The Adobe Flash Player is required to view this multimedia interactive. Get it here.

Commentary: Bengals will hit speed bump at Heinz

Report: OSU should create compliance office
10:17 p.m.
OSU women fall in close game to Illinois
10:12 p.m.
Blue-chip receiver considering OSU
2/9/12
RedHawks’ night ruined by rally
2/9/12
Sports in Brief
2/9/12
> More sports headlines

By Brian Kollars, Sports editor 7:37 PM Saturday, November 14, 2009

There’s a giant Christmas tree in downtown Dayton. I saw not one but two Vera Bradley catalogs in our mail the other day. Pretty soon they’ll be playing “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer” on the radio. At this rate, in a few years the holiday shopping season will last as long as the NASCAR Sprint Cup series.

Big game: While most of you are watching the Bengals and Steelers slug it out for first place in the AFC North, I’ll be in Minneapolis enjoying my annual trip to watch my favorite team since childhood — the Vikings.

I will not purchase a Brett Favre jersey, but I promise to politely clap when he completes a pass. I still don’t like the way he blew off training camp.

The Vikings are playing the Lions, so let’s just say they’ve got a shot. The Bengals? Not at Heinz Field. The good news: After falling to 6-3 in the Steel City, Cincinnati has three gimmes (on paper) before Marvin and the boys make their own trek to Minnesota in mid-December. Brrr.

MAC madness: Sometimes I think the Mid-American Conference would schedule a football game at 3 a.m. on top of Mount Rushmore if it thought TV cameras would show up.

The MAC’s desire to plug holes for ESPN has left a gaping hole in its schedule. In the month of November, the league plays only five Saturday football games.

This is called selling out. Sure, it’s nice to have your half-empty stadiums televised for thousands to see, but what about that Saturday game-day atmosphere? Let’s face it: Tailgating on Wednesdays doesn’t cut it.

Perfect 10: The Cincinnati Bearcats are 10-0, but their last two victories — both at home — have been by a combined five points. Still, if UC can knock off Illinois and Pittsburgh, there should be no argument if The Big Game features Tony Pike and/or Zach Collaros.

If UC gets left out, I hope the Bearcats get to match up against a team from a power league and not a fellow BCS buster. Let the upstarts divide and conquer.

Quick hits: UD’s sports teams are on a run almost as amazing as the kid who won the World Series of Poker. And I’m not even talking men’s basketball. ... Thank you for signing, Juwan Staten. If you had waited, I don’t know if my UD fanatic friends would’ve survived. ... Wonder what the OHSAA would say if we matched up Trotwood and Alter in Round 3 of the prep football playoffs.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2163 or bkollars@DaytonDailyNews.com.

Knucklehead of the Week

I don’t have a poster of Chad Ochocinco on my bedroom wall — Jill said it would clash with the Picasso — but I do get a chuckle out of his antics. Ocho’s latest look-at-me moment came last week when he tried to “bribe” an official with $1. NFL commish Roger Goodell and his henchmen were not amused. They fined our fun-loving Bengal $20,000. Huh? To put that into perspective, Ray Lewis was fined 25K for nearly decapitating Eight-Five a few weeks back.

Share this article