player in this one. NO-NO. Coach knows best, Mizzou smitten, but close, 24-21.

Others losers:

-UConn to West Virginia

-Duke to Carolina

-Vandy to Wake Forest

-N.C. State to Maryland

-Oklahoma State to Oklahoma

-Miami to Boston College

-UCLA to Oregon

-and Syracuse to Cincinnati.

Fumble! Saban uses Sept. 11 as motivational tool?

(11/21) Desperate times call for desperate measures but come on. Alabama head coach Nick Saban used references to Sept. 11 and Pearl Harbor, trying to motive his Crimson Tide team after its loss to Louisiana-Monroe last week. He said Alabama must rebound like America did after a catastrophic event. Good God.

Never ceases to amaze me: Appalachian State is expecting a 20-25 percent increase in freshman applications after its victory over Michigan this year and after winning two consecutive Division I-A titles. . . The Big Ten has qualified 10 teams for post-season play, a conference record.

Arthur Blank and Bernard Marcus were partners in founding Home Depot and sold it for billions. Marcus took part of his profit and founded the Georgia Aquarium, one of the biggest tourist attractions in the southeastern U.S. Blank, of course, took part of his profit and now owns one of the biggest embarrassments in all of sports. Funny how things work out.

Florida State linebacker Geno Hayes is sure to have endeared himself to all Gator fans out there when he predicted that "(Quarterback) Tim Tebow’s going down" when the Seminoles meet Florida this weekend. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall." It should be noted that Tebow is responsible for 46 touchdowns this season. The entire FSU offense has accounted for just 24.

Somethin’ ain’t right. Former heavyweight thug Mike Tyson was sentenced in Mesa, Ariz., this week for cocaine possession and driving under the influence. His sentence? One day in jail. Tyson left the courtroom, lit up a cigar and drove away in the back of a black Mercedes-Benz.

Florida, which has won the last two NCAA men’s basketball championships, has returned to the AP Top 25 as No. 25. It’s the first time the 4-0 Gators have been mentioned in the poll this year. . . The little known Atlantic Sun Conference has struck again in this young basketball season. Belmont beat Alabama this week following Gardner-Webb’s win over Kentucky, Mercer’s stunner over Southern Cal and Belmont’s victory over Cincinnati.

And finally, what’s going on with the Georgia men’s basketball program? Mike Mercer, serving a 15-game suspension, was kicked off the team this week. That follows the dismissal of Takais Brown before the season started. Albert Jackson is serving a six-game suspension and Billy Humphrey is indefinitely suspended.

College coaches: Who's in, who's out, who's in doubt

(11/20) A couple of things became clear over the weekend but more than a few things are still shrouded in confusion and second-guessing, and even just-don’t-know yet. Not much brand new here but some possible clarity:

For sure: Lloyd Carr has resigned as head coach at Michigan; Guy Morriss has been fired as head coach at Baylor; Georgia Tech is headed to a third-tier bowl for the umpteenth straight year and Chan Gailey’s job status is very much up in the air. I’m not sure who the Yellow Jackets can entice who might be better but there are lots of coaches out there who can lose five every year; Phil Bennett is out at SMU.

Just Don’t Know Yet: LSU head coach Les Miles seems to be the No. 1 choice in Ann Arbor but guess what, the Falcons’ Bobby Petrino’s name has shown up on the Wolverines short list -- really.

Texas A&M really wants Auburn’s Tommy Tuberville but there’s that unpleasantness of firing Dennis Franchione still ahead.

Arkansas really wants Houston Nutt -- gone. This is the longest-running speculation of the season. The question is, can the Razorbacks really persuade Butch Davis to give up his one-year-old job in Chapel Hill to come to Fayetteville?

Here’s one of those inconsistencies about college football that we all love. Georgia is ranked No. 7 in the BCS standings while Tennessee is ranked No. 18 BUT barring a loss to Kentucky this weekend, the Vols will play LSU in the SEC title game in Atlanta the first weekend in December. Then assuming LSU wins, Georgia gets the BCS invite to go to the Sugar Bowl and Tennessee probably goes to Dallas for a date in the Cotton.

In a rare concession for a college coach to admit he doesn’t know what he’s doing, Charlie Weis at Notre Dame admitted he planned on getting professional help over the off-season, asking the entire coaching staff of the undefeated New England Patriots to tell him what to do.

Mark Richt became just the eighth head college coach in history to win 70 games in seven years as he ran his record to 70-19 with Georgia's win over Kentucky.

