Luck Stays, Harbaugh Goes, and Buckley Breaks His Chains

The last week or so has produced three interesting stories that have changed the landscapes of major college football, the NFL, and a sports columnist from Boston breaking free.

So without fanfare, I will present these stories along with my random thoughts.

Andrew Luck stays at Stanford ---

Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck has decided to return to school and forgo his eligibility for the 2011 NFL Draft. The red shirt sophomore wasted no time announcing his decision after the Cardinal routed Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl.

My thoughts:

I believe Luck made the proper decision to stay at Stanford for a number of reasons. By staying in school, Luck has a chance to win a national championship for the Cardinal next season. Also, Luck becomes the prohibitive favorite for the Heisman Trophy. Finally, why would Andrew want to play for the Carolina Panthers, a team that is in total disarray?

Some argue that Luck will miss out on being the number one overall draft choice and the money that goes with that distinction. Let's not for get that there is no Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and when one is hammered out, the rookie salary cap will be far less than the expiring CBA.

Jim Harbaugh accepts San Francisco 49'ers head coaching position ---

While young Mr. Luck stays at Stanford, His former head coach Jim Harbaugh will coach the 49'ers next season. Harbaugh's deal is reportedly for five seasons for $25 million.

My feeling?

This is a tremendous opportunity for both Jim Harbaugh and the 49'ers. Coach Harbaugh gets to stay home in the San Francisco Bay area and the team gets a man who is fiercely competitive. I believe Harbaugh can get San Francisco back to the playoffs soon rather than later once he can groom a quarterback to run the West Coast offense.

Boston Herald sports columnist Steve Buckley announces he's gay ---

Steve Buckley, a very well respected and longtime sports columnist of the Boston Herald wrote an article “Welcome to my coming-out party” about his disclosure of being gay.

What do I think?

While I don't read the Boston Herald, I do watch “The Baseball Show”, a Saturday morning call-in show about the Boston Red Sox during baseball season which Buckley is one of the hosts. Buckley's decades of journalism is a welcome addition to the program as he speaks of the team with candor and wit.

You know what? Had Buckley not written his article, I would have never known of his sexual preference. Or in other words...So what if Steve Buckley is gay? Doesn't matter one iota to this sports nut and amateur blogger. The man is a good writer --- PERIOD!

Dick

Send email to dlafrance2@207me.com

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BCS Shakeup

The BCS standings changed over the weekend with some great games and a few upsets.

Here's a recap.

Auburn, by way of a come from behind win over arch rival Alabama, became the new #1 ranked team in the BCS standings on Sunday. Down 24-0 in the second quarter, Auburn quarterback Cam Newton once again resurrected a stagnant offense to life by accounting for all 4 of the Tigers touchdowns. Defensively, All-American defensive tackle Nick Fairley overpowered the Crimson Tide interior linemen and wreaked havoc on quarterback Greg McElroy and shut down the pass offense completely.

Auburn now faces South Carolina for the SEC championship. A victory by the Tigers will give them a birth in the BCS title game.

Although Oregon defeated Arizona 48-29 over the weekend, the Ducks are now ranked 2nd in the latest rankings. The PAC-10 champs now must play rival Oregon State to end the regular season at 12-0 and gain a birth in the BCS title game.

TCU remains the #3 ranked team this week after finishing off a perfect regular season campaign. The only chance the Horned Frogs receive a title shot is for either Auburn or Oregon to lose.

At #4, Stanford finishes with an 11-1 mark and is in line to play in the Rose Bowl. The Cardinal have the slimmest of hopes of playing in the BCS title tilt by way of both Auburn and Oregon losing. Even at that, Stanford may be too far behind to get to the 2nd spot in the BCS.

At #5 this week are the Wisconsin Badgers. The Badgers wound up in a three way tie for the Big Ten title with Ohio State and Michigan State, but essentially were crowned conference champions by finishing the highest in the BCS standings. Wisconsin, along with Stanford, is playing the best football in the country and is worthy of its BCS bid.

Of course the one major upset was Nevada upsetting then #4 Boise State, dashing any hopes the Broncos had of playing for the national championship.

Now that the final weekend of the season is at hand, and some conferences to be decided, we will have a clear picture of which teams will play for the BCS title and which others will play in BCS bowl games.

I can't wait!

Dick

Send email to dlafrance2@207me.com

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