More Picks

Where is the International Bowl? Oh well, I'll look it up later, let's make some more bowl picks.

Champs Sports: Maryland vs Purdue I'm going with the Terps.
Insight: Texas Tech vs Minnesota Going with Tech.
MPC Computers: Miami vs Nevada Going with the Canes.
Alamo: Texas vs Iowa Picking the Longhorns.
Sun: Oregon State vs Missouri Nice Beavers.
Meineke: Navy vs Boston College Reluctantly picking BC.
Liberty: Houston vs South Carolina Cocks all the way in this one.
Cotton: Nebraska vs Auburn Tigers.
Outback: Penn State vs Tennessee Volunteers
Gator: Ga Tech vs West Virginia Tech now has a shot since Reggie Ball is not playing but I'm sticking with the Mountaineers.
Capital One: Arkansas vs Wisconsin Razorbacks.
Fiesta: Oklahoma vs Boise State The Sooners should kill BSU.
Rose: USC vs Michigan Go Wolverines.

I'll get to the others next week. And for the record, my little freaks, I am not a closet Gator fan so please stop insulting me with those accusations.

Dear ESPN.......

I don't know if your producers have informed you but, the Rose Bowl is not the national championship game. I realize you only support and report those things that favor you but please stop making such asses of yourselves.

In case you are not aware: the national championship game is in Glendale, Arizona and the two teams competing are Ohio State and Florida.

Thanks,
La SportsChica

Bowls and Stuff

I trust everyone had a fabulous Christmas. Thankfully, your Chica did as well.

Since Christmas Eve, I've watched two bowl games and fortunately for me, my picks have won! I'm involved in a Bowl Pool and it's fun. I've said it before and I'll say it again, it makes these boring bowl games involving schools who's mascot I don't even know a lot more interesting.

The Hawaii/Arizona State game was okay because it had a lot of scoring. As most of you know, La Chica loves her some offense. I must say however, I found myself quite annoyed by the long Polynesian hair worn by many Hawaii players. Actually, you can't watch a PAC 10 or Hawaii game without there being at least 5 players on the field with hair longer than Crystal Gayle (that's right, I threw that country name out!). It's not attractive and I can only imagine the stench underneath the helmet. I say the same thing about the dudes with the long dreadlocks so please, no hate comments on this one.

Last night's game was Central Michigan vs Middle Tennessee State. This game left a lot to be desired. CMU outplayed Middle (that's what the analysts calling the game called them) and were simply bigger and better. All in all I give the game a 1 out of a possible 5 for excitement level. I keep having to remind myself that the fun bowl games actually start with tonight's game, Florida State vs UCLA.

God only knows what kind of commentary is going to come from this game. I'm going to pick UCLA to win tonight but wouldn't be unhappy if the Seminoles won for the sake of the ACC. Here are a few other picks and games that will be worth watching:

12/28 Holiday Bowl: Texas A&M vs California. I'm going with Cal.
12/28 Independence Bowl: OK State vs Alabama. I'm going with OSU simply because Bama does not have a head coach.
12/29 Music City Bowl: Kentucky vs Clemson. Go Tigers!
12/30 Chick-fil-A Bowl: Va Tech vs Georgia. Look for your Chica at the game as I will be in la Georgia Dome and cheering for the mangey Hokies. Go ACC!

Check back for more picks later.

Holiday Season

I know it's the holiday season but check back in from time to time over the next several days as I'm going to update the blog with picks and other sundry items.

Merry Christmas to all and Happy Hannukah to all my Jewish peeps.

Poinsettia Bowl Thoughts

Last night was the first college football bowl of the season and it was quite a boring display. TCU killed Northern Illinois. It looked like a college team (that would be TCU) against a high school team (that would be NIU). Let's hope the rest of the bowls are much better.

ESPN had an hour long pre-game to discuss all of the BCS games and other bowls. Here are my thoughts about the show:

- Why does ESPN continue to have Doug Flutie as an anchor type analyst? I think he's fine calling the games as an analyst but he's still too nervous doing the actual shows. He stumbles quite a bit on his commentary.

- Don't look now SEC peeps but the guys on the show last night were not giving your conference any love, especially John Saunders. Speaking of John Saunders, is he drunk when he's on the air? Sometimes it seems like he's hitting the bottle before the shows. I'm just sayin'.

- And then there's Desmond Howard! Now, I do not want to speak badly of him because I actually like him but can someone please clarify to Desmond that California is playing TEXAS A&M in the Holiday Bowl and not the University of TEXAS. You would think John Saunders would have made it clear but he may have been too drunk.

Spitting, New Brawl and Other Items

I didn't watch the Falcons game Saturday night versus the Dallas Cowboys; your Chica was at Cirque Du Soleil watching men in tights, midgets flying around and clowns dancing about; it was quite lovely. The obvious news is that the Falcons lost to Dallas but what about Terrell Owens spitting on DeAngelo Hall? Once again, TO proves to be an idiot!

Spitting on someone, regardless of the circumstance, is unacceptable. And yes, I know that Sean Taylor did the same thing last year. I say the same thing about him, it's disgusting and unacceptable no matter who you are or where you played college football. There's nothing else to say about that, I can't believe that grown men actually commit these asinine acts.

Speaking of grown men behaving like fools, did anyone witness the brawl between the New York Knicks and the Denver Nuggets Saturday night? Funny how that brawl has not received all the attention that the FIU/Miami brawl did a couple of months ago. Oh right, ESPN. 'Nuff said.

Moving on to better subjects, the college football bowl season kicks off tomorrow with the Poinsettia Bowl (yes, that's right). Northern Illinois will face TCU at 8pm on ESPN2. Hey, I'm just happy college football is on and will revel in the magic that is bowl season. Okay, that's a bit dramatic but you guys know what I mean.

The Way To Do It

This evening, Appalachian State will play UMass for the Division I championship. I know it's a deadhorse but I love the way all the other college divisions and sports decide their respective national champions.

Wouldn't it be great if the big guys in college football had some kind of playoff? They could take the top 8 teams, keep the 4 BCS bowls and add another game for the national title. Oh well, it's not going to happen in our lifetime.

In the meantime, I'm going to support the little guys and you should too. So tonight, tune in and watch App. St vs UMass. Go Mountaineers!

Alabama

The University of Alabama still has not named a head coach. Back in the day, coaches would jump at this opportunity. Nowadays, peeps are afraid!

It's not unlike most major college football programs, if a coach doesn't win in 3 seasons he's out. And as a fan, I say rightfully so. However at Alabama, it's a little different; those fans are in dire need of other sports excitement. There are no professional teams in the state of Alabama so the entire year is dedicated to college football. And not that there's anything wrong with that but sometimes people get a little crazy over there.

Take Bill Curry for example, his family was threatened by "fans" during one of his seasons at Alabama, he gladly left and went to coach at Kentucky.

The bottom line is contrary to what most Crimson Tide fans think, this is not the glorious job it once was. Alabama fans need to let go of Bear Bryant's ghost and give a coach a legitimate fighting chance. Oh yeah, and get over themselves because Bama ain't all that and a pack of gum.

The NFL, Devin Hester and Big Butts

Now that the regular season has ended for college football, I ask myself: what am I going to write about? Fret not, I'll find stuff, I may even make up stuff ala ESPN.

