Tressel with yet another horribly coached game against USC

It probably would not have changed the final outcome of the game, but Ohio State coach Jim Tressel was again outcoached in a big game.

With the offense sputtering behind quarterback Todd Boeckman, freshman Terrell Pryor should have been in the game on every play. However, Tressel kept sending out Boeckman, a move that completely backfired in a blowout game.

Early in the game, Ohio State rotated Boeckman and Pryor in and out of the game. Announcer Brent Musberger noticed that when Pryor was in everyone on the sideline was up off the bench and watching in anticipation. The offense looked like it had life when he was in, and it kep the USC defense honest with the threat of the run.

Instead, Tressel kept going back to Boeckman, even as he commited mistake after mistake and the offense looked dead.

Tressel has been criticized before, for his coaching in two championship blowouts the past two years. And yet he continues to make bad decisions.

USC was clearly the better team tonight and most likely would have won no matter what. Having Pryor in the game would have made somewhat of a difference though.

A championship is now out of question for the Buckeyes and it's time to make Pryor the starter.

As far as this years team, the USC fans summed things up pretty good with their chant of "overrated."

College basketball suffering with players leaving early

While college basketball players move on to the NBA to make millions, the game of college basketball and its fans suffer.

With the likes of Greg Oden, Mike Conley Jr. and Daequan Cook headed to the NBA, the Ohio State Buckeyes will field a much differently looking team next season.

Is this really a good thing for college basketball?

I say no and here's why: I am not a big basketball fan and I am not and Ohio State fan. But I'll admit that watching the Buckeyes through the NCAA tournament, I couldn't help but cheer for OSU and grow a liking for their players. I got to know the team.

Now what happens? It's like starting over next year. I am not prone to follow the Buckeys from the start because I will not know to many of its players.

It is hard to imagine, but all three guys could have remained at Ohio State for three more years.

I understand why they are leaving and I am not saying the should not leave.

But it is the rule that allows them to leave that is no good. The rule changed to now allow a high schooler to declare for the draft to completing one year of college before declaring.

It is worse now. At least I did not develop a liking for LeBron Janes at Ohio State. But I did for Oden and Conley. I got a taste of their greatness and now they are gone. They do not have a connection with Ohio State. I likely will forget about them in the NBA.

Look at the top college basketball teams and where they are - Ohio State, Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, etc. These towns are college basketball towns. They do not have NBA teams close by. These players that leave early will be forgotten.

It's just not right for the game of college basketball or its fans.

Right on in this years NCAA bracket

Too bad I did not put money on this year's NCAA bracket.

For once, I finally did well. And it may never happen again.

In what tends to be completely unpredictable, this year's March Madness seemed to have a little less madness. Sure, there were upsets. But in the end, the better teams advanced late into the tournament.

I picked three of the Final Four teams coreectly in Florida, Ohio State, and UCLA. The only team I failed to pick correctly was Georgetown, which came back late in the previous round to beat the team I picked, North Carolina.

I also picked the final two teams correctly (Florida and Ohio State) and correctly picked the champion Florida Gators, winning my pool.

Maybe it was a knack for knowing college basketball. Hardly.

How about luck - yeah, that's more like it.

It may never happen again. But for one March I came out on top.

March Madness brings out the fan in me

I am not a basketball fan. Never have been. Never will be.

But thanks to games like today's between Ohio State and Xavier, I can't help but become a fan of the game during March Madness.

Down by three with less than three seconds left, Ohio State's Ron Lewis nailed a deep three pointer to tie the game and send it into overtime. I raised my arm in joy. You would have thoughts I had been a basketball fan for life.

But how could I not be excited? Talk about a tense moment with a thrilling ending.

Freshman Mike Conley took over the game in overtime, leading the Buckeyes to a 78-71 win and a trip to the Sweet 16.

There is another aspect to the excitement, you see - the bracket.

