You survived

Congratulations.

The long, grueling summer without any big college sports is now over. We are back!

I'll be at the Louisville-Kentucky game as part of the College GameDay team across the street from Papa John's Cardinal Stadium on Floyd Street next to the new Cardinal Ticket Office.

Come out and say hi.

So far, my Saturday has consisted of a group meeting going over my new diet/workout regime that I've been going through for the last two weeks (tough, but rewarding), along with grocery shopping, going to Subway (6" turkey), working out, showering off, and watching all the college football I possible can.

So far, Pitt looks like the old Pitt, I'm guessing Carolina Steve will call in to our next show thanks to East Carolina's win over Virginia Tech, and the Hoosiers look solid in their opener.

Tomorrow, I've got Louisville beating Kentucky in a great game, 26-21.

Have fun, and feel free to post below!

Another reason why ratings/rankings are meaningless early

In my humble opinion, some of the best computer ratings out there are Jeff Sagarin's (fellow Indiana University grad) ratings.

But even Jeff Sagarin can have some skewed ratings sometimes. Especially when a game hasn't been played.

His preseason college football ratings have Louisville at 15th IN THE COUNTRY.

That makes them the second-highest rated Big East team going into the season, behind West Virginia (7th).

Compare that to:
23 - Texas Tech
26 - Arkansas
29 - Kansas
37 - South Florida
46 - Kentucky
49 - Pittsburgh
79 - Indiana

Why Notre Dame bugs me

Everyone wonders why I am so uptight about Notre Dame's football program.

I'll tell you why.

Because the NCAA puts their little paws in everything else, but somehow can't keep Notre Dame from their quest to not EVER PLAY A TRUE ROAD GAME!

The Post-Standard in Syracuse is reporting that Notre Dame and Syracuse are close to an agreement on a 10-game football series. One catch: Notre Dame will not play one of those 10 games at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse.

Come on Syracuse. Why are you stupid enough to do this? Is the money really that great? If it is, find another team to do this. Jeez. Notre Dame is not good enough anymore to be playing them 10 TIMES in a row away from your field.

Big East Conference, get a grip. Help out or something. Don't let Notre Dame do this. It's ridiculous.

Off tomorrow...

Just a couple things I was thinking about tonight as I take the day off from the air.

I'm sorry, but I can't picture Pudge Rodriguez in a Yanks uniform.  I've always liked him, but will I be able to like him as a fixture in Yankee Stadium?

That's about all the baseball I can talk about since I'm finally ready to nail in the last hammer on the Reds and their wild card hopes (my hopes lasted longer than all other Reds fans, for better or worse).  But if you want to read about the Reds, the Red Reporter is always a good place.

So now onto college football.  I'm getting super-excited.  Even though UK and U of L are two teams that will have to fight tooth and nail to get to a bowl, I'm still excited to see both of them play each other.  Here's some more season previews (from CollegeFootballNews.com) on UK, U of L, and IU. And even a little Ohio State for you Big Ten fans.

Can't leave without a little Brian Brohm, who was successfully taught by my man Rocco Gasparro (U of L Media Relations Director for Football) how to avoid any tough questions.  That guy won't crack to the NFL media either.  He's going to represent Louisville great.

Louisville Football picked to finish 7th in the Big East

WOW!

According to the media, Louisville is only going to be better than bottom-feeder Syracuse in the big East Conference this year in football.

That hurts.

What I think is a bit surprising is that it's really not even close.

Louisville got 69 points in the poll. Sixth-place UConn received 97 points.

That tells me that LOTS of Big East media had Louisville this low.

The sliver lining is that no media member picked the Cards to finish last, as Syracuse got the lowest amount of point possible by the media.

If Tom Jurich's statement to the Athletic Association Board wasn't enough, now the expectations are even lower.


2008 PRESEASON BIG EAST MEDIA POLL
1. West Virginia (22) 189
2. South Florida (1) 149
3. Pittsburgh (1) 128
4. Rutgers 110
5. Cincinnati 98
6. Connecticut 97
7. Louisville 69
8. Syracuse 24

Of UK or U of L, which football program is more relevant right now?

