"Our relationship with Tiger has always been rooted in golf," Moore wrote on his official blog late Monday. "We didn't form a relationship with him so that he could act as an arm's length endorser. Far from it. We chose to partner with Tiger in 1997 because we saw him as the world's best, most talented and exciting golfer."

That said, a close reading of Moore's post finds he is mentioning only PGA Tour Online - but not the retail console version endorsed by Woods, and the fourth-biggest selling sports title on the market. I asked an EA spokesman if "on the masthead of this game," was applicable only to PGA Tour Online or to the series as a whole. "Right now, we're focused on Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online," was his reply.

Moore notes the extensive investment EA Sports has made in Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online, which attracted 75,000 people to an eight-month closed beta. "We have spent considerable time developing and testing this game; we're proud of it; and we are releasing it in open beta later this month," Moore wrote.

Woods, of course, has lost deals with AT&T and Accenture since a bizarre car crash Nov. 27 stoked rumors of Woods' infidelity, which later exploded into allegations of liaisons with multiple mistresses. Woods then announced an indefinite leave from the tour while he worked to repair his marriage and family life. In addition to acknowledging sordid rumors very damaging to his widespread public acceptance, Woods' leave also takes him away from the environment where he is most useful to a sponsor paying him millions.

Moore portrayed the decision as one made in the interests of product quality, saying that Woods remains representative of his division's "It's In the Game" slogan regardless of what has come to light in his personal life.

"By his own admission, he's made some mistakes off the course. But regardless of what's happening in his personal life, and regardless of his decision to take a personal leave from the sport, Tiger Woods is still one of the greatest athletes in history," wrote Moore.

EA SPORTS Moves Forward with Tiger Woods PGA TOUR Online Launch in January [Peter Moore's Blog]

Citing "unnamed sources," ESPN.com says EA Sports got the rights from the NBA to deliver an updated version of the arcade classic for retail release. The report adds that the game's creator, Mark Turmell, has been hired on by EA Sports Canada to consult on the product.

NBA Jam was a wildly successful 2-on-2 basketball game first released by Midway to the arcades in 1993, and later ported by Acclaim to the Super Nintendo and Genesis. The success of EA Sports' arcade-style titles for the NHL and NFL in the past year makes it a good bet they'd want to spin up an NBA offering sometime soon. The demise of Midway (and Acclaim back in 2004), also means the NBA Jam name is likely held by someone unlikely to develop it anytime soon, and probably happy to make a quick buck off the IP.

An EA Sports spokesperson told Kotaku the publisher wouldn't comment on rumor or speculation - but did add the announcement is set for sometime next week.

I emailed contacts with EA Sports and the Vancouver studio to ask for comment. Anything they say will be updated here.

EA to Announce Return of 'NBA Jam' [ESPN.com]

Xbox360Achievements.org is once again staging the final run at this damn-near-impossible mark, which appeared in the first achievement-enabled version of EA Sports' hoops franchise and was not carried over to successive versions, for obvious reasons. X360A says "there have been only two times when this has been achieved." They'll try to make it three on Jan. 31, which is a Sunday.

They're trying to get 1,000 signed in at 1 p.m. U.S. Eastern, 10 a.m. U.S. Pacific (6 p.m. GMT). They promise "multiple x360a rooms set up, with staff and senior members heading up the rooms."

So, if you have the game, or can rent it, steal it, or buy it for a dollar-ninety-five from your local bargain bin, that's an easy 100 gamerscore just for showing up. Rumor has it that one person can sign in up to four controllers on the same console and still have it count toward the 1,000. X360A has contacted EA Sports for clarification.

NBA Live 1,000 People Online - Take 2 [Xbox360Achievements.org]

I know of no other institution of learning, NCAA FBS, FCS, Division II, III or high school, that goes by "the Buckin' Elks" for its athletic nickname. So today, when I used NCAA 10's Teambuilder to create my high school on a lark, my jaw hit the floor after play-by-play man Brad Nessler introduced us by that very name. Watch the video. I'm not making it up.

Elkin is a five-time state champion - four this decade - but we are definitely not among the nation's top-of-mind high school programs. Our 2002 title, the first since the fabled 1967 champions, came with 18 players on the roster.

I have a few theories as to why we made it in. EA Sports Tiburon probably realized, with the new Teambuilder interface, that some of their installation base would create their own high schools and be thrilled to hear their nicknames. Of the zillions of high schools in the United States, a bunch are already covered by existing mascots. So why not go pick out the more unique ones, especially recent champions, and give someone a thrill?

I made an offhand, highly anecdotal test of unique school names. Nessler doesn't say the name of Mount Airy's "Granite Bears" (2008 NCHSAA 1-A champs, '09 runners-up). Nor does he announce the Washington (N.C.) High "Pam Pack." Both come through as "the home team," which is what the CPU offers up when it can't recognize a nickname.

However, "Nimrods," the hilarious nickname of Watersmeet, Mich. High, is also said by Nessler. But that school was featured in an ESPN advertisement, and also the subject of a USA Today profile five years ago, far more notoriety than we Elks have ever seen. So who knows what's going on here.

Somewhere, for some reason, someone asked Brad Nessler to announce my high school for battle in a college football video game, but not because every single school in the United States, or even my state, was included in his script. Like Michael Moore finding the Russian missile pointed at Flint, Mich., I will not stop until I track down who was behind this. And why.

Oh, and, Starmount, East Wilkes, Forbush, Surry Central - if it's in the game, it's in the game. That means we are and y'all aren't. So suck on that.

Update: On my brother's request, I tested out whether his North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics Unicorns ("Hook 'em 'Corns!") made the game. They did.

If the names Yoshida and Aoki aren't what you'd consider household names, the former is an Olympic judo gold medalist, the latter the current DREAM lightweight champion. Neither is pictured in the screen shot above, obviously, but their presence at today's press conference (as photographed by Famitsu.com) is sufficient evidence that the two fighters do exist and have committed their likenesses to the mixed martial arts game.

I'm still hoping that we're in for a few Super Smash Bros. style entries, with, say, Isaac Clarke making an appearance in full armor and the faceless bikers from Road Rash entering the ring armed with bike chains. Any other terrible ideas on par with those two suggestions?

EA Sports MMA [Twitter]
ヒョードルVS吉田が実現？『EA SPORTS MMA』に吉田秀彦、青木真也両選手が参戦決定 [Famitsu]

Destructoid, citing unnamed sources, says the game is "NFL Trainer" and will put players through football-inspired workouts and drills. There's talk it will come with a football attachment that will assist players in learning how to throw perfect spirals.

