Act their age? Not them

Let's hear it for the old guys. Tom Watson, who turns 60 in September, struck a blow Thursday for those who believe age is just a number. He led for most of Thursday's first round of the British Open, and his 5-under 65 puts him in a tie for second place heading into Friday. Staying in contention is a long shot, but his performance did conjure up thoughts of some great performances by older athletes. Here is just a sampling of impressive showings by older athletes.

Jack Nicklaus
Whenever the subject of old guys in sports comes up, Jack Nicklaus' performance at the 1986 Masters is one of the first thoughts. At 46, he became the oldest player to win the tournament when he shot a final-round 7-under 65. But actually, it was another Masters performance that might have been more impressive. In 1998, at age 58, Nicklaus finished at 5-under, including a 68 on Sunday, to finish in a tie for sixth, four shots behind winner Mark O'Meara, who was 41 at the time. Five-under would have been good enough to win or tie for the lead at Augusta 14 times since World War II.

Dara Torres
This, actually, might be the most impressive feat on this list. Competing in a sport dominated by teenagers and those in their early 20s, Dara Torres won five medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics even though she was, at age 33, the oldest member of the American swim team. The best, however, was yet to come. Incredibly, at age 41, Torres won three silver medals at the 2008 Beijing Games, including the 50-meter freestyle when she set an American record she had once set 26 years earlier, when she was only 15.

George Foreman
One of the scariest and most devastating punchers in boxing disappeared from the sport in 1977 but returned in 1987 at age 38. Then in 1994, at age 45, George Foreman fought Michael Moorer for the IBF and WBA heavyweight championships. Moorer dominated for nine rounds as Foreman looked for an opening to throw one big punch. When he found it, Foreman knocked out Moorer and was the heavyweight champ for the first time in 20 years. He went on to win three of his next four fights before retiring for good at age 48.

Nolan Ryan
Nolan Ryan threw seven no-hitters in his career, three more than any other pitcher. The sixth came on June 11, 1990, when he was 43 years old. The last came on May 1, 1991, when he was 44. And those were not the only impressive performances in his later years. In 1993, when he was 46, he hit Robin Ventura of the White Sox with a pitch. Ventura charged the mound. Despite being 20 years older, Ryan proceeded to get Ventura in a headlock and fire several punches that would have made George Foreman proud.

Randy Johnson
From 1900 through 2003, only 14 pitchers threw a perfect game in the majors. The average age of those 14 pitchers was 29 years, 6 months. The oldest was Cy Young at age 37 in 1904. Then came Randy Johnson, the 6-foot-10 left-hander. On May 18, 2004, less than four months from his 41st birthday, Johnson struck out 13 Braves and set down all 27 batters to become the oldest pitcher to toss a perfect game and just the fifth pitcher to throw a no-hitter in both leagues.

Bernard Hopkins
Some would argue Bernard Hopkins is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world right now. Now here's the kicker: He's 43. He already was the oldest middleweight champion ever as he held the belt for 10 years and defended it 20 times. Since turning 40, Hopkins has done well against top-flight competition. He won lopsided unanimous decisions over Antonio Tarver and Winky Wright and lost a split decision to Joe Calzaghe. Then in October, when he was 42, Hopkins, in the minds of many, won every round in dominating fashion against previously undefeated Kelly Pavlik.

Julius Boros
Here's a trivia question for you: Who's the oldest player ever to win a major championship in golf? Answer: Julius Boros. He was 48 when he won the 1968 PGA Championship at Pecan Valley Golf Club in San Antonio, Texas. He shot a final-round 69 to beat Bob Charles and Arnold Palmer by one shot. Fittingly, Boros was instrumental in the late 1970s with the start of the senior tour, known today as the Champions Tour.

Martina Navratilova
Navratilova already was one of the legends in tennis well before this decade. From 1978-90, she won 18 grand slam singles titles, including nine Wimbledons. In 2003, when she was 46, she won the Australian Open and Wimbledon mixed doubles titles with Leander Paes to become the oldest player to win a major title. But she still had a couple of more impressive victories left. In 2004, when she was 47 years, 8 months, Navratilova won a Wimbledon match in straight sets to become the oldest player to win a pro singles match in the Open era (after 1968). Two years later, at age 49, she teamed with Bob Bryan to win the U.S. Open mixed doubles title.

