50 greatest college dunks of all time

This is a good one to file away in a few weeks, and then reminisce about where you were when they happened live. It's 14 minutes, but the graphics and editing are top notch.

The No. 1 dunk? Of course it's Jerome Lane against Providence, which jump-started Bill Raftery's broadcasting career.

Before that, there's glass shattering against the Tar Heels at No. 8. Then Cincinnati's Melvin Levett coming from nowhere for a sky-high putback.

The good ones start with an old-school one-handed tomahawk from Jerry Stackhouse against Virginia Tech.

Cat fans, remember Derek Anderson over Andrae Patterson and UofL?

The Cards were also on the wrong end of a Renaldo Balkman slam. Balkman, by the way, had a great highlight to points scored ratio, didn't he?

A good one for the Cards was one of their all-time greats, LaBradford Smith, skying over DePaul in Freedom Hall.

How about Georgia guard Travis Leslie's coming out dunk against DeMarcus Cousins last season?

Sid the Kid hits home run

Arguably the NHL's best player, Sidney Crosby, hit a home run before Wednesday's game at PNC Park in Pittsburgh between the Pirates and Braves. Any chance the Pirates offer him a contract?

The price of happiness

Finally, there's a number associated with one of life's all-time questions. It's $75,000.

A recent study, which collected information from 450,000 people surveyed by Gallup, says people who earn $75,000 a year experienced a lot of enjoyment, laughter, smiling and presumably less anger, stress and worry.

When well-being was determined by asking a series of questions about the previous day - whether people had experienced a lot of enjoyment, laughter, smiling, anger, stress or worry, income matters.

In other words, money can buy happiness, but there’s a ceiling. After $75,000, more money didn't seem to buy more - or less - happiness. Of course, poor people might say, 'Give me a winning lottery ticket and see if I'm sad.'

Relationships and health have long been established as elements of life that are priceless. This study's authors have said those are two things to be concerned with after reaching that income level.

While more money helps ease pains such as divorce, poor health and loneliness, simple pleasures are less likely to be appreciated as your income builds.

These surveys always remind me of the billionaires who drive used cars, live in the same house for 40 years, and never moved out of their hometown.

Something that might skew the study is the older you are, the more likely you are to make that kind of cash. And older people are generally happier, according to studies.

The survey also found that:

• Extroverts are happier than introverts.

• Happiness increases as people get older, though happiness takes a dip between the ages of 35 and 44, when demands of career and parenting may be greatest. 

• Empty-nesters tend to be particularly happy, with seven out of 10 indicating that they were somewhat or very happy.
• Democrats and Republicans are equally happy. Green Party types? Not so much. Only 52 percent reported being somewhat or very happy.

The Boise State Argument

America is a country that historically roots for the underdog.

That changes, however, when that underdog is disrupting the blue blood traditions of college football. Enter Boise State, the former no-name with the gimmick field (the smurf turf) which has replaced Tim Tebow as the story that dominates and polarizes college football.

The Broncos turned the sport on its ear Monday night when they roared to a 17-0 lead, then came-from-behind to beat Virginia Tech in Landover, Md.

Immediately after the game, critics of the Broncos howled that they're still a fraud, masquerading as a team that builds a championship resume on a headline game only once or twice each season.

What those critics don't grasp is how Boise could help them get rid of the BCS. Wouldn't a Boise national championship spark BCS Conference athletics directors to avoid another embarrassment? Wouldn't that accelerate a playoff format?

Aside from a Heisman-contending quarterback, loads of experience on offense and defense, there's also their track record of success in big games.

The shocker against Oklahoma four years ago in the Fiesta Bowl. Then Boise opened the 2009 season with a home win over Oregon, and finished it with another Fiesta win against TCU. Toss in Monday's win against the Hokies, and that's four big-time wins. How many more do they need before they are recognized as legitimate?

