J. Darin Darst

"10 wins and no excuses."

That was the prediction from Colorado head coach Dan Hawkins at the beginning of the season.

My how things have changed in just two games.

Colorado, which lost to Toledo this week to drop to 0-2, has fallen all the way down to No. 101 in the CBSSports.com 120 rankings.

"It's great people want us to win. All I can do is what I can do. We're going to have supporters. We're going to have detractors," said Hawkins, who is in his fourth season at Colorado. "I can't control what people think, nor am I willing. I know this: Inside our program we're doing things right."

Can things get any worse?

You bet.

The Buffaloes host Wyoming this week, but then have back-to-back road trips at West Virginia and Texas. They still have to play Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma State this year too.

"We're frustrated, Dan's frustrated and our fans our frustrated as well," Colorado Athletic Director Mike Bohn said to the New York Times on Saturday. "Again, I think that's why the competitive resolve of our entire constituency base is going to be important for us to battle through this."

Hawkins owns a 13-26 record now at Colorado and only one bowl appearance. His best season was in 2007 when the Buffaloes went 6-7, losing to Alabama in the Independence Bowl.

But Hawkins might not be going anywhere. Buffzone.com reported the school's total liability could approach $3 million under the terms of the deal if any partial year was prorated in a buyout.

And the athletic department remains in debt with the majority of an $8 million loan from the campus in 2006 still to be paid off. Part of that debt was caused when Gary Barnett was fired at the end of the 2005 season and the school hired Hawkins.

"It's after the second game of the season and right now we're focused on creating an environment to get this turned around, and it starts with Wyoming," Bohn told the website following the Toledo game.

Colorado isn't the only big-name program struggling. Virginia is also 0-2 and ranked No. 102 in the CBSSports.com 120. Syracuse is ranked No. 105 after losing to Minnesota and Penn State to start the year.

Virginia opened the season with a loss to William & Mary and then fell to TCU 30-14. The Horned Frogs sacked Virginia QB Jameel Sewell eight times, the most sacks the Cavaliers have given up since 1997.

"What do you think my thoughts are? It's disappointing. I definitely expected our offense to be further along than this," said senior offensive tackle Will Barker. "We've gotten off to a pretty slow start."

Jumping Up

While some teams were dropping down the rankings, some are moving up. Houston jumped 10 spots from No. 27 to No. 17 after beating Oklahoma State. The Cougars are 2-0, while Oklahoma State is 1-1, but for some reason, the Cougars are still behind the Cowboys in the AP and Coaches Polls. Houston isn't even ranked in the Coaches Poll.

Michigan also took a big leap, moving up from No. 50 to No. 22 after beating Notre Dame to improve to 2-0.

Notes

... The MAC has three schools ranked in the bottom four. Ball State is No. 117, Miami (Ohio) is No. 118 and Eastern Michigan is No. 119.

... The lowest-ranked undefeated team is SMU at No. 100. The Mustangs two wins are against Stephen F. Austin and UAB. The highest-ranked winless team is Nevada at No. 50. The Wolf Pack lost to Notre Dame in the opener, but was off this week. They play at Colorado State this weekend.

So long Motor City Bowl, hello Pizza Bowl!

Bowl officials announced what had been a rumor for a few weeks now -- the Motor City Bowl will now be known as the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl.

The bowl was looking for a new sponsor, considering old sponsors General Motors and Chrysler have reorganized under bankruptcy protection. So with Little Caesars' headquarters being in Detroit and the fourth-largest pizza chain marking their 50th anniversary, it was a natural fit.

"I’m a life-long sports fan," said Michael Ilitch, co-founder and chairman, Little Caesar Enterprises, Inc. "This bowl is a great opportunity to provide a fun experience for families and college football fans, while supporting college athletics. And what food goes better with football than Little Caesars pizza?”

Everything else remains the same, the game is on Dec. 26 at 1 p.m. at Ford Field and will feature the MAC Champion vs. a team from the Big Ten.


 

The Davey O'Brien Foundation released its preseason list of 33 quarterbacks and it's no surprise that Oklahoma's Sam Bradford, Texas' Colt McCoy and Florida's Tim Tebow were among the nominees.

What I did find shocking though was the names of a few quarterbacks who are here based on potential. USC's Aaron Corp was 2 for 4 for 14 yards last season but is a nominee. Being the quarterbacks of the USC Trojans definitely has its privileges. So does being the Texas Tech quarterback. Taylor Potts finished last season 23-of-36, but the fact that he could end up throwing for 5,000 yards, he lands on this list.

According to the press release, the list focuses on a select group of quarterbacks who have demonstrated what members of the Selection Committee have recognized as tremendous preseason talent. The award focuses on accomplishments both on and off the field.

Where's East Carolina's Patrick Pinkney? He had a pretty good year last season and the Pirates are a favorite in C-USA. How about Arkansas State's Corey Leonard? He was preseason Sun Belt quarterback.
 
