Young Goes Back To School

Let’s hear it for Vince Young.

I’m impressed.

The Titans quarterback has joined defensive back Michael Griffin to return to Austin to get their degrees at the University of Texas.The former Longhorns have both enrolled for the spring semester as fulltime students.

See, it’s cool to back to school.University of Texas players are enrolled for the spring semester at the Austin campus, an official in the registrar's office confirmed Friday.

It seems that Young made a promise to his mother that he would earn his degree and he plans to honor her request.

Young is only two semesters short of his degree in education and early child development. He is taking 15 hours this semester and hopes that will get him close enough to finish with some online courses.

Griffin, the Titans top draft pick last year, is majoring in youth and community studies.

The Titans duo is working out at the University to get ready for the 2008 season.

Young is set for life financially and likely will never have to work.

Nonetheless, he’s sending a message to young and old to get that degree.

We have heard that Young sometimes pouted in games when he was struggling. Before he was drafted, some questioned his intelligence when rumors popped up that he had failed the Wonderlic Test.

The college degree should end any questions surrounding Young’s smarts.

Terry Bradshaw was once called a “dumb quarterback.” If I remember correctly, somebody said he couldn’t spell cat if you spotted him two letters.

Bradshaw has proven that not to be true.

Today, he’s the “lead dog” on FOX NFL Sunday.

TV Ratings & Bowl Games Show Passion for College Football in 2007

ABC, ESPN, CBS and FOX report strong viewership

DALLAS, Jan. 24, 2008 - The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) highlighted today that 2007 season, a year filled with thrilling upsets and record-setting performances, produced top-notch television ratings and concluded with another bowl season enjoyed by millions of fans across the country.

"The numbers show that the interest in college football continues to grow and that the sport is truly America's passion," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "We applaud the bowl games and the broadcasting industry for their efforts and creativity in promoting the great game of college football and making it accessible to millions of viewers and fans during the season.

It was a really impressive year, a year of unprecedented upsets and an exciting one to watch.

"The 2007-08 bowl season, with 64 teams participating in a slate of 32 bowl games, established new high water marks in viewership and fan attendance, building on a season that saw ESPN on ABC Sports, CBS Sports, Fox Sports, NBC Sports, CSTV, Versus, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, Fox Sports Net, the Big Ten Network, and the NFL Network all capitalize on college football's ever increasing popularity.

The commitment of every major network and many of the premier cable channels continues to take the sport of college football to new heights in terms of support and interest.With more than 1.7 million combined fans attending a bowl game and close to another combined 129 million households tuning in to watch the bowl games on television, bowl payouts ran an estimated $225 million in 2007-08 and have totaled $1.6 billion over the last nine seasons.

Over the next ten years, bowls are projected to pay $2.4 billion to the teams and conferences in the Football Bowl Subdivision who participate.

Regular Season Ratings: Highlighted by its relationship with the SEC, CBS posted an average national household rating/share for the season of 3.5/8, up 13% from a 3.1/7 last year.

The 2007 season marked CBS' best year since a 3.7/10 rating/share in 1999.

ESPN also posted impressive viewership with its third most-viewed season ever, averaging 2,013,687 households per game, and ESPN2 recorded its most-viewed season ever with 1,027,368 households per game.

ESPN on ABC averaged 4,364,148 households per game with two games landing in the top 10 audiences ever: the Nov. 24 Missouri-Kansas game with 10,960,755 viewers (ranking 7th all-time) and the Dec. 1 Oklahoma- Missouri game with 10,841,849 (ranking 9th all-time).

The Versus network saw a 50 percent increase in national household rankings and a 92 percent increase in total viewership.Bowl Attendance and Ticket SalesFinal attendance for all bowls in '07-08 was 1,733,499 for a game average of 54,172.

Of the 64 teams competing, 28 sold out their allotment of tickets, 11 bowls sported record attendance figures, eight postseason games drew 65,000-plus fans, and eight bowls were proclaimed sellouts within 24 hours of their matchup announcements.

