It is NFL time even for college football guys

Checking in on an abnormally warm week in January in the great state of Alabama. Things are still hopping all around the sports world. College football's second season, the recruiting season, is coming to the end and everyone is either happy, sad or worried. On the Auburn front I am happy and worried. We look poised to close on what could be one of the better recruiting classes ever on the plains but until the faxes are in I worry we will lose some of these guys. The last piece of the puzzle in my opinion is to get one or both of these last two big defensive tackles on the board. We get one of those guys, keep everyone else and get most of them in school and this recruiting season will look to be a big success. Another big thing is keeping our entire staff together during such a crazy off season of coaching searches. Keeping an entire staff together for multiple seasons is starting to become a rare thing in big time college football. Let's wait and get through signing day but right now it is looking like I will have to throw some kudos Chizik's way.

Elsewhere in college football I need to follow up on my last post. Tennessee ends up hiring Derek Dooley. It doesn't have the wow factor but I think it was about the best UT could do all things considered. They wanted to keep part of the staff together and it was a tough time to find a coach. With that said I think they did pretty good. Dooley sounded a little better than I thought originally after hearing more about his resume and listening to him. It should be an extremely interesting year in the SEC East next year. Florida will be the favorite but they will be doing a little rebuilding and have the whole Urban Meyer situation. The team that will be the dark horse and challenge them is up for grabs.

Final words on college sports, I was all set to work on my first full Auburn basketball post but then they won on Wednesday. Auburn basketball is closing in on a real mark of infamy. If South Carolina finishes with two more SEC wins than Auburn then Auburn will officially become the WORST basketball program in the SEC since the SEC went to divisions. Auburn would have the worst conference record out of all 12 teams in the SEC the last 18 years. I think that is plenty of time to tell the story. I will stop here and wait till it happens to rant on it. I will also post the official record sheet as well. Bottom line, Auburn basketball is simply awful.

Elsewhere you have Tiger Woods in sex rehab (who saw that coming last year?), Mark McGwire finally coming clean (well not really) and the NFL Final Four. As I said in the title of this post it is NFL time even for college football fans. You have three of the best QBs in the NFL and a wildcard in the Jets. I think the Colts will win but either way it goes that game will merely serve as an appetizer to the main entree of Minnesota vs. New Orleans. The first NFC championship game in New Orleans and an incredible match up to boot. Forty-year old Brett Favre and the Purple People Eaters coming to NOLA to play Drew Brees and the high-powered Saints. Even for a guy who is not a huge NFL fan I am looking forward to this one.

As always I like to bring up a little history. It was also an exciting time for the Saints back in the late 80's when Jim "Playoffs???!!!???" Mora got the Saints into the playoffs for the first time. The Saints were riding high and the Vikings came to NOLA back then as the underdog as well I believe. The team from the north destroyed the Saints 44-10. The Saints also won their first playoff game ever in 2000 only to have the Vikings destroy them the next week. I think it is safe to say that the Saints should have a little extra incentive against Minnesota this week.

I would love to see Brett Favre get back to the Super Bowl but I think I will be rooting for the Saints Sunday night. I think it would be great to them in the Super Bowl. GO SAINTS!