No, there wasn’t as much mayhem in college football this weekend, but the relative predictability of the results gave us a picture of the teams in the hunt for the national championship – and it is clear no conference has more championship caliber teams than the Big 12.

The Oklahoma Sooners, ranked first in the nation for the second week, have yet to play legitimate competition. They scored more than 50 points in each of their first three games and after a 49-17 trouncing of Baylor on Saturday, the nation’s top team is 5-0. Normally, reading anything into wins over five weak teams would mean very little, but in an era of Appalachian States and Oregon States, performing to expectations and not falling asleep can say a lot. Sophomore quarterback Sam Bradford is mature and has two good targets in senior receivers Manuel Johnson and Juaquin Iglesias. Thus far, the defense has been stifling.

The Sooners will face their first true test against the feisty Texas Longhorns, fifth in the nation, this coming weekend. This will be a crucial barometer test for both teams who will look to establish themselves as the BCS contender out of the Big 12 and the probably winner of the Big 12 South. Texas has begun to reap the rewards of third year junior starting quarterback Colt McCoy. McCoy wills the offense to score. If he can’t throw the ball, he will run with some surprising quickness. In addition to his 16 touchdown passes this season and he also leads the team in total rush yards, yards per carry (7.0). Texas’ youthful but stingy defense has also been key to the Longhorn’s success.

After traveling to Oklahoma, the Longhorns will host the third BCS contender out of the Big 12 – Missouri, ranked third in the country. Oklahoma, Texas and Missouri could easily fill the top three rankings in the nation. Missouri boasts the best offense in the nation averaging more than 53 points per game. The Tigers defense made a strong stand at Nebraska to ensure the easy 52-17 victory over the Cornhuskers last Saturday – their first victory there in 30 years. Mizzou is lead by Heisman candidate Chase Daniel who has thrown 15 touchdowns and only one pick back on Aug. 30 against Illinois. Sophomore tailback Derrick Washington completes the Tiger’s offensive juggernaut. Washington has run for two touchdowns in each of Missouri’s first five games and has also caught two. He ran for 139 yards against Nebraska averaging 9.9 yards per carry. The Tigers will go to Texas on Oct. 18 to play for what could be a chance at a first place national ranking.

Like last year, the likelihood of two undefeated teams playing for the BCS championship is slim. Missouri, Texas and Oklahoma (all 5-0 right now) could all each hand a losses to each other, especially if Missouri meets Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship game. You can bet on one of these three teams making it to the national championship game on New Year’s.

Dizzy yet? If you watched college football this week, you are. When the dust settled, eight teams nationally ranked in the Associated Press top 25 at the time lost. Among the eight were the first, third, and fourth-ranked teams – USC, Georgia and Florida. Among the top ten other victims was ninth-ranked Wisconsin. The survivors in the top ten included Oklahoma, LSU, Missouri (had a bye) and Texas Tech (had a bye) – ranked second, fifth, sixth and tenth respectively.

USC unfurled the chaos on Thursday with a loss to Oregon State 27-21 in which the Trojans were behind 21-0 at halftime. Meanwhile, Georgia’s loss Saturday night to Alabama was perhaps the most legitimate out of the top ten. The Bulldogs never held a lead in the game, and the youthful Crimson Tide swept them away 41-30. The Florida Gators fell to Ole Miss 31-30 after having an extra point blocked with 40 seconds left in the game. Last year’s Heisman winner Tim Tebow passed for 319 yards but only one touchdown in the loss.

No preseason analyst could have predicted this week’s AP rankings with the Oklahoma Sooners ahead of the Crimson Tide. Oklahoma has yet to face a respectable opponent, but on Oct. 11, they will host the constantly maturing Colt McCoy and the feisty Texas Longhorns.

Ranked second this week is Alabama who has one of the toughest schedules in the NCAA. How good are the Tide? Knowing mastermind head coach Nick Saban, the sky is the limit for this team’s return to glory. Quarterback John Parker Wilson will lead his team into the bayou, where Saban won a national title, to face LSU, currently the third best team in the country, on Nov. 8.

