Wisconsin gets daggered... again

It's been a rough couple of weeks for Wisconsin Badgers fans.

After starting the season a promising 6-0 and climbing to a No. 4 national ranking, the Badgers have dropped their past two games -- in two of the most brutal finishes of the college football season.

Last week, after the Badgers got out to a 14-0 lead, Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins connected with wide receiver Keith Nichol on the Hail Mary of all Hail Marys. A tipped pass in the end zone ended up in Nichol's hands, who essentially fell forward with no time left on the clock to give Michigan State the thrilling 37-31 win.

Fast-forward to Saturday, where Wisconsin found itself in a similar position. After a four-play, 71-yard drive gave the Badgers a 29-26 lead with 1 minute, 54 seconds left in the game, Ohio State answered with a gigantic punch to the gut.

Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller threw a 40-yard touchdown to wide receiver Devin Smith with 43 seconds left to take the wind completely out of Wisconsin's sails for the second straight week.

Two weeks. Two losses. Ten combined points.

The Badgers are now 6-2 (2-2 Big Ten) and sit well out of contention for the Big Ten Leaders Division. (Penn State leads the division with a 5-0 record in conference play.) Even if Wisconsin runs the table with the rest of its schedule -- Purdue, at Minnesota, at Illinois, Penn State -- the Badgers are far from guaranteed the top spot in the Leaders Division.

And thus, the team with the 10th-ranked offense and 11th-ranked defense in the country may just end up the third- or fourth-best Big Ten team. Unbelievable.

Watch the Ohio State dagger below.

Tebowing is the new planking

Internet memes are fun. What first started as planking has turned into owling, coneing, horsemanning, teapotting and Batmanning. People doing weird crap. I love America.

Until now, the only thing not awesome about these memes has been that sports fans have been left out of the craze.

Not anymore.

Welcome to your newest craze: Tebowing.

Based on the favorite position of Denver Broncos starting quarterback Tim Tebow, Tebowing means "to get down on a knee and start praying, even if everyone else around you is doing something completely different," according to, you guessed, it, Tebowing.com.

The best part about these memes is that people immediately recognize what you're doing. You can Tebow in church, at work, at the doctor's office, in the grocery store... really, you can Tebow anywhere.

Even ESPN's Mark Schlereth is getting in on the fun, caught Tebowing on the set in Bristol, Connecticut yesterday.

Go ahead and bust out your best Tebowing move. Upload it, become famous, meet Tebow in real life, then Tebow his ass into oblivion.

What are you waiting for?

A look at the National Championship hunt

We're two-thirds done with the college football season and the BCS computers are hard at work. With a handful of undefeated teams still clamoring to get into the National Championship game, let's take a look at who's still got a shot at perfection.

Also, note that we're not talking about the one-loss teams yet. One-loss Oregon, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Nebraska, etc. all have a shot still, but only if the following teams start to fade...

LSU -- Somebody's gotta lose this LSU/Alabama matchup. Whoever it is will still be in the National Championship picture, but with a black eye. Both LSU and Alabama have great résumés, which would make it really interesting of Oklahoma State or Stanford finished 12-0 in the regular season.

Alabama -- See: LSU.

Oklahoma State -- With games against Baylor, No. 10 Kansas State, No. 19 Texas Tech and No. 11 Oklahoma still on the schedule, the odds of an undefeated season are slim. But if the Cowboys somehow make it through that brutal stretch unscathed, it would be hard to say another team is more deserving. For what it's worth, CollegeFootballPoll.com has Okie State rated the sixth-toughest schedule in the country.

Stanford -- The Cardinal have beaten up on a bunch of nobodies this season (except stomping No. 22 Washington last week). But beating No. 20 USC, No. 7 Oregon and Notre Dame to end the season would give Stanford a compelling argument against a one-loss LSU or Alabama team, a matchup we would have already seen once. But with an obviously weaker schedule than Oklahoma State, it would seem like Stanford is the odd man out if LSU OR Alabama AND Oklahoma State finish perfect. (Plus, having America's favorite quarterback in Andrew Luck probably won't hurt their case.)

Boise State -- Ah yes, the annual "Should Boise State have a shot at a National Championship?" debate. Well, a 73rd-ranked strength of schedule, as always, gives the naysayers a leg to stand on. Sure, a Week 1 win at No. 19 Georgia by 14 points was impressive. But fans have forgotten about the Broncos as they've beaten up on a handful of craptastic teams. And only one game against a ranked opponent probably leaves Boise State on the outside looking in, and perhaps at a disadvantage even if every other undefeated team somehow loses a game.

