Today’s UF-UK tilt wasn’t really about winners and losers, as Florida re-established their credentials by crushing No. 4 LSU in their last game. It was about getting Tim Tebow back in the Heisman discussion. I’d say he made his point.

Tebow’s numbers weren’t great — 180 yards for 2 TDs in the air, 48 for 2 on the ground –but he took full control of the game, leading Florida to a 63-5 blowout of Kentucky. Jeffrey Demps, who was featured in this great NEW YORK TIMES piece, led all players in both rushing and receiving. The Gators face their last real test of the regular season next week at Georgia. Seriously, for an SEC squad, it’s a pretty soft schedule. We’re headed toward about 15 one-loss teams this year.

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Hey, remember when about two weeks ago I was spouting off some amazing reasoning on why the World Series would be Los Angeles and Boston for the sole purpose of perpetuating a great storyline? Well, here’s a better one: two under-the-radar teams are the only squads remaining on the World Series Doppler. Philly’s series tickets already have dry, dry ink, but the American League had a conclusion to reach that lasted, for some inexplicable reason, far, far beyond Game 5.

(With David Price throwing heat, hell, who needs opposable thumbs?)

The big reason the Rays won 3-1 on Sunday night was Matt Garza lasting seven strong, allowing one run and two hits. That also gave him the ALCS MVP, and a blank check to swear on TBS. Said Garza on LIVE UNCENSORED television, when asked what he’d take, the MVP or the World Series: “Sh*t, I’ll take the World Series every time!”

Other MVPs of the game: Price, who got the final four outs of the game for his first major league save ever; Willy Aybar, who provided the team with a solo home run and scored another; Evan Longoria, who gave the world an RBI double; and Jason Varitek for striking out three times and finishing the series with an .050 average. Could the captain catcher be moving elsewhere next year?

Let’s go with the surprise motif — heck, it’s gotten us this far. The Romo-free Cowboys shouldn’t be a team that the St. Louis Rams — the freakin’ Rams — should boss around. But sure enough, the trap game for America’s team turned into a full-out massacre in a 34-14 win for the Fightin’ Hasletts. You can thank Steven Jackson for 160 yards and three touchdowns, although if I were to draw a pie chart breaking down the amount of people elated with this result:

Now then. What else, you ask, is going on, besides 83 season previews of every NBA team?

• The JOURNAL SENTINEL’ BREWERS BLOG handicaps the next Brewers manager, and if you’re a fan of recycled torn-asunder skippers, then you’re in luck!
• The INDIANAPOLIS STAR watches one of the Colts’ worst losses in quite some time…
• … while STAMPEDE BLUE is torn between two ways on how to handle the loss.
• The HONOLULU ADVERTISER fires back at PETA for trying to get native son Shane Victorino off his Spam musubi diet.
• THE FAST AND THE FABULOUS has ten companies that should sponsor a Sprint Cup team. I would pay good money to see an MLS-sponsored car.
• Greg Oden has so many expectations on him this year, that writers for THE OREGONIAN will even apologize to his face when they say they haven’t been impressed so far.
• WAS WATCHING notes how the last home run in Yankee Stadium, a blast by the famous Jose Molina (!?), was expected to sell for at least $200,000, but had absolutely no bidders. Time to bury it under the new stadium, I guess.
• Journeyman hockey player Brad Isbister is on his 13th team in as many years, NY TIMES’ SLAPSHOT BLOG notes. His current team? Switzerland’s EV Zug. All right then.
• CINCY JUNGLE goes deep, deep, deep on the Bengals’ 0-7 start.
• Ball State Cardinals watch: They’re up to 20th, and all they had to do was not play a football game.

Given its context, the Ball State’ s 31-0 pasting of the Toledo Rockets hardly seemed that important - how big of a deal could beating a 1-4 team be. But after looking at today’s AP poll, you can see why the Cardinals’ win was so important: as the MUNCIE STAR PRESS notes, by staying undefeated, they were able to crack the Top 25 for the first time ever with a No. 25 ranking.