Sam Snead
When it comes to old guys and golf, Sam Snead is the master. He's the oldest player to win a PGA Tour event, taking the 1965 Greater Greensboro Open just shy of his 53rd birthday. At the 1979 PGA Championship, he became the oldest player (67 years, 2 months) to make the cut at a major. He was the first tour player to shoot his age when he shot 67 at the 1979 Quad Cities Open. And until Vijay Singh came along, Snead held the record for PGA Tour victories after the age of 40 with 17.

Gordie Howe
After the World Hockey Association folded and the Hartford Whalers joined the NHL, the legendary Gordie Howe decided to play one more season. He played all 80 games and helped the Whalers into the playoffs with 15 goals and 26 assists. He also played in the All-Star Game, picking up an assist. Now the amazing part: He was 51. We should also take this moment to recognize defenseman Chris Chelios, who turned 47 in January and recently announced he wants to play next season -- his 26th in the NHL. Consider this: When Chelios broke into the league in 1984, Sidney Crosby was three years from being born.

Best trades in Tampa Bay sports

With the Twins' Delmon Young in town this weekend to play the Rays, we are again reminded of one of the most famous trades in Rays history. Two years ago, they sent Young to the Twins and acquired shortstop Jason Bartlett and starting pitcher Matt Garza. One Tampa Bay writer -- okay, that would be me -- said shortly thereafter that if the Twins offered to undo the deal, the Rays would be crazy not to accept. With the benefit of hindsight, it's now easy to say that the trade would've been worth it if the Rays had acquired either Garza or Bartlett, let alone both. This could be the best trade in the history of Tampa Bay sports. Here is one opinion of the best trades in Tampa Bay sports history.

1. Rays trade Delmon Young, Brendan Harris and Jason Pridie to Twins for Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett and Eduardo Morlan.
Nov. 28, 2007
Young hasn't developed into the star many thought he would be. He hit .290 last season with only 10 homers and 69 RBIs. This season, he is batting a mere .236 with one homer and 14 RBIs. But even if Young had developed quicker, the Rays still get the better of the deal. Bartlett was voted the team MVP last season. Garza is the ace of the Rays staff after winning Game 7 of last year's American League Championship Series and being named ALCS Most Valuable Player.

2. Bucs trade two first-round picks, two second-round pics and $8-million to Raiders for Jon Gruden.
Feb. 18, 2002
After hastily firing Tony Dungy and being left at the altar by Bill Parcells, the Bucs were desperate to save face, especially after several other candidates fell through. That's when the Bucs turned to Gruden. The price was steep, two first-round picks and a pair of second-rounders. Was it worth it? You bet. Championships are the name of the game in pro football, and Gruden did what no other Tampa Bay coach, including the ever-popular Dungy, could ever do: deliver the Bucs a Super Bowl trophy. Do you think any other coach could have done it?

3. Lightning trade Bryan Marchment to Sharks for Andrei Nazarov and choice of draft picks.
March 24, 1998
Looking at the deal, you might ask why this is on the list. It just looks like a ho-hum deadline deal of a soon-to-be-free-agent defenseman (Marchment) for a run-of-the-mill, young enforcer. But this was GM Phil Esposito's finest moment. At the last second, Espo held up the deal unless the Sharks threw in one more thing. They had Florida's 1998 first-round pick. Espo said he would do the deal if the Sharks agreed to swap first-round picks if the Panthers' pick finished ahead of the Lightning’s in the draft lottery. Because the Lightning was the odds-on favorite to win the lottery, the Sharks agreed. Turns out, Florida won the lottery and San Jose had to swap picks with Tampa Bay. What player did the Lightning select at No. 1? A center from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League named Vinny Lecavalier.

4. Rays trade Victor Zambrano and Bartolome Fortunato to Mets for Scott Kazmir and Jose Diaz.
July 30, 2004
Even with Kazmir now on the shelf ironing out his pitching problems, Mets fans still bang their heads against the wall over one of the worst trades that organization ever made. They traded away their top
pitching prospect for Zambrano, a veteran with control problems who won only 10 games over parts of
three seasons with the Mets before blowing out his arm and, eventually, becoming a free agent. He went through several teams and now, at age 33, is unsigned. Kazmir has been named to two All-Star teams and, at 25, he's the Rays' all-time leader in victories, strikeouts and innings pitched.