I know I've been bouncing around as a guest host or guest co-host on different shows and it's tough to find me sometimes I know (just like I know all you listeners are desperately searing for me if you haven't found me yet). But, one of the topics we've been throwing out there as of late is which fooall program is more relevant nationally right now, Louisville or Kentucky?

I'm going with Louisville. They're more nationally relevant in college football.

Look, I know Louisville had a sub-par season last year. But, as a program, they've been talked about for the last 6-8 years in a much brighter light. Yes, I know Kentucky is on the uptick, and they defeated Louisville last year (not to mention # 1 LSU). That's a lot of good stuff to chew on as far as relevance is concerned.

But that's one year.

Louisville has been more relevant for longer. They've had good stuff to chew on for years. Kentucky hasn't. Sure, Louisville lost to the Wildcats last year.

But that's one year.

When you've been talked about seriously as a national championship contender in the last two seasons... guess what, you're more relevant than the third place finisher in the almighty SEC East.

Don't let your love for Rich Brooks cloud your judgment. Don't let the power of the respect-demanding SEC put you in a trance.

The Big East, while less powerful as a conference, is easier to climb up, although it may take awhile for U of L to reascend up that mountain. But in the SEC East traditionally, it's Georgia and Tennessee and Florida. Maybe if Urban Meyer and Mike Richt keel over, Kentucky has a chance to be relevant.

Fat chance.

And save the hate mail Kentucky fans. I don't hate UK. In fact, you may very well win your second straight game in the series in Papa John's Cardinal Stadium on August 31st.

You're just not more relevant nationally... yet.

(Thanks to Mike Rutherford at Card Chronicle for the pic)

A good piece on Louisville Cardinal football (for once)

It's funny. If I see a picture of a Louisville football player on a blog or on an online newspaper in the summertime anymore, I think it's going to be another story on a suspended arrested dismissed football player.

So I thought I'd turn the tide a little bit. Amobi Okoye is the centerpiece of an ultra-cool column in ESPN The Magazine documenting what the kid was up to on his 21st birthday. A must-read for any Louisville fan.

Some good news for a change.

Some Tuesday Night Links

Just thought I'd start off the new blog campaign with some interesting internet links... at least they're interesting to me.

• Pitino has been very busy recruiting, and he's real close to the # 1 class in 2009. [ESPN Insider]
• An AP article that is interesting regarding how life isn't over for UK football just because BCS chances probably are. [AP]
• Pat Forde's weekly Forde-Yard "Dash" is a weekly must-read. And while UK football isn't talked about, he's got a great quote from UK play-by-play man Tom Leach. [ESPN]
• Out of all the local kids that I can't wait to see in the NFL. The one I truly CANNOT wait to see is James Hardy. I think he's going to be sickening good in the pros, and finally, I find a legitimate columnist that agrees with me, ESPN.com's Bruce Feldman. [ESPN Insider]
• Reds fans, like me, always knew the Big Red Machine was great... but guess what. The Machine thinks the Rockies are awesome. [ESPN Insider]
• Pete Fiutak at CollegeFootballNews.com is always a fun read. Very reader-friendly articles. And this is another one... breaking down the current BCS rankings. [College Football News]
• Colts fans, before you start talking to the fellow Colts and NFL fans about the Patriots game, read this. [Scouts]

That's all for now. Enjoy the show tomorrow.

Back from Out of Town

Just wanted to get some thoughts off of my chest while I was thinking about them, as I am back in town and will be back in the driver's seat tomorrow on the Friday edition of the show.

1. I am just really saddended by the passing of Indiana University head football coach Terry Hoeppner. The rumblings began (at least the ones I heard) about a month or so ago that it wasn't looking great, but still, no one thought he'd be gone this soon. It's a shame. I hope the players and fans will appreciate what he did for the program by playing hard and attending and cheering at the games respectively.


