Sunday Truth

BGT Rankings

Here they are, the best of the Big 12, the best nationwide, and the top work done.

Big 12: Texas A & M, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Texas.

Nationally: Florida, North Carolina, Ohio State and Texas A & M.

Best coaching jobs/Saturday: Roy Williams, North Carolina, with no Brandan Wright, destroyed Arizona; Stan Heath, Arkansas, who has now beat Alabama twice and LSU once. Mike Anderson, Missouri, for upsetting Texas Tech.

BGT Punches

Top thoughts on the Big 12 and nationally.

Big 12...Texas A & M has offensive holes but that defense keeps them in every game and makes them a wrestling match for any opponent. Early on, I thought they were overrated for that lack of "O" but that team is growing on me -- UCLA Southwest. Oklahoma is going to bite somebody it shouldn't before the season is over.

Red, White, & Blue...Arizona gets whipped by North Carolina. Close up shop. The Wildcats, with sweet talent, are pillow soft when it comes to meeting bullies on the playground.

Knight not happy

You can bet Bobby Knight is not happy with the success his former employer, Indiana, is having with Oklahoma coach-turned Hoosier Kelvin Sampson. Knight's replacement, Mike Davis had one run in him but was in over his head. Sampson, however, can both recruit and coach and it appears, from what we're seeing this season, that the Hoosiers could become a consistent Big-10 and national player again soon. Just watch the off-the-court issues, coach. Knight, meanwhile, revels in IU's bumbling since his ugly divorce from the school and you just have to know he doesn't respect Sampson, so add that up and you have some exciting dinner table talk at the Knight house.

Look at Lickliter

Butler coach Todd Lickliter is a name that has been talked about here in the past as an attractive candidate to become the next head coach. One of many. Here is an interesting part of his bio to consider.

"Mike Monserez said, "Coach Lickliter treats us with respect; he treats us like men." Guard Brandon Miller added that Lickliter "...is one of the smartest coaches I've ever been around." He replaced his former boss, Thad Matta, who left the Bulldogs after one season to become head coach at Xavier."

See it?

Look how the players feel respected and offer back that respect. Is that the current way of doin' business in Boulder? Look at the admiration for basketball knowledge. Look at who he coached under -- Matta, who just happens to be one of the hottest coaches in the land, as a recruiter and a winner.

Recruiting

More from my discussion with Bruce Feldman of ESPN.com on recruiting today. We discussed how, back in the early days, how Miami won without all the four and five-star players.

Was it willpower and hunger or coaching?

"I had this conversation with (former Canes' assistant and new coach) Randy Shannon a lot," Feldman said. "I asked him are they that much better at evaluating talent or developing it or is it a combination?

"I think it's everything," Feldman continued. "I think it really is a lot about the developing. There are more five-star guys, now more than ever, who flop. I think their heads get blown up. I think with Jimmy Clausen (hyped Notre Dame recruit), that's going to be a lot to overcome, with all that's been built up about him."

Recruiting, Part II

This is another reason coaches hate recruiting. Check this out -- the way business is done. They don't call them the Red Raiders for nothing.

"The Texas Tech Red Raiders have been busy raiding Big 12 rivals commitment lists over the past couple of weeks. It started by stealing Jerrod Gooch away from the Texas Longhorns. Then they picked up their biggest verbal to date by stealing Baylor's top commitment when they nabbed offensive lineman Lonnie Edwards away from the Bears. The Kansas State Wildcats also fell victim to the Raiders when they lost defensive end Tyrone Sonnier over the weekend," Jeremy Patterson of Scout.com wrote on FoxSports.com.

Love from the Big Red

You might not think it possible from what you read over on Netbuffs.com but here's the other side of Nebraska fans.

Price of success

Look, you want a football program that you can be proud of, it's gonna cost you. No whining. Either you want it or you don't and if you do, lips closed, eyes wide, be happy.

Rockies mix dumb with smart

O.K., Colorado knows it is overpaying, getting fleeced for Todd Helton's game anymore with his loss of engine power, as in his home-run and RBI numbers, but you just know and I mean you know that if Helton is dealt, and the word from Troy Renck of the Rocky Mountain News is the Rockies are talking about it with Boston, that general manager Dan O'Dowd is going to be the Red Sox' pigeon, especially if working against Theo Epstein.

Let's see, the rights to pitchers Spaceman Lee and Oil Can Boyd and a case of Sam Adams for Helton.

Can't wait to hear the spin on that one. No one in the Denver market, from college to pro, spins it as well as the Rockies' front office. They are like a political machine, speaking with confidence, believing what they say like all great con men, even when the track record shows contradictory results.

Here is someone who isn't in bed with the Rockies, speaking, well, the truth, hoping for Manny Ramirez to be included in a deal.

"Instead, those with Rox in their heads will trade Helton, agree to pay half his salary and accept a couple of nice players who might help a little in the new "Five-Year Plan, writes Woody Paige of the Denver Post.

"How long did it take the Red Sox to win a World Series? Please plant flowers on my grave when the Rockies get there."

If only Colorado wouldn't try to pass off every move as brilliant, either economically or baseball-wise, it would be easier to give them a pass but when it is arrogant in its' approach, it is imperative that people like Paige have a voice.

Give Helton one more shot at getting his power back and then, if that happens, make a decision. Let him play half a season in Colorado and then think about trading him. If he is healthier and he should be, his numbers will be up and contending teams will pay an appropriate price. If he remains stuck in second gear, trade him for spare parts, like the team is thinking of doing with Boston right now.

The high cost of love

So, did you see former Broncos' defensive back Tyrone "Chicken" Braxton agreed to a plea on drug possession and patronizing a prostitute?

Now, loved Braxton's ability to make the big play when not giving up one the other way but the man made an offer of $ 600 for sex. Now, yes, she was 21, so I guess the going rate for an old dude to get something young is high but paying for it + $ 600 = pitiful, worthy of getting benched as a man.

That's not an All-Pro move, that's rookie stuff. They should tape him to the goalposts, naked, for that one. No need to bankroll your sex life and end up with your name and face in the newspaper. Don't you remember the Michael Irvin and the "self-employed models and cocaine" story?

Come on now, where are your skills, TB? Let's get together and practice soon.