Bracket Busters + The First Four

BRACKET BUSTERS: This is what my bracket looked like before March Madness, and it may be busted after the Second Round. (photo by Bryan Curtiss; bracket printed from CBSSports.com)

The snow has melted. The leprechauns have sprung out. Maybe it's time for March Madness?

This year, in the Men's Division I NCAA Tournament, the field has expanded from 65 to 68 games, and the play-in round has now expanded to four teams, and this round is the new first round. Like in years past with the one play-in game, all four first round games, or "The First Four" will be played in Dayton, Ohio.

The first game saw the UNC Asheville Bulldogs defeat the Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans 81-77 in Overtime. The Bulldogs beat Texas Southern in Overtime in the play-in game in 2003, and they will face the Pitt Panthers on Thursday in Washington D.C.

Another change this year is the spread of tournament action. For 29 years, CBS had complete coverage of the tournament. This year, CBS gets help from TNT, TBS, and TruTV (yup, the former CourtTV) with early games.

UPSET PICK: Belmont Bruins. This little Bible school from Nashville could overpower Wisconsin, despite Wisconsin's name-recognition and Big Ten status. Bo Ryan's boys could be in for disappointment.

THIS YEAR'S CINDERELLA: Belmont. They could face Utah State in the third round if both overpower their higher-seeded opponents.

FIRST # 1 SEED to FALL: Pitt. Butler lost the National Championship by two points for a reason. They were a tough-mentality team. Look for Butler to give Pitt their all on Saturday, if Butler wins on Thursday.

FINAL FOUR: UConn, Ohio State, Kansas, and BYU.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: # 1 vs. # 2. Ohio State and Kansas

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS: Carry On My Wayward Son, for There'll be peace when you are done, lay your weary head to rest...Kansas wins in a nailbiting squeaker.



Here is the NCAA Women's Bracket, and my predictions for it. Can UConn repeat? Or Will Tennessee take them down in the Final Four?

My predictions for the final four are UConn, Stanford, Tennessee, and Baylor, with Tennessee topping rival UConn, while Baylor upsets Stanford. All people are eyeing a UConn-Stanford rematch. After all, the Lady Cardinal ended the Lady Huskies' record 90-game winning streak on December 30. But, time will only tell.

March Madness- The Brackets

BREAKING NEWS:

The pairings for the 2011 NCAA Tournament were being announced.

The Top Seeds- Ohio State (East Region), Kansas (Southwest Region), Duke (West Region), Pitt (Southeast Region)
Final Four- East Region vs West Region; Southwest Region vs Southeast Region

14 cities will host NCAA tournament games from March 17th to April 4


East Region:
1) Ohio State Buckeyes (32-2)- Friday in Cleveland; Buckeyes- Top Overall # 1 Seed
16) Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners (19-13)/Alabama State Hornets (17-17)- Wednesday @ 6:30 in Dayton; winner plays OSU

8) George Mason Patriots (26-6)
9) Villanova Wildcats (21-11)- Friday in Cleveland

5) West Virginia Mountaineers (20-11)- Thursday in Tampa
12) UAB Blazers (22-8)/Clemson Tigers (21-11)- Tuesday @ 9PM in Dayton

4) Kentucky Wildcats (25-8)
13) Princeton Tigers (25-6)- Thursday in Tampa

2) North Carolina Tarheels (26-7)
15) Long Island Blackbirds (27-5)- Fri in Charlotte

7) Washington Huskies (23-10)
10) Georgia Bulldogs (21-11)- Charlotte

3) Syracuse Orangemen (26-7)
14) Indiana State Sycamores (20-13)- Fri in Cleveland

6) Xavier Musketeers (24-7)
11) Marquette Golden Eagles (20-14)- Fri in Cleveland


West Region:
1) Duke Blue Devils (30-4)- Fri in Charlotte
16) Hampton Pirates (24-8)

8) Michigan Wolverines (20-13)- Fri in Charlotte
9) Tennessee Volunteers (19-14)

5) Arizona Wildcats (27-7)- Fri in Tulsa
12) Memphis Tigers (25-9)

4) Texas Longhorns (27-7)- Fri in Tulsa
13) Oakland Grizzlies (25-9)


2) San Diego State Aztecs (32-2)- Thurs in Tucson
15) Northern Colorado Bears (21-10)- First-Ever Appearance for the Bears (Big Sky Champions)

7) Temple Owls (25-7)- Thurs in Tucson
10) Penn State Nittany Lions (19-14)- first appearance in Tourney since 2001

3) UConn Huskies (26-9)- Thurs in DC; UConn- 5 games played in last five days
14) Bucknell Bison (25-8)

6) Cincinnati Bearcats (25-8)- Thurs in DC
11) Missouri Tigers (23-10)


Southwest Region:
1) Kansas Jayhawks (32-2)- Fri in Tulsa
16) Boston University Terriers (21-13)

8) UNLV Rebels (24-8)- Fri in Tulsa
9) Illinois Fighting Illini (19-13)- Lon Kruger (UNLV coach) previously coached Illini

5) Vanderbilt Commodores (23-10)- Thurs in Denver
12) Richmond Spiders (27-7)

4) Louisville Cardinals (25-9)- Thurs in Denver; Louisville & Morehead State are separated by 130 miles in Kentucky
13) Morehead State Eagles (24-9)


2) Notre Dame Fighting Irish (26-6)- Fri in Chicago
15) Akron Zips (23-12)

7) Texas A&M Aggies (24-8)- Fri in Chicago
10) Florida State Seminoles (21-10)

3) Purdue Boilermakers (25-7)- Fri in Chicago
14) Saint Peter's Peacocks (20-13)

6) Georgetown Hoyas (21-10)- Fri in Chicago
11) Southern Cal Trojans (19-14)/VCU Rams (23-11)- Weds @ 9PM in Dayton, winner plays Georgetown

Southeast Region:
1) Pittsburgh Panthers (27-5)- Washington DC
16) UNC Asheville Bulldogs (19-13)/Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans (19-16)- Tues @ 6:30 in Dayton

8) Butler Bulldogs (23-9)- Thurs in Washington DC; Butler- last year's runner-up
9) Old Dominion Monarchs (27-6)

5) Kansas State Wildcats (22-10)- Thurs in Tucson
12) Utah State Aggies (30-3)

4) Wisconsin Badgers (23-8)- Thurs in Tuscon
13) Belmont Bruins (30-4)

2) Florida Gators (26-7)- Thurs in Tampa
15) UC-Santa Barbara Gauchos (18-13)

7) UCLA Bruins (22-10)- Thurs in Tampa
10) Michigan State Spartans (19-14)- 14th consecutive appearance

3) BYU Cougars (30-4)- Thurs in Denver
14) Wofford Terriers (21-12)

6) St. John's Red Storm (21-11)- Thurs in Denver
11) Gonzaga Bulldogs (24-9)- 13th consecutive appearance


