I wasn’t surprised when TCU decided to go for a two point conversion.  In fact, I predicted it to the friends I was watching the game with because I thought it was their best chance of winning.  Just like when BSU went for two against Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, the Broncos decided that they would take their chances with the conversion rather than get into overtime with a talented, stronger Sooner team.  TCU probably thought the same thing:  don’t go into overtime with Kellen Moore and the Broncos or we will lose.

What did surprise me, no actually stunned me, was when Moore took a knee on third and 5 on the 21 yard line with less than a minute left. He actually lost a little yardage and made the field goal 39 yards long.  Suddenly the game was in the hands of a red-shirted freshman field goal kicker who was just 2 for 3 on the year with his long being only 32 yards.   I have always admired Chris Peterson for his aggressive play calling, often times going to trick plays to win games.  But in this instance, he got very conservative and it possibly cost the Broncos their chance at a BCS title game.  Why wouldn’t he have tried to get closer for his kicker?  If the pass rush is too great, just throw it away and kick the field goal.  Who knows, maybe Moore throws a TD pass and they don’t need to kick.  Either way, I thought it was a huge mistake.  Never go with a kicker when you have a Heismann Trophy QB on your team. 

The Penn State scandal is sickening.  If you want to know the whole story as it stands today, get on line and read the grand jury report.  Two things will happen:  1) It will make you sick to your stomach, and 2) you will come away with a strong feeling that Penn State enabled Jerry Sandusky to molest kids on their campus.  No question about it.  Here’s what puzzles me about the whole thing.  If Paterno was fired because he didn’t go to police, why wasn’t the assistant coach who witnessed it fired?  He didn’t go to the police either.  In fact, he didn’t even try to stop it when he saw it.  Let’s be consistent here.  They even hired the defensive coordinator as interim coach, and he has been there for 33 years.  Did he know? Did he try to do anything?  In my mind, the entire staff has to go, and if they have to cancel the season, so be it.

As far as the NCAA goes, their incredibly poor leadership is evident again.  At USC, they go on probation for a booster giving Reggie Bush’s parents money for a condo.  At Ohio State, they go on probation for athletes receiving tattoos for their autographs. Some athletes get suspended for selling the jersey that they own.  And why does the NCAA say they are on probation?  A “lack of institutional control”.  So now we have Penn State where a lack of institutional control allowed young boys to be sexually abused.  But guess what?  Penn State is eligible for a bowl game and has not lost any scholarships. I ask you, which lack of institutional control is worse?  Now you might say that the legal course has not run out and it could happen in the future. Well, I am a betting man, and I’ll bet you anything you want that Penn State never goes on probation for this.  The NCAA is a complete joke, but no one is laughing about it.  Like Dan Patrick said on his show this morning, “Hey NCAA, get off you’re a$$ and do something!”  Sorry, Dan, but they care more about tattoos than they do these young victims.  Now who has a lack of institutional control? Can we just put the NCAA on probation?