All the Effects of Realignment

Pick Your "Big" Conference, TCU
In the latest twist of college football realignment TCU has accepted an invitation from the Big 12 Conference to become the 10th team in the Big 12 after the recent departure of Texas A&M to the SEC.  So TCU has left the Mountain West Conference, accepted an invitation to the Big East, won the Rose Bowl, left the Big East, and accepted an invitation to the Big 12 all within the last year.  So the Big 12 now has 10 teams, the Big 10 now has 12 teams, the Big East appears to be crumbling, and conference commissioners and university trustees everywhere continue looking for the best way to maximize their revenue potential.
 

TCU has celebrated an undefeated season, a Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin
(above) and 2 invitations to two different BCS conferences all within the last year.

As part of joining the Big 12, TCU will begin competing next year and will have to pay the Big East a $5 Million exit fee despite never actually playing a conference game.  Once it joins the Big 12 next year, TCU will begin to reap the financial rewards that come with joining a BCS conference and will easily pay back the Big East exit fee and pay for its ongoing football stadium reconstruction project.  But as TCU counts its dollars it should also count on saying goodbye to the undefeated seasons and the combined 25-1 record TCU compiled during the 2009 and 2010 seasons.  TCU has to know that it will be a little more difficult to win in the Big 12 when they're going to be replacing UNLV, Wyoming, and New Mexico on their schedules with Oklahoma, Texas, and Oklahoma State.  And if they don't believe me, then they should go and ask the Utah Utes.

No Matter What
Speaking of Utah, they returned to their home field after demolishing BYU 54-10 in one of most lopsided games of the college football season only to get steamrolled by Washington and Arizona State in consecutive weeks.  Welcome to the Pac-12!  Apparently Utah didn't learn anything from watching BYU turn the ball over to them seemingly possession after possession in Provo on September 17 because turnovers have been the Utes' demise in their first two Pac-12 home games.  Three interceptions and two fumbles contributed to the latest debacle against the Sun Devils, dropped the Utes to 0-3 in the Pac-12, and dashed any opportunity for a BCS Bowl game this year.  Where is UNLV when you need them?!  Utah coach Kyle Whittingham expressed his frustrations Saturday night by promising that "We'll start winning games when we stop turning the ball over.  That's the bottom line."

Cody Hoffman and the Cougars have recovered from the Utah blowout
by winning their next 3 games.  The Utes, however, have not had the same fate.

But before all you BYU fans start piling on the "Have fun going 2-7 in the Pac-12 bandwagon!", remember this, BYU lost to Utah 54-10.  At home.  On national television.  Utah could lose the rest of its games and BYU could win the rest of its games, but no matter what, no BYU fan should be heard talking about their superiority over the Utes until next September when the teams square off again.  Utah beat BYU.  Bad.  Let the Utes enjoy that 54-10 score and start counting the days until the BYU-Utah basketball game in December.

You Say Manure, I Say Fish Bait
Before the team TCU has to thank for its invitation to the Big 12 (SEC-bound Texas A&M Aggies) visited Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas on Saturday, Texas A&M Athletic Director, Bill Byrne tweeted that the Texas A&M buses had been spray-painted and doused with manure by Texas Tech fans who apparently were eager to give the Aggies a farewell present or two as they were on their way to the SEC.  However, in a statement released today, Texas Tech officials "strongly condemned" vandalism, and said that fish bait, not manure, was used in the incident.  Oh, ok...thanks for the clarification.  Texas Tech went on further to say that the fish bait was dropped on the floor of one of the buses and that the "spray paint" was, in fact, washable shoe polish, and that the buses were cleaned before Byrne even saw them.  No one has admitted to the vandalism (although Texas Tech seems to know quite a bit of the details, don't they?).  Texas Tech indicated that they were relying on the information it received from the hotel management and the bus company.  Wow, all BYU got when they left the Mountain West last year was a few extra students dressed up as missionaries at a BYU-San Diego State basketball game, so I suppose it's true that everything is bigger in Texas - including the goodbye.