Let's start off with the NFL. Don't get a Chica wrong, I do love pro-football but not nearly as much as college. And even though my beloved Dolphins started winning too late in the season, the fact that they kicked the crap out of New England and Tom Brady makes me smile. What I've decided is that I need something extra to peak my interest in Sunday football. So, I started betting on games! I joined a pool at a local hangout in my neighborhood and it has made all the difference in the world. The lesson learned boys and girls? Betting is both educational and cool.

Speaking of the NFL, did you guys watch Monday Night Football last night? The game was Chicago vs St. Louis. Devin Hester returned 2 kicks back for touchdowns in one game!! He's amazing and God bless him. He's a little guy who occasionally fumbles the ball but he makes up for it with his run-backs. And he's a Cane!

If you watched the game last night then you may have noticed something I did: la big butts. There's a player on the Rams team named, La' Roi Glover, he's number 97. He's got the biggest ass I have ever seen on a man or on an athletic man I should say. Your Chica could not stop looking at it and when the camera wasn't on him, I was searching for La' Roi like a meth addict searching for aluminum foil (sorry, but I've seen too many episodes of Intervention on A&E). I hope the Rams make the playoffs so I can follow La' Roi's booty, uh I mean progress.

Off Topic: If you haven't seen Rob and Big on MTV, you're missing out!

Ugh!

Well, it's official, the University of Miami once again hired an assistant from within the program to become the head coach. UM's defensive coordinator, Randy Shannon, was hired last night. Let's see, the last time this happened was with Larry Coker and we all know how that turned out.

At least when Coker was hired he was left with Butch Davis' amazing recruits. That team could have won the national championship with me as head coach and my dog, Zoe, as offensive and defensive coordinators! This time around it's different because Coker didn't leave that talent behind but instead left a mess behind that, in my opinion, needs an offensive genius to rebuild.

UM had a chance to inject some much needed new blood into this program and they failed. They even hired a fancy consultant to help them in their search for a new head coach. Hell, I could have been paid the money to look down the hall. How does this athletic administration continue to waste money and get away with it? I've been saying for awhile that the athletic director should have been fired as well. If he were running a regular corporation, he would have "gotten the boot" last year for his mistake of extending Coker's contract.

As a diehard Miami Hurricane fan, I will support the new coach and the team but I'm incredibly disappointed this morning. I feel it's going to be another long and possibly humiliating season next year. I hope I'm wrong; I hope I'm eating my words this time next year because I'm tired. I'm really tired of cheering for a losing team.

Can You Spot La Sportschica?

10 Things I Learned This Season

This was a tough season for your Chica for obvious reasons but college football is still the best sport going and I enjoyed the hell out of it. These are in no particular order but here's what I learned over the last 4 months:

1. Picking the outcome of a college football game is near impossible or I'm just really bad at prognosticating.
2. I really love using the word "prognosticate". It's fancy.
3. The media (especially ESPN) is going to sway its viewers and readers regardless of the truth. It doesn't matter peeps, they're going to write and say whatever they want even if it's not true and that's sad. I lost a lot of respect for a network I used to dream about working for. Oh who am I kidding, if they came knocking at my door with a job, your Chica would take it but I would still bitch about their unfair bias!
4. On the same line as the above bulleted item, it's amazing there are still certain sportswriters getting paid to cover sports: John Saunders, Woody Paige, Joe Theismann, etc. I could go on.
5. "This is our country"...John Mellencamp's song was ingrained into our brains so much this season that a lot of people moved out of "our country". I'm just saying!
6. Never, ever, ever bet more than $20 on college football games! Or even more importantly, never, ever say you'll show any body part if a certain team wins.
7. Doug Flutie's 80s hair will never go away. Bless his heart.
8. While I love Kirk Herbstreit and respect him because the man does know his college football, he made the most bonehead call of all this past preseason by picking the Miami Hurricanes to win the national title. As much as this Chica would have loved that, we all know what happened but it made me feel better with all my bad predictions. Thanks Kirk.
9. The BCS still sucks.
10. Watching your team play live in another country and continent ROCKS!

What did you guys learn this season?

National Title

The national title game has been decided and as you all know it will be Ohio State vs Florida in Arizona. Folks are pissed off all over the country but let's face it, no one wanted to see a rematch except the peeps who live in Michigan!

As for your Chica, while I'm happy for my Florida friends, I gotta say it will be a long year around these parts if Florida wins the national title in both football and basketball in the same year! However, they played a tough schedule this year and came away winning almost all of their games so I personally feel they deserve it more than Michigan for that reason alone. I'm in the minority though, a lot of articles I've read this morning are saying the only reason Florida got the nod is because of all the whining (and begging) done by Tommy Tuberville and Urban Meyer. Hey whatever works, right?

I will say, I'm sick of hearing all the hype about the SEC from SEC people about their conference being the best in the country! To these peeps I say this: Here's your chance to prove it! If Florida beats the best team in the country, I will toot the SEC's horn but if they do not, then sit your ass down, SEC!

Picks and Stuff
Your Chica is back, fresh off my European holiday and ready for football this weekend! I must say, I'm a bit sad as this is the last weekend of the regular season (sniff, sniff) but I must press on:

#16 Wake Forest vs #23 Georgia Tech
No offense to either school or their fans, but you know it's a down year in the ACC when you have Wake vs Tech in the championship game. I'm just saying. Okay, I'm going to go out on a limb and pick GT for no other reason than they've got to feel like jackasses for losing to Georgia last week. By the way, kudos to me for picking that one.

#2 USC vs UCLA
This game is posted on my blog this week solely because its outcome has a lot of implications. If UCLA can somehow pull out the upset over USC then a lot of Florida fans will be happy or will the Michigan fans be happy??? Personally, I think it's a moot point (or as some idiots say: a "mute" point) because USC will win this game and go on to the national championship game.

#8 Arkansas vs #4 Florida
Ooooh, this game is going to be fun, or at least I hope so. La Chica is stumped on this one my peeps. Had Arkansas taken care of business and beaten those mangey LSU Tigers last week, I would have no problem picking them to win but sadly, they did not. Oh, the dilemma........my Florida friends will give me smack but I am going with the Razorbacks. By the by, if anyone has an extra ticket, let a Chica know!!!

#13 Rutgers vs #15 West Virginia
This game should be a fun one as well but in the end West Virginia will beat their ass.

#19 Nebraska vs #8 Oklahoma
Zzzzzz's. I've given the Big 12 no love this season so why start now? However, it is their conference championship game so I must make a pick: OU.

Greetings From Vienna
Hola my sports freakitos from the beautiful city of Vienna!

My vacation is going famously but I must admit, La Chica is missing her some college football today. As I write this, games are being played (sniff sniff). However, check this out: on Thanksgiving evening in Budapest, my traveling buddy, Mia, and I found a sports bar in the city and I was able to watch the Dolphins game against Detroit. Miami has now won 4 in a row!

Speaking of la Miamis, what about the Canes upsetting Boston College and then turning around and firing Larry Coker?! That's fantastic news for all Cane fans. And now the search begins for a new head coach, I just hope and pray the right decision is made. Good luck to you Larry Coker; you're a good man but your calling is at another program.