The Bubble Has Burst for these Teams...
Harvard (22-9)- The Ivy League co-champions lost a heartbreaker to Princeton on the final shot of a 63-62 loss in an Ivy League playoff yesterday; the last time the Crimson made it to the tournament was way back in 1946. Ranked 32nd in the RPI ratings.
Alabama (21-13)- They beat Georgia on Friday in the SEC tournament, and Georgia gets in and Alabama didn't; also SEC West Champions
Colorado
Saint Mary's (24-8)
Virigina Tech (21-11)
Boston College (20-12)
Missouri State

Big East- 11 (a record for most bids in a single season)
Big Ten- 7
Big 12- 5
SEC- 5
ACC- 4
Pac-10- 4

Last 6 in- Clemson, UAB, USC, VCU, Marquette, Missouri
30 Power Conference at-large bids; 7 non-power at large bids (12 in 2004)

Breakdown by State:
Alabama- 2 (Alabama State, UAB)
Arizona- 1 (Arizona)
Arkansas- 1 (Arkansas-Little Rock)
California- 3 (Southern Cal, UCLA, UC-Santa Barbara)
Colorado- 1 (Northern Colorado)
Connecticut- 1 (UConn)
District of Columbia- 1 (Georgetown)
Georgia- 1 (Georgia)
Illinois- 1 (Illinois)
Indiana- 4 (Notre Dame, Indiana State, Purdue, Butler)
Kansas- 2 (Kansas, Kansas State)
Kentucky- 3 (Kentucky, Louisville, Morehead State)
Massachusetts- 1 (Boston U)
Michigan- 3 (Michigan, Michigan State, Oakland)
Missouri- 1 (Missouri)
Nevada- 1 (UNLV)
New Jersey- 2 (Princeton, St. Peter's)
New York- 3 (Long Island, St. John's, Syracuse)
North Carolina- 3 (North Carolina, Duke, UNC-Asheville)
Ohio- 4 (Ohio State, Akron, Cincinnati, Xavier)
Pennsylvania- 4 (Penn State, Pitt, Villanova, Bucknell)
South Carolina- 2 (Clemson, Wofford)
Tennessee- 4 (Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Memphis, Belmont)
Texas- 3 (Texas, Texas-San Antonio, Texas A&M)
Utah- 2 (Utah State, BYU)
Virginia- 4 (VCU, Old Dominion, Richmond, Hampton)
Washington- 2 (Washington, Gonzaga)
West Virginia- 1 (West Virginia)
Wisconsin- 2 (Wisconsin, Marquette)

States with Most Teams:
4- Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Virginia
3- California, Kentucky, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, and Texas

Metro Areas with 2 or More Teams:
3- New York City (St. John's, St. Peter's, Long Island)
2- Cincinnati (Cincinnati, Xavier); Detroit (Michigan, Oakland); Indianapolis (Purdue, Butler), Los Angeles (UCLA, USC); Nashville (Belmont, Vanderbilt); Philadelphia (Temple, Villanova), Richmond, Va. (Richmond, VCU)

Special Preview of the Arnold Sports Festival

It is billed as "An Event that Attracts the World". Over 175,000 people and 18,000 athletes from about 80 countries will embark on Columbus, Ohio this weekend for the largest multi-sports event in North America, the 2011 Arnold Sports Festival.

"Last year (at the Winter Olympic Games) in Vancouver, there were 6,600 athletes competing," said Stephanie Lorenz, the promotions director of the Arnold Sports Festival.

"In 1970, Arnold won $500 at Veteran's Memorial, where he met Jim Lormer, and that prize has grown to a half a million dollars, and into the Arnold Sports Festival there is today," Lorenz said.

The Arnold Sports Festival generates approximately $ 42 million in visitor spending for the City of Columbus, and the festival has frown in both attendees and events each year.

"It is because of you that we have the most successful athletic event in the world right here in Columbus, Ohio," said Arnold Schwarzenegger in a clip from the Festival's promotional video.

Among the highlights of the festival is the Strongman competition, which features the ten strongest men in the world carring a thousand pounds up an incline.

New this year to the Arnold Sports Festival is a film festival, which celebrates Schwarzenegger's greatest passion, that of film.

Lorenz added that 25 countries and 60 area high school students submitted movies (of 15 minutes or less) for the first-ever Arnold Film Festival. All of the movies are about sports and athletes.

The Arnold Film Festival will take place at the Arena Grand Movie Theatre in the Arena District. Props from Arnold's movies will be seen at the film festival as well.

Also new this year are the Track and Field Tournament, which will take place on the Ohio State University's campus at the French Field House, and the Hockey Challenge, which will take place across the street from the Arena Grand at the Dispatch Ice Haus.

Daily admission to the festival is $ 15, and does not include special events, such as Party with the Pros or the Ask Arnold Training Seminar.

For more on the Arnold Sports Festival, including a detailed rundown of the weekend's events, go to http://arnoldsportsfestival.com/.

Super Bowl Sunday: Super Bowl XLV Live Reactions

DJBC Sports Corner is here with Live Reactions to Super Bowl XLV as it happens, as one of the last football posts of the 2010-11 season here. It has been a bumpy ride, which will continue throughout the offseason and team owners and players negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement, which expires on March 4.

Super Bowl XLV- from Arlington, Texas
Pittsburgh Steelers (14-4; AFC Champions)
vs.
Green Bay Packers (13-6; NFC Champions)
6:29PM Kickoff Time; Fox; Joe Buck (play-by-play) and Troy Aikman (color commentary); Pam Oliver & Chris Myers (sideline reports)

(ALL Times are EASTERN)
6:05PM- Focus Rally America pre-game show; 25 minutes away from kickoff...there will be commercials galore tonight, so get ready!

6:08PM- The Pittsburgh Steelers come out of the locker room and are heading to the field.

6:09PM- "...representing all the equalities..."- what a piece of bull. Sam Elliott (yup, that guy) is introducing the Steelers in a video montage clip

6:10PM- The Pittsburgh Steelers come out to the field

6:11PM- The Packers are about to come out to the field; Sam's back again with another video montage clip

6:13PM- The Green Bay Packers come out to the field

6:14PM- "They are the number six seed in the NFC, but they don't play like it."- Joe Buck

6:14PM- Christina Aguilera coming up with the National Anthem

6:19PM- Madieu Williams (safety, Minnesota Vikings) wins the Walter Payton Humanitarian of the Year Award

6:20PM- Lea Michele (Glee) is singing "America the Beautiful"

6:22PM- The National Anthem (Sung by Christina Aguilera)

6:24PM- After the commercial break- the Coin Toss

6:28PM- Michael Douglas with the intro to Super Bowl XLV (with clips of every single American milestone- good or bad, since the beginning of the 20th Century)

6:29PM- "Title Town" vs. "Steel Town"- the coin toss: Les Richter and Ed Sabol, 2011 Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductees: Chris Hanburger, Richard Dent, Shannon Sharpe, Marshall Faulk, and Deion Sanders, and referee Walt Anderson; Helmet with Lombardi Trophy (head), Stadium (tails), Pittsburgh is visiting team; Deion Sanders tosses coin; Pittsburgh chooses tails; Packers win toss and defer to the second half

6:31PM- It's tiiiiiiiiiime!! Kickoff

6:34PM- SHOWTIME!; Antonio Brown (# 84, Pittsburgh- rookie) returns the kickoff 37 yards to the Steelers 36-yard line.

