The Mulligan: To Sawgrass

I think everyone looks forward to the Players' Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, except possibly some of the players themselves. The 17th hole has been criticized for being too "gimmicky" or "luck-driven." Quit your belly-aching! Anyone who makes over 6 figures in a year playing golf loses the right to whine about things like this. Especially since the players know that how much we fans love to watch them hit their ball into the lake. It makes us feel better to see the best players in the world take a drop and it is very exciting to watch that hole. This tournament is great because of number 17, and the great field that shows up every year to play it.

A great side story this week is Phil Mickelson's bid to become the number one ranked player in the world. With a win from Lefty, and a finish outside the Top-5 from Tiger, we have a new king of golf. Look for Phil to play well this week at Sawgrass.

First, I look for Henrik Stenson to play well here again. He won here last year and he has always played well at Sawgrass. He has been playing well overseas this season, so his success has been a little under the radar. Don't sleep on the Swede.

Ian Poulter might turn some heads this week as well. He finished 2nd here last year and we all know what he is capable of. Look for a ridiculous outfit and low scores from one of the Tour's more colorful players. A lot of people are concerned about a knee injury that he is recovering from, but Poulter says he is fine, and that is good enough for me.

This week I am torn on Paul Casey, one of my favorite players. Sometimes he plays this

course masterfully, while other times he looks like Van de Velde trying to close a British Open. I think he will play well, but I qualify this pick by explaining that Casey has missed three cuts here.

Sleeper: Jason Dufner has been putting together a banner year, but he has done so quietly. If he plays well on this big stage, he will become the talk of the Tour.

The Mulligan: Zurich Classic at New Orleans

This week the Tour heads down to N'awlins to play the crazy TPC Louisiana. This is a crazy course because nobody really knows what it takes to win here. Many people will tell you a strong putting performance is the key, while others say accuracy from the tee box is the most important factor. Still yet others will adamantly claim that hitting greens with your irons is the most important part of the game on this course.

Success here has come in many forms in the past and it appears that many different styles of play can succeed here. So who is going to play well this week? I have a few reasoned picks that are based on a formula of momentum, past success and gut-feeling.

First, I think Brian Davis has a lot of confidence coming in this week after his great weekend (despite the ugly ending to his tournament) at Hilton Head. I think Davis folded under the pressure last week and that tells us a lot about where he stands as far as being ready to win on this Tour. I still think he will have a good week, simply because the timing of his swing is perfect, but don't look for him to close on Sunday anytime soon.

I also think Charles Howell III is going to have a good week. He almost won here last year where he finished tied for second so we know he can play well here. Also, he has six Top-25 finishes in 2010 so we know his game is on. Look for Trip to have a good week.

I am not quite ready to give up on Jerry Kelly even though he might as well have putted with an upside-down left-handed driver with the headcover still on last week (he finished last in putting during last week's tournament). Nobody seemed to notice that he actually played quite well other than his putting. I am willing to bet the poor putting was a fluke and that JK will be back to form this week to contend for the trophy. . . And he won here last year! This is my pick to win IF he decides to use a putter rather than an elongated lint-brush on the greens.

My sleeper pick is Bryce Molder this week. He has actually been quite consistent this season which makes me think he may be good for a Top-10 this week.

The Mulligan: The Verizon

Congrats to Phil Mickelson on winning his third green jacket last weekend. It was a great Masters to watch for golf fans everywhere watching a battle to the very end. Anthony Kim and K.J. Choi really came alive and applied pressure while Lee Westwood played very well all weekend. Now the Tour heads to Harbour Town for the Verizon Heritage. Harbour Town is a very short course with small greens, so precision players should play well here this week.

K.J. Choi played extremely well at Augusta and I think he will carry that momentum into this week's tournament. He hasn't played here since 2001, so we don't know how he feels about the course, but it seems to set up nicely for his game. He hasn't missed a cut in 2010 and he is 5th on Tour in GIR.

Jerry Kelly played well at Augusta but flew somewhat under the radar. He shot a 67 on Saturday and finished the tournament tied for 12th. That makes three top-15 finishes in his last 5 starts. I think he will have a good week again at Harbour Town now that he has found his swagger again.

Matt Kuchar is 12th in Putting and 27th in GIR on Tour. Those statistics are very important this week, and Kuchar has been playing well recently. To top it off, he finished tied for 7th here in 2008 and tied for 10th here in 2005. He was a popular expert pick for the Masters, but I think this course sets up better for his game. He is my pick to win this week.

The Mulligan: The Masters

Even the casual golf fans are excited about this week's Masters. Tiger is back and for many, the Masters signals the start of the spring golf season. To win at Augusta, you need length off the tee and nerves of steel. You need to putt well and get a few lucky breaks. For a good article about what it takes to score well at Augusta these days, click here. The first major of the year will set the tone for the rest of the season and everyone wants to come out and play their best this week.

Retief Goosen is my pick to win this week. He has finished in second place at The Masters twice before and he has yet to hang a green jacket in his closet. He has two US Open victories and he likes Augusta. He has played very well in 2010, with five Top-6 finishes so far including a victory at the Tavistock Cup. He is 3rd in total putting and 24th in total driving. This might be the year for Goosen to get his Green Jacket.

Steve Stricker played very well here last year where he finished tied for sixth. With the exception of his final two rounds at Bay Hill two weeks ago, Stricker has played extremely well this season as well. Don't count him out. He is coming off of a week of rest that I think will recharge the batteries and leave him playing his best. If he is on, there might be no one who can beat him.

Justin Leonard might surprise some people this week and compete for the title. This is not far enough off base of a pick to make a sleeper, but it is close. His best finish so far this season is a tie for 17th at the Honda Classic, so it is a bit of a reach. Maybe I just have a gut feeling about him this week. Leonard has a British Open title to his name so we know he has the nerve's to close out with the pressure on. He might surprise this week.

The Mulligan: Shell Houston Open

This week the Tour makes a stop in Houston for the Shell Houston Open. This is one of those courses where certain players just play well for whatever reason. I look for players with past success to have similar results this year.