And finally, is it really the best use of their money for the Atlanta Braves to hire Tom Glavine for one last go-around?

And Norman's Heisman vote this season goes to . . .

(11/19) Is there any debate about the eventual winner of the Heisman Trophy?

You could make a case for Oregon’s Dennis Dixon. When he was injured in the first quarter of Oregon’s game against Arizona Thursday, the Ducks went South in a hurry and were beaten badly.

Andre Woodson led Kentucky on a nice run and surely deserves a trip to New York but not the award.

Darren McFadden is a wonderful running back for the Razorbacks but he’s not the most valuable player to his team in the land.

Pat White and Steve Slaton make up the best one-two punch in the college game but West Virginia could still win without one of the two.

And there’s Ray Rice at Rutgers and Colt Brennan at Hawaii and Matt Ryan at Boston College -- all fine players and fine fellows I’m sure, but not Heisman Trophy winners.

Glenn Dorsey is a freak of nature at LSU but like it or not, defensive tackles don’t win Heismans.

The winner for 2007 surely will be Tim Tebow of the Florida Gators. I can quote statistics and mind-boggling numbers but here’s what you need to know. Tebow became the first player in college football history to score at least 20 touchdowns rushing and 20 touchdowns passing in the same season. His 20 scores on the ground also set a Southeastern Conference record for all players, not just quarterbacks. He has 26 TD passes.

My ballot would have Tebow, Dixon and Dorsey in that order.

Here’s how crazy this college season has been? There have been 11 top five-ranked teams to fall to unranked teams this season. Now that’s an amazing stat.

This week was not without upsets. Besides Oklahoma losing to Texas Tech, don’t forget Notre Dame’s upset of Duke. (That’s just a little joke).

The Mountaineers of West Virginia look to be in the cat bird’s seat for a spot in the BCS mythical college title game. Kansas and Missouri should be No. 2 and No. 3 behind LSU, but play each other next week. Then the winner must meet Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game. Sooo, if Oklahoma should win out, West Virginia should meet LSU in the big game, right? But wait. Don’t forget Arizona State and Ohio State and - aw, never mind. I guess we’ll see.

Should Notre Dame vs. Duke even be on TV? No-no

(11/16) This is Norman Arey with your Norman’s No-Nos where I pick the losers in 15 college games. Last week, I was 9-6, 110-55 for the year. I’m twice as good as I’m bad.

KENTUCKY at GEORGIA - What a year for the Wildcats, mostly ups, some downs. What a year for the Dawgs, mostly ups, two downs. Kentucky gathers itself for the stretch run, looking at a New Year’s Bowl. NO-NO. Perhaps another time, another place. ‘Cats overcome, 35-28.

NORTH CAROLINA at GEORGIA TECH - Tar Heels are improved -- a little. Tech isn’t much improved. Carolina’s Butch Davis hears Arkansas job calling, shows his stuff against Jackets. NO-NO. Tech doesn’t need a quarterback to beat the hapless ‘Heels, UNC falls, 38-21.

VANDERBILT at TENNESSEE - Vandy has come a long way and is on the verge of a bowl. UT has this one and next week to reach the SEC title game. Commodores play the spoiler role well. NO-NO. Vols aren’t great but better than the ‘Dores. Vandy vanquished, 34-20.

DUKE at NOTRE DAME - I know the TV writers are on strike but are they really going to show this on national TV with live witnesses in the stands? Irish are terrible. Ted Roof’s Devils are terribler. Duke wins one for the Roofer. NO-NO. Devils fall in a joke, 3-2.

OHIO STATE at MICHIGAN - In the good old days, this was a big game. If Buckeyes lose, goodbye BCS game. If Michigan loses, goodbye Lloyd Carr. Ohioans aren’t ready to concede and take the Wolverines’ measure. NO-NO. Buckeyes’ glory days are over, lose 28-21.

BOSTON COLLEGE at CLEMSON - BC was the hope of the ACC two weeks ago. Clemson has been a quiet assassin, winning with stealth. Eagles salvage their pride and poke the eyes of the Tigers. NO-NO. Clemson wants a New Year’s date. Eagles have landed, lose 17-9.

WEST VIRGINIA at CINCINNATI - Three names -- Steve Slaton, Pat White, Noel Devine -- strike fear in all hearts. Bearcats have been one of the year’s biggest surprises. ‘Cats spring a final surprise. NO-NO. Nobody can slow down the Mounties’ Terrific Trio. Cincy falls, 42-28.