6:36PM- Steelers go three-and-out on their first possession

6:38PM- The Packers muff the punt, but recover at their own 21-yard line

6:40PM- Steelers showed a blitz on 3rd-and-9 as Aaron Rodgers (# 12) throws a 24-yard strike to Donald Driver (# 80); the Steelers' James Farrior (# 51) jumped offsides

6:42PM- Packers are forced to punt as Aaron Rodgers throws a strike that goes in and out of the hands of receiver Jordy Nelson (# 87)

6:43PM- Packers Tim Masthay (# 8, Packers) punts the ball into the end zone; 11:05 left to go in the first quarter; No Score

6:43PM- first commercial: Bud Light (before/after makeover at home); second commercial: Doritos (guy attempting to feed his girlfriend's pug who runs over door); third commercial: Audi A8 (snooty rich people locked up, a heist escape, and Kenny G music)

6:45PM- We're baaaack! Steelers have the ball again at their own 20 yard line and Rashard Mendenhall (# 34) runs for 15 yards on 1st and 10.

6:47PM- Mendenhall runs for 9 yards this time to the Steelers' 44 yard line.

6:49PM- On 3rd and 2, tight end Heath Miller (# 83) can't seem to grab the deep ball

6:49PM- Touchback again; 8:17 left in 1st quarter, still no score

6:50PM- frst commercial: Doritos (two guys in a break room, dude snatches guys pants and sniffs them); second commercial: Chevy commercial (people in senior citizen home); 3rd commercial: Pepsi Max (guy on park bench, ending seemed racist)

6:51PM- Packers have it on their own 20 yard line.

6:53PM- 3rd and Inches from Packers 29 yd line after a pass to Jordy Nelson, who is pushed back after forward progress; James Starks (# 44) runs to the side for 7 yards

6:54PM- Rodgers hooks up to Nelson for 9 more yards on 1st & 10 from Packers 36.

6:56PM- Commercial 1: Bud Light (directing a movie); Commercial 2: Ford Silverado HD (kid down a well; guy stuck in cave); Commercial 3: Fast and Furious sequel

6:59PM- Rodgers finds fullback Jameson (# 32) for a 14-yard gain into Pittsburgh territory; first time that either team has landed on other team's side of the field.

7:00PM- Aaron Rodgers finds Jordy Nelson for a 29-yard touchdown pass on 3rd and short, and Nelson was covered by Steelers safety William Gay (# 22). What a catch!!

7:01PM- 9 play, 80-yard drive. Extra point by Mason Crosby (# 2) makes it 7-0 Green Bay with 3:44 left in 1st quarter

7:02PM- 1st commercial: Pepsi Max (two guys chillin' in the sun); 2nd commercial: Doritos (guy chompin' on Doritos, cleans up house; 3rd commercial: Elantra (compact cars); 4th commercial: Fringe promo; 5th commercial: NFL Draft promo

7:03PM- Packers kick the ball off to the steelers; Antonio Brown runs to the 44-yard line; however, there is an Illegal Block in the Back Penalty on Ryan Mundy (# 29), which puts the Steelers at their own 7.

7:04PM- Commercial # 1: Promo fo movie with Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig (Cowboys vs. Aliens), Commercial # 2: Car commercial again, this time- a car being abducted to sea to some spaceship and sucked out of some wormhole to the Aztec empire (Optima); Commercial # 3: Raising Hope (Future Bryan Award winner) promo

7:06PM- Back again; "Lido Shuffle" (clips of the Packers' dynasty), let's Lido Shuffle back to seeing Big Ben getting thumped by BJ Raji, Charles Woodson, and crew. Nick Collins (# 36) picks off Big Ben (# 7) and lido shuffles it 37 yards for a--; there are flags on the play, but for excessive celebration; 37-yard interception return with 3:20 left makes it 13-0 Packers

7:08PM- Extra point makes it 14-0 Packers with 3:20 left; 1st Commercial: Claymation with Eminem (sprite? iced tea?)

7:09PM- Nick Collins' celebrating makes the packers kick from their own 15 yard-line; Mewelde Moore (# 21) returns the kickoff to the Steelers 35-yard line; Packers D (# 24 in NFL in interceptions)

7:11PM- Rashard Mendenhall manages to bust loose for a first down; Packers have 108 yards to Pittsburgh's 42.

7:12PM- Pittsburgh likes to shoot themselves in the foot, as an illegal block in the back forces them back 10 yards

7:15PM- Ben Roethlisberger on 3rd and 9, runs away for a 1st down inside the Packers 35 yard line, on an 18 yard run; end of 1st Quarter; Packers lead 14-0

7:16PM- 1st Commercial: Bridgestone commercial (guy frantic after sending mass e-mails); 2nd Commercial: Chevy (some electric volt); 3rd Commercial: Go Daddy--> the new Go Daddy dot Co girl (Joan Rivers); 4th commercial: "This is OUR HOUSE"/House Promo; 5th Commercial: McDonalds (marching band performing/20 Chicken McNuggets)

7:18PM- Start of 2nd Quarter; Packers lead 14-0; Pittsburgh has it at Packers 32-yard line; Mendenhall goes backward, courtesy of 1997 Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson (# 21, Packers; GO BLUE!)

7:19PM- Tramon Williams (# 38, Green Bay) breaks up a pass intended for rookie receiver Emanuel Sanders (# 88, Pittsburgh)

7:20PM- Sanders picks up 14 yards on 3rd and 12.

7:22PM- Woodson and Collins tackles receiver Mike Wallace (# 17) just short of the first down

7:23PM- Shaun Suisham (# 6, Pittsburgh) kicks a 33-yard field goal with 11:08 left before the half; 14-3 Packers

7:23PM- 1st Commercial: Budweiser (gunslinger wanting some Budweiser and then singing "Hold Me Closer, Tony Danza"); 2nd Commercial: guy enlisting Faith Hill for some help on a Valentine's Day note (Teleflora); 3rd Commercial: Promo for another summer movie (Transformers III: Michael Bay needs to stop while he's ahead)

7:25PM- Vinnie Barbarino and Richie Cunningham/Opie Taylor are both in the house for the Super Bowl; Suisham kicks off the ball; Pat Lee (# 22) returns the kickoff to the 25 yard line

7:26PM- 1st Commercial (BMW commercial- X3, designed/built in America); 2nd Commercial: guy on a subway reading 1984 on iPad, guy using iPad (Motorola Zoom); 3rd Commercial: people covered up in song "Ch-Ch-Changes" (BMW Advanced Diesel), I meant smog

7:28PM- 11:01 left before the Bridgestone Halftime Show; Packers at their own 25 yard line on 1st and 10.