Hunter Mahan has a great track record here and he is playing well. He finished last season very well and I think he is going to play that way for the entire 2010. Hunter Mahan is the real deal on the PGA Tour and he is a no brainer when playing on a course that he loves. Look for Mahan to get his 2nd win of the season sometime soon. Will it be this week?

Unless you have been living under a rock, you should know that Ernie Els is going to play well this week. Have you been watching him recently? If not, you should check out the Big Easy's smooth swingin' game this week. He is one of my favorite players to watch when he is on. And he is ON!

Paul Casey won here last year. If you are a regular follower of The Mulligan, you know that I pick Casey quite a bit and that I am very fond of his game and think he is one of the nicest guys on Tour. He tied for fourth at the Honda, and sixth at Doral. I am pulling for him this week.

SLEEPER: Fred Couples should not be overlooked this week. He finished in the Top 5 here in each of the past two years. Also, he is playing better than the Butler Bulldog basketball team (whom I am cheering for to win it all) right now. He has won, not one, not two, but THREE STRAIGHT wins on the Champions Tour.

The Mulligan: The Arnold Palmer

This week the Tour is headed to the Arnold Palmer Invitational which is played on beautiful Bay Hill. It is back to playing at a Par 72 this year (not a Par 70 as it was last year) and, naturally, it packs some extra distance for those two strokes. I have some common names for you this week as well as an EXTRA SPECIAL sleeper pick based on nothing other than my gut feeling.

Here is what I said last week about Jim Furyk: "I didn't pick Jim Furyk for this event because I picked him last year and he let us down. This is his type of course, so I would not be surprised to see him play well this week. However, I am not making him one of my picks because he has let me down virtually every time I have picked him. So I am sort of giving you a cocktail made up of 2 parts support and 1 part skepticism with Furyk." He won last week, so I don't want to jinx anything by picking him, but I think he will play well again.

Can you tell me who is number one this season in both earnings and FedEx Cup points? Lucky for you, you don't have to. That is my job. It is the new big force on Tour, Steve Stricker. I am taking Stricker this week because he has picked up in 2010 right where he left off in 2009. I honestly don't think it matters what course he is playing right now. I am picking Stricker until he shows some sign of slowing down.

I also look for Nick Watney to have a good week at Bay Hill. He finished tied for 4th here last season and he is playing well right now. He is coming off a 4th place finish last week where is putter was on fire. Those are two reasons to pick Nick.

Since I didn't give you faithful Mulligan readers a sleeper pick last week, I am going to give you an extra special sleeper pick this week. Charles Schwartzel has two non-PGA victories this season and he finished 2nd at the WGC-CA Championship this year. I think Bay Hill shapes up nicely for the 25 year old and the confidence of early success in 2010 is the icing on the cake.

The Mulligan: The Transitions Championship

This week the Tour heads to Tampa for the Traditions Championship. The players will be on the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook, a beautiful course and a wonderful place to play this time of year (so I hear). This is a tougher course that does not offer a lot of scoring opportunities, so ball striking is going to be at a premium. I am going to pick some precision players this week for this reason.

First, Steve Stricker is poised to have a good week in Tampa. He played well here last year (Tied for 4th) and he hits greens in regulation as well as anybody. Don't be surprised if this is the week that Stricker begins to look like the player we saw toward the second half of last season. Mainly, I am picking him because he is a good "Ball Stricker!"

I expect one of the players Stricker tied with at last years event to play well this week also. Matt Goggin is a long ball hitter that seems to like this course. If he is on this week, watch him bomb it down the fairway and then hit greens all day long. If he strikes the ball as well as he can, he should improve on last years tie for 4th finish.

Finally, Retief Goosen won here last season and there is no reason to think he won't perform again. He has 3 Top-10 finishes this season in only 5 starts. So he is playing well AND he has good history at Innisbrook. No brainer.

I didn't pick Jim Furyk for this event because I picked him last year and he let us down. This is his type of course, so I would not be surprised to see him play well this week. However, I am not making him one of my picks because he has let me down virtually every time I have picked him. So I am sort of giving you a cocktail made up of 2 parts support and 1 part skepticism with Furyk.

The Mulligan: Putting a Premium at Phoenix

I want to start by patting myself on the back for my cleverly alliterative title. I wanted to work "Phil" in there somehow, but couldn't figure it out. I would pay a pretty penny to putt my Pinnacles like Phil in Phoenix. . . Anyway, the Tour heads back to Phoenix this week for the craziest stop on Tour. The fans always come out to party in Phoenix and cheer on the hometown heroes (many PGA players live in the area). TPC Scottsdale is a course of average difficulty and you can expect putting to be the difference this week (and I needed another P for my title). For this reason, I am going with players with hot putters in 2010 who have seen success here in the past.

First, Brian Gay is really emerging as one of the best players on Tour, but there are certain courses that seem to suit him better than others. He has played well so far this year. He plays well at TPC Scottsdale and he finished tied for sixth here last year. He is putting well this season (actually second on Tour) and he has the type of game that is really consistent on the courses he likes. He is a no-brainer this week. My crystal ball (actually an 8 ball that one of my college roomates stole from a bar) tells me he will hoist a trophy this week.

I also expect the best putter on Tour this season, Brandt Snedeker, to play well in Scottsdale. Snedeker has finished 21st or better in four starts in 2010, likely thanks to his solid putting thus far. He did miss the cut here last year, but he finished tied for eighth in 2008. I think he will have a good week.

Phil Mickelson has had an average 2010 to this point, but everyone loves him in Phoenix. Could this be his breakout week? Maybe, maybe not. I am speculating here, but despite his bad putting in 2010 I think Phil will have a good week like he usually does when he converses with the crowd during a tournament.

Sleeper: This week’s sleeper pick is based 100% on a gut feeling. There is no plausible reason for this pick other than the fact that I want to pick him. Boo Weekley is the type of guy who can ride the raucous Phoenix crowd to a good finish intermingled with a few Happy Gilmore style putter-as-bull dances – Ridin’ the Bull Baby.

The Mulligan: Accenture Match Play Championship - Can Ogilvy Repeat?