5. Lightning trades Mike Johnson, Paul Mara, Ruslan Zainullin and a second-round pick to Coyotes for Nikolai Khabibulin and Stan Neckar.
March 5, 2001
Khabibulin was one of the best goalies in hockey but sat out nearly two seasons over a contract dispute. He needed a team, and the Lightning needed a goalie -- something it hadn't had since the healthy Daren Puppa days. So Lightning GM Rick Dudley pulled the trigger on a blockbuster deal that sent a package including promising young defenseman Paul Mara to Phoenix for Khabibulin. Three years later, the Bulin Wall backstopped the Lightning's only Stanley Cup.

6. Bucs trade two first-round picks to Jets for Keyshawn Johnson.
April 12, 2000
Johnson was the first overall pick of the Jets in 1996 and caught 305 passes in his first four seasons. But contract problems made him available just as he was about to enter his fifth season. The Bucs, on the verge of a championship team, made the big leap and acquired him for two first-round draft picks. Over the next three seasons, Johnson became the highest-paid receiver in football and had seasons of 71, 106 and 76 receptions with a combined 14 touchdowns. He made one Pro Bowl and, most important, was a big piece of the Bucs' Super Bowl team.

7. Rays trade cash to Braves for Fred McGriff.
Nov. 19, 1997
The day after the Rays had their expansion draft, they sent what is thought to be $20,000 to the Braves to acquire the Tampa-born slugger -- partly because the Braves didn't want to pay McGriff $10-million over the next two years and partly because they wanted to bring in Andres Galarraga. The Rays gladly took McGriff, who hit 97 homers with 352 RBIs over the next four years. That included consecutive 100-RBI seasons.

8. Lightning trades fifth-round pick to Panthers for Dan Boyle.
Jan. 7, 2002
Thank you, Mike Keenan. The controversial coach was never a fan of Boyle, and Keenan rarely played him after taking over as GM-coach of the Panthers. Just happy to get anything for a player he didn't like all that much, Keenan accepted a fifth-round pick from the Lightning for Boyle. Boyle went on to become the franchise's leader among defensemen in goals and assists and was a pivotal member of the Lightning's 2004 Stanley Cup team. After being in one of the club's best all-time trades, he was the key figure in one of the worst when he was traded last summer to San Jose.

9. Rays trade Mark Hendrickson, Toby Hall and cash to Dodgers for Dioner Navarro, Jae Seo and a player to be named.
June 27, 2006
Maybe Navarro isn't having the type of season many expected. But let's not forget, he was an All-Star during the Rays’ breakthrough 2008 season, leading the team with a .295 batting average. Essentially, the Rays traded what amounts to a backup catcher and a No. 4 starter for a starting catcher who is only 25.

10. Lightning trades Cory Cross and a seventh-round pick to the Maple Leafs for Fredrik Modin.
Oct. 1, 1999
Cross was a serviceable NHL defenseman when the Lightning shipped him to Toronto for Modin, who was only 25 at the time and coming off consecutive 16-goal seasons. During the next six seasons, Freddy Mo would average 24 goals. He was a key component of the team's 2004 Stanley Cup team, scoring eight goals with 11 assists in 23 playoff games.

Best rivalries in Florida

The Sporting News has come out with a cover story listing the best rivalries in each of the 50 states. No surprise that the No. 1 rivalry in Florida is the three-way football rivalry among Florida, Florida State and Miami. Really, when you think about it, there aren't that many good rivalries within the state. Despite these slim pickings, here is one opinion of the top five rivalries in the state of Florida.

1. Florida-FSU football
No other rivalry in the state matches this bitter feud. It's not even close.

2. FSU-Miami football
As these two programs have taken a step back, so has the rivalry.

3. Lightning-Panthers
The Lightning and those stinkin' Panthers, as fans call them, have had limited success, but the rivalry, especially among the fans, remains strong.

4. USF-UCF football
This has picked up in the past couple of years as both have evolved and a few angry words have been exchanged over USF dropping UCF from its schedule.

5. Magic-Heat
Really, the only one left and not bad now that former Heat coach Stan Van Gundy is with the Magic. This might not have even made the list if the Arena Football League still existed and the rivalry continued between the Tampa Bay Storm and Orlando Predators.

How about someone else for a change?