I just read where:
Florida barely beat FSU.
Texas lost again.
LSU beat Arkansas 31-26....damn, I knew that game was going to be tight and good.
South Carolina beat Clemson.

Okay my friends, I'm going to run and check out some free Austrian porn....just kidding, but I do have to run. This German keyboard is killing me.

I was going to be clever and say goodbye in German but that's a really long word and I don't feel like looking it up so ciao for now.

Turkey Picks
This week's picks are up a couple of days early as your Chica is headed on a European vacation; God-willing and the creek don't rise! It's been a crazy season my freakitos. This will be the last installment of picks until the conference championships, bowls and of course the big game.

By the way, I'm sending this out fully clothed.

#18 Boston College vs Miami
BC will win. Off topic: I hate to beat a deadhorse but this will be the Canes' 7th appearance on national television this season even though their record is a horrid 5-6. Peeps love to hate on Miami but you can't look away, can you?

#9 LSU vs #5 Arkansas
La Chica is sad that she's missing this game, it should be a dandy. I'm thinking that the Razorbacks rock the Tigers' world in this one. They need to in order to have a shot at making it to the national title game. I don't want to jinx them but Go Arkansas!

#4 Florida vs Florida State
This is a rivalry game so you never know what's going to happen. Florida is the better team but it's at FSU and you know the 'Noles will want to spoil it for the Gators. Regardless, I'm still going with the Gators.

#16 Georgia Tech vs Georgia
Another rivalry game that could go either way. I'm picking the Dawgs to upset Tech. After seeing what UGA is capable of doing against Auburn and at Auburn, they can certainly do it again versus GT.

#6 Notre Dame vs #3 USC
Unfortunately, the winner of this game will most likely face Ohio State in the championship game. The media has a love affair with both these teams that makes La Chica sick to her stomach but what can we do? I say USC wins at home.

Have a fabulous Thanksgiving!

Weekend Stuff
The Miami Dolphins have won 3 in a row! Meanwhile, the Atlanta Falcons have lost 3 in a row...I'm just saying.

What about the beat down bestowed upon Wake Forest by Virginia Tech? I was actually cheering for Wake but was later happy that they got their asses smacked. One of my Hurricane friends (Joy) fell victim to a Wake fan talking trash to her about Miami's terrible season this year. Um, here's the thing, Wake: You guys haven't done sh_t in 50 or more years so until you do, no one wants to hear you say anything. And you're still not going to win an ACC title or a national championship! So sit your ass down.

And speaking of Miami, the bleeding should be over after Thanksgiving evening. God, please make it stop!

In other "beat down" news, Rutgers got theirs at the hands of Cincinnati as well. I'm so glad that I did not join the Scarlet Knights bandwagon. I told you guys they did not deserve a #3 BCS ranking after beating Louisville. That said, kudos to them because they've had a wonderful season, regardless.

Now for the BCS standings:

1) Ohio State 1.00
2) Michigan .926
3) USC .918
4) Florida .883
5) Notre Dame .819

My master plan of Cal beating USC did not work over the weekend, thanks a lot you freaking libs! Now what? La Chica wants to see an SEC team face OSU in the title game and right now Arkansas is playing better football than Florida so they get my vote, but with USC playing ND this week...the winner of that game will probably jump Michigan. Oh who knows, this college football season has exhausted me.

Picks With A Twist
It's no secret that la Sportschica's picks have been dismal the last few weeks, therefore, I'm mixing it up this time around! This week, I'm writing this and making my picks......TOPLESS! I realize this may not mean anything to most of you but it is quite liberating. On we go:

#21 Maryland vs #20 Boston College
Ugh, once again, another toss-up game that could go both ways. Maryland continues to "squeak by" their opponents; however, I keep thinking that streak has got to end at some point and with that I'm picking BC for the win.

#15 Auburn vs Alabama
Okay, I know this game does not have any impact on the national championship picture ever since Auburn got its ass kicked by Georgia last week, but it's a rivalry game so that always makes it fun. Hey, at least the Tigers didn't lose to Miss. State.....ohhhhh snap! La Chica hopes that little hottie, Brandon Cox, is healthier than he was last week; otherwise, it's gonna be another long day for AU. I'm still going with the Tigers.

#19 Virginia Tech vs #14 Wake Forest
This is all I'm going to say: I hope Wake kicks the living crap out of Va Tech! That's my pick..go Demon Deacons (whatever that nickname means).

#17 California vs #4 USC
Finally, a Pac 10 game la Chica is excited about. Most of you who know me know that I have scenarios in my head all season long. In my current strategy this is what needs to play out: Cal beats USC then USC beats Notre Dame. Simple, right? In the celebrated words of Lee Corso, not so fast my friends! It's going to be tough for Cal to beat USC at home but I think they can do it. Arduous game but the liberals at Cal come out ahead.

#2 Michigan vs #1 Ohio State
Last but certainly not least, we come to this game. Have you heard about it? ESPN has been (literally) counting down the number of days, hours and minutes to this game. All the losers at the network will probably wet their pants by game time.....I'm just saying.

It pains me to write this but I have to think that the Buckeyes take this one. They've been strong all year, granted the only real team they've played so far is Texas. (By the way, freaks, before you start posting "hate" comments, that's my opinion and I'm entitled to it!) Regardless, I hate to admit it but OSU looks good and will beat Michigan at home.

I'm Just Askin'
Question of the day: Is it possible to order a meteor to hit the Michigan/Ohio St game this Saturday?

I'm so sick of hearing all the hype about this game. And for those of us who didn't grow up in the Midwest, it's not the "biggest or best rivalry" in all of sports. Give me a break!

ESPN picks one item to discuss and that's all they talk about! I wish to God there were some other way to get sports information on a regular basis. I've reduced my ESPN tv time to College Gameday and that becomes unbearable at times too. That's a whole other conversation though.

Weekend Observations
This past weekend was a typical college football weekend. Teams that were supposed to win, did not and there were "upsets" a plenty.

Let's start with the Louisville/Rutgers game, the Cardinals were supposed to win, right? As everyone knows, they didn't. Now what? Should Rutgers be number 3 in the BCS? La Chica thinks no. Their story this year is great but they're not a number 3 BCS team!

Unranked Georgia went into Auburn and beat the living tar out of the Tigers. Hey, it's the South, a Chica can say "tar". Any given Saturday, a bad team can beat a good team and that's why we love this game.

Staying with the SEC, what about Arkansas??? I wasn't giving them a lot of love until last week. This is a good Razorback team that beat Auburn AND Tennessee convincingly. They deserve to be right up there with talks about a national championship appearance should they win out.

And now for the BCS standings this week:
1) Ohio State .976
2) Michigan .973
3) USC .869
4) Florida .849
5) Notre Dame .819

How in the world did Notre Dame go from number 9 to number 5 in one week? Oh right, by beating an unranked Air Force team, I understand now (insert sarcasm here). Also, how did USC jump Florida into the number 3 spot? If anyone deserves to jump Florida this week, it would be Arkansas. Hell, even Rutgers is more deserving since they're undefeated. This systems SUCKS!

Speaking of sucking, La Sportschica's pet peeve list is long and one day we'll get to it here but for now let's just discuss one of the items on the list. Pet Peeve # 17: Fans rushing the field after an upset or a big win, especially before the game is even over. One of my posters (BKing) reminded me of this and made a great point: it's always a second tier team's fans who do this. To those people, La Chica says this, we know you haven't been there before but for God's sake, act like it.