Hello again all you PGA Tour fans. The 2010 season is picking up and The Mulligan is back to provide your weekly previews. If you play fantasy golf, if you are an avid PGA Tour nut wanting in depth analysis, or if you are just a casual golf fan looking for a preview of each week’s big tournament, The Mulligan has you covered.

If you read any of my articles last year, you’ll know that I usually give about 3-4 picks for each tournament along with a sleeper pick. I like to go out on a limb sometimes on my sleeper picks and I had some success doing so last year. So if you are looking for an unusual pick that not many experts are picking, you will enjoy my sleeper picks.

Most of the time I base my picks on several factors that I think are good predictors for success each week. First, I like to pick players with a history of success on a particular course. Some players are extremely effective on some courses and this can be a big advantage when the Tour visits a player’s favorite venue. Second, I look for players on hot streaks. Last year I picked many players during their big runs including Steve Stricker, Hunter Mahan and Brian Gay. Third, some courses shape up nicely for a certain type of game (accurate driving, long high driving, precise iron play, etc.). Fourth, if a course is near a player’s home town, I might give that player a little edge based on the added support from fans and possible familiarity with the course. Finally, sometimes a gut feeling is the tie breaker for close calls (especially with the sleepers).

So lets get 2010's predictions started. This week’s tournament is golf’s version of the NCAA Tournament; The Accenture Match Play Championship in Marana, Arizona. We all know that match play is a different animal than stroke play and some players excel at this format. I will break down the top four seeds and give you my pick for each bracket along with a couple of sleeper picks.

Sam Snead Bracket – (1) Jim Furyk, (2) Paul Casey, (3) Kenny Perry, (4) Sean O’Hair
My Pick – (2) Paul Casey. He had a great run in this tournament last year making it to the finals. I think this could be the start of a good year for Casey.

Gary Player Bracket – (1) Lee Westwood, (2) Henrik Stenson, (3) Geoff Ogilvy, (4) Ernie Els
My Pick – (3) Geoff Ogilvy and his 17-2 match play record are my pick to win the whole thing. He just seems to excel at match play, and if you followed The Mulligan last year you know how much I like his game.

Ben Hogan Bracket – (1) Martin Kaymer, (2) Rory McIlroy, (3) Robert Allenby, (4) Sergio Garcia
My Pick – (5) Lucas Glover. His US Open Championship last year is carrying over into this season and his confidence is very high right now. He had a top-10 at Torrey Pines last month and he is my pick in the Hogan Bracket despite his 0-2 match play record.

Bobby Jones Bracket – (1) Steve Stricker, (2) Padraig Harrington, (3) Ian Poulter, (4) Robert Karlsson
My Pick – (9) Mike Sim. This is the best young player in the game in my opinion. He was the Nationwide Tour money winner last year and he has a 2nd place finish on the PGA circuit already this year. Watch out for him this week and the rest of the season. He is legit.

Sleepers –
Zach Johnson. The always dangerous Johnson drew the 6 seed in the Sam Snead Bracket. He was put out by a hot Phil Mickelson in last years event and he has had a nice break to prepare for the course and the match play format. He could make some noise in this tournament.

Dustin Johnson. He drew the 11 seed but he should be much higher. Johnson is very hot right now coming off the Pro Am. I think he can take the 6 seed Villegas in the Gary Player Bracket and make a tournament run.

It's Time for a Playoff System in NCAA Football

[Editor's Note: This article was written by Chris Stanley, a third year law student at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. Be sure to also read his article on Boise State's Antitrust claim against the BCS system ]

The NCAA should really consider creating a playoff system to determine the national champion in Division I (or FBS) football. There are always a few teams every season who have a legitimate argument that they should be in the championship game, but under the current system, only two teams get that chance. For instance, this season at least 5 teams (1) SEC Champion, (2) Texas, (3) Cincinnati, (4) TCU, and (5) Boise State have a legitimate argument for playing in the championship game. A playoff system would be a much better system in terms of fairly evaluating who to name the national champions. Here is a seven part proposal.

1. An Impartial BCS chairman who is unaffiliated with any school or conference.

2. An 11-member “BCS Committee” (similar to the NCAA Tournament Committee) who ranks teams during the regular season and seeds the teams for the playoffs. Each FBS conference will have equal representation. Independents have no representative.

3. Ranking System: The BCS Committee does all ranking in the place of the AP and Coaches Polls. This takes away things like east coast bias, as well as the problem of voters not watching all teams play games. A computer formula consisting of BCS Committee ranking, strength of schedule, record and point differential computes the “official rankings.”

4. 16 Teams make the playoffs and play for the Championship. 4 rounds, no byes. It is a lot harder for the 17th ranked team (as opposed to number 3) to argue they deserve a shot.

5. Automatic Bids go to the champion of any conference who’s teams have a .400 winning percentage against the current big 6 conferences over the past two years.[1] The rest of the bids go to the highest ranked teams based on the official ranking system. No at-large bids.

6. The regular season is shortened by 1 game. Only three non-conference games. Some university presidents have complained about adding length to the season, which this system does. However, if the playoffs take place in late December and early January, most universities are on winter break and student-athletes don’t miss much additional class, if any.

7. Round one games will not be considered bowl games, and the losers will play each other in already established bowl games to be determined later. The 2nd round games will become the Four BCS Bowl games (Rose, Sugar, Orange and Fiesta) and the losers are finished. The 3rd round will become, the “BCS Semis” and then round 4 is the BCS Championship game, and the losers of these games are finished as well.

[1] Provision number 5 is based on the Mountain West Conference’s recent proposal. This would need to be revamped after a few years in case any of the big 6 conferences lose prestige to other conferences.

Boise State's Antitrust Claim Against the BCS

[This article was written by Chris Stanley, a third year law student at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.]

The Boise State Broncos football team has proven that it can compete with the best football programs in the nation on several occasions. Perhaps the most noteworthy example was the victory in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl over the Oklahoma Sooners. Although the Broncos performance in recent years is turning heads, the current bowl system in the NCAA makes it difficult for Boise State to play in the top-tier BCS bowls.