Clemson -- The Tigers aren't chopped liver, with wins over No. 21 Auburn, No. 11 Florida State, No. 11 Virginia Tech and North Carolina under their belt. But with games at Georgia Tech and No. 14 South Carolina, plus an ACC Championship Game (likely against Virginia Tech), do the Tigers even have it in them? Let's play wait and see.

Kansas State -- It'd be hard to justify letting an undefeated Kansas State into the National Championship game over a one-loss Oregon, Wisconsin or Oklahoma team. But the Wildcats seem awfully unlikely to run the table, with games against No. 11 Oklahoma, No. 3 Oklahoma State, No. 16 Texas A&M and Texas all remaining on the schedule.

Houston -- Quarterback Case Keenum has done impressive things for the Cougars, but when you're the No. 18-ranked team more than halfway through the season, you don't have enough of a shot at improving that record to even talk your way into the National Championship picture.

Get into Tim Tebow's pants today

If you've ever wanted to get in Tim Tebow's pants -- and lord knows they're hard pants to get into -- this might be your lucky day.

Darren Rovell, sports business reporter for CNBC, stumbled upon a unique eBay auction going on right now.

For the totally reasonable price of $4,999.99, you can buy Tebow's game-worn pants. Now, these aren't the pants from his professional debut, or his starter debut last week against the Miami Dolphins. But they're game-worn nonetheless.

That's right. Some weird fan somehow got his or her hands on Tebow's dirty pants.

From the item's description: "Throughout the pants there are multiple hit marks, stains, and tears. The pants come with a Josportsco Denver Broncos Certificate of Authenticity. Josportsco coa # ZX61428. The handwarmer and towel came direct from the broncos locker room. Truly a great piece for any Broncos or Tim Tebow fan."

Translation: If Tim Tebow has a restraining order against you for doing stuff just like this, you can still own the creepiest piece of memorabilia on the planet!

And again, all for just $5,000. Stocking stuffer, anyone?

You can check out the seller's other items. But I think I've seen enough. My stomach can't handle seeing Jamaal Charles' used jockstrap, or a jar of Donovan McNabb's pregame jitters vomit.

Hey, at least it comes with free shipping.

Cards fan pockets huge win

In the world of sports betting, it's exciting to put money on an extreme longshot to win.

You can put $5 on a team like Butler to win the NCAA Tournament and get to enjoy the emotional rollercoaster as the Bulldogs played for their lives (and your potentially brand-new HDTV).

At the end, though, it's almost always got the same result as lighting a $5 bill on fire.

Anyway, some ballsy (or rich) St. Louis Cardinals fan felt like gambling, and in September, placed bets of $250 for the Cardinals to win the National League pennant at 500-to-1 and $250 for the Cardinals to win the World Series at 999-to-1 odds.

As you've probably figured out, this anonymous (smart) fan collected more than $125,000 when the Cardinals reached the World Series. And heading into Game 5, with the series tied at 2-2, he's set to collect $250,000 if the Cardinals can pull off winning the whole damn thing.

At the time of the bet, the Cardinals were 79-68. They went on a hot streak to end the season winning 11 of their last 15 games, before surprising the Phillies and Brewers to reach the World Series.

To put this longshot in perspective, consider that through seven weeks of NFL action, the winless Miami Dolphins are just 250-to-1. They'd have to run the table just to have a prayer at making the playoffs, much less winning them. And $250 would turn into just $62,500 -- one-quarter as much as this guy will pocket if the Cardinals win.

Needless to say, this bet would be a tough one for MGM Grand to stomach paying out. But if you've ever rooted on the little guy, you've gotta be pulling for St. Louis to pull this off.

UofA student's new take on streaking

To make headlines for streaking at a sporting event these days, you have to do something creative or clever.

Simply running across the field and evading a few cops just doesn't cut it anymore.

Enter Jacen Lankow, a 22-year old University of Arizona student.

Lankow made headlines with a unique approach to streaking last Thursday during the first half of Arizona's 48-12 win over UCLA.

He ran onto the field dressed as a referee, tried to take the ball from another referee during a dead ball, then stripped down to his skimpies and started running around the field.

