If one were to mention the greatest players in golf history, no list would be complete without mentioning Bobby Jones, arguably the greatest golfer to compete on a national and international level.

On record, Jones is still the only player ever to win golf’s elusive Grand Slam, which is winning all four major championships in the same year. Jones represented the United States in the Walker Cup five times and won nine of ten matches. He also won two other tournaments against professionals: the 1927 Southern Open and the 1930 Southeastern Open.

Like most other great players, Jones started out as a child prodigy who, at the tender age of six, won his first children’s tournament. At age 14, he reached the third round of the U.S. Amateur Championship. He burst unto the national stage in 1923 when he won his first U.S. Open. From 1923 to 1930, he won 13 major golf championships out of the 20 that he joined. He is second only to Jack Nicklaus (20 wins) on the list of most major championships won. Jones is also the first player ever to win The Double, which is both the US Open and the British Open in the same year (1926).

Beyond the golf course, Jones was also an impressive figure and an exemplary athlete off it, known for being a class act and a paragon of sportsmanship and fair play. For these reasons, the United States Golf Association named its sportsmanship award as the Bob Jones Award.

During the sports-crazy Roaring Twenties, Jones was among the five giant sports icons that the public practically worshipped at the time. The others were baseball’s Babe Ruth, boxing’s Jack Dempsey, football’s Red Grange, and tennis player Bill Tilden.

Although Jones retired from golf at the relatively young age of 28, his success continued in his private life. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Harvard University where he was a member of the Owl Club. After only one year in law school at Emory University, he passed the bar exam and spent the rest of his life operating a successful Atlanta law practice.

Spring practices are in the books and fall camps will be here before you know it so that means getting an early jump on the 2006 NCAA football season. Knowing the teams now will save you time in August and Matt Fargo is here to help you get a grasp of what to expect this upcoming year. We go from worst to first in this 2006 College Football Preview.

#37 – Michigan St. Spartans 5-6 SU; 4-7 ATS

Fargo’s Take Michigan St. once again had a fine start to the season last year but faltered down the stretch and missed out on a bowl game for a second straight season. The Spartans have gone 1-3 in their final four games in each of the last five years and that includes all three seasons that head coach John L. Smith has been at the helm. That is a problem and another finish like that could ultimately be the finish of Smith. The Spartans offense was one of the best in the country last season, finishing 5th in total offense and 18th in scoring offense. The problem was with the defense as Michigan St. had trouble stopping anyone toward the end of the season. The Spartans have enough experience to get back to their winning ways and the end of the schedule works in their favor for once. They have won more than six games only once in the past six years so it will be up to Smith to give this team some confidence in November.

Returning Starters on Offense – 7 The potent Michigan St. attack has a chance to be even better this season as all of the main cogs to the unit return. Led by quarterback Drew Stanton, the Spartans averaged 33.8 ppg but it was that very same offense that faltered down the stretch. They scored 42 or more points in each of their first four games but managed that output only once in their final seven contests. Stanton has six of his top seven receivers back but only two of his offensive linemen return. The good news is that there is experience coming in at those vacant spots while the depth is also very solid. The biggest surprise came from freshman running back Javon Ringer, who led the team with 817 yards despite a nagging knee injury. He is back to full health and could be ready for a breakout season.

Returning Starters on Defense – 6 The defense has gotten worse in each of the last three seasons but that trend actually has a chance to reverse itself out. There are some playmakers coming back and all three units should show improvement. All three starters are back at linebacker and while the defensive line must replace three starters from last season, there is some solid depth for the front four. The secondary was a big liability last season but could actually turn into a strength if strong safety Nehemiah Warrick, a JUCO transfer, lives up to his potential that he showed in the spring. Two senior cornerbacks are also back there so the 85th ranking in passing defense is sure to improve. The defense was said to have the best spring since Smith arrived in East Lansing and it will have to carry that into the regular season.