Lastly, during Florida State's game Saturday night, the Seminole players wore a #95 on their helmets in honor of the Miami player, Bryan Pata, who was killed last week. Anyone who knows me knows of my unmitigated dislike for FSU, however, I must admit I gained a bit more respect somewhere in the pit of my soul for those mangey Seminoles. Well done.

Picks and Stuff
This week brings us some good games, a lot of them would be better if all teams involved were ranked, as expected, but life doesn't usually go as planned.

Speaking of expectations, La Chica is getting A LOT of smack from some of you regarding my picks not panning out. Here's what I have to say to these critics: did you all just start watching college football this year? If the answer is "yes" then I understand you questioning my prognostications because you really don't know what you're talking about. If the answer is "no" then I'd like to see your picks and check out how you do week in and week out, FREAKS!

#3 Louisville vs #15 Rutgers - I'm so sick of hearing about Louisville and how "they deserve to be in the BCS championship game". Hey Cardinals, before you start pulling what will forever be known as a "Tommy Tuberville", how about winning out first. Louisville wins this game.

Georgia vs #5 Auburn - Interestingly, the winner of this game is usually the visiting team, however, the Dawgs stink this year so I don't see them going into Jordan-Hare and beating the Tigers. Auburn wins at home.

South Carolina vs #6 Florida - Why is your Chica posting this game you ask? Well, as I've stated in many previous blogs, my Florida friends are scared to death of Steve Spurrier. And because of this intimidation factor, they feel that Spurrier and his Cocks always have a shot regardless of rankings and so forth. They might have a point but I don't see it this year. The game is in Gainesville and Florida is a better team this year than last. However, if the Gator kicker does not become more consistent and start to make field goals AND extra points, the Cocks could get close but Florida still prevails.

#13 Tennessee vs #11 Arkansas - This is one of the good ones this weekend. I think Arkansas has an excellent shot at winning this game. The Vols lost a heartbreaker at home last week which, in my opinion, gives the Razorbacks a slight edge. This is one of those toss-up games that can go either way but I'm going with Arkansas at home.

Miami vs #25 Maryland - Once again, the Canes are on national television even though they've not been ranked since the 3rd week of the season. The hypocrisy of ESPN/ABC continues except this week it's a grieving Hurricane team. My head says to pick Maryland especially since the Canes are stinking but even more so because Miami has a ton of starters hurt and not playing. However, given this week's tragic events in South Florida, I'm going with my heart and picking my Canes. It's just football and it really doesn't mean a darn thing but GO CANES for #95!

UM Football Player Killed...
This article was written by Greg Cote of the Miami Herald and sums it all up:

Tragedy reduces football issues to instant insignificanceBY GREG COTE gcote@MiamiHerald.com Greg Cote's weblog The Bryan Pata tragedy The unacceptable ignominy of the University of Miami football team's 5-4 record stopped mattering Tuesday night as surely as a heart stopped beating. The tenuous future of unpopular coach Larry Coker ceased to be the least bit important, at least for a little while. The injury to quarterback Kyle Wright's thumb retreated to instant insignificance.

Hopefully, too, an agitated, jeering, dissatisfied Hurricanes Nation will pause and demand of itself today a moment of silence, or at least perspective, in this rancorous season. Just a moment, please?

Bryan Pata died.

Violently, by a bullet, inside his apartment in Kendall.

He was a UM defensive tackle, a senior, down to his last few college games, before somebody took even those away.

He was not a star. He was nobody's All-American. Nobody's future first-round draft pick. He was a solid pass-rusher who had led the team in quarterback pressures last year. He was a solid run-stopper who had selflessly switched positions from end to tackle before this season because the coaches asked him to. He had 11 career sacks, including two this year.

He was not a star, but he was tough, liked, admired. He was a leader. Just two weeks ago, late in a teetering game at Georgia Tech, the defender ran onto the field into UM's offensive huddle to exhort his teammates. He cared that much.

A SENSELESS DEATH

Pata died senselessly Tuesday night, for no good reason, as a disproportionate number of young African-American males seem to in Miami and other big cities. You might not even have heard about a death such as his, except he happened to be a college football player. He wore No. 95. Sometime he wore dreadlocks. He loved to tinker with and restore old cars. He had seven older siblings. He was a Miami kid who grew up at Central High.

He was going to get around to figuring out something to do with his life after football, until somebody with a gun decided none of that mattered all that much.
He was 22, too young to die under every circumstance imaginable.
Police had no motives, details or explanation for the crime Tuesday night. Pata, described as a Christian who didn't drink or party, deserves every assumption of his being an innocent victim.

The shame of this is that too many people nationwide are going to add this to the generic parade of ''UM football controversies.'' They will place this neatly in line right behind last month's brawl during the FIU game under the broad subhed, Hurricanes in the Headlines for the Wrong Reasons.

As if Pata brought it on himself.

As if Coker should have stopped it.

As if anyone but the man with the gun in his hand was to blame.

The tragic news broke across Miami Tuesday night, broke like hearts break, and it had to remind many of 10 years earlier, to April 13, 1996, when UM linebacker Marlin Barnes and his friend, Timwanika Lumpkins, were murdered in a campus apartment by her former boyfriend.

FOOTBALL INCIDENTAL

Football was peripheral then, too; incidental, as it was Tuesday night.
Death is never choosy. Doesn't play favorites. Doesn't care who you are. It will take John F. Kennedy Jr. in a small plane, Dale Earnhardt Sr. in a fast car, a homeless man beaten by bats, Sonny Bono on a ski slope, Bryan Pata in a Kendall apartment, or someone you will never hear of who just slipped in his bathtub and hasn't even been missed yet.

Death, though, overwhelms everything, every time, at least in the time when we force ourselves to bow heads, for just a moment, between the regular beat of life, between the cheering or the resumption of complaint.

In that moment, in a fleeting spasm of clarity, we understand that a 5-4 record is just what it is and not anything more: a disappointment.

We understand then that this UM football season didn't become a tragedy until a bullet erased Bryan Pata for no good reason at all.

I Forgot....
I meant to put this in my post yesterday but I forgot:

Why is Auburn playing Arkansas State in November??? When the SEC fans start talking smack about how tough their conference is and then I see Auburn playing a school like Arkansas State in November, I have to say: WHATEVER, dude!!!

Weekend Observations
Can I just give a "shout out" to my pro team, the Miami Dolphins! They went up to Chicago and put a serious beat down on a previously undefeated Bears team. I LOVE IT! All that's left is for someone to beat Indy at least once. Speaking of the Colts, can anyone stop Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison? That's a pretty good tandem.

This weekend left la Chica a bit speechless so my weekend comments may be brief. There were a lot of great and close games all weekend but no real upsets. Yes, Georgia lost to Kentucky but this year's Bulldog team is not that good so I don't consider that an upset.

The LSU/Tennessee game lived up to the hype. What a great game; LSU finally won a big game this year and in fantastic fashion.

The West Virginia/Louisville game did not live up to its hype and there was a lot of hype surrounding this one. The win put Louisville at number 3 in the BCS and while I think they deserve that given the fact they have not lost a game this year, I really don't care to see a national championship game consisting of: Louisville vs Ohio State or Michigan. Sorry Big East but I'm not the only one who thinks that.

