Justin Blackmon is a man, he's 40

Oklahoma State probably could have won last night even without wide receiver Justin Blackmon. But the 6-foot-1, 207-pound star put on a show for fans in a 36-10 rout of Arizona, anyway.

Blackmon capped off the regular season with 102 catches for 1,665 yards and 18 touchdowns, and added nine catches for 117 yards and two scores in the Alamo Bowl, including one from 71 yards out (shown below).

Coming into the Alamo Bowl, Blackmon led all FBS receivers in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, and ranked second behind only Oklahoma's Ryan Broyles in pass receptions among BCS conference players.

ESPN's Scouts Inc. ranks Blackmon the third-best receiver behind Georgia's AJ Green and Alabama's Julio Jones, both who are expected to make an impact immediately in the NFL. But Blackmon reminds me of former Oklahoma State receiver and up-and-coming NFL star Dez Bryant.

NFL mock draft website www.draftcountdown.com predicts Blackmon going to the Redskins at pick No. 13, which would benefit both parties, as Washington desperately needs a bona fide star at wideout.

Draft Countdown says this about Blackmon: "A sure-handed target with outstanding ball skills and body control, Blackmon is also a polished route runner and you’d be hard-pressed to find a more physical wideout in the college game."

You could certainly do much worse in the 2011 NFL Draft than taking a young, big, physical receiver who has produced against some of the best competition in the country. And if (and when) Green and Jones come off the board early in the first round, Blackmon will certainly be a great consolation prize.

Military Bowl: what to watch for

Maryland (8-4) vs. East Carolina (6-6), ESPN, 2:30 p.m.

The Terps and Pirates square off in the Military Bowl (formerly the EagleBank Bowl) at 2:30 p.m. today, ending Maryland head coach Ralph Friedgen's 10-year run.

It's a bittersweet end of the road for Terp fans, who wave farewell to Friedgen, an alum and this year's ACC Coach of the Year. No BCS school has ever fired their head coach after winning the conference's Coach of the Year award, and new athletic director Kevin Anderson will name the team's new football coach in the next few days.

But all of the hubbub about Friedgen's firing has overshadowed the fact that there's an actual bowl game to be played.

East Carolina brings the nation's seventh-ranked pass offense, 12th-ranked scoring offense and the 118th-ranked scoring defense, 116th-ranked rush defense and 108th-ranked pass defense. Suffice it to say the Pirates get into their fair share of high-scoring shootouts.

ECU allowed 40-plus points in all but three of its games this season, allowing highs of 62 and 76 points in losses to Rice and Navy. Nine of its games have totaled 76 points or higher, and the Pirates have actually been in three games of 100-plus scoring.

The Terps bring in one of the country's most efficient passers in redshirt freshman Danny O'Brien, who is one of just eight quarterbacks to throw for at least 21 touchdowns and no more than six interceptions (the list includes Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton, Heisman Trophy finalist Kellen Moore, TCU's Andy Dalton, Iowa's Ricky Stanzi and Virginia Tech's Tyrod Taylor, among others).

But statistically, Maryland is fairly middle-of-the-road. It ranks 41st in scoring offense, 64th in passing yards, 93rd in rushing yards and 39th in scoring defense. However, the bulk of the Terps' schedule came against BCS opponents, where Maryland finished 5-4 and ECU finished just 1-2. Maryland's tougher schedule and stellar quarterbacking should see the Terps and Friedgen ride off with a more important win than it would seem at first glance.

Prediction: Maryland 41, East Carolina 28

Renardo Sidney suspended

Mississippi State big man Renardo Sidney has been about as big a bust as head coach Rick Stansbury could have imagined when he signed the 6-foot-10, 270-pound big boy two years ago.

The Los Angeles native was a highly touted McDonald's All-American recruit, but his recruitment was bumpier than a mogul course at a ski resort.

Sidney, a sophomore, sat out his entire freshman year while the NCAA deemed him ineligible. He was then suspended for the first part of this year after the NCAA decided he owed $11,800 in "impermissible benefits."

So when he finally debuted after sitting out the first nine games of the season, Sidney's 12-point performance in an 88-57 loss to Virginia Tech was at least slightly promising.