"Lankow said he got into the gate wearing a trainer's outfit and had a fake access pass. He also said when he did this, he was not under the influence of any drugs or alcohol. It was just 'a last hurrah' for his senior year," reports Sporting News.

Pretty damn clever, and of course he was ultimately 'cuffed and arrested. Of course, it didn't help his cause that a bench-clearing brawl almost immediately broke out between the two teams, resulting in two players getting ejected.

Now, Lankow is facing 18 months' jail time for his stunt. And while he probably won't have to serve jail time, here's guessing that's not going to help him land a job in this economy.

Check out the video below.

Is Danny O'Brien done as a Terp?

It's pretty unbelievable to consider the fall of redshirt sophomore quarterback Danny O'Brien over the six weeks.

Last year's ACC Rookie of the Year was one of the only reliable pieces to a Terps team largely changing its identity.

And just four and a half games into the season, a struggling O'Brien found himself on the sidelines, holding a clipboard while backup quarterback C.J. Brown got his first in-game experience since coming to College Park.

O'Brien was a well-oiled machine last year, completing nearly 60% of his passes for 22 touchdowns to just eight interceptions. But this year, something changed. Maybe it was offensive coordinator Gary Crowton installing a new offensive system.

Maybe it was something else. But after the Terps got out to a 2-2 start and were struggling at Georgia Tech, it was Brown, not O'Brien, coming out of the locker room to lead the charge after halftime.

Last week, in a 56-45 loss to No. 8 Clemson on homecoming, Brown officially sealed the starter's job with an impressive three passing touchdowns and a Maryland quarterback-record 162 rushing yards. He's slated to start again this week in Tallahassee as the Terps take on the underachieving Florida State Seminoles.

And while there's plenty of discussion going on about the game itself, there's almost as much debate going on regarding O'Brien's future as a Terp.

He arrived in College Park in the spring of 2008, coming a semester early to learn the playbook. He redshirted that fall, and earned the starting quarterback position, edging out unproven upperclassman Jamarr Robinson for the gig.

He didn't disappoint. And after a 9-4 season -- Maryland's best in half a decade -- it looked like O'Brien would have to really screw up to lose the starting gig. And after a Week 1 win over Miami (FL), it looked like there was no way O'Brien would relinquish the role. But against FBS opponents through four starts, O'Brien had thrown just two touchdowns and six interceptions.

Now, with three years of academics under his belt, the Baltimore Sun and Washington Post report O'Brien has enough credits to graduate in the spring. He's still got two more years of eligibility, and has been relegated to a comfortable seat on the bench. Could he really be on his way out?

A transfer to a Division I-AA (or FCS) school like Delaware, where Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco landed after transferring from Pittsburgh, would be a possible destination, if O'Brien weren't to stick it out.

Much of O'Brien's future depends on how the rest of Maryland's season turns out. If Brown struggles as the starter, it's possible O'Brien will come back as the starter. But if Brown shows he's a reliable quarterback -- including a strong passer -- it may be the end of the road for O'Brien.

It would be a shame to lose him. He's been the face of the team as the regime from Ralph Friedgen to Randy Edsall has changed. He was the incumbent. He was the big man on campus. Hell, he even interned for Under Armour last summer.

But none of that matters when your team is 2-4 and desperately clinging to the hopes of a bowl game in your head coach's first season. As Terps fans, let's hope O'Brien sticks it out. It's a luxury to have two starter-caliber quarterbacks. And it's hard to picture Maryland football without four years of Danny O'Brien.

Caps out to hot start

Don't look now, but the Washington Capitals are out to a franchise-best 5-0 start.

I know what you're thinking: it's October, we're in the heart of college and pro football.

No arguments from me on that front. I'll admit that I only become an "everyday" type of hockey fan in April (aka when the postseason starts). But it's good to see the home team get out to such a good start.

Leading the charge is recently acquired goalkeeper Tomáš Vokoun, who signed a one-year, $1.5 million deal in the offseason to join the Caps.

Vokoun is 4-0 as a starter and ranks ninth in the league in both goals allowed and save percentage. Meanwhile, last year's dependable shot-stopper, Michal Neuvirth, has been relegated to backup duty and is nursing a lower-body injury.

Regardless, things are going well for the Caps, at least offensively. Washington ranks second in goals per game (3.4) and third in power play percentage (29.4%). And that's without much help from perennial All-Star Alex Ovechkin, who has just three points through five games.

