Fixed

Mark Cuban was on "Mike & Mike" this morning and said something interesting that didn't involve him making a fool of himself. This might be common for him, but my opinion is pretty heavily skewed due to his antics at basketball games. Anyway, discussing officiating Cuban said something to the effect of "the NBA is the only one of the four major sports that fans think is fixed." I know that's not an uncommon opinion among fans, but it's surprising to hear an owner admit it.

Legacy

There's been a lot of discussion the past week on Peyton Manning's "legacy" and what it will look like after Sunday's game. I'll leave it to others to talk (endlessly) about his playoff wins, his Super Bowl record, his TD records, etc. What I think is more notable is Manning's presence in pop culture and how much he's become synonymous with the word quarterback. How he plays the game seems almost more important than his actual stats. Whenever he retires he might not be the greatest quarterback ever, but he will be the quarterback.

Jersey Colors

Since the Denver Broncos are considered the home team for the Super Bowl they get first pick at uniforms and have chosen to wear orange (They're 0-3 in the Super Bowl in orange, quick, change your bet!) so the Seattle Seahawks will wear white. This brings up a topic that has become a pet peeve of mine: Why do the teams still have to wear white and dark jerseys? What I've read suggests this goes back to the days of black and white TV, but that's not an issue now. If the colors were too similar it makes sense, but no one would have any trouble distinguishing between the teams if the Broncos were in orange and the Seahawks were in blue. Personally, I think the NFL (and college) should go to a system where the home team gets first pick and then the visiting team can choose to wear any uniform they want as long as the home team doesn't veto it, otherwise they can go with the standard away uniform. It seems like a painless change to me.

Calling an Audible

During the game between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning earlier in the season I had an idea, and after all the hype surrounding the upcoming playoff matchup I think it's even better. What is the idea? A Brady-Manning buddy movie. Or possibly a documentary with the two of them on a road trip, maybe to Omaha. And there would need to be guest stars: Archie Manning, Eli Manning, Gisele Bündchen, Bill Belichick, Tony Dungy, Roger Goodell, Wes Welker, etc. How great would that be?

Tweet of the Day

We certainly appreciate all the love from #PeytonManning :) #OmahaOmaha
— Official Omaha Info  (@VisitOmaha) January 12, 2014

The G 63 AMG 6x6

Completion and Other Thoughts

Some thoughts on the Rose Bowl and the rest of the end of the college football season:

-Having your team win the Rose Bowl is pretty cool.

-I can't believe Dantonio thought in May that the Spartans would be there in January. He must have been the only one.

-That game ended perfectly. The whole thing was movie-like in the way things unfolded, as if plot lines from the entire season were being wrapped up.

-So, I want to buy Rose Bowl gear, but I don't think I'd actually wear any of it.

-Do the normal poll rules not apply at the end of the season? How is Auburn still #2 after a loss? I don't really care and I'm cool with the Spartans being #3 (which I think is reasonable but I still can't wrap my mind around it) but it seems a little odd.

-I loved how ESPN set Bob Stoops up to be the butt of jokes about SEC dominance and then Oklahoma went out and beat Alabama.

-How come SEC losses never actually count against the SEC? I get it, the conference (at the top at least) is good, but they aren't invincible.

-It takes too long to get to the title game, I'm totally checked out by the time it's kicked off. And Monday night is a stupid night for a college football game.

-All of the BCS games being on ESPN instead of ABC is ridiculous. I know I'm late to the party on this but it actually makes me pretty mad.

-I think the new playoff format is going to be horrendous.