Except the next game, he was suspended for "conduct detrimental to the team," before returning to score 19 points in his second-ever game, a rout over San Diego.

But after the game, while watching Utah and Hawaii warming up, Sidney made his latest misstep: a fistfight with team captain Elgin Bailey. Sidney has been suspended indefinitely while Stansbury reassesses the situation.

Nice move. Sidney could end up missing the rest of this season, depending on how hard the coach reacts. Two games in two years is hardly worth the headache of signing a kid with such a checkered past. Check out the video below.

Leach expected to be Maryland's next coach

Yesterday's entry covered Ralph Friedgen's exit from Maryland football. Today is dedicated to the most likely heir to take over: former Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach.

Leach, a pirate enthusiast (seriously), was 84-43 in 10 years with Texas Tech, and was fired after allegations surfaced about improperly treating one of his players. He never had a losing season, reached 10 bowl games, had eight consecutive years of eight or more wins and was the 2008 Big 12 Coach of the Year. It's clearly easier to win in the ACC than in the Big 12, and Leach was able to do the latter quite well.

And while some fans are upset with the way Friedgen was treated in getting the axe, they should quiet down if and when Leach gets his offense going.

Texas Tech ranked second, fourth and seventh in offensive yardage in 2007, 2008 and 2009 (Leach's last season). The Red Raiders were first, first and second in passing yards, and sixth, fourth and ninth in scoring, respectively.

Most of this success is due to the "Air Raid" offensive system that Leach employs. It involves mostly shotgun formations with four or five receivers spread out. The chief complaint is that it produces "system" quarterbacks, or players who aren't likely to succeed in the NFL because there's not an emphasis on arm strength. Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell and Hawaii quarterbacks Timmy Chang and Colt Brennan were among the nation's most accomplished statistically, but none have made an impact in the NFL.

With a young core of talent awaiting him at Maryland, one would think an offensive-minded guy like Leach would be chomping at the bit. He inherits a redshirt freshman quarterback in Danny O'Brien who was one of the nation's most efficient passers this year, as well as a number of young, athletic, highly touted receivers.

At Texas Tech, Leach recruited and coached San Francisco 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree and New England Patriots receiver Wes Welker, and groomed former No. 1 draft pick Tim Couch at the University of Kentucky.

There's plenty of reason to get excited about the possibilities of Leach actually coming to Maryland. First, he's close friends with Kevin Plank, a Maryland grad and founder of Under Armour. The two are such good friends that they often travel together, and Leach spoke at the Under Armour Coaches Clinic in Miami last February.

Next, Leach has apparently contacted SMU commit Conner Preston, a four-star quarterback from California. According to USC beat writer Scott Schrader, Leach told Preston to follow him to Maryland.

As far as assistant coaches go, the names appearing most frequently are Mike Locksley, Sean Salisbury and Larry Johnson Sr.

Locksley is the current head coach at New Mexico and is a great recruiter. He previously coached at Maryland, Florida and Illinois as an assistant, but is just 2-22 with the Lobos. Salisbury, a friend of Leach's, is a former ESPN analyst and former NFL quarterback with no coaching experience whatsoever.

Johnson, the father of former Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson, is the defensive line coach at Penn State, and another great recruiter. To come, he might have to be offered the defensive coordinator position, a job that would only be open if current defensive coordinator Don Brown follows James Franklin to Vanderbilt.

OrangeBloods.com's Chip Brown already reported the Leach hire was a done deal. Brown was all over the conference realignment stories earlier this year. An announcement should be made shortly after the Military Bowl, and the entire coaching staff should be in place by January 4 (the end of the recruiting dead period), as Friedgen will coach the team for the bowl game. But at this point, it would be a bit of a surprise if Leach wasn't the head coach.

Ralph Friedgen out as Maryland coach

In a move that shocked much of the Maryland Terrapins' fan base, head football coach Ralph Friedgen has been fired, just three weeks after earning the ACC Coach of the Year award.

But to insiders, the move was somewhat expected, and arguably necessary to breathe some life into a slightly stagnant program.

The staff just lost offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator James Franklin, who took the head coaching job at Vanderbilt last week. With him went strength and conditioning coach Deege Galt, and up to three more assistant coaches have been offered positions on Franklin's staff.