The Allstate BCS National Championship Game produced the largest crowd (79,651) ever in Louisiana Superdome history with the venue playing host to three bowl tussles (for the first time in city history) from Dec. 21, 2007-Jan. 7, 2008. Allstate Sugar Bowl CEO Paul Hoolahan and his staff pulled off the staging of two of those games with aplomb and panache, winning universal praise from the fans and the media alike while the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation hosted the The R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, posting high water marks as most-viewed New Orleans Bowl dating back to 2001.

The Allstate BCS National Championship Game also became the top- selling event in StubHub's history, surpassing last year's Super Bowl and the Tostitos BCS National Championship game.

The Capital One Bowl in Orlando drew 69,748 fans, selling out within 13 hours. Organizers had to add 4,000 extra bleacher seats to accommodate the overflow crowds. En route to producing its quickest sellout ever, The Valero Alamo Bowl attracted its largest crowd in history with 66,166 fans in attendance.

The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl continued its record of 23 sellouts in the last 24 games while the FedEx Orange Bowl sold out for the eighth consecutive year. The Chick-fil-A Bowl sold out for the 11th straight year in less than 48 hours, and The Cotton Bowl was sold out in less than 24 hours. The Poinsettia Bowl had the largest crowd in game history with 39,129, an increase of 24% over last year's game while the Holiday Bowl had its third largest crowd in history, while recording its fifth straight sell out.

The '07 Houston Bowl recorded an event-record of 62,907 tickets sold at Reliant Stadium. It was the third- largest crown to watch a college contest in the city of Houston. The Armed Forces Bell Helicopter Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas, smashed its previous turnout highs with 40,905 in attendance. Alabama and Colorado had the most tickets sold (47,043) for the PetroSun Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La., since Arkansas-Missouri attracted 49,625 in 2003.

Bowl Community Impact:An estimated $1.3 billion poured into the community coffers from travel and tourism in the 32 clashes, and coaches and student-athletes took time out from their practice schedules to participate in a wide range of unique community service events that included visits to pediatric wards, children's hospitals, veterans hospitals, Boys & Girls Clubs, the Ronald McDonald House, Make-A Wish participants, fan fests with disadvantaged kids, and food distribution centers for the less fortunate.

The Chick-fil-A Bowl distributed $1.04 million in charitable and scholarship contributions, which doubled last year's record total of $531,000. The game also generates an estimated $30-35 million in economic impact for metro Atlanta each year, eclipsing the NBA All-Star Game, NCAA Women's Final Four and the SEC Football Championship game.

At the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, current members of the armed forces were admitted free and veterans gained entry at a 50 percent discount, Fort Worth, Texas. 3,500 troops also enjoyed a free feast of burritos, rice, beans and hot sauce provided by the Fort Worth-based Rosa's Café & Tortilla Factory.2007-08 Notable Bowl Facts and Milestones:

· Joe Paterno won his NCAA record 23rd bowl game in his 500th game on the sidelines.
· Missouri' Tony Temple (281 yards) and Rutgers's Ray Rice (280 yards) produced two of the three highest rushing totals in bowl history.
· Boston College won their eighth straight bowl while Utah won their seventh straight.
· New Mexico won their first bowl game in 46 years, last win in 1961 Aviation Bowl.
· The Mountain West had the best winning percentage (4-1, .800), while the SEC seven bowl wins (7-2 overall) was an all-time high for any conference in NCAA history.
· Humanitarian Bowl celebrated his 10th anniversary, flourishing as one of the premier events in Boise, Idaho.
· The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl hosted the 2007 College Football Hall of Fame Class with its Third Annual National Hall of Fame Salute at the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.
· Both the FedEx Orange Bowl and the AllState Sugar Bowl will celebrate their 75th games next season.
· The Brut Sun Bowl just celebrated its 40th straight year on CBS and will celebrate its 75th Anniversary this year.
· FedEx has served as title sponsor of the Orange Bowl for the 19th straight year, the longest consecutive bowl title sponsor.
· Alabama (55 bowl appearances), Tennessee (47), Texas (47), Southern California (46), and Nebraska (44) kept the all-time top five positions in bowl appearances.
· Scoring reached all-time highs of 28.4 points per game and 392 total offense yards up 45.1 yards per game from '06 to '07.
· Games averaged eight more plays this year than last and produced an average of 379.8 yards of total offense.
· Vendors in both New Orleans and Honolulu virtually ran out of Hawaii gear and accessories with Allstate Sugar Bowl logos.
· During the week surrounding the Allstate BCS National Championship game LSU recorded its largest weekly sale of licensed football merchandise in history.
Bowl Ratings Highlights:2007-08 produced another banner year for bowl game viewing.