Schedule The Spartans never have an easy schedule with Notre Dame always on the slate as well as rival Michigan never being absent as well. Michigan St. upset Notre Dame last season and gets the Irish at home this year. The other non-conference games are against Idaho and Eastern Michigan at home and a tough trip to Pittsburgh before hosting Notre Dame. The Big Ten schedule starts with a game against Illinois before facing Michigan and Ohio St. in back-to-back weeks, the former being on the road. Three of the final five games are on the road but none of them are impossible and all have a chance to be won. The road games are at Northwestern, Indiana and Penn St. with the game against the Nittany Lions being the biggest challenge.

You can bet on Smith got a bye after last season but another losing season will not be tolerated and if it occurs, he will be gone. It shouldn’t happen though as a lot of things are in the Spartans favor. The Big Ten is as tough as ever but with Iowa and Wisconsin off the schedule, Michigan St. has a chance to be a sleeper team in the conference. The Spartans are just 17-29-2 against the number since 2002 including a horrendous 4-11 ATS mark in non-conference action. They will be tested versus the spread in their first two games against Idaho and Eastern Michigan and avoiding the Spartans in both of those could be the way to go since they are just 4-11 ATS when laying double-digits at home.

As the NFL season opens this week, let’s get back to some basics when it comes to handicapping football: You win (and cover) with quarterbacks and defense. There’s really no truer adage in football. Betting lines take these factors into account, and you can understand why. The offense revolves around the play of the quarterback, the only player on offense who touches the ball every play.

Quarterbacks need touch and accurate, split-second decision making all the time to keep the offense moving. They also require leadership skills, clutch ability on third and fourth downs, and even are asked to call plays or change calls instantly at the line of scrimmage based on what they see the defense doing.

A quarterback needs to know the system thoroughly and the team needs confidence in his abilities. I bring this up after watching the Steelers top the Dolphins in the opener. The line movement on that game was incredible, with Pittsburgh opening as a 6-point home favorite in the summer and going down to a pick ‘em. The reason for the drop was the injury to QB Ben Roethlisberger.

However, this is where a good handicapper needs to use patience and intuitive abilities. While Big Ben is an important part of the Steelers, he’s not EVERYTHING. Pittsburgh is, first off, a running team. This is why I looked at backup QB Charlie Batch as being reliable. He’s not as good as Big Ben, but he knows the system and the team went 2-0 in 2 starts last season when Big Ben was hurt.

In my analysis before the game I wrote, “But is the loss of Roethlisberger really worth 6 whole points? No. He isn’t a quarterback that’s put into position to win the game, only to manage it. In fact, that’s the way all QBs play in this system. The Steelers have won 15 of their last 18 home games and they are completely undervalued by the public going into this game. In the past it was profitable to go against the Super Bowl winner in their opener but that’s simply not the case any longer. Those teams have gone 4-0-1 ATS the last 5 seasons. Miami is just 5-11 straight up on the road the last two years.”

I gave out the Steelers and started the season with a nice win and cover. That is where Part II comes in: Defense! Look at the history of the Super Bowl and you find teams with great defense usually winning it all. Those Bronco teams with John Elway were strong defensively, as were the Rams in 1999 (look it up, they were not all offense). Defense was the cornerstone of the Patriots three recent titles. The No. 1 defense of Tampa Bay rolled over the Raiders and their No. 1 offense, 48-21, in the Super Bowl (as a dog, no less), and the Steelers zone-blitz and aggressive defense keyed the way to their title in February. In fact, Roethlisberger played poorly in the Super Bowl, but their great defense kept them in it.

Pittsburgh’s defense was fired up Thursday as they topped the Dolphins, dominating the line of scrimmage and picking off two passes as Miami tried to rally. You can make a list of several teams that have a good quarterback play and no defense the last few years (Vikings, Rams, Titans, Chiefs), and teams that have had no quarterback but good defenses (Bears, Bucs, Redskins, Ravens).

But having both is a huge edge. Think about these things when examining September NFL games. Overall balance and good coaching are keys, but reliable quarterback play and strong defenses are at the top of the list of NFL success, straight up AND against the number!