2. The U of L-UK football game will be on television, I'm fairly certain of that. But it will be on some obscure network and if you don't have a ticket or you don't subscribe to all the "cool" sports networks, you'll probably have to go to a bar. My question: how much will this UP the value of the ticket for the game?


3. Sammy Sosa is a hall of famer, no question. So are Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, and others. There was a steriod era of baseball and other players used it that we don't know about it, some of which are already in the Hall of Fame. So, for about the tenth time I say, they're all IN!


4. Rosie O'Donnell is taking over for Bob Barker on The Price Is Right. Short term, I think it's a great idea. Long term, it'll be terrible, and Rosie won't last more than 18 months. You heard it here first.

It's good to be back. Talk to you guys tomorrow.

Someone at the Herald should be shot

I am sorry, but the Herald-Leader sports department just needs a quick little slap on the wrist. This is beginning to become comical.

I am big fans of the Herald. I read their stuff everyday. I am big fans of Mark Story and John Clay, Herald sports columnists. I think Clay's blog is one of the best on the web.

Both have been on my radio show before, and I am truly grateful, and I hope this blog post doesn't sway them from ever coming on my show again, because this has nothing to do with bashing their opinions or the content of their columns.

In fact, I think they should receive just a small portion of the criticism I am about to hand out.

Over the last three weeks, I have seen columns from both Story and Clay that have had really BAD errors in them. Am I nitpicking? Oh, maybe. But when I see two mistakes like these in a matter of weeks, I begin to think that the editor is out to lunch, smoking some crack, or maybe trying to hang Story and Clay out to dry.

What am I talking about? Well, on May 25, Mark Story had a different name for the Louisville Cardinals' wide reciever:

"GOOD NEWS is that Keenan Burton was tabbed as the 14th-best wide receiver in
the country (and, if he and Woodson stay healthy, that's way, way low).

BAD NEWS is that Louisville has two wide receivers ranked higher (Henry Douglas eighth and Mario Urrutia 11th) on the same list."

Come on Mark. It's Harry. It makes you look stupid, and I KNOW that you aren't. I hope you punched your editor in the face.

But then, just today (June 14) John Clay made a 20-question list, and missed a number on the list and listed another number twice.

The content of both of these articles was great. Two fine reads. But it makes you just sit back and think "uhhh, come on guys."

But the blame should be put mostly on the editor who should FREAKIN proofread! It's one thing if you misspell on a blog, or screw up numerous times on a radio show (that's me). It's entirely another when you have time to write a well-thought-out column, proofread it, proofread it again, give it to an editor for him to proofread, proofread, and proofread again, and then get this.

These errors are not good for the reputation of their sports section, one of which I am still a fan of. Just be careful boys. Proofread your work, because no one else there is.

Mark Story, what the?

I'm not sure what Mark Story was smoking when he wrote this, but I'd love to have some.

Story, a friend of the show who I enjoy reading, is a sports columnist for the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Evidently he writes what is now an annual column called the Kentucky 25. The subtitle to the column explains the list as "A LOOK AT THE STATE'S MOST INTRIGUING STARS AND STORIES BETWEEN NOW AND NEXT YEAR'S DERBY."

I'll put it this way. If Brian Brohm is less intriguing in the next 12 months in the Commonwealth than Jerry Carroll's attorneys, I'll get a NASCAR tat and make out with Brian's ex-girlfriend.

Bottom line: Brian Brohm should be number one or two on a list like this. Easy.

Rick Pitino and Jodie Meeks will be less intriguing than the new women's basketball coaches at UK and U of L? Come on! Tell me that's a joke.

Now, I read Story on a regular basis, so to criticize the column is to show that I am a regular reader. But more like this, and I'll be turned off in a hurry.

The discovery of the TextMap

I would assume that TextMap is pretty popular in some media circles. I've just been turned onto it recently.

This is something very interesting. Instead of trying to explain it myself, this is TextMap's own definition (and a much more understandable one than the one I would've tried to throw out) of what they do:

TextMap "tracks references to people, places, and things appearing in news text, so as to identify meaningful relationships between them. TextMap monitors the state of the world by analyzing both the temporal and spatial distribution of these entities. We currently analyze over 1000 domestic and international news sources every day. TextMap uses natural language processing techniques to identify entity references and a variety of statistical techniques to analyze the juxtapositions between them."