The SEC is the most dangerous conference in college football. On a given day, anyone can fall. Ask Florida who third-ranked LSU will face the Gators in the swamp on Oct. 11. Many people will not recognize the Tigers, but they are as feisty and athletic as ever. LSU already faced a stiff test when they won at 13-ranked Auburn 26-21. However, the Tigers will depend on the continuing development of their 19-year-old quarterback Jarrett Lee.

The next two teams in the top five are out of the Big 12 who could be the best league in the NCAA this season. Fourth-ranked Missouri, behind Heisman finalist and hopeful Chase Daniel, boasts one of the best offenses in the country. Daniel loves passing to the dangerous sophomore wide-out Derrick Washington. This Saturday neither of the two will be taking their trip to Nebraska lightly even if the Cornhuskers are not the program they used to be.

Who will rise to the top in the Big 12? The eyes of Texas hope it’s the Longhorns whose dreams lie in the extremely talented and versatile McCoy at quarterback. Texas’ road is no party and even traveling to Colorado this Saturday cannot be taken lightly. After that, the Longhorns face four opponents currently ranked in the AP – Oklahoma, fourth-ranked Missouri, 21-ranked Oklahoma State and seven-ranked Texas Tech.

Only one Big Ten team found themselves in the top ten this week, but the Penn State Nittany Lions deserve the sixth spot. This team is a juggernaut offensively. JoePa’s crew will roll into the ‘Shoe on Oct. 25 and may well be the favorite in the game. If Penn State does not lapse, they will run away with the Big Ten championship.

Other teams of intrigue include the eighth-ranked BYU Cougars out of the feisty, spoiler-mined Mountain West Conference which also includes 15-ranked Utah. The BCS will probably not be kind enough to the Cougars to put them in the national title game if they go undefeated given the number of talented teams in the Big 12 and SEC, but they might find themselves in a big bowl game if they can go to Utah and win on Nov. 22.

While it looks like the cream will rise to the top in the BCS, college football is only going into week six of play. It’s entirely possible that no team will go undefeated – then the riot will begin. Perhaps the days of undefeated teams are behind us. In the meantime, my national title pick? Penn State over Missouri 38-35 on a game-winning field goal and Paterno finally decides to retire.

On Thursday night, the Los Angeles Lakers were going to erase the Boston Celtics 2-1 series lead in the NBA Finals. Forwards Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol awoke with a fury in the first quarter to build a dominating 35-14 lead. By halftime, the lead was still 18.

Soon, its seemed the series would be tied 2-2 and the Championship would be anyone’s for the taking. Odom and Gasol would finish the night with double-doubles, 19 points and 10 rebounds for Odom and 17 points and 10 rebounds for Gasol. It was picture perfect in the Staples Center in Los Angeles – for the first half.

The second half belonged to the Celtics, and they sent that message with a 31-15 third quarter to virtually erase the Lakers’ halftime lead. In Game 2, the Lakers pulled within two points after being down 24 points, but the Celtics survived. In Game 4, the Lakers would not. The fourth quarter included a 21-3 run by the Celtics over the last five minutes.

With just over four minutes remaining in the game, the Celtics took their first lead, 84-83, on a long Eddie House jump shot. House has seen increased minutes due to the ankle injury of the Celtics’ explosive starting point guard Rajon Rondo. House had 11 points and no turnovers in the game.

Kobe Bryant finished the game with 17 points and 10 assists, while the unlikely star of Game 3, Sasha Vujacic only managed three points off the bench compared to his previous outing’s 20. As time ran out on the Lakers opportunity to tie the series, the Celtics celebrated a 3-1 series lead behind a 97-91 win.

Celtics forward Paul Pierce, quiet in game 3, had a game high 20 points with seven assists. Guard Ray Allen, who had been so ineffective early in the playoffs, had 19 points and nine rebounds. Meanwhile forward James Posey exploded from the bench for 18 points while starter Kevin Garnett turned in a solid 16 point, 11 rebound performance.

The 18 point halftime deficit and comeback in the NBA Finals is the second largest in NBA history. 60 years ago, the Baltimore Bullets were down 21 points at halftime to the Philadelphia Warriors before coming back and winning the game.

Undoubtedly, this game will go down as one of the most memorable in one of sports’ most storied match-ups between two teams that have 30 NBA Titles between them – the Celtics and Lakers have met 11 previous times in the Finals.