Anyone else tired of the Celtics and Lakers? Or how about the Red Wings and Penguins? As the NBA and NHL playoffs roll along, those four teams remain alive after playing for their sports' championships last year. In addition, all four have rich traditions and championship pedigrees. They're not the only ones, though. Of the eight teams alive in the NBA playoffs, three have won titles. Of the eight alive in the NHL, six have won Stanley Cups. But wouldn't it be nice to see one of the titleless teams win this year? Here's a look at eight playoff teams that, doggone it, deserve to win a championship.

Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavs might have the best chance of the have-nots to end their drought because they have the best player on the planet in LeBron James. In the league since 1970, the Cavs have been to the Finals only once, and that was two seasons ago, when they were swept by the Spurs. Give them an NBA championship, especially because LeBron likely will flee Cleveland eventually as a free agent.

Orlando Magic
Poor thing, it should've won a title when it had Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway, but it couldn't get by the Rockets in 1995 in its only Finals appearance, and it had the dumb luck in the '90s of running into one of the NBA's greatest teams, Michael Jordan's Bulls. The Magic has made the postseason 11 of the past 16 seasons, including this year, but it has won only two playoff series since 1997. The second was last week.

Atlanta Hawks

Technically, the franchise does have one championship, but it came in 1958 when it played in St. Louis. The Hawks moved to Atlanta in 1968 and have never even reached the conference final since. Seeing as how they drew the short straw and got LeBron and the Cavs in this second round, they aren't favorites to the get to the conference final this season, either.

Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets have never won a championship. Not in the old ABA. Not in the NBA. Only once have they even reached the conference final, and that was in 1985, when the Nuggets, led by Alex English, were quickly dismissed in five games by the Lakers. Since then, the Nuggets were 15-40 in the postseason coming into this one.

Dallas Mavericks
This team was only a few minutes from taking a 3-0 advantage in the 2006 Finals against the Heat, then it choked away a 13-point lead, lost the game and didn't win again as Miami took the series 4-2. That has been the Mavs' lone brush with greatness. Led by Dirk Nowitzki the Mavs are in the postseason for the ninth consecutive season. Resiliency should count for something, shouldn't it?

Washington Capitals
The Caps have made the Stanley Cup final once: 1998, when they were blasted in four games by the Red Wings. But this could be the season they return. Washington's bugaboo usually is the Penguins, who have knocked the Caps out of the playoffs six times. But this season, with the NHL's best player, Alex Ovechkin, the Caps own a 2-0 second-round series lead against the Pens.

Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks entered the league in 1970 and have made the Cup final twice. Once, they were run over by the great Islanders dynasty of the early 1980s. The other time, they were the footnote when the Rangers won their first Cup in 54 years by beating the Canucks in seven games in 1994. Come on, these boys play in Canada, where hockey is religion. They deserve to celebrate with Lord Stanley’s Cup.

Chicago Blackhawks
Okay, I'm adding a team to this list that doesn't technically belong because the Blackhawks have brought three Stanley Cups to Chicago. But, gee whiz, the last time was 1961, long-ago enough to seem like forever, and it’s the longest drought in the NHL. An Original Six team, the Blackhawks have to go back to the 1930s for their other Cup wins: 1934 and 1938.

Torts regrets incident with fans

Former Lightning coach John Tortorella admits he made a mistake getting into an altercation with a fan last week and said he embarrassed himself and the New York Rangers, the team he now coaches. Near the end of a Game 5 loss in Washington, Tortorella squirted water and then threw a water bottle at a fan behind the bench at Washington's Verizon Center. Tortorella was suspended for Game 6 because of it. The Rangers once had a 3-1 series lead, but lost the series in seven games.

"It's a bad mistake by me,'' Tortorella told the Associated Press. "I regret it. I put the New York Rangers organization in an embarrassing situation. I'm embarrassed by it. I am an intense person, which is a positive, but it also turns into a negative sometimes.''

Speaking of Tortorella and the Rangers, check out this story (rumor? gossip?) in the New York Post about why the Rangers should be and might be interested in Lightning star Marty St. Louis.

Espo knew what he was doing

Say what you want about original Lightning owner and general manager Phil Esposito, but at least he knew how to make a first-round pick. If you've watched the Stanley Cup playoffs, you've seen some of Espo's former first-round picks still making an impact. In fact, he swung and missed only once in his seven first-round picks. Not all turned out to be elite players, but all except one have carved out decent-to-solid NHL careers. Here's a look:

1992: Roman Hamrlik (first overall)
Hamrlik has played 1,157 NHL games with five teams and remains a top-four defenseman after scoring 142 goals with 422 assists. He's still going strong. He had six goals and 27 assists for the Canadiens this season.