7:31PM- Packers go three and out and Tim Masthay punts 48 yards; 1st commercial: Dragon spitting fire and out comes...(Coca Cola); 2nd commercial: Promo for the new Thor movie coming out in May (what is up with recrating all these Comic books?); 3rd Commercial: Li'l Darth Vader and his Volkswagen (Volkswagen)

7:33PM- Joe Buck brings up Big Ben's shady last offseason; Steelers get it at their own 22-yard line with 9:28 left in 2nd quarter

7:35PM- That's what the broadcast booth looks like? What CGI graphics do they use? Anyway, back to the field; Mewelde Moore busts down for a first down.

7:37PM- Big Ben slings it to Antwan Randle-El (# 82) for 14 yards and another Steelers first down to the Packers 47-yard line.

7:39PM- Steelers take first timeout; more commercials- 1st one: Richard Lewis doesn't want to cut trees, and then he eats a Snickers and then runs Roseanne down with a log (Snickers); 2nd commercial; a man can't get out of his car (Career Builder); 3rd commercial: Another summer movie (Super 8); 4th Commercial: Stay tuned for Bridgestone Halftime Tire Show

7:42PM- Artwork shown around Cowboys stadium (courtesy of Jerry and Jean Jones); Back to the game: Big Ben throws it in traffic and Jared Bush (# 24, Packers) comes up with the interception, fighting off Mike Wallace

7:42PM- 1st and 10 at Packers 47 with 4:28 left before Halftime

7:44PM- Rookie James Starks runs down to the Pittsburgh 21

7:45PM- Rodgers slings it to Greg Jennings (# 85) in traffic for a 21-yard touchdown with 2:24 left; 20-3 Packers

7:45PM- Extra point by Crosby makes it 21-3 Packers with 2:24 left before halftime

7:47PM- It looks like the Packers are going to put this one away, and I will be going to bed happy tonight, Pack have led by at least 11 points in all three postseason games so far this year

7:48PM- 1st and 10 for the Steelers with 2:18 left before halftime and a 29.8 passer rating right now, 1st and 10 at the Steelers 23 yard line. Big Ben throws it high to Antwan Randle-El for 37 yards to the Packers 40 yard line to the Two-Minute Warning.

7:49PM- Two Minute Warning Commercial Break--> 1st Commercial: guy driving car and talking to GPS (Chevy with Facebook status); 2nd Commercial: Another movie trailer, this time (Captain America), [Sidebar] the last time I saw Captain America, he was riding the # 11 Bryden Road bus, en route to West Virginia; 3rd Commercial: NFL play- Castrol Edge Strongest Drive (2nd Round: Steelers > Ravens); 4th Commercial: "Kid in a Candy Store", "Mermaid in a Swim Meet"... (CarMax); 5th Commercial: Glee promo (for the episode airing right after this game)

7:52PM- 1st & 10 Steelers at the Green Bay 40 yard line; Packers call another timeout after Woodson gets hurt after Big Ben's failed attempt for the juggernaut TD pass; AJ Hawk almost had a pick as Big Ben's pass is batted down by the former Ohio State Buckeye linebacker who made long hair a statement at the Horseshoe

7:54PM- Super Bowl XL MVP Hines Ward catches a pass in traffic at the 25-yard line on 3rd and 10. Timeout: Steelers

7:56PM- at the Packers 26, Roethlisberger finds Ward for an 18-yard completion and it's 1st and Goal for the Steelers, and on the next play the twosome finish off the drive on an 8-yard pass to the back of the end zone as the Steelers exploit the Packers secondary (Woodson & Sam Shields- # 37 are being looked at in the locker room)

7:57PM- Extra Point by Suisham makes it 21-10 Packers with 39 seconds left

7:59PM- End of the First Half; Green Bay Packers 21, Pittsburgh Steelers 10; Super Bowl Halftime Show (Bridgestone) coming up; Roadies GET ready

8:00PM- Commercial Break; 1st Commercial: American Idol promo; 2nd commercial: Chase quick deposit (Chase); 3rd commercial: a bored chicken sandwich (Wendy's); 4th commercial: (Value City)- Queen's "I Want It All"; 5th Commercial: (Ford F-Series); 6th Commercial: (Giant Eagle- grocery chain in Ohio and Pennsylvania); 7th Commercial: Local Sponsor Tag

8:03PM- PepsiMAX Halftime Show with the NFL on Fox Crew; Packers have had double-digit leads in EVERY SINGLE playoff game they've played this season, including tonight; behind the Fox crew; the roadies, backup singers, and Black Eyed Peas are all frantically getting ready for their seven/eight minutes of fame

8:07PM- Tom Brady was the Unanimous NFL MVP winner (with ALL 50 votes)

8:08PM- 1st Commercial: Daytona 500 promo; 2nd Commercial: Menards (local store chain); 3rd commercial: another Daytona 500 promo; 4th commercial: Chatter with an animated Will.I.Am

8:09PM- Welcome to the Bridgestone Tire Super Bowl XLV Halftime Show with the Black Eyed Peas landing down on the stage in their 31st Century Costumes. First song- "Gotta Feeling"; I wish I had 3-D glasses...or even those Neon ones; 2nd song- "Boom Boom Pow"; the fans are louder than the band; 3rd Song- a surprise visit by Slash from Guns 'N' Roses, as Fergie sings "Sweet Child of Mine"...not a Black Eyed Peas song, but yeah...; skipping the 4th song, because I don't know what it is, but it infuses the theme song from "Pulp Fiction"; I think this is the finale, "Let's Get It Started", which is the song I think that started the Black Eyed Peas; nope, this one is..."OMG", with Usher ushering himself to the stage (The Black Eyed Peas, or at least Will.I.Am did this one with Usher); nope, this one definitely is- "Where Is the Love", the Peas duet they did with Justin Timberlake; nope this one is, because I'm...Having...a....GOOD...TIME, YEAH! I love this song- "Dirty Bit", infusing the 1987-88 Academy Award winner for Best Original Song; and then back to "I Gotta Feeling", because "I Gotta Feeling" that tonight's still going to be a good night for the Green Bay Packers

8:21PM- Halftime Show's Over, more Commercials...1st One- Chatter again with their animations; 2nd commercial: Animation Domination promo; 3rd commercial: Glee promo for the episode airing after this game; 4th commercial: TSX Sports Wagon from Acura; 5th Commercial: guy diving into the sea (Arby's- a fast food chain); 6th commercial: wasn't paying attention- a car commercial; 7th Commercial: "Look Back" from Time Warner Cable; 8th commercial: promo from local Fox affiliate; 9th Commercial: "The Daily", an interactive newspaper headed to an iPad near you