Speaking of the BCS, here's the top 5 for this week:
1) Ohio State .986
2) Michigan .970
3) Louisville .890
4) Florida .801
5) Texas .799

Okay, back to the silly stuff, can someone please give la Chica an explanation for why there are so many college punters who are fat as hell??? Good grief! Have you seen Virginia Tech's punter? His ass is bigger than a lot of "chicas" I know. It's just plain ugly to see a man with a big ass.....I'm just saying!

And finally, Doug Flutie's hair is still jacked up! They made some adjustments to it but it still looks like bad 80s hair. Hey hair and makeup peeps, just cut the damn thing incredibly short already, geez!!!

Picks, Picks, Picks!
There are some great games on tap this weekend starting with a fun, fun, one tonight! Check it out my little football freakitos:

#3 West Virginia vs #5 Louisville
No one, including your Chica, would have ever thought that upon Virginia Tech and Miami's departure from the Big East, there would be a game of this magnitude left in the conference. Well folks, there is! Both teams are undefeated and both are ranked in the top 5. This should be a fun game for those of us who love offense. I'm going to pick West Virginia because I think they look stronger at this juncture AND I hate Louisville! Not to mention, a West Virginia victory will stir up stuff in the BCS and frankly, that's all I've got this season.

#13 LSU vs #8 Tennessee
The jacked up BCS is not giving Tennessee a lot of respect these days. Granted, they're a one-loss team but they have looked very good as the season has progressed. And in la Sportschica's very humbled opinion, I think they're the best team in the SEC right now.....I'm just sayin'! Poor ole LSU cannot win the big games this year so I'm going with Rocky Top at home.

#16 Boston College vs #22 Wake Forest
Go Wake! God bless the Demon Deacons this year but I don't think they will beat BC. However, I think it will be a tight little game but in the end Boston College comes out on top.

#12 Arkansas vs South Carolina
This game is posted because I think Spurrier and his Cocks (so appropriate) will give the Razorbacks a good game. In fact, I'm going to go with Carolina on this one. I'll give the coach this: he does have his team ready against ranked teams 90% of the time and I think this is one of them.

#23 Virginia Tech vs Miami
Real quick, VT will beat Miami! Why? Because the Canes have nothing left, this poor team has had the life sucked out of them and unfortunately, the coach is worthless.

Here's what I want to know though: If Miami is such a bad program and "thug U" then why does ESPN/ABC have them on national television 2 weeks in a row? They're not ranked so this game has no national title implications whatsoever, but yet they're the primetime game Saturday night. Hmmmm, hypocrites! I still hate ESPN!!!! Go Canes!

I Hate the F-ing NBA
The NBA regular season kicks off today much to la Chica's dismay.

I'm not afraid to say it, I hate the NBA. The games are boring, especially compared to college basketball and the season occupies almost an entire year. As one of my friends put it (Tara), it takes 8 months for them to play their games and the other 4 are for their trials. I'm just saying!

Why can't the college football season last this long? Yes, I know the kids have to go to school but come on. It's just a shame that the NBA covers almost an entire year of whiney, really tall men tossing around a ball but those of us who love college football only get 4 measly months of sheer joy.

And honestly, who cares? I know a lot of people but I know no one who would rather watch an NBA finals game instead of a regular season college football game!

Weekend Observations
You'll have to bear with me this Monday, my "weekend observations" are kind of hazy because I kept trying to drown my football sorrows and quite frankly, wasn't in the mood to observe much this weekend.

College football is such a fun and wonderful sport but it befuddles me (thanks Charlie Tuna) how the Vegas peeps can pick the spread for these games. Who would have thought that Virginia Tech would completely manhandle Clemson last Thursday night? Your Chica got a lot of smack from everyone I saw this past weekend because I picked Clemson to beat Va Tech but who would have thunk it???

Speaking of smack talkers, you know it's a down year for Miami when there is a bar full of Hurricane fans gathered and not one of them is talking shmack (this is a made up word)!

I know Larry Coker is a nice guy but after reading his post-game comments, I just want the guy gone! It's no wonder he can't motivate this team. Exhibit A: the field goal kicker doesn't know how to kick an onsides kick for pete's sake! I think my little dog Zoe (awww) could do a better job at it. La Chica is done on this subject!

The only cool thing about being at the Miami/Ga Tech game was the pre-game. Immediately after the national anthem was played, 2 fighter jets came roaring across the sky right over the stadium. It was AWESOME. La Chica got chills! This should be done for every game.

USC lost! That's pretty much all I need to say.

Ah, the BCS. As I've said since the year 2000 when my beloved team was screwed by the system after beating Florida State but yet the Criminoles jumped Miami in the BCS and got to play in the national championship game, eventually every team will get screwed by the BCS! Something's gonna happen again this year if a team like West Virginia goes undefeated but a team like Florida starts screaming because they're in the SEC. I'm just saying.

And why shouldn't a team like West Virginia go to the title game if they're undefeated? Don't forget, they beat a good UGA team in the Sugar Bowl earlier this year!

Here are the current BCS top 5 standings:
1. Ohio State .986
2. Michigan .969
3. West Virginia .786
4. Florida .779
5. Louisville .762

This is what I need explained, how can Florida jump Auburn when the Tigers beat the Gators? They're both in the SEC so it's not the conference strength. What a stupid system!

Here's the thing, if you look at the percentage differences between teams 1 and 2 and the rest of the teams, it's HUGE! Don't be surprised if the loser of the Ohio St/Michigan game still gets to play for a national championship! That's how jacked up this system is. Come to think of it, since La Chica has nothing to cheer for this season this makes me happy. Let the bitchin' begin!

I Hate ESPN
I'm not trying to beat a dead horse by posting this link to a Washington Post article but hell, ESPN does it!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/24/AR2006102400498.html

Will Butch Be Back?
Former University of Miami head coach, Butch Davis is clearly leaving the door open for Miami to come knocking again. Here is an article from the Miami Herald in which Butch states he misses coaching and is ready to get back to it: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/football/15840881.htm

Here is the interview that went on in my head between me and Butch Davis:

La Sportschica: Are you really ready to come back to coaching, Butch?
Butch Davis: Yes, I think the time has come and I think I prefer college to the NFL.

La Sportschica: If Miami asked you to come back as their head coach would you?
Butch Davis: But, of course.

La Sportschica: Would you ask Larry Coker to stay on as your offensive coordinator?
Butch Davis: Hell no. Larry is a good guy but I think it's time for him to move on.

La Sportschica: Please come back to the U, Butch!
Butch Davis: Is that a question?

La Sportschica: Won't ya come back to the U, Butch?
Butch Davis: That's more like it and yes I will return!

La Sportschica: Well, Butch, I personally forgive you and do not care how you left or why you left! I want U back!
Butch Davis: Would you like to go get a drink?

Okay, seriously, Miami better jump on this because he's not going to remain available for too long. Davis was not known as the best "game day" coach but he is a superior recruiter and brings discipline to a program. Two things Miami is in desperate need of at the moment.

Go Canes and come back Butch!