If true, this is hardly exciting news for the core sports gamer. But it would be shrewd of EA Sports to differentiate its exergaming efforts with a pro league's license, and try to extend the offering beyond the typical soccer-mom demographic.

I've reached out to my contacts with EA Sports to see if they want to knock this rumor down. We likely know the drill here: A) it's a holiday week, and B) few companies ever comment on rumor or speculation.

Rumor: EA Sports Working on a Football Training Game [Destructoid]

EA has produced a dedicated version in every World Cup year going back to 1998; Pasta Padre notes the most recent was released in late April as well. And April 27 is indeed a Tuesday. Sounds like a good bet to me.

I've emailed EA Sports but I've got a better chance of a fat elf in a red suit poking his head out of my fireplace than hearing back on Christmas Eve. And I don't have a fireplace.

2010 FIFA World Cup Release Date [Pasta Padre]

In many ways 2009 was like most for sports games - every major team sports title put out a new version; Madden sold a ton for EA Sports; cover athletes were leaked and/or announced; titles such as EA Sports' FIFA and NHL followed their own strong traditions, while ones like THQ's UFC Undisputed broke new ground. Kotaku's roundup of 2009 is not of the routine stories however, but the ones that had the most lasting impact on this year, and should into next year, too. We invite you to continue the discussion in our comments.

The Race is Over for NASCAR
In early February, EA Sports announces there will be no sequel to NASCAR 09, ending a series going back under various names to 1998. The title's biggest problems were in the franchise's poor sales and limited growth potential. Later, EA Sports boss Peter Moore reveals that the NASCAR development team has been repurposed to its upcoming EA Sports MMA, and the publisher has no plans to restart the racing franchise.

Lawsuits Threaten College Titles' Realism
In May, former Arizona State and Nebraska quarterback Sam Keller files a class-action lawsuit alleging that the NCAA and EA Sports use and/or profit from the use of college athlete's likenesses in video games, without their permission. Keller's complaint points to the two-faced nature of the college sports authority, which requires its athletes' adherence to strict amateur codes while reaping millions off, in effect, their labor. But compensating Keller, or any other athlete, for the use of their likenesses while they are still in school would render them ineligible. Keller's suit points out how easily identifiable he and other players are in the NCAA games - indeed a cottage industry has cropped up to rename roster files, which are disseminated via the EA Sports Locker feature in both its football and basketball titles. Later in the year, former UCLA standout Ed O'Bannon also sues on the same grounds, but said he would use the suit to create a trust fund that could compensate players after they graduate, to preserve the value of the products in which they appear without violating their rights or eligibility. Neither suit has yet gone to trial, but NCAA Football and Basketball without realistic rosters would seriously damage both titles.

Mixed Martial Arts: The Sport of the Future
UFC 2009 Undisputed by THQ debuts in May and is immediately that month's biggest seller, helping put a gold star over mixed martial arts as the newest it-franchise for sports gaming. Although THQ has the UFC license for foreseeable future, rumors that EA Sports has eyes for the sport come true at E3 2009, when EA Sports MMA is announced. Voluble UFC boss Dana White unleashes invective at EA, saying the publisher years before had told his outfit, "You're not a real sport," and "EA doesn't give a [expletive] about mixed martial arts." White also warns fighters they "won't be in the UFC," if they sign on to EA Sports MMA. EA Sports boss Peter Moore doesn't respond directly to White, but says he's backed MMA in video games going back to 2000 on the Dreamcast. Meanwhile, EA Sports MMA signs names such as Fedor Emelianeko, Randy Couture, Jason Miller and, ultimately inks a deal with MMA promotion house Strikeforce. Word spreads that UFC 2010 Undisputed is due in May - and EA Sports declines comment on a rumor that EA Sports MMA won't be out until September.

Trash Talk on the Court
NBA 2K10 is again the consensus leader among pro basketball titles, but NBA Live 10 is a significant improvement over previous years' lackluster offerings. This year, it becomes easily the most competitive, and heated, rivalry among published sports titles. It gets personal when EA Sports is praised for putting out a comprehensive patch that it says was built with community feedback. A representative of 2K Sports, in a post later taken down, goes into a forum to question whether such a patch could have been built and passed certification so quickly - which implies EA Sports began work in advance of the game's release and knew it was shipping substandard code. The NBA Live team returns fire on its blog with a wave of screenshots showing people offering NBA 2K10 for sale on Craigslist, insulting its quality, and pledging allegiance to NBA Live.

Catch a Tiger with Tail
Golf superstar Tiger Woods' failure to keep it in his pants is the subject of a hilarious machinima re-enactment from China, but as the scandal wears on it starts getting less funny and starts costing more money. As Woods' major corporate sponsors such as Accenture and Gatorade begin dropping him or scaling back his appearances, the question is put to EA Sports, which has the golfer at the front of both its console golf title and an upcoming free-to-play online version. At first EA Sports stands by its man, but later issues a second statement that, reading between the lines, is a little more qualified in its support. Woods is taking an indefinite leave from the PGA Tour heading into 2010, and it becomes clear that as long as he is away from the course, EA Sports will face these questions.

Iced Hockey
Not a poor game, but not exceptional in its later years, the consensus still places 2K Sports' NHL franchise a distant second to EA Sports' NHL in 2009, and that seems to be enough for the Take-Two leadership. In December, the game is conspicuously left off a corporate filing that announces upcoming dates and platforms for other sports titles in 2010. Asked if NHL 2K has been canceled, a 2K Sports spokesman replies only that no plans have been made for that property, which is taken as a "yes," by most. Furthermore, the same listing shows NBA 2K10 - by far 2K Sports' best team property - as "TBA" for the platforms to which it will release. This likely means the end of that series' brief Wii experiment.

Baseball Been Bery, Bery Bad to Take-Two
This was a terrible year for horsehide under the 2K Sports brand. MLB 2K9 wasn't just a regression from the series' previous offering, it went out the door with a staggering number of glitches in the product. Terrible graphics and even comical player faces also contributed to the savage reviews it received. Spinoff titles like The Bigs 2 and Front Office Manager, concocted to help offset what one analyst thinks is the $40 million paid for MLB exclusive licensing back in 2005, failed to sell according to expectations. In December, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick singles out the company's baseball franchise for blame when the company announces it will miss earnings projections. Two weeks later, Take-Two announces a $137.9 million loss for the fiscal year.

It seems that under the latest patch, which I applied on my Xbox 360 last night, a rectangular ad now appears pre-snap above the right third of the score graphic. I've seen ads for Gillette, Microsoft's Bing search engine, and Coke Zero on the Xbox 360 version. Ripten's Chad Lakkis, who first reported on this yesterday, says he was playing on the PS3 and was inundated with pitches for Madden NFL Arcade.