Defensively, the Caps are another story, ranking in the middle of the pack in goals allowed (2.2) and penalty kill percentage (81.3%). But with the offense firing on all cylinders, putting up three or four goals per game puts defensive concerns on the backburner.

By the way, I'm fully aware that this post is totally jinxing the Caps, and that they're probably going to lose to Philadelphia tonight.

Bengals trade Palmer to Raiders

The 2011 NFL trade deadline came and went yesterday, and unlike previous years, one team made a blockbuster trade that dropped jaws around the league.

The Oakland Raiders traded their 2012 first-round and 2013 second-round draft picks to the Cincinnati Bengals for veteran quarterback Carson Palmer.

The Raiders (4-2) just lost starting quarterback Jason Campbell for (most of) the year with a broken collarbone, and were desperate to salvage a season that has been otherwise successful.

With AFC West foes Kansas City (2-3) and Denver (1-4) practically out of the playoff picture, Oakland hopes to be able to snag one of the two Wildcard spots.

The funny part is, the Raiders will likely be competing with Cincinnati for that spot.

With Palmer, the Raiders gain a veteran quarterback named to the Pro Bowl in 2005 and 2006. He owns several Cincinnati passing records, and, outside of 2008, has remained healthy for most of his career.

The writing was on the wall for his career in Cincinnati after the Bengals drafted Andy Dalton as the heir apparent in the 2011 NFL Draft. Palmer demanded a trade, but Cincinnati (wisely) refused. And now, the Bengals got more than they could have ever hoped in dealing him.

Dalton has had a fantastic rookie year, completing more than 62% of his passes and throwing for seven touchdowns to five interceptions through six games.

Bengals owner Mike Brown said Dalton "has shown himself to be one of the best and most exciting young quarterbacks in the NFL. We have a good, young football team, and Andy can be the cornerstone of that team for a long time."

ESPN's Chris Mortensen said several teams called Cincinnati inquiring about Palmer leading up to the trade deadline. But Oakland's offer was a deal too good to refuse. (And it gets better. If the Raiders win a divisional playoff game this season, the 2013 second-rounder becomes a first-rounder.)

Already, the Raiders have given away most of their 2012 picks. They traded their second-rounder to New England for defensive lineman Richard Seymour. They used their third-rounder in the supplemental draft to take Terrelle Pryor. They spent their fourth-rounder on acquiring Campbell and their seventh-rounder grabbing linebacker Aaron Curry from Seattle.

Oakland hosts Kansas City this weekend, but has a bye in Week 8 before hosting the Broncos. If all goes according to plan, Palmer should be in the starting lineup by then.

Harbaugh, Schwartz fight after game

Emotions get the best of us, especially in sports.

So when the San Francisco 49ers scored 10 points in the final 111 seconds of Sunday's 25-19 win at the Detroit Lions, the visitors were pumped up.

And rightfully so. The Niners handed Detroit its first loss of the season, improved to 5-1 on the year and now hold a three-game lead in the NFC West.

But one guy who definitely didn't want any part of the celebration was Lions coach Jim Schwartz, who took exception to San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh's celebration and subsequent overzealous handshake.

Schwartz chased Harbaugh down the field, one bumped into the other, words were exchanged and eventually both teams got involved in a postgame skirmish.

"I went to congratulate Coach Harbaugh and got shoved out of the way. I didn't expect an obscenity at that point. Obviously, when you win a game like that, you are excited, but there is a protocol," Schwartz said after the game.

Harbaugh didn't apologize directly to Schwartz, but explained himself in the postgame press conference.

"I was just really revved up, and it's totally on me. I shook his hand too hard. I mean, I really went in and it was a strong kind of a slap, grab handshake. ... So, that was on me," Harbaugh said.

If you'll recall, when Harbaugh was coaching Stanford a few years ago, after a 55-21 drubbing of Southern Cal, then-Trojans coach Pete Carroll asked Harbaugh, "What's your deal, man?" after Harbaugh elected to go for a two-point conversion with the game way out of reach.

(In case the embedded video doesn't work, you can watch the footage here.)

Redskins bench Grossman for Beck

Let the John Beck era begin.

The 30-year old backup quarterback who has appeared in just five career games made his Redskins debut in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 20-13 loss to Philadelphia.

