Replays of the fall show one of the cheerleaders hitting the arm of another lifter, causing 20-year-old junior cheerleader Taylor Young to crash face-first onto the hardwood floor.  She would remain on the ground for several minutes and was eventually stretchered off the court and taken to a nearby hospital, but not before giving the fans a thumbs-up as they cheered her on during her departure.

Reports from Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis have since indicated that Taylor is “okay” and in stable condition, and we couldn’t be happier to hear that.

Get well soon Taylor, and we hope to see you back on the court cheering on the Spartans very soon.

Here is a look at the incident.

Update!  This image from Taylor’s father’s Facebook account makes it appear as though Taylor is fine and has left the hospital in good spirits.

Michigan State disappointed last week as they were on the wrong end of Notre Dame’s much-anticipated ‘breakout game.’  Thankfully, we had both Oklahoma and Stanford to cover in Saturday’s evening slate.  That resulted in us coming out on top for the second week in a row to open the season.  This week’s NCAA schedule has three match-ups between Top 25 teams.  We have predictions for two of them, as we see the favorites coming out on top in each of our picks for this week.

Here is a look at those favorites.

Game: #2 LSU @ #16 West Virginia
Pick: LSU -5.5
Reason: LSU will face yet another tough test as they take on their third ranked opponent in four games.  Their previous two saw them beat then-No.3 Oregon at a neutral field in the opening week, and No. 25-ranked Mississippi State last Thursday.  They will once again be faced with a tough task as they take on No. 16 West Virginia at Mountaineer Field.  WVU has a strong offense, but so did Oregon and Mississippi and we saw what happened to them.  There is no reason to believe that the same wont happen to the Mountaineers on Saturday.  Look for the Tigers’ defense to silence a raucous home crowd once again, and the return of wide receiver Russell Sheppard should help their offense do enough to get the win and the cover.

Game: Missouri @ #1 Oklahoma
Pick: Oklahoma -19.5
Reason: After beating UConn by 28 and Tulsa by 23, Oklahoma had their first real test of the 2011 season, and they passed it with flying colors, beating Florida State by a score of 23-13.  Besides a convincing 69-0 victory over Western Illinois, Missouri hasn’t looked too sharp, losing to Arizona State and beating Miami of Ohio by a score of 17-6.  The Sooners showed that in addition to having a potent offense with a few Heisman hopefuls, they also have a stout defense that is capable of stopping the best of them.  Missouri surely isn’t the best of them, and they will struggle mightily at Memorial Stadium on Saturday night, losing by more than three touchdowns.

Game: #11 Florida State at #21 Clemson
Pick: Clemson -2.5
Reason: With a 2.5-point spread, we are basically being asked who we believe will win this game.  Our answer to that question is Clemson.  Not only did the Seminoles get beat by Oklahoma last weekend, but they also suffered a barrage of injuries.  In addition to losing a few of their wide receivers, the Noles could also be without starting quarterback EJ Manuel, who sprained his non-throwing shoulder.  Clemson has covered the spread in five of the last six meetings between these two teams and they are coming off an impressive 38-24 come-from-behind victory over Auburn.  Look for them to keep the momentum going as they kick off their ACC schedule with a victory.

Last Week’s Record: (2-1), 2011 Record: (4-2)

With a solid defensive unit and Adrian Peterson penciled in at the running back position, the former Florida State quarterback will be set up with the opportunity to someday bring the Lombardi Trophy to Minnesota, but for now Vikings fans will have to settle for another trophy that Ponder is set to bring to their city – his girlfriend, Kacie McDonnell, from Villanova.

I was as shocked as anyone when I heard the Vikings had taken Ponder with the 12th overall pick yesterday.  We all knew they needed a quarterback, but I guess they figured with Ponder they would get that, and upgrade their sex appeal in the stands at the same time.

Kacie McDonnell should look great on FOX’s cameras while she watches her man line up under center for the purple and gold.  The images below should have you thinking the same thing.

This poor sucker who put $27,500 on the Florida State Seminoles at +7.5 against the Oklahoma Sooners can’t be happy.  Sure, he wasn’t the only one who thought FSU would be able to keep things within a touchdown and cover the spread, but we weren’t stupid enough to smash our mortgage on it.