Other losers:

-Syracuse to UConn

-Texas Tech to Oklahoma

-Iowa State to Kansas

-Ole Miss to LSU

-Kansas State to Missouri

-Miami to Virginia Tech

-N.C. State to Wake Forest

-and Northwestern to Illinois.

A different spin on a Gator bowl: Zook vs. Meyer

(11/15) My Saturday morning WRGA Southern Sports Roundtable radio co-host Dan Bevels asked me if I had ever seen a coach change his image as much as Georgia’s Mark Richt has. I would have to say I have not and I’m not sure how I feel about it.

Most of the Bulldog fans with whom I’ve spoken like it. They see the new image translating into wins. Most of the anti-Georgia folks (Tennessee, Florida, Tech) see it as lacking class. Even the usually meek-and-mild Steve Spurrier at South Carolina poked in his two cents worth this week. That’s for sure going to be a topic for future discussion. You know -- Remember 2007, the Year Coach Richt went bonkers?

One bowl match up that could be extremely interesting is in the Capital One Bowl where we could see Illinois and coach Ron Zook take on Florida and coach Urban Meyer. You remember Zook? Fired in Gainesville and now coaching Illinois to an amazing 8-3 season.

You gotta love Joe Paterno. The Penn State football coach says he hasn’t even thought about retirement. Joe Pa has 371 wins, just one behind Florida State’s Bobby Bowden and it looks as if the Nittany Lions are a better team than the Seminoles this year. Paterno could jump ahead in the two-man race for most wins in college football.

How big was Ohio State’s loss last week? If the formerly No. 1-ranked Buckeyes should lose to Michigan this weekend, they would most likely be out of any BCS consideration. And the Wolverines would be on their way to the Rose Bowl.

The winless Miami Dolphins will start rookie quarterback John Beck out of BYU this week in their game against the Eagles in Philadelphia. Why not? Can the Fish be any worse off than 0-fer-the season? Now the question is begged why not start No. 1 draft choice JaMarcus Russell of the almost equally hapless 2-7 Oakland Raiders, who has yet to play a down?

Things I don’t care about: Toronto Maple Leafs rookie Jiri Tlusty had nude pictures of himself show up on a Canadian's internet site. . . A-Rod signed a contract to buy Shaq O’Neill’s home in Florida and has reneged... . .Former Georgia Tech star Stephon Marbury’s whining public feud with New York Knicks’ coach Isiah Thomas.

Something I do care about: Florida State redshirt freshman quarterback Christian Ponder has earned two degrees from FSU two years after his high school graduation - in Finance and Real Estate. Ponder has a 3.8 GPA and will begin working on his master’s degree with three years of football eligibility remaining.

Hoops preview: Norman's Final Four (plus two?)

(11/14) Today is the last of our previews of college basketball as we take a look at the national picture.

This will be a different-looking national picture than we’re used to seeing. Where are Kentucky, Duke, Michigan State, Arizona and Florida? Not in anybody’s Top 10, at least not yet.

The new face will be that of Memphis, once known as Memphis State, and once a maverick program run by maverick Dana Kirk. Now the pride of Memphis has John Calipari calling the shots and he might just guide them into a Final Four berth. Chris Douglas-Roberts, a 6-foot-7 small forward, and freshman point guard Derrick Rose could both make a lot of All-America team rosters. Problem is the Tigers play in Conferece-USA, not exactly the bastion of fine basketball and will be under the radar much of the season.

The rest of the top echelon should be made of up more familiar names - UCLA, Georgetown, Kansas, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisville and possibly Indiana if coach Kelvin Sampson can stay out of trouble.

I personally like Tennessee a lot this season. Not only do the Vols have the superb Chris Lofton but possess a whole court-full of support. UT can run with the best and has the size, depth and experience to make it into the championship round.

UCLA could be much improved offensively with big man Kevin Love operating down low. Darren Collison will give Love plenty of scoring help but the Bruins must overcome a bunch of early season injuries.

I’m going to admit I don’t like Georgetown or coach John Thompson III because I feel the Hoyas, like Notre Dame in football, get more publicity than they deserve. That said, the return of big Roy Hibbert should put the G-Men in position to make a run.

Kansas may or may not be around for a deep run in March. The Jayhawks lost Julian Wright to the NBA and Brandon Rush is out with a knee injury until the first of the year. Let’s see if coach Bill Self can keep Kansas treading water until January.