Picks and Opinions
I was going to wait until tomorrow to post my picks for this weekend but some of you will not let a Chica rest! Here they are:

#10 Clemson vs Virginia Tech
In my opinion, Clemson is going to win the ACC this year. They put a heavy beat down on a pretty good Georgia Tech team this past weekend so it leads me to believe they will do the same to Va Tech.

#11 Notre Dame vs Navy
This game is posted because I really want Navy to beat Notre Dame! I don't think they can but Navy did play well against a good Tennessee team earlier this year. With that, I'm picking Navy knowing that peeps are going to talk smack about me. Hey, a Chica can dream.

#19 Oklahoma vs #23 Missouri
Big 12, blah, blah, blah! Have I made it clear how much the Big 12 bores me? However, both teams are ranked so they're in here. I'm picking Mizzou at home.

Georgia vs #9 Florida
I was recently accused of being pro-Georgia because of all my "dawg friends" by a Florida fan (Jeff). He still doesn't believe me when I say I hate everybody almost equally! Honestly, la Chica has enough hate to go around to all these teams and I've adopted a new mantra for the remainder of the college football year: La Sportschica will not cheer for any team other than the Miami Hurricanes.

There will be no more "oh, since my favorite team can't be in the national championship, then I will cheer for your team". HAIL NO! I want everyone to lose.

Moving on, the only thing I wish for this game is that Georgia plays hard and makes it interesting but I don't care who wins. Since UGA's offense will not be able to keep up with Florida's, I'm going with the Gators to win and probably win big.

Miami vs #21 Georgia Tech
Tech will rebound from getting its ass kicked by Clemson last week and beat Miami. By the way, look for la Sportschica at the game!

Chew On This
La Chica is working on a new post but in the meantime, chew on this:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/stewart_mandel/10/18/mandel.bag/index.html

Picks and Opinions
La Sportschica is taking a much needed mini-vacation so picks must go out a day early. Before I begin, did you guys hear about the brawl between the University of Miami and FIU? Just making sure because I don't think ESPN showed it enough. Okay, here we go:

#5 Texas vs #17 Nebraska
My weekly "who gives a sh-t game", but I'll go crazy and pick Nebraska at home!

Iowa vs #2 Michigan
La Chica is thinking that Iowa will make this close with Michigan pulling it out and winning at home. However, that would be so fantastic if Iowa won this game!!!

#22 Boston College vs Florida State
Will the Seminoles come out and play? I'm going to go out on a limb and pick FSU to win. I gotta think they have some kind of pride...who am I kidding?!

#19 Rutgers vs Pittsburgh
A year ago, who would have thought that this would be a pick on la Chica's blog? Actually, who would have thought that there would be a Sportschica blog??? Anyway, mark my words, this is going to be a fun little game and I'm going with Pitt at home.

Colorado vs #20 Oklahoma
The Buffs are my new adopted team (not really but just work with me). With Adrian Peterson and his dad out of the lineup for OU, I think Colorado has a chance. The Buffs make it 2 in a row!

South Carolina vs Vanderbilt
This game is only being posted because la Chica is curious to see how Vandy responds to beating Georgia. The Gamecocks win, however.

#13 Georgia Tech vs #12 Clemson
Could this be a preview of the ACC Championship game? La Chica says: YES! I was at Clemson last year for a game and that place was rocking (literally), it's a difficult place for a visiting team to win. So, I'm picking Clemson barely over Tech.

Gettin' A Little Sick and Tired......
I said I wasn't going to speak to this subject anymore but I'm getting sick of all this media bullshit about the "Miami Melee" Saturday night.

Yes, the fight was inexcusable and stupid but give me a freaking break. ESPN is so biased and reports the story as if Miami was the only team involved in the fight. Did the Hurricanes brawl with each other?

Unfortunately, Miami will NEVER be able to shake its image from the 80s and early 90s. Part of me thinks why even try? Yet, the present coach and administration will still do anything to change this perception that Miami is still Thug U. It doesn't matter though.

What I find fascinating is how the media acts like this has never happened before and I ask this, what team would not have charged the field after its kicker and backup quarterback were thrown to the ground and kicked? Again, I'm not condoning what some of the Miami players did but I am sick of everyone acting like it's never happened before or as if his/her team would not have fought back!

Check out Lou Holtz's last game as a Cock:http://youtube.com/watch?v=omHv-UWbfe8 and by the way, this one had actual injuries.

Also, check out the angelic Irish: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zgzXSbuyB8

Now, I'm done talking about this.

MNF
La Chica doesn't usually post on Tuesdays but last night's Monday Night Football game left me no choice!

Let me begin by saying that the Cardinals new stadium is beautiful. What a fabulous job. Oh sorry, it's not really the Cardinals stadium; it belongs to the University of Phoenix. Yup, you read correctly. Now, does the University of Phoenix need a stadium of that magnitude, do they have a football team?? Seriously.

For those of you who watched the game, you know why I had to post today. God bless the Arizona fans, your fate in life is worse than any other sports fan. The Cards were up in the 3rd quarter by 20 points, the Bears offense couldn't score against my dog, Zoe (awww), Rex Grossman threw 4 interceptions, and there were also 2 fumbles on the Bears side. All of the points the Bears scored were off of the defense and special teams.

So, you would think that with a game like that on the Bears side of the ball, the Cards would win, right? Uh, NO!

Those poor bastards let the game slip away from them and gave it up. This is huge. You're up by 20 to the "best" team in the league in your brand new stadium on national television in the second half of the game, their offense is playing like ass and you still lose. Pobrecitos! I can't see this team coming back from this loss for awhile, if at all.

And by the way, if that's the "best" team in the league, I'm not going to be so worried about a possible threat to my 1972 Miami Dolphins perfect season. Not yet anyway.

And another thing, how do you guys feel about this new crew of MNF game analysts? La Chica don't like!

Joe Theismann is an arrognant idiot. Tony Kornheiser, I love you on Pardon The Interruption but you need to stay in the studio. Mike Tirico, you TALK TOO MUCH!

Weekend Observations
First off, la Sportschica would like to toot her own horn; each one of my picks turned out to be right! Even the Colorado Buffalo pick was dead on. Gotta love it!

As the biggest Miami Hurricane fan ever, la Chica is embarrassed after Saturday night's Orange Bowl brawl with FIU. Here's the thing, I'm going to sound like a child for one second: they started it! FIU is not a football school, their players are typically guys who could not get into any of the top 3 Florida football schools and that's okay but don't take your bitterness out by starting fights on the field.

That said, even though these jackasses came into the Orange Bowl and started a mess, it's no reason for UM players to behave and react the way they did. Miami is not "that program" anymore. UM fans want the swagger back but not that kind. That's all la Chica is going to say on the subject.

The first BCS standings came out yesterday, here's the top 5:
1) Ohio State .973
2) USC .955
3) Michigan .934
4) Auburn .747
5) West Virginia .744

Wow, that's a huge percentage difference between the top 3 and 4 and 5. It's still early though, peeps and anything can happen. USC will lose a game and Ohio St and Michigan play each other so one of them must fall.

I know most of you watch College Gameday each week and if you don't, then you're not really a college football fan, are you? For those of you who have been watching the show, how many freaking times do we have to hear about Adrian Peterson's dad??? Ugh!

What about the Wisconsin band not being able to attend their team's game this past weekend? The reason: the band is on probation for "bad behavior" while on the road. I just want to know what kind of antics can band geeks get into? Am I the only one who thinks that's hysterical?