That leaves a 63-year old Friedgen with a year left on his contract, forced to plug several holes for one last season. That's the definition of a lame duck.

Some fans are up in arms about the way Friedgen, an alum, has been treated. As beat writer Patrick Stevens explained, it's pretty shocking to see a coach turn around his program and be shown the door almost immediately, especially after winning ACC Coach of the Year award. According to Stevens, "…it appears he is the first BCS conference coach to ever be fired after a winning a coach of the year away in his respective league."

Simply put, it's Fridge's time to step down. This way, he goes off as a winner. In reality, he had three great seasons -- his first three years with the program -- and has been 43-41 in the seven years since, reaching just four bowl games.

Some may ask why this move didn't happen after the 2009 season, when the team went 2-10. At the time, buying out Friedgen and Franklin's head coach in waiting contract would have cost the school $6 million.

One year later, the $1 million agreement for Franklin, plus his $500,000 salary, plus Fridge's remaining $2 million, meant the buyout would have cost $3.5 million.

But today, with Franklin gone on his own accord, it's just $2 million to buy out Friedgen, minus Franklin's buyout and salary, leaving the grand total at just $1.25 million.

Tomorrow, look for an in-depth review of Maryland's likeliest head coaching candidate: Mike Leach.

Agent Zero, Wizards part ways

The Washington Wizards have finally parted ways with eccentric guard Gilbert "Agent Zero" Arenas after more than seven seasons.

On Saturday, the Wizards finalized a deal that gave Arenas to Orlando for Magic forward Rashard Lewis, giving the team a slightly more massive contract, but a healthy body nonetheless.

And as Washington Post beat writer Michael Lee explained, "This was all about creating a clean slate for the rebuilding process, and realizing an exodus that was months overdue."

"It was time for a divorce," Lee wrote. "It just was."

Arenas has had higher highs and lower lows than most diehard fans could stomach. He was a three-time NBA All-Star, led the team to its first playoff series win in 10-plus years, became one of the league's most clutch players and nearly won an NBA scoring award.

But at the end of the 2006-07 season, Arenas tore his MCL. He missed all but eight games in the 2007-08 season, but was offered a maximum contract. But the quirky Arenas opted for less money, taking a six-year, $111 million deal to allow the team to sign a big-name free agent or two.

He played in just two games in 2008-09 due to injury and 32 games in 2009-10 stemming from a season-ending suspension after pointing a gun at a teammate in the locker room. He showed up to media day looking homeless, and faked an injury in the preseason to give teammate Nick Young more playing time.

While missing the better part of three seasons, fans complained Arenas' massive contract prevented the team from being competitive. Most of their payroll on the sidelines, the Wizards have gone just 51-138 over the last two-and-a-half seasons.

The move leaves the Wizards with just three players who were on the roster from last year: Young, JaVale McGee and Andray Blatche. It also leaves Washington with the opportunity of rebuilding with another top draft pick and a core of young players.

UConn to lose $2.5 million for Fiesta Bowl?

In the newest chapter of why the BCS system should be blown up, UConn is set to eat $2.5 million in tickets to the prestigious Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.

New Haven Register reporter Chip Malafronte reported the school has sold just 4,000 of its 17,500 ticket allotment. With the tickets ranging from $111 to $268 -- plus airfare and a hotel in Phoenix on New Year's -- the school will be left footing the bill for the unsold tickets.

Even worse, the cheapest tickets on StubHub.com are going for $25. Try and convince someone to spend $111 when they can get the exact same product for $25.

Part of the problem is that the Huskies finished 8-4 this year, losing to Temple, Rutgers and Louisville along the way. That's hardly a BCS-caliber season, and now UConn is set to face Oklahoma, an 11-2 team that beat four Top 25 teams this season -- and the Huskies are 17-point underdogs.

Despite a huge payday of $17 million distributed to the Big 12 and the Big East, expenses are subtracted from that sum, including unsold tickets.

So UConn head coach Randy Edsall pleaded with fans to buy the rest of the tickets:

"If you have the opportunity and the wherewithal to make it happen, (you) should make it happen, because this is a once in a lifetime experience for the most part. ... it's a lot warmer in Phoenix than anyplace in Connecticut from December 26 to January 2. I'm glad I'll be in Phoenix. I might be shoveling, but it will be sand, not snow, and I'll be sitting by a pool."