The ads now seem to appear before every non-special teams snap, provided there was no other cutscene graphic preceding the play, such as ones providing biographical information or recapping your drive length and time. Instant replays and backtracks seem also to keep the ads away. But in singleplayer games when you're on defense, such graphics are less common, and you can literally see three or more ads in a row, all flacking you the same product.

Their placement do not obscure critical visual information, and they disappear when the ball is snapped, but to say they are an annoying distraction is putting it mildly. Then again, the relative lack of an uproar about this must be noted. Maybe the Madden community doesn't mind it after all.

Before testing this out last night, I hadn't played Madden in about a month. But the advertising I saw definitely came up more frequently than I remember. Secondly, I started looking for this in a version of the game that had not been updated with Dec. 10's patch. After the patch was applied, the ads came out in force. Ripten says it notices lesser ad frequency now on the PS3, but this morning it was status quo on the Xbox 360 for me.

Earlier this year, in bringing up in-game ads with EA Sports, I was politely told that the ads were consistent with the team's presentational philosophy, that you wouldn't be seeing anything in a Madden game that you wouldn't also see in a standard NFL broadcast. Fair enough. But in no way do we see pop-up advertising this conspicuous over this many plays on CBS, Fox, ESPN or NBC. I might be late to the party on noticing, but I'm pretty sure about that last point.

I've emailed EA Sports to ask if it's gotten any complaints, and also to ask if this many ads is unintentional. Being the holiday week, I've not heard back. If I do, I'll update this post.

EA In-Game Advertising Abuse: Madden Arcade Ad Flashes Before Every Madden 10 Snap [Ripten]

Warning: This is a very long column. There are more than 40 games described below. I've highlighted the playoff results in yellow if that's what you're really interested in.

One of the most false debating points in the college football playoff argument is the idea that somehow the bowls diminish a playoff, or vice versa. I maintain that the bowl postseason should be preserved, running alongside a meritorious, 16-team playoff inviting the champion of every conference. The bowls - the better ones, anyway - have a majesty that far surpasses any "football NIT" label some think they'd acquire if the NCAA implemented a Division I football playoff.

My idea is that, while a game like the Orange Bowl may not prefer a pairing of conference runner-ups, provided the sides are appropriately matched the games can be no less memorable. The bowls relentlessly tout their tradition, but forget that tradition, until the early 1990s, felt no obligation to help determine a national champion. And for a sporting culture so built on haves and have-nots, a holiday-based bowl structure as a consolation prize offers a much more meaningful postseason "reward," as one of the talking points always describes the bowls, to teams that rarely, or have never visited fabled venues like the Sugar or the Cotton, rather than sending them to Birmingham to play in an advertisement for Papa John's.

The bowls have a great value. But they have no place in determining a national champion. The Bowl Championship Series is the most meritless selection of a champion in major sports in the entire world. Worse than boxing. Worse than international soccer's reputation for draw-rigging and other shenanigans. The Bowl Championship Series is a system that is built on backroom dishonesty, not one exploited by it. And it's almost proud to announce it up front.

Well, not in the reality I control, which is NCAA Football 10, my most favorite model railroad of sporting sims. So this week I set up a 16-team playoff, and then painstakingly redrew the bowls as close to their existing conference ties as the pool of eligible teams would allow.

For an eloquent argument in favor of a 16-team playoff, and the legitimacy that comes from inviting every Division I conference champion, I encourage you to read Dan Wetzel's recent column for Yahoo! Sports. To it, I'd only add that teams like Troy are either major college football participants or they're not. It's not a self-declared thing. The NCAA admitted these teams to the highest level. But the comments and behavior of BCS conferences and the bowl committees hellbent on dividing the pie for the fattest do more to diminish a football program like East Carolina than the quality of the Pirates' schedule ever does.

Alright, here's the backstory of what happened in my reality this week. After creating this 16-team playoff, the NCAA made one demand and one concession. All bowls had to be completed before national title game. In return, the NCAA would never schedule a playoff game on Dec. 31 or Jan. 1. (or Dec. 24 or Dec. 25, for that matter). The larger bowls, cutting their own TV deals, then began a run back to traditional New Year's and New Year's Eve dates, bringing us back to the days of the Rose, Cotton, Sugar and Orange, all on the same day.

The championship game was booked for San Diego, largely because the city has a strong track record hosting Super Bowls, and because it's not home to any of the (very likely pissed off) former BCS bowls. And also because Qualcomm Stadium is an available venue in NCAA Football 10.

The football playoff seeding was then handed to an NCAA committee much like the one that handles the basketball bracket. The seeding considered mathematical formulae but, ultimately, it was a human decision, the same as the basketball tournament. Since everyone is so fired up about protecting the sanctity of the regular season games, I made a rule that no at-large team may host an opening round game. Yes, that effectively seeds a team like Florida ninth. It also turns the eighth-seed into a seat of death (likely facing an at-large team that is seeded artificially lower, and then the tournament No. 1 if they win) but, dammit, this is football. It's hard. We can't pave everyone's way to the semifinals, and a seeding reflects how many games a team is expected to win. Without the rule, this eight seed would drop at least one spot lower, which means it is expected to lose in the first round, anyway. Instead, an eight-seed under this rule gets a game at home - against a difficult opponent, sure - but also the advantage and, more importantly, revenue, of just such a date. I still expect Georgia Tech to hate me for this.

Anyway, following the Big XII championship game on Dec. 5, my seeding committee met and selected the following teams:

(1) Alabama
(2) Texas
(3) Cincinnati
(4) TCU
(5) Boise State
(6) Oregon
(7) Ohio State
(8) Georgia Tech
(9) Florida
(10) Virginia Tech
(11) Iowa
(12) Brigham Young
(13) LSU
(14) Central Michigan
(15) East Carolina
(16) Troy

BYU provides the only selection controversy, bumping Penn State. Both teams are 10-2. Brigham Young had a greater strength of schedule in the Sagarin Ratings and, although the victory doesn't look as good now, the Cougars' victory over then-No. 5 Oklahoma to begin the season was a mammoth upset. BYU also gutted out a victory over a ranked Utah to end the year. Penn State did not defeat a human-ranked team all year; did not beat any team that finished in Sagarin's top 30; lost badly to Iowa and Ohio State at home; played the definition of a cupcake non-conference schedule and didn't do a damn thing except start the season ranked high. Plus, the Nittany Lions finished a decisive third, and the Big Ten is a good conference, but it's not three-teams good. That's the SEC, and LSU is the third team. If I would not take Penn State over BYU, I definitely would not take it over LSU.