Louisville has one of the best back courts in the country and coach Rick Pitino, Indiana has freshman Eric Gordon to help D.J. White carry the Hoosiers, and Michigan State has Drew Neitzel but also has an exhibition loss to Division II Grand Valley State.

Texas, Villinova and Gonzaga have a shot at being very good but new faces must do the heavy lifting.

So - I see the Final Four as North Carolina, Memphis, Tennessee and UCLA with an outside shot for surprising N.C. State or Duke to make a huge move.

Hoops previews: ACC looks like North Carolina

with N.C. State, Duke making a brief run into March

(11/13) Today, we’ll whiz through the ACC in our college basketball preview. From early returns, it looks to be a top-heavy ACC this year, followed by a group of teams capable of making the NCAA tournament followed by a smaller group that’s headed nowhere.

How good is North Carolina? Despite losing two of its top five scorers and rebounders, the Tar Heels didn’t even bother to recruit. Who’s going to be All-America? Try front-courter Tyler Hansbrough or backcourt wizard Ty Lawson or shooting guard Wayne Ellington. This is a deep team that was stung by its ouster from the NCAAs last year by Georgetown. This team wants to make amends.

Who’s second? Take your pick among N.C. State, Duke or Clemson.

The Wolfpack has 6-foot-9 Brandon Costner returning for his sophomore year after averaging 17 points and seven rebounds. Add in front court mates Ben McCauley and Gavin Grant and round man Sidney Lowe as coach and the ‘Pack could be formidable.

Duke slipped a little over the past two seasons but freshman Kyle Singler (6-8) could help bring them back into the mix. With six veterans returning that saw a lot of playing time, the Devils could be ready to challenge. Guard DeMarcus Nelson is the only senior on a talented bunch.

Clemson, not used to be rarified upper echelon of the ACC, has experience and talent. Four starters from a team that won 25 games last season are on hand plus the league’s best sixth man in K.C. Rivers. Four players with double digit averages will be on hand.

The middle of the league can be any number of combinations. For arguments sake, let’s pick ‘em in this order: Maryland, Virginia, Georgia Tech and Florida State.

Gary Williams’ Terps have seven freshmen in the mix so their season will be suspect until somebody establishes themselves with veterans James Gist and Greivis Vasquez. Virginia will be a question mark until it finds help for senior superstar guard Sean Singletary. Georgia Tech looked good on paper and then lost its opener to Greensboro. Florida State has a strong back court but has six new faces it must shuffle and deal into a strong starting lineup.

The bottom will see Virginia Tech, Boston College, Miami and Wake Forest fight to stay out of the cellar.

The Hokies return only two starters from last year’s NCAA team, Boston College has high-scoring Tyrese Rice and little else. Miami is in its fourth year with Frank Haith, but has steadily gone down while Wake Forest is playing this year in memory of former coach Skip Prosser with a lineup that offers little firepower.

I see North Carolina as a definite Final Four team with N.C. State and Duke going into the second weekend of the NCAA tourney.

Coming Wednesday: We’ll finish our basketball preview with a look at the national powers.

Hoops previews: Vols, Razorbacks have SEC edge

(11/12) It’s time to take a quick peek at the Wonderful World of College Basketball. With 300-plus schools fielding a team, we can’t look at everyone, so we’ll go with the SEC today, the ACC on Tuesday and finish up with a look at the national picture.

This isn’t the SEC of your grandfather -- this is the new, sleeker, more sophisticated SEC with new and sparkly players, coaches and a different pecking order than usual. Remember the national champion for the past two years came from the SEC and it wasn’t Kentucky.

The top team in the SEC East should be Tennessee. The Vols are loaded with possibly the No. 1 player in the country in Chris Lofton and a supporting cast of Smiths that should take them deep into March Madness. Tyler Smith, a transfer from Iowa should give the Orange a real boost in the front court while JaJuan Smith and Ramar Smith will help in the back court. Lofton can score from anywhere and had 106 three-pointers. JaJuan Smith made 87 treys.

The rest of the Eastern Division is kind of a pick’em group with Kentucky and Florida in transition, Vanderbilt is slightly rebuilding and will get big help from freshman center A.J. Ogilvy while Georgia has suspension problems and South Carolina has no proven scorer but potential in a couple of transfers. Georgia freshman front-courter Jeremy Jacob could be the surprise of the league.

Arkansas looks to be the best in the west with sophomore do-it-all guard Patrick Beverly leading the way. New coach John Pelphrey says he’s getting back to the basketball played in the mid-90s by the Razorbacks -- press and run ala Nolan Richardson.