1993: Chris Gratton (third overall)
Often criticized for never being quite the scorer many thought he would be, Gratton was simply miscast. With his size, faceoff ability and attention to defense, Gratton was meant to be a third-line center, something he became in his later years. Still, he has played 1,092 games. Look, hitting 1,000 games in the NHL remains a major accomplishment.

1994: Jason Wiemer (eighth overall)
Wiemer, who last played in the NHL in 2006, falls into that "decent player'' category. He didn't bring his scoring touch from juniors, but he did bring his aggression and agitator attitude. As a power forward, he only scored 90 goals and 202 points in the 726 NHL games, but did rack up 1,420 penalty minutes.

1995: Daymond Langkow (fifth overall)
 You know, this might be Espo's best pick after Vinny Lecavalier. Langkow doesn't get noticed because he plays out in Calgary, but he has played 941 games and remains a top-two-line center. Over the past seven seasons, Langkow has averaged a very impressive 25 goals and 34 assists.

1996: Mario Larocque (16th overall)
The only miss Espo had. The 6-foot-3 Larocque never filled out his frame and struggled physically on defense. He played only five NHL games with no points. He has kicked around the minors and Europe, spending this past season in Italy.

1997: Paul Mara (seventh overall)
 The Rangers defenseman might have the thickest beard in all of hockey. And he hasn't been a bad defenseman either. Mara has played 639 NHL games and was a key member of New York’s defense this season.

1998: Vinny Lecavalier (first overall)
Espo's best pick. And let’s not forget that there was some debate whether the Lightning should take Lecavalier or David Legwand, who went second that year . The Lightning made the right choice. Lecavalier's numbers: 787 games, 302 goals, 367 assists. Legwand: 622 games, 141 goals, 228 assists.

Five best coaches in college hoops

John Calipari just became the highest-paid coach in the history of college basketball when he signed an eight-year deal with Kentucky worth $31.65-million. Quite the coin for someone who has never won a national championship.

Is he the best coach in college basketball? Not at the moment. Here are my picks for the top five coaches in college basketball today:

1. Rick Pitino, Louisville
He has only one one national championship, but he also has a laundry list of other titles. He won two SEC regular-season and five conference tournament titles while at Kentucky. He is the only coach to take three programs to the Final Four. And this season, his team won the regular-season and conference tournament in the Big East, which some argue was the best single-season conference in the history of the game.

2. Roy Williams, North Carolina
Between Kansas and North Carolina, Williams has taken seven teams to the Final Four. And if his Tar Heels win the whole shebang this weekend -- and they are the favorite -- he will have as many national titles (two) at Carolina as his mentor Dean Smith. Everyone talks about how good the ACC is and Williams' Heels have won the regular-season championship five of the past six years.

3. Mike Krzyzewski, Duke
Coach K's spot on this list is due more to history than what his teams have done lately. Duke seems to have slipped just a tad over the past few seasons, primarily because Krzyzewski has stopped recruiter big bruisers inside. Still, the guy has been to 10 Final Fours, he has won 10 ACC regular-season titles to go along with 11 ACC conference championships. And, in the numbers that really matter, his Duke teams have won 71 NCAA Tournament games and three national championships. You could argue that, after UCLA legend John Wooden, he is the best college coach ever.

4. Jim Calhoun, UConn
If Calhoun's Huskies can pull out this weekend's Final Four, Calhoun will have as many national titles (three) as Krzyzewski and Bob Knight. His teams have won six Big East regular-season titles to go along with three Big East tournament titles. He has coached at UConn for 23 years and the only season he had a losing record was his first one.

5. Tom Izzo, Michigan State
Here's a number that kind of sneaks up on you: Izzo is in his fifth Final Four this weekend. You could make the argument that Izzo's Michigan State program is the best in the country over the past decade. Since 1999, Izzo's Spartans have made the Sweet 16 eight times, the Elite Eight six times, the Final Four five times and won the 2000 national title.

Q/A with Steve Phillips

For the first time in 19 years, ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball broadcast booth will have a regular third person joining Jon Miller and Joe Morgan. That person is analyst Steve Phillips, who joined ESPN in 2005 after 13 years in the New York Mets’ front office, including almost six as general manager.