Especially noteworthy, all of the pre-Christmas Bowl game ratings increased this year, and all the games continued to produce strong interest from the powerful demographic of 18-49 year- old males. For the bowl season, ESPN delivered an average of 2,866,410 households while ESPN2 delivered its most-viewed bowl season ever with 1,502,134 households and 1,950,490 viewers, posting an 11 percent increase with males 18-49 and a 17 percent increase with males 25-54.

The Allstate BCS National Championship Game came in second overall in the Neilsen ratings, posting at the No. 2 most watch program among 18-49 year olds and the No. 3 most watch program among males teens between 12-17 year olds. Other highlights include:ESPN on ABC Bowl Rating Highlights:

· The Rose Bowl and Capital One Bowl averaged 11.4 million households, up 2% from last year.
· The Capital One Bowl recorded 9.1 household rating, making it the highest-rated Capital One Bowl in a since the 1998 Florida-Penn State game, which drew 9.2 million households.
ESPN Bowl Rating Highlights:
· The Chick-fil-A Bowl between Auburn and Clemson captured 4.9 million households, the second most- viewed bowl game on ESPN since 1990 behind only the 2006 Alamo Bowl, which attracted 5.5 million households.
· The Pacific Life Holiday Bowl drew 4.2 million households, a 7% increase over 2006 and the 2nd most watched bowl game on ESPN in 2007.
· The Music City Bowl attracted 3.9 million households, becoming the highest-rated and most viewed dating back to 1998.
· The Motor City Bowl engaged 2.6 million households, the most-viewed since 2001.
· The Las Vegas Bowl captured 2.4 million households, the highest rated since 2002.
· The Champs Sports Bowl won 3.6 million households, its highest rated and most viewed ever.
· The San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl also doubled its ratings from a year ago with a 2.00 adjusted Nielsen number.
· The 2007 Meineke Car Care Bowl garnered its highest ever, drawing 3.6 million households.
ESPN2 Bowl Rating Highlights:
· The Papajohns.com Bowl drew 2.2 million households, the most-viewed bowl game on ESPN2 this season and the second highest-rated bowl game on ESPN2, behind only the 2002 GMAC Bowl, which attracted 2.3 million households.
· The R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl attracted 1.6 million households, becoming the highest-rated and most-viewed New Orleans Bowl dating back to 2001.
FOX Bowl Rating Highlights:
· Drawing 23.1 million viewers and with a total of 52 million Americans tuning in to see at least part of the game, The Allstate BCS National Championship Game delivered FOX the second highest-rated and most-watched night of television of the season-to-date, only behind an NFL Wildcard game on NBC.
· All four 2008 BCS on FOX pre- games/games won their nightly ratings among the powerful 18-49 demographic. It was the first time that the Bowl Championship Series has delivered a network four nightly "highs" in the key prime time demographic.
· The 14.4/22 rating for the Allstate BCS Championship Game topped the season-to-date household average of every show in prime time. The current top-ranked show (through Jan. 14, 2008) for the season-to-date is Dancing with the Stars (14.0/20). The game beat all season-to-date prime time shows among all adults 18-49 as well. The 8.2 number among adults 18-49 topped ABC's Desperate Housewives (7.3), which is currently prime time's No. 1 show.
