The best thing about college football is that we all feel like we own it.
NFL
Jerseys Wholesale . Thats occasionally the worst thing, too. But
the passion that the sport engenders is what separates it from the NFL, thank
goodness.This has been an unusual year, from the uber-dominance of Alabama every
single week to the uber-goofiness of the Big Ten Conference race, college
footballs postseason inkblot test. If you have an opinion about the College
Football Playoff, theres a Big Ten team for you.Believe in the sanctity of a
conference champion? Believe in rewarding the best team? Believe that a good
loss is better than a bad win? Yeah, the Big Tens got that.I walked into Lucas
Oil Stadium in high dudgeon that a victorious Penn State would be jobbed, that
the Big Ten champion that beat Ohio State should be in line ahead of the
Buckeyes. In theory, perhaps. In reality, the Nittany Lions neither looked nor
played like one of the four best teams in the nation Saturday night. Their
chemistry is undoubtable, their spirit unquenchable, and no team east of USC
improved more over the course of the season.But I would say the four teams in
the playoff are better than Penn State, and No. 6 Michigan beat the Nittany
Lions by 39 points. I dont want to see Penn State playing Alabama.The committees
decision to reward Ohio State, and not the Big Ten champion, will be fodder for
the eight-team playoff crowd. Maybe someone out there wants to decry the
injustice of not seeing a rematch of No. 1 Alabamas 52-6 defeat of No. 9 USC, or
would love to see an Ohio State-Michigan quarterfinal rematch, or see Clemson
play Oklahoma in the postseason for a third consecutive season. The charms of
those three matchups escape me.Lets face it. We all see Alabama walking down the
18th fairway of the final round of The Open, and we expect the telecast director
to cut to the shot of the engraver etching Nick Sabans name onto the Claret Jug
one more time. By this time, the guy ought to be able to do it in his
sleep.Alabama is courting history in the College Football Playoff. The
semifinals will reprise one famous college football game, and one
infamous.Southern football announced itself on the national stage in the 1926
Rose Bowl when Alabama, invited only after Dartmouth, Yale and Colgate said no,
beat a Washington team considered unbeatable. The Tide spotted the Huskies a
12-0 lead, but then came back in the second half to win 20-19.We will spend the
next four weeks debating Alabamas place in history more than we will debate
whether Washington, a team with the kind of speed at the skill positions that
has challenged the Crimson Tide, not to mention a smart, athletic defense, will
pull off the upset.No team needs a respite more than the Crimson Tide, which
lost another defensive starter to injury Saturday when linebacker Shaun Dion
Hamilton suffered a right knee injury. Safety and kick returner Eddie Jackson
already is out for the year, and cornerback Marlon Humphrey has a tender
hamstring.Ohio State and Clemson forever will be linked by the 1978 Gator Bowl,
when elderly, infirm Buckeyes coach Woody Hayes punched Tigers linebacker
Charlie Bauman after his late interception sealed Clemsons 17-15 victory. Ohio
State fired Hayes the next day, guaranteeing Bauman fame he never desired. More
college football fans think of that game than of Clemsons 40-35 victory over
Ohio State three years ago.The Buckeyes and the Tigers shared a propensity for
winning close games, a muscle that Alabama barely even flexed. Ohio State won
four games by one score, two of them in overtime over the Wolverines and No. 8
Wisconsin, and two of them over 6-6 Northwestern and 3-9 Michigan State. Perhaps
the latter two are why the Buckeyes fell to No. 3.Clemson won six games by seven
points or fewer, which begs the question at what point a virtue becomes a
liability. The selection committee evidently appreciated that four of Clemsons
close victories came against teams in the final 25.But lets not allow the Xs and
Os to overtake these games just yet. History is hovering close by, no matter who
wins. If Alabama extends its winning streak to 27 games, the comparisons to the
sports greatest teams will begin in earnest. And if Washington, Clemson or Ohio
State knocks off Alabama, there will be a page in college footballs family bible
for that game, too.Either way, the playoff will be making history.
Cheap
Jerseys China . Hargreaves began his career in 2008 with the
Winnipeg Blue Bombers and has played with the Edmonton Eskimos and last season
with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Wholesale NCAA Jerseys China . With Parker
having a quiet game for once, Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw provided the scoring
as France won its first major basketball title by beating Lithuania 80-66 on
Sunday. It was a victory that ended a decade of frustration for Parker and a
talented French generation, which lost the final against Spain two years ago and
took bronze in 2005.
http://www.nfljerseyschinafreeshipping.com/ .
-- Most satisfying to Russ Smith about No. NEW ORLEANS -- The Latest on the
trial of Cardell Hayes, charged in the April shooting death of former New
Orleans Saints star Will Smith (all times local):---10:45 p.m.A Louisiana jury
has found the man who fatally shot retired New Orleans Saints star Will Smith
guilty of manslaughter.Sunday nights verdict capped the week-long trial of
29-year-old Cardell Hayes, who also was found guilty of attempted manslaughter
for wounding Smiths wife.The shooting happened the night of April 9 after a car
crash in New Orleans.Hayes claimed he fired only after an irate and drunken
Smith punched him and then retrieved a gun from his damaged SUV.The prosecution
said evidence showed Smith never armed himself and Hayes was not justified in
firing.Smiths wife Racquel was wounded in the legs by gunfire that night.---8:35
p.m.The jury in the second-degree murder trial of the man who killed retired New
Orleans Saints star Will Smith has asked the judge for information on possible
lesser verdicts, which the judge said include manslaughter and negligent
homicide.Jurors received the case around 5 p.m. Sunday after a day of closing
arguments. In addition to information on other verdicts, they also requested to
hear instructions regarding reasonable doubt and legal self-defense.Defendant
Cardell Hayes insisted on the witness stand that he shot Smith following an
April 9 traffic crash only because Smith had grabbed a gun from his vehicle.