Brigham Young also was seeded ahead of LSU to avoid an opening-round rematch of conference opponents. These rematches are unavoidable elsewhere on the bracket, but it can be controlled here. I'm aware that Alabama and Florida will likely rematch in the second round, three weeks after their SEC title game. I prefer - and therefore my committee prefers - that such a meeting take place there rather than in the national championship.

The bowls were then free to invite any .500 or better, six-Division I win team, absent the ones above. Of course this means there are more bowls than can host eligible teams. Six died: the Poinsettia, Meineke Car Care, Little Caesars, Texas, Armed Forces and PapaJohns.com. Lots of horsetrading was involved as the minor bowls scrambled to fill slots. Ultimately, the free market prevailed. The total payout lost with the death of these six: $8.2 million. I think the conferences can spend their share of $8.2 million to reap a much larger slice of a nine-figure television contract for a football playoff.

With all that out of the way, here are all the games - 27 bowls and 15 playoff games - simulated on NCAA Football 10 using the roster and depth chart written by RomanCaesar from Operation Sports. The games are presented in the order they were played on the calendar.

I do not claim that this is a scientific simulation. These games were played once. A simulation for accuracy would require a much larger sample size and more finely tuned sim settings. The games were played with nine-minute quarters to hold down garish scoring and statistical performances. That also skewed a lot of the results to down-to-the-wire finishes.

Dec. 18
at St. Petersburg, Fla.
St. Petersburg Bowl
South Florida (Big East, 7-5) vs. Central Florida (Conference USA, 8-4)
These two Sunshine State up-and-comers did not play their rivalry game this year, so they meet here. USF holds on, 21-17.

at Albuquerque, N.M.
New Mexico Bowl
Wyoming (Mountain West, 6-6) vs. Fresno State (WAC, 8-4)
This pairing is one of a few drawn up that reflect real life. Fresno blasts the Cowboys 55-27 behind 151 yards rushing and two touchdowns by Ryan Mathews.

Dec. 19
NCAA Division I Football Championship
First Round
(seedings in parentheses)

Noon games:
(16) Troy (Sun Belt champion, 9-3) at (1) Alabama (SEC champion, 13-0)
Alabama only leads 24-20 at the half, stoking huge upset interest. But Heisman winner Mark Ingram breaks a 74-yard touchdown run to open the third quarter, en route to a 52-27 first round win for the Crimson Tide.

(15) East Carolina (Conference USA champion, 9-4) at (2) Texas (Big XII champion, 13-0)
Absolutely zero drama here. Texas annihilates East Carolina 52-0.

(14) No. 25 Central Michigan (MAC champion, 11-2) vs. (3) Cincinnati (Big East champion, 12-0)
The fearless Chippewas open with a come-into-the-room-honey 10-point lead early in the second quarter. But Cinderella fantasies prove premature, and the Bearcats respond with 35 unanswered points to win 45-24, behind six touchdowns from quarterback Tony Pike.

2 p.m. games:
(10) Virginia Tech (at-large, 9-3 ACC) at (7) Ohio State (Big Ten champion, 10-2)
The first nailbiter of the playoff. Ohio State leads 26-21 after a touchdown and failed two-point PAT. Virginia Tech faces third-and-18 from their own nine, but the Hokies' Tyrod Taylor responds with a 35-yard bomb to get a fresh set of downs and great field position. VPI scores but also misses its two-point attempt, and leads 27-26. Ohio State's Terrelle Pryor finds Ray Small for a 20 yard gain on 4th and five from the Buckeyes' 42 with 1:09 left, then hits DeVier Posey for a 26-yard gain to get down to Virginia Tech's 8. Aaron Pettrey hits the 25-yard field goal for the 29-27 win.

(9) Florida (at-large, 12-1 SEC) at (8) Georgia Tech (ACC champion, 11-2)
Florida coasts 43-3 in the playoff's first upset 43-3 - in name only - holding Tech's Jonathan Dwyer and Josh Nesbitt to 85 yards rushing combined.

4 p.m. games:
(11) Iowa (at large, 10-2 Big Ten) at (6) Oregon (Pac-10 champion, 10-2)
Another blowout victory, 41-15 for Oregon. The Ducks pile up 507 yards of offense and clamp down on Iowa, holding the Hawkeyes to 283 yards of offense. Oregon's LaMichael James gets only 79 yards rushing, but adds 107 receiving and even throws a touchdown pass.

(12) Brigham Young (at-large, 10-2 Mountain West) at (5) Boise State (WAC champion, 13-0)
Trailing 38-26 late in the fourth, a miracle 85-yard run by the Broncos' Jeremy Avery with 5:22 left makes it 38-33. The Cougars respond with a quick field goal, pushing the lead to eight and giving the Broncos one more drive. Kellen Moore's eight yard out pattern to Austin Pettis on fourth down from their own 44 keeps the Broncos in business. They reach BYU's 17 and throw three incompletions before Moore hits tight end Tommy Gallarda to make it 41-39 with 35 seconds left. But Moore's two-point conversion pass to wideout Tyler Shoemaker is no good. The onside attempt fails, and Brigham Young provides the prototypical 12-5 upset we expect in the college basketball bracket.

8 p.m. game:
(13) LSU (at-large, 9-3 SEC) at (4) Texas Christian (Mountain West champion, 12-0)
The primetime matchup explodes into one of the greatest games ever played in the history of college football. TCU gets out to a 28-10 lead at the half and then LSU puts it in gear, shrewdly making a two-point conversion in the third quarter en route to 25 unanswered points and a 35-28 lead with 1:17 left. TCU gets a 24 yard kickoff return, a 15-yard pass interference call, a 14-yard pickup on 3rd and 1 from LSU's 22, and ultimately an 8-yard touchdown strike from Andy Dalton to Jimmy Young with four seconds left to send the game to overtime.

Both sides trade touchdowns in the first two overtime periods. In the third, LSU cracks, settling for a 46-yard field goal. On third down of their final possession, the Horned Frogs' Joseph Turner shoves two defenders to the ground on the way to a 17-yard touchdown run and the win, 55-52, in triple overtime. Delirious TCU fans rip down the goalposts, forgetting they will need them the next week.

Dec. 22
at Las Vegas
Las Vegas Bowl:
No. 23 Utah (Mountain West, 9-3) vs. UCLA (Pac-10, 6-6)
This kind of matchup proves how a playoff would improve the bowls. In real life, this game brings a school with fans who don't travel (Oregon State) to Las Vegas to face one whose alumni don't drink or fornicate (Brigham Young). Under my system, we'd have Utah and UCLA. Great attendance, and indeed a great game. UCLA triumphs 28-25 in a rare bowl overtime.

at New Orleans
New Orleans Bowl:
Southern Mississippi (Conference USA, 7-5) vs. Middle Tennessee State (Sun Belt, 9-3)
Another real-life pairing. MTSU is probably the best nine-victory team no one's ever seen. For a reason. Senior halfback Damion Fletcher carries the day for Southern Mississippi, 167 yards and three touchdowns in a 28-9 snorefest.