The Celtics, with the dramatic win, are now a Game 5 Father’s Day victory from an unlikely NBA Championship. Game 4 embodied the team that has spent the entire season coming back after a 24-58 season in 2007. The turn around from second worst team in the NBA to potential champion is the biggest year-to-year turn around in NBA history.

The Lakers will host game 5 on Sunday, Father’s Day, at 9:00pm on ABC.

10 reasons to believe in the Cubs this year

1. Carlos Zambrano

Zambrano is an emotional fireballer. He is not just a pitcher – he’s a ball player. He hits, he screams, he wins. Zambrano holds his team accountable and makes everyone play harder.

2. Kerry Wood and the Relief

Everyone feels good about putting Kerry Wood in to finish the game. Wood has 18 saves. Overall, the relief has been consistent. Relief pitching is the X-factor late in the season and in the playoffs, an X-factor the Cubs will need in their favor.

3. The Riot

Ryan Theriot at shortstop has been a wall defensively and superbly consistent offensively. A solid shortstop like The Riot sets a tone for the Cubs defense.

4. Lilly, Dempster, Marquis and Gallagher

Lilly plays a crucial role as the only starting southpaw at the moment, and he is filling that role well despite a 5-5 record. Meanwhile, Ryan Dempster is 7-2 – more than you could ever ask from the third starter. Like wise Maquis and Gallagher each have four wins. If both of the two approach 15 wins this season, it will surely be a positive sign for the Cubs record.

5. Geovany Soto

Soto has, bottom line, solved their catching problems of the previous years, especially since the somewhat finicky Zambrano loves to pitch to him. Meanwhile, the youngster has hit ten homeruns and knocked in 39 RBI.

6. The Numbers

The Cubs have the best record in MLB. Offensively, they rank first in batting average (.282), runs (352), on base percentage (.361) and on base percentage plus slugging (.806). Their pitching staff ranks first in earned run average (3.67) and in saves (23). Additionally, the Cubs rank second in earned run average with runners in scoring position (1.29), third in slugging percentage (.445), batting average against (.244) and opponent’s OPS (.711).

7. History

The Cubs started June with the best record in baseball. When was the last time this happened? It’s too perfect – 1908.

8. The NL Central

Every team in the NL Central has proven itself to be significantly vulnerable in some way. That said, the Cubs have, by far, the fewest cracks in the armor. The St. Louis Cardinals are a mere two and a half games back, but their offense does not stack up to the Cubs. Late in the season, the Cubs will have to prove their pitching, while statistically better right now, can outlast the Cards.

9. Kosuke Fukudome and Alfonso Soriano

Aside from both having really cool names and both being outfielders, these two play very different yet integral roles for the Cubs. Fukudome has a gun from right field and is very, very solid covering that territory. Meanwhile he is batting a respectable .292. Soriano, meanwhile, is more or less a disaster defensively, but he gets the big money to hit lead off homeruns, steal bases and make the occasional circus catch to make up for the botched pop-up error. Soriano has hit 15 homeruns, batted in 40 runs and is hitting .279.

10. Steve Goodman

Hearing Wrigley Field belt out Goodman’s track Go Cubs Go after a Cubbies win is fantastic. It’d make Harray Carrey proud.

10 reasons to not believe in the Cubs this year

1. Carlos Zambrano

Zambrano’s temper can be somewhat… Rasheed Wallace-esque. That is, passionate, but ultimately damaging to the team in a given game. Furthermore, if he gets hurt sliding head first into second, the Cubs have no ace pitcher.

2. Sweet Lou

Manager Lou Pinella’s appearance on the bad portion of this blog is questionable. However, Lou’s history precedes him – he hasn’t won a World Series since 1990.

3. Goats

Stupid goat.

4. The Cards

How good are the St. Louis Cardinals? We’ll see. At the very least, they’re consistent and find ways to win. If the Cubs are a pre-All-Star-Break fluke, the Cardinals will have no problems taking over the NL Central Division.

5. Marquis and Gallagher

The fourth and fifth pitchers in the rotation can make the difference between an average team or a great team. When they win 10 to 15 games, that’s outstanding. When they’re an ERA menace, there’s a lot of pressure on the offense to produce. Keep winning boys, and the Cubs will too.