Semifinalists will be announced Oct. 26, finalist will be named Nov. 23 and the winner on Dec. 10. The O'Brien Selection Committee is asked to evaluate each candidate on the criteria of quarterback skills and athletic ability, academics, reputation as a team player, character, leadership and sportsmanship.
 
Here is the list:

Sam Bradford, Oklahoma, Jr.; Jarrett Brown, West Virginia, Sr.; Daryll Clark, Penn State, Sr.; Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame, Jr.; Aaron Corp, USC, Soph.; Robert Griffin, Baylor, Soph.; Matt Grothe, South Florida, Sr.; Max Hall, BYU., Sr.; Tim Hiller, Western Michigan, Sr.; Jordan Jefferson, LSU, Soph.; Colin Kaepernick, Nevada, Jr.; Case Keenum, Houston, Jr.; Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan, Sr.; Jake Locker, Washington, Jr.; Ryan Mallett, Arkansas, Soph.; Jeremiah Masoli, Oregon, Jr..

Colt McCoy, Texas, Sr.; Kellen Moore, Boise State, Soph.; Josh Nesbitt, Georgia Tech, Jr.; Tony Pike, Cincinnati, Sr.; Taylor Potts, Texas Tech, Jr.; Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State, Soph.; Todd Reesing, Kansas, Sr.; Kevin Riley, California, Jr.; Zac Robinson, Oklahoma State, Sr.; Riley Skinner, Wake Forest, Sr.; Rusty Smith, Florida Atlantic, Sr.; Jevan Snead, Ole Miss, Jr.; Tyrod Taylor, Virginia Tech, Jr.; Tim Tebow, Florida, Sr.; Adam Weber, Minnesota, Jr.; Juice Williams, Illinois, Sr.; Russell Wilson, North Carolina State, Soph.

Last week, I wrote about a golf challenge my friend and I were going to do for fun.

Since he is a much better golfer than I am, he was going to play an entire round with a 7-iron, while I was allowed to use my entire bag of clubs.

Saturday was a success and we both learned an important lesson.

My good friend Troy Cilio learned about risk vs. reward and that you can be successful by taking the risk out of the equation with a conservative club like a 7-iron. He might only be able to hit it 150-160 yards, but knows he can keep it straight down the fairway.

I learned the next time your friend challenges you, playing with only one club ... decline the offer.

On a serious note, Cilio's one-club day actually made me play better. I'll explain later.

Cilio, who is a 16 handicap, ended up shooting 93 with 11 bogeys, five double-bogeys and two pars. He shot 47 on the front nine, with a 46 on the back. He had just one 7, scoring a double-bogey on the Par 5, 493-yard, No. 14 hole.

I shot 102, which is exactly what I was expected to shoot, being a 31 handicap. I did much better on the back nine (50) despite putting up a quadruple-bogey 8 on the Par 4 No. 10. I closed out the day with par, bogey, bogey.

Using stroke play, he won by three strokes after giving me three strokes per nine (six total). He also won match play -- 4 and 3, clinching the match on the 15th hole.

"It was a lot of fun," said Cilio. "I was more concerned with ball placement than shot length, which is something that will help my game. I found myself thinking about the green first and how I should approach the pin, and then working backward to my current shot. That is something I will try and do from now on when playing a regular round."

When Cilio and I usually play a round, we always play some sort of game, usually with me getting 15 strokes (based on our hadicaps). He hits much farther than I do off the tee, so the pressure is on me to try and keep up by no more than one stroke.

But that changed Saturday. With Cilio hitting no more than 160 yards on each shot, I was able to play much more conservatively and also not take as many risks. I really feel it made me play better and if it weren't for a few holes, I could have easily shot under 100.

"I think every golfer should do it at least once," added Cilio. "It will teach you a few things about your game and it's a fun way to handicap a match rather than just giving someone strokes."

Our match was close most of the day and after eight holes, he only had a four-stroke lead -- 41 to 45. But my game fell apart on Holes 9, 10 and 11. I don't know if I started to feel pressure to keep up or just got lost in some tough holes.

It took me three shots to get out of the sand on No. 10 (ended up with 8) and had trouble on a dog-leg left on No. 11 (scored 7).

The fact that Cilio had one club the entire day, he mentioned it was like being at the driving range, getting stronger and stronger with it instead of changing clubs all day.

"There is something to that, swinging the same club all day makes things easier," added Cilio. "I also started gaining confidence that I could actually shoot a good score, and was getting better at putting with the iron which I had never done before."

So what's next in our one-club challenge? Maybe a two-man, one-club scramble? Adding a professional into the mix? Trying a different club?

Ever wondered what kind of score Tiger Woods would put up playing an entire round with just one club? Or if he could somehow beat another player in match play by using only a 7-iron?