Dec. 24
at Honolulu
Hawaii Bowl:
Nevada (WAC, 8-4) vs. SMU (Conference USA, 7-5)
Yet another real-life draw. June Jones returns to the 50th State for SMU's first bowl appearance since the NCAA leveled the infamous Death Penalty in 1986. Hawaii rolls 41-13 as the Mustangs stumble to just 178 yards of total offense.

Dec. 26
NCAA Division I Football Championship
Second Round

Noon games:
(7) Ohio State at (2) Texas
The Longhorns take a 21-3 lead after the first quarter and never look back, winning 45-17. Terrelle Pryor is intercepted three times, sacked four, and throws no touchdowns. Colt McCoy, meantime, tosses four.

(6) Oregon at (3) Cincinnati
Oregon, leading 20-17, misses a 46-yard field goal to open the fourth quarter. Cincinnati responds with a 71-yard, 14-play drive and a 24-20 advantage. The Ducks take over on their 20 with 1:27 left, getting to the Cincinnati 13 with no timeouts left. Jeremiah Masoli spikes the ball, then on fourth down finds D.J. Davis for a touchdown with 14 seconds left and a thrilling 27-24 victory.

4 p.m. game:
(12) Brigham Young at (4) TCU
TCU connects on a field goal at the beginning of the fourth quarter and leads 17-13. Later, a disastrous, shanked punt gives the Horned Frogs the ball on BYU's 35 with 5 minutes to play. The key play comes on 4th and 2 from the Cougars' 13; TCU elects to go for it, makes it, and Joseph Turner ultimately scores the decisive two-yard touchdown. The Frogs need it, as Brigham Young responds with a desperation touchdown and converts the two-point try but can't recover the onsides kick. TCU wins another thriller, 24-21.

8 p.m. game:
(9) Florida at (1) Alabama
The day's second rematch of conference titleists with runners-up. This dazzler features seven lead changes and a finish even more amazing than the TCU-LSU epic of a week before. Trailing 28-24 with the ball at midfield, Tim Tebow fumbles the snap, falls on it, then converts third-and-18 with a 33-yard bomb to Riley Cooper, and ultimately Tebow carries in a four-yard touchdown himself for the 31-28 lead.

Alabama gets the ball back with three minutes left and all its timeouts. Quarterback Greg McElroy throws three straight incompletions and is sacked on fourth-and-ten from Alabama's 27, apparently sealing Florida's victory. But the Crimson Tide use all of their timeouts, force Florida to kick a field goal, and get the ball back with 1:05 remaining. A miracle 68-yard bomb from McElroy to Julio Jones with 21 seconds left absolutely detonates Bryant-Denny Stadium. Jones has three touchdowns, 175 yards receiving, and never has to pay for a drink in Tuscaloosa the rest of his life.

Dec. 27
at Tempe, Ariz.
Insight Bowl: Iowa State (Big XII, 6-6) vs. Air Force (Mountain West, 7-5)
With two teams going to the playoff, the Big Ten ran out of bowl-eligible teams to send to this game. So I yanked the Zoomies from the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth and sent them to Arizona, home of a more established, higher-paying midlevel bowl. Air Force salts the game away in the fourth quarter when defensive back Anthony Wright returns an interception for a touchdown and the final 35-18 margin.

Dec. 27
at San Francisco
Emerald Bowl:
Navy (9-4) vs. California (Pac-10, 8-4)
Cal and its fans get a short trip across the Bay Bridge, assuming it's functioning. Navy gets a nice holiday in a town with a strong seapower tradition. Jahvid Best, back from his scary injury against Oregon State on Nov. 7, gets 138 yards and three touchdowns. the Bears romp 48-17 in a game not even half as close.

Dec. 28
at Orlando, Fla.
Champs Sports Bowl:
No. 14 Miami (ACC, 9-3) vs. Michigan State (Big Ten, 6-6)
ACC schools are not picked by finish and to a bowl committee, Miami - outside of the Orange Bowl or a national title game - is a money-losing disaster. That's why the Hurricanes fell so far here, but the good news is they stay close to home. Michigan State has the kind of fans who are delighted to go to Disney World for the holidays and call that the biggest thing they've done all year. I'm not sure I believe this result myself, but the Spartans trail 21-7 early before scoring 27 unanswered points and coasting to a 48-24 win. Miami's Jacory Harris is intercepted four times.

Dec. 29
at Washington
EagleBank Bowl:
Northern Illinois (MAC, 7-5) vs. Louisiana-Monroe (Sun Belt, 6-6)
Lacking enough participants from its tie in conferences, this new bowl survives only because it pays (Dr. Evil voice) one million dollars. Unfortunately, it's getting the least desirable matchup - UL-M isn't even going to a bowl in real life. But the Warhawks give a great show, winning 33-26 when Trey Revell and Luther Ambrose hook up on a 30-yard touchdown pass with four seconds left.

Dec. 30
at Boise, Idaho
Humanitarian Bowl:
Bowling Green (MAC, 7-5) vs. Idaho (WAC, 7-5)
Boise State isn't the only school that can go out guns blazing on the Smurf turf. Bowling Green and Idaho combine for more than 1,000 yards of offense - 433 of that from Idaho quarterback Nathan Enderle's arm - as the Vandals win a 44-42 track meet on a field goal with 1:56 left.

Dec. 31:
at Nashville, Tenn.
Music City Bowl:
Boston College (ACC, 8-4) vs. Kentucky (SEC, 7-5)
As a bowl attraction, Boston College is an even bigger disaster than Miami. BC can't even sell out its own stadium in the regular season. But at least Nashville's chamber of commerce gets Kentucky, whose fans regularly go to Tennessee to get their asses kicked without complaint. BC obliges, 35-17.

at Shreveport, La.
Independence Bowl:
Kansas State (Big XII, 6-6) vs. Rutgers (Big East, 8-4)
Rutgers had been slated for the Meineke Bowl, but with the SEC exhausting its bowl-eligible members, I shipped the Scarlet Knights to Shreveport, owing to the fact the Independence has been around longer, pays more, and enough time has passed since it was known as the Weedwhacker Bowl. Rutgers freshman Tom Savage tosses a bowl record six touchdowns in a 47-10 blowout.