Nelson or Heaps? That is the Question

I'll never forget sitting in my 45-yard line seat in the East stands at a BYU football game trying to endure one of the grueling 4-8 Crowton years (2004) by cheering on the Cougars the best I could.  It was only after the offense sulked off the field after a quick "Three-and-out" in the middle of the 3rd quarter against a lowly MWC conference foe that the Cougar fan behind me yelled, "Fire, Norm!", as in fire Norm Chow who was last the BYU Offensive Coordinator 5 years prior in 1999.

Then there was last Friday night when I witnessed one of the more exciting BYU wins I can remember when backup quarterback Riley Nelson led the Cougars 96 yards to a game-winning touchdown over a hard-luck Utah State team in the closing seconds of the game.  After a failed Utah State attempt at a Hail Mary pass down the field to try and pull off an even greater miracle than what Riley Nelson had pulled off, the Cougars had been led to victory by their backup quarterback (and his hair...see the semi-hilarious "Ode to Riley Nelson's Hair" here).  Then they stormed the field.  Really?  I know it was exciting, but approximately 2,000 Cougar fans stormed the field chanting, "Ri-ley Nel-son!  Ri-ley Nel-son!"  Really? Against a middle-of-the-pack WAC team?  The cheers were well deserved as Nelson pulled victory from a slow, agonizing defeat on national television, but true Cougar fans would be wise to change the jeers back to cheers towards Jake Heaps if they want to have any chance at long-term success this season or through the next few years as BYU tries to make its pitch for national prominence and a potential spot in the BCS picture.

A quarterback controversy has surfaced in Provo as Nelson carried the
Cougars to an emotional victory past the in-state rival last Friday night.

Don't get me wrong, Riley Nelson is a key component of the BYU football team both this year and next year.  He is a leader that the team rallies behind and supports.  I love watching him on special teams and can't wait until he lays a hit on a punt returner a la Matt Payne back in the day. There is a ton of value in having a change of pace quarterback such as Nelson to keep opposing defenses from keying in on what can be a predictable BYU offense until Brandon Doman gets his feet underneath him as the Offensive Coordinator.  But Heaps has the NFL-ready arm (granted, he has looked like Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite throwing the football at times this year) and the talent to lead BYU football through the 2013 season.  John Beck had his growing pains before he was great.  Heaps is going through his.  His mental and physical toughness just need to catch up with that cannon of an arm.

I'm also not saying that BYU should implement a consistent two quarterback system like they tried to do at the beginning of the 2010 season.  Rotating quarterbacks every series is not good for either quarterback or for the team's success.  Heaps is the starter.  Go with the gun that does require some assembly, then teach it, coach it, and watch it carry the Cougars to a BCS game before Heaps is done at BYU.  Riley is most effective as the secret weapon ready to come out for key offensive plays when the offense needs a jolt.  But if Riley comes into a game as the starter, defenses will not respect BYU's passing game and will cram the line with 8 or 9 defenders making it even more difficult for BYU's running backs to run the ball effectively.  Ross Apo and Cody Hoffman, two of the most talented and sizable receivers BYU has ever had, would be ineffective for the next three years as they would not be able to hope that every key pass play is tipped into their hands (like what happened at the end of the Utah State game).

Tebow and Leak gave BYU's coaches a path to success
for Nelson and Heaps during this year and next year.

Remember when Tim Tebow burst onto the scene in 2006?  Chris Leak was Florida's drop-back passer who had struggled at times throughout his first 3 years at Florida, but when coupled with Tebow's ability to make plays and lead the team, it made Leak step up his effort and his concentration level and led Florida to a much more successful offensive output.  By the way, the well-coached dual-quarterback approach carried Florida to the National Championship.

After Heaps came into 2011 with so many expectations after such a positive end to the 2010 season, it is easy to see why many Cougar fans are disappointed in his Uncle Rico-like results so far this year.  But BYU should stay the course with Heaps and let him develop into the quarterback he has the potential to be.  BYU does not have a difficult schedule coming up so it shouldn't matter whether Heaps or Nelson plays, so why not stick with Heaps, mix in a little Riley, and build the offense into a potent powerhouse for years to come?

Stay the course.  Continue to shoot the cannon.