Look at the bright side my friend.  There is always next week.  And if you are looking for some suggestions to help you win your money back, we will have our NCAA Football picks out later today.  Stay tuned

We would like to know, would you ever bet anywhere close to this amount or what is your craziest gambling story?

While most every state school has its share of talent due to enrollment alone, what we are looking for in this list is concentration of talent. I’m sure Amherst has some hot girls, but if you go to one of their football games, are you going to feel awash in a sea of hotties? Probably not. If you go to a Clemson home game, will you? Yeah, probably.

While Southern schools enjoy a well-deserved reputation for ruling the roost when it comes to girls, in an effort to keep this from turning into an SEC and ACC breakdown, I’ve decided to cast a slightly wider geographical net. So just because Utah made the list, there’s probably an SEC school out there with a stronger showing. Consider it affirmative action for schools not in the deep south.

If you have a problem with my picks, let me just say that I’m sure your alma mater had millions of crazy-hot girls and you, like, totally banged them all. So chill out.

9. BYU

It’s the whole “forbidden fruit” thing. We covet what we can’t have. But even these girls would get down with us, they would still be among the hottest fans in our fair nation. Mormons enjoy a disproportionately high percentage of hot girls. I don’t know the science behind it, but it is what it is. Maybe all those years of clean living and kindness wear themselves well on the BYU student body.

In addition to looks, the women of BYU also are among the most die hard college fans there are. BYU is a unique school and the students there take a tremendous amount of pride in it. And yeah, I think that girl’s hair is pretty weird too. But she’s still hot.

8. USC

The rumors are true. Despite being located plum in the ghetto, USC draws both preppy debs and beach girls, in addition to boasting ethnic diversity that guarantees that there will be something for men of all tastes.

And while loyalty may not be known to the pro teams of LA, the girls of Troy are die hard and can be found at LA Memorial Coliseum or a sports bar cheering on the cardinal and gold any Saturday USC plays.

7. Arizona

Now that we’re done celebrating the Confederacy, let’s go west. But not too far. About 500 miles east of the Pacific. Where sun-kissed blondes sprout like so many desert cacti. Again, we climate directly play into the aesthetics of the student body. Since the temperature can get up to 231 degrees Celsius in the summer, all the girls will be tan and all the girls will be dressed for heat. Both great things.

Probably the weakest fan base of all the universities on this list, but still relatively strong, provided they have football and basketball teams that are worth a damn. But, oh those tans….

6. Georgia

Georgia has a leg up on other schools in that their school colors make every girl wearing them look like a Arena Football League cheerleader. Well, the colors and their kickin’ bodies, but it’s been proven scientifically that girls look 31% sexier in black jerseys than in a jersey of any other color. Well, it hasn’t been proven, but it hasn’t been disproven either.

Apologies to the SEC and ACC schools that didn’t make the cut. You know how good you have it. You shouldn’t need my validation.

5. Arkansas

Never has the word “Hog” looked so majestic as it has when it’s stretched across a hot Razorback co-ed’s t-shirt. The Razorbacks are among the only four interesting things in Arkansas, so the entire student body (in addition to some talented townies) throw their weight behind their university every chance they get.

(In case you were wondering, the other three things interesting in Arkansas are: 1)Hot Springs; 2)….shit. There are only two interesting things in Arkansas. Three if you count Bill Clinton.)

4. Tennessee

Tennessee’s breed of hottie sports fan is most likely to wear a cowboy hat unironically, drinks slightly more whiskey than your typical SEC co-ed, and has a slight inferiority complex since Peyton left. An insane trifecta.

3. Ole Miss

I did my best to celebrate geographically disparate schools, but you just can’t rate the SEC highly enough when it comes to their female sports fans. First off, the Southeast US cranks out collegiate hotties the same way they crank out cotton, citrus, and peanuts. They’re beautiful. And beauty gets you halfway to this list.

To get all the way, you have to also be a FAN. Not someone who attends games, but someone who can’t tell you the scores of the last three rivalry matchups. Girls that treat the special teams coach like Justin Timberlake when he shows up in the cafeteria. It doesn’t hurt that weather and culture in the Southeast US dictates that Daisy Dukes, tank tops, and cowboy hats are not only tolerated but encouraged.

While these schools are certainly unique in many ways, their similarities seem to exceed their differences. They’re all state schools, which means they draw a fairly large sample size, the aforementioned weather is pretty homogenous, and football culture is instilled in the students while they’re still in the womb.

