Don't forget, I'll be continuing the Top 25 of 2007 countdown this week with No. 23 through 20. However, I'd like to close the evening with a little something I call Word on the Street.

Big Brother Returns Early!

Word on the street has it that the WGA strike has caused CBS executives to begin casting for Big Brother 9 right now, as in last week. As in tomorrow. As in immediately.

Allison Grodner and company are feverishly looking for a BB9 cast in anticipation that the next edition of CBS' hit summertime reality show might come back as early as February. Given that my life is so Idol-centric from January to May, I might as well write my 2008 goodbye letter to you all now.

Dear Friends,


I have decided to take leave of you in exchange for three months of reality show bliss, cultivating my addiction to watching bitchy strangers live in a house with cameras everywhere in a quest for $500,000.


Combined with my annual five months of bad auditions, kitschy guests and "shocking results" from American Idol, I might not see many of you again. In fact, I might very well need some of you to check in on me from time to time, just to ensure that I haven't suffered a live-feed induced Big Brother stroke.


Godspeed, one and all.

As if Big Brother 8 were like years gone by, here's a little reminder of how good this past season was. This is perhaps the reality show video clip of 2007. Brilliant.

Don't Count On Sam

Word on the street has it that there is no way Sam Bradford plays this week for OU.

Yes, the Sooners starting quarterback took some snaps in practice on Monday. However, most people watching the tube don't realize just how bad Bradford was concussed. It would be irresponsible to bring him back without multiple medical opinions clearing the kid to play.

Look for Oklahoma to break out Kid Nichol this week. The Michigan freshman, Keith Nichol, will get his chance to shine and will likely alternate time with Joey Halzle, who was not nearly as bad as everybody made him out to be. No, he wasn't nearly as good as Bradford, but it's not like Halzle was 0 for 41. He still threw for almost 300 yards. No, his passes weren't pretty, and those that were off were way off. However, I still blame coaching strategy all year long for not getting Halzle more snaps in blowout wins and for not lining up and running the ball.

I said it to a colleague today, and I believe it even more the more I think about it. Oklahoma would have gone 6-6 in the SEC this year at best. The Big 12 is having a good year at the top; however, from top to bottom, it's still a second-tier conference. Average SEC teams would have given the Sooners major problems this year, and the Sooners might have lost virtually every road game they would have played in that league.

Things are so down right now that I'm leaning heavily toward picking OSU to beat the Sooners this Saturday. Without Bradford or DeMarco Murray and with the same type of play calling that cost us wins in Lubbock and Boulder, we'll be lucky to score 20 on the Pokes, and I assure you Oklahoma State's passing attack can put up 21.