The President of Boise State University has publicly voiced his frustration for the current BCS selection system, and the issue is heating up.[1] In an interview with 60 Minutes, President Obama even suggested a change to the system.[2] Additionally, one of the most vehement opponents of the current BCS system is Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah. He recently suggested that the current BCS system violates the Sherman Anti-trust Act.[3] If a suit is going to come about, I think Boise State would be a good Plaintiff to bring such a suit.

Many football programs are able to benefit from a common cycle that allows them to build their programs: (1) Perform well, (2) Get lots of money for the program from revenues that come from a big bowl game, (3) Use the money to hire the best staff and improve facilities, (4) This leads to better recruiting, (5) This leads to better performance, and we are back to the start of the cycle.

This cycle, however, only applies to certain teams under the current BCS system. Why is that? I don’t think the NCAA can really provide a reasonable answer to this question. Why, BCS committee members, does Boise State not have the same opportunities as, say, Ohio State or Oklahoma (whom they recently defeated in a BCS game) to reach the BCS bowl games and get the big bucks, allowing the program-building cycle to benefit the Broncos equally? One can argue that this restraint of trade is unreasonable, and that an antitrust suit is ripe. Below, I will take a second to lay out the basics of that suit, and then analyze Boise State’s case.

THE ANTITRUST SUIT

To win under Section 1 of the Sherman Act, Boise State must show that the restraint of trade is unreasonable. This can be difficult in the context of sports, but it is possible. As the Supreme Court held in NCAA v. Board of Regents of Oklahoma, restraints that ordinarily would be held "illegal per se" in other business contexts will get rule of reason analysis in the context of sports.[4] This is the case here because restraint of trade is essential if the NCAA football product is to be available at all. Given the unique nature of college football (and other sports) and the need to have competitive matchups, the NCAA will likely be given some leeway to evaluate the competitive character of bowl games as they see fit. Therefore, this case will undoubtedly be analyzed under the rule of reason.

Boise State should not have any difficulty demonstrating that the BCS method of selecting teams and distributing revenue is a sufficient restraint of trade to shift the burden to the NCAA to justify this restraint of trade. The NCAA will likely offer an affirmative defense in an attempt to justify this deviation from free market principles. The NCAA will probably argue that the BCS system is aimed at creating a competitive environment. However, there are several factors that might make Boise State a candidate to defeat this argument when raised by the NCAA. If they can defeat this argument and show that less-restrictive alternatives exist, they can win an antitrust suit against the current BCS system.

BOISE STATE’S CASE

In my opinion, the most competitive BCS Bowl game of the 2007 bowl season was the Boise State vs. Oklahoma matchup in the Fiesta Bowl. The Broncos got their shot at a BCS game, and they won. This epic game was the buzz of the offseason, and is still remembered as one of the best games in college football history. Everyone seems to remember the statue of liberty play or the hook and lateral from that game. What many people don’t remember is that Boise State finished as the only undefeated team that season. Although they were the only team not to lose a game they were not the national champions. That honor, and all the money that goes along with it, went to the 1-loss Florida Gators.[5]

During the selection process for the 2009 BCS bowls, Boise State was not chosen to compete in a prestigious BCS game. Despite being 12-0 and ranked higher than Ohio State in the BCS rankings, Ohio State got the at-large bid to play Texas in the Fiesta Bowl.[6] So what is really going on here? The current system in place for choosing teams to compete in BCS games selected a team that was ranked lower, but why? Is this restraint of trade really promoting competition?

Boise State has a strong argument that the system is not promoting competition, but is unfairly colluding to discriminate against schools that are not in the six major conferences.[7] The last time Boise played a Big 12 team in a BCS game, they won and it was one of the most competitive games all season. In 2009, they were ranked higher than Ohio State and should have played in the Fiesta Bowl against Texas, a Big 12 team.

This season Boise beat Oregon when Oregon was ranked 16th in the country. The Broncos are currently undefeated, and may or may not receive a BCS birth. Many commentators point out that the Broncos play a weak schedule and do not deserve a BCS birth because of this. They might have a point about the schedule, but Boise is barred under the current system from doing anything about who they play. They are destined for San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl after Other Crappy Bowl because nobody will play them.

They sent out an open invite to any big time schools to play them at the home field of the big time school.[8] No takers. None of the schools from the big conferences want to play Boise State. The Broncos can’t change the conference they are in either, so they are just stuck playing a weak schedule unless the big schools will agree to play them. So far, when the big schools have played Boise, it hasn’t worked out too well for the big schools (Oregon and Oklahoma).

Boise might argue that this looks like an implicit agreement between the BCS conference contenders to keep BSU, and other schools like it, out. In fact, BSU’s president has hinted at such collusion along with Orrin Hatch and many others.[9]

If you look at all these factors together, Boise can argue that there is a presumption against allowing BSU to play in a BCS game. This presumption favors the 6 major conferences that get automatic bids to the BCS bowls as well as most at-large bids. They can argue that this is an unreasonable restraint of trade. It would be reasonable if based on accurate assumptions aimed at promoting competition, but BSU has proven that the assumptions are unreasonable by winning against the best. Furthermore, it is beginning to look more like the BCS is set up as it is to keep revenue distribution within the big six conferences, and less like an attempt to increase competition.

THE NUMBERS

To quote Senator Hatch, the current BCS system is “an agreement between the preferred conferences and the major bowl games as to how they will compete with one another and, more apparently, how they will compete against the non-preferred conferences. Worse still, under the current BCS regime, each of the six privileged conferences is guaranteed to receive a large share of the BCS revenue to distribute among their member schools. The remaining five conferences, which include nearly half of all the teams in Division I, all share a much smaller portion of the BCS revenue, even if one of their teams is fortunate enough to play their way into a BCS game. Over the lifetime of the BCS, the preferred conferences have received nearly 90 percent of the total revenues.”[10] That leaves only 10% for the remaining five conferences.

Another interesting fact is that the chairman of the ACC is the head of the BCS. Boise can argue that he has an interest in keeping the revenues where they are, not in diluting the revenue of the ACC teams for the sake of competition. The WAC chairman recently hired a PR firm to improve Boise’s bid at a BCS game this season.[11] I wonder what type of steps the head of the ACC (and BCS) takes to improve the prospects of schools in the ACC or other schools in the big conferences? This conflict of interest has really not been discussed that much, but when you look at the numbers, it is a glaring problem for the BCS if the system intends to at least appear impartial.