at Atlanta
Chick-Fil-A Bowl:
North Carolina (ACC, 8-4) vs. Georgia (SEC, 7-5)
I have to say, for the realism of matchups, I'm proudest of this one. The Chick-Fil-A, formerly the Peach, loves teams from the Old North State. And who better to play in Atlanta than the Georgia Bulldogs? Plus both schools can settle that technical dispute regarding America's oldest public university. For the record, it's UNC, which also wins 35-17.

at El Paso, Texas
Sun Bowl:
Texas A&M (Big XII, 6-6) vs. USC (Pac-10, 8-4)
Brut smells like a man, and in El Paso, the Aggies smell like an armpit, losing 38-13 in a sim that probably did not account for USC's nosedive this year.

at Jacksonville, Fla.
Gator Bowl:
Florida State (ACC, 6-6) vs. Pittsburgh (Big East, 9-3)
The Gator wants to give Bobby Bowden a gold watch? Fine. They can take the 6-6 Seminoles over more deserving ACC teams for this one, too. It's not like Jacksonville's gonna sell out this stadium on Sundays. The Panthers hold on 37-31 thanks to 136 yards and four TDs - two of them receiving - by freshman back Dion Lewis.

at San Diego
Holiday Bowl:
Texas Tech (Big XII, 8-4) vs. No. 16 Oregon State (Pac-10, 8-4)
Unfortunately for Oregon State, Lubbock isn't the only city where Beavers get the Raider Rash. OSU loses 23-19 when, from Tech's 23, Sean Canfield can't hit James Rodgers on a fade as time expires.

Jan. 1
at Orlando, Fla.
Capital One Bowl:
No. 24 Wisconsin (Big Ten, 9-3) vs. Tennessee (SEC, 7-5)
This one is formerly known as the Citrus - which as Steve Spurrier reminds us, can't be spelled without the UT. Tennessee gets the ball on its 20 with 2:45 left, tied a 24. Jonathan Crompton passes of 14, 16 and 20 yards get Tennessee into kicking range, and Daniel Lincoln's 42-yard boot, after missing two previously from shorter distances, provides the 27-24 victory.

at Tampa, Fla.
Outback Bowl:
Northwestern (Big Ten, 8-4) vs. Auburn (SEC, 7-5)
The most major bowl reflecting real life in this simulation, Auburn trails 31-13 early in the third before charging back with 28 unanswered to win 41-31. Tigers halfback Ben Tate helps carry the load with 105 yards and two second-half scores.

at Dallas
Cotton Bowl:
Oklahoma (Big XII, 7-5) vs. Arkansas (SEC, 7-5)
The shooting gallery seesaw begins late in the third with Broderick Green's 60 yard catch-and-run to get Arkansas on top 38-34. Oklahoma hits a 47-yard field goal to draw to 38-37 early in the fourth. Quarterback Ryan Mallett and the Razorbacks storm back with an 11-play, 81-yard drive, 63 of it by air, to lead 45-37 with six minutes to play. Oklahoma stitches together an-eight play, 82-yard drive, and knots the game on a PAT pass from Landry Jones to Dejuan Miller with five minutes to go. Holding Arkansas to a three-and-out, Oklahoma goes back to work from its six, picking up passes of 18, 27, and 34 yards, and rumbling the final 10 to lead 52-45. Mallett gets one last drive, however, bringing the Hogs to the Sooners' 22 with eight seconds left, where he is intercepted by linebacker Travis Lewis to seal the game. Mallett's inhuman 485 yards passing is easily a Cotton Bowl record.

at Miami
Orange Bowl:
Clemson (ACC, 8-5) vs. No. 20 Nebraska (Big XII, 9-4)
By virtue of its tie-in with the ACC, the Orange has been the de facto Kids' Table of the BCS for much of this decade, including a Wake Forest-Louisville matchup in 2007 that should have been broadcast by Raycom. But here the Orange returns to its old Big Eight roots to invite Nebraska, pairing the Cornhuskers with Clemson in a matchup recalling 1982, Tom Osborne and Danny Ford, and the Tigers' only national championship.

Clemson's C.J. Spiller starts the game with an Orange Bowl record 82-yard run from scrimmage for a touchdown as the Tigers sprint to a 21-7 lead by the half. Nebraska rallies to a 28-28 tie, then goes for it on 4th and 1 from their own 35 with 6 minutes left in the fourth - and fumbles. Spiller's ensuing 7-yard touchdown grab out of the backfield from Kyle Parker provides the final margin, 35-28.

at New Orleans
Sugar Bowl:
No. 18 West Virginia (Big East, 9-3) vs. Ole Miss (SEC, 8-4)
After the SEC sent three teams to the playoffs, the bowls were left with an 8-4 Ole Miss, and a bunch of 7-5 teams. So the Rebels visit New Orleans for another A-list nailbiter. West Virginia scores 21 fourth quarter points to take a 35-28 lead. With three minutes remaining, Ole Miss begins driving from its 24, surviving a 3rd-and-18 with a 27-yard hookup from Jevean Snead to Shay Hodge. The drive gets down to West Virginia's 6 with 1:01 left but sophomore Brandon Bolden drops Snead's bullet in the end zone, and the Mountaineers hang on for the trophy.

at Pasadena, Calif.
Rose Bowl:
No. 11 Penn State (Big Ten, 10-2) vs. No. 22 Arizona (Pac-10, 8-4)
This one is indeed the granddaddy of the day. Trailing 27-20, facing 4th and 10 from Arizona's 25 with less than four minutes remaining in the fourth, the Nittany Lions' Daryll Clark hits wideout Derek Moye for a 16 yard gain to keep the drive alive. Then Evan Royster rumbles in from nine yards out to tie the game at 27 with 2:37 left. Arizona quarterback Nick Foles opens the next possession with completions of 11 and 14 yards but, facing 4th and 1 from the 50 - what an agonizing decision this had to be - the Wildcats opt to punt, pinning Penn State on their own 13 with 1:13 to play. On third and 15 his own 34, Clark hits Graham Zug for a 35 yard gain down to the Wildcat 29, and then three rushes by Royster reach paydirt, providing the final margin, 34-27, with 14 seconds to go. Fourteen points in four minutes, 17 in the fourth quarter, and an absolute double-dragon-kick-to-the-nutsack defeat for Arizona in its first-ever Rose appearance.

Jan. 2
NCAA Division I Football Championship
National Semifinals

4 p.m. game
(4) TCU at (1) Alabama
Alabama nails a 44-yard field goal at the end of the first half to take a 13-10 lead, then late in the third quarter goes 77 yards - the last 31 of it on seven straight carries by Mark Ingram - to go up 20-10. Alabama coffin-corners a punt, pinning TCU on its two midway through the fourth quarter, then Justin Woodall intercepts Andy Dalton and returns it for a touchdown. TCU does respond with an 11 play scoring drive, but can't recover an onsides kick, trailing by 10. An Alabama field goal ices the game 30-17. Mark Ingram rushes for 208 yards a playoff record. But then, everything is this year.