With that in mind, just for fun, check out the textmaps for:
Rick Pitino
Billy Gillispie
Kelvin Sampson
Steve Kragthorpe
Rich Brooks
Terry Hoeppner

and hell, while we're at it, let's throw out a real interesting one--Tubby Smith.

Enjoy.

A busy Tuesday night

I must say that I'm the kind of guy that needs entertainment 24-7. Whether it be in the form of a game in person or on TV, a good television sitcom (What About Brian on ABC is totally underrated), or a sports podcast on my iPod. I've GOT to be stimulated constantly. I can't just sit and nap or relax, ever, for better or worse.

So in between listening to PTI on my iPod and doing some research on some of the players for the McDonald's All-American Game broadcast that we got on 1570 tomorrow night, I came across some things that may or may not be of interest to you.

(1) I'll be talking about this on the show tomorrow, but a little heads up... John Wooden sincerely thinks Ben Howland can flat coach. When all of your opinions on an underdog can be confirmed by THE BEST COLLEGE BASKETBALL COACH OF ALL TIME, it makes you sleep a little easier.

(2) Not to knock on dead people, but I think it's very interesting that Anna Nicole Smith's anus "is unremarkable" according to her autopsy report. I think that's their opinion.

(3) Ridiculously-good 1570 The Zone contributor Keith Conrad writes a very good blog post on his newly-revived blog. Definitely a good read. And for the record, Kent Taylor is one of the most fun Louisville sports media members to be around.

(4) Subscribe to The Big EZ Show podcast for free. Here's how. You can either just download it directly by clicking here, or you can go to iTunes, click on the "Advanced" menu, then click on "Subscribe to Podcast..." and then type in http://feeds.feedburner.com/bigezshow. Simple as that.

That's all for now. Louisville football coach Steve Kragthorpe will be on tomorrow, along with Yahoo! Sports National NFL Writer Charles Robinson to talk about what's up at the owner's meetings. And Greg Hammond from WTVQ in Lexington (and no, he didn't leak any false UK coach information) to talk about the most popular job vacancy EVER in Lexington. 10 AM to 1 PM tomorrow.

UH-OH MATT SIMMS

I don't know what he's got in front of him, besides the Grey Goose and OJ (I think quarterbacks should drink whiskey). Not a good way to start as a Cardinal. That's for sure.

Remember the legend of Kragthorpe, Matt. Kragthopre will look you square in the eye and make you cry!

SHAPE UP!

My Brohm thoughts...

Let me preface this by saying that I know very little 'inside' scoop on whether Brohm is going or not. All the sources that I've reached out to have either not been 100% sure, or the ones that say they ARE 100% SURE have given me conflicting reports.

Go figure.

For what it's worth, my gut says he's staying. All the pub he's received since he's returned from Miami with Orange Bowl MVP award in hand. He's gone to the airport to greet the new coach, done to the the press conference in support, and then pleasing the crowd at the Louisville-Providence basketball game on Saturday--it'd be criminal for him to tease the U of L faithful like that, and then leave.

So, contrary to what I've been saying the last week and a half, I'm guessing he'll announce that he is staying at his 9 AM presser tomorrow.

But I think it's dumb if he does.

And I'll save those thoughts for the show on Monday.

And do me a favor and spare me of the ever-multiplying e-mails saying "EZ, why would he have a press conference if he were staying at Louisville. He could just put out a statement if that were the case."

Have we not learned? Michael Bush did it last year, as did Matt Leinert two years ago. There are many other examples as well. Hell, Keenan Burton did it Friday.

Two reasons why there are press conferences to announce you are staying. (1) It's a good publicity event for your program, and (2) the press will want quotes, so instead of a hundred different media trying to get quotes using a thousand different methods, this gives everyone their opportunity to get their quote, get their story, and move on.