CONCLUSION

Boise State can argue that the BCS discriminates against football programs not housed in a major conference by creating a presumption against those programs getting a BCS birth and all of the benefits that come with BCS births. They can argue that this is an illegal restraint of trade, and there are several options that are less restrictive:

(1) Keep the automatic bids for the big 6 conferences, but give at-large bids to teams based on BCS computer rankings. This eliminates financial considerations that may result in 10th ranked Ohio State getting a Fiesta Bowl Bid over 9th ranked Boise.

(2) Take the top 10 ranked teams at the end of the season using the current formula rather than guaranteeing certain conferences automatic bids.

(3) Change the formula altogether so voters who don’t watch every team (such as Utah, BSU, and Hawaii) are not the ones determining outcomes that affect multi-million dollars at institutions (most state funded by taxpayer money) of higher learning.

(4) Allow BSU to play a tougher schedule so they have a chance to play in big games under the current formula. Maybe allow teams to join BCS eligible conferences if they perform well.

(5) A playoff system.

[1] See President Kustra’s comments at: http://news.boisestate.edu/blog/2009/10/antitrust-implications-of-the-bcs-system/
[2] Michael Wilbon, When the President-Elect Talks, The BCS Should Listen, available at: http://www.washingtonpost/ .com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/18/AR2008111803615.html
[3] See his comments at: http://hatch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id =56f346ed-1b78-be3e-e09d-5fcd7bca8fcd&IsTextOnly=0
[4] 468 U.S. 85 (1984).
[5] Similarly, last years Utah Utes went undefeated after winning their BCS game, only to finish 2nd in the final rankings.
[6] Instead of a BCS bowl, Boise got a bid to the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl.
[7] The SEC, Big 10, PAC 10, Big 12, ACC, and Big East all get automatic bids to the BCS games, and they are frequently chosen over schools from other conferences for at-large bids as well.
[8] Dan Wetzel, Boise BCS Blocked, available at: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=dw-boise110709&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
[9] See President Kustra’s comments at: http://news.boisestate.edu/blog/2009/10/antitrust-implications-of-the-bcs-system/
[10] See his comments at: http://hatch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id =56f346ed-1b78-be3e-e09d-5fcd7bca8fcd&IsTextOnly=0
[11] PR Firm Hired to Make Push for Boise State, available at: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4623676.

The Mulligan: Southern Hospitality

This week the Tour heads to Annandale Golf Club in Madison, Mississippi for the Viking Classic and some southern hospitality. The Par 72 Jack Nicklaus designed course measures in at 7,299 yards. Look for some excitement on the Par 5 hole 18 that is laden with water.

Chad Campbell has put up eight rounds in a row posting scores of 70 or better so he is clearly a momentum play this week. To top it off, he won here in 2007 so he is also a good choice because we know he likes the course. Look for Campbell to have a good week.

David Toms lives just down the road from the course in Shreveport so he should have some support from the fans. Also, Toms has played well here in the past including a T-8 finish here last year. Toms has enjoyed a good 2009, and he is really just looking to add a little icing to the cake with a strong finish to the season.

I have said this a few times already this year, but it is worth repeating. Mike Sim is one of the players of the future on the PGA Tour. He is the best player on the Nationwide Tour and it is just a matter of time for him to break through. I think the fall classic is a great time for him to step up and pave the way for his success next season as well. Sim finished 2nd last week on the Nationwide Tour and I look for him to play well in this week's PGA event.

Good luck this week and let's keep moving to the top of the fantasy golf rankings.

The Mulligan: The Frys.com Open

This week the Tour heads to Scottsdale, Arizona for the Frys.com Open. As we all know, there are a lot of PGA Tour members who make their home in Scottsdale, and many live very close to this week's venue, Grayhawk Golf Club. The Tour is making its 3rd trip to Grayhawk, and a few players have played extremely well on this course. There are only two Par 5s on Grayhawk, so one would expect the long-ballers to struggle. That has not been the case here, however, as the wide fairways accomodate the bombers despite the lack of Par 5s. In fact, three of the Top-10 finishers last year averaged over 300 yards per drive. Therefore, I am looking for momentum plays and players who have played well here in the past. So, who will play well this week?

First, Mike Weir should play well at Grayhawk this week. He has a win here, and he has posted a score of 14 under par in both of his outings. He looked sharp at the Presidents Cup as well, so he has decent momentum coming in. With all those pros living nearby, I think a Canadian will take the trophy this week in the desert.

Look for Justin Leonard to have a good week as well. He finished 6th here in 2007 (he didn't play this event last year), so it appears that he can handle the course. Plus, Leonard is one of those guys who seems to love playing in the desert. He was born in Dallas and went to the University of Texas, so he should have decent crowd support too.

I also think Tim Clark will have a good week. He was the man at the Presidents Cup and he is simply due to win on the PGA Tour. He is too good of a player to be winless despite 194 starts. He might get it done this week in Arizona.

Sleeper Pick: George McNeill might turn some heads this week. He has two Top-10's this year and he looked VERY sharp last week where he finished 2nd after losing a playoff. Plus he has finished in the Top-16 in his two starts at the Frys.com Open. He is the perfect sleeper this week.

Good luck this week and let's keep moving to the top of the fantasy golf rankings!

The Mulligan: Viva Las Vegas

The Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open kicks off this week with a pro am early in the week and the tournament this weekend. This should be a fun weekend filled with beautiful fall Vegas weather, celebrities, charity and great golf.

I never thought I would say this, but despite the mental scarring that N'SYNC music left in my brain, I kinda like Justin Timberlake. He supports golf. He generously supports charity. And his music has gotten much less annoying over time. To top it all off he was able to get Johnny Drama for the Pro Am. VICTORY!!!!! JT, you are okay in my book.

In all seriousness, Timberlake really is becoming a major part of the golf world. He recently purchased a golf course in Memphis, and he is a regular at Pro Ams throughout the year. He's good too, shooting an 88 at Bethpage Black and a 98 at Torrey Pines. Additionally, he hosts this week's charity tournament at TPC Summerlin in Vegas. The tournament raises a lot of money for Shriner's Hospitals, a great cause.

