***Football Picks Below***

I've gone to two UCLA home basketball games this year.  I went to the first game in which my Bruins trailed to NAIA Concordia the entire game before winning by 1 at the end and I went to the Pepperdine game a few nights ago where the Bruins played solidly and won by 19.  I've written before that as a UCLA fan under Ben Howland, we're not going to win a championship because he doesn't get the guys rated number one or number two in the country, likely because he doesn't want to deal with them only to lose them after one year.  After watching the Bruins get spanked by Florida and then Memphis a few years ago, it bothered me to no end that we didn't have a Derrick Rose on our team.  Now, as I watch what has transpired in a sport that I grew up with, I am more than glad to be a Bruin fan and alum.

College basketball hasn't been an amateur sport since CBS started making money off of the Wooden era Bruins.  The players may not be getting paid, but executives and universities are reaping rewards in the millions and billions at times.  I've said for a while now that I believe that college basketball and football players deserve to get paid for all of the revenue they produce.  That will never happen because of Title IX, but to argue that they shouldn't to me is just plain wrong.  Additionally, I don't blame players for a second when they turn pro after finding out that they're locks for the lottery.  Why risk millions of dollars to play for free and risk injury.  College isn't going anywhere.  If education is truly important to the players they can always matriculate during the off season and after their careers are over.  It does happen.  The thing is, I'm not buying into the farce that is "student-athlete" nowadays.  Players may have received college degrees and attended class in the 60's, 70's, and 80's, but those times are gone.  We're in the Matt Leinart Ballroom Dancing era.  The people on the lacrosse team may go to school but millions of dollars don't await them.  They're not selling jerseys and contributing to billion dollar television contracts.  They may be student athletes but Derrick Rose wasn't.  O.J. Mayo wasn't. 

How many players in the NBA Draft graduate college?  For every Tim Duncan and Tyler Hansbrough there are a thousand Kevin Loves.  Which brings me to my point, my UCLA Bruins.  I've been going to Pauley Pavilion since I was old enough to walk.  I loved Tracy Murray, Don McLean, the O'Bannons, and everyone up to Kapono, Gadzuric, Collison, and now Malcolm Lee and Michael Roll.  I started noticing a few years ago, that I don't go to senior day early anymore because the only seniors we have are our 11th and 12th men if they happen to be seniors.  UCLA may pride itself on academic integrity but that hasn't extended to the basketball court in recent years.  Coach Wooden may not be coming to as many games anymore because he's 99 years old, but something doesn't seem right about Coach Wooden cheering on a team of one and dones.  Read his book and I promise you he wouldn't approve.  But he would approve of this team.  I watched the first game of the season in agony.  I watched us lose to Cal State Fullerton and was sick.  But this team has already made strides since then.  It may not make a Sweet 16 this season but if Drew Gordon, Malcolm Lee, and Jerime Anderson stay together for three more years, it could be a Final Four team when they're seniors.  And that's how it should be.  I'm watching Michael Roll lead a team as a senior when he was little more than a quiet three-point shooter last year.  He's matured. 

Remember in Blue Chips when Nick Nolte quits at the end?  Remember how he said that his best job coaching wasn't the upset win over Indiana but the season before when the team was under .500 because he got everything he could out of that team and it played hard every night?  That's how the college game is now.  Nobody appreciates that.  If you want to win titles you have to get the Blue Chips and in order to get them you have to break some rules.  Nobody appreciates a team representing its school for four years and pulling it together in the end?  Well I do.  Coach Howland, I'm signing up.  You want to recruit players with grit who will stay for four years, graduate, and compete every night then I'm right there with you.  I'll be along for the ride, 8-clapping every chance I get.  I'll get there early on Senior Day and watch our stars honored alongside the guys who ride the pine.  We didn't win titles when I was little and I still loved my Bruins.  UCLA will always compete in basketball because of its history.  I don't want that spoiled by having O.J. Mayo and Derrick Rose scandals.

People wonder why I don't support the football team as much?  Google Rick Neuheisel, Washington, arrest, players and see what comes up.  It's going to take some time before I buy into the redemption story.  College basketball and football are big business but let's not forget that these are kids at the center of it all.  They're not amateurs, but they're not true professionals, yet.

WEEK 12 PICKS

Green Bay -11.5 at Detroit
Oakland +13.5 at Dallas
Denver +5.5 vs. New York Giants
Indianapolis -3.5 at Houston
Cincinnati -14 vs. Cleveland
Washington +9 at Philadelphia
Miami -3 at Buffalo
Seattle -3 at St. Louis
Atlanta -12 vs. Tampa Bay
Carolina +3 at New York Jets
Jacksonville +3 at San Francisco
San Diego -13.5 vs. Kansas City
Chicago +11 at Minnesota
Tennessee -3 vs. Arizona
Baltimore -1 vs. Pittsburgh
New Orleans -1.5 vs. New England

Last Week:  11-5
Season:       93-66-1