8:25PM- The second half is about to start; No team has ever won a Super Bowl by trailing 10+ points at halftime; Green Bay Packers lead the Pittsburgh Steelers 21-10

8:26PM- Troy Aikman & Joe Buck in their CGI-background broadcast booth; I wish there was room in our college football stadium's broadcast booth for that

8:27PM- Commercial Break; 1st one: NFL Network promo (taking the NFL Network with you on your computer/iPhone); 2nd one: House promo; 3rd one: promo for Car Warriors (new reality show on the Speed Network- yup, the Speed Network); 4th one: a ferris wheel wreaks havoc in this Daytona 500 promo

8:28PM- a clip from "Lombardi" infused with highlights from the first half; "Lombardi" stars Dan Lauria (the dad from The Wonder Years) as the legendary Packers coach

8:30PM- Second Half is about to begin; Packers deferred the opening toss, and will start the second half with the football. Suisham (# 6, Steelers) kicks the ball into the end zone, where Jordy Nelson (# 87) takes a knee in the end zone; Injury Update- Charles Woodson has a collar bone injury and is out for the rest of the game; Sam Shields and Donald Driver will return

8:31PM- Packers start the second half at their own 20-yard line.

8:32PM- Another Injury Update: Pittsburgh's Emanuel Sanders is also out for the remainder of the game.

8:33PM- Penalties on this drive are killing the Packers- a hold on Donald Lee (# 86) and a false start, and the Packers go three and out, after James Jones (# 89, Packers) drops a potential long pass, possibly for a touchdown

8:35PM- a three-yard return on a 33-yard Tim Masthay punt by Antonio Brown (# 84, Steelers) becomes 18 as tight end Tom Crabtree (# 83, Packers) grabs Brown's facemask with 12:39 left in the 3rd.

8:36PM- first commercial: Cars.com; 2nd one: E-Trade (talking baby getting measured by tailor); 3rd: Ozzy Osbourne and Justin Bieber in Best Buy commercial; 4th: promo for "The Chicago Code" (Fox's new crime drama); 5th: American Idol promo

8:38PM- 1st and 10 from Midfield after Crabtree's facemask; Rashard Mendenhall runs for 17 yards, and into a camera guy

8:40PM- 3rd and Inches after Big Ben runs for it on 2nd and 7; Isaac Redman runs for 16 yards to the Green Bay 7-yard line

8:42PM- Rashard Mendenhall runs in for an 8-yard touchdown run after a collision with a camera operator; 21-16 Packers with 10:19 left in 3rd quarter; 21-17 after the extra point

8:43PM- Commercial Break time again; Up 1st- a promo for the next Pirates of the Caribbean film (seriously, I thought that they were done); 2nd- "Cram It in the Boot" (Mini Countryman little car); 3rd- Home Away.com

8:44PM- Can the Packers answer back?

8:45PM- Jordy Nelson returns the kickoff to the Packers 19-yard line (10 pts- largest deficit to win Super Bowl: Super Bowls XXII & XLIV- lower 3rd graphic)

8:47PM- Rodgers 13/19, 157 yds, 2 TD; Nelson 5 rec/73 yds/TD; meanwhile- the Steelers are getting rabid on defense

8:48PM- Rodgers is sacked by # 92 (James Harrison- Mr. Sack/Aggressive Football Happy) on 3rd and 10; Antonio Brown is stuffed on a 47-yard punt

8:49PM- more commercials--> 1st- This one's making me dizzy (Hyundai Elantra); 2nd- Timothy Hutton and Tibet and Groupon.com; 3rd- another Coke comercial (two soldiers trucing over a Coke)

8:51PM- Nine minutes exactly left in the 3rd quarter; Pittsburgh has it at their own 40-yard line. 1st & 10.

8:53PM- Big Ben realizes there are only 3 secs left on the play clock, so...Commercial- Adrian Brody serenading people while delicious Stella Artois is being poured and devoured, and he's making ladies cry, Stella is indeed "a thing of beauty"; up next- CarMax (guy being freaked out); who's on 3rd? Simon Cowell and a promo for potential 2012 Best New Series Nominee The X Factor

8:54PM- Dubya and Emmitt in the luxury box with Jerry Jones; Mewelde Moore runs for another 1st down. 1st & 10 from Packers 44;

8:55PM- Roethlisberger overthrows a bomb to Mike Wallace

8:56PM- Roethlisberger throws to Hines Ward for 15 yards

8:57PM- Clay Matthews bats the ball, could have come up with an interception; next play- Heath Miller (# 83) goes backward as he's tackled by Desmond Bishop (# 56, linebacker for Packers)

8:59PM- Huge 3rd & 13 at the GB 32, and Big Ben gets sacked by linebacker Frank Zombo (# 58, Packers)- the first such sack of the night for Roethlisberger

9:00PM- A 52-yard field goal attempt by Shaun Suisham is WIDE LEFT; like when you're aiming for Chicago, and get Tibet instead

9:00PM- Commercials, Commercials: One about luxury and Detroit and Chrysler (and not about Eminem)- "Keep Detroit Beautiful"...and Ann Arbor too; "This is the Motor City, and this is what we do" (Chrysler 200- "Imported from Detroit")

9:02PM- Packers only 17 total yards on offense in 2nd half; Pack have it at their own 42-yard line, and Rodgers gets it to Nelson for 18 yards on the first play after Suisham laid an egg

9:04PM- Pittsburgh uses another time out; Joe Buck promotes what's up after the game...Glee, complete with a commercial dream sequence; Pittsburgh only has one timeout left, and 2:34 left in the 3rd quarter

9:05PM- The Packers can't cash in on the nice field position as Randle-El fair catches a 25-yard punt at the Steelers 13-yard line with 2:23 left in the 3rd quarter

9:08PM- Pittsburgh goes three-and-out as a 3rd and 2 pass goes through Mike Wallace's hand

9:10PM- a 54-yard punt; Travon Williams (# 38) decks a Pittsburgh player, and the penalty is half-the-distance to the goal to the Packers 13-yard line (66 yard net from punt) with about 49 seconds left in the 3rd quarter

9:13PM- Packers go three-and-out, Mike McCarthy wants to challenge the ruling, but Walt Anderson is trying to talk McCarthy out from using a challenge

9:14PM- Mike Pereira (former head of officiating) pipes in on the play, which was an incomplete pass, because receiver Rex Swain (# 16, Packers) caught the ball, and William Gay knocked the ball out and Greg Jennings comes up with it

9:16PM- Pack only have had one first down since jumping out to a 21-3 lead in the 2nd quarter

9:17PM- After reviewing the play, the play stands, because Swain did not have complete possession of the ball when William Gay knocked the ball out, and the Packers will punt for the 4th straight time

9:18PM- Antonio Brown goes down to the Steelers 42, tackled by John Kuhn (# 30, Packers); Donald Briggs (# 53) is called for an ineligible man down field penalty, and the Packers are forced to re-kick