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Okay, enough about the host. Here are my weekly picks.

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First, I think Charlie Hoffman will have a good week in Vegas. He has the distance to compete here and he has that nice consistent tee-shot that should bode well on this course. He finished T-15th here last year, so we know he can handle the course. He has the game to win here, it is just a matter of execution for him this week.

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I am going to remain on the Hunter Mahan train. I have picked him many times this season, and this is not the time to stop. Going with Mahan has paid off for us too. He has six Top-10 finishes already this season. He is ranked 5th in Birdie Average, 19th in GIR %, and 9th in Total Driving. The only thing missing from this great year for Hunter is a victory. He might just get one this weekend.

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Finally, it is hard to pick against Anthony Kim right now. He played very well at the President's Cup last weekend and he has finished 2nd once and 3rd twice this season. He is ranked 2nd in putting average and 18th in Driving Distance on Tour, and a well rounded game like that should bode well this week. Look for Kim to play well.

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This should be a great week for golf and you should watch some this weekend if you get a chance.

SportsJudge.com PTI: Was Ryan Howard Robbed?

[Editor's Note: SportsJudge PTI appears every other Monday at 9am as Chris Stanley and Adam Primm weigh in on hot topics in the world of sports.]

Chris:

Ryan Howard hit is 200th career home run at Land Shark Stadium where it was caught by a 12 year old girl named Jennifer Valdivia. Howard naturally wanted the ball back given the major significance of the 200 HR milestone. He invited the girl down to the clubhouse and met her. He also autographed a different ball and gave it to her. That is a class act in my opinion, and more than a fair trade.

Apparently the 12 year old’s parents saw things differently. Instead of giving Howard credit for being a good guy in a world of athletes who make the newspapers almost daily for the wrong reasons, they did the American thing….they filed a lawsuit.

Only in America. This is one of those threatened lawsuits that make me understand why all the lawyer jokes fly around so often and why there is so much disdain for attorneys in this country.

You just had the great fortune of catching a ball at a baseball game, something that not every fan gets to experience in their lifetime. Just ask my co-author how hard those things can be to catch (especially the Travis Hafner foul ball that went through his paws this season!) To top it off you just got to meet one of the best players in baseball today. And then Ryan Howard gives you an autographed baseball as icing on the cake. Still, the family claims that Howard took advantage of the young girl by offering her less than what he should have given for the ball and threatened a lawsuit.

So what would you do if you were Ryan Howard at this point? Would you hire a better attorney and battle it out in court? I don’t think anyone would blame you for doing that, but that’s not what Howard did. Instead, Howard simply gave the ball to the family.

If this would have happened to me when I was 12 years old, it would still be the best moment of my life to this day. Instead, the little girl looks back on the moment as the day that Ryan Howard screwed her out of a ball and mommy and daddy hired an attorney to get it back. You gotta love the American justice system. Kudos to Ryan Howard for being the bigger man (pun intended).

Adam:

Normally Chris and I debate both sides of an issue, but I can’t on this one. I agree 100% with what Chris said. In fact, we had this conversation earlier this season, and I said that I would give the ball back to the player in exchange for one ball autographed by the player and another by the team (except for a home run ball that could be auctioned for over $1 million, although I think I would still see if the player wanted it first).

This whole situation comes down to one thing – greed. In America today, no one thinks of what the other person is feeling; they only try to maximize their own benefit. One of the reasons the parents felt their daughter was taken advantage of was because they heard the ball could be auctioned off for a few thousand dollars. While the ball may have been worth that much, I still have a problem with this situation for two reasons.

The first problem is that the girl made a deal already. She traded the ball for a chance to go into the dugout, meet Howard, and receive an autographed ball. Now she has both balls and a trip to the dugout while Howard has nothing.

Second, no one auctioned the ball off to earn the few thousand dollars. The Phillies representative whom the parents accused of taking advantage of their daughter never was in possession of the ball, so he couldn’t auction it off. Howard wanted to keep the ball for the sentimental value, so he wouldn’t auction it off either. The argument is totally false. The parents and their attorney created the straw man of a sinister baseball executive taking advantage of a 12 year old girl to make a few thousand bucks. But that person didn’t exist and no one tried to make any money.

Instead of a nice story about a fan giving a ball to a player because the player has a sentimental attachment to this particular ball, we have a story about good, old-fashioned American greed present in a twelve year old and her parents. While Jennifer may have made the trade without a parent present increasing the chances of her being taken advantage of, it is hard to argue that she was taken advantage of when the trade is pretty standard in Major League Baseball. It is fairly common for a player to trade an autograph for a ball that means something to a player, generally a first home run or a milestone homerun. So even if Jennifer was not accompanied by a parent, it is hard to argue that she was taken advantage of when the result would have been the same regardless.

In the end, it makes me sick that Jennifer and her parents cried foul on a fair deal, Howard is deprived of his piece of his own milestone, and the legal system defends greed and seller’s remorse. The lesson that this is teaching Jennifer, and the potential it holds for others like Rudy Giuliani’s spoiled golfing son (article here), doesn’t show much class for our nation’s youth. The only person showing class in this story is Howard, who quietly gave the ball back even though he could have fought to keep it.

The Mulligan: Bring on the Fall

Tiger Woods took a $10 Million payday for winning the FedEx Cup last weekend, and now the Tour moves on to The Turning Stone Resort Championship at The Atunyote Golf Club. The course plays at over 7,500 yards so the long hitters should play well this week.

Dustin Johnson has been one of my favorite breakout stories this season, and I would like to see him get one more win to cap off the year. Johnson won this tournament last year, and he is a long hitter (3rd on Tour in Driving Distance) so I really like his chances this week. Johnson was not as effective during the last few weeks of the playoffs as he has been most of the season, but I think he will be back to the DJ we saw during the AT&T (where he won) and the PGA (where he finished in the Top 10).

I have said it before and I will say it again. Mike Sim is the best golfer you have never heard of. It is only a matter of time before he has a breakout tournament, and a I think this could be the week. Sim is an all around good player and he is finally on Tour with an exemption from winning 3 times on the Nationwide Tour.

