Category — Adrian Peterson

On the heels of their impressive come-from-behind victory on the road at Texas A&M, the Oklahoma State Cowboys moved up to the No. 5 spot in the Associated Press college football rankings. They trail top-ranked LSU, OU, Alabama and Boise State.
Some experts believe the Cowboys are the team to beat in the Big 12, but they have several crucial encounters coming up in October and a showdown with OU, which could have national championship implications, in December.
The Cowboys have an Oct. 15 clash with Texas in Austin, followed by a visit to Missouri on Oct. 22. They return home for a Oct. 29 meeting with quarterback Robert Griffin and Baylor.
Of course if OSU remains unbeaten, as well as OU, all eyes will be on the expected shootout in Stillwater.
Tickets are available for all of these key games and more by visiting LavaTickets.com. The website is an excellent source for tickets for college football games, Major League Baseball, NFL, NHL, NBA, boxing, golf, soccer and other high-profile sporting events.

Whatever happened to Chris Johnson?
We still believe Adrian Peterson, who the Raiders could have had in 2007 draft but took JaMarcus Russell instead, is the best running back in the NFL, but Darren McFadden is quickly staking his claim to the No. 2 spot.
Yahoo Sports

The Bills, Lions and Browns are among the big surprises of the NFL season so far. Even the Raiders, who ran the ball down the Jets’ throats, are making some noise.
But Buffalo and Detroit have earned considerable attention, particularly the Bills, who knocked off Tom Brady and the Patriots on Sunday.
SI.com

Many eyes will be on Vikings Coach Leslie Frazier, who will open this season on Sept. 11 (they’re playing the ‘Boys in an exhibition on Friday) in sunny San Diego. Tony Dungy 2.0? Many think so, particularly since Frazier and Dungy are close friends. But Frazier’s success depends on how Adrian Peterson, Donovan McNabb and the Vikings jell this season.
SI.com

Is that a Stella?
Already, sportsbooks in Las Vegas are ahead of last year’s pace on betting the NFL. The action has been hot and heavy since the lockout ended.
Las Vegas Sun

That heat out yonder in the Midwest is really starting to get to some people, particularly OU and Texas fans.
Dr. Saturday

Donovan McNabb appears headed to the Vikings, where he could be a factor in and offense with Adrian Peterson and if he can bounce back after last season’s horrendous performance. If nothing else, it frees the quarterback from the heavy-handed ways of dictator Mike Shanahan and his brain-dead son, the Redskins’ offensive coordinator.
Washington Post

Dodgers 4, Padres 1.
Seven runs combined in a 3-game series. Adrian Gonzalez drives in that many in 2 games.

While the NFL tries to figure out a solution to the lockout, AEG’s Tim Leiweke figures 1 of 5 clubs will eventually land in L.A. Nothing new here except Leiweke says he’s chatted with the Chargers, Vikings, Raiders, Rams and Jags recently. We’re still betting the Chargers will be the 1, but the Adrian Peterson show on a Sunday in L.A. would be an attractive option.
O.C. Register

The image above is a figment of your imagination. The 1 on the right is imagination at its finest.
It seems ironic that the USC fiasco is put to bed about the time the 1 at Ohio State is shifting into high gear.
Two programs steep in tradition and frequently at the center of the battle for national championships are stripped of their powers at what seems to be the height of such things.
The BCS made it official Monday, yanking the 2004 national crown right off the head of Tommy Trojan.
Gone is the Heisman Trophy won by Reggie Bush. Gone is the national championship of that 1 season, but so too is gone all the major players in the debacle.
Bush has long since made millions in the pros. Pete Carroll, seemingly blinded by the glitz of leading USC back to the top of college football’s mountain, is gone as well.
Even Mike Garrett, the AD who looked the other way, is also gone, though he was shoved out the door while others raced through it.
USC and its players who had nothing to do with the troubles are left to clean up the mess of others.
Same thing at Ohio State. Jim Tressel hit the eject button just as it was about to be pushed by the administration. The star quarterback will likely do the same for his own good.
When all the damage is done, it will be those who remain left to pay the tab.
That is the problem with college sports. Others are forced to take out the garbage the morning after, and many of those weren’t invited to the frat party that turned into a college sports orgy.
And don’t think it is just college football with this egg on its face. Look at problems at Memphis after John Calipari fled to Kentucky.
Or after he left UMass.
This is an old tale but one that keeps getting updated. This is also the real challenge of the NCAA police.
Forget about the BCS, what makes somebody a real student-athlete or even the bigger discussion as to should college players be paid.
The NCAA has to figure out one thing first; how to police itself.
They need to get a handle on the problems that exist before they hit the front page of sports sections. They also need a way to push those who break the rules — that’s the individuals and not just the institutions.
This will not be easy. The NCAA is understaffed when it comes to investigators. It has also trouble getting the help needed from those who are under investigation. Nobody tells the truth the first time the NCAA cops come calling.
And why should they? It might take 6 or 7 years before anything is determined, and by then those folks are off to greener pastures, or bigger paychecks.
Big dilemma. The NCAA has no real teeth except against the schools themselves. That needs to change.
But until it does, there is no hope of keeping everybody in line.
Party on. Somebody will clean up the mess.