9:19PM- Take 2: Rex Swain knocks Antonio Brown out at the Packers 40 yard line with 11 seconds left in the 3rd quarter; Mendenhall picks up 8 yards on the last play of the 3rd quarter

9:21- End of the 3rd Quarer

9:21PM- Super Bowl Commercial history with these shows- Seinfeld (Giants), Full House (49ers), Dukes of Hazzard (Falcons), Family Matters (Bears), Brady Bunch (Chargers), Friends/Sopranos (Jets), Happy Days (Packers), The Office (Steelers), South Park (Broncos)- Awesom-O!!!; Up Next- Safe Auto- Driving without insurance can get your kicked in the cajoles; Next- Ford F-150 Series commercial again; then- Speedway; "What is the Most Stressful Job"- Fox28 (Columbus's Fox Affiliate) News Promo

9:24PM- Voting for the Super Bowl MVP has NOW BEGUN- NFL.com/MVP; 2nd & 2 at Packers 32- Steelers give the Packers an early Valentine's Day gift as Clay Matthews (# 52, Packers) and Ryan Pickett (# 79, Packers) kncock the ball loose from Mendenhall and Desmond Bishop recovers the fumble

9:25PM- 1st & 10 @ GB 45 with 14:53 left; Rodgers force to throw an awkward pass

9:26PM- Teams with 3 takeaways are 30-4 (another lower 3rd graphic) in Super Bowl history

9:27PM- James Jones apparently manages to catch the ball on 3rd & 7 to the Steelers 40; nice diving catch, and he got his arms/hands under the ball too

9:28PM- Jordy Nelson drops another pass, defended by Ryan Clark (# 25, Pittsburgh)

9:29PM- On 3rd & 10, Nelson makes amends with a nice 37-yard pass on 3rd and 10

9:30PM- Rodgers finds Greg Jennings in the back of the end zone for an 8-yard pass, the second-consecutive touchdown tonight for the two-some; 11:57 left in 4th quarter, 27-17 Packers

9:31PM- Extra point makes it 28-17 Packers; more commercials starting...NOW- the first one is very funny looking as this is a promo for yet another Johnny Depp movie, "Rango"; 2nd- Cars.com...again; 3rd- Bud Light (this party's for the dogs); 4th- Glee post-Super Bowl eppy Promo...Bryan Awards Episode of the Year, anyone?

9:33PM- Rashard Mendenhall only fumbled twice in 347 touches in the regular season; his latest fumble could prove costly

9:34PM- More commercials- 1st- Sonata Hybrid from Hyundai; 2nd- cute girl dreaming about dude, guy dreaming "I wanna sleep with her and then have a PepsiMax" (PepsiMAX); 3rd- promo for "Rio"; 4th- NFL disclaimer- DON'T COPY THIS SUPER BOWL

9:36PM- 1st and 10 from PIT 34 with 11:51 left in game

9:42PM- Just when you thought that the Packers put Big Ben in his corner...WRONG; Mike Wallace finds the end zone on a long pass; now they will go for 2, trailing now 28-23; 2-2 this season going for 2; make it 3-3 as Antwan Randle-El gets the pitch to make it 28-25 Packers with 7:34 left to go in the game

9:44PM- missed 1st commercial; 2nd one- GoDaddy.com; next- another Daytona 500 promo, this time with Beetles, oops, Volkswagen Beetle; next- Raising Hope promo

9:45PM- Crunch time for the Cheeseheads; Pat Lee returns kickoff 17 yards to the Packers 25-yard line

9:46PM- More commercials: 1st- Mercedes-Benz commercial; next- Chicago Code promo; next- House promo (infusing that Super Bowl Coke commercial); next- NFL Draft promo

9:49PM- Ziggy Hood (# 96, Pittsburgh) sacks Rodgers for 4 yards on 1st & 10 from the GB 25

9:51PM- On 3rd & 10, Greg Jennings shows up at the right time on a 31-yard strike to the PIT 44-yard line, and on the next play, James Starks drives it up 14 yards to the PIT 30.

9:53PM- Rodgers throws a 21-yard pass to James Jones to the PIT 8. The Steelers only have one timeout left. Tom Crabtree gets only one yard on 1st and Goal

9:54PM- 3rd and Goal at the 5 with 2:42 left (and counting); Jordy Nelson can't get the pass as Anthony Madison (# 37, Pittsburgh) covers him up like a blanket

9:56PM- THIS is Huge, a 23-yard field goal makes it 31-25 Packers with 2:07 left. Pittsburgh still has time to come back to win.

9:56PM- Commercial time; up first- Chevy commercial coming up with a story about a woman in a chase (Camaro); then- Verizon commercial

9:58PM- 10 plays, 70 yards, 5:27 used up; Pack scored 21 points off 3 PIT turnovers, yet the Steelers are still in this; Isaac Redman is downed at the PIT 29 with 2:00 left; # 57 of PIT (Kierren Fox) called with a push

9:59PM- Two Minute Warning; Up first- Glee Chevy Commercial; then- Promo for Limitless (a movie with Bradley Cooper and Robert DeNiro); then- Sketchers shape-ups commercials; then- promo for Terra Nova- a new show on Fox this Spring; then- promo for Traffic Light (Fox's new sitcom, debuting after an all-new Raising Hope on Tuesday); then- promo for Glee's Dream Commercial

10:02PM- Two Minutes Left...Can Green Bay shut down Big Ben? Pittsburgh has 87 yards to go and only one timeout, 1st & 10 from PIT 13; Roethlisberger finds tight end Heath Miller (# 83) for 12 yards on the first play of this drive

10:03PM- Huge 3rd & 5 and Ben Roethlisberger can't get it to Mike Wallace

10:04PM- 4th & 5, 56 seconds left, this is it for the Steelers- 5 yards (PIT 38-yd line), or BUST!

10:04PM- Roethlisberger's 4th down pass intended for Mike Wallace is incomplete, and Wallace is looking for a penalty flag for contact and won't get one- GAME OVER!

10:05PM- 49 seconds away from sweet victory for the Packers, who will win their first Super Bowl in 14 years

10:06PM- That's all she wrote! FINAL SCORE- Green Bay Packers 31, Pittsburgh Steelers 25

10:10PM- More commercials; first- Justified promo; second- promo for Mars Needs Moms (in 3D and animated); 3rd- Wendy's commercial (Asiago Ranch Chicken Club); 4th- House promo (for tomorrow's episode); 5th- Elite commercial (it's a Honda Odyssey van); 6th- Mega Millions commercial; and an ABC6 (local ABC affiliate) news promo about scammers

10:12PM- Welcome to the Post Game; Packers won their 13th NFL title- a record for the NFL and their 4th Super Bowl for Titletown

10:14PM- The CGI in the Broadcast Booth (with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman) says it all- "Green Bay Packers, Super Bowl XLV Champions"

10:15PM- PA Announcer Alan Roach introduces Roger Staubach and the Vince Lombardi Trophy for the Vince Lombardi Trophy presentation; Staubach was named the Super Bowl VI MVP in 1972; Who will get to join this fraternity? Aaron Rodgers? Greg Jennings? Clay Matthews? Jordy Nelson? Nick Collins? We'll find out right now...