Matt Goggin (aka The Tazmanian Devil) has finished in the top five at Turning Stone in 2 out of 2 starts. Why? Because he is a bomber and this course fits his game perfectly. He is ranked 27th on Tour in Total Driving and he hits the ball pretty far. His driving distance numbers have been down this season, and I am really not sure why. I have a feeling he will unleash the big dog this week and the Tazmanian Devil will be out in full force because he knows that chicks dig the long ball. Look for him to have a good week driving the ball, and a good week scoring.

Good luck this week and let's keep moving to the top of the fantasy golf rankings!

The Mulligan: The Tour Championship

We are down to the Final 30 as the Tour Championship is upon us. This week the Tour’s Top 30 players (based on FedEx Cup points) head to Atlanta, Georgia and East Lake Golf Club. The Par 70, 7,154 yard course was the home course of legendary Bobby Jones before recently being named the permanent home course of the Tour Championship. Let’s take a look at the 30 players who made the final cut and now seek the Championship. Next to each players name you will find the total amount of FedEx Cup points each player has.

Tiger Woods 2500
Steve Stricker 2250
Jim Furyk 2000
Zach Johnson 1800
Heath Slocum 1600
Padraig Harrington 1400
Sean O’Hair 1200
Scott Verplank 1000
Kenny Perry 800
Jason Dufner 00
Dustin Johnson 480
Nick Watney 460
Geoff Ogilvy 440
Phil Mickelson 420
Retief Goosen 400
Marc Leishman 380
Brian Gay 360
Kevin Na 340
David Toms 320
Lucas Glover 310
Y.E. Yang 300
Ernie Els 290
Hunter Mahan 280
Angel Cabrera 270
Steve Marino 260
Stewart Cink 250
Mike Weir 240
Luke Donald 230
Jerry Kelly 220
John Senden 210


All of the numbers involved in this scoring system bring up a common question. How does the scoring work for The Tour Championship? It is actually pretty straightforward. You simply take the point total of the players to this point in the season after the reset and add this total to the number of points earned this week at the championship. In other words, you take the number listed next to the player’s name above, and add that number to the amount of points earned this week, as listed below.

If you finish... Then you get...

1st 2,500 points

2nd 1,500 points

3rd 950 points

4th 675 points

5th 550 points

6th 500 points

7th 450 points

8th 425 points

9th 400 points
10th 375 points

11th 350 points

12th 325 points

13th 300 points

14th 285 points

15th 280 points

16th 275 points

17th 270 points

18th 265 points

19th 260 points

20th 255 points

21st 250 points

22nd 245 points

23rd 240 points

24th 235 points

25th 230 points

26th 225 points

27th 220 points

28th 215 points

29th 210 points

30th 205 points

This point structure results in some players controlling their own destiny while others need help. Basically, if Tiger Woods, Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson or Heath Slocum win this week, that player will be the Champion. These 5 players are the only players controlling their own destiny this week. Anyone else must have help in the form of Tiger Woods and the rest of the top seeds playing poorly. Obviously, the odds of winning decrease as you move down the rankings. If you want to check out the exact scenario’s of what must happen for your favorite player to win, click here.

Obviously the Top 5 players have a distinct advantage in terms of winning it all this week. Others are looking to challenge and move up the rankings even if it is highly unlikely for them to take home the main prize. Here are a few players that I expect to play well this week at East Lake.

Jim Furyk finished 2nd place two weeks ago at the BMW after a 5 under final round. He looked very sharp coming down the stretch with a 67 in round 3 and a 66 in round 4. and I think he is firing on all cylinders right now. He finished T-15 at the Barclays and T8 at the Deutsche Bank so his past three showings are impressive. Furyk ranks 3rd on Tour in scoring average, 17th in driving accuracy percentage and 20th in putting average. A well-rounded game and momentum make him a favorite this week.

Dustin Johnson has put on a good showing for his last four starts. Going way back to Early August at the WGC Bridgestone, Johnson finished T-22. He followed that up with a T-10 at the PGA, a T-15 at the Barclays a T-4 at the Deutsche Bank, and a T30 at the BMW. Johnson is a long hitter, ranking 3rd in driving distance on tour. He is also ranked 12th is putting average and 9th in eagles per hole. I like his chances this week to continue his hot streak.

Steve Stricker shot a 77 on Sunday at the BMW to finish T-53, but I still expect him to play well this week. Prior to this performance, he was the hottest player on Tour, finishing T-2 at the Barclays and winning the Deutsche Bank. I think the BMW was the result of an off day rather than anything that should raise a red flag. Stricker is still feeling it and he should play well again this week.

Padraig Harrington’s new swing looks better every day. Don’t take my word for it, look at his tournament performance. In his first 14 starts, Harrington failed to finish in the Top-10. In his last 5 starts, Harrington has finished in the Top-10 every time including two second place finishes. I expect his recent success to continue this week in Atlanta.

I hope you all have the opportunity to watch this weekend as the playoff season comes to an end. It should be an exciting week in golf.

The Mulligan: Stricker On Fire Heading Down The Stretch

The playoffs continue to heat up this week at the BMW Championship on revamped Cog Hill No. 4 in Lemont Illinois (just outside Chicago). With only one event left before the championship, many players are fighting to stay alive, while others have already punched their ticket to Atlanta. This is a long course with a few very tight fairways so players who have a well rounded game off the tee should play well this week.

I picked Steve Stricker last week. I am picking Steve Stricker this week. I will continue to pick him until he gives me a reason not to. Anyone who watched the Deutsche Bank Championship last week saw a man who is in control of his golf swing. He is taking dead aim at the pin on almost every shot and sticking the majority of them. I have never seen Stricker so confident and I think he will continue to roll. Look for him to build on last week's win.

Tiger Woods plays well everywhere, but he plays especially well in the Chicago area. He has won 33% of his starts in the area and finished in the Top 8 in 66% of his starts in the area. Even for Tiger that is pretty good. He is coming off of a superb 63 on Sunday and, again, its Tiger Woods. How can you bet against him?

