Saturday, December 26, 2009

Urban Meyer is gone

That's not a typo. Urban Meyer, Florida's head football coach, has resigned. According to ESPN, he's citing health and family as major reasons for this decision. The Palm Beach Post says that the health reason may be an inoperable brain cyst that flares up due to stress.
Whatever the reason, this is not encouraging news for a program who is graduating a senior class that could have 48 wins, losing a large number of top juniors to the NFL draft, losing recruits, and losing coaches such as Charlie Strong and Billy Gonzalez.
Who could step in at Florida? Anything right now is pure speculation. Could we hire back Charlie Strong? What about Bud Foster? Tommy Tuberville, Tony Dungy, Mike Shannahan, maybe Bob Stoops? Could Steve Spurrier come back? Time will tell, but you know what? I'm sure a lot of Gator fans are crying like Tim Tebow.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Bowls galore! Part 4, featuring Exciting Bowls

With the first "Exciting Bowl" of the season set to kick off tonight, I figure it'd probably best that I take a break from Cafe World to come over here and update the ol' blog.
Also, haven't been too hot picking teams thus far... I'm 1-2, even though I really wanted to go with MTSU over Southern Miss. Oh well, shoulda, woulda, coulda. Onto the Exciting Bowls!

Macco Las Vegas Bowl, Tuesday, December 22, 8:00 P.M. on ESPN
Oregon State vs BYU
The first of the exciting bowl games features two high octane offenses. The running styles are different, as Jaquizz Rodgers will try and cut in and out of lanes, while Harvey Unga will just run you over. The Cougars also have Max Hall, which is an advantage at the quarterback position. Fortunatley, neither of these teams play outstanding defense, so we'll get to see the scoreboard light up. I think it's really tough to call this one, but I think that BYU may pull this one out and show people that the MWC really is better than some people are willing to accept.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Bowls galore! Part 3, featuring "Decent Bowls"

Today, we feature the second half of our decent bowl games, as well as a bonus "Boring" bowl, whose fate was decided with the outcome of the Army-Navy game yesterday. So, without futher ado, onto the next of the Decent bowls!

Texas Bowl, Thursday, December 31, 3:30 P.M. on ESPN
Navy vs Missouri
Navy has unsurprisingly been the best academy team this year. They have nine wins, and can get to double digits, and maybe a ranked finish, by beating Missouri. Things were looking good for the Tigers early, despite losing Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin to the draft, but the wheels fell off in Big 12 play, where they had to rebound big time to finish at .500 in the division. Missouri's spread against Navy's triple option should be fun to watch. I honestly can't say I believe either team will run away. Missouri may have a slight edge, but you can never count a team like Navy out.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Bowls galore! Part 2, featuring "Decent Bowls"

Okay, it's time for the second installment of Bowls Galore!
Today, we're going to take a look at the early "Decent" games, or games that you should watch if they're on and you're not doing anything better. However, if there's an "Exciting" bowl game on during the same time, swtich the damn channel! "Decent" bowl games can also be used as an excuse to ignore your drunken uncle, who was done after just a cup and a half of eggnog. Onto the first half of the decent bowls!

Monday, December 7, 2009

Bowls galore, featuring "Boring Bowls"

First and foremost, let's check out how I did when I tired to predict where some of the ranked teams would end up in my week 15 rankings.
Cincy/Florida- I said Sugar, and Sugar it is, though Sugar is supposed to be sweet and this is anything but as a Gator fan.
TCU- Nope. I thought Orange. Instead the Fiesta pit them against Boise. More on that subject later though.
Iowa/Penn State- Predicted a BCS berth for one, but got the bowl wrong (Orange, not Fiesta).
Miami (FL)- Champs Sports, boom!
Pittsburgh- Meineke Car Care Bowl FTW.
Brigham Young- Las Vegas Bowl bound indeed.
Stanford- I said Emerald or Holiday, but they got Brut Sun Bowl. Swing and a miss.
Arizona- Holiday Bowl, called it.
Central Michigan- I thought the Little Caesars got the MAC champs? Guess not. Wrong.
Wisconsin- I foresaw Champs Sports, and Champs Sports it is.
Utah- Pointsettia, done and done.
Oregon State- Not, in fact, playing in the Brut Sun Bowl. Another one in the wrong column.
Nebraska- At least I ended with a win (Holiday Bowl).
So what's that put me at, nine out of 14? Not too shabby, but I'm not going to start betting or anything.
Next up, I'd like to share with you a helpful guide. I've divided the bowls into three categories. The three categories are "Boring Bowls," "Decent Bowls," and "Exciting Bowls." Not the flashiest names, but hey, Occam's Razor. Not surprisingly, there's more "Decent" than "Boring" or "Exciting" bowls, probably due to simple rules of random distribution.
I've classified each bowl game into one of those three categories for various reasons. Right now, I'll start with the "Boring Bowls," or the bowls you shouldn't stress missing, and shouldn't go out of your way to watch unless your alma matter is involved or something. So without further ado, here we go.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Week 15 rankings