Someone should tell Edsall there's no beaches in Arizona. The "sand" he's referring to is just dry, cracked earth. But he's right, it's certainly better than being in Connecticut.

Michael Vick wants a dog

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick told NBC News he'd "love to get another dog in the future."

That's a reasonable request, considering Vick's past.

Let's recap: he was imprisoned for 21 months, spent two months in home confinement, lost several years of salary, went somewhere between $10 and $50 million in debt, and was forced to go into Chapter 11 bankruptcy... all because he was running an illegal dog fighting ring.

"I think it would be a big step for me in the rehabilitation process," Vick said.

Sure thing! And while we're at it, let's get the cast of Celebrity Rehab together for a happy hour!

"I think just to have a pet in my household and to show people that I genuinely care, and my love and my passion for animals; I think it would be outstanding. If I ever have the opportunity again I will never take it for granted," Vick said.

That's really all there is to the story. It's stupid, and for everyone's sake, let's hope Vick never gets his hands on a dog stuffed animal, much less a real canine.

Vick being around dogs is a worse idea than giving Gary Busey a job at a Tylenol factory, or letting Hugh Grant roam Sunset Boulevard with his pants around his ankles.

Terps coordinator to take Vanderbilt job

According to multiple sources familiar with the situation, Maryland offensive coordinator James Franklin is expected to take the head coaching job at Vanderbilt.

The Washington Post originally reported that Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn had accepted the job, but later retracted the statement. Now, the Post (among other sources close to the program) is reporting Franklin and the Vanderbilt athletic department are working out contract details.

Let's dissect this news from multiple angles.

FROM VANDERBILT'S PERSPECTIVE: Vanderbilt would be getting a 38-year old coach with no prior head coaching experience at any level. Franklin is an above-average recruiter, but won't be able to compete with Tennessee and the rest of the SEC for major talent.

The school would seem to be a great fit for a guy like Mike Leach, who would be able to install a system and see success with lesser athletes, much the way he did at Texas Tech while competing with Texas and Oklahoma for recruits. Leach certainly does not have the ethical pedigree that Vanderbilt seems to be going after, but he'd probably be one of their best chances at success.

Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Franklin went to East Stroudsburg University, a small northeastern Pennsylvania school. He's coached at various levels in Virginia, Washington, Idaho, Wisconsin, Kansas and Maryland, and has no real connections to the south. His recruiting territory is currently the Baltimore-Washington D.C. corridor.

In addition to his offensive coordinator duties, Franklin is currently Maryland's head coach in waiting. According to those contract terms, Franklin is owed $1 million if he is not named Maryland's head coach when head coach Ralph Friedgen's contract expires in 2012. If he is named head coach, he is set to receive the median salary of ACC head coaches at the time of his promotion.

But insiders believe the Terps have little to no intention of actually naming Franklin the head coach after Friedgen. And with recently appointed athletic director Kevin Anderson coming into the picture, one would think the A.D. would like to make his own hire.

FROM FRANKLIN'S PERSPECTIVE: The job at Vanderbilt may appear to be more attractive than sticking around at Maryland in an assistant's role, at least from the old "a bird in the hand is worth more than two in the bush" adage.

But the Vanderbilt job is arguably the worst of any BCS school. The Commodores have reached one bowl game since 1982, have one winning record in that time and are now on their seventh head coach. Vanderbilt has accumulated an 89-226 overall record, and has firmly established itself as an SEC doormat.

In other words, Vandy is the Duke football of the SEC. Except, it's easier to win at Duke or Indiana or Washington State, because you're not playing SEC teams week in and week out. With high academic standards (and presumably, ethics) in a conference not known for either of those things, it's damn near impossible to win consistently at Vanderbilt.

There's a reason its last three coaches haven't gone on to be college head coaches anywhere else. With just 14 active players in the NFL, the school has no real football tradition whatsoever. And one would have to think another 8-4 season at Maryland coupled with starting quarterback Danny O'Brien's continued progression would pay off with bigger and better offers than Vanderbilt.

