College basketball is heating up. Baseball season is just now beginning. Pro-hockey and pro-basketball have finally gotten over their respective humps, otherwise-know as their All-Star games. What’s left?

Stock car racing? The XFL? Is any of it even watchable?

Actually, auto racing can be.

But any football league that has ex-National Football League cast-off Tommy Maddox as its marquee player may have a few problems.

What does that leave us with? Figure skating? Yes, it has its place.

How about extreme sports? They definitely provide entertainment, especially when the number of face plants are up there.

It is interesting watching other people do things that you yourself can’t do, or wouldn’t want to do.

That’s why I like to watch . . . well, that’s my problem, there isn’t anything worth watching. It’s sort of a dead zone right now. That’s why the XFL exists at this time of year.

Yes, the collegiate basketball conference playoffs are just around the corner, and yes it is just riveting to watch the top teams "Duke" it out. But it just seems so repetitive.

How about golf?

It can be exciting. At least it is when Tiger Woods gets about eight shots back going into the last day and then stages a furious charge. But even Tiger has been mortal of late.

So what’s left?

Well, I guess that just leaves extra time to peruse the new Army football schedule for the 2001 season.

Released February 7, Army faces seven Conference USA foes along with Air Force, Navy plus non-conference games against Boston College and Buffalo.

It’s not pretty folks. Five teams played in bowl games last year and the 11 teams sport a combined record of 64-62. Take away Navy’s 1-10 record and Buffalo’s 2-9 mark and it is 61-43. That’s a .587 winning percentage. That’s like facing a six-plus winning team every week.

The Black Knights will face another tough test as Army football coach Todd Berry enters his second season at the helm.

Despite his best efforts to upgrade the talent of the program, it will be another rebuilding season along the banks of the Hudson.

Don’t look for more than two wins in 2001 though Army should be in as many as seven of their 11 games.

Army will face Air Force in Colorado Springs. Berry will have to forge a new legacy for Army football to reverse the Black Knights fortunes in Colorado.

Boston College will just be bigger and faster again.

Speed kills in college football and that’s the way Berry will have to improve the team to be able to face the likes of BC.

Texas Christian and East Carolina are both top programs that will present more than a match for Army.

Buffalo can be beat, so can Navy, but as we all know too well, nothing is ever guaranteed in an Army-Navy game.

The games Army has the potential to be close in are against Alabama-Birmingham, Cincinnati, Houston, Tulane and Memphis.

The talent gap between Berry’s teams and their opponents will noticeably begin to close after he brings in his first full recruiting class this season.

Black Knight football will come back. Just don’t expect it to happen overnight.