That news should make Ball State’s famous alumni happy, including David Letterman and…um, David Letterman. Actually, that’s not true: there are several other notable Cardinal alums, including Janet from Three’s Company and Jim Davis, creator of Garfield. News of the Cardinals’ cracking the Top 25 probably made him so giddy, that maybe we’ll see Jon Arbuckle talking to himself while wearing a Ball State sweater this week.

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It was a rough weekend for college football players, as three Division I-A players suffered frightening apparent spinal injuries on Saturday. Luckily, the prognosis for all three is relatively good, as they are each expected to recover well enough to live normal lives.

Dante Love was averaging 144 yards per game in 2008

The luckiest is South Florida linebacker Brouce Mompremier, whose injury was feared to be serious after he lay motionless on the field after a collision during the Bulls’ game with Florida International. But on Sunday it was revealed that he didn’t have any serious damage and may be able to return to the field in a matter of weeks. Ball State’s Dante Love and Washington State’s Gary Rogers weren’t so fortunate, though.

Video of Love’s injury after the jump.

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NO CANADA; BALL ST. RA’s STAYING PUT FOR BOWL GAME: The Ball State faithful are getting ready to take off for the Great White North for the Cardinals’ 4th-ever bowl game appearance. All except for the RAs:

The BALL STATE DAILY NEWS reports that the MAC school’s resident assistants won’t go bowling, because they’re not allowed to.The RAs are contractually obliged to be back on the Muncie, IN, campus on January 4th, in order to help students move back in on the following day. Unfortunately, January 5th is also the same day BSU will be in Toronto to face Rutgers in the International Bowl.

As Rutgers University’s DAILY TARGUM points out, Ball State has come out the loser in each of its three previous bowl appearances, the last coming in 1996’s Las Vegas Bowl with a defeat to Nevada.Maybe the Cards can win one for all those brave RAs left behind in the dorms.

• Now that Tampa Bay has rid themselves of the ‘Devil‘, the WASHINGTON POST reports the Rays are also hoping to ship Elijah Dukes to the Nationals:

• BLOOMBERG throws down the gavel, as ex-NFL commish Paul Tagliabue is heading back to his ol’ law firm.• THE WORLD OF ISAAC throws the flag at Joe Gibbs, whose end-game blunder led the Redskins to another loss.

• Now that Les will stay Miles away, the DETROIT FREE PRESS reports that Michigan is measuring the MAC, as the school appears interested in Ball State’s coach:

• Speaking of job openings, the LOS ANGELES TIMES looks over the short list of candidates who might wander into Westwood after Karl’s cutting.• NATION OF ISLAM SPORTSBLOG is happy to see Don Imus back on the air, especially with some new p.c. sidekicks.

• THE LONDON SUN has a message from the L.A. Galaxy to the English Premier League:

No, you can’t have David Beckham back:

Not yours.

• WE ARE THE POSTMEN finds classic video of Jose Canseco warning kids of the dangers of steroids.

• How ’bout them Cowboys getting petty? Not satisfied with Sunday’s win, GAME ON! reports that Dallas wants a sack recorded by the Giants’ Osi Umenyiora taken away:

• SPORTS HUB LA compares UCLA coach Karl Dorrell to Sean Penn, as both are Dead Men Walking.• The BOSTON HERALD knows Curt Schilling’s horse finally comes in, as the pitcher’s steed wins a race by 6 lengths.

• KISSING SUZY KOLBER takes a sneak peek at Will Leitch & Jamie Mottram entertaining the masses at the BlogWorld convention in Vegas:

• Speaking of Mr. Mottram, he’s looking for help with the Comcast television juggernaut known as Blog Show.• AWFUL ANNOUNCING learns Joe can’t let things go, as Theismann continues to criticize his former “Monday Night Football” co-worker, Tony Kornheiser.

• Hope Mr. & Mrs. Wie found a good deal: COLDWELL BANKER lists Stanford’s city of Palo Alto as the most expensive college town in America:

The cheapest? Muncie, IN - home to David Letterman’s alma mater, Ball State.• BIG TEN TAILGATE swings at the five iron(y) of strippers being used in a charity golf tournament benefiting a battered women’s shelter.

• What’s left after live blogging every sporting event known to man? SPORTS MEDIA JOURNAL has the answer: You live blog the highlights on SportsCenter!