Things I Think #1

One of the best times of the year on the Sports Calendar begins in late September and extends throughout the month of October when Major League Baseball finishes the regular season and storms into the playoffs, when the Football season begins and the contenders start to separate themselves from the pretenders, and when the NBA season...oh wait, let's just stick with Baseball and Football this year.  In honor of the Football season and SI's Peter King, here are my "Things I Think":

Rank This!
I think that College Football should not have rankings until at least 4 or 5 weeks into the regular season.  It really is prohibitive to the teams that are really better than how good the media or the coaches think they are while they are all on summer vacation in July.  Is Notre Dame the 16th best team in the country?  No.  They weren't in July either and they wouldn't even be ranked if the Top 25 came out today.

Houston Quarterback Case Keenum (7) would be
a fan of no media or coaches polls until October.

But preseason rankings most hurts the off-the-radar, non-BCS conference teams such as the Houston Cougars who were ranked 36th to begin the year, and have stormed to a 4-0 record, including wins over UCLA and La. Tech (who just lost to Mississippi St. in OT last week) while passing for almost 400 yards per game. Yet, if Houston was to go 12-0 this year, the highest they would conceivably climb in the BCS rankings is in the 12-20 range, well out of contention for a National Championship or even a BCS Bowl.  I don't agree with pretty much anything the BCS does but they do have this one right...the BCS rankings don't come out until week 8 of the season.

BYU Big 12 Bound?
I think BYU should not join the Big 12 simply because they are invited to join due to the departure of Texas A&M or due to the Big 12's desire to live up to their name and actually have 12 universities in the conference.  Some BYU fans may think I'm crazy for not wanting the Cougars to make the move without a second thought.  But even a ride on the Titanic looked appealing at one point.  Didn't the 4 most important Big 12 schools try to leave the conference just last week?  What if they tried to do it again next year?  Put yourself in TCU's position - TCU committed to the Big East last year only to see Pitt and Syracuse leave to the ACC last week, leaving the Big East with only 6 football-playing universities and leaving TCU with the thought that maybe a MWC with Boise State may not be all that bad after all.

BYU proved they could play with the big boys by
dropping a one-point game at Texas earlier this year,
the big question Cougar fans are asking themselves
is will they do it on a continuous basis?

Will BYU still be guaranteed to be on ESPN and/or BYUTV or will BYU be stuck on Fox Sports Midwest, which would be a small step up from the mtn?  BYU knows what is at stake and they shouldn't make the move unless they feel that the instability will be gone, the drama will stop, and BYU's desire for "access and exposure" will not be hindered by any Big 12 TV deals.  We'll probably see a lot of "BYU not interested in the Big 12" reports in the coming weeks because BYU will be in the process of negotiating the right deal for the short and the long-term.  By the way, such a move to the Big 12 would only be successful if BYU can convert 3rd downs on a consistent basis.

It's Wild Enough As It Is...
I think that Major League Baseball does not need a 5th playoff team from the American and the National League.  Going into the last day of the regular season today, the Rays and the Red Sox were tied for the Wild Card spot in the AL while the Braves and the Cardinals were tied for the Wild Card in the NL.  It's the last day of the regular season and we still don't know a single playoff matchup for the playoffs which begin this Friday!  We could potentially have two tie-breaking playoff games tomorrow!  Baseball has the longest regular season in sports at 162 games, but since the Wild Card format was established in 1995, it has created an additional level of interest that vaulted Major League Baseball out of the 1994 strike and cancellation of the World Series into a test of will and endurance for those teams trying to become the one non-division winner in each league to join the playoff fun.  If we had two Wild Card teams in each league this year, we would just be patiently waiting for the one-game playoff between the four teams in contention this year.  However, a 5th playoff team seems inevitable as both the players and the owners seem to support the idea of a one-game playoff between two Wild Card teams from each league.

No one seems to care what I think.

