Well I'll Be "Vol Gone"

Who would have believed this? Lane Kiffin has dismissed the two Tennessee freshmen football players accused in an armed robbery last week. Permantly dismissed. Gone. Do not pass 'Go"... etc., etc. I thought these guys would maybe get double secret probation or something, but not kicked off the team. I didn't think Kiffin had that in him. Almost makes you proud...

Notre Dame: Are You Crying?

Navy and Notre Dame have played each other in football on 83 different occasions. Notre Dame owns Navy in the aspect of the series, leading grossly 71-11-1. But the Midshipmen prevailed this past Saturday 23-21, and have now won two of the last three encounters. Consider this: the first of these two victories occurred after an NCAA record 43 consecutive losses. Now to the point of all this. This week a Notre Dame assistant coach bad-mouths the Navy head coach for a remark he made after the game. The way I read it, Navy's coach merely said they prepared for what the Irish did against them last year because he knew they(ND) weren't going to change anything. He didn't question any one's character or call anyone out on anything. He told how his team prepared and why he thought they could win. I must have really missed something here, because I can't see where he said anything wrong. With that in mind, I think Notre Dame should accept the fact that they were defeated by a Navy team that was obviously better than them. I also think Notre Dame is demonstrating that it is a lot easier to show class when you win. They don't seem to be showing any after this loss.

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Georgia Just Might "Four-Peat" Auburn

Auburn's seniors don't want to go 0-4 to the Georgia Bulldogs. The Dawgs on the other hand have it as a goal to win all of the final three games on their schedule. If a four-peat comes with it, then that's just icing on the cake. Auburn has twenty Georgians on their roster. Georgia has only two players from the entire state of Alabama. Does that mean AU couldn't even field a football team if it weren't for the state of Georgia? Hum...The Bulldawgs can defeat the Tigers if they win the turnover battle, cease committing insane penalties, and cover kickoffs well. The Tigers can/will defeat the Dawgs if Georgia doesn't do those three things mentioned. And quite frankly, Mark Richt's team has not been successful at doing all three of those things in a single game all season. The visiting team has enjoyed much success in this long and storied rivalry, but I have a feeling Georgia is going to play well Saturday night. I think the Chapel Bell will be ringing all night long on the UGA campus. It will be close, but Georgia will be 1/3 closer to their season ending goal when they turn out the lights. They will have their first four-peat against Auburn since 1944-1948.

Dabo Swinney: Super Incentives

You want some incentives to do the absolute best coaching job you possibly can? Check these out. Dabo Swinney, the head coach at Clemson, is the lowest paid coach in the Atlantic Coast Conference at $800,000. His team is currently on the precipice of playing in its first ever ACC championship game. Big deal to Clemson, and perhaps a bigger deal to Swinney. You see, if his Tigers can win the Atlantic Division of the ACC, then his contract jumps to the conference median of $1.7 million. However, if his band of cats can win the ACC Championship, Mr. Dabo's annual income will escalate to $2 million. Now is that an incentive laden contract or what? In retrospect, Swinney would probably have taken the head job after Tommy Bowden was fired for half of that $800,000 base. He wanted it that bad. Heck, he wasn't even a coordinator at Clemson. But to word that lame contract in such a way that would give him the opportunity of becoming a member of the ACC $2 million club was borderline genius. But a guy who has had to go through life as "Dabo" deserves a couple of million. Nice going William Christopher Swinney. By the way, Swinney will turn 40 0n November 20th.

Sammy Sosa: Not Like That Mike..

Hey Sammy, what's up with the lighter skin these days? Cosmetic cream? Bright TV lights? Oh, o.k. I just thought for a minute you might be trying to "look like Mike". You don't have any white gloves laying around do you? Whew, just checking. But, you might want to lay off of that cream for awhile. At least until all this talk stops about you and Michael. I'm just saying...

Danica Patrick & JR Motorsports Continue Talks

Is Danica Patrick coming to NASCAR? Not Yet, but talks continue between the IndyCar driver and Dale Earbhardt's company, JR Motorsports. Patrick reportedly has discontinued talks with Michael Waltrip Racing, as well as, Kevin Harvick, Inc. Drivers like Earnhardt, Carl Edwards and others think Patrick's move to stock cars would be good for the sport. They feel the fans would be excited about it, and the new sponsors she would bring with her would be a benefit for all of NASCAR. Keep in mind that it was reported earlier that she recently signed a new three year deal with the Indy Car group of Andretti Green Racing. However, since the IndyCar series is so much shorter than the NASCAR circuit, it is very possible she could race both. Also, she would begin her stock car career on the Nationwide series, as opposed to the Sprint Cup circuit. Patrick is the only woman to win an IndyCar race, making her that much more appealing to NASCAR.

It's Veterans Day! Observe It!

