Sixth Year Seniors

The Big 12 could have every team make the tournament. Duke has to wade through the ACC without Coach K. Can't forget Louisville and California, as much as we want. The WAC geography doesn't make sense, but the basketball does. The Atlantic 10 keeps expanding, but isn't getting better. Don't punish the Mountain West for last year's tourney record. The American East's new addition in Bryant could be an immediate contender.

Three Mortgage Plays to close out the bowl season, plus thoughts on both semi-finals and all the championship possibilities. And we take one more shot at the NCAA and its inept handling of the sport of college football.

From title contenders Purdue, Houston and Connecticut to teams trying to get out of the first-day play-in games, we review 16 of the 32 Division 1 college basketball conferences. Ohio Valley lost 16 of its last 17 champions, and might be looking at a March Madness play-in game. SWAC schools forged an agreement with the Pac-12, and now have marquee wins. Atlantic Sun's best teams aren't eligible for the NCAA tournament. The Southern and Sun Belt have at-large possibilities, and are must-watch mid-major conferences.

Looking back on the career and character of Mike Leach. Then we find a pair of bowl games worth cashing out your 401K and making the holidays merry.

Trying to find some feel-good stories in a week of Leach, Wahl and Beard. How about Army/Navy overtime excitement? Maybe a one-armed freshman at Northwestern State? Connecticut and Purdue newly atop the basketball rankings? We have you covered.

Get wild and weird with 41 bowls, 82 teams and far fewer restraints than the NCAA and ESPN have in putting together the college football bowl season. We end up with games like...--Alabama in the Sugar Bowl but not the "home" team--The Mack Brown Bowl--Fresno revenge with a healthy Jake Haener--John Rhys Plumlee plays QB against his old team--Liberty in Las Vegas and Utah State in New Orleans

The correct four teams are in the playoffs, even if USC would have done better by giving its spot in the Pac-12 title game to Washington because the Trojans had more important games ahead. The Pythagorean Theory should have been used to decide the Big 12 title game. Will Deion's success--and players--follow him to Colorado? And live updates from the North Carolina women's soccer title match.

Mortgage Plays on the Pac-12 and ACC title games highlight a short week in college football. But there's plenty of room for rants about North Carolina hoops and poor officiating overall.

Michigan might match up with Georgia. TCU seems like the team of destiny. Maybe the college football playoffs are as predictable as we think. But that fourth team still needs to be decided. Could the team we dare not speak of get back into the picture?

A pair of two-touchdown underdogs are Mortgage Plays in the final regular-season week of the college football season. Also, we split sides on the Big Game and have some fun with the Big 10 West.