Mississippi State, Alabama and Auburn should fight it out for second. Mississippi State has a wonderful inside-outside duo of Jamont Gordon and Charles Rhodes. Gordon is a 6-4 guard who rebounds and scores while Rhodes is a 6-8 senior who anchors the Bulldogs down low.

Alabama might be in a position to make a run if point guard Ronald Steele can stay healthy this year. Steele was plagued by knee and ankle problems last season. Powerful Richard Hendrix and Alonzo Gee will give the Tide inside power and scoring.

Auburn returns its seven top scorers from a team which wasn’t bad last season. There’s probably no marquee player on the Tiger squad but coach Jeff Lebo should have enough experience to be competitive in the cut-throat league.

Both LSU and Ole Miss simply lost too much to be considered contenders and both will have a tough time getting into post-season play. Tasmin Mitchell is an inside-outside player for the Bayou Bengals who could be All-SEC.

Coming Tuesday: We’ll run through the ACC.

Can Georgia keep riding that Moreno bus? No-No

(11/9) This is Norman Arey with your Norman’s No-Nos, where I pick the losers in 15 college football games. Last week, I was 8-7, 101-49 for the year, slipping badly. But I’ll rally.

AUBURN at GEORGIA - One of the South’s oldest rivalries is getting old because the home team always loses. Bulldogs break the jinx, take advantage of a Tiger team in disarray amidst rumors their coach is leaving. NO-NO. Georgia can’t ride Moreno forever, loses 28-24.

GEORGIA TECH at DUKE - Two poor teams meet before a rollicking crowd of 212. Blue Devils can play -- basketball. Jackets can play when they meet Duke. Devils shock Jackets with rare win. NO-NO. Jackets don’t have a QB but Dook doesn’t have a chance, loses 31-7.

ARKANSAS at TENNESSEE - Hog-callers can run. Rocky Toppers can throw. Arkansas has a large following wearing stupid hats. UT has larger following wearing stupid orange. Hogs wallow all over Smokies. NO-NO. McFadden not enough, Razorbacks go down, 33-28.

NORTH CAROLINA at N.C. STATE - Neither of these head coaches were at these schools last year. Tar Heels are improved. Wolfpack has played great recently. So who shows up today? It’s a Pik-em, but I like the ‘Pack. NO-NO. State succumbs to Big Baby Blues, loses 24-21.

FLORIDA at SOUTH CAROLINA - Where’s all the hype? It got lost in losses. Gators want to show The Ol’ Ball Coach something. Spurrier wants this one bad. It’s Urban vs. Steve. USC has better coach, wins it close. NO-NO. Tim Tebow is the difference. USC bows, 35-27.

WAKE FOREST at CLEMSON - Jim Grobe is best coach in the ACC. Clemson has quietly gone about the business of winning this year. Deacons are on a mission. James Davis and C.J. Spiller are the eyes of the Tiger. Wake pulls it out late. NO-NO. Deacons beaten, 24-17.

FLORIDA STATE at VIRGINIA TECH - What to make of this Seminole team that thrashed unbeaten BC last week? What to make of this Hokie team that was embarrassed by LSU? ‘Noles’ defense does it again. NO-NO. Beamer Ball wins this one, FSU stopped, 14-10.

Other losers:

UCLA to Arizona State

Texas A&M to Missouri

Cal to Southern Cal

Mississippi State to Alabama

Vandy to Kentucky

Virginia to Miami

Maryland to Boston College

and Wisconsin to Michigan.

College hoops heating up; a vocabulary lesson for 'Huskers' Callahan

(11/8) The Big 10 needs to play among themselves and not venture outside the confines of the league. For the second time in a week, a Big 10 basketball team lost to a Division II opponent in an exhibition game. Last week, Grand Valley State defeated Big 10 favorite Michigan State, 85-82. This week, Findlay whipped March Madness finalist Ohio State, 70-68. And, of course, we all remember what happened in football when Michigan played Appalachian State.

North Carolina junior forward Tyler Hansbrough was one vote shy of unanimous to lead the pre-season AP first team All-America basketball team. The Tar Heel was joined by Georgetown’s Roy Hibbert, Tennessee’s Chris Lofton, Michigan State’s Drew Neitzel and Darren Collison of UCLA.

One of the legends of college basketball coaching won’t be around, at least initially, when the season tips off this week. Arizona’s Lute Olson suddenly announced he was taking an indefinite leave of absence and turned over the Wildcat coaching reigns to assistant Kevin O’Neill. Olson assured everyone his leave was not health related but for personal reasons. O’Neill, if you remember, was head coach at Marquette, Tennessee and Northwestern.