Before the season started, I wrote a post about the five questions facing the Redskins. Question No. 2 was "Will head coach Mike Shanahan stick with starter Rex Grossman over backup John Beck?"

Three weeks later, with the Redskins sporting a 2-1 record (but coming off a heartbreaking 18-16 road loss to archrival Dallas), I again asked "Is it time to see what backup quarterback John Beck has in his arsenal?"

Shanahan didn't seem to think so. But coming out of the bye week with a 3-1 record, it was hard to complain too much.

Until yesterday.

Trailing 20-6 in the fourth quarter, with two field goals, three punts and four interceptions in nine drives under Grossman, Shanahan decided he had seen enough.

"We needed a spark....With four turnovers, we thought it was time to make a change," Shanahan said.

No kidding. Fans at FedEx Field had been loudly cheering "We want Beck!" earlier in the game.

And while Beck gave the Redskins their only offensive touchdown of the game, it was too little, too late. Washington's defense simply could not stop the Eagles with time melting off the clock, and the Redskins weren't given a chance to make a last-second, game-tying drive.

As for the quarterback play, Grossman finished 9-for-22 for 143 yards and four interceptions in three quarters of play. Beck was 8-for-15 for 117 yards and ran two times for 14 yards and a touchdown.

He wasn't perfect. Far from it, even. But he stepped up in the pocket, he didn't panic when his first option broke down and he didn't try to force passes. In general, he played within his means.

After the game, Shanahan remained noncommittal about the starter from here on out. Speaking to the media after the game, he said, "I would never announce that right after a game. I will announce it later in the week."

Even though Washington is 3-2 and more competitive than most fans expected, it's fair to say Redskins fans are ready to bury the Rex Grossman era. With games against Carolina and Buffalo in the next two weeks, why not trot Beck out there to see what he's got?

Pete Carroll has a crush on LeBron

What started out as an innocent back-and-forth joking between Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and Miami Heat star LeBron James has turned into full-blown man crush central.

On Tuesday, LeBron jokingly (?) tweeted to ESPN's John Clayton asking "When is the deadline for a team to sign a free agent?"

To kneejerk fans around the country, that was enough to go into panic mode. But considering Antonio Gates and Tony Gonzalez have become basketball-players-turned-Hall-of-Fame-tight-ends through the league, it wouldn't be the worst fit in the world.

Heck, it would probably be better than Chad Ochocinco's venture as an MLS player.

Anyway, Carroll got wind of LeBron's tweet and wrote "hey @KingJames are you aware of what the League's rookie minimum is?"

James responded "yeah more than what I'm making now Coach," which is true, I guess, and actually pretty funny.

But it didn't end there.

Carroll then asked James "I kinda think of you as a touchdown maker but is it true you think of yourself as a pass rusher?

James responded "TD maker for sure!"

To which Carroll said "I like it! maybe you should head over to #TheU & I'll set up a little workout for you to catch a few balls... just ask for BC"

James pinched off the conversation there. But Carroll had to get one last tweet out of his system: a picture of a Seahawks LeBron James jersey.

I guess we can all be thankful it's the lowly Seahawks and not someone good. After all, LeBron is a front-runner whose fanhood spans the nation, from the Dallas Cowboys to the New York Yankees.

Marathoner DQed for taking bus

It's been a weird week for marathon running.

On Sunday, a woman ran the Chicago Marathon in a little under six and a half hours.

She was 39 weeks pregnant, started having contractions during the marathon and gave birth later that day.

But then a British guy named Rob Sloan made headlines for an equally quirky marathon story.

In Newcastle, England, Sloan was competing in the Kiedler Marathon, dubbed the marathon for "Britain's most beautiful."

Twenty miles in, Sloan got tired. Instead of walking, he hitched a ride on the bus.

He hopped off the bus a few miles later and emerged from the woods (obviously), where he quickly crossed the finish line, earning a third-place award for his effort.

Not so fast, buddy.

"People in cars following the bus saw him get on and off. People saw him run through the bushes -- we had him hook, line and sinker. Rob was distraught at having to come clean," said Dave Roberts, the marathon's organizer.

Steven Cairns, who finished in fourth place, was later awarded the bronze medal. Following the race, he was rightfully suspicious.

