| Stewart Mandel: LSU, Alabama prep for rematch amid widening national divide and Can Tigers, Tide score points? Here's how |
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NEW ORLEANS -- You and all the other talking/writing heads in the land can come up with any reason you want for us to watch the big BCS game on the 9th. I assure you I won't be watching. Hopefully, legions of fans follow suit. -- E-mail from John Hauge in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.It's a matchup the entire country couldn't wait to see two months ago, but now angers many. It's two teams playing a physical brand of football most of the nation grew up watching, but suddenly seems boring in the era of 4,000-yard passers and 40-second scoring drives.Most divisively, it's a rematch between two teams from the same division of the same conference, a scenario that's managed to up the ante for national grumbling in a system already synonymous with outrage.But to anyone offended by SEC rivals LSU and Alabama playing for a second time this season in Monday night's BCS National Championship Game, an admittedly partisan Mike Slive offers this simple retort. [Read the full article] KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The Kansas City Chiefs made Romeo Crennel the permanent head coach on Monday after he led the floundering team to a pair of wins late in the season.Crennel had been the interim coach and the leading candidate to replace Todd Haley, who was fired last month. He was scheduled to be introduced at an afternoon news conference."We are very excited to name Romeo the new head coach of the Chiefs," Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt said in a prepared statement. "In 30 years as a coach in the National Football League, Romeo has established an outstanding track record of success, and we believe his experience and proven ability make him the best person to help us reach our goal of consistently competing for championships."The former head coach of the Cleveland Browns, Crennel had been serving as defensive coordinator when general manager Scott Pioli made him the interim coach. [Read the full article] SI.com has learned that last Friday the NCAA denied O'Brien's latest appeal for a waiver that would have allowed him to play in games for the Blazers immediately. O'Brien's appeal became necessary because his former school, Saint Joseph's, declined to grant him his release after O'Brien transferred to UAB over the summer.Saint Joseph's and its coach, Phil Martelli, have declined to comment on their reasons for refusing to grant O'Brien his release. O'Brien claims that Martelli made the decision because the coach is angry at him for electing to transfer.The NCAA denied O'Brien's first appeal last fall, citing deference to the institution's decision. O'Brien re-submitted his appeal early last week so he could introduce into evidence his first semester grades and completed internship in his graduate course of study. [Read the full article] 
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