You can't make a custom schedule just to send them through the gauntlet of Florida-Georgia-Alabama, or Oklahoma-Nebraska-Texas. Remember, those schedules would also include Iowa State-Colorado-Texas A&M and Vanderbilt-Tennessee (this season)-Ole Miss.

What's more, the Fiesta/BCS wins over Oklahoma and TCU are more BCS wins than Iowa, Nebraska, Penn State, Oregon and Tennessee combined. If you combined the BCS wins for Utah (another lower-level team) and Boise, it equals the total of the entire ACC.

Make no mistake, I'm not automatically putting Boise in the national title game the week of Labor Day. But if they continue to play - and win - like they did on Monday, they're at least the second best team in the country.

What's the difference between Boise and the Ohio State teams of the early 2000s? Was the Big Ten of then really much better than the WAC of today?

So put Boise in one of the power conferences like its critics want. What if it's a down year, or a down conference like the ACC? And what if Boise rolls through it like it does the WAC? What's the excuse now?

The Broncos play an exciting brand of football, are never predictable and overcame a slew of penalties against Virginia Tech.

They shouldn't be punished for a weak conference when they've done just about everything to upgrade their schedule. Win out, and they should return to familiar surroundings: Glendale, Ariz.

Associated Press Poll - Sept. 7

Top 25 (first place votes)

1. Alabama (47)

2. Ohio State (4)

3. Boise State (8)

4. TCU

5. Texas

6. Nebraska

7. Oregon

8. Florida

9. Iowa

10. Oklahoma

11. Wisconsin

12. Miami (FL)

13. Virginia Tech

14. Arkansas

15. Georgia Tech

16. USC

17. Florida State

18. Penn State

19. LSU

20. Utah

21. Auburn

22. Georgia

23. West Virginia

24. South Carolina

25. Stanford

Dropped: Pittsburgh (15), North Carolina (18)

Opening weekend: Hail Mary and an SEC upset

Not many people looked at the Jacksonville State-Ole Miss and East Carolina-Tulsa games before the weekend started. But thanks to a shocking upset in double overtime, and a Hail Mary, they're the talk of the college football world.

And don't forget the best trick play of the weekend.

Presbyterian vs. Wake Forest.

Week 1 picks

Empty your 401 (k) here:

Kentucky (-3) at Louisville

In time, first-year coach Charlie Strong will get UofL back to the level of the pre-Kragthorpe days. It just won't happen this soon. Especially against a team with an established running game and not as much turnover on the coaching staff. For 10 straight years, the team that has had more rushing yards won the game. Make it 11 after Randall Cobb and Derrick Locke are finished with the Cards. Not only has UK won the last three over UofL, the Cats have also covered. Don't let the rivalry, or the opening of the newly expanded Papa John's Cardinal Stadium distract you from what should be an easy win for Big Blue.

It's OK to dip into the spare piggy bank:

Minnesota (-1.5) at Middle Tennessee State

Line has dropped from 3 since yesterday. This game will likely hinge on the QB switch for the Blue Raiders from Dwight Dasher to Logan Kilgore. (Dasher accepted a $1,500 loan, an NCAA violation). Dasher is a senior, Kilgore, a junior college transfer who hasn't started a D-1 game. Dasher led the team in rushing last season and passed for more than 2,700. The Gophers are 11-1 vs. current Sun Belt teams with an average margin of victory of 32 points. They've also won seven of the last eight road openers (credit: Phil Steele). The Gophers have a new defense and a commitment to run the ball, which they hope gets away from the deluge of sacks which was last season's theme. Take the Gophers, give the points, and pad your emergency fund.

UConn (+3) at Michigan

Rarely is a team as bad as advertised in the offseason. Put the Wolverines in that category this season. This is a classic case of going against public opinion. Big Blue still returns 15 starters and 53 lettermen. Most of those, especially the starters, were recruited for coach Rich Rodriguez' offensive scheme. The Huskies have won four straight road openers, so they're due to drop one.

