Ganja problems

Every year it seems to happen. A few weeks before the NFL Draft a small number of players are outed for allegedly failing their drug test at the combine. Yesterday, three big names came out —
Boston College DT B.J. Raji, Illinois CB Vontae Davis and Florida WR Percy Harvin.

Overall, this is bad news for their draft status. All three are considered first-round talents. But can they overcome this bad PR? Of course. They may slip, but many teams will see them as great bargains as they fall down the board. It will cost these guys money, but if they prove themselves all will be fine.

Does anyone remember Warren Sapp in the 1995 draft? He was considered by many a top 3 pick, but he slipped to the Tampa Bay Bucs at No. 12 because of drug rumors. Sapp took it to heart and quickly became one of the game's most dominating defensive lineman for about a decade.

Raji and Davis may come through this better than Harvin. He has been rumored to have a case of reefer madness. There are even rumors that he missed games the past two seasons because of marijuana issues. This can pick up momentum and get out of control real quick for Harvin.

I'll be watching the draft on April 25-26 and keeping a close eye on these three and see who slips and who survives.

Live Blog: for all the marbles, the BCS National Champeenship o the World

2:26 Fourth: That was quick. OU couldn't muster a first down. Heisman jinx continues as Bradford looked pretty average tonight. And the Tebow worship begins, although i think Percy Harvin was the best player in this game.

3:00 Fourth: By the way, Oklahoma, watch out for the shovel pass off the option action. criminy. how can that play work every time? and there's the jump pass. 24-14 Gators iwth the lead.

9:59 Fourth: OU driving again, but Gator DB makes a terrific play and snags an interception. If Florida can score a TD here, it could be awfully tough for OU to pull this one out.

11:00 Fourth - Gators have to settle for a field goal after Harvin goes out with a dinged ankle and Tebow throws two passes out of bounds. Thought this one was going to be over early tonight, but I have a feeling this last 10 minutes is going to drag on for awhile.

Momentum's name is Percy Harvin as he rips off 52 yards. Amazing how they can get the kid the ball in space. While 75 percent of this game has been penalty-laced crap, we could at least get a good finish.

And the Sooners tie it up, 14-14 as Bradford hits the TE on a nice play. Good drive by OU, taking advantages of some mismatches and some good throws from Bradford.

Start of the fourth: 14-7 Florida. Well, it finally got interesting. For awhile there I switched to PBS to watch History Detectives. But Tebow got everybody going by yelling a lot, which makes him the world's greatest leader. Anyway, nice drive and Gators go on top. OU has stopped being able to run the ball and keep getting stuffed on short yardage. And now the Gators block a field goal, but OU holds and gets the ball back.

Third qtr: This thing's kind of a snoozer. Tebow just missed Harvin on a go.

half: 7-7. OU with a big turnover right before halftime costs them three points. Interesting half. Lots of yards, but not a lot of points and three turnovers.

6:00 2nd: Big sequence as Tebow throws a pick. OU runs the ball to the 1, but a big stop from the Gators. of course, Fox wasn't sure what down it was. ugh. shouldn't these guys be better at this by now?

11:49 Now that's a response. Sooners tie it up on a beautiful drive that looked like it was being played in fast forward. A little surprised to see OU line up and run the ball so easily.

Start of the second qtr: Gators score on a nice throw by Tebow and a nice catch and dive into the EZ. 'Homa looks frustrated to me already. Maybe the pace will pick up a little at least.

1:43 Did Thom Brenaman just say Tim Tebow is "the unquestioned greatest leader in college football today." ??? Is it possible for anyone to describe this kid without going completely over the top.

Penalties kill a promising drive for the Sooners. Is OU trying to wheel route the Gators into submission?

9:20 First quarter - Tebow throws a pick because he waits too long to make the throw on the sideline. Jesus weeps.

First quarter - Both Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow have thrown incompletions. ESPN has new poll up: Who is more overrated? Just interviewed Skip Bayless who says the Heisman committee should by hung by their balls for not naming Colt McCoy Heisman winner. Outside the Lines announces new special: "Is Everyone Not what We Make them out to Be?"