Recently at ESPN the Weekend at Disney World, Phillips, 45,  talked about his new gig, what he thinks of the Rays and who is to blame for steroids in baseball.

(AP photo)

A conversation with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is 61 years old. Hard to believe, isn’t it?

For most of the first 42 years of his life, he was celebrated as one of the greatest basketball players in history -- from his days at Power Memorial Academy in New York, to three national titles at UCLA, then with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers, winning six titles and becoming the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.

Since leaving the NBA, Abdul-Jabbar has remained politically active and is an author of numerous books and articles about black history and culture.

Recently, he spoke at the Florida Holocaust Museum’s To Life dinner in Tampa and at the Campus Activities Center at Sixth Avenue S and Second Street S at USF St. Petersburg.

Abdul-Jabbar spoke with the St. Petersburg Times about his love of history, his life after basketball and his reaction to Barack Obama becoming president.

For BCS, eight contenders are enough

Maybe we should just draw names out of a hat. Or throw darts at a wall. Anything would be easier than deciphering this BCS mess. But today we try to figure out the easiest (but maybe not the only) way each of the top eight teams in the ratings can make the big game. So grab a pencil (make it one with an eraser), lots of paper and maybe a handful of aspirin as we break it all down.

1. Alabama

Simple. All the Crimson Tide must do is defeat Auburn on Saturday, then Florida in the SEC Championship Game. If Alabama does that, it's in. But don't count Saturday as a victory just yet. The game is in Tuscaloosa, and Alabama has never beaten Auburn in six tries there. Plus, Auburn has won six in a row in the series.

2. Texas

Texas wouldn't get as much credit for beating Texas A&M on Thursday as Oklahoma would for beating Oklahoma State on Saturday. So Oklahoma could jump Texas, though Texas beat Oklahoma. For Texas to be safe, it needs to win and OU needs to lose. That puts Texas Tech (assuming Tech beats Baylor) into the Big 12 Championship, but they likely would remain ahead of Tech because the Red Raiders lost so badly last week and dropped so far in the BCS rankings. They also likely get in if they win out and OU still goes to the Big 12 Championship, but loses to Missouri.

3. Oklahoma

If Oklahoma wins Saturday, the guess is it will leapfrog Texas and get into the Big 12 Championship Game. But's just a guess. If the Sooners win that Big 12 title game, they'll play for the national title. If Oklahoma does not jump past Texas and the Longhorns or Texas Tech goes to the Big 12 Championship Game and lose to Missouri, that likely would put the Sooners into the national title game though they wouldn't have even won their conference.

4. Florida

The guess is the Gators are in as long they beat Florida State on Saturday, then Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. There is speculation that even if Florida does win out, it could end up behind Texas and Oklahoma in the BCS ratings and get shut out of the national title game. But that would be unlikely.

5. Southern Cal

Here comes the controversial question: Can a team play for the national title if it doesn't win its conference? If Oregon State beats Oregon this weekend, Oregon State earns a share of the Pac-10 title and the league's automatic BCS bowl bid. But USC still has a chance to play for the big trophy. The Trojans needs losses by Oklahoma and Texas. That probably would be enough because either Florida or Alabama is guaranteed to lose.

6. Utah

The Utes are 12-0 and saying, "Hey, what about us? Forget those one-loss teams. We're undefeated.'' What hurts them is playing in a mid-major conference and having victories over only three ranked teams: No. 14 TCU, No. 17 Oregon State and No. 20 Brigham Young. Utah needs four of these five teams to lose one more game: Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma, Florida and Southern Cal. Even then, it could still get leapfrogged by Texas Tech.

7. Texas Tech

As ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit said last week after Oklahoma pasted the Red Raiders: "(Texas Tech) woke up Saturday morning dreaming of a national title. They go to bed thinking about the Cotton Bowl or the Holiday Bowl.'' Texas Tech needs Florida, Alabama, Oklahoma and, maybe, Texas to lose once more. And it needs either Notre Dame or UCLA to pull off a major upset of USC.

8. Penn State

Even the Nittany Lions have pretty much given up hope. When they won the Big 10's BCS bowl bid last week in their final game, they passed out roses, knowing they were going to the Rose Bowl, not the national title game. Frankly, Penn State needs a miracle. Everybody in front of it has to lose, and Utah is done playing. Go ahead, JoePa fans, and buy your tickets to the Rose Bowl.