Ole Miss historically has been one of the lower-profile SEC schools, but just cause you don’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there. And these women are there. While the Southern tradition has bred tolerance when it comes to paying respect the “Colonel Reb”, it appears that even Southern traditions are progressing, as the student body recently voted to replace him with a more politically correct mascot. Although there are 18,000 schools, only 3,400 students voted.

Hot AND politically apathetic? Count me in.

2. Iowa

Breeding grounds for hot sports fans are determined by a few geographic factors. Is your school located South of the Mason-Dixon line? If so, you probably have smokin’ hot girls flying the school colors on fall Saturdays.

If you’re not located South of the Mason-Dixon line, your best bet is to be rural. The whole farmer’s daughter thing is a legitimate turn-on, and the more remote the school, the more students get behind their sports due to a lack of options. Both the state and campus of Iowa are nothing if not rural, so if you find yourself in Iowa City, take a look around and appreciate the free-range, corn-fed girls and be glad you’re not dealing with cooped-up coeds at a place like NYU or Temple.

1. Florida State

The Florida panhandle breeds hot women. That’s why strippers are Florida’s #2 export behind cocaine. The combination of Seminole football loyalty, stripper genes, and the warm Florida climate guarantees that every home game will look more like a PG-13 rated spring break more than it will a collegiate event. Which is a good thing.

For such a tumultuous off-season in college football, it doesn’t seem like much has changed. Realignment was supposed to decimate the Big 12 and concentrate the power even more. That didn’t happen. Rockstar quarterbacks from Oklahoma, Texas, and Florida all went pro, but they still all sit pretty in the preseason polls. USC is playing for fun this year, so they slipped a bit but still reside at #14.

Are we going to see many surprises in what is shaping up to be a routine season dominated by Ohio State, some SEC teams, Texas, and two wild cards that are now starting to get the benefit of the doubt (Boise St. and TCU)? Who knows? But if we do, you can bet the shake ups will be sparked by one of the following nine teams. Some are ranked high, some aren’t, but all have the ability to shake up what would otherwise be a painfully surprise-free season.

1. TCU
It’s fairly redundant to say that a team ranked in the Top 5 is “one to look out for”, but TCU has a luxury in this starting spot that many teams ranked similarly don’t have. With a weak schedule (only ranked opponent is #24 Oregon State), they have the ability to simply lie low for most of the season and hope that the powerhouses eat each other over the course of the season.

One of the biggest flaws of the BCS is that it tends to value an undefeated weak schedule over a tough-as-nails SEC schedule where teams might have a loss or two. The fact that TCU is starting off so high means that if they keep a low profile, they can rise to the top pretty quickly, which is probably their best chance at a championship, as these guys are still not capable of taking on the Floridas and Alabamas of the world just yet.

While they aren’t going to upset anyone on the field, the Horned Frogs could raise hell in the rankings later on in the season, creating a win-or-go-home scenario for teams with much harder schedules.

2. SMU
In June Jones’ second season he was able to take a team that was the unequivocal laughing stock of Division I football for the past twenty years and turn them into a bowl team. That took two years.What’s in store for year three?

Well, someone had enough faith in the Mustangs to “donate” a top-25 vote to them in the polls. While that might be a bit overzealous, it’s a strong indication that Jones’ 4 or 5-year plan to turn the team around is moving ahead of schedule. They are returning 18(!) of 22 starters from an 8-5 team. If you blink, you’ll miss it, but SMU is quickly jumping from the laughing stock of college football to a serious contender. Last year they turned a corner, this is the first year they get to prove they deserve to reclaim their throne in college football pantheon.

3. Washington Huskies
When the sportswriters are already saying that pro football teams will be tossing in the towel late in the season for the “Jake Locker Sweepstakes,” you can bet that his impact on the Huskies (and the rest of the Pac-10) this year will be profound. After dashing USC’s hopes in last year’s mid-season upset, it’s clear that Locker possesses the whole package. Couple that with the return of All-American receiver Jermaine Kearse, and the concerns about their spotty defense are mitigated. With a Pac-10 Rose Bowl birth up in the air due to USC’s timeout in the corner, expect these guys to make a serious run for the conference title.

Their offensive leadership and big game experience means that this team, hich went winless two years ago, could spell disaster for its myriad ranked opponents, including #14 USC, #8 Nebraska, #24 Oregon State, and #11 Oregon. With that strength of schedule, even a mediocre record achieved by the Huskies could cause fits for its competition in the Pac-10.