Only touch with your father-in-law's cash:

Boise State (-2.5) vs. Virginia Tech (at FedEx Field)

This must be an odds-makers dream, with every other person picking the other team. You've got the argument of Virginia Tech's recent struggles to start season. That's combined with Boise State putting most of its stock of the entire season into this game. The Hokies, of course, lost to Alabama and East Carolina to start each of the last two seasons. Just like Va. Tech is primed for a big boost to start the season, Boise State, though, is due for a let down against the big boys. The Broncos have won four of their last five against BCS opponents including wins over Oregon the last two seasons. They've had all offseason to bask in the limelight and they simply won't be able to pull it through.

Southern Methodist (+13.5) at Texas Tech

If you missed June Jones' reclamation project at Hawaii, he's doing it again at SMU. The Mustangs went from 1-11 in 2008 to 8-5 last season, including a 45-10 win over Nevada in the Hawaii Bowl. That offense, coupled with the Red Raiders' suspect defense, and a new coaching staff under Tommy Tuberville, are reasons why this one will stay within two touchdowns. You can bank on the Mustangs' upperclassmen having a long memory to the '08 season when Texas Tech won 43-7.

The weight of preseason No. 1

Sure, Alabama is the consensus preseason No. 1. But that hardly means the Crimson Tide will sit atop the polls in January. Sure, it was an easy pick for the SEC media to win the league championship. But that group has only been correct three times since 1992.

Certainly it will be more difficult with the absence of RB Mark Ingram (knee), if only for two or three weeks.

Even beyond the SEC, the historical challenge of starting and finishing the season on top is rare. Since 1991, it has happened three times: FSU in 1993 and 1999, and USC in 2004. Here's a sampling of the preseason and postseason No. 1s since 2002.

Preseason Postseason
2002 Miami Ohio State
2003 Alabama/Oklahoma USC/LSU
2004 USC USC
2005 USC Texas
2006 Ohio State Florida
2007 USC LSU
2008 Georgia Florida
2009 Florida Alabama

The questions for Alabama are mainly on defense and special teams. They have to replace nine starters on defense, including six draftees, although many of last year's backups saw significant playing time, and all three main specialists. Kicker, punter, returner, but also long snapper and holder.

Of course the schedule is tough, with a well-documented six games against teams who have their bye week scheduled the week before playing the Crimson Tide. Not to mention road games against Arkansas and LSU.

It's difficult to bet against Nick Saban when he's on the college sidelines. But all it takes is a blocked kick, injury (see above) or wacky turnover to derail a championship run. History is tough to argue against.

College football nuggets to pass the time

Three days until the official kickoff, here's a few items to get to the starting line...

Mark Ingram faces a daunting task to start this season: He's a returning Heisman Trophy winner. And returning Heisman winners are held to a higher standard than other contenders. It's human nature to compare a player to his own stats from the previous season. But it also adds an imaginary opponent to a player's competition for the coveted trophy.

Every season, there's a weekend where you might just want to make a dent in the honey-do list, and put the games in the background. What week will it be this year? Oct. 9? Here are some games that day: No. 1 Alabama at South Carolina, Indiana at No. 2 Ohio State, No. 21 LSU at No. 4 Florida, No. 11 Oregon at Washington State, Clemson at No. 18 North Carolina. Several decent games, but nothing that really moves the meter, barring an upset or an unexpected undefeated team.

How are blue bloods Notre Dame and Tennessee rebuilding with weak schedules? Forget all the tradition talk with the Irish and the military schools. They won't be taken seriously until they schedule multiple power conference teams that are ranked. Tennessee's reputation took a major hit when it pulled out of an agreement to play North Carolina. Is this designed to lengthen Derek Dooley's stay in Knoxville?

Speaking of Notre Dame, the Irish could have added an asterisk after word surfaced last week that they're working with NBC to schedule shorter commercial breaks, which would help Notre Dame's up-tempo offense. All this does is add to Notre Dame's elitist nature. If they are to play for a national championship one day, what will happen during the conventional commercial breaks? Of course, this could be much ado about nothing, and it might have little impact. Still, no other school would pull a stunt like this, so it's just another reason to believe the Irish think they're more important than everyone else.