A special thank you from An Opinion On Sports to all our veterans on this Veterans Day. Always remember: All gave some, some gave all; In war, there are no unwounded soldiers; It is easy to take liberty for granted when you have never had it taken away from you; This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave; Freedon is never free. May God always bless America!

No Hansbrough, But Plenty of Go-Go

The 2009-10 edition of Roy Williams North Carolina Tarheels debuted last night against Isiah Thomas' Florida International Golden Panthers. UNC prevailed 88-72 in their first game in a long time without Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, and Wayne Ellington. Now we'll have to get use to new names like John Henson, Dexter Strickland, and Will Graves. They'll join existing lettermen Ed Davis, Deon Thompson, Marcus Ginyard, and Larry Drew (above). As you would expect, the young Tarheels were ragged, committing 26 turnovers. They'll become better as the season progresses at working together. Also, they will need to find a reliable, go-to , 3-point shooter to prevent defenses from sagging off and double teaming the likes of Thompson and Davis. But it is very early. The hustle, speed and quickness are all there again for the 'Heels. They will get to where they need to be, but it will take some time. Nevertheless, they won't be an easy opponent for anyone in the ACC.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Just One Side of the Helmet...

The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Denver Broncos 28-10 last night on Monday Night Football. But, quite frankly, I could care less about the game. The reason I'm writing this is because there is something about one of those teams that has always bugged the heck out of me. It is the fact that the Steelers only have their helmet logo on ONE side of their helmets. Why just one? Why not both sides like everyone else? Why? Here's why: The Steelers originally wore gold helmets, so their equipment manager only put the decals on one side of the helmet because he wasn't sure how they would look. You know, less work taking only one off if they looked terrible. Anyway, after they changed to black helmets, they continued to apply the insignias to just one side because they had experienced success with only one. A bit of superstition, huh? So even until this day, or Monday night, the Steelers remain as the only NFL team with logos on only one side of their helmets. The end. But it still bugs the heck out of me!

Elizabeth Lambert: " A Girl Gone Wild"

Elizabeth Lambert doesn't have to spend her time at New Mexico playing a grueling game like women's soccer. Oh no, there's probably a gig waiting for her with the WWE. Vince McMahon could be ready to make this girl rich, and she doesn't even require any training for the job. She can just continue to do what she's doing on the soccer field. Lambert takes the art of the cheap shot to a new level, and she seems to be getting away with it every time. And check out the video, there are a lot of times.

UGA/AU: The South's Oldest Rivalry

When Georgia and Auburn get together, there is always a lot on the line. This year is no different. Auburn is 7-3 for the season, after starting out 5-0, and ranked number 25 in the AP poll. Every meeting since 1991 has featured at least one of the teams ranked in the national polls. They would like to stay nationally ranked for their showdown with intense rival Alabama two weeks after the Georgia game. The Tigers will be playing their 11th straight game without an open date. The Bulldogs on the other hand are not nationally ranked, and are not even bowl eligible at this point. A victory over Auburn would put them in a holiday classic, thus extending their bowl streak to twelve consecutive seasons. It would also give Georgia, who is 5-4 for the season, a tremendous lift in the confidence department as they finish out their season with Kentucky and the hated Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech. Both the Tigers and the Bulldogs are 3-3 in the SEC. Auburn leads oh-so-competitive "South's Oldest Rivalry" 53-51-8, but Georgia has prevailed in the last three contests. Georgia is a surprisingly early 4.5 point favorite for Saturday's 7:00 P.M. tilt being played "Between the Hedges" in Athens.

Atlanta Falcons: A Run For the Playoffs

The Atlanta Falcons are halfway through the 2009 campaign and they are tied with the Philadelphia Eagles for first place in the NFC Wildcard race. The Falcons and Eagles both sport 5-3 records heading into the home stretch. The Falcons have eight games remaining, one of which is with the Eagles in Atlanta. Atlanta will also play the New York Giants, who are only 1/2 game back, in New York. Atlanta's toughest opponent remaining will be division leading New Orleans in Atlanta on December 13th. The undefeated Saints have already beaten Atlanta in New Orleans this season. The Falcons yesterday enjoyed a very prosperous wild card Sunday. The Eagles were defeated by their division leading Dallas Cowboys. This was a good victory since Dallas has already defeated Atlanta, thus holding the head to head advantage on the Falcons. It would be better for Atlanta if Dallas won that division as opposed to Philly. That is predicated of course on the Falcons beating the Eagles on December 6th. The other three teams behind the Falcons, the Giants, Packers, and Bears, all lost. The best aspect of the Falcons playoff run is that they do control their own destiny. They don't necessarily have to run the table to get in the playoffs, but they must defeat the Eagles and Giants, and finish up the second half at least 6-2. So with that, I'm predicting that 11-5 will get Atlanta into the playoffs as the NFC wildcard. Stay tuned, there is a lot of NFL football yet to be played.