4. USC
Calling their end to the 2009 season a “whimper” is far too generous. The 2009 Trojans fell over hard. Their coach is gone, the program has lost scholarships and recruits, and their new coach seems to have all the integrity of a used-car salesman. Needless to say, 2010 expectations for this former(?) dynasty have been lowered. But have they been lowered too far?

Last years tug-of-war at quarterback between Matt Barkley and Aaron Corps is settled, with Corps packing his bags and going to Richmond. While Barkley didn’t have a banner year last year, he showed the poise and talent one would hope for in a freshman starter. He knows his team, and much of USC’s perennially star-studded recruiting class is left in place.

And the pressure is off. Which might be the biggest factor in USC’s success this season. They have nowhere to go this season. A bowl ban means that these guys exist solely to spoil it for the rest of the teams they play. A strangely enviable position, some might say. Toss in a weaker-than-usual schedule for the Trojans, and this team is in a very unique position to prove how dominant they still are, sanctions be damned. Though they will never get to contend with the best in January, they can still make some noise and let the college football world know that just because they aren’t bowl-eligible, that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

5. Florida State
While FSU is clearly in rebuilding mode after a lackluster season last year and the departure of Seminole fixture and head coach Bobby Bowden, they have the capacity to do some real damage just based on their strength of schedule alone. They’ve got four powerful teams on the docket with UNC, Oklahoma, Florida, and Miami.

Their performance against these teams can obviously upset the natural order of the rankings, but beyond that, it will demonstrate exactly how this regime change will deal with the constant murderer’s row of opponents that the team seems to schedule year after year.

Ok, that’s the schedule aspect. Beyond that, the team is pimping out QB Christian Ponder for the Heisman and all five O-lineman are returning for the third straight year. New head coach Jimbo Fisher has overhauled the Seminole’s strength and conditioning program, radically improving both the physiques and performances garnered from returning letterman and new recruits. Following a mediocre season and the biggest coaching change of the off season, this team can’t afford to do anything but look ahead and make the most of what they have before it goes away.

6. Houston
Seemingly every year, we see a team that has no business doing so putting up downright gaudy passing numbers and beating the hell out of their weak schedule. A while back, it was Fresno St. and Utah, more recently, Hawaii and Texas Tech have been the troublemakers. All signs point to Houston being the heir to that title this season.

Case Keenum resuscitates the position of QB at U of H (they had back-to-back Heisman’s with David Klingler and Andre Ware in the early 90′s) by making a run at a half-dozen major college football passing records. They have no ranked opponents, but could still grab a decent spot in the rankings by essentially playing backyard football with the team they do have.

7. Arkansas
Tenth in the NCAA in passing yards. Eighth in points scored. In the SEC. It’s little wonder that, with 6’ 7” QB Ryan Mallett and a crew of four receivers that all average over 16 yards per catch, these guys are being bandied about as the most formidable offense in the nation.

Coming into the season at #17, Arkansas will be forced by its SEC opponents to prove that its defense will be able to do justice to its offense. Nobody knows that better than first-year D-coordinator Todd Granthem, who has worked on developing both depth and a seamless rotation that allows the front three (Arkansas switched to a 3-4 this year) to keep their stamina late in the game against the gauntlet of SEC opponents.

If the plan comes together, look for Arkansas to make a showing on both sides of the ball that has them settling out a lot higher than #17 come December.

8. Auburn
With so many questions about Alabama’s defense and the hype around Ryan Mallett at Arkansas, Auburn has been flying under the radar in the SEC West. Which is probably a mistake.

Auburn landed a Top-5 national recruiting class this year and holds perhaps one of the biggest wild cards in the nation in QB Cam Newton. Newton was backup to Tim Tebow at Florida before getting kicked off the team for stealing laptops. After his penance at junior college, he’s back and is the crown jewel of Auburn’s offense. He’s been compared to JaMarcus Russell (don’t laugh, he used to be good at LSU) but with more speed and a better head for the game.

If this guy pans out to be as athletic and reformed as Auburn makes him out to be, both Arkansas and Alabama will be sweating as this #22 team rises up the charts.

