Auburn quarterback Cameron Newton celebrating with fans after a 24-17 win over LSU at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. (AP File Photo/Dave Martin, File)One-man shows
Auburn has surfed the overpowering wave that is Cam Newton into the BCS title game.
Newton will be a runaway Heisman winner Saturday. He was named the SEC offensive player of the year by the AP earlier this week and in Wednesday's TFP even Vince Dooley said Newton had more one-year impact than the great Herschel Walker.
Defensively the Tigers were paced by defensive tackle Nick Fairley, who was the AP's SEC defensive player of the year after leading the league in sacks (10.5) and tackles for loss (21).
But how's this for the statement about much those two meant to the top-ranked Tigers: Fairly and Newton and two Auburn offensive linemen - Lee Ziemba and Ryan Pugh - are the only Tigers that were first- or second-team All-SEC selections by the coaches. All four made first team, but Alabama had 12 players on the first or second team and LSU had nine.
More wintery mixed up numbers
On Tuesday, we discussed the rising salaries in baseball - a point highlighted by the recent signings of free agents such as Jayson Werth.
Well we received the following tidbit from Mark, a friend of the show: "The 1966 average MLB salary of $18,000 translates to $118,000 in inflation adjusted wages today. The actual 2010 MLB average, $3.3 million, is 28 times that. Since a MLB roster contains 25 players, the average player today makes more than the average MLB TEAM PAYROLL in 1966, adjusted for inflation. Shazam!"
Chew on that ladies and gents. Plus, it's only going to go up when teams like the Chicago Cubs give Carlos Pena a one-year, $10 million deal. Want to know what's worse than Pena, who hit a mind-numbing .196 last year in 484 at-bats, getting a one-year, $10 million deal? It was more than likely a bargain.
Georgia better, Tech worse than we thought
TFP columnist Mark Wiedmer made a good point in today's column on the Georgia-Georgia Tech basketball game. The Bulldogs' 73-72 win was a nice win for an improving club.
It was also a bad loss for the Jackets, who now have lost to UGA and KSU and will be given a chance at the Southern alphabet sweep later this season when they host UTC, UNC and FSU.
Not for nothing, but things are starting to look more and more shaky for Tech coach Paul Hewitt.
Hoops hierarchy
While we're on the topic, there seems to be a real divide of the top five or six teams in the country, especially for it to be this early in the season.
There's Duke and Kansas, which looked sharp in toppling No. 14-ranked Memphis last night. There's Piit and Syracuse, which overpowered Michigan State. There's Ohio State and UConn, too.
As for the UT Vols, who have springboarded to the No. 11 spot after a big November that included winning the NIT, there's another chance to prove their mettle this weekend.
The Vols go to Pitt on Saturday for a game that will be a nice barometer of where the Vols are - are the a very good team or are they a team that can be great?
On the NFL front
There is a lot of craziness in the NFL right now, you know?
I mean Albert Haynesworth is in timeout in Washington.
Tennessee Titans wide receiver Randy Moss (84) is introduced before the start of an NFL football game between the Titans and the Washington Redskins on Sunday, Nov. 21, 2010, in Nashville, Tenn. The game is the first home game for Moss as a Titan. (AP Photo/Frederick Breedon)The Tennessean reported that the Titans may demote Randy Moss when Kenny Britt returns to the lineup. I know Moss has all of five catches in four games with the Titans, but something just does not jive with the thought of Kenny Britt starting over Randy Moss.
In the last three weeks, Peyton Manning has thrown four touchdown passes - to the other team - and the Colts are on the verge of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2001.
The Denver Broncos fired coach Josh McDaniel, and that's not all that crazy considering he was 5-17 since a 6-0 start last year. What is crazy, though, is the range of names being tossed about as possible successors. From the top-shelf names such as Bill Cowher and Jon Gruden to Mike Leach and Eric Studesville (great name right?), who is the Broncos interim coach. Plus, the Broncos will have three head coaches on the payroll next year since they will hire a head coach, have to pay off McDaniels settlements and still owe some coin to Mike Shanahan, who left the Broncos a couple of years ago and now is the coach at Washington where he can't get along with Albert Haynesworth.
Crazy, isn't it?