2007-08 Chronological Bowl Results:(Attendance) & [Household Impressions]:
· San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl: Utah 35, Navy 32, ESPN:(39,129) & [1,932,246]
· R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Florida Atlantic 44, Memphis 27, ESPN2:(25,146) & [1,561,000]
· Papajohns.com Bowl: Cincinnati 31, Southern Miss 21, ESPN2:(35,258) & [2,167,420]
· New Mexico Bowl: New Mexico 23, Nevada 0, ESPN:(30,233) & [1,888,695]
· Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl: Brigham Young 17, UCLA 16, ESPN:(40,712) & [2,390,098]
· Sheraton Hawaii Bowl: East Carolina 41, Boise State 38, ESPN:(30,467) & [1,415,395]
· Motor City Bowl: Purdue 51, Central Michigan 48, ESPN:(60,624) & [2,584,994]
· Pacific Life Holiday Bowl: Texas 52, Arizona State 34, ESPN:(64,020) & [4,223,682]
· Champs Sports Bowl: Boston College 24, Michigan State 21, ESPN:(46,554) & [3,561,309]
· Texas Bowl: TCU 20, Houston 13, NFL Network:(62,097) & [326,650]
· Emerald Bowl: Oregon State 21, Maryland 14, ESPN:(32,517) & [3,463,061]
· Meineke Car Care Bowl: Wake Forest 24, Connecticut 10, ESPN:(53,126) & [3,607,429]
· AutoZone Liberty Bowl: Mississippi State 10, UCF 3, ESPN:(63,816) & [3,986,674]
· Valero Alamo Bowl: Penn State 24, Texas A&M 17, ESPN:(66,166) & [2,568,881]
· PetroSun Independence Bowl: Alabama 30, Colorado 24, ESPN:(47,043) & [1,828,965]
· Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl: California 42, Air Force 36, ESPN:(40,975) & [1,928,556]
· Roady's Humanitarian Bowl: Fresno State 40, Georgia Tech 28, ESPN2:(27,062) & [745,082]
· Brut Sun Bowl: Oregon 56, USF 21, CBS:(49,867) & [2,554,678]
· Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl: Kentucky 35, Florida State 28, ESPN:(68,681) & [3,883,875]
· Insight Bowl: Oklahoma State 49, Indiana 33, NFL Network:(48,892) & [458,918]
· Chick-Fil-A Bowl: Auburn 23, Clemson 20 (OT), ESPN:(74,413) & [4,919,331]
· Outback Bowl: Tennessee 21, Wisconsin 17, ESPN:(60,121) & [3,260,313]
· AT&T Cotton Bowl: Missouri 38, Arkansas 7, Fox:(73,114) & [3,974,484]
· Konica Minolta Gator Bowl: Texas Tech 31, Virginia 28, CBS:(60,243) & [2,960,799]
· Capital One Bowl: Michigan 41, Florida 35, ABC:(69,748) & [10,301,679]
· Rose Bowl presented by Citi: Southern California 49, Illinois 17, ABC:(93,923) & [12,531,880]
· Allstate Sugar Bowl: Georgia 41, Hawai'i 10, Fox:(74,383) & [7,850,519]
· Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: West Virginia 48, Oklahoma 28, Fox:(70,016) & [8,736,935]
· FedEx Orange Bowl: Kansas 24, Virginia Tech 21, Fox:(74,111) & [8,345,715]
· International Bowl: Rutgers 52, Ball State 30, ESPN:(31,455) & [1,528,141]
· GMAC Bowl: Tulsa 63, Bowling Green 7, ESPN:(36,932) & [1,096,521]
· Allstate BCS National Championship: LSU 38, Ohio State 24, Fox:(79,651) & [16,291,263]

ABOUT THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION & COLLEGE HALL OF FAMEFounded in 1947 with leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice and with 121 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, a non-profit educational organization, runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. The NFF presents the MacArthur Trophy, the Draddy Trophy, presented by HealthSouth, and releases the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Standings. NFF programs include the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., the NFF Hampshire Honor Society, Play It Smart, and scholarships of over $1 million for college and high school scholar-athletes.