I am going to go with Dustin Johnson this week as well. He has enjoyed a breakout year in 2009 and he continues to improve. Johnson finished 4th last week at the Deutsche Bank Championship and should bring solid momentum to this week's event. Johnson is making his first start at this event, so its hard to say how the course fits his game. That being said, he led the field in driving distance last week and that distance off the tee will prove very helpful this week.

Sleeper Pick: Mark Wilson is currently ranked 41st in Fex Ex Cup points and needs to jump 11 spots up into the Top-30 to make it to the Championship. I think he will do it with a solid performance this week. Wilson already has a win this season at The Mayakoba, and he finished 3rd at The Memorial. He has flown under the radar this year and has quietly put together a nice resume. Wilson is accurate (38th in Driving Accuracy) but not all that long (128th in Driving Distance). I still think Wilson is going to make some noise and make it into the Top 30 this week.

Good luck this week and let's keep moving to the top of the fantasy golf rankings!

The Mulligan: Deutsche Bank Championship

We are now heading into the 2nd week of the PGA Tour FedEx Cup Playoffs and this week brings us the Deutsche Bank Championship which is played on TPC Boston in Norton, Massachusetts. TPC Boston is a par 71, 7207 yard course with an interesting finishing hole. Number 18 is a 528 yard par 5 that is easily reachable in 2 shots for the long hitters. This means that even 2 shot leads can be made up in one hole if 18 is eagled. I have a feeling number 18 will provide a good deal of drama on Sunday evening as the leaders come down the stretch.

This week the field has been narrowed from 125 down to only 100 players. The field will be cut down to 70 players by the end of the week, so it is do or die for those players on the bubble.

Ernie Els should have a good week again at TPC Boston. Last year he finished T-3 here so we know he can manage this course. Also, The Big Easy has been playing very well recently, including a T-2 finish last week and four Top-10 finishes in his last six starts.

Steve Stricker has become a no-brainer pick at this point in the season. He is playing very consistent, very good golf and there is no reason to expect that to change this week. Stricker is coming off of a T-2 finish last week and he now has five Top-10 finishes in the Playoffs. Stricker also knows how to handle TPC Boston, having finished in the Top-15 here in his last three starts on the course.

Don't be surprised if you see Steve Marino hoisting a trophy sometime in the near future. It may be this event, it may be three weeks from now, but I think he is due for a win. Marino is coming off of a T-15 finish last week at The Barclays and his game looked up to snuff. Also, Marino finished T-10 at TPC Boston last year. Since he is playing well and he likes the course, this might just be his week.

Tiger Woods is a no-brainer as usual. He won this event in 2006 to go along with two 2nd place finishes.

Good luck this week and let's keep moving to the top of the fantasy golf rankings!

SportsJudge PTI: What Happened at Michigan?

Chris

Michigan football has had a bad run of things as of late. Ever since Appalachian State pulled off one of the biggest upsets of all time, the Wolverines have experienced a tough run. The sweater-vest in Columbus apparently has their playbooks, because they cannot hang with their rivals to the south. In fact, they haven’t been playing very good football at all and last season the once mighty Michigan went 3-9 including a loss to Toledo (and a 35 point loss to the Buckeyes).

Just when it appeared that things couldn’t get worse, Coach Rich Rodriguez’s football program is being investigated for regularly breaking the rules of the NCAA regarding the amount of time that players can spend on training and practice. Apparently Michigan players were putting in well over the NCAA maximum of 8 hours of mandatory workouts per week in the offseason, and 20 hours in season.

I think this is just bad timing for the Wolverines. They are looking to wipe out the memory of last season and start off 2009 on the right foot. Now they will have this problem to add to the already bad situation.

So how big of a deal is this? I think the allegations themselves are definitely a problem for the football program and the university. However, I don’t see this as that serious of an infraction. Adam and I wanted to take this opportunity to look at some other recent infractions and we began to wonder just how rampant this type of thing is in college football.

Adam

I can understand where Michigan is coming from. There is such pressure on athletic teams and programs to win and be productive monetarily for their respective universities. Teams have to cut corners (right John Calipari?) to try to make the team as productive, prepared, and talented as possible.

After switching to the Big Ten and mighty Michigan from West Virginia, Rich Rodriguez inherited a weak roster that was not equipped to run his spread style offense. Rodriguez made a poor decision (allegedly) in requiring more work than the NCAA allows, but Michigan cannot be the only school in the country doing this. I’d be willing to bet that at least 70% of the schools in the country at least bend the rules in implementing their off-season workouts and drills. Add that to all the different recruiting violations (USC with Reggie Bush, Calipari and Memphis, Bobby Bowden at Florida State, Kelvin Sampson wherever he goes) that plague NCAA athletics, and Michigan doesn’t look that bad (at least off the field and in practice).

To be honest, this type of violation is much tamer than cheating in the classrooms and improper payments to athletes. Extra practice is probably good for a lot of these kids. The main issue is that it takes away from the students studies’, which is, or at least should be, the reason they are attending college. Cheating in the classroom isn’t fair to anyone at the school, both the student-athletes and all of the other students that don’t get any extra benefit for being an athlete. Paying the athletes is simply training these impressionable young men that they can get freebies because they are special. For the massive amount of players that do not make it professionally, this can be disastrous (Maurice Clarett). By comparison, extra practices are teaching these athletes to work hard and take pride in their work. It really isn’t bad; it just may take away from the time the young men can devote their schoolwork. While distracting from the athletes schoolwork is not a good thing, it also does not have the ethical implications of cheating or improper payments.

For Rodriguez personally, I can sympathize with his decision. Michigan was coming off of a disappointing season that featured a loss to Appalachian State, the prospects for 2008 looked bleak, and Michigan had lost The Game to the powerful Buckeyes six of the last seven years. Sometimes people try to cut corners when they look for help (it failed for Rodriguez as the Wolverines won only 3 games and were destroyed by the Buckeyes 42-7). All I am saying is that we shouldn’t condemn the man or the program for a violation that most schools in the country are probably guilty of and is not nearly as detrimental to the student-athletes as other potential violations. While the Wolverines and Rodriguez probably broke the rules, the punishment should not be much more than a slap on the wrist.