The "Holy War"

BYU and Utah will face off at Lavell Edwards Stadium this Saturday night on ESPN2.  The 2011 version of the annual "Holy War" game will be the earliest the Cougars and Utes have ever played in the season (they have only ever played one other time in September).  With Utah's move to the Pac-12 this season, a September game became the only option as the Pac-12 conference prefers that its teams only play conference games in November (when the Cougars and the Utes have traditionally squared off).    It is also the first time ever that the teams are playing each other when they're not in the same conference.  Many have predicted that the BYU-Utah rivalry will be diminished because they will no longer have the potential to be playing for a conference championship, which has been the case many times in recent years.  I agree that the rivalry will be different than it has been in the past, but as long as they continue to play on an annual basis the rivalry will still be able to keep pace with other non-conference rivalries such as Michigan-Notre Dame, Florida-Florida State, and Georgia-Georgia Tech for the following reasons:

Utah dominated the rivalry early on, but it has been even (3-3)
in the last 6 years.

History
Even though they may no longer be in the same conference, fans will still be able to draw upon the intense history of the rivalry.  The teams have been playing football since 1896...or 1922 depending on who you ask.  The rivalry even extends to a disagreement on when the rivalry officially began.  Utah claims the first time the teams squared off was in 1896 when Utah played Brigham Young Academy and won 12-4.  BYU claims the rivalry began in 1922 when Utah beat BYU, 49-0.  BYU apparently didn't realize the rivalry had actually started until 1942 when they finally beat the U for the first time after tying them 3 times and losing 18 times.

BYU and Utah fans will forever be neighbors, friends, foes, and rivals!

Proximity
A quick drive up or down I-15 separates the two schools with mixed fan bases in between and beyond the Wasatch Front.  But it doesn't matter which conference the teams are in, they will always be competing for the same recruits, sponsors, and fans as long as Salt Lake and Provo stay about 50 miles apart.  A rivalry thrives on winning and losing, pride and humiliation, taunting and trash-talking.  Fans and families are sometimes split right down the middle of the BYU-Utah divide.  The losing team will have to endure the taunts, cheers, and scores even though the teams may not be in the same conference standings.  Does "34-31", "4th and 18", and "Beck to Harline" ring any bells?  Utah coach, Kyle Whittingham, recently said, "It's the biggest single sporting event in the course of a year.  It's the biggest thing that happens in this state."  That's what a rivalry is all about.

Current BYU President and LDS Church General Authority, Cecil Samuelson,
holds a bachelors, masters, and an M.D. from the University of Utah.  Which
team will Cecil be cheering for on Saturday?

Religion
That's right, I said it!  Whether you like it or not, the "R" word will always feed the BYU-Utah rivalry.  For example, when Max Hall had his infamous rant after BYU's overtime victory in 2009 ("I don't like Utah.  In fact, I hate them. I hate everything about them.  I hate their program, I hate their fans...I think the whole university, their fans and their organization, is classless."), Utah fans, especially the fans who were not members of the LDS Church, pointed out the fact that in his ranting and raving, Max Hall was also including the prophet of the LDS Church, along with many other senior leaders in the Church who had attended to the University of Utah, when he deemed the entire university and organization as "classless".  The University of Utah is the state university of Utah while BYU is the flagship university of the LDS Church.  Many University of Utah alumni are members of the LDS Church, and BYU fans are all stereotyped as self-righteous zoobies.  Even when the BYU football players thank the Lord and give him the "glory" as Austin Collie did after his "4th and 18" catch in the 2007 BYU-Utah game, he became a lightning rod of controversy instead of just normal comments that seem to roll off every successful athlete's tongue.  Former Utah head coach Wayne Howard once said that "There's too much religion involved (in the BYU-Utah rivalry).  I did not like that.  I really didn't."  And the resulting dislike - and even hatred - is what the rivalry is all about.

BCS or No BCS?
Utah was invited to the BCS party and BYU was not.  Simple as that.  Many BYU fans now have a complex about the fact that Utah has a better chance to go to a BCS game by winning its conference than BYU does, even though BYU has not earned the right to play with the big boys as Utah has by going undefeated in '04 and '08 and winning a BCS Bowl game on both occasions.  Along with the monetary aspects of being part of a BCS conference, Utah will be able to tantalize BYU fans with the notoriety of being part of a BCS conference, even though Utah will more often than not still end up at the Vegas Bowl instead of the Rose Bowl.  BYU is now an independent team with a sweet TV agreement with ESPN, set with the ability to schedule its own teams and not have to split its TV and Bowl revenues with 10 or 12 other conference teams.  Which path is better and more successful will fuel the rivalry in the years to come.