When asked if he would resign, beleaguered Nebraska football coach Bill Callahan said "resignation is not in our vocabulary." Apparently neither is the word "win."

ESPN.com’s Pat Forde went to the Sagarin computer rankings and came up with a head-to-head matchup between the Pac-10 Conference and the SEC. In 10 games (because that’s all the members the Pac-10 has), the SEC would be favored in eight games. The Left-Coast League would be a slight favorite at the top but the SEC sweeps the 3-10 spots.

And finally, a couple of notes on Major League Baseball. To no one’s surprise, Washington president Stan Kasten has spoken with Andruw Jones about playing for the D.C. club next year. . . . And congratulations to Atlanta Braves’ outfielder Jeff Francoeur, who won a Gold Glove Award the same week that he got married.

Best record in the SEC in the past 10 years? UGA

(11/7) The New York Times’ Pete Thamel writes that there are now seven teams left which can make a legitimate run for the mythical college championship game.

The author also gives odds for each of the seven. Although I’m not 100 percent in agreement, he gives good solid arguments for each. The seven, in order, include:

>Ohio State. Odds: 1 to 1.

>LSU. Odds: 3 to 1.

>Oregon: 5 to 1.

>Oklahoma: 9 to 1.

>Missouri: 17 to 1.

>West Virginia: 20 to 1.

>And Kansas: 50 to 1.

Atlanta free lancer Ray Glier points out that LSU has won 16 consecutive games in November. He also writes that the Bayou Bengals have outscored their opponents by a 62-14 margin in the fourth quarter in their last four games. And by the way, LSU only has to win one of its remaining two games to clinch the SEC West.

And speaking of LSU, the Tigers have the SEC’s best record over the past five years at 60-14, slightly better than Georgia’s 60-15. But the Bulldogs have the best mark over the past 10 seasons in the league at 103-32 with Florida and Tennessee posting 100-35 records.

There are now 49 teams who have won at least six games, thus becoming bowl eligible. There are 26 others only one win away. There are 32 bowls, 64 slots - you do the math. . .  And just so you’ll know, the SEC leads all conferences with nine teams already eligible while the Big 10 has seven while the ACC and the Big 12 are tied with six each.

There are no less than seven different rumors on the Internet today about college football coaching changes that may be coming. I’m not going to even try to report all of them but the newest is that Boise State’s Chris Petersen is headed to UCLA to replace Karl Dorrell.

Virginia Tech officials are threatening to involve the police if Georgia Tech can’t come up with more information concerning the theft of four Hokie game jerseys from the Virginia Tech dressing room before last Thursday night’s game against the Yellow Jackets. It’s for sure that no one in the right mind would steal Georgia Tech jerseys.

Kansas, Virginia, even Kentucky pleasant surprises

(11/6) Monday, we discussed the teams who have disappointed -- today, we look at the ones who pleasantly surprised.

Ohio State - Whether the Buckeyes played in the national title game or not, they lost seven starters including the Heisman Trophy winner to pro football. This was to be a re-building year. Nobody told Jim Tressel. Number one ranked OSU has two games to go to reach the mythical title game again.

Did someone ship Kansas a train load of red capes to go with its blue uniforms because they’ve been playing like SuperHumans. Mark Mangino and his JayHawks have a date with Missouri at season’s end, but if things continue, KU will meet Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game.

I’m going to lump Oregon and Boston College together because they were both expected to have solid teams but perhaps not quite as good as both turned out. The Ducks with Dennis Dixon beat an undefeated Arizona State team last week and coach Mike Bellotti is only a seven-point loss to Cal away from being undefeated. The Eagles, ranked No. 2 last week, finally stumbled against Florida State but who would have believed they would be No. 2 for several weeks after breaking in a new coaching staff?

Randy Edsall spent a year in Atlanta coaching on the Georgia Tech defensive side of the ball before going to UConn to bring it from Division I-AA to the top tier. My, how he’s succeeded. The Huskies have one loss and are currently ranked No. 13 -- their highest ranking ever.

Missouri has one of the most underrated QBs in the land in Chase Daniel and is currently No. 6 in the BCS standings, its highest ranking since 1979. The Tigers close with Texas A&M, Kansas State and Kansas. Tough finale but full of possibilities.