Desmond Howard gave his top 5 at mid-season on Saturday and while I really don't care about his input, I did notice that he's got Cal at number 5 but he doesn't have Tennessee in his top 5. I guess Desmond forgot the beat down that the Volunteers put on the Golden Bears. 3 words: West Coast Bias! That's annoying to la Chica.

Finally, this is not completely sports related but what the hell is wrong with Doug Flutie's hair? Can someone please let Doug know that 1984 is over?!

Picks and Opinions
Well, it's another slow weekend my little freaks. There's only one game that la Sportschica is excited about this weekend. Let's press on shall we:

#22 Virginia Tech vs Boston College
Don't you just love Thursday night football?! This should turn out to be a fun little game. Hmmm, I think I'm going to go with BC at home. No, I'll take Va Tech on the road. This is a toss up as far as I'm concerned but with Coach Frank Beamer suddenly suspending his players when they misbehave, it puts VT at a slight disadvantage. Scratch the former, I'll go with BC again. Sheesh.

Wake Forest vs NC State
Okay, I know neither team is ranked but NC State keeps providing us with exciting finishes and surprising victories. However, I'm picking Wake to go into Raleigh, beat Chuck Amato's team and stuff his red sneakers down his squeaky little throat!

#4 Michigan vs Penn St
The only reason this game is part of my picks this week is for my lone Wolverines friend, Heather. Here you go girl! I may be wrong but I think Michigan wins big at Penn St.

Texas Tech vs Colorado
Again, another unranked battle but I'm secretly pulling for Colorado to win a game. Come on now, Buffs! This is probably going to add to my loss column but I gotta think Colorado pulls it off at home. Please.

#2 Florida vs #11 Auburn
This is the only game I'm excited about this week. I hope it doesn't disappoint. Auburn ruined it for everyone by losing last week to Arkansas as it would have been a better matchup if both these teams were undefeated going into this game. Thanks a lot Tigers, uh I mean Plainsmen, uh.....War Eagle. Sorry, I know that's an old joke but it's still funny to la Chica.

Alrighty, here's the thing, I don't know who to pick here. Florida is playing good football but Auburn should be good and pissed after last week's debacle to Arkansas. I'm probably gonna get my Cuban ass kicked around for this but I'm going to pick Auburn at home. You just have to figure that if they're as good as people say they are, they will step it up at home and beat the Gators, right? See, this one is tough to pick because they're so evenly matched. La Sportschica picks Auburn....I think.

The "Hottie" List
Lots of people (actually, just one person) keep asking me to create a top 5 list of the hottest college football players. I wouldn't do it because I knew I would get smack from my male peeps but then I thought: "Sportschica, what if you did a list for the guys and one for the gals?" So.......that's what we'll do. I'm going to list the top 5 hot college football players AND the top 5 female sports reporters.

Remember, this is my list, you may not agree with it, but I look forward to your input. In an attempt to not lose the male readers right off the bat, let's do the females first. My "chicks" list is based on criteria such as looks, fashion and sports knowledge. Here we go:

5: Erin Andrews - She's got a great figure and would be ranked higher but her voice kind of annoys la Sportschica.



4: Suzy Kolber - I love Suzy Kolber! She's cute, dresses well, knows her football, and she's a Cane!



3: Sam Ryan - I don't know a lot about Sam but she's got a cool name and the fellas love her!

2: Jill Arrington - Jill would have made my list at number 1 but she's disappeared from the scene. Jill was an awesome sideline reporter and a Miami Hurricane! Where in the world is Jill Arrington?? 1: Lisa Guerrero - Shout out to another Latin chica! Lisa knows her sports, she's a pretty girl and she made Dennis Rodman cry during a press conference! Did I mention she's Latin? All these factors make her my number one "chick".

Before we go on, I need to clarify, it was difficult finding good pictures of the guys. Please note: the roster pics do not do these boys justice. Okay ladies, here's my top 5 list of college football HOTTIES:

5: Chris Leak (Florida) - As my friend Tara says "he's got pretty eyes". Chris does have nice eyes and he's certainly cuter than that "other" UF quarterback.

4: Erik Ainge (Tennessee) - La Sportschica loves a tall, slender boy with dark hair! Erik is as slender as he can be for being a muscular QB. He's a cutie!

3: Brandon Cox (Auburn) - This kid has beautiful dark, wavy hair. Plus, have you seen him with his shirt off??!! Wow!

2: Greg Olsen (Miami) - Now, I'm not a big fan of blond hair but when Greg takes off his helmet and his golden locks make an appearance....YUM, YUM, YUM!

1: Brady Quinn (Notre Dame) - Oh my. Everything about Brady is hot. His hair is fun and dark. La Sportschica especially loves his arms; they are a perfect size. He's just a good looking guy anyway you cut it. He's my number 1 HOTTIE this season.

Whew!

Who's Number 2?
First off, why does Ohio State have to remain at number 1? I know my only Buckeye friend is going to have a field day with this one but, a chica has to express her opinions!

The Coaches Poll has USC at number 2 while the AP Poll has Florida at number 2. What the "bleep"???!!! Again, I am not tootin' the SEC or Florida but USC barely beat an unranked Washington Husky team while meanwhile, on the other side of the country, Florida decisively beat a number 9 LSU team.

I could understand it if USC had won the national title last year but guess what, they did not. This is not the same team from a year ago so quit giving them the same props! Also, the only ranked team USC has beaten so far this year is number 21 Nebraska (they were ranked #19 at that time). Give me a freaking break.

Florida has beaten 2 ranked teams in the same timeframe. Please don't get me wrong, I hate Florida. I'm sick of hearing about Steve Spurrier; I'm sick of hearing Gator fans talk about Steve Spurrier. Gator peeps, nobody cares about him except for you guys and ya'll should get over him too!! Move on.

However, here's the thing, I'm all about fairness in sports and especially regarding college football. The Gators deserve the number 2 ranking this week and if they beat Auburn this weekend, they deserve to jump over Ohio State and be number 1.

Weekend Observations
While watching sports over the weekend, a lot of random thoughts come into my head. Some of them are just plain wacky and I'm probably the only one who gets it, but maybe others do too so I post them. Here they are for this past weekend:

Mitch Mustain (Arkansas Razorbacks) - now that my friends, is a quarterback's name! I love it.

Have you guys seen the way the Auburn team comes out of the tunnel? They come out with their arms interlocked with the coach in the middle, does anyone else think this looks queer? Here are a bunch of big tough guys coming out to fight a "battle" and they come out arm in arm in a cloud of smoke. Um, I'm a chick and I think they look like sissy mama's boys!

And by the way, the "cloud of smoke" that almost every college team uses now to make an entrance was started where??? That's right, at the University of Miami! The 'Canes were the first college team to do it. Just an fyi in case you're asked during a trivia game.

Officiating is just horrible this season in college football. Even with the replays, these guys are making horrible calls. And I know they're just human but give me a break. During the LSU/Florida game, there were 2 blantantly bad calls against LSU. One of them was a phantom holding call that resulted in a touchdown being called back; the very next play, the Tigers fumbled the ball.