Tackling and defense will be strong on Saturday night, but the key will be
which team will be able to best execute on offense.

The Holy War - 2011
With all those factors as a backdrop, BYU and Utah both come into this year's game with identical 1-1 records, with both teams coming off close disappointing losses to the 2006 BCS National Championship title game contenders, Texas and USC.  Both teams come into the game still trying to find their rhythm on offense, and both teams come in with a stout defense.  The key to this game will be obvious - whoever scores the most points will win.  Sounds blatantly stupid and obvious, but it is true.  Utah barely averages 300 yards of offense per game this year and BYU averages a soultry 275.  If BYU can get its running game going, which has only averaged 67 yards per game, or if Utah can find its passing game, which averages a high school-like 169 yards per game, watch out!  Favored by 4.5 points over Utah, BYU will have the slight home-field advantage as they will be ready to play for the home fans for the first time this year.  The BYU defense's strength is the run defense and I would expect BYU to be able to find enough holes in the Utah defense to run their way beyond 100 yards for the first time this year, control the game, and make just enough plays to win, 21-17.  But of course I think BYU is going to win, I am a self-righteous zoobie after all...

Football Is Back, But Don't Bet On It!

Football fever continues to sweep through high school and college campuses everywhere and onto NFL stadiums across the country.  Football is America's game and it seems as though everyone is affected by football - even if it's just the increased traffic that occurs before or after a game as thousands upon thousands of fans all go into a stadium optimistically and either leave jubilant or disappointed.  There are a ton of observations from the first couple of weeks of football, but here are a couple of things that have caught my attention and captured my interest for the season to come.

Baylor quarterback, Robert Griffith, will
try and keep the Bears on the winning
track on a day other than Friday this year.

Friday Night Lights
Historically known for being the night when high school football teams take the stage, the college teams are taking over Friday night so far this year.  The Friday night games involving the teams from Week 1 (TCU vs. Baylor) and Week 2 (ASU vs. Missouri) have been two of the best games of the season so far.  In Week 1, Baylor outlasted TCU 50-48, but only after nearly blowing a 24-point lead going into the 4th Quarter of the game.  In fact, TCU took the lead 48-47 after being down 47-23, but quarterback Robert Griffin led the Baylor Bears to the game-winning field goal with only 1:07 left.  In Week 2, Arizona State eventually beat Mizzou in overtime after blowing their own 14-point 4th Quarter lead.  ASU, who consistently lost late-game leads in 2010, hopes that 2011 will have more happy endings than lost opportunities.  If these games are any indication, then Boise State at Toledo (who almost beat Ohio State at Ohio State on Saturday) will be a must-watch game even before College Football Saturday.

USC quarterback Matt Barkley (7) carried
the Trojans past the Utes, but not without
some expensive controversy.

Don't Bet On It
The Utah Utes recently joined the Pac-12 conference, and were welcomed to the league by playing at perennial powerhouse USC at the Coliseum.  USC displayed its superior talent throughout the game, but the Utes played tough and hung with the Trojans by forcing 3 turnovers and had a chance to tie the game at 17 with a 41-yard field goal, and that's where things went wacky...all the way to Vegas.  The Trojans blocked the potential game-tying field goal, picked up the loose ball, and ran the ball to the end zone as time expired for a touchdown and an apparent final score of 23-14.  However, the officials on the field ruled that due to an excessive celebration penalty (the entire USC ran onto the field when the kick was blocked) the touchdown didn't count and the game was over.  But over 2 hours later, the Pac-12 stepped in and ruled that the on-field officials had made a mistake and that the touchdown should have counted.  No big deal, right?  No apparent difference between winning and losing, right?  Right, unless you were in Vegas.

Although there were hundreds of games to bet on this past weekend, the game
that caused the greatest commotion in the Vegas sportsbooks was a late-night
game on the West Coast between new Pac-12 South rivals, USC and Utah.