"I was third the whole way but somehow I crossed the line and was given fourth! I started to doubt myself as he was adamant he had gone past me. I could understand him taking the goody bag and the T-shirt but to do the press interview claiming he was third..." Cairns wrote on his Facebook page, according to the Associated Press.

Sloan faces a possible banning from marathons for his foiled plan.

Small market teams rule MLB playoffs

A quick look at the standings in Major League Baseball in most years reveals an unsurprising level of disparity, found more in baseball than any other sport.

Without a salary cap, MLB teams are allowed to spend as they please. And teams in gigantic media markets -- able to afford their bloated payrolls -- like the New York Yankees, the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Angels usually find themselves in the postseason.

Not so much this year. According to USA Today, only New York and Philadelphia were teams in both the top 10 payrolls and the playoffs this year.

Boston, Los Angeles Angels, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, San Francisco and Minnesota, all ranked third through ninth, respectively, are watching the postseason from the couch.

Obviously, this year is an anomaly, particularly because two of the bottom six teams by payroll made the postseason in Arizona and Tampa Bay.

From 2007 to 2010, four of the top eight teams by payroll made the playoffs on average. Just two of the bottom 11 teams by payroll made it to the postseason in that time.

It would be nice to think that this year marks a changing of the tide. Small market teams are able to overcome challenges to knock off the big teams. David beats Goliath. But in the end, the lack of a salary cap just shows that it's possible to overcome these barriers, though it's still largely unfair.

In football, for instance, from 2007 to 2010, the average payroll of a postseason-bound team was smack-dab in the middle of the league. On average, just over one in five of the top-paying teams made the playoffs in those years. And, on average, four of the bottom 10 teams by payroll made the playoffs.

Clearly in football, a high payroll has lower chances of making the playoffs than it does in baseball. That's the way it should be, and one of the biggest reasons people want a salary cap in baseball.

But for this year, let's just sit back and enjoy the fact that no team with a top nine bankroll is p(l)aying for a World Series championship.

Remembering Al Davis

"Just win, baby!"

It was the motto of Raider nation, born from team owner and former head coach Al Davis, who passed away last weekend at the age of 82.

Davis left a legacy in Oakland, and, despite the franchise's inability to reach the playoffs over much of the last decade, older fans will fondly remember the old Davis teams that appeared in five AFC Championship games and won three Super Bowls (between 1976 and 1983).

(Of course, younger fans will probably associate Davis as the guy who drafted terrific NFL bust JaMarcus Russell and possibly the pioneer of modern sunglassery, as seen on Jersey Shore's Snooki.)

Davis, who was the team's coach from 1963-1965, general manager and part owner from 1966-1969 and majority owner from 1970-2011, had a fire burning inside him. When asked about walking away from the sport, he said he wouldn't retire until he won two more Super Bowls or died.

Davis was known for being a hands-on owner like Dallas' Jerry Jones and Washington's Daniel Snyder. Davis was known for standing on the field for most practices years ago.

He also may be remembered for famously trading head coach Jon Gruden to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for several draft picks and cash in 2002. Of course, that year, the Raiders lost to the Bucs in what was nicknamed the "Gruden Bowl."

Since trading away Gruden, the Raiders had run through six coaches over the last decade, none of whom had a winning record outside of current head coach Hue Jackson (3-2).

Regardless of recent struggles, hats off to a guy who loved the game as much as anyone ever did.

What's happening to the NFL this year?

If I knew in August what I know now, I could have become an incredibly wealthy man by doing nothing more than betting on the Buffalo Bills, Washington Redskins and San Francisco 49ers, and betting against the Philadelphia Eagles, St. Louis Rams and Indianapolis Colts.

Hell, I'd probably be looking at an early retirement by now.

As many people expected, the lockout-shortened offseason, combined with the regular unpredictability of the NFL, has created some chaos in the league -- particularly for Las Vegas.

Buffalo, Washington and San Francisco all maintain at least partial position of first place in their respective divisions, while predicted doormat Cincinnati is still in the AFC North discussion at 3-2.

Meanwhile, the season has been flip-flopped for Philadelphia, St. Louis and Indianapolis, all of which rank dead last in their divisions. Without perennial Pro Bowl quarterback Peyton Manning, the Colts were unlikely to win the AFC South. But an 0-5 start -- with losses to Cleveland and Kansas City -- is worse than anyone would have thought.