For more information, please visit us on the web at www.footballfoundation.com

Four Former Vols In Big Game

Did you know that at least one Tennessee Vol has played in the Super Bowl since 1992 and 31 of the 42?

The list of Tennessee alumni headed to the Super Bowl grew by four Sunday with the additions of Gibril Wilson, Kelley Washington, Donte' Stallworth and Rashad Moore.

Stallworth, who teamed with Randy Moss as New England's No. 1 and 2 wide receivers, had two catches for 11 yards in the AFC Championship game. He ranked 24th in the AFC with 46 receptions for 697 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 15.2 yards per catch.

Wilson, who started at free safety, made 92 tackles (78 solo) with four interceptions and seven pass break-ups for the Giants. He made a team-high eight tackles and broke up one pass in the NFC Championship game against the Green Bay Packers.

Washington served as the fifth receiver for New England, playing mainly on special teams in 14 games. Against the Jets on Dec. 16, he recorded the Patriots' first blocked punt since 1999, slapping down Ben Graham's punt in the second quarter, and setting up the Patriots' possession at the Jets' 3-yard line.

Moore signed as a free agent on June 8, 2007 with New England, was released on Sept. 1 and re-signed on Dec. 19. He played in one regular season game and the AFC Championship game for the Patriots.

Tennessee Vols In The Super Bowl

TE Bill Anderson (1967 Super Bowl I, Green Bay Packers)
P Ron Widby (1971 & 1972 Super Bowls V, VI, Dallas Cowboys)
DB Richmond Flowers (1971 Super Bowl V, Dallas Cowboys)
LB Steve Kiner (1971 Super Bowl V, Dallas Cowboys)
DB Bob Petrella (1972 Super Bowl VI, Miami Dolphins)
P Neil Clabo (1977 Super Bowl XI, Minnesota Vikings)
P Craig Colquitt (1979 & 1980 Super Bowls XIII, XIV, Pittsburgh Steelers)
DB Eddie Brown (1980 Super Bowl XIV, Los Angeles Rams)
LB Jack Reynolds (1980 & 1982 & 1985 Super Bowls XIV, LA Rams, XVI, XIX San Francisco)
OT Mickey Marvin (1981 & 1984 Super Bowls XV, Oakland Raiders, XVIII, LA Raiders)
LB Craig Puki (1982 Super Bowl XVI, San Francisco 49ers)
DB Roland James (1986 Super Bowl XX, New England Patriots)
WR Stanley Morgan (1986 Super Bowl XX, New England Patriots)
DE Brian Ingram (1986 Super Bowl XX, New England Patriots)
WR Willie Gault (1986 Super Bowl XX, Chicago Bears)
OG Raleigh McKenzie (1988 & 1992 Super Bowls XXII, XXVI, Washington Redskins)
WR Tim McGee (1989 Super Bowl XXIII, Cincinnati Bengals)
LB Carl Zander (1989 Super Bowl XXIII, Cincinnati Bengals)
OG David Douglas (1989 Super Bowl XXIII, Cincinnati Bengals)
LB Keith DeLong (1990 Super Bowl XXIV, San Francisco 49ers)
WR Alvin Harper (1993 & 1994 Super Bowls XXVII, XXVIII, Dallas Cowboys)
DE Chris Mims (1995 Super Bowl XXIX, San Diego Chargers)
DB Bill Bates (1993 & 1994 & 1996 Super Bowls XXVII, XXVIII, XXX, Dallas Cowboys)
WR Cory Fleming (1996 Super Bowl XXX, Dallas Cowboys)
DT Reggie White (1997 & 1998 Super Bowls XXXI, XXXII, Green Bay Packers)
OT Bruce Wilkerson (1997 & 1998 Super Bowls XXXI, XXXII, Green Bay Packers)
RB Aaron Hayden (1998 Super Bowl XXXII, Green Bay Packers)
LB Chuck Smith (1999 Super Bowl XXXIII, Atlanta Falcons)
LB Ben Talley (1999 Super Bowl XXXIII, Atlanta Falcons)
WR Marcus Nash (1999 Super Bowl XXXIII, Denver, 2001 Super Bowl XXXV, Baltimore)
C Trey Teague (1999 Injured, Super Bowl XXXIII, Denver Broncos)
WR Joey Kent (2000 Super Bowl XXXIV, Tennessee Titans)
OT Jason Layman (2000 Super Bowl XXXIV, Tennessee Titans)
LB Leonard Little (2000 & 2002 Super Bowls XXXIV, XXXVI, St. Louis Rams)
RB Jamal Lewis (2001 Super Bowl XXXV, Baltimore Ravens)
DB Dave Thomas (2001 Super Bowl XXXV, New York Giants)
RB Charlie Garner (2003 Super Bowl XXXVII, Oakland Raiders)
OG Cosey Coleman (2003 Super Bowl XXXVII, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
RB Travis Stephens (2003 Injured, Super Bowl XXXVII, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
DT Shane Burton (2004 Super Bowl XXXVIII, Carolina Panthers)
DB Deon Grant (2004 Super Bowl XXXVIII, Carolina Panthers)
DT Darwin Walker (2005 Super Bowl XXXIX, Philadelphia Eagles)
WR Cedrick Wilson (2006 Super Bowl XL, Pittsburgh Steelers)
QB Peyton Manning (2007 Super Bowl XLI [MVP], Indianapolis Colts)
DB Gibril Wilson (2008 Super Bowl XLII, New York Giants)
DT Rashad Moore (2008 Super Bowl XLII, New England Patriots)
WR Donte' Stallworth (2008 Super Bowl XLII, New England Patriots)
WR Kelley Washington (2008 Super Bowl XLII, New England Patriots)

