T.O. no mo' in Philly

It's 3:30 p.m. on Monday and already there are way too many things to talk about. So let's jump right in.

TERRELL OWENS IS DONE FOR THE YEAR

My first thought is, "Hallelujah!" I could go on and on about this ongoing T.O. soap opera over the last two years, but I'll keep this short and sweet. It's about dang time! The Eagles' management should have cut ties with Owens during the offseason when he constantly complained about being underpaid.

From the time Philly acquired the cocky receiver, I thought they had made a mistake. When he made a miraculous comeback from a broken leg to play in last year's Super Bowl, I actually began to be blinded into thinking Owens was more than he really is -- which is simply an arrogant, selfish athlete.

Owens began to reestablish his true identity during the offseason, when he based his quarterback, Eagles consummate pro Donovan McNabb, and the front office for failing to reward him for his unselfish, heroic act of playing hurt. Instead of cutting ties with him immediately, they gave him another chance.

But Owens reverted back to the way he was in San Francisco. When the team is winning, everything is OK. However, if the team starts losing, Owens is the solution to the problem. He can't be part of the problem. If the team isn't winning, it's because T.O. isn't touching the ball enough. He's not getting enough chances to make big plays. McNabb isn't looking his way enough.

Well everything has finally come to a head. After being suspended against Washington last night, a game in which the Eagles lost 17-10, Philly said today that Owens is done for the year. He'll be suspended for three more games, for conduct detrimental to the team, and then be deactivated for the rest of the season. Good move -- one of just a few the Eagles have made all year, as they've struggled to a 4-4 record over the first half of the season.

So what's next? With the Eagles, who knows? Are they going to cut ties with T.O. or give yet another chance? I sure hope they are fed up with his antics and either try to trade him -- hey, I'm sure Baltimore is still in the market -- or just cut his sorry tail. Either way, if T.O. ever suits up for Philly again, I'll be very surprised and very disappointed.

After the game, McNabb said it was tough losing a player with Owens' talent but Philly might be better off because they can now concentrate on playing as a team. I hope the Eagles go 8-0 during the second and go on to win the Super Bowl -- just to prove to T.O. that he isn't the biggest thing the NFL and a team can win without him.

In other sports news around the country ...

Alabama has a lead about thisbig over Miami for the third spot in the BCS rankings, which were released earlier today. Granted, it most likely won't mean much of anything because USC and Texas will likely win out. However, if either team stumbles, we could be set up for an interesting debate. Miami is playing like one of the best -- if not the best -- teams in the country right now, but it would be hard to keep an undefeated 'Bama team out of the national title game in favor for a 1-loss Hurricane team. The 'Canes are ranked ahead of the Tide in the AP poll, but it's no longer a part of the BCS rankings. The question is will Miami be able to convince enough coaches that they are better than 'Bama? Of course, LSU could make this whole conversation moot when the Tigers travel into Tuscaloosa this weekend. But can Les Miles win a big game? That's a discussion we'll have later in the week.

The AP released its preseason basketball poll today, and the Duke Blue Devils are ranked No. 1. Perhaps more surprisingly, neither North Carolina nor Kansas are ranked.

In my opinion, Duke is clearly the best team in the country. JJ Redick and Shelden "The Landlord" Williams are both first-team All-Americans. Redick is the best pure shooter in the country and has improved in every aspect of his game every single year. Williams is simply the best post player in the nation.

The Devils also have a new Laettner-Hurley combination in true freshmen Josh McRoberts and Greg Paulus. McRoberts is a 6-10 forward who is a gifted scorer in the paint. Had he entered the NBA draft last year, he was a surefire lottery pick. Paulus, a 6-2 point guard, is the heir apparent to Redick as the Hated Dukie -- as pointed out by Luke Winn in this SI.com story Outside of those four, Duke has plenty of other talent in senior forward Lee Melchionni, who emerged last year as a sharpshooter off the bench, senior guard Sean Dockery, the latest in a line of tough perimeter defenders, sophomore David McClure and freshmen Martynas Pocius, Eric Boateng and Jamal Boykin.

However, it might be the emergence of sophomore wing Damarcus Nelson that separates Duke from the rest of the country. What Duke has normally lacked has been an explosive scorer. They had it when Jason Williams ran the point guard and the year Luol Deng played in Chapel Hill. With Redick draining 3's and Williams/McRoberts pounding in the post, the difference-maker may be Nelson's scoring ability. Undersized at 6-3, he is similar to Hassan Adams at Arizona in that he can play any of four positions. He is perhaps the best rebounding guard in the country and also has plenty of skill to run the point if necessary.

Roy Williams got the monkey off his back last year in leading UNC to the national title. However, this year is his toughest coaching job ever. Gone are three seniors and four underclassmen -- Marvin Williams, Raymond Felton, Sean May and Rashad McCants, all lottery selections. Roy must try to fit a puzzle together with little experience and considerably less talent than he had last season.

While Marvin Williams was perhaps the best player on last year's team as a freshman -- going No. 2 in the NBA draft attests to that -- he had the luxury of playing a supporting role on an experienced, super-talented team. Tyler Hansborough, on the other hand, does not.

Like Williams, the 6-9, 235-pound Hansborough is a multi-talented big man that can play on the perimeter or in the post. Unlike Williams, the Tar Heels need a double-double from Hansborough just about every night to be competitive. He'll play center for UNC this year and will need to pour in Sean May-like numbers every single game. Mike Copeland, Bobby Frasor, Marcus Ginyard and Danny Green -- the other four members of UNC's freshman class, a class Williams hopes is similar to to the May, McCants, Felton group -- will be called upon immediately to contribute.

David Noel, a 6-6 wing, is the Tar Heels' leading scorer returning -- and he was eighth on the team last year. He'll be needed to provide a power punch from the week, along with fellow senior Byron Sanders in the post. Reyshaw Terry will play some power forward, while Quentin Thomas will play on the perimeter.

But this team will center around the five freshman -- especially Hansborough. How quickly they mature and develop will determine how far -- or if -- the Heels go in the tournament.

That's about all the time I have right now. There may be another update tonight -- or maybe not. Until then, we'll see ya when we see ya next time!