I'm about to find out ... minus the Tiger Woods, of course.

A few of my friends were thinking about it the other night and we are going to give it a try in our own version of the One-Club Challenge.

The hardest part was figuring out how to make it an even match between two players with different handicaps, but we are going to try our best.

My friend Troy Cilio, who is a 16 handicap, is going to attempt to play an entire round with a 7-iron and a putter. Before you flood the message board saying this is TWO clubs, not one, let me explain. Since he's never putted with an iron and we don't want to make this a day of 4 putts, we are going to try it this way first.  

I get the luxury of playing with an entire bag of clubs, but not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. As a 31 handicap, maybe part of the problem is I have too many options in the bag. Ahhh, who am I kidding, it's not my club choice, it's my freaking swing!

We will be playing the Palms Course at Palm Aire Country Club from the white tees. Par 72, 6,363 yards.

We will keep track of our overall score with and without handicaps and also participate in match play. Based on our handicaps, I argued I need strokes (at least a few can't hurt).

In a regular game, Troy is expected to shoot around 85-92, while I usually fall in the 102-108 range. Since he is being handicapped with just one club, we figure that will add anywhere from 10-15 strokes to his game. So based on a low-end projection, he's giving me three strokes per 9 holes.

The longer par 5s are where I will most likely use them because I feel a hole like the No. 11, 497-yard, Par 5 is going to even out the playing field. It's going to take both of us three shots, maybe four, to reach the green and having a stroke can really work in my favor in match play. 

It should be a fun afternoon, not sure what I expect. I will come back on Sunday and update the blog with the results.

Has anybody else tried this? Or do you have any predictions?

P.S. I found one other person who tried this on a golf message board. The guy claimed he was a 12-15 handicap and ended up shooting 104 on a 6,500-yard course with a 6-iron and no putter.

With the College World Series beginning Friday, here are five players to keep your eye on for the next couple of weeks:

5. Bryce Brentz, Middle Tennessee: The sophomore was named first-team All-America and is one of 30 players up for the 2009 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award. Bentz was close to winning the triple crown, leading the nation in average (.482), home runs (28). He ranks 25th in RBI with 72. Brentz has also pitched this season, going 5-3 with a 4.78 ERA.

4. Mike Leake, Arizona State: The junior pitcher became the first Pac-10 player to win conference pitcher of the year in consecutive seasons. He enters the CWS with a 14-1 record and a 1.24 ERA. He also has 128 strikeouts in 115 2/3 innings, while walking only 18.

3. Jared Mitchell, LSU: The two-sport star (plays wide receiver for the Tigers) is expected to be a top pick in the upcoming draft. He is currently hitting .326 with a team-leading 30 steals. He was drafted in the 10th round by the Twins out of high school, but opted to go to LSU to play football and baseball.

2. Dustin Ackley, North Carolina: The first baseman, who is a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy and Golden Spikes Award, is hitting .399 with 20 home runs and 61 RBI. Ackley was named ACC player of the year and is one of only two players in school history with 300 hits and 200 runs scored.

1. Stephen Strasburg, San Diego State: The projected No. 1 pick by the Nationals in the upcoming draft is having a phenomenal season. He is 13-0 with a 1.24 ERA and has 180 strikeouts in 102 innings. He recently set the Mountain West Conference records for strikeouts in a season and career (360). He was named national player of the week five times in 2009 and eight times in his career. Was named the winner of 2008 Dick Case Award, presented to USA Baseball's Player of the Year, for his performance with the collegiate national team and the U.S. Olympic squad last summer.

Ever feel like the fans are left out in the Hall of Fame voting process?

Not anymore. At least in the world of poker.

For the first time in history, the public has the opportunity to nominate this year's inductees into the Poker Hall of Fame. Through July 2, you can log on to WSOP site and nominate anybody you want.

During the Main Event of the WSOP, Harrah's will announce the Top Ten list of nominees by the public. These ten names become the players among consideration for induction in 2009. In August, the Hall of Fame committee will then spend the month reviewing the public's nominations and determine if any others should be added (such as non-poker players who have contributed greatly to the game, any glaring omissions, etc.) and determine the final list.

In September, a finalist ballot will be sent to the current Hall of Famers (16 living) who will each rank the nominees in order of preference - yet only ranking those they deem worthy of admission in 2009. Each Hall of Famer will also have the ability to add a write-in candidate, whom won't be eligible for admission in 2009, but will automatically be added to the consideration list for 2010. In addition, a select group of media members (not to exceed the number of HOF voting members) will also be sent a ballot for ranking the finalists. All votes will be cast in private, with each HOF and media member entitled to keep their vote secret but not obligated to. After receiving back all ballots, the HOF committee reviews the selections and helps finalize any tiebreakers or errors. 

Any finalist receiving 75 percent or more of the votes will be inducted during the enshrinement ceremony at the Final Table of Main Event in November 2009.