Thursday night's BCS title game between Florida and Oklahoma offers an excellent matchup, featuring two Heisman quarterbacks in Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford. But will the winner really be the national champion? When will the NCAA finally create a fair playoff system? At least four other teams deserved the number one seed just as much as Florida.

I’ve always been fascinated by ways in which college athletes deal with adversity. Some hit a low point and are mentally unable to turn things around. Others have the self-confidence to come off the floor and take their game to new levels. Those are the athletes who have what it takes to succeed on the professional level and are sought out by coaches. This year, no one displayed more perseverance and guts than Rutgers’ quarterback, Mike Teel.

The local high school star from Don Bosco Prep in North Jersey entered the 2008 college season as a fifth year senior. Despite the team’s success over the past few seasons – the greatest in Rutgers’ history -- Mike Teel was never perceived as a topnotch quarterback worthy of being noticed by NFL scouts.

After paying close attention to the New England Patriots' success this season, especially following QB Tom Brady's season-ending injury, many have begun to question his Superman status.

Entering the 2008 NFL season, Tom Brady was undoubtedly the best quarterback in the game. In fact, most experts predict that Brady will end his career as one of the top five quarterbacks of all time. And who can blame them? The guy has a resume that includes a 92.9 career passer rating, a 63% completion percentage, three Super Bowl rings, and an MVP season highlighted by a record-breaking 50 touchdown passes. But after witnessing the Patriots' success following Brady's season-ending injury, I've begun to question his Superman status.

Eli Manning decks the cards. (AP Photo/November 23, 2008)

Dare we dream??? We had the Subway Series back in 2000 with the Yankees and Mets. Can we have an all New York Super Bowl??? It's not unrealistic to start thinking about it. Yesterday the Jets dismantled the previously undefeated Tennessee Titans. The Giants kept on chugging as they took care of the Arizona Cardinals in the desert, handing them their first home loss. So how might things shape up?

Brett Favre topples the Titans. (AP Photo/November 24, 2008)

I'm usually one of those guys that says "give him another chance." Not this time. Adam "Pac-Man" Jones is up for re-instatement after his latest transgression. I say to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell: Throw him out! Let me first say that I am not a Cowboys fan. Nor am I a Redskins, Eagles, or Giants fan. I don't have a pony in the race! But I am sick and tired of hearing about this guy and his many run-ins with the law.

This SHOULD have been a great Monday for the NFL coming off Jets-Patriots, 'Boys-Skins, Giants-Ravens, the Titans still undefeated. Instead, we get another call by referees that totally boggles the mind

The Jets and their fans awoke this morning in first place in the AFC East because the man who was brought in to lead a good team and maybe make it a great one did so. Last night, Brett Favre was worth all the hype and hoopla.

So here we go...off to Foxborough and the game that will decide the top spot in the AFC East. Jets/Pats on WPIX...we have a jammed pack live preview. Cool! (Hey even we are fans of the game.)

There hasn't been a regular season game with this much hype since, well...the Cowboys and Giants two weeks ago. Ah, but THAT game didn't have WPIX' sales and advertising crew salivating profits. Big Blue and the 'Boys were on another station. Channel 11 DOES have the biggest game of THIS week, Jets-Patriots, Thursday night.

Brett Favre greets Dustin Keller after he scored a touchdown late in the second quarter. (David L. Pokress, Newsday Staff Photographer / November 9, 2008)

Thursday night on WPIX, check out the Jets as they battle the Patriots for first place in the AFC East. Our coverage starts at 7:30 with Countdown To Kickoff, a half hour pre game show with Sal Marchiano, Lolita Lopez, and Sports Radio 66 WFAN’s Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton. Kickoff is shortly after 8 pm. Carton getting TV air time? The half hour prior to be kickoff should be interesting.

You already know how important the game is for both teams, particularly Gang Green. No Jet will have greater scrutiny heaped upon him than QB Brett Favre.

When was the last time the Jets and Giants were this good at the same time? They’re a combined 14-4 after yesterday’s wins. Visions of February glory are everywhere. The last time our local teams were doing this well on the gridiron, they were better-15-3 in 1986.(Gang Green was 8-1, Big Blue 7-2) The Giants romped to 14-2 and their 1ST Super Bowl, while the Jets finished 10-6 and lost a hideous second round playoff game to the Cleveland Browns. But I say now-DON’T start planning those Jet Blue and Southwest excursions to Tampa just yet.

After watching the Jets eek out a 28-24 win against a downright awful Chiefs team, you have to wonder if Gang Green is a playoff contender or pretender. During a span of three games against the doormats of the NFL – Cincinnati, Oakland, and KC – the Jets played down to their competition. Clichéd as that may sound, there’s no denying this team has yet to show the killer instinct characteristic of ACTUAL playoff contenders.