Well, if anything, we learned who the real best team in the country is. I can't say I'm too happy about it, but it is what it is. Here we go.

1. Alabama (13-0): Well, there's really no question left about it now, is there?
2. Texas Christian (12-0): They've played like the second best team in the country all year and deserve to play for the title.
3. Texas (13-0): That didn't look like a championship team. If not for a stupid horse-collar tackle by Nebraska, the Huskers are playing in Glendale, with Texas probably playing in the Orange.
4. Cincinnati (12-0): Are they better than the Longhorns as well? Probably not, but their one point win was arguably better than Texas'.
5. Florida (12-1): Alabama pretty much annihilated Florida. Without Dunlap to put pressre on McElroy, the Florida D couldn't get pressure to force the Tide into making mistakes. A date with Cincy probably awaits in the Sugar Bowl.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

This week's previews: #19 Oregon State vs #7 Oregon

This one has the potential to be an instant classic. Both teams are pretty close to the middle of the pack defensively, raking #4 (Oregon State) and #5 (Oregon) in the Pac 10 defensively. Both also put up big numbers on offense, with Oregon in the top 10 nationally and Oregon State at #21.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Week 14 rankings

Not much to say this week- Les Miles remembered how to coach, and I grudgingly moved Southern Cal back into the rankings. The national semi-final is all set for the SEC Championship next week, and there's some small upheval in the top five.

1. Florida (12-0): They had the best performance of any of the three big contenders this weekend. Tim may have cried before the game, but the Gators dominated and never looked back. This team is starting to fire on all cylinders at just the right time.
2. Alabama (12-0): Going down 14 points on the road in a rivalry game isn;t the best way to start off, but Bama showed that even if that does happen, they are prepared to handle it and win the game.
3. Texas Christian (12-0): They just looked better than Texas this weekend. They dominated a very dominate-able team, but like I said, they've often looked better than Texas this season. Rivalry weekend was the straw that broke the camel's back.
4. Texas (12-0): Unlike Florida, they didn't dominate. Unlike Bama, they never seemed like they would need a big comeback. They just played a sloppy game against a rival. You can't do that this late in the season, especially with a very good Nebraska defense up next.
5. Cincinnati (11-0): Remember Tony Pike? He's back. Six TDs on the day makes you wonder, would he have been running away with the Heisman if he hadn't been hurt?

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Week 13 rankings

So, nothing too crazy happened this weekend. USC's defense managed a shutout. Taylor Mays and co. were tremndously helped out by the fact that they had a bye-week. By the way, they're still not ranked. You don't climb back in with a bye week.

In the only matchup of ranked teams, LSU fell to Mississippi on what has got to be one of the dumbest plays I have ever seen. Why wait until there's single digits on the clock, Les? You rarely see hail marys completed, and once you do you gotta get your field goal team out there. If anyone was wondering, I was going to blog about how I think LSU will win a close one, because Dexter McCluster scares me- looks like I was right on one count. Anyways, without further ado, here's this week's top teams.

