This past weekend muddled the BCS picture-a picture that was already very cloudy.

None of the top four teams in last week's BCS poll remain in the same place this week. Nebraska, the fourth ranked team heading into the weekend, was blown out by Colorado and likely knocked itself out of the picture for the championship game this season, which will be held at the Rose Bowl. It had appeared that Nebraska would meet Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship game next weekend in Dallas, but the Big Red machine overlooked a Colorado team that had come close to beating them the past two seasons. With this loss, it looked like Nebraska had knocked itself out of the BCS bowl picture.

But another funny thing happened last weekend on the way to the Rose Bowl: Oklahoma lost as well. After hearing from many analysts over the course of the season that the Big 12 was emerging as the top conference in the country, its top two teams fell last weekend, essentially ruining their chance of putting a team in the national championship game. Oklahoma fell victim to Oklahoma State-rivalry games are almost always tougher than expected-ruining their chance of defending their national championship last year.

What this means now is not yet clear. Miami rose to the top spot in the BCS rankings, based largely upon their number one rankings in the coaches and AP polls and their big victories over ranked opponents like Syracuse and Washington. Florida also moved up to the number two spot in the poll. But each of these teams has difficult games remaining. Miami has to travel to Virginia Tech to take on the Hokies, which is a team to be reckoned with.

Additionally, if the temperature in Blacksburg drops into the 30s, as is expected, that will provide problems for Miami's high-powered offense. Nevertheless, I expect Miami to remain undefeated and take a spot in the national championship game. Florida still has two potentially difficult games remaining. This weekend, they match up with Tennessee, the number six team in the country, and if they are able to win they have to head to the SEC Championship game. If they fall to Tennessee, they have no hope of a Rose Bowl berth and Tennessee will greatly improve their chances of playing for a championship.

Other teams that still harbor hopes of a berth in the Rose Bowl include Texas, Oregon and BYU. Texas will have the best chance if they win the rest of their games. They are ranked third in the nation, and will play in the Big 12 Championship game against Colorado in their only remaining game. With a victory, they will guarantee themselves a spot in a BCS bowl at the worst. But Texas, just like everyone not ranked first or second, needs some help to get into the title game. Oregon is ranked fifth in the country and is the Pac 10 champion. They need losses by Florida, Texas and Tennessee to make the big game, so I don't think that they will be booking tickets for Pasadena any time soon. BYU is the most interesting case because, along with Miami, they are the only two undefeated teams in the country. Their schedule is very weak, leading them to a low ranking in the BCS, and they would need a string of upsets to occur for any chance of them advancing to the big game.

This season has been a big test for the BCS. This is the first week that its results have been in harmony with the coaches and AP poll results-the former determinants of the national champion-and since a number of top teams have one loss there will likely be a controversy whoever is selected. Claims of regional bias and impropriety will be heard once again this year, and it would behoove college football to make sure that there are no threats to secede from the BCS system like the Pac 10 threatened last season.

Peyton's problems

What has happened to Peyton Manning this season? After rising to the top of the quarterback heap in his short time in the NFL, he has come spiraling back to earth this season.

First, he hasn't had all of his options available this season. While his top receiver, Marvin Harrison, has been available and productive all season, he has been missing the services of Edgerrin James greatly. James is arguably the best all-around running back in the game today-Marshall Faulk is the only other running back that has the same skill set that James does-but he has been injured for much of the season. Opposing defenses have been able to focus on the passing game and Manning has had trouble adjusting to the added pressure in the secondary.

Additionally, Manning has been knocked around a bit this year. The Colts offensive line was never stellar in pass defense, but combined with Manning's quick release he was able to avoid sacks. By avoiding many of the big hits that send quarterbacks to the injured reserve, Manning was able to put up impressive numbers. This year he has been hit consistently in nearly every game. He is currently playing with a broken jaw, which has affected his results.

I expect that this is just a bump in the road for Manning. He is extremely gifted physically and his work ethic hasn't been questioned during his time in the league. I can think of no quarterback that has gone through a full career without any bumps in the road and Manning is just experiencing those right now. When the Colts get healthy again and the offensive line regains its old form, Manning will return to All-Pro status.

Boxing's black eye

Boxing continues to have problems in the mainstream sports scene, and these problems are all its own doing.

Recently, boxing had the opportunity to change much of what had been ailing the sport but as usual personal interests have come before the welfare of the sport as a whole. With the recent heavyweight title fight between Lennox Lewis and Hasim Rahman, boxing had a chance to showcase a fight that could potentially reinvigorate the sport. The two fighters represent very different career paths-one the battle-tested former champion and the other the unlikely newcomer that knocked out the champion to get the belt-and there was the opportunity for a great fight to ensue. Unfortunately, the fight was one-sided, but that is not the major issue at hand.

Boxing has always been a blue-collar sport. It has never been the upper class that sends off their sons to fight in the ring; it is the products of the streets that are searching for any way out that they can find that gravitate towards boxing. I know that I am being general here, but it is not often that a boxer has an upper-class background when he steps into the ring. The audience of boxing matches is typically blue-collar as well. But, unfortunately for the common fan, a prizefight has now been priced out of their range. Going to a fight can cost thousands of dollars, and even viewing a fight on TV runs around $50. For a fight that lasted only four rounds, $50 is an exorbitant price.

Another blow to boxing is the conduct of its fighters, both in and out of the ring. The travails of Mike Tyson are well known, but it was an incident this past weekend that really gave boxing a black eye.

After a bout in which Richard Grant out-pointed James Butler, Grant was viciously sucker-punched by Butler. Butler threw a bare-knuckle punch at Grant when Grant approached him for a post-fight handshake. Grant was knocked out, received a broken jaw and was sent to the hospital, while Butler was removed from the ring in handcuffs and will be charged with assault and battery. This fight was televised nationally on ESPN2, so it is certain that boxing will look bad.

Boxing was once a sport with a wide fan base and significant support within the sports world. That support has eroded and, now, the fans are leaving as well. Boxing needs to make some major changes if they wish to survive as a major professional sport.