10:17PM- Terry Bradshaw with the Lombardi Trophy Presentation; NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell- "The smallest city in the country has won the biggest game."/"Vince Lombardi is coming home to Green Bay."

10:19PM- Aaron Rodgers is the Super Bowl XLV MVP! 9 touchdowns in the playoffs, 3 touchdowns on the Super Bowl, and he also gets a new Camaro, where he'll go to Disneyland, ok, not really, but you get the point.

10:21PM- More commercials coming up; first- Chevy commercial (mascot hands a car which becomes a Transformer)- don't watch the third Transformers movie, coming out this Summer; then- Verizon commercial (the same one with the iPhone); then- Lowe's commercial; then- Windows 7 commercial; then- "Packers Fans, Your Team Just Won...", yup that commercial, the Packers Trophy garb commercial; then- Chicago Code promo...again

10:25PM- Back again with the Postgame Show.

10:37PM- Coming up next it's Glee. Can "The Sue Sylvester Shuffle" win for Episode of the Year? Find out...in about six months (I'm serious).

Super Bowl XLV Predictions + Pro Bowl Recap

Super Bowl XLV Preview

5 months or 21 weeks of pounding, edge of your seat gridiron action has now culminated to this...Super Bowl XLV in Dallas, on Sunday night.

SUPER BOWL XLV
Dallas Cowboys Stadium; Arlington, Texas
6:25PM EST on Fox
Sunday February 6, 2011

Pittsburgh Steelers (14-4) vs. Green Bay Packers (13-6)

The two best physical teams, and two of the three biggest NFL fanbases converge in the Lone Star State for Super Bowl XLV.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have won more Super Bowls than any other team in Super Bowl history with six, and would love to have a seventh. Pittsburgh's eighth appearance ties them with the Dallas Cowboys for the most Super Bowl appearances of all-time.

On the other side of the field, the Green Bay Packers were the first two teams to win the Super Bowl. The Packers defense rode the coat-tails through the playoffs, becoming the first NFC # 6 seed to knock off the top three seeds in the NFC playoffs for the golden ticket to Super Bowl XLV.

In the AFC Championship game last week, the Steelers jumped out to a 24-0 lead before halftime as the Steelers' physical defense knocked the New York Jets over and over. The Steelers almost blew that lead as the Jets came back in the second half with a couple of touchdown drives, to pull within five. But that's as far as the Jets would get as the Steelers hung on for a 24-19 win.

In the NFC Championship game, the Packers jumped to a 14-0 lead in a defensive game, as the Chicago Bears lost Jay Cutler to a knee injury. By the end of the third quarter, the Bears were left with third-stringer Caleb Hanie, after Todd Collins was benched for an ineffective performance. The Bears pulled within seven, but the Packers Raji scored on an interception return for a touchdown to take a 21-7 lead. Hanie would throw a touchdown on the ensuing drive, but that's as far as the Monsters of the Midway would get, as the Packers hung on for a 21-14 victory.

Here are the keys to the Super Bowl Kingdom for Both Teams:
For the Steelers- The defense will need to get into Aaron Rodgers' face, 24-7. The secondary will have to play toe-to-toe with Green Bay's receivers. The offensive line will have to one-up the Green Bay front line.
For the Packers- The defense needs to take care of Big Ben. And by that, I mean, take the pass out of the game, and force the Steelers to run the ball. The offensive line needs to protect Aaron Rodgers from the sack and hit-happy Pittsburgh defense, namely that # 92.

Super Bowl XLV Outcome:
It will be a tough and physical game. Don't expect a wild shoot-out like at the Pro Bowl last week, but expect the Packers defense to make big plays, and force Ben Roethlisberger to run for his life. Expect Charles Woodson to have a big day with a few tackles and a couple of interceptions.

Pick: Green Bay wins Super Bowl XLV, 28-20.
MVP: Charles Woodson

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41st Annual AFC-NFC Pro Bowl Recap

On Sunday, the NFL's finest (sans the two teams playing in Sunday's Super Bowl) took flight in Honolulu for the NFL Pro Bowl.

After a sluggish start, the NFC took charge, with a 14-0 lead after the first quarter. The NFC forced seven AFC turnovers overall in the game, jumping out to a 42-0 lead in the second quarter, courtesy of AFC mistakes.

The second half, the AFC made it interesting, scoring three touchdowns in the third quarter to cut their deficit to 17. The NFC put the game away, as Carolina Panthers linebacker Jon Beason returned a Matt Cassel (QB, Kansas City Chiefs) interception 49 yards for a score to make it a 55-28 game. Cassel would throw two meaningless touchdowns in the final four minutes, including a "hook and lateral" with finished with Cleveland Browns center Alex Mack diving into the end zone to make it a 55-41 game, and that's would end up being the final score.

DeAngelo Hall, cornerback from the Washington Redskins was named MVP of the Pro Bowl, coming up with six tackles, and two interceptions, including one for a touchdown.

Mike Smith and the Atlanta Falcons coaching staff were the winning coaches for the Pro Bowl, coaching the NFC. The AFC was coached by Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots coaching staff. Both staffs were provided by the highest seeds eliminated in the second (Divisional) round of the playoffs.

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COACHING CAROUSEL:
On Thursday, the Tennessee Titans announced that Jeff Fisher would not be returning to the team next season, ending a 17-year run for Fisher as the Titans head coach. Fisher, was the second-longest tenured coach in ALL of major professional sports, not just football, behind Jerry Sloan of the Utah Jazz.

Only six NFL coaches (George Halas, Tom Landry, Don Shula, Chuck Noll, and Bud Grant) have coached for one team longer than Fisher. Fisher moves to 12th all-time in coaching wins.

Fisher became the longest-tenured NFL coach after Bill Cowher stepped down as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers following the 2006 season. Andy Reid of the Philadelphia Eagles is now the longest-active tenured coach in the NFL, coming back for his 13th season next fall.

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COACHING CAROUSEL EDITORIAL:
Yesterday, the Cincinnati Bengals, in an effort to keep Carson Palmer as their quarterback, fired offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski after ten seasons. Or as many die-hard Bengals fans would say, ten seasons too many.

Bratkowski was to blame for all of the Bengals offensive problems in recent years. After a run-based offense got the Bengals the AFC North in 2009, they reverted to a pass-style offense that fell flat in 2010, and sunk the Bengals to 4-12 and a last-place finish in their division.

Hopefully, Bengals owner Mike Brown fires himself as Owner and General Manager before things take another turn for the worse in Cincinnati.

