NFL Prospect Michael Sam Comes Out As First Openly Gay Player Heading Into NFL Draft

Michael Sam, an All-American defensive lineman from the University of Missouri, revealed over the weekend that he is openly gay. This creates the possibility he’ll be the first publicly known gay player drafted in the NFL, and the revelation has created quite the stir in the media. Sam said that he told his Missouri teammates in August about his sexual orientation, and the team certainly did not suffer any repercussions from it as the Tigers went 12-2  earning their first-ever SEC East championship and a No. 4 overall ranking — the highest ever at Missouri. Sam played a huge role on the team as he was a first-team All-American and earned the SEC’s top defensive player of the year award. Despite all of these accolades, it appears that Sam’s stock in the NFL is dropping due to his unsolidified defensive position at the next level. And with this recent announcement involving his personal life, it will be interesting to see the fate of Michael Sam as the NFL Draft approaches. 

The BCS Era Ends On A High Note: Recapping Its Final Games

The BCS bowl system went out on a high note this week after it suffered through much criticism and controversy in recent years. However, fans across the country were left pleased after a thrilling end to the final BCS Championship game as Florida St. completed an epic comeback to defeat Auburn. In its final week of existence,  all five BCS bowl games were undecided in the fourth quarter. The title game, Orange Bowl and Rose Bowl were decided by five points or fewer. As the BCS system will be replaced by a College-Football Playoff in 2014, let’s recap the classic games that took place within the past week as the BCS rode off into the sunset. 

Recapping One Of College Football’s Best Rivalry Weekend’s Ever

Well back to reality here on the Monday post-Thanksgiving break. If you watched any college football over the long weekend, you know that Rivalry Week did not disappoint and, frankly, was the best slate of games we’ve seen all year. The ending of the Auburn-Alabama game was one for the ages and created quite a stir in predicting potential BCS Championship match-ups. Let’s take a look at the AP Top 5 ranked teams this week and how they helped/hurt themselves over the weekend.

AP Top 5:

1. Florida St. (12-0): The Seminoles enjoyed a rather stress-free win over rival Florida over the weekend as they defeated the Gators 37-7. The victory moved them one step closer to competing for a National Championship come January. Florida St. improved to 12-0 for the first time since 1999 and will likely earn a spot in the BCS title game with a win over Duke on Saturday in the ACC Championship game. QB Jameis Winston had an impressive game throwing for 327 yards and 1 TD as he remains in the hunt to win the Heisman trophy.  FSU is fortunate they were able to coast to a victory over a Gators team that is in a down-year. The Seminoles are now in the driver’s seat BCS-wise and should be favored by at least a couple touchdowns to defeat Duke this weekend. Barring another miracle, expect to see Winston and Co. in the championship game.

2. Ohio St. (12-0): Ohio St. was able to escape from Michigan in a thrilling, back-and-forth affair that resulted in the Buckeyes narrowly winning by a 42-41 margin. At the very end of the 4th quarter, the Wolverines scored a TD and opted to go for the win rather than kicking the extra point to force OT. Needless to say, they did not convert the 2 point conversion and Ohio St. survived as QB Braxton Miller led the team with a career-high 5 TD’s. The Buckeyes will play Michigan State in the Big Ten title game next Saturday, needing to beat the Spartans to have any sort of chance of being in the BCS Championship game. Teams in the SEC with 1 loss such as Auburn and Alabama are getting more respect on the national scene, despite the fact Ohio St. is undefeated. This is due to the Buckeyes Big-10 conference schedule, which is nowhere near as grueling as that of an SEC team. This makes Saturday’s match-up with a very good Michigan St. team a must-win for Ohio St.

3. Auburn (11-1): This self-named “team of destiny” was able to beat No. 1 ranked Alabama 34-28 in a game that was an instant classic. Chris Davis of the Tigers was able to return Alabama’s missed FG 100 yards for a TD on the final play of the game as Auburn stunned Alabama and the rest of the country. Auburn clinched a spot in the SEC Championship game vs. Missouri with the win. This is an impressive feat considering this is a team that went 3-9 last season, but it seems QB Nick Marshall and the Tigers don’t know how to take no for an answer. If Auburn defeats Missouri this weekend, it will be hard to deny them a chance at playing for the BCS title game.

4. Alabama (11-1): Meanwhile, Alabama’s loss to Auburn denied them the shot to play for the National Championship as the Crimson Tide have grown accustomed to in recent years. Alabama’s fate is up in the air as they will have to see how the rest of the top 5 fare in this weekend’s championship games. This is still arguably the most talented team in football with QB AJ McCarron and head coach Nick Saban leading the way. Whoever they end up playing in their bowl game….watch out.

5. Missouri (11-1): Missouri won the SEC East title over the weekend as they beat Johnny Football and Texas A&M 28-21. The Tigers will face Auburn in the SEC Championship game this weekend. Missouri beat its fourth ranked opponent this season and reached 11 wins for the third time in school history. The Tigers are somewhat under the radar as FSU, Ohio St, Auburn, and Alabama are getting all of the national attention. People will be expecting Auburn to secure a win over Missouri as they are coming off one of their most important wins in school history, but the Tigers have the weapons to surprise some people and with a win on Saturday…they will have to be in the BCS title game discussion.