www.utsports.com

Former ETSU Player Named Falcons Coach

There’s no doubt that when Atlanta hired Mike Smith as the new Falcons coach that they got a likeable person.

Nonetheless, Arthur Blank please don’t tell us that this is the guy you wanted and how you checked out his reference for two weeks before deciding he is right for your Falcons.

It always makes me nervous when a person who has never been a head coach at any level of his career takes over the helm of a major college or professional team.

Ray Goff (Georgia) and Mike Shula (Alabama) are the first to come to mind.
Operating by trial and error at the top level can be a risky venture.

However, the deeper you look for positives in Smith the more you find.

He has a direct tie to Tennessee where he has spent much of his time playing and coaching.

Smith got his start as a linebacker for East Tennessee from 1977-1981. He was an aggressive player who was twice named defensive MVP and led his team in tackles as a senior with 186.

That’s good. However, it’s bad that he can’t go back and watch his old school play or coach one of the Buccaneers. East Tennessee State no longer has a football program.

He was a part time assistant coach at San Diego State from 1982-’85.

That’s bad, unless you and your family like the beach and one of the best zoos in America.

He was the defensive line coach at Morehead State in 1986.

That’s bad, unless you always wanted to coach in Phil Simms Stadium in the middle of nowhere. And family members would always be hassling you to give them a Morehead cap.

Smith moved on to Tennessee Tech where he stayed from 1987-1998. He spent time as the defensive coordinator, defensive line coach and special teams coach during that time.

That’s good. Cookeville is a nice town and the Cumberland County Playhouse is down the road in Crossville. There’s always some kind of big time play there.

In fact, the Broadway Family Musical Peter Pan by Carolyn Leigh, Adolph Green and Betty Comden, with music by Jule Styne and Mark Charlap opens on Feb. 1.

The Cumberland County Playhouse is now the only major non-profit professional performing arts resource in rural Tennessee, and one of the 10 largest professional theaters in rural America, according to the theatre’s website.

Sorry, couldn’t resist impressing the readers with some culture.