Preview: BCS National Championship Game

BCS National Championship Game
Dolphin Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla.
Florida vs. Oklahoma
Date: Jan. 8
Time: 8 p.m.
TV: FOX
Line: Florida -3

About Florida: After watching Gary Danielson do the SEC title game, here's what I know about the Gators: Tim Tebow, Tim Tebow, Tebow, Tim, Tim Tebow, some other guys, Tim Tebow, Holy Crap Tebow, Can you believe that, Tebow? Tebow. I assume there are other guys, but I can't make any guarantees.

Intangibles:
Gainesville: -2
Florida co-eds: +4
Steve Spurrier: -1
Galen Hall: -2
Ron Zook: -4

About Oklahoma: The Sooners average 147 points a game this year and Sam Bradford won the Heisman Trophy thanks to playing against the Big 12. On defense, the Sooners line up 11 guys and do their best to get in the way.

Intangibles:
Stoops' stupid visor: -4
Last four BCS games: -3
Billy Sims: +3
Billy Sims at Heisman ceremony: -3

Impact Player: Florida returner Brandon James is the fastest midget alive. Except for LSU's Trindon Holiday. Makes him hard to see on kick returns.

Bowl slogan: "This is for the national title. We've got a trophy and everything. That makes it real."

Little known fact: Football games usually take between two and a half and three hours. This one will take nearly four.

The Pick: Florida 38, Oklahoma 28

Observations from Saturday's Games (Nov. 15)

Don't tell me the Big 12 is better than the SEC. Watch Florida for a quarter, or Alabama play defense and it's clear where the best talent is in 2008. Saturday's lame schedule proved to be a pretty good day. Here are some observations from Saturday's action:

1. Heckuva a team. The Florida Gators have amazing talent. I'm still trying to figure out how they lost to Ole Miss at home. With the Ol' Ball Coach returning for just the second time at South Carolina, the Gators put a good ol' fashioned butt-whipping on the Gamecocks, 56-6. That's impressive considering, South Carolina had won six of seven and its defense ranked third in the nation. That defense held strong for a little while, but Spurrier's inept offense put them in so many holes it was impossible to compete with the Gators.

2. Wacky ACC. Where do you start? North Carolina State is like the Pittsburgh Pirates in September. The games don't mean much, but you can play a spoiler role. The Wolfpack did just that with a win over Wake Forest. Then there is Maryland. One week after getting manhandled by Virginia Tech, the Terps squeak by ACC favorite North Carolina 17-15. And right now Florida State is losing to Boston College at home.

3. USF Bulls(hit). Would someone tell South Florida that the season is 12 games, not six. After reaching the lofty status as a Top 10 team earlier this season, Jim Leavitt's boys have imploded again. Don't tell me Rutgers is that good. I picked the upset, but the Scarlet Knights pummeled USF 49-16 in Tampa.

4. Reality check for Tommy. Doesn't it look like Auburn's Tommy Tuberville is coaching like a guy who knows he's about to be fired? He got a little whiny on Saturday as his Tigers fell to Georgia 17-13 (which is also sad that UGA is so inept on offense). So who tops Auburn's wish list right now?

5. Rose Bowl rematch? If Oregon State gets two more wins it could happen. If Penn State downs Michigan State next week it could happen also. If those two possibilities happen, the Beavers and Nittany Lions will play in the Rose Bowl -- an unlikely rematch. In the first meeting Penn State rolled 45-14 in State College. This odd rematch remains alive because Oregon State defeated Cal 34-21 Saturday, while PSU rolled past Indiana 34-7.

6. First 8-loss season. Hey Michigan, you're just one week away from your first 9-loss season. Think Ryan Mallett could have helped a little this season?

7. Not your father's A&M. Remember when Texas A&M was a legitimate Top 10 team and when the Aggies played Texas it was usually a good game and A&M could be favored? Mike Sherman's first year in College Station has been a disaster and nothing makes that point any clearer than a 41-21 loss to Baylor.

8. Best backfield? Maybe many of you would choose Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin. But Ohio State's Beanie Wells and Terrelle Pryor are as good as any tandem in the country right now. The Buckeye duo combined for more than 250 rushing yards and two scores in a 30-20 victory at Illinois.

9. Bayou trouble. Not watching the game, but it seems every Score Update on Troy at LSU is another score by the Trojans. Last check it was 31-10 in the third quarter.

10. Better than expected. All week and all day everyone kept talking about the weak slate of football games today. Of course, there weren't the great matchups of ranked teams that we'd like to see. Just look at the primetime game of Boston College and Florida State. But it was still a great day of games. Stop complaining and just enjoy each week.