6. Alfonso Soriano

Did I mention that Soriano can’t play defense? This may prove to be a problem in the post season when every out counts, but for now, Soriano’s offensive production will outweigh any misplayed ball in left field.

7. Steve Bartman

Jerk.

8. Wild Card’s Wild

If the Cubs fall behind, they will have to contend with a feisty NL Wild Card race. There is too much parity on the National League to count on a wild card bid into the post-season.

9. Derrek Lee

Derrek Lee doesn’t deserve to appear on this portion of the blog exclusively, but he appears here because of this – so goes Derrek Lee go the Cubs.

10. The AL

Even if the Cubs make it to the World Series, can they compete with the likes of the Boston Red Sox or Anaheim Angels?

30 years. Many tries, no winners. Real Quiet. Charismatic. War Emblem. Funny Cide. Smarty Jones. Since Affirmed in 1978, no horse has been able to win the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes – the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. Big Brown speedily, almost effortlessly, won the first two contests, not unlike many hopefuls since Affirmed.

The Belmont is last for a reason. The Belmont is spaced a week later than the other two for a reason – the grueling mile and a half. For Big Brown, the mile and a half came with humidity and 93 degrees. But Big Brown was calm. He went into the gate as a massive favorite, his best competition, Casino Drive, scratched in the morning. Big Brown and his jockey Kent Desormeaux got out of the gate cleanly.

He drew the rail earlier in the week, but Desormeaux steered him easily to the outside. He stuck around in third behind Da’Tara and Denis of Cork, but could never make a break – Da’Tara, with 1-38 odds, did and led wire-to-wire. 100,000 fans waited and waited for Big Brown to show a burst of speed, but it never came. Seeing the Crown fade away, Desormeaux slowed Big Brown, who was not injured in the race, to further ensure the horse not be injured.

There were two other Triple Crown winners in the 1970s – Seattle Slew in 1977 and the legendary Secretariat in 1973 who still holds the time record for the Belmont Stakes which he won by 31 lengths in 1973. Da’Tara’s win marked the second time trainer Nick Zito has upset a potential Triple Crown. Zito upset Funny Cide in 2003. Desormeaux rode was aboard Real Quiet when he lost the Belmont and the Triple Crown by a nose in 1998.

As a Detroit Tigers fan, when should I start panicking? Should it have been when we lost our first seven games, including the first three to the recently no-hit Kansas City Royals? Probably. The Tigers, by the way, are only one game ahead of the Royals who are last in the AL Central. Or maybe, I should have panicked even earlier, when fire ball throwing reliever Joel Zumaya hurt his arm escaping a southern California forest fire. (A bit of good news there. Zumaya, in rehab outings, has been hitting 100mph.) Or, perhaps I should start panicking now that we’re eleven games under .500. Or knowing that from today, we’d have to go 18-8 to be even by the All-Star Break. Or how about our ace and 2006 rookie of the year Justin Verlander and his 2-8 record. Or maybe it’s the two people in the batting order hitting above .300. Was Curtis Granderson’s broken hand a bad omen? Or maybe I should’ve worried about the payroll – second in the MLB to the New York Yankees. What do those millions do to players?

Who knows. You could have started panicked whenever you wanted, and perhaps you’re not panicking yet. You’re waiting until after the All-Star Break. The coveted All-Star Break. The fans are hoping the Tigers can hang on until then. In 2007, the Tigers were sub-.500 after the All-Star Break. The diehards are sure the Tigers are doing the reverse this season.

In the relatively and surprisingly weak AL Central division, a strong turnaround could put them in the playoffs. The White Sox are playing well now, but they will not sustain it. Cleveland is not playing well in a similar fashion as the Tigers, except they’re staying afloat. If the Indians get hot, they are World Series contenders. Minnesota will not be able to hang around. Detroit cannot count on the Wild Card either. If Tampa Bay hangs around in the AL East, they might have a better record than some of the division leaders. Anything less than the playoffs from a team the caliber of the Detroit Tigers is a failure. That is the same standard the Yankees and Red Sox are held to, and the Tigers are shelling out the money to be among those two teams.