FROM MARYLAND'S PERSPECTIVE: At first, it seems like a great way for Maryland to avoid forking over a $1 million check. But that money was more a way to maintain recruiting continuity and program stability than to keep Franklin around. Franklin's offense started to turn the corner this season, and his work with O'Brien has paid dividends almost immediately.

O'Brien looks to be one of the best Maryland quarterbacks in a long time -- possibly since Boomer Esiason -- and much of that is due to a close personal and working relationship with Franklin. Franklin is developing an impressive resume of developing quarterbacks: first Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman and now O'Brien.

After a 2-10 season in 2009, Terp fans wanted to completely replace the coaching staff and start clean. But after one of the most impressive turnarounds in college football this year, Friedgen, Franklin and co. moved off the hot seat.

A FUTURE LOOK: If Maryland is to replace an offensive coordinator, as is expected, it would be unlikely to promote anyone from the current staff to that position. Longtime assistant Tom Brattan has experience at the high school level, but in college he's only coached the offensive line. Running backs coach John Donovan and wide receivers coach Lee Hull lack the playcalling experience required to effectively run the offense.

One coach currently looking for work includes Miami (FL) offensive coordinator Mark Whipple, who formerly coached at the University of Massachusetts with current defensive coordinator Don Brown. Whipple briefly coached Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, suggesting he'd be able to continue to work on O'Brien's development.

Another possible fit would be former Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr., who has coached at Fresno State, North Carolina and California in the same role. He's also got NFL experience, having coached Aaron Brooks and Jeff Blake to some of the best years of their career in New Orleans.

Big Ten's marketing: epic fail(s)

If you're going to fail, you might as well fail completely and miserably. At least, that's the advice used by the brains behind the Big Ten Conference's latest marketing efforts.

To your right is the new logo. The Conference decided to keep the "I" as a "1", but instead of incorporating a "2" into white space (like they did in their old logo), the graphic designers made the "G" look like a "6".

And with rumors not entirely squashed about an expansion from 12 teams to 16, it looks more like a semi-subtle logo designed for the future rather than the present.

"We were thinking 10, not 16," said league commissioner Jim Delany.

Next, the Conference unveiled its new divisions. Like the ACC's two six-team divisions, the Big Ten decided to nickname each one. Division names are common. The Big 12 has the North and South, the SEC has the East and West, and the ACC has the Atlantic and Coastal divisions.

But the Big Ten went in another direction, nicknaming its divisions the Legends and the Leaders. No, seriously.

The poorly named divisions are split as follows:

Legends Division: Michigan, Michigan State, Iowa, Minnesota, Northwestern and Nebraska

Leaders Division: Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin, Illinois, Purdue and Indiana

Seriously, that's pretty bad. There's no reason to get cute here. And as ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg wrote, "two divisions that start with the letter 'L' have a negative connotation in sports." You really can't go wrong here, unless you decide to name your divisions Legends and Leaders.

I went to this Random Word Generator, hit "New Word" and received two suggestions that would be significant upgrades: Plucked and Cooperative.

Try to convince me those aren't better options. The Big Ten Plucked and the Big Ten Cooperative divisions. Two more: Agnostic and Digression. Wait, those are kind of weird.

Metrodome roof collapses from snow

It was a weekend of thrilling NFL finishes. The Bucs topped the Redskins on a missed extra point that would've sent the game to overtime. The Lions snapped a 19-game losing streak to the NFL North after knocking Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers out with a concussion. The Jaguars eked out a win over Oakland after running back Maurice Jones-Drew broke off a 30-yard touchdown run with 1:34 left in the fourth quarter. The Dolphins held off the Jets' late rally to win on the road.

But possibly the most jaw-dropping item of the weekend was from a game that never happened.

The New York Giants and the Minnesota Vikings were forced to postpone their game from Sunday at 1 p.m. to Monday at 7:20 p.m. after the roof of the Metrodome collapsed under the weight of 15 inches of snow.

The most amazing part is not that Mother Nature crushed the roof, but that there was actual hi-def video to show the entire thing happen. The video itself looks more like it was computer-generated. It's surreal. Check it out.

How Adjehi Baru ended up in Charleston

By now, you've undoubtedly heard about Auburn quarterback and likely Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton, whose name all over headlines this season for a pay-for-play scandal.

