College football will crown a champ tonight — in a manner of speaking. But it is the system we have decided upon, so OSU and Florida get a chance at the Big Shiny. Gator Coach Urban Meyer needs to stick to the Xs and Os and stop with the Super Bowl of college football talk. Different path to the big game in the pros. You have to prove it on the field.
It is college football’s biggest game, but — as a million others have said — it will take a miracle to top the Boise St./Oklahoma game in the same building a week ago. No matter, I’ll watch and be back here tomorrow trying to explain myself because I am going with the upset, holding my Husker nose and taking Florida 41-38.

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Speaking of pro football, I don’t pay too much attention until this time of year. Professional football enjoys a huge following, fueled in part, in my opinion, by the enormous popularity of fantasy football leagues and ESPN’s decided focus on the sport and newly acquired broadcasts of MNF — less a sports telecast than an entertainment revue, but we have covered that territory here before. The 16-week schedule gives enormous importance to each game and while New England enjoyed a nice run and looks good again this year, unlike baseball, many more teams have a shot to win it all on opening weekend.
Baseball enjoys a fantasy fan base as well (yours truly included, our Rotisserie league about to launch its 17th season), but over the course of 162 games interest flags, as does any individual game which can slow to a crawl when a batter decides to spit, scratch, and adjust his cup between every pitch.
Still, I remain a huge baseball fan, simply because I enjoy its intricacies and its independence from a clock. Unless it rids itself of the Bonds/steroids nonsense, it might have to begin to rely on even more gimmicks (fans vote all-stars, All-Star game winners with home field advantage in World Series, etc.) to keep the fans walking through the turnstiles.

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According to the Nebraska School Activities Association Central Nebraska is a bit of a hoop a hoop haven. Among the top eight teams by points (a formula the NSAA used to determine wild card spots in the State Tournament), are 10 boys teams and four girls teams from the neighborhood, including three number one rankings as of January 7: Grand Island Central Catholic boys in C1, Loup City boys in C2, and St. Edward boys in D2.
Here’s how they shake out—
Boys
Grand Island Northwest - 6 in Class B
Grand Island Central Catholic - 1 in Class C1
Hastings St. Cecelia - 3 in Class C1
Gibbon - 4 in Class C1
St. Paul - 6 in Class C1
Loup City - 1 in Class C2
Heartland - 2 in Class C2
High Plains - 6 in Class C2
St. Edward - 1 in Class D2
Hampton - 6 in Class D2
Girls
Grand Island Senior High - 6 in Class A
Aurora - 6 in Class B
Sutton - 3 in Class C2
Ravenna - 6 in Class C2