At this point, you have to wonder about the management. A very sage man, my father, observed at the beginning of the 2006 (Mind you, they were good at this time.), “You know, really, Alan Trammell put this team together.” Now, I don’t necessarily agree with this statement, but think about it for awhile. Didn’t he? Jim Leyland has won his share of World Series, but he’s also bounced around and been in and out of the league. I like Leyland. I think he’s a good manager, but it would be a mistake for anyone, including the Tigers organization, to think he’s infallible.

The Tigers are lacking the heart and sense of urgency, especially in the pitching staff, to make a major winning push. You know who had a lot of heart? Brandon Inge. Just saying. But it was heart and an underdog mentality that made 2006 magical. The winning left with the humility it seems. Clearly, their troubles are all in their heads. We’re also having trouble hitting the opponent’s aces. On several occasions, Verlander has allowed two or three runs or less and lost. Again, there is no pitcher in the MLB that should beat our line-up.

I’ve been to two games so far this season. The Detroit Tigers won both. In the first game on April 15 against the Twins, the Tigers notched their fourth win of the season in comeback fashion 6-5. On May 24, they beat the Twins again, 19-3. In each win, we looked like the team we should be all of the time – scrappy, with clutch and even lockdown pitching. The Tigers hit for power in each game.

Only the Tigers themselves know what it would take to maintain this kind of play, but perhaps we lack the leadership to make sure it happens. The Red Sox have Jason Varitek. The Cubs have Carlos Zambrano. You could even see an all star team like the Yankees and wonder if they have a quarterback so to speak, and if you have to wonder that about the Yankees, you have to wonder it about the Tigers too. I give Curtis Granderson, however, a lot of credit for bringing some heart and energy back into the team with his return. He may never be the type of player to take on a captain-type roll, but he will lead with his play. The Tigers need to follow suit!

The Lakers and the Celtics are playing for the NBA championship. For any sports fan, the match up is enough to give you goose bumps. It is one of the most storied rivalries in sports – certainly in the top ten all time. Magic Johnson versus Larry Bird, it’s a beautiful thing. Now, history has come together again – Kobe, Gasol and the Boston Three Party.

But there was another team in the mix at this time, a team that beat up on Boston and the Lakers on an occasion, a team that could shut down Michael Jordan back in the day – the Pistons. Where are they now? Sitting at home, for the third year in a row. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. A good team, short of dynasty because they’re short on championships.

The Pistons have made a move to change their fortune by firing head coach Flip Saunders. This was a great move. Clearly, the players had tuned him out. The Pistons organization is running the risk of becoming the Atlanta Braves of basketball – winning all the time, but not the games that count. As far as a replacement goes, the worst potential move would be hiring former Mavericks coach Avery Johnson, who couldn’t win in the playoffs either. The Pistons are playing for championships, not winning records or playoff appearances.

The Pistons are poised to move into a potentially tumultuous transition period. There are some great young players on the roster, but when Billups, Rip, Prince and ‘Sheed are all on the chopping block, things will change drastically. And eventually, they’ll have to. The reality is that these guys are getting older, but the Pistons have gotten to enjoy one of the most consistent and talented and underrated line-ups in the league. While it’d be nice to keep these guys together forever, the Pistons need to get younger and more explosive.

The most important keeps? Tayshaun Prince who can defend anyone in the league and/or Richard Hamilton who scores consistently. Billups is an amazing guard, but Mr. Big Shot lacks the charisma a younger team needs. Billups does well on a team of veterans with good chemistry, but soon, we’re going to be a team of young guns that need experienced players to holler at them. Not everyone can coordinate and please a team of experienced players the way Billups can. I wouldn’t sell him short on that. ‘Sheed is a fantastic player, but obviously his skills are overshadowed by his inability to shut up. This has never bothered me until the series versus the Celtics where his technical fouls set the Pistons back.

Consistency is great, but you run the risk of stagnation. The face of the Pistons is ready to change. As bittersweet as it is, the Pistons could get some great value for some of the marquee players Detroit has watched for years now. The Pistons roster may change, but the Pistons’ winning tradition is rock steady.

Tiger Woods was recently quoted via teleconference as saying “I don’t think anyone really watches hockey anymore.” As a Red Wings fan, this infuriates me and makes me wish Darren McCarty would cross check him.