Prosecutors said there is no evidence Hayes was armed when he was shot.Hayes is
also charged with attempted second-degree murder for wounding Smiths wife in the
April confrontation.---4:55 p.m.A New Orleans jury now has the case of the man
who fatally shot retired New Orleans Saints star Will Smith.On trial is
29-year-old Cardell Hayes, who is charged with second-degree murder. He claims
self-defense in the shooting death of Smith following an April 9 car
crash.Prosecutors say Hayes lied when he told the jury in the week-long trial
that Smith had retrieved a gun from his damaged SUV following the
crash.Conviction of second-degree murder would mean a mandatory life sentence
for Hayes.In her instruction to jurors Sunday evening, Louisiana District Judge
Camille Buras said other possible verdicts include manslaughter and negligent
homicide.---4 p.m.A New Orleans assistant district attorney pointed to the
prosecution of disgraced NFL star Darren Sharper as evidence that her office
doesnt play favorites.Laura Rodrigue referred to Sharpers rape case as she made
her final remarks to the jury Sunday in the trial of Cardell Hayes.Hayes is on
trial for second-degree murder. He claims self-defense in the shooting of
retired Saints star Will Smith following an April 9 car crash.His lawyer, John
Fuller, told jurors that police rushed the investigation and that prosecutors
had political motivations for swiftly prosecuting the killer of an NFL
star.Rodrigue pointed to the case of Sharper, who was prosecuted in New Orleans
and other jurisdictions where he pleaded guilty to drugging and raping women.
Sharper is serving a 20-year sentence.---2:30 p.m.The defense lawyer for the man
who shot New Orleans Saints star Will Smith has wrapped up a nearly four-hour
closing argument for the jury.John Fuller represents Cardell Hayes, who says he
shot Smith to death on April 9 in self-defense following a car crash and
argument. Hayes is charged with second-degree murder.Fuller on Sunday railed
against what he called a rushed investigation into the shooting and he derailed
what he characterized as unfair attacks on the defense. He urged jurors not be
swayed by thee star power of some of Smiths NFL teammates who visited the
weeklong trial or by sympathy for Smiths widow.
Cheap
Jerseys USA. Jurors were to hear a final word from prosecutors and
instructions from the judge before beginning deliberations.---2 p.m.The attorney
defending the man who killed ex-New Orleans Saints star Will Smith is blaming a
passenger in Smiths vehicle for inciting much of the chaos that led to Smiths
shooting death following a traffic crash.Cardell Hayes is charged with
second-degree murder in Smiths April 9 shooting death.In a Sunday closing
argument that has lasted three hours, defense lawyer John Fuller reminded jurors
of Richard Hernandez, a passenger in the SUV drove that was rear-ended by Hayes
vehicle.Trial testimony indicated Hernandez jumped out of Smiths SUV and wildly
stripped of his shirt as though readying for a fight.Hayes testified Saturday
that he believed Hernandez had a knife. Hayes said he only shot Smith after
Smith grabbed a gun from the damaged SUV. Prosecutors said there is no evidence
Smith or Hernandez was armed.---10:30 a.m.The attorney defending the man accused
of killing ex-New Orleans Saints star Will Smith in April has told jurors not to
be swayed by other football stars attending the trial.John Fuller told jurors in
the trial of Cardell Hayes not to be swayed by the parade of fellow football
stars that have visited the courtroom and angrily accused prosecutors of
unfairly attacking the defense lawyers credibility.Fuller said police failed to
thoroughly investigate Smiths death and insisted prosecutors havent proven Hayes
guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.Hayes says he shot Smith in self-defense during
a confrontation after an April 9 traffic crash. Hes on trial for second-degree
murder.Fuller told jurors to consider what would have happened if the situation
had been reversed -- if the shooter had been a beloved football star and the
victim had been an unknown.---9:30 a.m.A prosecutor is telling a New Orleans
jury that former Saints star Will Smith was executed in April by a man who shot
him eight times and wounded his wife.Jason Napoli (NAP-oh-lee) made the
assertion as closing arguments began Sunday morning in the trial of 29-year-old
Cardell Hayes. Hayes is charged with second-degree murder for shooting Smith
during a confrontation over an April 9 car crash. Hes also charged with
attempted second-degree murder because Smiths wife was wounded that night.Hayes
testified Saturday and that he only fired after Smith had retrieved a gun from
his damaged SUV.Napoli says Hayes was an aggressor who rammed Smiths car. He
dismissed defense claims that Smith was the aggressor and that Hayes is not
guilty under Louisianas stand your ground law.---8 a.m.A jury could begin
deliberating Sunday in the fatal shooting of New Orleans Saints star Will
Smith.Closing arguments are expected in the trial of 29-year-old Cardell Hayes,
who would face a mandatory life sentence if convicted of second-degree
murder.Hayes fatally shot the former NFL player in April following a collision
between his Hummer and Smiths SUV. Hayes also is charged with attempted
second-degree murder for shooting Smiths wife, Racquel, in the legs.Hayes took
the stand Saturday and said he heard what sounded like a gunshot before he fired
in self-defense. He also said Smith grabbed a gun during their confrontation. No
other witness said Smith was armed. Prosecutors said the loaded gun remained
untouched inside Smiths damaged car. ' ' '