1. Florida (11-0): Yes, they're back at number one. I think this is the fifth time Florida and Alabama have switched spots in the rankings, which says a lot about these clubs. Florida dominated a better team in FIU compared to Alabama's dominating (but less so) performance against a I-AA team.
2. Alabama (11-0): As long as Alabama shows up this week, they're going to beat Auburn (probably). What more can I say? If they and Florida take care of business as they should, the National SEC Championship in Atlanta will be the most important game of the year.
3. Texas (11-0): The Longhorns are still hanging around. They get to beat up on the Aggies before Nebraska gives them a much tougher game than anyone thinks they will.
4. Texas Christian (11-0): This is why college football needs a playoff. Many times over the past few weeks I've considered moving the Horned Frogs up to number three. That they don't get to play for a championship is a damn shame. Can we at least get a plus one?
5. Cincinnati (10-0): The Bearcats got a week heal the wounded (Tony Pike- remember him?) before pretty much a scrimmage against Illinois this week. I bet Cincy would love it if Nebraska were to show up Texas in two weeks... But Cincy has to win in Pittsburgh for it to matter.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

The alphabet according to YouTube and Google

I got bored and decided to go through YouTube and Google and simply type in each letter of the alphabet. Yes, I get that bored. The sad part is, I have better things to do and chose not to do them. Anyways, have fun comparing the two lists.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Week 12 rankings

1. Alabama (10-0): They put Mississippi State away a lot easier than Florida did, and also did it a lot easier than Florida put away South Carolina. The waffling continues, because as of right now, Alabama is the top team in the country. After an off week (i.e. game against Chattanooga) the Tide faces Auburn in the Iron Bowl.
2. Florida (10-0): As a Florida fan, I was dying for about 2 and a half quarters. I'd never been happier than when Justin Trattou grabbed that ball out of the air, separated biceps and all. The Gamecocks are good, but the Gators shouldn't have had the problems they did. A game like that against Alabama won't cut it.
3. Texas (10-0): Another week, another chance for Texas to beat up on a cellar-dweller. Nebraska could end up making it an interesting game should they meet in the Big 12 championship game.
4. Texas Chrisitian (10-0): I'm really surprised that Utah managed as many points as they did, but it wasn't enough. While TCU has only two games left, Boise State has three. Will that hurt the Horned Frogs? I doubt it.
5. Cincinnati (10-0): The Bearcats have what should be a laugher against Illinois coming up before the big showdown with Pitt. If the Panthers beat WVU, then it will be for the Big East title and  BCS bid, because fo some reason, if Pitt wins, I think the Bearcats will be left in the cold by the BCS.

Friday, November 13, 2009

This weekend's previews

#9 Iowa vs #16 Ohio State
These two teams have the 2nd and 3rd ranked scoring defenses (Ohio State and Iowa) in the conference. Both allow under 300 yards a game, and both have over 15 picks (16 for OSU and 20 for Iowa).
I think that the difference in this game is going to come down to personel and home field advantage.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Week 11 rankings

Once again my hectic life (sort of) has caused me to miss posting predictions, but for what it's worth, I would have gone 1-1 in my ranked game previews. I was planning on picking Bama and Penn State. Also, not to toot my own horn, but I do believe I somewhat called Oregon's upset (refer here to Oregon's entry). Anywho, without further tarrying, here are my rankings for week 11.

1. Florida (9-0): Are the oddsmakers still setting absurd lines for these games? For some reason I think Vandy covered, even though they got beat by 24. Since when are 24 point wins not good? Florida faces a stiff test when they travel to South Carolina next week.
2. Alabama (9-0): The SECCG is set, and once again it's Alabama and Florida in the BCS play-in game. The win over LSU was ugly, but the Tide got it done. Nick Saban has proved his team is a step above the rest of the SEC.
3. Texas (9-0): The "real" polls will probably have Texas at three as well, since voters are just so fickle. Can we complain that Texas didn't beat UCF by enough since the same thing I happening with the Gators' game against Vandy?
4. Cincinnati (9-0): It's not just Cincy- UConn is giving every team they play all they can handle. In a week where a lot of things didn't go well for a lot of teams, Calleros and Cincy are able to capitalize with a win, however slim the margin may have been.
5. Texas Christian (9-0): The strength of this team is their defense, and they had another fine performance this weekend. They've done a great job scheduling strong out-of-conference games, and their next game against Utah is their last shot to show they deserve to play in a BCS bowl, or maybe even a national championship.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Gouge-gate

By now, I'm pretty sure everyone on the planet has seen this video of Brandon Spikes in Saturday's WLOCP game.

