THE BIG SPORTS WEEKEND

Saturday, September 2 - COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Notre Dame at Georgia Tech

I really respect college football programs that begin their season with a tough non-conference game. While it's tempting to grab an easy win against a cream puff, it's not a wise stratgey anymore in the ultra-competitve fight for a BCS spot. A game such as tonight's Notre Dame - Georgia Tech meeting gives those teams a good chance for national championship credibility. Also, this is the only game for which a team literally has unlimited preparation time. Why not use that advantage in facing a really good team rather than the traditional game against Southeastern Montana State?

Coach Charlie Weis turned around the fortunes of Notre Dame in 2005 by capitalizing on offensive talent like QB Brady Quinn, RB Darius Walker, and WR Jeff Samardzija. All three return this year and should be even better in this pro-style offense. The Fighting Irish hope to beat all-comers in 2006 by putting up a ton of points. On the other hand, coach Chan Gailey has disappointed Yellow Jacket fans since he arrived. Senior QB Reggie Ball is now a 4th year starter and seemingly always underachieves despite having talent. Look for Ball to try to connect with stud WR Calvin Johnson .

My pick: Georgia Tech. This is one of those upset in-the-making games. I think the experts might be overrating ND. And GT began its season last year by stunning reigning SEC champ Auburn.

Sunday, September 3 - AUTO RACING: Sony HD 500

This is the race that used to be called the Southern 500. It used to bear the sponsored name of the preferred drink of rednecks, Mountain Dew. It used to be run at the famous Darlington Speedway in South Carolina. It used to be an afternoon race held in the sweltering southern summer heat that tested the endurance of drivers and fans alike. But that was your daddy's NASCAR. Or at least my NASCAR of a mere 5 years ago. Now this race is held at the California Speedway in Fontana, just outside of Los Angeles. NBC has moved the race to an 8:00pm start time in the East. And it's sponsored by Sony - a Japanese television maker of all thing! At least the France family didn't rename the race the Southern California 500!

As to the actual race, Kurt Busch starts from the pole. The 2004 Nextel Cup champ has already been eliminated from contention for the Chase for the Championship. This is the next-to-last race in which drivers may scramble to finish in the top 10 to qualify for NASCAR's playoff system. Unfortunately, unlike last year, the top 10 is already nearly locked. The only driver on the outside with a decent chance of sneaking in is Kasey Kahne who sits in 11th place some 90 points behind Mark Martin.

My pick: Jimmy Johnson. This guy has won all the big races in 2006, including the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400. I still think it's JJ's year. Look for the SoCal native to grab a win at his hometrack.

Here's an even better tribute to LaLa Land. The cheerleaders from the University of Southern California at work and at play.