Wahoo Wire

What’s more embarrassing than two college coaches – one football, one basketball – who have brought national attention to their programs through NCAA rule violations and dealings so shady that a used car dealer would frown upon them? No, it’s not a riddle. The answer is below in the form of Wahoo Wire’s Chump of the Week. As for the weekly Champ, a ton of individual performances stood out in college and professional football. So many game-winning drives and multiple-touchdown performances highlighted the weekend that we had to roll some of them into one entity to make the choice easier. Let’s get to it:

Champ: ACC Offenses

Eleven ACC teams played last Saturday. Eight scored in the forties. For a conference maligned for its supposedly sub-par play – especially for its anemic offenses – last weekend marked a step forward in terms of national esteem. Several individual performances stood out. Thad Lewis threw for five touchdown passes in Duke’s road win (yes, you read correctly), while Riley Skinner posted four in Wake Forest’s victory. The two QBs in the Georgia Tech vs. Florida State game, Josh Nesbitt and Christian Ponder, combined for 647 total yards and nine touchdowns. And, of course, Mikell Simpson tallied four scores before leaving due to injury against Indiana. All this offense finally lent a little credence to a league that many consider undeserving of a spot in the BCS. Of course, maybe the defenses are just worse than previously suspected…

Courtesy of tarheelfanatics.com

Honorable Mention: Cliff Lee, Miles Austin, A-Rod, Miami’s “Wildcat”

Chump: MLB Umpires

It’s true that referees in any sport have about as difficult a job as you can imagine: worlds of pressure, constant scrutiny and blame, and no credit for a job well done. It’s also true that you can’t spell “Chump” without “ump.” The AL blues missed an easy call on a would-be Joe Mauer double at a crucial juncture in game two of the Twins-Yankees series, potentially costing the Twins a run in an extra-inning game. Then, the NL counterparts missed two calls on the same play: the Chase Utley infield base hit that spurred a ninth-inning Philadelphia rally in game three. First, the home plate ump missed the ball hitting Utley’s leg after contact, which should have made it a foul ball. Then, the first base umpire misfired with a safe call, despite replays showing Todd Helton beat Utley to the bag. While I’m certainly not usually one to gang up on referees, with all due respect, we’re talking about the playoffs here. Umpires need to get the calls right, especially the easy ones. They blew two gimmes last weekend that cost teams that eventually lost their series.

Courtesy delawareonline.com

Honorable Mention: Mike Locksley, Matt Holliday, Steven Jackson (basketball version), Kevin Broadus