The Weak Ender

Did you know that you can rent your own USC Song Girl or UCLA cheerleader? Yes, that is without the cover charge. Our boys over at Rumors and Rants break down the tail of the tape. Link.

The Bruins cheerleaders have been vastly overrated for years. But have recently moved ahead of the Song Girls. And speaking of overrated, Ohio State is coming to the Coliseum on Saturday. (Did you think you were going to escape some Big Ten bashing?)

What's baffling is that the Trojans are only favored by 10.5, and the over/under is at 45. What, is that what they are expecting USC to score? You people have seen the recent Rose Bowls right? USC might have trouble against some lower-level Pac 10 teams, but they don't have trouble whooping up on the Big Ten. We'll see if this year's any different, but look for the Trojans to win this one by 30.

• The big game, however, is UCLA vs. BYU. The Bruins looked pretty good in their rally over one of the softies from the SEC, but now they have to face the mighty Mountain West. If UCLA wins this game, they are for real.

• Big props, however, go to Wisconsin. A team that isn't afraid to travel. The Badgers played at UNLV last year and now they will play at Fresno State. Easily one of the biggest home games in school history. Wisconsin deserves a lot of credit for spreading the love. Plus, it gets them out of Wisconsin, so it's a bonus. Fresno State has long been one of those teams that can pull off a shocker over a BCS school. Don't be surprised if they do it again. If they could combine a win over Wisconsin, along with the College World Series title, that's a nice calendar year.

• UNLV's schedule continues to get tougher. They play at Arizona State this weekend.

Let's move on to the pros.

Vince Young is having a hard time adjusting to the rigors of the NFL, while trying to keep it real. And people are surprised about this? There is a reason he scored a 6 on the Wonderlic test. The Titans have nobody to blame but themselves. And hell, they might be better off in the long run with Chris Simms.

The Titans are 1-0, though, and some teams don't have that luxury. There are a number of title contenders who started on the wrong foot in Week 1, who must avoid 0-2 this week. Of course, 0-2 doesn't carry the stigma that it once did. The Cowboys in 1993 and more recently the Patriots have rebounded from 0-2 starts to make the playoffs. (There might be one that I missed.) Here's a look at some of those teams who need to win this week.

• Cleveland. The Browns figured to have a tough start with the Cowboys and Steelers right out of the gate. But if they start 0-2 at home, they might not make the playoffs.

• San Diego. The Chargers have the luxury of playing in the AFC West. Denver obviously isn't as good as they looked against the Raiders, but a win over San Diego would mean something. Is this the slide the Chargers were supposed to have when they first hired Norv Turner?

• Indianapolis. The Colts grip on the AFC South has slipped in recent years. If they can't win at Minnesota, they have a tough game against Jacksonville to avoid 0-3.

• Tampa Bay. Jon Gruden loves quarterbacks. Just not Jeff Garcia, evidentially. The Bucs are going with Brian Griese this week. And you know, he's not as bad as you would think. Seriously.
  

• Detroit. Just kidding, just seeing if you are paying attention.

There is one common theme in the NFL, the desperate teams always seem to find a way to win. At least the good ones. Oakland has been desperate for a number of years. However, don't be surprised to see these four teams win on Sunday. Cleveland being the long shot.

AND FINALLY
America took time to remember those who died during the terrorist attacks of 9/11. And some talking head had the audacity to say that 9/11 is starting to slip the minds of most Americans. Really, where?

Because what really is starting to slip the minds of Americans is other major events in our history that seem to go unnoticed. Each year, anniversaries of the Oklahoma City bombing, Pearl Harbor, D-Day, etc., seem to go unnoticed.

D-Day is especially troubling. Imagine being in the prime of your life, 18-25 years old, and being sent to take a beach where you will most likely die. Thankfully, those men have been given some recognition, thanks to Saving Private Ryan.

While 9/11 was a horrible tragedy, it seems magnified because it was New York. Did anybody mourn the passing of those who died in the Pentagon? Flight 93? (Again, another event that has been able to stay in our minds because of a movie.)

And then there are those who have signed up to sacrifice their lives for this country. I get it, a bunch of people who died just going to work on a Tuesday morning is tragic. But we are doing a disservice to those who have fought and died for us in our past when do take time to properly honor them. As one guy wrote yesterday, there's nothing wrong with running your fingers over your scars. America should just remember that we have a few them.