I'm not saying the call caused the fumble or was the reason LSU lost, but it did cost the Tigers the much needed 7 points. La Sportschica is very sensitive regarding poor officiating and bad calls (see Fiesta Bowl); I really feel that in college football it is doubly hard for a team to mentally and emotionally come back from these horrible injustices. I know I'm going to get a lot of smack about this but I don't care; I feel very strongly about this.

The next time you watch a South Carolina Gamecocks game, count how many times the game analysts say "Steve Spurrier". I had to flip the channel!

I have 2 things to say about the University of Georgia: 1) I love UGA (the dog)! I'm not a Dawg fan but by God, that is the best mascot in sports! God bless UGA (the dog). 2) If I have to hear one more time how Joe Tereshinski's father and grandfather played for Georgia, I may jump off a bridge during Atlanta rush hour traffic and everyone will suffer.

Speaking of 2nd and 3rd generation players, during the Carolina/Kentucky game, I noticed a player with this on the back of his jersey: Lyons Jr. Now this is my question, does his father currently play on the team? I mean is there a reason they have to specify that he is a "jr" on the back of his playing jersey? I'm just saying.

Peeuuuwww (spelling?), the Miami Dolphins stink!!! What is going on in South Florida? Also, what was going on with the Patriots home field? Somebody needs to fire the groundspeople because that field is horrible.

Lastly, on to baseball, kudos to the Detroit Tigers for beating the New York Yankees!!!

Question of the Day
Why is Louisiana Tech in the WAC? That's the Western Athletic Conference to those of you freaks who don't know. Last I checked, Louisiana was not out West.

Here are the other schools in the WAC:
Boise State
Idaho
Fresno State
San Jose State
New Mexico State
Nevada
Hawaii
Utah State

These schools make sense being in the WAC but LA Tech??!! Is anyone else troubled by this?

I have another question for today: Where was the Florida State band during last night's game against NC State? And why was there some random band playing in their place?

I've got a lot of questions!

Picks and Opinions
Let's just get right to it, shall we?

#17 Florida State vs NC State
This is a battle of coaches I like to make fun of, one has won a couple of national titles and has had a storied career at his respective program. The other hasn't done shit but is still around. That cracks la Sportschica up! I'm talking about NC State coach Chuck Amato, of course. Poor Wolfpack fans, I'm so glad I'm not one of them. I'll go with FSU over NC State.

#15 Clemson vs Wake Forest
Given that the Demon Deacons are 5-0, I think they're worthy of appearing on my picks. I haven't seen them play though so I don't know what to expect. I've seen Clemson play, however, and they look pretty good. So, sadly, I'm going with Clemson over Wake.

#9 LSU vs #5 Florida
Oh, here we go! This will be the toughest defense that the Gators have seen so far this year, in my opinion. Yes it's in the swamp, yes the Gators are ranked higher than the Tigers but NO, I'm not picking Florida to win. I'm going with LSU barely beating the Gators at home. Oh, sssnnnaaap!

#7 Texas vs #14 Oklahoma
This is my weekly "who cares" game but it's a big rivalry so it's in here. I'm going to go with Texas here.

#13 Tennessee vs #10 Georgia
The fact that Georgia has looked like a slightly better version of Miami (that's not good, btw) thus far makes me think that Tennessee is going to beat up on the Dawgs. Georgia has struggled against less than mediocre teams so the Volunteers win in Athens.

#11 Oregon vs #16 California
For the 3% of people who care about PAC 10 football, here you go. I'm going to go with Oregon on the road. C-R-A-Z-Y.

Send Me Your Thoughts
I mean it when I say that I welcome your comments. Some of you are a bit nasty but the majority of the "commentators" have been cool so keep 'em coming.

With that said, I want to know what you guys think about this: Finish The Drill (one of my posters) asked a very good question about the BCS title game and the SEC. What if another SEC team goes unbeaten and gets left out of the national championship game yet again?

Again, la Sportschica does not want to toot the SEC's horn but I will concede that the conference is very strong this year. I thought it was down last year but this season is different.

And you all know I'm not a Gator fan; hell, I don't care for 98% of their fans (I had to get that off my chest) but if Florida goes through their next 3 games unscathed then I think they should move up to #2 in the polls. What do you think?

And sincere apologies to my UGA peeps, but are the Dawgs deserving of a top 10 ranking at this point??? They have yet to play a ranked opponent and struggled against the last 2. I'm just saying.

Weekend Observations
Once again, here's my stream of consiousness while watching football this past weekend.

You've got to love the twins' names who play for the South Carolina Gamecocks: Casper and Jasper Brinkley. 'Nuff said!

Staying with the Auburn/Carolina game, how many articles of clothing was Tommy Tuberville wearing? I counted 2 shirts plus a sweater vest (yep, I counted). Was it that cold in Columbia or did Tommy raid Jim Tressel's closet?

There are 3 ESPN commercials that are played during the games that I think are hilarious and don't mind watching:
1) the ESPN credit card one with the wife and the wardrobe
2) the "College Football Lives Here" segments
3) the "Briscoe High School" ones with Don Shula, Jimmy Johnson and Lee Corso as the school mascot

This is unrelated to sports but it made me laugh out loud Thursday night while flipping between the Auburn/Carolina game and My Name Is Earl. If you watch the show then all I have to say is: "Buttbag, you know, it's a bag of butts". HA!

What do you guys think about Erin Andrews? I think she's okay but I liked Jill Arrington better and speaking of Jill, where the hell is she? She disappeared from college football faster than Ole Miss' lead against Georgia.

Does anyone else think that Friday Night Football is weird? Don't get me wrong, I'm happy there's a game to watch but it's just weird! For one, I've never heard of the game analysts or the on-field girl, Tina Dixon (who's that?). Plus, Tina may need to fire her hair stylist.....I'm just saying. I will say this, the Friday night game between Rutgers and S. Florida was a fun one.

Virginia Tech coach, Frank Beamer, has decided that he is going to punish each one of his players who commits a flagrant foul by charging him $100 per incident. Here's what I want to know, how much are Va Tech's players getting paid in Blacksburg??? Okay seriously, he's taking the money away from their per diem for the bowl game, but still, how much does each player receive?

Can ya give la Sportschica a little credit for picking Georgia Tech over Virginia Tech???!!! Where is the "anonymous" comment monger who gave me grief for miscalculating the Auburn margin of victory over South Carolina? Oh right, he's too busy dogging every other team's schedule except for Florida's.

I will admit UF has a tough schedule this year, but quit your bitching and until your team has won more than 1 national championship in 100 years, I don't care what you have to say. How's that for a "rebut"? Which reminds me, it's my blog, asshole, and I can "rebut" anything I want!!!!

Just how old is Joe Gibbs???

Who called the 2 point conversion play made by the Miami Dolphins yesterday? Sheesh, is every team in Miami doomed this year with a horrible offense? Nick Saban should be bitch slapped for allowing that play to be run. And he should also receive a beat down for passing on Drew Brees for Daunte Culpepper. Culpepper SUCKS!

Speaking of beat downs, did everyone see the Tennesse player who stepped (with his cleats) on the Dallas Cowboy? For those of you who did not see it, Tennessee Titan, Albert Haynesworth, deliberately stepped on Dallas' Andre Gurode's face during the game yesterday. Check it out here: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2609563

In la Sportschica's humble opinion, that jackass should be kicked out of football.