So just be content with the fact that press conferences to announce intentions of STAYING at a university for another year is and always will be commonplace.

Burton to stay at Kentucky

A source painfully close to the situation in Lexington says Keenan Burton said by phone today that he would stay on with Rich Brooks and the Wildcats for one more year. We found out just after 5 PM today.

Many people are e-mailing me saying that his dad and other people close to Burton keep saying that he still HAS NOT made up his mind.

To that I would answer two ways:
1. If he hasn't made a decision, then why would he schedule a press conference?
AND
2. If you were going to have a press conference like this, wouldn't you ask your close friends and relatives to tell a little "white lie" so that you yourself can reveal the news at YOUR press conference? It's only logical people.

In fact, it should be noted that Keenan DID NOT even mention to the University his plans. And maybe not even Rich Brooks, who is out of town coaching in the North-South All-Star Game.

So Cats fans, just sit back, relax, and know that the remaining piece of your offensive puzzle is staying at the University of Kentucky next year.

EZ MONEY: College Hoops
Record going in: 10-5-1

Nevada (-8) vs. SAN JOSE STATE ** WIN **

Record going out: 11-5-1

"The Legend of Kragthorpe"

Well, first off, let me get this off my chest... Mr. Petrino, you are forgiven! I forgive you! I know you didn't necessarily tell the thurth. But I can't say I wouldn't do the same thing in the same situation, if the NFL was THE GOAL! So, you are forgiven, and I will root for you at the Falcons. But you better win, because given your lack of "savvy" with the media, they'll crush you if you don't win. They're not as nice as us here in Louisville.

OK, that being said... many listeners have e-mailed to talk about how they weren't quite happy with the lack of name recognition in Jurich's new football hire.

Well, we've decided that his name was very well recognized, just not in football. We've started a ficticious "Legend of Kragthorpe." And the word on the street... there are a lot of great things that Kragthorpe has done. The following fables are from today's show (by me, or producer Nasty Nate, or callers and e-mailers):

• "Kragthorpe once scored 100 points in a basketball game... with a broken leg... in the first half."
• "Kragthorpe once drove a car 300 miles an hour... without stepping on the gas pedal."
• "Kragthorpe regularly gives Hugh Hefner advice on women."
• "Kragthorpe invented the iPod."
• "Kragthorpe started the fad of wearing a headband, which was then copied by former Bears quarterback Jim McMahon, and hey, McMahon won a Super Bowl."
• "Kragthorpe once caught five touchdown passes in one quarter... two of which were thrown by Kragthorpe."

Check back for more on Wednesday. It's all done in fun. We'll continue the "Legend of Kragthorpe" so everyone knows that name recognition is no problem.

Petrino to NFL: Should've seen it coming

Why is it that no matter how many times we see a coach 'fib' to their local media (whether it be Saban, Petrino, or anyone else) and say their "committed" to where they're at and this and that and whatever, that we continue to believe them?

And don't say you saw this one coming. The contract and the comments from Petrino gave us that warm and fuzzy feeling... especially when he just got done telling us at the Orange Bowl that he hadn't been contacted by Alabama. Hell, I doubt Bobby's wife even knew.

Well, I vow never to be fooled by college coaches again. If Pitino and his constant 'spin' of seemingly everything wasn't enough, the departure of Petrino was the last straw. I vow never to be fooled again.

I understand that for most college coaches, the NFL is the pinnacle. I understand why Bobby left. But no more patronizing will I accept from any coach that they are truly "committed" to anything, or anyone, while at the University of Louisville (and many other colleges around the country).

The NFL is it. If the right offer comes along, 95% of all college coaches are gone. That's just the nature of the beast. Believe no one. The NFL is it. I'll never be fooled again.

Now, go take a look at some Petrino-based voting from ESPN SportsNation.

NEW SHOW TIME, and other stuff

I'm waiting in the airport terminal here in Miami for my flight. And was thinking I would pass the time with a little blog post. Here's some things on my mind.