8 p.m. game
(6) Oregon at (2) Texas
Texas does not get beyond the 50-yard line in the entire first half as Oregon races to a 24-7 lead. Eddie Pleasant intercepts Colt McCoy on the Texas 27, and a 12-yard swing pass to the redeemed LeGarrette Blount gives Oregon the 31-10 advantage late in the third quarter. Texas responds with consecutive 80 yard drives to draw within seven, then recovers a LaMichael James fumble at the Oregon 18 with 2:11 left. But McCoy immediately tosses an interception, picked off by Spencer Paysinger, to cement the Ducks' 31-24 upset.

Jan. 4
at Toronto
International Bowl:
Temple (MAC, 9-3) vs. Connecticut (Big East, 7-5)
This game would be much better if it were Jim Calhoun and the Huskies back in the day facing John Chaney's Owls on the hardwood in Philadelphia. Instead, these two meet on a gridiron in Canada, with UConn winning 31-28.

at Mobile, Ala.
GMAC Bowl:
Ohio (MAC, 9-4) vs. Marshall (Conference USA, 6-6)
This game survives because of its MAC tie-in, but it had to drag over Marshall as a replacement, absent any ACC participant. Fortunately, it restores the Bobcats-Hundering Turd Thundering Herd rivalry. They last played in 2004, when both were members of the MAC. Marshall wins here, 31-24.

at San Antonio
Alamo Bowl:
Minnesota (Big 10, 6-6) vs. Missouri (Big XII, 8-4)
Another seesaw battle sees Minnesota upend favored Mizzou 35-31 with a 63-yard drive at the end of the game. The Tigers waste 330 yards from quarterback Blaine Gabbert, who also tosses two interceptions.

at Memphis, Tenn.
Liberty Bowl:
Houston (Conference USA, 10-3) vs. South Carolina (SEC, 7-5)
South Carolina's defense gets Houston down 17-0 early, but Case Keenum and the high-powered Cougars come storming back for a 45-34 win that isn't that close. Keenum tosses five touchdowns, two to Tyron Carrier, who also has 175 yards.

at Glendale, Ariz.
Fiesta Bowl:
No. 19 Stanford (Pac-10, 8-4) vs. No. 21 Oklahoma State (Big XII, 9-3)
As the wild card of the major bowls, the Fiesta schedules itself after New Year's Day, and picks Oklahoma State for proximity and Stanford for the star power of Heisman runner-up Toby Gerhart. The Cardinal lead 16-14 at halftime, but the Cowboys pull away for a 35-16 win. Gerhart gets 116 yards rushing but no touchdowns.

Jan. 9
NCAA Division I Football Championship
National Final
at San Diego, Calif.

(6) Oregon vs. (1) Alabama
Alabama punts on its first three possessions. Oregon scores on its first three, on the way to a 28-7 halftime lead. The Crimson Tide draw to 28-17 on a 70-yard punt return by Javier Arenas, but Oregon immediately answers with a 14-play drive covering 75 yards for the 35-17 advantage. Alabama scores again in the fourth quarter, but can't make the two point conversion, and its final drive dies on 4th-and-10 from the Oregon 14 with 2:05 to go.

The final is 35-23, and the first champion of the NCAA's first football tournament is the same as the champion of its first basketball tournament 70 years before: Oregon.

Stick Jockey is Kotaku's column on sports video games. It appears Saturdays at 10 a.m. U.S. Mountain time.

EA Sports' blog promises the same package is on the way "very soon" for PlayStation 3. A ton of these look like they have color variants or something, but here's a list, taken from the EA Sports blog with duplicates removed. I'm just disappointed we don't have the Chickie Yonakor waffle-soles with floppy three-stripe socks.

TS Supernatural Commander AllStar East Blue SLD/Running White FTW/Red SLD DLC
TS Supernatural Commander
TS Supernatural Creator AllStar West Red SLD/Running White FTW/Metallic Gold SLD
TS Supernatural Creator
TS Cut Creator Low Gil
TS Bounce Commander CMDR 3 Duncan
TS Bounce Commander CMDR 3 KG
TS Bounce Commander CMDR 3 Howard
Jordan Melo M6
Jordan CP3.III
Jordan XII (re-purpose from NBA Street)
Jordan 2010
Nike Air Max LeBron VII
Nike Zoom Kobe V
Nike Zoom Hustle
Converse Wade 5 Mid
Converse EB2 Mid
Converse Weapon Evo Ox
Converse Weapon Evo Ox C
Converse Weapon Evo Mid
Reebok Answer XIII
Reebok Hexride
Nike KD2
Nike Hypermax
Nike Hyperize
Nike SHOX Vision
Nike Blue Chip II
Nike Air MAX Rise
Nike Zoom Skyposite
Nike Zoom Hustle
Nike Cradle Rock Low
Nike MAX Turnaround
Nike Sentido
Nike Zoom Flip'n
Nike Huarache Legion

Holiday DLC Shoe Pack [EA Sports]

Here's the original statement, sent out by EA on December 2:

Our strong relationship with Tiger for more than a decade remains unchanged. We respect Tiger's privacy, we wish him a fast recovery and we look forward to seeing him back on the golf course.

Supportive! They're rooting for the big guy, and will be backing him all the way. Thing is, that was at a time when Tiger was still a golfer. And was only facing allegations of sleeping with a handful of ladies who were not his wife.

Two weeks later, though, Woods has not only taken an indefinite break from the sport (not helpful for a company making a video game based around him playing golf), but it appears he's slept with every porn star and cocktail waitress north of the Mexican border. Meaning he's now less of an asset, more of a liability. And a fresh statement from EA reflects this.

This was sent by an EA Sports representative to the New Britain Herald yesterday:

We respect that this is a very difficult, and private, situation for Tiger and his family. At this time, the strategy for our Tiger Woods PGA Tour business remains unchanged.

Hmm. Interesting. "At this time". Carefully-worded phrase, that. It's the real-world marketing equivalent of "we have no plans". Sure, the strategy at this time remains unchanged, but by January or February (or at least until after Tiger Woods Online launches early next year), well, who knows.

In other words, while it's hardly an outright sacking, it's also no longer a guarantee that Tiger will be the face of EA Sports' golf franchise next year. Especially given the fact that he may not even be playing golf by the time next year's title rolls around.

Lee Carvallo, now's your chance!