Plaxico Burress heads to the bench after being called for offensive pass interference in the first half. (David L. Pokress, Newsday / October 19, 2008)

The New York Giants are a formidable 5-1, for the first time since 1993, after yesterday's sloppy win over the 49ers, but what may surprise you is where they are doing it. Last year, the Giants dominated on the road winning 7 out of 8 games. This year, Big Blue has split their two road games, with an embarrassing loss to the Browns last Sunday night and a win in St. Louis. The Giants are undefeated at the Meadowlands this year, however, and love the idea of winning in front of the home crowd. Eli Manning, Michael Johnson, and Coach Tom Coughlin break it down for us after the jump.

Taking a look at the Jets, to paraphrase Dennis Green-they are where we thought they’d be. The Jets are 3-2. You’d expect them to lose to San Diego and (or so we thought) New England. Now, the AFC East, and the conference itself, is wide open. Yesterday, a 26-14 win over the pesky but winless Cincinnati Bengals. With Carson Palmer out, Cincy’s backup Ryan Fitzpatrick is proving a Harvard education is great in most fields. Playing QB in the NFL is not one of them. Watch all the locker room interviews after the jump.

Last night I lived every football fans dream. Legends of the gridiron gathered at the Waldorf-Astoria to recognize the NFL's acceptance of the International Radio and Television Society Foundation's Gold Medal Award, and I had the incredible opportunity to accompany our sports anchor Sal Marchiano to the event. Brushing shoulders with the likes of Lynn Swann and Warren Sapp, there was so much Super Bowl bling, I needed sunglasses. In my role as producer, I shuttled Giant's greats like Frank Gifford, Ottis Anderson, and George Martin over to Sal for some one on one interviews. Video after the jump.

Itʼs never easy to predict the outcome of an NFL season after only one week, but a few teams usually break ahead of the pack. This year is different. There isnʼt a single team that seems likely to cruise through the regular season.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (left) is out for the rest of the season with a left knee injury that will require surgery, while Jets quarterback Brett Favre (right) led gang green to a 20-14 win over Miami in his debut for the New York team.

The preseason favorite New England Patriots suffered a major blow when Tom Brady went down in the very first quarter. Last yearʼs MVP will miss the entire season! Although they still have plenty of weapons, the Pats find themselves in a deep hole. Their best player is gone and their division rivals (the New York Jets) are looking to make a playoff run behind their new QB, Brett Favre. Read more after the jump.

After weeks of confusion, one thing’s sure: Brett Favre is no longer a Packer! Following hours of conversation between Favre and Coach Mike McCarthy, it was clear that the organization is determined to move on without the future hall of famer. It’s hard to imagine that the Packers will be a better team without Favre. But after all the recent mayhem, the relationship between Brett and the organization could never be the same. (Unless they won the Super Bowl.) So here’s the million dollar question: Who will Favre play for?

Right now it looks like a tossup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New York Jets. Both teams desperately need a solid quarterback and would benefit from adding the 17-year veteran. So which city’s a better fit? Tampa Bay would provide Favre playing conditions very different from those he’s accustomed to. That’s not to say he won’t perform in warm weather. He’s just really hard to beat when it’s cold. (Think New York in December). At the same time, New York isn’t the most media-friendly environment. But can things really get worse for Favre on that score? Read more after the jump.

It’s the first day of August and still nobody knows what’s ahead for Brett Favre. We fans have been driving ourselves crazy trying to figure out whether it’s Favre or the Packers organization that has caused this mess. But what really matters (for Favre and football) is the man’s legacy. Brett has been the face of the NFL for years. He’s won three MVP awards, a Superbowl, broken the all-time career touchdown record, and retired with his consecutive games started streak in tact. So what is there left to prove?

Last year Favre returned to the Packers with a simple goal: Prove that he was still a premiere NFL quarterback. And he did it by putting up Pro Bowl-worthy numbers and leading a young Packers team to the NFC Championship. At this point he has very little to gain and a lot to lose. Read more after the jump.