I almost included Kentucky in the disappointment category but decided the Wildcats have been a very pleasant surprise. They already have six wins and are ranked No. 25. Kentucky fans will take that every year -- in football. Andre Woodson is fun to watch.

The biggest surprise has been Virginia. The Cavaliers opened with a stunning loss to Wyoming and then rattled off seven straight wins before inexplicably falling to N.C. State. With games remaining at Miami and then Virginia Tech at home, anything is possible for the Wahoos.

And finally, in a category unto itself, Michigan has rallied back from The Disaster of The Century. The Wolverines opened with a loss to Division I-AA Appalachian State, a horrible defeat at the hands of Oregon, and then rattled off eight straight wins and is currently ranked No. 13. With a win over Ohio State at season’s end, its worst scenario is the Rose Bowl.

More than a few 'ramblin' wrecks' this season

(11/5) You know, there are more than a few college football teams out there whose fans must be terribly

disappointed as we go into the final weeks of the season.

Today, we’ll take a look at the biggest busts and tomorrow we’ll look at the pleasant surprises as the season plays itself out.

I mention Georgia Tech first because Jacket fans have been disappointed so many times before. The loss to Virginia Tech was truly horrible. The Hokies are a better-than-average team, but the Jackets were truly a ramblin’ wreck. The real shame is that with a 5-4 record and games coming up against Duke and North Carolina, the Wreck should be bowl eligible yet again and either headed to Boise or nowhere. It would almost be better to lose big, go 4-8, and maybe that would force some changes.

South Carolina started off with such promise that the Gamecock faithful got their hopes up awfully high. Now USC is sitting with a 6-4 record with losses to Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Arkansas and no longer ranked in the Top 25. With Florida and Clemson still to play, it would seem that Steve Spurrier’s magic is waning, or perhaps his recruiting.

South Florida went from the No. 2 team in the country to three straight losses in the blink of an eye. The Bulls were a great story for a while but blood lines prevail and the Floridians have no history to fall back on.

What happened to Louisville, ranked in the pre-season Top 10 with the most highly publicized quarterback this side of Tim Tebow. The Cardinals haven’t just disappointed but crushed the hopes of their fans. With losses to Syracuse, Utah and UConn, it’s unlikely the 5-4 Cards are going to be a hot-ticket item with the bowls.

I’m going to include Florida in the ranks even though a 6-3 mark isn’t that bad but it is in Gainesville. Plus the Gators lost to two teams they shouldn’t have -- Auburn and Georgia. Tim Tebow isn’t part of the disappointment, however. I still think he’s the Heisman winner hands down but his team isn’t playing well enough to help him win it.

Notre Dame wasn’t expected to be a national contender but neither was it expected to be an embarrassment. The 1-8 Irish could finish strong with Duke, Air Force and Stanford yet to play.

And finally, Nebraska is a disaster. I’d love to see the ‘Huskers play the Irish.

One for the ages--or aged? Guess which, Mr. Bowden

(11/2) This is Norman Arey with your Norman’s No-Nos where I pick the losers in 15 college games. Last week I was 10-5, 93-42 for the year (69 percent). Not too shabby, not too great

TROY at GEORGIA: Troy storms the field after first score. Georgia watches in awe. Troy goes on to win. NO-NO. The tactic makes the Bulldogs mad and they beat up the pesky Trojans. Coach apologizes profusely after Troy loses, 35-20.

RUTGERS at CONNECTICUT: Scarlett Letters, uh, Knights have Ray Rice. UConn has former Georgia Tech assistant Randy Edsall. Huskies bring down the Red Scourge. NO-NO. Rutgers sues Don Imus and ends UConn’s dream run, 31-21.

SOUTH CAROLINA at ARKANSAS: Gamecocks smarting after UT loss. Arkansas smarting after fans’ rude remarks about Houston Nutt. The Hogs holler SoooEeee and win. NO-NO. USC of the East hates pork, Razorbacks take it on the snout, 24-14.

LSU at ALABAMA: Bayou Bengals see former coach Nick Saban on ‘Bama sidelines and shudder. Crimson is so busy trying to seem relevant again, it doesn’t notice and takes care of business. NO-NO. It should have taken care of football instead of business. ‘Tide rolled, 33-14.

ARIZONA STATE at OREGON: The Sun Devils, ranked No. 4 and undefeated, are particularly devilish under new coach Dennis Erickson. Ducks have lost one but look for an entree into BCS wonderland. Devils go to 9-0. NO-NO. Erickson takes first loss, 38-27.

WAKE FOREST at VIRGINIA: Deacons’ Jim Grobe is the best coach in the ACC. Cavaliers’ Al Groh is the worst. But Wahoos are irreverent, don’t like Baptists and makes ‘em eat cake. NO-NO. Cake is on Groh’s face, UVA tumbles, 24-17.

FSU at BOSTON COLLEGE: This one has more historical appeal than anything. At one time. it could have been one for the ages, now just for the aged. Bobby Bowden has stayed at the dance too long, but has one last fling. NO-NO. Eagles destroy Seminoles’ dignity, FSU loses 30-17.

Others losers include:

-Cincinnati to South Florida

-North Carolina to Maryland

-N.C. State to Miami

-Duke to Clemson

-Vandy to Florida

-Michigan State to Michigan

-Oklahoma State to Texas

-and (upset special) Notre Dame to Navy.

Braves' dream rotation: Schilling, Glavine and Smoltz?

(11/1) It’s November and that means that college basketball season is upon us. With all of the story lines and sidebars out there, one of the more interesting will be to watch New Mexico with new coach Steve Alford. Alford left Iowa after seven years last March and was embraced in Albuquerque. . . . Another good story should be Rick Majerus at St. Louis University.

No surprise that the University of Tennessee was an almost unanimous pick at No. 1 in the pre-season national women’s college basketball poll. Also no surprise that Connecticut was second.

The Atlanta Braves were one of the 13 teams Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling listed as teams he’d play for as he enters free agency. The 41-year-old pitcher says he’s seeking a one-year deal. Can you visualize a lineup featuring Schilling, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz?

When Notre Dame meets Navy this weekend, the Irish hold the longest winning streak in Division I over an opponent. The last time the Midshipmen beat the Irish was when Roger Staubach was quarterback and led his team to a 35-14 victory. That’s 43 straight years without a win. Could this be the drought-breaker?

Dennis Dixon, the Oregon quarterback and a draftee of the Atlanta Braves, could jump right into the Heisman Trophy race this weekend when his Ducks play No. 4 Arizona State. He’s still listed behind BC’s Matt Ryan and Florida’s Tim Tebow in most polls.

Georgia’s Saturday game against Troy might not be the yawner many expect. Troy is 6-2 with its two losses coming to Arkansas and Florida. It beat Oklahoma State worse than the Bulldogs did and hasn’t scored under 24 points this season.

There will a minimum of four new coaches at major colleges next football season and possibly five. The for-sure four include SMU, Baylor, Nebraska and Arkansas, and there’s a possibility that Clemson could be in the mix. Clemson’s Tommy Bowden won’t be fired but his name keeps popping up on other schools' wish lists.

Looking at some tricks, not treats, in today's sports

(10/31) Shows how much I understand Major League Baseball. I figured Braves’ infielder Edgar Renteria was one of maybe four untouchables on the team and now he’s gone. And they got two prospects from Detroit in return. Sorry, I don’t get it. . . And one quick question while we’re on the subject of baseball. Will Joe Torre look strange in Dodger blue after all those years in Yankee pinstripes?

And just a word to Mark Richt concerning his team’s celebration after it scored its first touchdown against Florida. After apologizing to Florida, he’s now sent a letter of apology to the SEC office. OK. Enough is enough, Coach. All those mia culpas hanging off your coaching shirt aren’t attractive.

If Notre Dame should not win another game and finish 1-11, it would still receive a check for $1.3 million from the BCS. In its contract, the Irish are guaranteed 1/66th of the total purse the BCS generates whether it plays in a BCS game or not.

Former Atlanta Falcon quarterback Jeff George called the Minnesota Vikings out of the blue after the Vikings managed only 182 yards passing and asked if they had any interest in signing him. George, 39, hasn’t played in an NFL game since 2001. He said, "I look around the league and see the quarterbacks, and I wonder why I’m still not playing." I think I could answer his question.

I know you SEC fans out there are waiting with bated breath for some of the league’s offerings this weekend. First there’s Troy at Georgia, then Tennessee Tech at Auburn and finally Louisiana-Lafayette at Tennessee. That should draw those three an NCAA infractions penalty.

What is it about LSU back-up quarterback Ryan Perilloux that prevents him from behaving. Perilloux, who seems to be in position to be The Man next year for the Bayou Boys, has been in and out of trouble for the past year and has now been suspended from the team for its game against Alabama.

And finally, former Georgia Tech quarterback Tom Luginbill, who played one year for Bill Lewis and then left when George O’Leary took over, is a college football analyst for ESPN.com.