Can Big Ben Ground the Jets? Can the Pack Hibernate the Bears?

Listening to the Herd with Colin Cowherd this morning, ESPN radio host Colin Cowherd challenged his listeners to come up with two different 12-words (or less) headlines for the outcomes of Sunday's AFC and NFC Championship games. Some headlines included "Jets Flight To Dallas Grounded By Winter Blitz in Pittsburgh" and "Mister Rodgers' Neighborhood Is In Dallas". On Sunday, six months of training camp, pre-season, and regular season games have all come to this- the right to play in Super Bowl XLV in Texas on February 6.

NATIONAL FOOTBALL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP
6) Green Bay Packers (12-6) at 2) Chicago Bears (12-5)- Sunday @ 3PM EST at Soldier Field (Chicago, IL) on Fox

The oldest rivalry in the National Football League will represent one-half of the Super Bowl XLV ticket. The last time the Packers and Bears met in the playoffs, Franklin D. Roosevelt was in his third term in office, our Nation was at war (one week to the day of the horrific attack on Pearl Harbor), radio was our form of home entertainment, and Big Band jazz invaded the top charts. Fast forward 69 years, one month, and nine days- our Nation is still at war (in Iraq and Afghanistan), we can download apps for our favorite programs, and those Glee-sters keep on spinning out hits on the Billboard charts. Both teams have won Super Bowls before (The Packers won the first two Super Bowls and won again in 1997, and the Bears defense coasted to victory in Super Bowl XX in 1986), but neither have big-name field generals. For the Bears, Jay Cutler played his first postseason game since his senior year of high school back in Indiana (at Vanderbilt, Cutler went through four losing seasons), as Cutler scored three touchdowns in a 35-24 win over Seattle. Their reward....

The Green Bay Packers. They had the Atlanta Falcons seeing gangrene last Saturday night, as the Pack forced turnover after turnover in a 48-21 rout of the NFC's best team during the regular season. With a win in the Windy City, the Packers will be the next Wildcard team to knock off all three top seeds and advance to the Super Bowl.

Here is what will happen, the Packers defense will be in Cutler's face like they were three weeks ago in the Regular Season finale. Green Bay shut Atlanta down hard last week, and this week, the Packers defense will send the Monsters of the Midway back into hibernation.

Pick: Packers 38-8

AMERICAN FOOTBALL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP
6) New York Jets (13-5) at 3) Pittsburgh Steelers (13-4)- Sunday @ 6:30PM EST at Heinz Field (Pittsburgh, PA) on CBS

The New York Jets, in four wins out of five playoff games under Rex Ryan have grounded many of the league's elite quarterbacks- Carson Palmer, Philip Rivers, Peyton Manning, and last week, Tom Brady. Can they shut down Ben Roethlisberger? Well...um...I am NOT a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, never have been, and never will be. But, I think the Steelers will win, because (1) they are a DANGEROUS team in the Playoffs, especially in the last five years. For example- They knocked out Carson Palmer in a cheap shot, on their way to winning Super Bowl XL. (2) They have won more Super Bowls than any other team in the history of the Super Bowl. (3) Big Name Recognitions. Every one knows who Ben Roethlisberger is (for reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with football- I'll just leave it at that). Everyone knew who Jerome Bettis was. Who Terry Bradshaw and Lynn Swann are. Et cetera, et cetera. (4) The Steelers defense is lethal to an opposing team's offense, especially that hit-happy number 92, what's-his-name, I think it's Harrison, but yeah. However, if the J-E-T-S, Jets do win, Mark Sanchez will be the first Hispanic-American quarterback to start a Super Bowl. But until then,

Pick: SteAlers 27-6

DJBC SPORTS CORNER SUPER BOWL XLV PROJECTIONS:
Green Bay Packers (13-6) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (14-4)

On "The Herd (with Colin Cowherd)", Colin Cowherd, again this morning explained that two of the top four NFL niches are in Green Bay and Pittsburgh, which aren't Top 40 markets at all, but they have two of the top four NFL fanbases (out of the 32 teams). Steelers fans are everywhere, not just in Western Pennsylvania or West Virginia, or even the Ohio Governor's Office, but all over the country, as former steel mill workers spread out across the country when all of the steel mills in western Pennsylvania closed in the 1960s and 1970s. Cities like New York and Chicago, two of the top markets with NFL franchises, don't have huge fan bases, like they do with other sports (New York- The Yankees, Chicago- The Blackhawks). Cowherd, today, also projected the NFL coming to Los Angeles by 2015, with one of four teams (Chargers, Rams, Vikings, or Jaguars) possibly re-locating to the City of Angels.

Next time, the picks for Super Bowl XLV.

College Football: The Best of 2010

With the 2010 College Football Season in the Books, it is time to take a look back at the season that was college football.


Best Firing- Rich Rodriguez (Michigan)
Best Game-Winning Play: Little Giants (Michigan State vs. Notre Dame)
Best Special Teams Play: also Little Giants (Michigan State vs. Notre Dame)
Best BCS Bowl Game- Rose Bowl (TCU def. Wisconsin)
Most Controversial Quote: "Little Sisters of the Poor" (Dr. E. Gordon Gee, President of The Ohio State University)
Most Overrated I-FBS Team: The Ohio State Buckeyes
Most Overrated Division III School: Mount Union Purple Raiders
Worst I-FBS Team Invited to a Bowl: Michigan
Coach of the Year: Gary Patterson (TCU)
Worst Coach of the Year: Rich Rodriguez + (defensive coordinator) Greg Robinson (Michigan)
"Hand in the Cookie Jar" Award (College Player Getting in Trouble OFF the Field)- SIX-WAY TIE: Cam Newton (Auburn) and Terrelle Pryor, DeVier Posey, Mike Adams, Daniel "Boom" Herron, and Solomon Thomas (ALL from Ohio State)
Worst BCS Bowl Win (TIE): Ohio State over Arkansas AND Auburn over Oregon
Most Controversial Play: Michael Dyer keeps on going despite his knee somewhat coming down (Auburn vs. Oregon)
Most Entertaining Bowl Game: Tostito's BCS National Championship
Bowl Game Most Painful To Sit Through (TIE): Capital One Bowl (Alabama > Michigan State in the Saban Bowl) and Gator Bowl (Mississippi State > Michigan in RichRod's last stand)
Team of the Year: Texas Christian Horned Frogs "The Little Sisters of the Poor"
Improvement of the Year: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Fall from Grace of the Year (TIE): Texas Longhorns and Cincinnati Bearcats
Most Disappointing Team: Michigan Wolverines (runners-up included Miami Hurricanes, Texas Longhorns, Georgia Bulldogs, Washington Huskies, and Iowa Hawkeyes)
Worst I-FBS Team: Akron Zips
Team Projected to Win it All in 2011: Find out in August... ;)
Team Projected to Win Biggest Fall From Grace Next Year: O-H...