According to most sports books, the Trojans were favored to beat the Utes by 8 points.  So the final 6 points were the difference between a 3-point win for USC and a 9-point win by USC, or in other words the difference between winning and losing a bet on the game.  According to Todd Furman, senior race and sportsbook analyst for Caesars Entertainment, his sportsbook didn't recognize the change made by the Pac-12.  "We graded the bet at 17-14," Fuhrman said. "We don't recognize overturned results.  Every book can operate how they choose.  However, they should have addressed it in their house rules."  In other words, not in my house!

The Las Vegas Hilton is one of a few books that are going by the updated score of 23-14, meaning they will be paying out USC tickets in addition to the Utah tickets that were already previously cashed when Utah beat the spread at a temporary final score of 17-14.  It pays to bet at the Hilton.  The MGM Mirage was another sportsbook that was dismayed when the game's score was eventually changed as most of the betting action was on Utah to beat the 8.5 point spread, and had paid out the winning prior to the score being amended by the Pac-12.

Speaking of spreads, BYU is a 4.5-5 point favorite over Utah in the annual "Holy War".  Of course, that is presuming that the BYU offense will be able to score at least 4.5-5 points on Saturday.  Stay tuned for my preview and prediction for the "Holy War" later this week.

Don't Forget to Dot the "i"

Don't call it a comeback!  After a brief August vacation, On The Ball is ready to run wind sprints, endure two-a-days, and get into shape as football kicks off, baseball makes its stretch run, and the NBA takes a backseat to, well, everything.

Vick's Payday
Michael Vick has completed his comeback from a social outcast and prison inmate to the present and future starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles by reportedly signing a six-year, $100 million contract with $40 million guaranteed.  After playing sparingly in 2009 with Philadelphia, Vick took over for Kevin Kolb in 2010 after Kolb was injured in the season opener, and had the best season of his NFL career by leading the Eagles to the NFC East Division title.  Vick was also named the AP Comeback Player of the Year as he threw for over 3,000 yards, 21 touchdowns, and only 6 interceptions.

Michael Vick will be keeping his talents in the City of Brotherly Love making
yet another significant step in his comeback to the NFL.

In fact, according to Darren Rovell at CNBC, based on Vick's career averages, he will get $956,755 per touchdown and $6,074 per yard over the course of the six-year deal.  Although you would think that Vick and Eagle fans everywhere are elated about having a very profitable (for Vick) and long-term solution at quarterback for the foreseeable future (for Eagle fans), the happiest constituents in this transaction?  Vick's creditors.  See, Vick declared bankruptcy shortly after leaving prison.  No doubt his new contract will help with his financial troubles.

O-h-i-o?
Speaking of troubles, Ohio State's athletic and football program has come under a great deal of scrutiny and sanctions from the NCAA this summer, leading to the "resignation" of Jim Tressel, the departure of star quarterback Terrelle Pryor to the Oakland Raiders, and an interim coach charged with the expectations of contending for another Big Ten title and a BCS national championship.  But the biggest issues may actually lie (pun intended) with their fans.

Insert your own caption here, it's really not worth my time...

You have to understand that it is a tradition and an honor at Ohio State to dot the "i" in the spelling of O-h-i-o before a football game, and apparently the deceased 80-year old Roy Miracle's last act above ground was to dot the "i" in Ohio as evidenced in this creepy, delusional picture.  That's all I have to say about that.

Game to Watch - Week 1
I love to watch football.  It is probably my favorite sport to watch (of course, it depends on the day).  But in order to keep Mrs. On The Ball and Lil' Miss On The Ball happy this fall, my goal is to control my football intake by focusing on one big game each week to watch and/or pay significant attention to.  Disclaimer:  This does not apply to any BYU games, which due to BYU's declaration of independence in August 2010 will gladly result in me being able to watch every single BYU game this year.  This week, the college football season gets off to a great start with a couple of made-for-TV games between Oregon and LSU and Boise State and Georgia.

Boise State and star quarterback Kellen Moore will try to get
their 2011 season off to a good start by taking down the 'Dawgs.

