By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season
BROOKLYN -- This time of year is full of year-in-review pieces, best-of lists and holiday gift guides.
Today I'd like to share with you my Top 10 Moments from the recently concluded One Great Season tour:
10) Driving up the coast of Oregon on an off day in October. The great scenery and the outstanding lunch I had at a seaside Mexican joint made for a nice escape from college football for an afternoon.
8) The TCU cheerleaders. Not necessarily a moment, but certainly scenery just as memorable as my Oregon road trip.
7) Watching Ohio State players celebrate with their fans who made the trip to Happy Valley to watch the Buckeyes' 24-7 win at Penn State in November.
6) Listening to the USC band play "Conquest" after road wins at Ohio State and California.
5) Watching Tim Tebow carry an offense. I saw him and his Florida Gators at Kentucky in September and at LSU a few weeks later.
4) Photographing Golden Tate's over-the-shoulder touchdown catch late in the fourth quarter, giving Notre Dame a come-from-behind defeat of visiting Michigan State in September.
3) Watching the Backyard Brawl end on a West Virginia field goal on the game's final play, sending the home crowd into a frenzy in November.
2) Watching the Pitt spirit squads sing "Let's Go Pitt" to the tune of Neil Diamond's classic, "Sweet Caroline." I saw it in Morgantown the day after Thanksgiving, and then again the following week in Pittsburgh as the entire stadium sang it in between the third and fourth quarters. Quite a spectacle.
1) Being on the field after my alma mater, Cincinnati, won college football's most exciting game of the season, a come-from-way-behind 45-44 win at Pittsburgh to preserve another Big East championship and a 12-0 season.