Day 58: Indianapolis Colts, Colt McCoy, ACC vs. Big Ten Challenge

HEADLINES

1) The Indianapolis Colts won four straight games by a margin of ten points and had to rally from behind to to defeat the Houston Texans yesterday. Can the Colts continue to win these close games and reach 16-0?

Ben: I think they can, but I'm skeptical that it will continue. I think the Colts are going to be Super Bowl contenders, but the thought of keeping up 16-0 is to difficult. I think the ultimate goal should be to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, not going undefeated during the regular season -- and Peyton Manning will relay that to his teammates. I also think that Jim Caldwell might be overmatched if he is asked to "outcoach" someone late in games.

Boz: Yes they can, and the reason is because they have Peyton Manning under center. I think the man has ice running through his veins because nothing seems to rattle him at all. And because of his abilities to lead the team back from any deficit, it instills a sense of confidence in the rest of the team that they are never out of a game. I think that 16-0 is in reach for the Colts because they don't have too tough of a schedule remaining. They do have some teams that can pose some trouble for Indy (such as the Vince Young Titans, Broncos and Jaguars), but those teams are going to have to play a perfect game to beat Peyton Manning and the Colts.

2) Texas quarterback Colt McCoy threw for 304 yards and four touchdowns and carried the ball 18 times for 175 yards and a touchdown in the Longhorns' 49-39 win over Texas A&M. Did McCoy strengthen his chances at winning the Heisman?

Ben: He obviously strengthened them with a solid game, but I'm not sure its going to be enough, only because he played so mediocre (for a Heisman winner) during a stretch in the middle of the year. I like McCoy for a college player, but I don't think he's going to win the trophy this year.

Boz: It was definitely an impressive game. The rush yards was shocking because I didn't think he had that type of running ability. The problem for McCoy is that two other legit candidates had just as strong outings in their regular season finales. Tim Tebow threw for 221 yards and ran for 90 yards and had a total of five touchdowns. Toby Gerhart ran for 205 yards and three touchdowns and even threw an 18-yard touchdown pass in the Cardinal win over the Fighting Irish. So as good as McCoy was in the win over the Aggies, his competitors were just as good.

3) The ACC vs. Big Ten Challenge kicks off tomorrow with Wake Forest at Purdue and Michigan State at North Carolina. Who do you have winning the inter-conference battle?

Ben: It's gotta be the ACC. The Big Ten has to prove to me it has the horses to win this thing before I can pick them to win this weeks challenge. The losses for the Big Ten's top teams against far inferior opponents scare me, and I can't pick the Big Ten now.

Boz: Last week I was actually entertaining the idea that the Big Ten would finally win the ACC vs. Big Ten Challenge. I was so excited because every year I pay close attention to this event hoping that the Big Ten would finally pull a win. However, my enthusiasm quickly turned to despair when I saw Michigan State lose to Florida, Minnesota lose back-to-back games to Portland and Texas A&M, Michigan lose back-to-back games to Marquette and Alabama, and Illinois painfully lose back-to-back games to Utah and Bradley. The ACC is the much deeper conference and while the Big Ten might win the premeir matchups, the ACC will win more games.

4) The Florida State Police are asking for a search warrant to obtain hospital records on injuries treated on Tiger Woods after a one-car accident that Woods was in early Friday morning. The police want the records to help determine if the injuries were from the accident or domestic abuse. What do you make of this situation?

Ben: It is a crazy situation that is only going to get more crazy. Everything about this seems out of place, and I just can't believe all of this stuff that continues to come out. I like Tiger the golfer and want to see him make it through this, but right now -- I can't pick a side, because it just sounds so crazy.

Boz: I'm really undecided on what I think really happened in this situation. There was no alcohol involved in the crash which makes me wonder why he was leaving his house around 2:30 in the morning. Domestic abuse would be a legit reason why he was leaving and had cuts on his lip. If it were just a dumb driving mistake, then why wouldn't Tiger want to talk to the police? I hope that it was just a crash and that everything works out for Tiger. But things look sketchy right now.

ODDS

1) Alabama struggled to beat Auburn in their annual rivalry game. What are the odds that the Crimson Tide can knock off Florida in the SEC title game?

Ben: 50%. Both teams are good, and match up well with each other -- I can't pick for sure right now, but it should be a good game.

Boz: 20%. I just think that Florida is too good on both sides of the ball to give the Crimson Tide a good chance at winning this game. And with the recent injury to Mark Ingram, Alabama is going to have trouble putting up any points against the Flordia defense. The Gators go to the BCS title game.

2) Sources stated that Blue Jays pitcher Roy Halladay would waive his no-trade clause for a trade to the Yankees. What are the odds that Halladay ends up a Yankee?

Ben: 0%. I can't pick the Yankees to win anything and Halladay is too good to go there. They already have too many good, high-priced players.

Boz: 35%. The Yankees always go after the high-profile players and Halladay would be one of the high-profiled players. However, I don't think that the Yankees enought pieces that they want to part with to complete a trade with the Blue Jays. I think Halladay gets traded, but it'll be to the west coast.

3) Serena Williams was fined $82,500 and put on a two-year probation for her outburst on a lines-judge at the U.S. Open. What are the odds that Serena has another outburst during her probation?

Ben: 51%. I don't think Serena can keep it down. He competitive fire will flare up again and show it's ugly head. It might not be during such a big tournament, but it will happen again.

Boz: 10%. That is a pretty hefty fine and even though Serena can afford it, I don't think she is going to want to pay it again. However, it is Serena Williams and with her temper, anything is possible which is way I didn't say 0%.

HAPPY HOUR

Ben: Happy 4th Anniversary Boston Red Sox. On this date in 2005 you petitioned a judge to get the ball that made the last out of the 2004 World Series, which Doug Mientkiewicz was trying to keep. He has since loaned it to the team, but still claims ownership to the ball that ended the BoSox 86 year championship drought.

Boz: Happy 47th Birthday to Bo Jackson. The 1985 Heisman Trophy winner at Auburn went on to be the first player to be named an All-Star in two sports, starring with the Kansas City Royals and Los Angeles Raiders. Even though a hip-injury ended his pro football career after just three seasons, Jackson still ran for 2,700 yards and 16 touchdowns in his career. He only played eight seasons in the bigs but still hit 141 home runs and 415 RBIs. He could be one of the greatest athletes of all time.