Sports observations.

1. Either Clemens is being truthful, or he's a total idiot. If he goes up to Congress and lies about not taking steroids, he will be prosecuted for lying to Congress, among other things. I think he did it, so I expect him to issue a carefully worded statement, and to circumvent Congress' questions. But then again, it's still going to come down to his being truthful or a complete idiot. Especially since he filed a defamation lawsuit.
   
2. Ohio State in the first 4 minutes of the game is thrashing LSU's defense. I look for both sides to settle down and the game to become a defensive struggle.
   
3. June Jones left Hawaii for SMU...the national media thinks it's about money, the local media thinks it was about the school not meeting the expectations regarding facility upgrades and commitment to the program. I think the local media got it right. They really haven't done much with the facilities since...forever.
   
4. The Seahawks look really good, defensively. The defense is really contributing to the scoring...they're going to have a heck of a time playing at GB.
   
5. USC was darn good at the end of the season, and everyone except those from the Big-10 knew that USC was going to blow out Illinois. It took only one series on each side, to see that Illinois was overmatched all around. I don't know that USC would have beaten Illinois if they played during the regular season, but give USC a month to prepare, they do the best job of any school. That's what makes them a tough team to play in a bowl game. They would have beaten anyone in the NCAA in a bowl.
   
6. USC has something like the top 3 of 4 offensive linemen coming out of high school. Now how's that for a statement? It's not about having the best recruiting class; it's about recruiting the best in the positions that you absolutely need.
   
7. Portland Trailblazers are amazingly improved, even without Greg Oden. They might actually have a chance to go to the NBA Finals next year when GO gets into the lineup.
   
8. Even with a +1 BCS game, USC wouldn't have played for the NC. So what's the point of even discussing it?
   
9. Now that June Jones has gone, I think Norm Chow might be willing to take a pay cut to return home and coach Hawaii. That would only go to improving the team's offense.
   
10. I like reading the sports writers talking about how they think USC is the best team this year, but that they didn't especially deserve to play in the NC game...and these are the same people that vaulted LSU from #7 to #2 in the final BCS poll. They get exactly what they voted for. Talking about the Stanford loss is pointless. USC is the toughest team right now; after all, they don't play the NC game in the middle of the season, do they? You pit a team that is playing the best at the end of the season, you pit the team playing the best at the end of the season and in the NC game. Bottom line.