Although Oregon and LSU are both ranked in the Top 10 to begin the season, it is clearly not going to be the high profile matchup it was once dreamed to be with both the Ducks and Tigers dealing with significant offseason issues and suspensions of key players, including LSU's starting quarterback.  So my focus is on the Broncos and the Bulldogs in primetime in Atlanta.  Bronco quarterback and Heisman candidate Kellen Moore will lead the perennial BCS busters into SEC country, which has crowned the last 5 BCS national champions, to try and stick their flag in the sand as an early season contender to be the first non-BCS conference team to reach the BCS national championship game (again).  It will be very intriguing to watch the well-rounded Broncos go deep into SEC territory to take down the up-and-coming Georgia Bulldogs in what will undoubtedly be a "home" game for Georgia even though it is being played at a neutral field.  Whichever game you decide to tune in to watch, the Oregon and Boise State jerseys  will NOT disappoint.  Check out the Oregon jerseys here and the Boise State jerseys here.

The Underdog

Everyone loves to root for the underdog.  There are stories, books, and movies that portray underdogs making their way to the top - Hoosiers, Rudy, and even The Mighty Ducks capture America's interest and demonstrate our need to root for the underdog.  I actually don't think you can make a sports movie that doesn't involve an underdog or an eventual champion needing to defeat an "evil" competitor or at least fight through adversity to become successful.

Everyone loves an underdog, including
The Underdog!

We love to see the almighty champion fall from grace through defeat and give way to an upcoming star.  Which is why I have been fascinated with America's obsession with Tiger Woods this week as he returned to the PGA Tour after an on-again, off-again two years of injury, family issues, and even bigger personal issues, all while trying to regain his form that made him golf's undisputed best player for 10+ years in a row.

Tiger's return to the course this week in the World Golf Championship (a tournament he has won 7 times!) has led the sports newscasts and talk shows since his 2-under 68 vaulted him into the discussion of whether he could regain his form at the 76-man tournament and win on tour for the first time since 2009.  Two days later he is in 38th place going into Sunday's final round.  Yet, the first news story is about Tiger's consecutive rounds that have dropped him from contention.

Tiger Woods is hoping to be all-smiles 
on the golf course again in the near future.

The news should really be about the third round leader, Adam Scott (who recently made the controversial decision to hire Tiger's long-time caddie, Steve Williams), or about 19-year old Japanese phenom, Ryo Ishikawa, who is chasing Scott from one stroke behind.  (Ishikawa, by the way, has already said he is donating ALL of his 2011 earnings to the tsunami relief fund in his native Japan).  Now those are stories worthy of a lead-in on SportsCenter!  And although they will be mentioned in the highlights, the first name mentioned is Tiger Woods.

Is the mighty Tiger Woods actually an underdog as he struggles to regain his championship form?  I don't think so.  He's still way too talented to ever be considered an underdog on the golf course.  Do some people root for Tiger's failure given his past improprieties and personal mistakes?  Absolutely.  But I think people - for the most part - are fascinated with Tiger Woods and are actually pulling for him to get back to the top.  The reason:  America never really had the opportunity to see Tiger unseated by the underdog.  Tiger unseated himself - off the course - on that fateful night when he drove his Escalade into a tree and everything hit the fan.  Since Tiger's quick descent from the top, there hasn't been a single player on the PGA Tour that has captured the undisputed top spot.  Case in point: there have 14 different champions in the last 14 PGA major championships.  Golf needs Tiger to regain the top spot and capture the public's imagination so they can then turn around and cheer for the underdogs, such as Ryo Ishikawa, so the underdogs can be appreciated and praised more than they would be without the guy to beat at the top.  America loves the underdog more than the champion.

The NBA thrived this past season as the Miami Heat became the hated
"champion" after their self-praising pep rally (above) shortly after the Heat
signed Wade, Bosh, and James.  The "underdog" Mavericks defeated the Heat
in the NBA Finals - much to America's delight.

Sports is not as dramatic or interesting for the casual fan if there is not a champion at the top to defeat.  People love to cheer against teams like the Yankees, Heat, and Duke because of their success (or the self-assumed success in the case of the Heat).  The teams in the Mountain West Conference hated BYU when they left the Conference not because they went independent and abandoned the conference, but because the fans and the teams lost their hated and evil champion to go after year after year.  The PGA Tour and its fans are hoping for (and frankly, need) Tiger to return to the top in order for the sport to return to the forefront of the American sports scene. So they can then root for the underdog.