Of course 'My Wife Knows Everything' wins

One of my favorite videos of all time. Kudos to the track announcer for keeping a straight face, except for one line.

Conference by conference breakdown, predictions

After I previewed and predicted the SEC last week, here are the rest of the power conferences and my prediction for the national championship in Glendale, Ariz.

ACC
Virginia Tech over Florida State
The Hokies have been the ACC's most consistent team for several years (possibly since the glory days of Florida State's run in the 1990s), and have finished in the top 12 nationally in scoring and total defense each of the last six seasons. Coach Frank Beamer has a loaded offensive backfield, but lost six starters on defense. He did keep coordinator Bud Foster, who got a raise after flirting with Georgia and other openings.

Florida State opens the Jimbo Fisher era with a new defensive coordinator (Mark Stoops) and one of the best quarterbacks in the country in Christian Ponder. The Noles are fortunate to play in a weak division in which the second best team, Clemson, returns a top QB in Kyle Parker, but will dearly miss offensive playmakers C.J. Spiller and Jacoby Ford.

Virginia Tech is simply a more stable program, and honestly, in the ACC, that's all you need.

Big East
Pitt over UConn
Like him or not, Dave Wannestadt has Pitt on the right track and should wrap up a conference championship. The Panthers have three of the best players in the league in RB Dion Lewis, WR Jonathan Baldwin and DE Greg Romeus.

Even though the Huskies were 8-5 last year, they lost every game by four points or less, and embarrassed South Carolina in the Papajohns.com Bowl. RB Jordan Trodman should be better than last year's 1,188-yard rushing season. The 16 starters is a big reason why they'll contend, and possibly win the conference title. What's more, the Huskies get West Virginia, Pitt and Cincinnati at home. But Pitt's talent will overcome UConn's experience.

Big Ten
Ohio State over Iowa
Largely based on Terrelle Pryor's performance in the Rose Bowl, the Buckeyes are a popular pick to not only win the league, but play for the national championship. This season could be a replay of last year's overtime win against Iowa at home. The Hawkeyes should be OSU's toughest competition in the conference, and this time, they travel to Iowa City. Iowa DE Adrian Clayborn and S Tyler Sash will be charged with slowing Pryor and Co.

The Hawkeyes have a legitimate chance to unseat the Buckeyes if only by their sheer number of home games against the conference's elite. Wisconsin, Penn State, and Michigan State, along with the Buckeyes, will play among the black and gold.

Big 12
Oklahoma over Nebraska
The last time NeBraska was ranked in the preseason top 10 was 2002. In only the second season for coach Bo Pelini, the Cornhuskers have gained a lot of fans this offseason, as not many have forgotten how their barely lost last year's Big 12 Championship game on a controversial call.

Fortunately for the Huskers, Texas is the only top 10 team on their schedule, unless Missouri gets hot.

The Big 12 South will be decided by two quarterbacks (Landry Jones and Garrett Gilbert) who were called into duty last year following injuries to Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy. In DeMarco Murray, the Sooners have a top flight running back, and another solid defensive unit. The big question is the offensive line. A matchup against Nebraska could expose that weak link.

Pac 10
Oregon over Oregon State
For the second straight season, the Civil War should decide the Pac-10. The Ducks should be favored by a touchdown in every game but Oregon State, Cal and USC. It wouldn't be a shock if the Ducks finished with a one-loss season. Despite the loss of QB Jeremiah Masoli to Ole Miss, senior Nate Costa has garnered some accolades in the preseason and is expected to win the job over sophomore Darron Thomas.

LaMichael James, an RB who took over for LaGarrette Blount last season, is an undersized by speedy back who will be a focal point of the offense. Last year, he had six games of more than 150 rushing yards.

The Beavers return 14 starters, including an all-namer, Jacquizz Rodgers, an RB who burst on the scene two years ago in an upset of USC. Rodgers and his brother, James are a tough combination for defenses. James Rodgers led the Pac-10 in all-purpose yards per game (179.1) last season. The trouble for Rodgers is OSU's passing game won't scare many opponents. Much like the offense, the defense is built on DT Stephen Paea, and not much else.

Oregon, which was the first team other than USC to win the conference since 2001, should have plenty of confidence. And more depth than its arch-rival, which will be the difference.

National Championship
Because of the BCS formula, choosing a national championship matchup is largely based on where a team starts the season in the polls. And because a loss means a team will have to rely on help from others, it's easy to narrow the prediction to teams that should lose one game or less.

Taking that into account, it's difficult to list any team outside of the top 10 as a national championship contender.

Coaches poll:
1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Florida
4. Texas
5. Boise State
6. Virginia Tech
7. TCU
8. Oklahoma
9. Nebraska
10. Iowa

The BCS Standings are a combination of the coaches' poll, the Harris Interactive poll, which consists of former players, coaches, administrators, and current and former media, and six computer rankings (Peter Wolfe, Wes Colley, Sagarin 
Seattle Times, Richard Billingsley, Kenneth Massey).

Off the bat, it's difficult to put two SEC teams in the final game. Similar to last year, Alabama and Florida are expected to play for the SEC Championship, and therefore, both shouldn't advance to the Big Game. Because of the Crimson Tide's schedule, which is loaded with opponents coming off of bye weeks, and improvement from teams like Arkansas and South Carolina. Take out Florida because of the inexperience at quarterback, and the youth on defense.

Alabama and Florida will each have at least one loss after the SEC Championship, and it wouldn't be a shock for each to have two.

Boise State's season starts and ends on Labor Day against Virginia Tech. Win, and the Broncos can coast to the Fiesta Bowl provided they aren't punished by a weak schedule. Boise State won't make the Fiesta Bowl for one of two reasons: It'll lose to Virginia Tech, or its schedule will keep it out of the top two slots.

That leaves us with Oklahoma and Ohio State.

Each team must largely survive one conference game (Texas, Iowa) to preserve hopes of a trip to Glendale, Ariz.

When the lights go down in Glendale, it'll be Terrelle Pryor and the Buckeyes who prevail with a win what was taken from them at the end of the 2002 season.

Appetizers: Sex-for-rent plan goes awry; Crooked stockbroker to play poker to stay out of jail

A couple of unique stories in the news this week. Here's a rundown.

Two Fairfax County, Va. women have been charged with trying to extort money from their landlord after a sex-for-rent plan deteriorated. It's a tough debate to determine who made the worst decision: the landlord or the women in their 20s. The man's first mistake, according to The Washington Post story, was undressing in the bedroom by himself. If you're entering in to a situation like this, you say two words before proceeding: You first. But the women compounded a bad decision by escalating the initial bad offer into a demand for $11,000. Be honest, how long would a sex-for-rent deal last before it took a negative turn? The sad thing is police said this isn't a rare occurrence, it's the blackmail part that gets the authorities involved. It's a bad situation all around: The women will sit in jail for several years - a maximum of 10 - and the landlord has some serious splaining to do to his wife. If his marriage isn't already on the rocks after this.

Maybe this guy is in the wrong profession. An Albuquerque stockbroker, Samuel McMaster, received a creative sentence from a judge for swindling more than $400,000 from investors. McMaster can play poker as long as he makes monthly payments. He "earned" this sentence because he was diagnosed with a gambling problem. (How do lawyers find a doctor that would sign off on that diagnosis?) This story asks a legitimate question: Would you allow an alcoholic to drink his way out, or bartend? Of course, this has a catch for McMaster. He must make monthly payments of $7,500, and if he misses two straight payments, he will be sentenced to up to 12 years in the slammer.