Final Four - Rematches of sport's blue bloods

Two games. Two rematches. All four teams amongst the elite of college basketball. One Final Four repeat is between Kentucky and Louisville, teams that know each other all too well. The other has Kansas facing Ohio State, teams that had more or less been strangers until this season.

Earlier in the season, Kentucky beat Louisville 69-62, handing a loss to Rick Pitino, the coach who once led the Wildcats, but left for the NBA, only to return down the road to lead their in-state rivals. Kansas defeated Ohio State 78-67 in a game the Buckeyes played without their star, forward Jared Sullinger.

The stakes are higher this time. The winners of Saturday's semifinals will play for the national title next Monday. Absent from this year's final hoops weekend, taking place at the Superdome in New Orleans, are the longshots and little guys who have made March Madness so special over the years. Although there are no Butlers, VCUs or George Masons, there are plenty of good stories to tell. That list starts with Pitino vs. his old school. In the other semifinal, Sullinger got what he wanted when he decided to return to Ohio State for his sophomore year — a trip to the Final Four. The Buckeyes are early 2.5-point picks over Kansas in the matchup of No. 2 seeds.

Week 5 College Football Rankings

AP Top 25

1. LSU

2. Oklahoma

3. Alabama

4. Boise State

5. Oklahoma State

6. Stanford

7. Wisconsin

8. Nebraska

9. Oregon

10. South Carolina

11. Virginia Tech

12. Florida

13. Clemson

14. Texas A&M

15. Baylor

16. South Florida

17. Texas

18. Arkansas

19. Michigan

20. TCU

21. Georgia Tech

22. West Virginia

23. Florida State

24. Illinois

25. Arizona State

Coaches Poll

1. Oklahoma

t-2. LSU

t-2. Alabama

4. Stanford

5. Boise State

6. Oklahoma State

7. Wisconsin

8. Nebraska

9. South Carolina

10. Virginia Tech

11. Oregon

12. Florida

13. Texas A&M

14. South Florida

15. Clemson

16. Baylor

17. Texas

18. Arkansas

19. Michigan

20. TCU

21. Georgia Tech

22. Illinois

23. West Virginia

24. Florida State

25. Michigan State

Preseason AP College Football Poll Released

I'm a bit delinquent getting this posted, better late than never....

Rank Team Record Votes Previous


1 Oklahoma (36) 0-0 1,464 NR

2 Alabama (17) 0-0 1,439 NR

3 Oregon (4) 0-0 1,330 NR

4 LSU (1) 0-0 1,286 NR

5 Boise State (2) 0-0 1,200 NR

6 Florida State 0-0 1,168 NR

7 Stanford 0-0 1,091 NR

8 Texas A&M 0-0 965 NR

9 Oklahoma State 0-0 955 NR

10 Nebraska 0-0 910 NR

11 Wisconsin 0-0 900 NR

12 South Carolina 0-0 848 NR

13 Virginia Tech 0-0 821 NR

14 TCU 0-0 690 NR

15 Arkansas 0-0 686 NR

16 Notre Dame 0-0 530 NR

17 Michigan State 0-0 519 NR

18 Ohio State 0-0 443 NR

19 Georgia 0-0 369 NR

20 Mississippi State 0-0 361 NR

21 Missouri 0-0 258 NR

22 Florida 0-0 228 NR

23 Auburn 0-0 219 NR

24 West Virginia 0-0 207 NR

25 USC 0-0 160 NR

Others Receiving Votes: Texas114, Penn State75, Arizona State67, Miami (FL)32, Utah25, Southern Miss20, Iowa19, North Carolina State15, Brigham Young15, Air Force14, Houston13, Pittsburgh9, Michigan7, Tennessee5, UCF5, Northern Illinois4, Hawaii4, Tulsa3, Maryland2, Arizona2, Northwestern1, Nevada1, Washington1

Rise of the Planet of the Apes - Captures weekend box office

"Rise of the Planet of the Apes" opened with $54 million to capture the weekend's top spot in it's first weekend, according to studio estimates. Propelled by strong reviews and an aggressive ad campaign by 20th Century Fox, Apes did about $14 million more than projected. The movie earned recommendations from 81% of the nation's critics, a high percentage for an August action film. Fans were even more positive: 89% said they would recommend the movie.