But heading into the season, Philadelphia fans were so confident in their chances of a successful season, the Eagles were dubbed the "Dream Team." Yet six weeks later, Philadelphia is just 1-4. And quarterback Michael Vick is already begging for the media and fans to drop the moniker.

"That term doesn't ring true any more. We're just like any other football team now," quarterback Michael Vick said before Sunday's loss to the Bills. Now, maybe even that's a stretch.

And the longshot Bills -- heck, maybe the no-shot Bills just two months ago, are sitting pretty at 4-1. In August, Las Vegas sports books listed Buffalo as 100-1 to win the Super Bowl, tied for last with the Carolina Panthers. Heck, the Bills were 18-1 just to win the competitive AFC East. Many bettors in Las Vegas would have told you to simply light your cash on fire.

Cincinnati (80-1), Washington (60-1) and San Francisco (30-1) were also largely disrespected in Vegas. And while it'd be a surprise for any of those teams to be vying for a championship two months from now, it's also getting to the point where another loss or two and it'd be a surprise for the Eagles to even make the playoffs.

And while there's a ton of football left to be played, it's certainly been an interesting start to the season.

TCU waves bye to Big East

A quick look at a U.S. map pretty much summed up why adding TCU to the Big East was a geographical headscratcher.

But the Horned Frogs did it anyway. Well, at least for a few months. Now, it seems, TCU is headed to the much more geographically sensical Big 12 conference.

Damn, bailing on the Big East before it was even technically a member. That's cold.

It makes all the sense in the world to add TCU to the Big 12. But it's a kick in the junk for the Big East, which (probably?) has seen the last of Pittsburgh and Syracuse, two of the longest-standing football-and-basketball members of the conference.

"It's one of the most disappointing things I've seen in 35 years in the game to see this thing break up like this. We've stayed loyal to it all along. We've stayed loyal, and by staying loyal we're not sure what's going to happen to us," said Louisville coach Rick Pitino.

While losing TCU isn't a deathblow to the Big East from a basketball standpoint, it's a huge blow to the conference's football prestige. With 16 (now 14) members in basketball and eight (now six) in basketball, the Big East has lost much of its allure. Now, its football consists of Cincinnati, Connecticut, Louisville, Rutgers, South Florida and West Virginia.

At a minimum, the Big East needs to scramble for two more additions in football. One would think athletic directors at Notre Dame (South Bend, In.) Temple (Philadelphia, Pa.), Memphis (Memphis, Tn.), Navy (Annapolis, Md.) and maybe even East Carolina (Greenville, N.C.).

NBA talks reach crunch time

With the NBA preseason already canceled, players and owners must come to an agreement by next week or the first part of the regular season will be be canceled, too.

The basic dispute boils down to the players not wanting to forfeit the money they believe is rightly theirs, and the owners not wanting to lose any more money.

It's a legitimate argument for both sides. After all, there wouldn't be an NBA if it weren't for the players. On the other hand, there might not be 30 NBA teams if many of them continue to lose money, as they have for the last few seasons.

NBA commissioner David Stern admitted "last season was not profitable for most of the league's 30 owners," according to CNN.

The entire league lost $300 million last season. But the cancellation of the preseason "will mean a loss of about $200 million in revenue," reports the Associated Press.

"We're looking down the barrel of losing regular-season games. There's an extraordinary hit coming to the owners and to the players," Stern said.

And while neither side looks to be budging, the league and its players are hemorrhaging money, while its fans are starting to grow impatient.

It's hard to sympathize too hard with the players, considering the average NBA salary is around $5.1 million. The players command 57% of the basketball-related income, while the owners are looking for a 50/50 split. An even split would mean the players forfeit $266 million each year.

And owners of even the smallest-market teams like Memphis are worth north of $1 billion. Sure, owning a sports team is supposed to be a winning investment. But these guys can find $10 million between the cushions of their couches.

So, who should everyone feel bad for? How about the fans?

Suh, Best help out Detroit high school

At this point, my man crush on Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is well-documented.

I called him the 2010 NFL Draft's best franchise player, mentioned about his part-time job working for Subway during the lockout this past season and even wrote about his engineering degree and subsequent $2.6 million donation to the University of Nebraska's engineering program.

The guy is a rarity among today's professional athletes: a good soundbite, a college graduate and, oh yeah, an absolute beast on the field.

Today's post further solidifies that he's a good guy. He and teammate Jahvid Best got wind of a sad story in Detroit and made things right.