9. Navy
In the weeks leading up to the season opener, college football analysts have been abuzz with praise for Ricky Dobbs, the Midshipmen’s Senior option quarterback who apparently has been blessed with the work ethic and character of a young Tim Tebow.

While the Navy and Air Force hang on to the option offense like grim death (Is it an armed forces thing?), even the skeptics think that Dobbs can make a splash in the much-maligned construct of an option offense.

While these guys don’t have the schedule to make much of an impact on the standings, last year’s nailbiter against Notre Dame is just a preview of the kind of drama and excitement that Navy is capable of with both their unconventional offense and their unconventional program. Teams like this are a testament to why the diversity of styles in college football can captivate in a manner that the homogeneity of the NFL can’t.

Now back to the story at hand.  What made (and continues to make) Sterger such a draw is her beautiful implants.  No need to beat around the bush.  That is why the news that she is getting rid of them is so shocking:

In an effort to reinvent myself, in a cut throat industry that was becoming more and more competitive the deeper I swam, I made the decision to go against the grain and remove my implants.

I’m not sure how getting rid of her implants will help her reinvent herself in a way that makes her relevant in today’s society, but it sure is going against the grain.  While personally I respect her for the decision, it seems like her motive is trying to stay relevant, and those implants were really the main thing keeping her in the public eye.  It is an unfortunate reflection of our society that this is the case, but it is a reality.  We’ll see how this reinvention helps her, but for now I think I speak for everyone when I say “they’ll be missed.”

Hat Tip – [DeadSpin] via [OfficiallyJenn]

Then the Florida State defense woke up and Christian Ponder took over the game. He drove FSU down the field and hit Taiwan Easterling for a 6-yard TD pass. Then after FSU got the ball back on their own 2 yard line, Ponder hit Rod Owens. Owens went the distance — 98 yards — for the score. It tied the record for longest pass play in FSU history. Suddenly it was UNC 24, FSU 20.

The teams traded field goals to start the 4th quarter with UNC hanging on to a 27-23 lead. And then Ponder went back to work. With about 7 minutes left in the game, Ponder drove the Seminoles 63 yards in 4 plays, capped by an 18-yard TD strike to Beau Reliford. Ball game. FSU 30, UNC 27.

Ponder threw for a career-high 395 yards and 3 touchdowns. He was 33-40 and had completions on his last 16 throws. His passer rating for the game was 190.2, he averaged almost 10 yards per pass and the completion percentage ended up to be 83. There can be no doubt — Christian Ponder gets The Stat Line of the Night for 10/22/09.

Brooks has been the anchor of the Bucs defense for the past decade.  He has defined the role of the “Tampa 2″ linebacker, a player who must be great at both stopping the run and dropping back into coverage.  On the field during his prime, his skills were unparalleled by any other linebacker in the league, but off the field is where he was at his best.

Derrick Brooks took time to help the children in Tampa Bay in many ways and is best known for starting the charitable organization called Brooks’ Bunch.  Through his charity work he tries to help under privileged children get a head start on life by illustrating the importance of literacy.  He would regularly take many of these kids on trips around the world, teaching them life skills along the way.  I could probably write a couple pages on all of the good he has done for his community, but I would like to talk a little about Warrick Dunn.

Dunn was also recently released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and much like Brooks his skills on the field were great, yet its his work off the field is what makes him an amazing person.  When Warrick was only 18 years old, his mother, a police officer, was killed in the line of duty.  This meant that Dunn had to help raise his younger brothers and sisters all by himself.  Mature beyond his years, Dunn put together a great collegiate career at Florida State and was eventually drafted by the Bucs.  After a brief stint with the Atlanta Falcons, Dunn found his way back to Tampa. Dunn was the classic overachiever, often considered too small for the NFL and in spite of that he managed to put together a fantastic career.

During his time in the NFL Dunn has given a lot back to various communities around the United States through the Warrick Dunn Foundation.  Dunn helps families put down payments on fully furnished houses, through his Homes for the Holidays Program.  Also, after Hurricane Katrina it was Dunn who made a plea to the players of the NFL to donate $5000 each to the relief effort.

Derrick Brooks and Warrick Dunn are two of the best role-models/athletes professional sports has ever seen.  Both are previous winners of the Walter Peyton Man of the Year Award, which is presented annually to players who give back to their communities.

I have always enjoyed watching them play and I will always respect them for their charity work.  Although, they both played for the Bucs, the entire NFL lost two great players.