College Football - USA Today Coaches Poll Released

You know we must be getting close to the start of the college football season when the preseason rankings start getting released. This has got to be my favorite time of the year, it's still summer and the weather is nice (although here in California it's almost always nice) and we are on the verge of my favorite sport, college football! These rankings need to be taken with a grain of salt, not a game has been played and in reality, these polls set the playing field to the advantage of certain teams. If you don't start the season highly ranked, it will take a minor miracle to get into the BCS title game hunt. Still, it is fun to debate and argue the merits of these polls, which is one of the things that make college football the greatest sport there is (in my humble opinion). I'll have additional thoughts on this poll, but at first glance, I can't argue with Oklahoma at #1, I saw them first hand in the 2011 Fiesta Bowl handle my UConn Huskies. But, I find it slightly ridiculous that West Virginia is not ranked in this poll. Mark my words, that team will be explosive this year (can't wait for LSU to visit Morgantown early in the season!). And what's with all the ACC love? I'll put more stock in the first AP Rankings anyway.....

Aug. 4, 2011 - preseason poll

Rank Team (first-place votes) 2010 record Points Final 2010 ranking
1. Oklahoma (42) 12-2 1,454 6
2. Alabama (13) 10-3 1,414 11
3. Oregon (2) 12-1 1,309 3
4. LSU (2) 11-2 1,296 8t
5. Florida State 10-4 1,116 16
6. Stanford 12-1 1,101 4
7. Boise State 12-1 1,065 7
8. Oklahoma State 11-2 933 10
9. Texas A&M 9-4 885 21
10. Wisconsin 11-2 829 8t
11. Nebraska 10-4 814 19
12. South Carolina 9-5 779 22
13. Virginia Tech 11-3 767 15
14. Arkansas 10-3 750 12
15. TCU 13-0 687 2
16. Ohio State 12-1 631 5
17. Michigan State 11-2 536 14
18. Notre Dame 8-5 440 NR
19. Auburn 14-0 329 1
20. Mississippi State 9-4 301 17
21. Missouri 10-3 266 18
22. Georgia 6-7 260 NR
23. Florida 8-5 240 NR
24. Texas 5-7 162 NR
25. Penn State 7-6 161 NR

Others receiving votes
Arizona State (6-6) 158; West Virginia (9-4) 149; Utah (10-3) 50; Miami (Fla.) (7-6) 49; Iowa (8-5) 41; Northwestern (7-6) 30; Arizona (7-6) 28; Central Florida (11-3) 22; Michigan (7-6) 19; Air Force (9-4) 15; North Carolina (8-5) 14; Houston (5-7) 13; South Florida (8-5) 9; Hawaii (10-4) 8; Clemson (6-7) 7; Tennessee (6-7) 7; Southern Miss (8-5) 6; Brigham Young (7-6) 5; North Carolina State (9-4) 4; Northern Illinois (11-3) 4; Oregon State (5-7) 4; Pittsburgh (8-5) 3; Washington (7-6) 3; Georgia Tech (6-7) 1; Nevada (13-1) 1.

NBA Finals Heads to Pivotal Game 6

The Dallas Mavericks enter tonights Game 6 with a chance to win their first ever NBA Championship. The Miami Heat will be fighting to avoid elimination. What has been one of the more memorable NBA Finals promises plenty more drama tonight as this storyline continues to unfold. Will Dirk Nowitzki capture his first ring or will Lebron James shake off his apparent funk in the quest for his elusive first championship? Tune in tonight.....

UConn, Calhoun join elite company with 3rd NCAA Title

The UConn Huskies stormed past Butler in the second half on Monday night and cruised to a 53-41 victory before 70,376 in Houston to capture their 3rd NCAA Basketball Championship. Kemba Walker led the Huskies with 16 points capping a remarkable season for the star guard. With the win, UConn joins only a handful of schools with 3 or more championships. Coach Jim Calhoun is the oldest coach to ever win a title and joins an elite group of 5 coaches with 3 or more titles, the other legendary coaches on the list are Coach K, Rupp, Wooden and Knight.