Not only did the game today excite me because of the finish, but I have the Buckeyes going to the finals in my NCAA bracket. Had they lost, I would have been in big trouble.

There is nothing like keeping track of games, marking off the wins and hoping that you have enough luck to pick the right teams.

Luck is the key word here. I got a laugh out of my father, who sent me his filled out bracket asking me what I thought. My response: your guesses are as good as mine.

I don't know much about college basketball. Yet it brings out a sense of excitement (I am currently 25-8 in my picks).

The exciting finishes, the thrilling upsets, keeping track of brackets - there is something for everyone in March Madness. Even for people like me who are not even basketball fans.

Thoughts on an Ohio State/Michigan rematch

I can't help but root for controversy in the BCS, hoping year after year that it will push the NCAA to move to a playoff system.

One of these years, right?

For now, I am rooting for a rematch between the number one Buckeyes and number two Wolverines. This would cause a big stir among college football fans, many of whom do not want to see this happen.

If USC wins out, they will move into the second spot to play for a national title game, but they must first get by Notre Dame tonight.

But who should really be playing for a title?

In my opinion, there are only three deserving teams. The Buckeyes are clearly the best team and have already punched their ticket to Arizona. That leaves Michigan and USC.

The Trojans lost to unranked Oregon State and barely squeaked by Washington State and Washington. The Wolverines lost in a close game to Ohio State and won big at Notre Dame, who at the time was ranked second in the nation.

I give the edge to Notre Dame.

Which poses the question, should there be a rematch?

Many people would say no because these two teams just played and Michigan already had its shot. But what if they had played earlier in the season? This argument would not be there. It's not Michigan's fault they just played.

For a little while, I felt that Michigan did not win the big ten and that they do not deserve a shot at the title. After all, in professional sports, it is not always the best team who plays in the championship.

But this is not how the BCS is set up.

The goal is for the top two teams to play. And clearly, this is Ohio State and Michigan. That's pretty clear to me.

Tonight's game between USC and Notre Dame will tell a lot.

Personally, I am just rooting for controversy.

Layoff for Buckeyes is absurd

Imagine playing in the biggest game of your life and then having to wait 51 days to play in an even bigger game.

That is exactly what the Ohio State Buckeyes have to do.

After defeating Michigan 42-39 in one of the most hyped regular season games in NCAA history, the Buckeyes will have to sit around and wait for a shot at claiming the national title.

I'm sorry, but the team we see on January 8 will not be the same as the team we saw yesterday. All of the emotion from yesterday's win will have faded. Long gone will be the feel of playing in game situations.

51 days - that is ridiculous.

Which makes me wonder even more, why is it that we can't have playoffs?

Does Michigan deserve a rematch against Ohio State?

Let the debate of college football begin.

Ohio State clinched a trip to play in the National Championship game with an exciting 42-39 win over rival Michigan today. But where does that leave the Wolverines?

Most likely out of the National Championhsip game, although they are clearly the second best team in the nation.

It's unfortunate for the Wolverines and their fans. Or is it?

One way to look at this is that the two best teams should be playing for the title, no matter if they are in the same division or if they have already played. It is obvious that these teams are well matched. Michigan has only one loss this season and it came at the hands of the top team in the nation. Other one loss teams have fell to much lesser opponents.

In looking at it this way, the BCS has its faults. There is a very good chance Ohio State and Michigan will not play in the title game.

But what if we look at this a different way. Maybe the top two teams should not play for a national championship. After all, do the top two teams always play in the finals in other sports?

The answer is no.

St. Louis won the World Series this year after winning only 83 games. Pittsburgh won the Super Bowl last year after making it as the last seed in the AFC.

So maybe all that really matters is winning your conference, which Michigan did not do with its loss today.

Ohio State did win the Big East and they deserve to play for a championship.

And while Michigan certainly has a valid argument that they should have a shot at the title, maybe they don't deserve it.

I'll leave your opinion up to you.

Either way, I still think there should be playoffs.