Recruiting is a shady practice. There are plenty of stories of recruiting violations in both college basketball and college football.

In college athletics, coaches often have to choose between their morals and a paycheck. Land a top recruit, reach a Sweet 16 and everyone forgets what you did to get the kid in the first place.

The latest story is that of former Terp basketball target Adjehi Baru, a 6-foot-9, 225-pound center, who signed a letter of intent in the fall signing period to play for the College of Charleston.

Coming into the summer, Baru was a virtual unknown. Had he committed to Charleston prior to blowing up at an NBPA Camp in June, nobody would have blinked twice. But that's not what happened. Instead, Baru played a stunning camp, opening the eyes (and dropping the jaws) of every college coach in attendance.

Almost overnight, Baru went from an unknown to a consensus Top 50 player on Rivals, ESPN and Scout.com. He's currently ranked the nation's third-best center by Rivals.com and the fifth-best by ESPN.com, was a prized recruit.

In flowed the offers. Maryland, Virginia Tech and North Carolina wanted him. Most east coast schools were interested. Even Kentucky got involved.

But Baru, a native of Ivory Coast, lives in Richmond, Virginia, with a guardian family. He had virtually no say in his recruitment whatsoever. His family's son, Pat Branin, was an all-league honorable mention at the Steward School, and boasted a 3.8 GPA. He held no scholarship offers, and was barely a blip on the radar to play college basketball at any level.

Yet Branin signed with Charleston in the fall signing period, and nobody really cared. That is, until people started connecting the dots. All of a sudden, rumors swirled that the Branin family had created a package deal to get their son a scholarship.

Not two weeks later, an announcement surfaced that Baru had spurned offers to play ACC basketball -- instead, the African import was taking his talents to the College of Charleston. Instantly, Baru became the school's highest-rated recruit ever.

As Yahoo! Sports writer Jeff Eisenberg notes, "Of the top 75 players in Rivals.com's Class of 2010 rankings, only three signed with mid-major programs and two of those chose to attend that school because the head coach is their father."

Scout.com analyst Evan Daniels tweeted that Branin was hardly recruited at all. Even Charleston head coach Bobby Cremins couldn't pretend Branin was a coveted recruit.

"Pat can definitely help us in practice. Can he ever start here? Right now, no. But he can definitely help us in practice and who knows, he might get better," Cremins told Yahoo! Sports. Does that sound like the type of kid a coach would offer one of his 13 scholarships to?

Of course Cremins would never admit the only reason he let Branin be a member of the team was to get Baru. He has no incentive to do that. Cremins spun the story favorably, noting that Baru fell in love with the town of Charleston.

And technically, it's not an NCAA violation. You could offer an entire varsity high school basketball team scholarships just to land a specific player, if you wanted.

But it certainly smells fishy. And as they say, when it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Harbaugh unhappy with running game

Following the Baltimore Ravens' 13-10 loss to arch rival Pittsburgh on Monday, head coach John Harbaugh expressed his frustration with the team's ineffectiveness running the ball on his weekly radio show.

"We have to find a running game. We've actually run the ball more this year than we did this time last year. … What we haven't done is run the ball very well," Harbaugh said.

Baltimore (8-4) ranks 17th in the league in rush yards per game, and tied for 23rd in rushing touchdowns. After ranking fifth in rush yards and tied for first in rushing touchdowns last season, the drop in production is puzzling.

The Ravens have especially struggled in the last three weeks, managing just 2.2 yards per carry against the Steelers, 3.5 yards per carry against Tampa Bay and 3.2 yards per carry against Carolina.

"That is completely unacceptable for the type of team we want to be," Harbaugh said.

Considered arguably the team's strongest unit entering the season, the trio of Ray Rice, Willis McGahee and Le'Ron McClain has become less of a committee. Harbaugh continues to lean heavier and heavier on Rice, slowly phasing out McClain to the point of deactivating the veteran rusher last week.

So what's the reason behind the struggles on the ground? Is it that quality starter Jared Gaither has been riddled with back spasms since the preseason, causing the team to have to put together a makeshift line? With starting linemen Michael Oher, Ben Grubbs and Matt Birk all in the hunt for Pro Bowl nominations, losing one offensive tackle wouldn't seem to derail the entire running game.