The Tennessee Tech folks are proud of Smith. The story of him taking over the Falcons is posted on the school’s football website.

Smith got his break in 1999. He was hired to coach linebackers by the Baltimore Ravens and was later named the defensive coordinator.

There, Smith got a Super Bowl championship ring (XXXV) in 2000 with a defense that set an NFL regular season record by allowing only 165 points.

Now, that’s real good.

He was named the defensive coordinator with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2003. His Jacksonville defense ranked fourth in overall defense (296.6) and third in offensive points allowed (16.1) from 2003-2006. The 2007 defensive unit finished with the AFCs fifth-best rushing defense, holding opponents to an average of 100.3 yards per game.

That’s pretty good.

The assessment of Smith’s career leaves the final opinion tally at two that’s good; two that’s bad; one that’s pretty good and one that’s real good.

So, looking at Smith being hired as the new Atlanta coach gives the Falcons a win.

That’s not bad, victories have been hard to come by in Atlanta.

Chow To UCLA

Fired Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Norm Chow has found a job back on the west coast, according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen.

An official announcement should be made today that Chow, who was fired last Tuesday, is going to be the new offensive coordinator for UCLA, according to Mortensen.

The Titans (10-6) lost an AFC wild-card game to San Diego 17-6 and ranked 21st overall in total offense.

Tennessee was the first team to reach the playoffs in a 16-game season with only nine touchdown passes.

On Friday, the Titans brought Denver assistant Mike Heimerdinger back to replace Chow as the offensive coordinator. Heimerdinger was Tennessee's offensive coordinator from 2000-2004.

Chow will be back at home in the Pac 10.

He came to the Titans from Southern Cal in 2005. Chow wanted Tennessee to draft his Trojans quarterback Matt Leinart in 2006 when Vince Young was taken third.

Chow wasn’t able to display his talents for developing quarterbacks with the athletic Young.

He has had success in helping to develop Jim McMahon, Steve Young, Phillip Rivers and Carson Palmer in his more than 30 years of coaching.

ESPN.com and Associated Press information was used in this report

The Super Bowl XLII odds have the New England Patriots (18-0) favored by 13 to 14 points over the New York Giants (13-6) at Las Vegas sports books.

Las Vegas bookmakers said New England is considered by far the best team in the league.

The Patriots have been heavy favorites all season after getting off to a fast start by hammering opponents and destroying the spreads.

Nevertheless, the Patriots have only covered the spread once in its last eight games.

The over-and-under on Super Bowl XLII has been set at 55 by oddsmakers.

of course, the Patriots are trying to become the second team in NFL history to go undefeated. In week 17 New England defeated New York 38-35.

Bookmakers are predicting that total bets on the this year's Super Bowl could top the $100 million mark.

New England and New York In Super Showdown

OK, Super Bowl XLII is set. New England is going to try to remain perfect against New York.

My thoughts are that I'm so happy for the Giants Eli Manning and sad for the Packers Brett Favre. Nonetheless, Manning was super in his effort in a frigid Green Bay. The way these Giants play on the road they should give Giants Stadium to the Jets and travel all the time.

If I had to deal with the New York press I would want to play on the road all the time too.

The Giants have a tough defense and have now won 10 consecutive games outside of New Jersey.

New England and New York played a good game in Week 17 with the Pats winning.

New England's win Sunday was not impressive, but it counted.

Tom Brady was picked off three times, including one in the endzone for the first time in more than two years. Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Donte' Stallworth were average at the best.

However, Laurence Maroney ran for 122 yards and Jabar Gaffney count the game-winning pass.

The big question for Super Bowl XLII is simply which streak is the biggest accomplishment, 10 consecutive wins on the road for New York or 18-0 this season for the Patriots.

Either way, the winning team will provide a good storyline.

The New England players might show up at the Super Bowl media day with their camcorders Don't the Patriots record everything?