As a neutral observer on the other hand, his statement is just inaccurate. Ratings for Game 5 were the highest they’ve been in six years. Additionally, Detroiters spent most of the playoffs choosing between the Pistons and the Wings who generally played on the same nights often with the Tigers as well. Game 4 of the Stanley Cup drew higher ratings in Detroit than the Pistons-Celtics game and ratings for the Cup overall are up from previous years.

Furthermore, Woods’ statement is a reflection of the egocentric American sports viewpoint. Arbitrarily saying hockey doesn’t matter is along (though not exactly) the same lines as saying soccer doesn’t matter just because Americans aren’t fanatical about it. Please, Tiger, go to Canada and tell them hockey doesn’t matter. There is a niche for small time sports in the U.S. too – MLS, WNBA and even perhaps the NHL if that is its role.

Every sport has its hay day too. The MLB has struggled in the past. Golf was arguably struggling before Tiger debuted. Boxing may never be what it was. Even the NBA is lacking a certain Jordanesque stature nowadays. Many sports have been resurrected by the dynamism of one player and Tiger should know that more than anyone else. I wonder who that might be for the NHL? Really, I can’t think of anyone at the moment. Who will be the new, young upstart face of hockey? Oh yeah! Darren Helm, right?

Editor’s Note: According to the National Hockey League, fans consumed more streaming video on NHL.com following Game 6 than at any other time in the site’s history; and NBC reports that it earned a 3.8 overnight rating and a 7 share for Game 5, the highest overnight rating of any Stanley Cup Final game in six years.  According to the facts, Tiger, looks like plenty of people still watch hockey. According to the facts, Tiger, looks like you don’t know what you’re talking about. In the future, I suggest you stick to your putting.

Jockey Kent Desormeaux almost left his riding crop in the locker room — he didn’t need it. Big Brown, out of the seventh slot, cruised to a victory in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico in Baltimore on Saturday. Big Brown was the  1-5  favorite. Out of the gate, Gayego and Riley Tucker, wearing blinders, went in fast. Big Brown got onto the rail, but on the backstretch, Big Brown maneuvered to the outside. From there, Desormeaux let Big Brown go another gear in the final turn. Big Brown mounted a five and a quarter length lead to win easily without going into a full sprint. Big Brown won the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago by four and three quarter lengths — his smallest margin of victory in his short, undefeated career. Big Brown and Desormeaux will line up for the Belmont Stakes on June 7 to race for the Triple Crown — one of the most elusive records in sports. The last winner of the Triple Crown was Affirmed in 1978.

It’s getting to be summer outside and the Stanley Cup final is within sight, but the Wings are now looking as cold as the ice they’re playing on. In the Western Conference Finals, the Detroit Red Wings went up three games to zero over the Dallas Stars but have since lost the last two with the most recent lost at Joe Louis 2-1 on May 17. The loss was a first for each team — the first loss at home for the Red Wings in the 2008 playoffs and the first win in Detroit for the suddenly impenetrable wall that is Dallas goalie Marty Turco.

The second and most recent loss to the Stars in which Jiri Hudler scored the only goal from a rebound off of Turco’s pads takes the series back to Dallas where the Stars broke the Red Wings nine game playoff winning streak on May 14. Despite outshooting the Stars in game 6, 39-21, the Wings could not solve Turco and the Stars between turning the puck over. It is difficult to say whether the Wings were unfocused or outmatched in the last two games — or missing Johan Franzen who, until his mysterious concussion, was scoring at will. Goalie Chris Osgood only allowed two goals, zero in the last 34 minutes of the game. However, the last time the Wings lost two playoff games in a row, back on April 14 and 18 to Nashville, the Red Wings changed goalies. Despite Ozzie’s solid performances, head coach Mike Babcock may devise a scheme to shake things up.

The Red Wings will go to Dallas and look to put the series away on Monday, May 19 at 8 p.m. The winner of the Dallas-Detroit series will face the Eastern Conference final winner — Sidney Crosby and Pittsburgh lead the series 3-1 over the Philadelphia Flyers. The Penguins could advance tomorrow, Sunday, with a win on their home ice (3 p.m.).