I know the Jets are trying to design themselves to win NOW, but I am all about looking for the best of both worlds. Do like the Patriots and Giants-building depth so that your good long term. If the Jets bring Favre here, that stunts Clemens’ and Ainge’s growth. You can rid yourself of Chad Pennington if you wish, but he is a proven leader - beloved in that Gang Green locker room. The Jets have to be sure Favre WANTS to be here. They have to know whether he is committed to one or two years. Mangini’s crew doesn’t need the circus that comes with Favre. Plus, are they going to give up a #1 pick-that’s what the Pack will ask for - for a guy who’s 39 years old? A guy who, charismatic as he is, makes as many big mistakes nowadays as he does big plays? This sounds bad to the media, but Brett and his gunslinging and personal issues made him a bit overhyped. Guess what his career record is in the playoffs: 12-10. Another Packer QB, Bart Starr, was 9-1 in the postseason-and that loss was the 1960 NFL Championship Game. Favre’s one Super Bowl win was 11 years ago. More after the jump.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell met with the press today, sharing with the media that former patriots employee Matt Walsh shed no light on any new allegations of “Spygate.” You remember last September, the Pats were found to be stealing defensive signals from the Jets. The Pats and coach Bill Belichick were fined a combined $750,000 and New England lost its first round draft pick.

Then along came Walsh, who claimed to have ‘evidence’ that the club had been doing this for a long time. Certainly Jets coach Eric Mangini MUST have known something-he was with the Pats for several years and joined Gang Green over “The Hoodie’s” objections. Mangini was one of those who alerted the league of the Pats’ misdeeds last September.

One thing I find comical: Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter was to talk to Walsh. Why? Seems that one of the other games in question was the January 2002 AFC Championship between the Pats and Steelers. Obviously, Specter feels the Steelers got a raw deal. BUT: Unlike baseball which needed congressional hearings to rid the sport of steroids because of incompetent commish Bud Selig and a too powerful players’ union, this as far as we know, involves one team-the Patriots. So let Goodell do his job. I’m sure Goodell will hear it from team owners if they’re not happy about the investigation. After all, time will tell if:

It looks like former Patriots’ video assistant Matt Walsh could become the Brian McNamee of football. Glauber’s reporting that the tapes Walsh turned over to the NFL included the Pats’ taping and (presumably) stealing offensive signals. One of the game tapes turned over: the AFC title game between the Pats and Steelers in 2002. Remember last September, coach Bill Belichick and the team were fined a total of $750,000 and lost a first round draft pick for taping the Jets’ defensive coaches in the season opener won by the Patriots at Giants Stadium. The NFL won’t make any kind of ‘official’ announcement till next week. But this could cause Belichick (rightly) his job. Commissioner Roger Goodell has a major problem here. Pats’ owner Robert Kraft was able to keep the commish from more discipline eight months ago. If Walsh’s tapes prove even more damning, Kraft will need to be a magician on par with Harry Houdini.

Newsday’s Bob Glauber and ESPN are reporting that the ‘Spygate’ scandal won’t be going away anytime soon.

I really hate the newspaper articles and talk shows that rate a team's NFL Draft. Why? Simple: You just don't know how a kid will develop. That holds true in any sport, but particularly in football. The pounding and stress of daily practices and game days is unlike any other sport. On paper, Vernon Gholston (Jets) and Kenny Phillips (Giants) look like they'll help the clubs. Maybe Darren McFadden and Mario Manningham can overcome checkered pasts and be NFL stars. But don't get excited till you see them on the field.

I'm not trying to diminish the importance of Draft Day. Picks from Big Blue's last 5 drafts (Ross, Webster, Boss, Tuck, Umenyiora & Bradshaw to name a few) made significant contributions to winning the Super Bowl back in February. Scouting is the lifeblood of consistent winning in the NFL.

But a bad draft is a GM's nightmare: Remember Roger Vick, Jets fans? Don't laugh Big Blue supporters. I was as thrilled as everybody else when Ron Dayne made his way to the Meadowlands. How'd that work out? Gang Green fans had visions of Johnnie Mitchell and Kyle Brady when the Jets traded up to get Dustin Keller from Purdue. But he could turn out to be their TE of the future. Jets fans, say so long to Chris Baker. Keep in mind, for every "diamond in the rough" like Tom Brady, there's a "can't miss" flop like Ryan Leaf.

Read more and watch Newsday's Bob Glauber make his Jets Draft picks after the jump.

So Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft apologized to the NFL for Spygate. Isn’t that precious? They PROMISE it won’t happen again. John Wilkes Booth made the same statement after shooting Abe Lincoln in Ford’s Theater-ensuring the safety of Mary Todd and the rest of the Lincoln clan.

The Hoodie made the point that the episode is now behind the Pats, and we won’t have to worry about anything more. That’s nice. Of course, a combined fine of $750 K and losing a draft pick had something to do with it. There should have been suspensions and possibly a forfeit-although the Jets had no real chance of winning that opening game last September. Ironically, New England gets a top ten pick anyway because of a trade with the 49ers.

Ok-the Pats are about as sincere about this as Rosie O’Donnell at Weight Watchers.

READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP...