BCS CUPCAKE EATERS

Page 2 singles out the biggest cupcake-chomping bullies in college football. Thomas Neumann
• Dangerous non-BCS teams
• Biggest upsets of the BCS era

SIMMONS: THE PATS' QB SITUATION

I forgot to include this theory in Tuesday's All-Brady mailbag. OK, so everyone thinks the '08 Patriots season rests in the hands of Matt Cassel. Wrong! Consider these four points:

1. During the Belichick-Brady Era, the team never worried about backup QBs because they were screwed if Brady went down. With Brady hitting his 30s this year, the logical move was to spend a middle draft pick on someone who could develop into a effective backup at a cheap price. That's exactly what they did in April with third-rounder Kevin O'Connell, a 6-foot-6, 23-year-old prospect from San Diego State with great stats whom everyone considered a sleeper.

2. The Patriots don't just waste third-rounders. That pick meant two things: "We like this kid" and "We like this kid more than Cassel." Best-case scenario for the O'Connell pick: He's so good they can flip him for a first-rounder down the road. Reasonable scenario: He's better than Cassel. Worst-case scenario: He's the same or worse. In two of those three scenarios, the Patriots win.

3. The Pats haven't gone out of their way to say, "We're in no rush to find another QB." That means they already have a plan in place, or else they would have been trying out the likes of Daunte Culpepper and Chris Simms. Hmmmmm.

4. Cassel's contract expires this season; O'Connell's contract expires in 2011. Wouldn't the Patriots want the kid who's under contract for the next four years to succeed more than the guy who's leaving? Doesn't it make the most sense to hold the fort with Cassel for a few weeks, then turn the team over to O'Connell as soon as he's ready?

My prediction: They sign an aging, nonthreatening backup (Vinny Testaverde?); Cassel treads water for a few weeks; and by Week 12 (possibly sooner), O'Connell will be starting for the Patriots. Just remember we had this conversation when you're claiming Cassel on your fantasy waiver wire instead of the likes of Eddie Royal and DeSean Jackson.
--Bill Simmons

102 COOL CHICAGO FACTS

It's been 102 years since the Cubs and White Sox made the postseason the same year. The Mag celebrates the possibility with 102 notes about Chicago baseball. Story

• A brief history of Shawne Merriman
• ESPN The Mag Daily