If you have watched the Texas Longhorns play a football game the past four years you know movie stud Matthew McConaughey is a huge UT fan. But have you ever watched him on the sidelines? He is either stoned or retarded. It's like he never stopped playing former Marshall coach Jack Lengyl in the movie "We Are Marshall."

You'll see in the video that he was at it again during the Longhorns' last-second victory over Ohio State on Tuesday. no comments

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.
Ohio State vs. Texas
Date: Jan. 5
Time: 8 p.m.
TV: FOX
Line: Texas -8.5

About Ohio State: If this were 1992, the Buckeyes would be renowned for their innovative offensive and defensive schemes. As it is, they look like they should be playing with leather helmets and drop kicks. Coach Jim Tressel is still convinced the punt and not turning the ball over are the two most important things in football. Scoring points is somewhere in the teens.

Intangibles:
Kirk Herbstreit: -4
Woody Hayes: +2
Average age of coaching staff; 84: -2
Last two national title games: -5

About Texas: The Longhorns were one dropped interception from playing in the national title game (assuming a Big 12 championship win over Missouri. A fair assumption.) As it is, tough crap. Next time don't drop the interception. Colt McCoy and 10 other guys play on offense. Brian Orakpo and 10 other guys play on defense. Mack Brown is still the coach, although he's slowly morphing into the Bobby Bowden "I sit on a golf cart and say funny things" role.

Intangibles:
Bevo: +3
Austin: +2
Rest of Texas: -4
Matthew McConaghey: -2

Impact Player: OSU guard Steve Rehring loves Christmas break. Steve loves eating. Steve doesn't like working out so much. Steve is big. Steve is slow. Steve is slower after Christmas break.

Bowl slogan: "The Fiesta Bowl proudly welcomes...what?! Ohio State AGAIN? Criminy. Why not just buy a timeshare."

Little known fact: Hey Texas players, how about wearing some freaking underwear with those white pants? I'm tired of having to check out your junk every time you make a tackle.

Watchability (1-5): 4

The Pick: Texas 30, Ohio State 24 no comments

So who is brave enough to steal James Laurinaitis' PSP? I'd like to meet the brave soul. It could be 'Eye. He was a suspect in the lifting of Scoonie Penn's jersey during the 1999 Final Four in St. Petersburg.

Hey Phil, can you get me something from this year's swag bag? no comments

Let me get this out of the way now and you won't hear from me again about it..

Be careful what you wish for...

The Big Ten was all grins after getting two teams into the BCS bowls for the fourth straight year. It means a nice bit of extra money.

Now for the bad news. In a year where the league was improved, the bowl matchups now stink.

Rose - Penn State vs. USC. ugh.
Fiesta - Ohio State vs. Texas. ugh.
Capital one - Michigan State vs. Georgia. ugh.
Outback Bowl - Iowa vs. South Carolina. eh.
Alamo Bowl - Northwestern vs. Missouri. eh.
Champps Sports - Wisconsin vs. Florida State. eh.
Insight Bowl - Minnesota vs. Kansas. ugh.

Get ready for the anti-Big Ten sentiment to be on the rise this bowl season, thanks to some bad matchups. no comments

I have ever had at an Ohio State-Michigan game came on Nov. 22, 2008. Sorry for the delay on posting as I've been in recovery mode for about 24 hours now.

For me, OSU-Michigan games are usually nervewracking affairs. Yesterday's second-half laugher was downright fun. A 42-7 final seemed like it should have been even worse. (Should have been 44-7, no way was that NOT a safety.)

I wasn't surprised at the outcome as I didn't think UM could score enough points, especially with walk-on Nick Sheridan forced in at quarterback. But I was surprised that except for UM's defensive line, the Buckeyes were FAR more physical. Usually, this is a game filled with big hits both ways, but it was the Buckeyes that handed out the beating Saturday.

I don't know if it was youth, a lack of understanding of how this rivalry is played or just a team that was ready for the offseason to start a couple hours earlier. Seemed to be a combination.

Patience with Rich Rodriquez is running thin in Ann Arbor already, not just because the Wolverines are losing, but HOW they're losing. It's ugly. Real ugly.

By the way, strictly from a fan perspective, the most enjoyable line from yesterday's game was last in the third quarter as Rich Rodriguez debated going for it on a fourth down when my cohort in the stands yelled "Punt that sh$t, Ricky! Punt it!"

He did.
hehehehe.

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Saw this crazy clip on Ohio News Network (nod to my old buddy Mike Kallmeyer who is the anchor). Seems the folks in New Bremen are primed for The Game on Saturday. If you don't live in Ohio you just don't get how crazy they are for the OSU-Michigan game.

I just walked downtown (very quickly because it's like 27 degrees today) and everyone is wearing Ohio State jerseys. I still love it when I see the Eddie George jerseys.

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Of course, for those of us in Ohio or the Glove Up North, this is the week of The Game. For Rich Rodriguez, coach of the team from the Glove Up North, this is the week to let fans know just how stupid they are for having any kind of emotional investment in a team he coaches.

"It's amazing some of the things that people would say (on a message board) or yell at you of a personal nature," Rodriguez said Monday. "You almost want to tell them, 'Get a life.'

"There's a whole lot bigger problems. Look at the economy."

There's something wrong with the economy? Whew. Thank God I have no retirement savings.

Ohio State fans, as they have been all year, are cackling with glee. If RichieRod sounded any more like John Cooper, he'd be muttering something about biting pups in a hot tub ad.

Of course, in a purely anti-karmatic sense, this signals some kind of bizarre, pure-evil Michigan win. no comments

This post is more for 'Eye than anyone else (since he doesn't seem to write anything these days). It was a great leaping run by Ohio State's Beanie Wells Saturday. The senior rushed for 143 and a touchdown in a 30-20 win at Illinois. He gained 24 on this play.

And since I'm posting great plays from this weekend, I can't overlook Kansas' Dezmon Briscoe, who made an amazing catch against Texas.

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Now-Buckeye, former Wolverine Justin Boren dressed up like Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez for Halloween.

Dude, that's just bad karma. Something akin to Ohio State taking a former UM lineman as a transfer. no comments

Obviously Jim Tressel is concentrating so hard on Penn State that he's neglecting his wardrobe choices. Meanwhile, the yapping begins from Happy Valley.

That's okay. While Penn State - Ohio State is big, it's not all that's going on in college football.

Notes:

- Don't look now, but if USC and Oregon State win out, who goes to the Rose Bowl? Uh, not so fast, Trojans...

- What's left of Michigan takes on a downtrodden Michigan State squad this weekend in the rivalry game that's never meant less. What's nice though, is that either team can beat the snot out of their hockey player.

- This is old, but still interesting to those of us who never really get a peek into the inner workings of college football. USC WR Vidal Hazelton's father was less than pleased with his son's treatment this year and let Pete Carroll know about it. no comments