1. Thanks a lot for the support of the move from middays to 3-to-6 in the afternoon. I know a lot of people are fans of the Underdogs, and they are personal friends of mine. So I do it with a heavy heart. But the goal for me remains the same... and that's to get better at my job every day.
2. Special shout out to WQAM, the top-rated sports radio station in Miami for letting me shack up down there and do my show the morning after the Orange Bowl. They've got an absolutely beautiful workspace and were so accomodating. And that says a lot considering that we just happened to be doing the show from there the same morning as former Dolphins coach Nick Saban decided to go to Alabama AND Heat coach Pat Riley decided it was time to take a break. It was pandemonium there and they still treated Keith Conrad and I fantastic! Visit them and listen to their feed online at wqam.com.
3. The Orange Bowl was a big win for the program. But let's be honest... in the grand scheme of things, it didn't do a whole lot for the program since the opponent they beat is not a prestigious program in ANY sense of the word. That hurts for Louisville fans, but most of the feedback since my day-after-the-bowl show have agreed.

About to board. Thanks for checking in. We'll be back on Monday from 3-to-6.

ORANGE BOWL GAMEDAY

ON-AIR FROM 3-6 PM TODAY: ESPN LOUISVILLE 1570-1600.

We'll post on here from time to time until I leave midway through the 4th quarter to go down to the field.

We're already here. Got here around 12:30 PM to set up for our broadcast and hang out and check out the lights here at Dolphin Stadium. It's a nice place, but it does need a makeover. It's getting one soon, and the pictures I've seen look real nice.

OFFICIAL PREDICTION: Louisville 27, Wake Forest 21

So let the gameday blog begin:

12:51 PM - Set up and ready to go. We're broadcasting from one of the press boxes. Nice place... but undoubtedly the smallest of any pro football press box I've been in.

1:30 PM - Cece Winans is going to sing the national anthem. She's practicing right now, and it's BEAUTIFUL. This is a great rendition. Viewers and fans will get a good version tonight!

2:17 PM - An unbelievable storm going through right now. It's insane. Stadium personnel tell us that the field is designed to be able to "completely drain and be dry" within 30 minutes of the end of the rain. I'm not so sure right now. The field, which looked great early, is a pond at the moment. The picture you see is what it looks like. It's from my phone though. Sorry about the quality.

4:45 PM - Craig Swabek, color man for the U of L Radio Network joins us and tells us he's got NOTHING on whether Brohm or Bush or Petrino are leaving 'The Ville'. Truth is, I honestly believe him, which may mean he is a good secret-keeper.

5:10 PM - Rich Bozich, sports columnist for the C-J, comes by and tells us that he thinks media members will be surrounding the Louisville buses coming into the stadium to ask Petrino about Alabama.

6:15 PM - Off the air now. And damned if we find out AFTER THE FACT that they gave us our own damn radio booth. We broadcasted from an ordinary press row first time around. Wish we would've seen a seating chart before we went on the air. But we couldn't find one.

7:03 PM - Starting to fill up now. We've got a great seat for the game. Rain is gone, and the field held up very well. Jody Demling of the C-J is messing with us from one booth over, and damned if Kent Taylor from WAVE-TV is sitting right next to us in the next booth. Bobby Petrino loves Kent Taylor kinda like Rick Pitino loves me.

7:08 - Louisville players enter the field for the first time. And fans are pumped. So far the stadium is about 1/3 of the way full, and it's VERY PRO-LOUISVILLE!

7:10 - Art Carmody, our favorite player, is kicking. Here's his pregame stats:

• 25-yarder, right hash: good
• 25-yarder, left hash: good
• 28-yarder, right hash: good
• 28-yarder, middle: good
• 35-yarder, middle: good
• 40- yarder, left hash: good
• 40-yarder, left hash: off the upright
• 44-yarder, right hash: good
• 44-yarder, right hash: good
• 48-yarder, left hash: wide left
• 48-yarder, left hash: good
• 50-yarder, left hash: good
• 32-yarder, middle: good
• 32-yarder, middle: good

12-of-14... pretty good for our award-winner.