Some have speculated Gaither's days as a Raven are behind him, but the fourth-year tackle insists he'd like to stay with the team and earn a contract extension after this season.

"This is where I started my career, and I would love to end my career at the same place. With that being said, even if I didn't [return], I love this organization," he told the Baltimore Sun.

Regardless of the team's impressive 8-4 record, the Ravens' inability to run the ball consistently could stub the toe of an organization that many consider a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

An ode to Ndamukong Suh

Detroit Lions rookie defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh is a renaissance man.

Through 12 games, Suh has tallied 49 tackles, eight sacks, an interception and a touchdown. He's also performed emergency kicker duty, filling in for extra points after kicker Jason Hanson went down with an injury.

And after receiving a controversial roughing the passer penalty in the preseason for a vicious hit on Cleveland Browns quarterback Jake Delhomme, he gave a terrific quote: "It's not my job to really worry about whether I hit a guy too hard or not.''

But football isn't Suh's entire story. As a kid, the 6-foot-4, 307-pound Suh was an excellent soccer player. He went on to star as a football player (duh) at the University of Nebraska. And instead of majoring in rocks for jocks or underwater basket weaving, he opted to study engineering.

He graduated, and his first act was to donate $2.6 million, split between Nebraska football and the college of engineering.

But his most recent act could be his most impressive one yet. On SportsCenter, Suh showed his best off-the-field move: the moonwalk.

"Me and my sister had all his videos on VHS. Pretty much any time we were stuck in the house, we put the video on, dance to him, watch him," he told ESPN.com.

Check out Suh's moves below.

Cincinnati Bearcats' mascot arrested

In the latest sign that we're taking life too seriously, the Cincinnati Bearcat was arrested following the school's 28-10 loss to Pittsburgh last Saturday.

Bearcat stood on a platform above the student section and tossed snowballs at Pittsburgh running back Dion Lewis as Lewis reached the end zone on a touchdown run.

When it's snowy, there's a 100% chance a drunk fan will start throwing snowballs. It's decidedly rarer to see a mascot not only involved in a snowball fight, but acting as the ringleader.

Before the game reached halftime, humorless cops came and told Bearcat to stop, and when he didn't, they took him down to the ground and arrested him while still in his mascot gear. If you arrest a mascot, you at least have to let him wear the costume for his mugshot, right?

Watch for yourself as Bearcat leads the charge and consequently gets arrested, COPS style. It's like Tony the Tiger on 'roids. I love it. And now I know that's why the old saying goes, "It's all fun and games 'til a running back gets hit with an icy snowball."

Ben Roethlisberger's broken nose

On the heels of area NFL teams losing a blowout and a heartbreaker, Terps basketball rallying but ultimately falling short in a loss to Temple and Terps football slipping all the way to the eighth place bowl game after tying for third in conference standings, let's just say Sunday wasn't a great day for people in the DMV.

It's unpleasant to dwell on any of that stuff today. And with dozens of college basketball, college football, NBA or NFL stories out there, I just couldn't help myself. I had to relive the joy of watching the video of Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's nose becoming a slinky over and over.

Here's the video, preserved for all of history. Happy Monday.

ACC teams go bowling

With the college football regular season essentially in the rearview mirror, we're now just two days away from learning where each bowl eligible team will be playing later this month or next.

The ACC has nine bowl tie-ins, and conveniently, nine bowl eligible teams. Ranked by record, the league has: Virginia Tech, Florida State, Maryland, NC State, Miami, North Carolina, Boston College, Clemson and Georgia Tech.

Maryland is tied for third in ACC standings at 8-4 (5-3), but beat NC State head-to-head. Unfortunately, when it comes to bowl games, record is one of the least meaningful metrics. Better bowl games almost always go to teams whose fans will buy tickets and fill the stadium.

That said, let's get into some predictions.

1. Orange Bowl – Virginia Tech or Florida State, depending on the winner of Saturday's ACC Championship Game. Gun to my head, Virginia Tech takes this for the third time in four years. Likely opponent: West Virginia.

