2K-10
Posted January 3, 2010, 8:35 PM ET

A new year....a new decade.

I'm excited about a new start and a clean slate. After watching the close of 2009, I think we're all in agreement.

The last couple of weeks have been amazing.

I'm ready for the national championship game in college football. The bowl season is an overload of mediocrity.....33 bowl games, and we finally get to Texas and Bama.

The bowls certainly provided some fodder, crazy plays and results, plenty of empty seats and way too many boring games between average teams.

A couple of thoughts about the games so far:

I loved the Idaho-Bowling Green and Auburn-Northwestern games. They were incredibly entertaining.

Ohio State really impressed me. That was the best that I've seen a Buckeye team perform since they stole the national title from Miami.

The SEC confirmed what I've been saying all year....this is a "down year" for the nation's best conference. Keep in mind that they have a 5-4 record heading into the BCS title game, but the three previous bowl seasons, the SEC was 19-7.

Can Skip Holtz find a kicker? That was a disheartening loss for the Pirates against Arkansas. They had no business losing the game in Memphis.

How can North Carolina play a home game in the post-season in front of nearly 30,000 empty seats? By the way, the Heels are 0-3 in Charlotte...that's not a good sign for Butch and Co., since the ACC title game moves to the Queen City in December.

South Carolina's bowl effort and performance was an embarrassment to not only the school, but the entire SEC. Did you know that UConn joined the FBS in 2002 and now has 3 bowl wins?...South Carolina has been playing football for 113 years (give or take), and has a grand total of 4 bowl wins.

The Mike Leach story is the perfect storm. Every aspect of the situation involves people that are in the wrong.....coaches, players, administrators and doctors. Everybody looks like a loser in this case.

The Urban Meyer story was another bizarre one. I hope the guy takes care of himself and his family.....he's a great coach, and hopefully one that will understand his priorities. With that said, I expect him back on the Gator sidelines in 2010.

I couldn't help but laugh, watching the Miami Hurricane players shiver during their beatdown by Wisconsin in the Champs Bowl. Temps were in the mid-40's.....the U looked and played like a bunch of panty-waists. They are a far cry from the "U" that was portrayed in the great ESPN "30 on 30" documentary.

Steve Spurrier just apologized again for the Gamecocks' bowl performance....didn't he do the same thing after the Outback Bowl blowout loss last season?

Lane Kiffin pulled a Bill Belichick following the Vols' meltdown in Atlanta. Down by 23 points, Kiffin called two timeouts in the final minute trying to get into the end zone....the Hokies stuffed the coach and his QB, and Kiffin gave Beamer the millisecond handshake. The Vols have lost to 3 different ACC teams in the Atlanta bowl game in this century, and have been blown out in each appearance.

By the way, I like Bama to win a close game against Texas.

It was great to see Bobby Bowden go out a winner. I've always enjoyed interviewing Bowden on the show....he's been first class to work with from day one, and there are a ton of coaches and administrators that could learn a lesson from Bowden and the way he treats folks.

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The Carolina Panthers were money down the stretch, as they won their last three games against the likes of Minnesota, NY Giants and the Saints. It's just too bad that they were eliminated from the playoffs before the great games and performances.

The John Fox story will be interesting. Evidently, the Panthers don't want to tweak the front office or coaching staff, but they aren't extending any deals, either. That puts Fox as a lame duck coach with only one year remaining on his deal. I can certainly understand his frustration, but he should also feel good about the team's chances next season to bounce back from a disappointing 2009.

It has been well documented that Fox (and the Panthers organization) have never been able to put back-to-back winning seasons together.

There was a great article recently in the Wall Street Journal that broke down the inabilities of franchises to win consistently. The Atlanta Falcons, by virtue of finishing 9-7, snapped the longest drought of consecutive winning seasons of any of the current pro teams that have played for at least ten years. Of the 118 teams that fall under this category, only the Carolina Panthers are off the list.

Needless to say, it's time for Fox and the Panthers to deliver in 2010....and I'm not talking about a 9-7 year and missing out of the post-season play. I suspect the up-and-down nature of the team and Fox will be in play again, and this time Carolina will have an "up year".

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Matt Moore did a nice job replacing Jake Delhomme. I'll let the numbers speak for themselves:

Based on the five games that Moore started for the Panthers, he was 4-1 with a passer rating of 98.9 with 7 touchdowns and 2 INTs.

Jake Delhomme finished the season with 4 wins, too....along with 7 losses. His passer rating was 59.4 with 8 touchdowns and 18 INTs.

You could make the case that if Fox had gone to the bench earlier this year while Delhomme struggled, the Panthers would have played for something other than pride and jobs in the month of December.

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The NFL playoffs will be fascinating.

Both the #1 seeds, Indy and New Orleans, come into the post-season with multiple-game losing streaks. The Colts started 14-0 and lost their last two and the Saints started 13-0 and lost their last three. What does it all mean?

Can you turn on the momentum with a week's rest? We're about ready to find out.....but I'd rather be hot than not, when you get to January.

San Diego has been on fire and I like their chances, even with Norv Turner, to get to the Super Bowl.

The Cowboys have been terrific down the stretch, too....and that's saying something. But after embarrassing the Eagles at home to win the NFC East, they'll have to beat them again (for the third time this season), if they are to exorcise the demons of a 13-year winless playoff streak.

After an endless stream of ridiculous bowl games, I'm ready for the NFL Playoffs to begin.

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I loved watching the NHL Winter Classic.

Nothing says "hockey" better than an outdoor game at Boston's Fenway Park. The only thing missing was a snowstorm or blizzard.....it was awesome, in HD.

I was also glad to see that the Hurricanes were able reach double-digits in wins.....man, it's been a tough year for my pucking brothers in Raleigh.

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Guns in the NBA locker room?

You're joking, right?

When I read multiple quotes from players that mentioned that you need a gun for protection and security reasons, I started to laugh.

Has anybody tried to walk into a NBA locker room or maybe you've tried walking to the players' entrance when they arrive at the arena?

It's impossible.

I can't wait to hear how this one ends up....why does a player need to have a weapon(s) in the locker room?

You want to buy a gun and keep it in your home or car....that's fine; I have no problem with anybody buying a gun and keeping it in their possession, but you can't justify the locker room firearm in this debate.

You just can't make this stuff up.