Drzewiecki: EA has no plans to take Tiger off PGA game [New Britain Herald, via Go Nintendo]

We don't have permission to reprint the article in its entirety, but having seen it, I can confirm that what was posted in the EA Sports Forums is on the level. FSM also sources the September release claim back to within Electronic Arts (the article references "our moles at EA" on another detail) but can't get any more specific than that.

That's the inside-baseball portion. To recap, here's what you can expect from EA Sports MMA when it releases:

• Deals with other MMA promotions, in addition to the announced Strikeforce deal, are "highly likely, including at least one of the big Japanese groups." FSM says one unannounced top fighter "regularly competes in Sengoku [Raiden Championship, aka World Victory Road]."

• Venues including both rings and cages. FSM says EA's on the fence about whether restarts will be included for ring fights. (It "might make for jarring gameplay," the article says.)

• Pride-style rules in addition to standard Unified Rules.

• The ability to fight left- or right-handed, execute foot stomps and fight on the cage, with deeper clinchwork and countering. These mechanics go deeper than the limitations of UFC Undisputed 2009.

• As for gameplay, the right analog will be your striking control, with the left trigger as the kick modifier.

One other unrelated development: The following fighters were confirmed for the title today: Cung Le, Josh Thomson, Robbie Lawler, Scott Smith, Matt Lindland, Gilbert Melendez, and Ronaldo Souza.

EA Sports, yesterday, no commented when we asked if that September 2010 claim is any good. That does not mean it is, of course. But it sounds like they're trying to pack a lot into this title, so keep that in mind.

So, given the audit trail for that rumor, let's take it with a block of salt. And I've gone ahead and emailed EA Sports MMA's publicity contact to let them know their name's in someone else's mouth. But if that's a fact, wow. UFC 2010 Undisputed, which just got a glowing debut at Saturday's Spike Video Game Awards, is said to be on track for May 25 thanks to the latest GameStop circular. I would half expect EA Sports MMA would have to release much closer to that date than four months, if not before it.

Pasta Padre wisely points out that such a release would put it smack dab in the middle of EA Sports' high season for releases: Madden in August, NHL 11 in September, NBA Live and FIFA in October. It runs the risk of being well overshadowed by the established franchises.

The source on the rumor is the UK-based Fighting Spirit Magazine, the only European publication invited to a recent EA Sports MMA press conference, so it has a track record of covering the game. The magazine went on to describe several features about the gameplay, including Unified Rules, Pride Style Rules, foot stomps, fighting on the cage, and other details. So check out the post if you're interested in that.

Should EA Sports take a swing at this, I'll update it here. I've also emailed Fighting Spirit Magazine to double check their side of this.

Update: An EA Sports spokeswoman has told Kotaku "We have no comment on speculation or rumor at this point."

Must Read! New Info on EA MMA [EA Sports forums via Pasta Padre]

"Forget about any golfers picking up the sponsorship slack," says Michael K. Ozanian. "According to E Poll Market Research, aside from Tiger, they generate no buzz with consumers."

He's talking about all products, not just video games, but if Phil Mickelson and Jim Furyk can't sell shaving cream, they probably can't push a $60 title either. Tiger Woods has been the lead endorser of EA Sports PGA Tour series since 1998 - only John Madden has a longer association on the title of a sports video game. EA axing Tiger is a far different thing than AT&T or Accenture (although Nike and Gatorade have comparable product lines in play here too.)

This is all speculation of course. EA Sports' latest guidance is this stand-by-your-man news release. It's got a major release coming up with Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online, a free-to-play browser-based product that's been in a closed beta already, with another coming up soon. And as said above, if Woods is so toxic that he can't rep a game, EA Sports would have no reasonable fallback. Of course this scandal is a disaster for Woods as a business; it's not a party for his corporate partners either.

Tiger's Troubles: The Winners [Forbes]

Speaking with the Nightly Business Report, EA CEO John Riccitiello revealed that in this calendar year alone, "we've hosted over a billion online games, a billion online games. That's a staggering number."

Damn straight that's a staggering number.

[Nightly Business Report]

Some candidates, in decreasing order of likelihood:

• FIFA World Cup 10. Although, this is really no surprise, nor is it really a "new game." Technically it fits the definition.

• A downloadable title. Madden NFL Arcade has sold well, but unless this is an NBA Arcade or a sequel to the NHL 3-on-3 title (which stretches the language of this tease), there isn't much that's in season. It's also hardly the kind of thing that warrants an executive announcement as opposed to a statement.

• Grand Slam Tennis on the 360 and/or PS3. It was delayed from this autumn and these console versions are thought to be tied to Natal/PlayStation Motion Control, due in the coming year. But it would be very irregular for a title like this to put a date on a new technology before the maker of that technology does. It could also be a non-motion control version.

• As the astute Pasta Padre reasons, a WWE title. Pasta points out the license between the wrestling enterprise and THQ has until Dec. 31 to be renewed. "It is possible THQ informed WWE they did not intend to continue the license at which point EA could have jumped in and made an offer," says Pasta.

• Something entirely new, but it's tough to imagine EA Sports opening a new license after what Tiburon has just gone through, and the indication they'll focus on their existing franchises.

• Or, the hardway four on this crapshoot, the return of MVP Baseball. 2K Sports still has the exclusive Major League Baseball license into 2012, but given Take Two Interactive's pointed remarks last week, they would probably love to get that millstone off their necks. MLB 2K10 announced its cover athlete, so we're not talking about this year. But the tweet only said an announcement of a new game, not the time when it is released.

EA Sports Announcing New Game in January [Pasta Padre]

The code is: rwyhafwh6ekyjcmr The teams available with new third jerseys are the Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators, and Minnesota Wild.

Third Jersey Code [NHL 10 via Operation Sports]

"Our goal is to have Champions Pack 2 back up for users to download before the Christmas holidays," a community manager said in the official forums yesterday. Those who managed to successfully download the content using a workaround are free to play the content, but locked items in it will remain that way until an updated version moves.

Here is EA Sports' full statement on the matter:

We regret to inform XBOX 360 users that due to the freezing issues that users have been experiencing when downloading Champions Pack 2, we have come to the tough decision to take the DLC down from XBL Marketplace, fix the issue, and look to prop up a corrected Champions Pack 2 in the near future. Unfortunately the fix requires a full pass of approvals by all parties involved and may take longer than a few days.

For users that have already downloaded the pack using the work around that was provided yesterday, you are fine to play with the new content. Though if there are locked items you have not yet purchased, you will not be able to unlock them until the updated version is released.

Again, we sincerely apologize to our users for having to endure the delay due to this unforeseen issue and our goal is to have Champions Pack 2 back up for users to download before the Christmas holidays.

DLC Pack #3 Issues [EA Sports Forums via Operation Sports]