North: Big Ten football clearly the best
Let me get right to it: The Big Ten is the best conference in college football.
There can be no question because it was settled right where it should be - on the field of play as Ohio State took the first college football championship by beating Oregon 42-20. Urban Meyer and third-string quarterback Cardale Jones pulled off the improbable by beating the Ducks, who were favored by 6 ½ points.
The conference will reap huge rewards with the upset. Several Big Ten teams managed to do some damage in the postseason, matching their record of 10 bowl appearances.
I am hoping the myth about the SEC being the greatest conference will just curl up and go away. I have always separated Alabama from the rest of the SEC because that program transcends the conference.
Alabama also makes the conference, just as Ohio State is the bellwether of the Big Ten. Try to picture the SEC without Alabama or the Big Ten without Ohio State - it's just inconceivable.
The SEC was basically given an automatic bid every year, and I will never say the SEC was the best conference over the last decade.
Also, forget the nonsense that the national championship would interfere with the bowl system. That has been proven wrong.
How ridiculous were the college and university presidents to leave billions of dollars on the table because they didn't have the vision to see how lucrative a national championship playoff would be? They didn't see the cash cow at their feet.
I feel good about the direction college football has taken now, and am comfortable with a four-team playoff.
Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota has decided to join Jameis Winston and turn pro. Neither quarterback is a sure thing, but I expect them both to be top 10 picks. It was just a great year for college football.
The East is up for grabs:
Chicago Bulls fans are being treated to some average basketball right now with this injury-riddled Bulls team, and getting beat at home 121-114 by a team as bad as the Orlando Magic (15-27) makes me think they have hit a wall.
The Bulls still own the Central with a 26-14 record, and pickup of the year, Pau Gasol, and a healthy Derrick Rose help to ease my worries.
The NBA East, though, has surprised us all. Who had Atlanta at 31-8? Before the season the Hawks were 60/1 odds to win the NBA, and now they are 18/1. If Vegas doesn't think they are just a flash in the pan, then they probably aren't.
The Washington Wizards (27-12) and the Toronto Raptors (26-12) are also very pertinent. While the Cleveland Cavaliers are struggling now, they could still put it together.
I picked Cleveland in the beginning to win it all, and that door seems to be closing, but Vegas still has them at 5-1.
If not the Cavs, who will win the East? Your guess is as good as mine.
Program notes:
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