2. Chick-fil-A Bowl – Florida State (or Virginia Tech), essentially the loser of the ACC Championship Game. It would be a shock if either team fell past here. Likely opponent: Mississippi State.

3. Champs Sports Bowl – Maryland, NC State or Miami. The Hurricanes are probably out, with a poor fan base and no head coach currently. My gut feeling says the Terps are headed to Orlando, where they're likely to face Notre Dame. But Terp fans wanting to see the team head to Orlando should root for South Florida to beat Connecticut. That'll push West Virginia to a BCS game, and out of this bowl. If West Virginia doesn't go to a BCS game, the bowl's committee will probably frown upon a rematch of the regular season game and pick NC State. Likely opponent: Notre Dame.

4. Sun Bowl – Probably NC State or Miami. I'll go with Miami here, since it's not a particularly sexy bowl and Miami doesn't have much pull with the way things are right now. If the Terps don't go to the Champs Sports Bowl, expect the Sun Bowl to take them. Likely opponent: Your guess is as good as mine. The Pac-10 only has a few bowl eligible teams, and none will probably end up in El Paso.

5. Meineke Car Care Bowl – NC State makes sense here, as does North Carolina. The Wolfpack are the superior team, and I'd expect them to get taken here. But either team will sell plenty of tickets. Likely opponent: West Virginia.

6. Music City Bowl – North Carolina lands here if it doesn't end up in Charlotte for the Meineke Bowl. Clemson could also go here, but UNC fans are likelier to show up. Likely opponent: Tennessee.

7. Independence Bowl – I'd expect Clemson to fall here, with a 6-6 season and losing its regular season finale against in-state rival Clemson. Likely opponent: Air Force.

8. Military Bowl – Either Boston College or Georgia Tech, but does it matter at this point? Either team is going to be playing in a chilly RFK Stadium in Washington D.C. against a Conference USA team. Likely opponent: East Carolina (OK, I cheated on that one.).

9. Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl – I guess Georgia Tech, maybe. Likely opponent: Nevada.

Tom Brady signing new shoe deal?

He's got luscious locks, a supermodel wife and three Super Bowl rings to his name. New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is a prime candidate to endorse a sneaker.

Well, Deckers CEO Angel Martinez told CNBC's Jim Cramer on Monday that Brady will be endorsing his shoes. What brand falls under the Deckers umbrella? None other than UGG boots.

If you aren't familiar with UGG boots, see the picture below. They're so-called "unisex sheepskin boots" made popular in the 1990s. But I've probably seen 10,000 women wearing them, and no men.

"We have decided that we needed to just get the word out there that it's a brand for guys. ... give guys permission to wear UGG. And who better to give guys permission to wear UGG than … Tom Brady," Martinez said.

It gets better.

Later in the interview, Martinez said Brady was the best spokesman because he's a "longtime fan and wearer of UGG anyway," according to CNBC.com.

I don't think this is what Under Armour had in mind when it signed Brady a few weeks ago.

Brady's quarterback rating is 105.8 this year, just behind Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, and Brady's second-best statistical year ever. But if he and the Patriots keep winning, he could probably endorse Wonderbra and get away with it.

Alabama employee fired for song choice

The University of Alabama announced it fired a football staffer who played "unauthorized music over the Bryant-Denny Stadium public address system prior to Friday's football game against Auburn."

Those two songs? "Take the Money and Run" by Steve Miller Band, and "Son of a Preacher Man" by Dusty Springfield.

Of course, the songs were played amidst alleged improper recruiting and a possible pay-for-play scandal. His father, a minister, is getting swept up in the rumors that he was the one who actually asked for $180,000 when Mississippi State was recruiting his son. This, ladies and gentlemen, is outstanding comedy.

Alabama-Auburn is one of the most heated rivalries in college football, and is nicknamed the Iron Bowl. So there's some bad blood between these teams, and you'd think mocking the visiting team would be standard operating procedure at this point.

Firing an employee -- even if he or she is a part-timer -- is just plain lame. The employee broke a contract, blah blah blah, give me a break. It's a rivalry. Playing music to anger the opponent is part of the whole deal.

Lighten up, people. This is the type of creativity and humor that should be rewarded, not scolded! You've got to think that the employee was high-fived shortly before (or after) getting let go.