8:03 PM - Both bands have taken the field and they are finishing up. I'm guessing the marching bands may not get a halftime shot, since Taylor Hicks and Gladys Knight (we can do better than Gladys Knight, can't we? She's been nothing since the end of the Psychic Friends Network.) got the halftime honors. A cheerleading group is out right now, and we should be ready for Ali, Palmer, and Wade and the coin toss before too long.

8:25 PM - The entrance of "The Greatest" was exceptional. Unbelievable. Enjoy the game everyone!

8:47 PM - Well, we're just over eight minutes in. Brock Bolen has fumbled the ball. Wake Forest will take over on their own 39-yard line. Wake Forest will be close to penetrating Louisville territory for the first time potentially.

9:00 PM - Louisville goes three-and-out deep in their own territory, and the punter Corey Goettsche botches his punt in fear of a quickly-coming Deacon defender. Wake with a score opportunity now with the ball on the Louisville 28.

9:07 PM - Wake Forest hits the scoreboard first with a 44-yard FG. They lead 3-0 with 14:17 left in the first half.

WAKE FOREST 3, LOUISVILLE 0

9:19 PM - Noticing a lot of overloads to one side of the field for Louisville's offense. Interesting.

9:20 PM - HUGE fourth-down conversion on a pass from Brohm-to-Barnidge for the Cards to get deep into Wake territory. Carmody FG follows.

LOUISVILLE 3, WAKE FOREST 3

9:31 PM - 6:31 left to go in the first half. I'm going to make a PREDICTION SURE TO GO WRONG. I predict that the next time Louisville has to punt out of deep in their own territory, they are going to fake the punt. Just a gut feeling.

9:35 PM - Trick play. Brohm with a wide receiver screen pass (backward) to Pat Carter, then Urrutia back across the field to Anthony Allen waiting in the end zone. TOUCHDOWN LOUISVILLE.

LOUISVILLE 10, WAKE FOREST 3

HALFTIME: Taylor Hicks and Gladys Knight do a pretty good performance. I went down to hang out with my 'wntourage' for the halftime show. They are all having a pretty good time. No doubt about that. The performance was okay. The lights and other things were more fun.

10:28 PM - Wake scores on a wide-open 30-yard pass play to tie things up. I'm starting to like my prediction a little.

LOUISVILLE 10, WAKE FOREST 10

10:39 PM - Wake's first big break on the game, which to me looked like Urrutia was down on the completion from Brohm. Second turnover for the Cards.

10:52 PM - I've got to be honest... Louisville and their fans are eerily quiet. I haven't had a good feeling about them since the first half. Wake looking good at times, but then having to punt, almost inexplicably.

10:57 PM - Fumble by Wake. This one looks like a fumble to me, but this booth has been wrong on every review thus far... seriously. But we are right this time as the ref "confirms the call on the field." HUGE CALL for Louisville as their defense has been "bailed out" on a couple occasions.

11:02 PM - Carmody misses a 35-yard FG attempt. Wake seems like they are getting a lot of pressure on every special teams play. Then Kenneth Moore breaks it open with a sick move that breaks the ankles of William Gay. Wake now driving. I'm telling you, it just doesn't feel right tonight for the Cards... at least not yet.

11:11 PM - Three plays into the fourth quarter, Swank adds three for the Demon Deacons to retake the lead. 14:46 left in the game.

WAKE FOREST 13, LOUISVILLE 10

11:19 PM - Louisville goes right down the field there and looks like the team that got them here for, arguably, the first time tonight. Hell of a golline run for Anthony Allen, who proves with this rush that he can gain two yards pretty much any time you need it... as long as he doesn't fumble.

LOUISVILLE 17, WAKE FOREST 13

11:26 PM - Great three-and-out for the Louisville defense. This drive right here for Louisville will make or break the game.

11:35 PM - Louisville driving for the game-winner basically. I'm heading downstairs to watch the rest of the game on the sidelines. Talk to you tomorrow from 11-1 live here in Miami.