ESPN's Talking Heads

   "What did he just say," I yelled from across the room. "Did he just say Arkansas is going to beat USC?" My brother shook his head in utter disbelief. Silence filled the living room, which is quite the feat considering it's opening weekend for college football. "USC is going to lose to Arkansas?" I mulled this statement over for a good five seconds and proceeded to yell, "What is he talking about," combined with a carefully placed expletive or two. I’m sure you’re wondering where this statement came from. Did it come from your drunken neighbor? No! Did it come from the athletic director at Arkansas? No! It came from the “so-called” NCAA Football expert at ESPN, Lou Holtz.

  I’m sure Lou Holtz could school me on the subject of Football strategy until the day Arkansas comes within 20 points of USC in a football game. Unfortunately for the millions of viewers listening to ESPN last Saturday, he didn’t. I respect the majority of analysts ESPN chooses to employ, minus Michael Irvin. Their perspectives and observations are invaluable to true sports fans. In fact nothing gives me a stronger feeling of nostalgia than listening to Steve Young breakdown a quarterback’s performance. The one thing I don’t want to hear is Steve Young tell me the 49ers are going to win the NFC West this year. First of all I like to think Steve Young checks his allegiances at the door, and secondly I like to think that his multiple concussions didn’t knock all the common sense out of him. Lou Holtz has no concussion excuse, although if he did that would explain a lot about his last few years of coaching. Lou Holtz has seen it all from amazing come from behind wins to sixty point drubbings. Which is why I can’t figure out what Lou Holtz was thinking on Saturday when he said there’s no way USC was going into Fayetteville and coming out with a “W.” Not only did USC come away with a “W” they humiliated Arkansas for a second straight year.