"Friday's around the nation column"

OK, folks, the weekend is almost here, another big weekend in sports, so there is a lot to touch on. Let me get right to it.

Nothin’ on the Super Bowl yet. Don't worry, though. I'll have a preview for you tomorrow before you have to make your bets with Vegas.

Let's start with college basketball.

UCLA is the best team on the West Coast. No doubt about it. The Bruins proved this last night when they drilled high-scoring Oregon 69-57 in a game that wasn't even as close as the final score indicated. Look, I love the surprising Ducks as much as the next basketball aficionado, but no on should consider them a legitimate threat to make the Final Four. They lack an inside player whom they can go to when defenses are keying on guards Aaron Brooks, Bryce Taylor and Tajuan Porter. They are, basically, a replica of last year's Villanova team, which got a No. 1 seed and made it to the Elite Eight. Making it that far would be a success for these Ducks.

The Bruins, on the other hand, are very legitimate title contenders. Right now I'd say the top three teams are North Carolina, Florida and UCLA, in that order. The Bruins have all the pieces a team needs to make a run at the title. Darren Collison reminds me of Tyus Edney, and all Edney did was lead the Bruins to their last national title in 1995. Collison is not only dishing out a team-high 5.7 assists per game, he's also scoring 13 points a game. So when defenses have taken Aaron Afflalo and Josh Shipp out of a game, Collison will score four quick points and the Bruins will be on their way.

And unlike the Ducks, UCLA has plenty of capable big men. Power forward Luke Richard Mbah a Moute averages 8.9 points and eight rebounds a game and starting center Lorenzo Mata gives the Bruins 6.5 points a game. Most importantly, these guys hit the offensive glass, so if a defense overpursues an outside shot by Afflalo or Shipp, UCLA's bigs will make it pay with a second-chance bucket.

The Bruins are playing in the toughest conference in college basketball, and that's only going to prepare them for the NCAA tournament.

But how good is North Carolina? Just last Saturday the Tar Heels traveled to Tuscan, Ariz., and handed Arizona its worst home loss under the long tenure of Lute Olson. The Tar Heels' spanking of the Wildcats only further verified that when they're playing at their best, they are unbeatable.

This team reminds me of Michigan's Fab Five squad that went all the way to the championship game in 1992 and 1993. Most of the main contributors are underclassmen. Sophomore Tyler Hansbrough is dominant down low - averaging 18.4 points and 8.2 rebounds a game - and he has also showed that he can shoot the mid-range jumper.

But he is just UNC's top weapon. It also has freshmen power forward Brandan Wright (14.8 ppg) and guards Wayne Ellington (12.5 ppg) and Ty Lawson (9.6 ppg, 5.1 apg). And in case a senior needs to step up, Reyshawn Terry fits the role. Terry is averaging 9.3 points and 5.9 rebounds a game.

The Tar Heels only problem is that they might have too much talent. Almost all of the players that led UNC to a surprisingly successful season last year now find themselves on the bench, replaced by the fantastic freshmen. But so far, dissent has been nonexistent in Chapel Hill. Roy Williams is doing a great job of keeping his guys happy, and they continue to dominate each opponent they face.

North Carolina has won five consecutive games by 16 points or more since its loss at Virginia Tech. It takes on Duke in the amazing rivalry Wednesday night in Durham. Games between the rivals are ALWAYS close, but if I had to bet on a UNC-Duke game being a blowout, it would be this one. This UNC team is far superior to this season's Blue Devils.

All right, let's move on to the NFL for some non-XL talk.

Guess who's back? Yep, you guessed it, Brett Favre. The 37-year-old Green Bay quarterback announced Friday that he will return for a 17th season in the NFL. I think it's a great decision on his part. He seemed to get better as this past season went on, and if the Packers had won one more game, they would have made the playoffs.

This is a team on the upswing, and Favre believes he can take it somewhere next season. I wouldn't bet against him. As he said Friday, he's got a young nucleus of players returning, and, remember, the Packers play in the NFC North. That means two games against the Lions and two games against the Vikings. That should result in at least three wins right there.

Anyone who says Favre doesn't have it anymore didn't see his final game this season, when he lit up the Chicago Bears, who were still playing all their starters. Favre may not have the ability he had in the late 1990s, when he led the Packers to back-to-back Super Bowls - winning one - but he can still throw the ball downfield and get creative when he needs to, tossing an improvised shovel pass every now and then.

I'll tell you who's not happy about Favre's decision. Defenses around the league who'll have to play him next fall. I'm sure they'd rather be facing Aaron Rogers.

And now to the NBA.

I know that fans vote in the All-Star starters, but c'mon...

Shaq a starter? He only played in five of his team's first 40-something games. Dwight Howard is having a phenomenal season and should have been recognized. In the West, there's no way Steve Nash shouldn't have been named a starter instead of Tracy McGrady. T-Mac hasn't been bad this season, but he missed some games. Nash has led the Suns to one of the two best records in the league, and never seems to slow down. Give the two-time MVP his dues. He's just that good.

Speaking of good, how about Dwyane Wade? I know this is an unpopular argument, but I'm going to make it. Wade is better - just barely - than LeBron James.

Thursday night was a perfect example of why. Wade scored 41 points, including 23-for-24 from the free throw line, to lead the Heat to a 92-89 win over LeBron's Cavs. James managed just 17 points on 6-for-18 shooting from the field and 3-for-8 shooting from the line. James had a chance to tie the game, but his 3-pointer right before the buzzer was off the mark.

Wade - to put it simply - is more clutch than James. Both players make big shots. No one will deny that. But Wade makes them all the time. James only sometimes. And the players' ability to hit free throws is another huge difference. Wade is an 82 percent free throw shooter compared to just 68 percent for James.

Wade wills his team to victory. Eleven of Miami's 21 victories this season have come by seven or less points. Always, at the end of a tight game, Wade is the man making the big plays, hitting the big shots. James isn't quite to that level yet.

Is James a better all-around player? By a millimeter. Just look at his stats (27 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 6.1 apg) compared to Wade's (28.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 7.7 apg). Does Wade have more capable teammates? When Shaq's healthy - which hasn't been very often this year.

Advantage James.

But who's the biggest winner between the two, regardless of numbers or Shaq's health? It's got to be Wade. He's got an NBA championship. And he'll lead the Heat to the playoffs this year, despite Shaq’s absence. And when he does, I'll pick his team to go farther than James,’ leaving the door open for James to completely destroy my argument.

OK, it's time to wrap this column up.

Let me leave you with a few "must-see" games this weekend. And I'm not even talking about XL.

Tomorrow is a huge day in college basketball, with nearly every ranked team in action. The big games on TV begin in the middle of the afternoon. Games you need to watch:

- No. 9 Oregon at USC, 3:30 p.m.: Can the Ducks recover from the blowout at UCLA?
- No. 3 North Carolina at North Carolina State, 3:30 p.m.: If you haven't seen these Tar Heels yet, now is the time.
- No. 4 Ohio State at Michigan State, 4:00 p.m.: Anyone who saw these teams' thriller a week ago in Columbus won't want to miss this one.
- No. 8 Texas A&M at No. 6 Kansas, 9:00 p.m.: Huge matchup in the Big 12. Both teams have huge aspirations for the rest of the season. Plus, you get Dickey V.

Then, on Sunday, switch over to the NBA before getting the snacks ready for XL.
- Detroit at Cleveland, 2:30 p.m.: Two of the top three teams - the other is Chicago - in the fiercely competitive Eastern Conference Central Division.

Enjoy the games this weekend. And, again, my Super Bowl preview is coming soon...