Who's Going To Super Bowl XLII

The Great Stumpola has enjoyed one of his best years of prognosticating. Unfortunately, the times when Stumpola stumbles the most is when his heart and desires get in the way. To pick football games correctly one must use only one part of the human body _ the brain. Stumpola has picked the Dallas Cowboys to win and the New England Patriots to lose too much this year. Do you not want to see somebody beat the Pats? Do you not want to see Brady sacked and Moss clotheslined as he comes across the middle? As a Cowboys fan Stumpola spends too much time hoping that Dallas will win instead of looking at it like it is. This week Stumpola is going to only use his brain on his predictions for the AFC and NFC championship games. So here goes.

NEW ENGLAND 23, SAN DIEGO 13: The weather is going to cause more mistakes for the Pats than usual. But a team from sunny California in frigid Foxboro with the wind whistling around and changing directions is going to make it tougher on Rivers or Volek than it will Brady.

GREEN BAY 24, NEW YORK 20: Brett Favre will find a way and Eli Manning will get lost along the way. Eli has arrived. But he has never arrived in Green Bay on the frozen tundra. NFL players who have played on that field in the miserable cold and wind describe it as inhuman.

Around The State ...

Gavin Hardin

The Jackson Sun, one of the top newspapers in the state for prep coverage, reported this week that Huntingdon head football coach Mike Mansfield and his defensive coordinator Jimmy Pritchard are retiring.

Mansfield has been the head coach of the Mustangs since 1991 and Pritchard took over the defense in 1991. Eric Swenson has been hired to replace Mansfield.

Swenson comes to Huntingdon from Hickman County in Middle Tennessee. His team was 11-2 in 2007 and lost to Goodpasture in the state semifinals.

He was offensive coordinator at Huntingdon from 1996-2004.

Mansfield leaves the Mustangs with a 151-62 record and a 2003 Class 2A state championship.

His teams made 14 state playoff appearances and were 8-4 in 2007.

Swenson's team was 11-2 this season at Hickman County, losing to Goodpasture in the state quarterfinals.

Humbolt tight end Elijah Epperson (6-4, 247) told Arkansas Bobby Petrino during a recruiting trip to watch him play basketball this week that he would be a Razorback next fall.

Epperson, who has been timed at 4.51 seconds in the 40-yard dash, was originally offered an Arkansas scholarship by former coach Houston Nutt.He selected Arkansas over Ole Miss.

Varsity Sports Media’s Tennessee Football magazine’s top-rated preseason player, Gavin Hardin (Jackson Central-Merry) is visiting Miami this weekend.

The 6-4, 235-pound linebacker originally made a soft commitment to Ole Miss.

Trenton Peabody superstar Kendal Harper (QB/DB) has committed to UT-Martin.

The Naval Academy has landed a pair of Middle Tennessee standouts.

Demetrous Garrett, a 5-foot-8 receiver from Hillsboro, and Riverdale offensive lineman David Sumrall have both committed to play for new Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo.

Garrett caught 34 passes for 482 yards and eight touchdowns in 2007.

Ryan and Halliday Commit

Standout Knoxville quarterbacks Dawson Halliday (Bearden) and Jake Ryan (Knoxville West) made college commitments this week.

The Knoxville News Sentinel reported Friday that Ryan committed to Ohio Valley Conference member Austin Peay.

Halliday has committed to play for Yale in the Ivy League.

Ryan (6-1, 182) is the son of former Tennessee and New York Jets quarterback Pat Ryan.

He was named to the Tennessee Sports Writers Association All-state team the past two seasons.

Ryan completed 60 percent of his passes for more than 2,400 yards and 21 touchdowns last season.

Halliday (6-2, 198) passed for more than 2,000 yards and 14 touchdowns as he lead the Bulldogs to a 12-2 record in 5A. He was named the TSWA All-state team in 2007.

The Sentinel also reported this week that Bearden defensive back Sean Cunningham committed to Tennessee State Wednesday.

Bulldogs linebacker Preston Rouse committed to Austin Peay.

National Signing Day is Feb. 6.