A Bo Ryan-coached basketball team will finish fourth place or better in the Big Ten. Wisconsin likes to run the football. Tossing the ball to Jon Leuer in the post creates only good things.

Brett Favre will throw a critical interception in the waning moments of a big game — even if it takes him 18 games to prove this point.

These are sports facts. No, they are not facts like 2+2=4 is a fact, but if you can bank on anything in the fluid world of sports, these are a few certainties to bet on.

Now consider the following: the Cincinnati Reds will once again flop as every baseball expert’s preseason sleeper pick. Mel Kiper needs to actually use MORE hair gel. Despite the tons of hype surrounding defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh and Gerald McCoy, the history of Glen Dorsey, Dewayne Robertson, Ryan Sims and Gerard Warren shows us that “can’t-miss” DT’s in the top 10 of the first round are perilous at best.

These are sports opinions. As a column, it is ideas such as these that normally form the basis for my content each week. I argue a debatable point, inevitably upset a loyalist fan with a flippant cheap shot about his team/coach/stupid mascot, and am berated through email that I am an idiot/should jump off a cliff/have tiny man-parts.

Alas, this enjoyable pattern will not repeat itself this week.

You see, while I would like to present an argument why neither John Wall nor Evan Turner is college basketball’s player of the year, a more pressing matter needs to be amended. Namely, there are a multitude of sports facts roaming around in the mainstream media being presented as sports opinions with two or more sides to the issue.

This is simply not true. And the nonsense needs to be stopped, so important but perhaps not so intelligent people (read: NCAA higher ups) can make the correct decision about matters of national importance.

While this is no way comprehensive, here are a few sports facts currently muddied under the guise of debate.

NCAA Tournament Expansion

The powers that govern college hoops have reportedly decided to mull over expanding the cash cow known as the NCAA Tournament to 96 teams from the current 65.

This ridiculous thought has been buoyed by support from many coaches — including Madison’s own Bo Ryan — mostly due to the fact that competing in the NCAA Tourney makes coaches appear more valuable and harder to fire. It is an understandable, if extremely flawed position from a coach’s point of view.

For the other legions supporting expansion, however, only a recent blow from a blunt instrument to the head could possibly explain the madness.

Proponents for expansion like to point to the fact that each time the NCAA Tournament branched out to include more teams, it has been wildly successful. While I hate to bring something boring like economics into a sports column, the law of diminishing returns was conceived to combat this exact type of situation.

More does not always equal better. Just ask the NBA, retired offensive linemen — stay away from cheeseburgers — and Antonio Cromartie’s seven children.

Furthermore, it isn’t like there is a preponderance of good teams being left out of the tourney. When debating the last four in and last four left out, the argument doesn’t center around the pros of each team, but rather who has the fewest negatives.

The most anticipated sporting event of the year is already perfect for numerous reasons. Let’s stop having a debate about how to make it worse.

NFL Overtime

After years and years of bitching about a coin flip heavily influencing games, the NFL competition committee is reportedly considering changing the current overtime format.

Considering it?

What more evidence is needed? Over the past 16 years, the team that receives first wins 60 percent of their games. We can call that an advantage. Seeing as only seven times in 36 years has a team chosen to kick off, it looks like NFL clubs consider it an advantage as well.

And frankly, I’m not sure many fans care what the new format will be.

Go to college style OT, make it so you need at least a touchdown on the first possession, play on an 80-yard field with Arena football rules, include special teams or don’t include special teams. Just do something.

All fans can agree with this fact.

NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement

Retired players need significantly more benefits for their misshapen bodies and missing hips. Top-10 rookies need significantly lowered salaries, be it draft slotting or not. And Chad Ochocinco needs to be lit up going across the middle. And then have it replayed over and over and over again on YouTube.

These are things we — both players and owners — can all agree on.

Yet somehow, the NFL heads into an uncapped year with a lockout looming over everyone’s head.

Uncapped athletics are bad (though of course, this is a sports opinion). Not playing at all is much, much worse (sports fact).

MLB baseball only recovered from its work stoppage with a juiced-up home run contest. The NBA is still struggling from its last strike in 1999 — though in fairness, that might be due to the pathetic product put out during the marathon regular season.

Either way, common sense only dictates that work stoppages are bad for all parties involved — something the players union might want to consider before they damage the image of the most popular sport in America.

In the words of some really old dudes, we hold these facts to be self-evident.

Michael is a senior majoring in journalism. Think these “facts” are up for debate? Email him at [email protected].