Days before Douglass High's homecoming game, thieves broke in and stole most of the school's helmets, cleats and pads. The school had to stage a rally to drive up donations, otherwise it would have to forfeit the game and possibly the season.

That is, until Suh and Best stepped in and donated new Nike gloves and cleats for the entire team. As Yahoo Sports blog Prep Rally writes, "Together with Quicken Loans -- which donated a complete new set of top-of-the-line helmets from Massachusetts and a $5,000 check to help repair and secure the school's field house -- the Douglass squad actually entered its homecoming game better equipped than it had been before the theft."

"It was shocking to see what we had is all gone. It was just heartwarming to see that other people care for young men. I just want to say thank you," said sophomore wide receiver Omari Taylor.

Teach me how to Gundy

Two Saturdays ago, No. 7 Oklahoma State topped No. 8 Texas A&M at Texas A&M in a pretty damn impressive way.

The Cowboys trailed 20-3 at the half before storming back to score 27 unanswered points in the second half. Eventually, Oklahoma State won 30-29. Make no mistake about it, it was a huge win. And head coach Mike Gundy -- he of the "I'm a man, I'm 40" viral video fame -- had good reason to celebrate.

There's little funnier than watching a middle-aged white guy bust a move. Especially when that is a dance move from a rap video.

Watch as Gundy imitates Cali Swag District's "Teach Me How to Dougie" with his own version, cleverly called "Teach Me How to Gundy."

Sunday NFL recap

Somehow miss every single second of NFL football on Sunday? Hand over your man card. But between you and me, here's a recap of every game, just so you don't sound like a total sissy in front of your coworkers.

Detroit 34, Dallas 30: Down 27-3 in the third quarter, the Cowboys collapsed like Coach K. Meanwhile, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Calvin Johnson have been hooking up so much, they should start picking out their celebrity couple name. I suggest Calthew.

Chicago 34, Carolina 29: In the battle of the two least likable starting quarterbacks, Chicago's Jay Cutler topped Carolina's Cam Newton in a nailbiter in the Windy City.

Cincinnati 23, Buffalo 20: All eight Bills fans were crushed when Cincinnati kicked a last-second field goal to spoil Buffalo's perfect record (not a typo).

Washington 17, St. Louis 10: Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman owes his bookie a ton of money after Sunday. With the game on the line, Sexy Rexy tried to give the football away like it was a hot potato. Luckily, St. Louis is horrible.

Houston 17, Pittsburgh 10: Ben Roethlisberger is on crutches, and fantasy bust Arian Foster finally gave the people who drafted him No. 1 overall a reason to stop sending him hate mail.

Kansas City 22, Minnesota 17: I thought college football was only on Saturdays?

Tennessee 31, Cleveland 13: Browns quarterback Colt McCoy attempted 61 passes. The most noteworthy performance from either team was a backup tight end owned by 3.5% of fantasy teams on ESPN.

San Francisco 24, Philadelphia 23: The Philadelphia Dog Murderers led by 20 points midway through the third quarter before letting 49ers quarterback Alex Smith piece together the game of his life, leaving the City of Brotherly Love with a win.

New Orleans 23, Jacksonville 10: Shockingly, Pro Bowl quarterback Drew Brees outduels crappy rookie Blaine Gabbert in a yawner.

Atlanta 30, Seattle 28: The Falcons control the ball 40 minutes to Seattle's 20, yet struggle to put away the Seahawks. Seattle quarterback Tarvaris Jackson has one of his best games as a starter. Meanwhile, nation asks "What's a Tarvaris?"

NY Giants 31, Arizona 27: Eli Football Manning needed a stellar fourth quarter to put away the basically winningless Cardinals.

New England 31, Oakland 19: At halftime, Patriots stars Tom Brady and Wes Welker played "20 Minutes in Heaven."

Green Bay 49, Denver 23: Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers accounted for six of Green Bay's seven touchdowns. Do you really need more information?

San Diego 26, Miami 16: The Dolphins were doomed as soon as quarterback Chad Henne was injured when he slid untouched in the first quarter. In an effort to display sportsmanship, Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers played the rest of the game left-handed.

Baltimore 34, NY Jets 17: The Ravens defense and a Rex Ryan-coached team combined for five defensive touchdowns. The two starting quarterbacks combined for 21-for-66 for 282 yards and a pair of interceptions. Yikes.