It appears that Brandon stuck his hand inside Washaun Ealey's facemask and tried to gouge his eyes. I try and be unbiased (ask my girlfriend- it drives her crazy that people like Jesse Palmer and I aren't homers), but I think it's hard to prove intent there. Sure, it looks bad, but we can't be 100% sure that Brandon wasn't going for the ball and stuck his hand in the facemask instead. Still, it does look very damning.
That said, Urban Meyers has announced that Spikes will be suspended for the first half of the game agaisnt Vanderbilt. This morning, I told my girlfriend that the university should suspend him for the whole game. Why the whole game? Let's be real- the Gators don't need Brandon Spikes in a home night game against Vanderbilt, and should the SEC or NCAA find something wrong, perhaps they won't levy a punishment if they believe UF has already taken care of it.
Time will tell, and I do believe that Spikes should not dress on Saturday. Rivalry games bring out the best in people, but they also bring out the worst sometimes.

Week 10 rankings

1. Florida (8-0): For the first time this year, they looked like the Gators of 2008. Yeah, it came against Georgia, but it was rivalry game, and those can be crazy. Ask the 2006 USC squad.
2. Alabama (8-0): Alabama had the week off to prepare for #6 LSU this week, and despite Texas's big win against Oklahoma State, I think Alabama is still the more impressive team.
3. Texas (8-0): Dayum Texas, that's the kinda shellackin' people have expected from you all year. With Oklahoma State taken care of, all Texas must do is avoid the upset until they reach Pasadena.
4. Iowa (9-0): Those first three quarters were textbook Iowa football. The last quarter was surreal. If they can play whole games like they played in the first quarter, the Big 10 could be sending a team to the national championship for the third time in four years.
5. Cincinnati (8-0): An admirable performance by Cincinnati and a three touchdown win wasn't enough to keep Iowa from jumping them again. Still, with a backup quarterback in, that's not a bad week for the Bearcats. They get UConn at home this week.

Friday, October 30, 2009

This weekend's previews: #11 Southern Cal @ #9 Oregon

For as good as everyone says Southern Cal is, they sure play with their backs against the wall a lot of the time. They Trojans are 3-1 in the Pac-10 after suffering a (not entirely unexpected) defeat at the hands of powerhouse (er... 3-5) Washington earlier this year. A loss to the #9 Ducks (4-0 in Pac-10 play, including easily dispatching the same Washinton team) would end the Men of Troy's hopes for winning the Pac-10, playing in the national championship, and probably playing in a BCS bowl.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

This weekend's previews: #3 Texas @ #14 Oklahoma State

Oh, how the Cowboys are wishing that the NCAA hadn't come down so hard on Dez Bryant. And oh, how the Cowboys wish they didn't get Texas coming off their best game of the year so far, a 41-7 spanking of what appeared to be a good Missouri team.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Week 9 rankings

For once, a week in college football where a top 5 team didn't fall, though Alabama did their damnedest. That said, there were some ranked teams that lost and will be falling down (or falling out of) the rankings.
So without further ado, here's the new top 25 for week 9.

1. Alabama (8-0): They may have had a rough time against Tennessee, but even elite teams don't completely dominate every week. That game reminded me of Florida vs South Carolina in 2006. The Tide are certainly good enough to win it all.
2. Florida (7-0): It was better than last week's game against Arkansas... kind of. Tebow needs to stop making bad throws, and Steve Addazio needs to work on his play calling. If the Gator offense can't get it together, Georgia will be tougher than anyone thinks.
3. Texas (7-0): There's the Colt McCoy we're looking for! Texas absolutely lit up a good Mizzou team, which does not bode well for the rest of the Big 12.
4. Cincinnati (7-0): They jump Iowa because of the way they win. Cincinnati does not play teams close. Blowing out Louisville is just the latest example.
5. Iowa (8-0): Iowa has won every game they've played in so far this year, and they've done it in the ugliest way possible. They needed a touchdown on 4th down with two seconds left this week. Still, ugly or not, they are undefeated.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Back to back Bulldogs

The Gators have struggled against Mississippi State. Who knows why. It's just one of those things that can happen in sports. Sometimes a team just has your number. Do I think that Florida will win today? Probably. But I anticipate having at least as many heart attacks as I suffered against Arkansas last week.
The western division Bulldogs are a vastly improved team, and next week the Gators face the eastern division Bulldogs, a vasty, erm... unimproved team. Why does it matter that we're playing Bulldogs in back to back weeks?

Friday, October 23, 2009

This weekend's previews

This weekend is not as crazy as last weekend in terms of matchups of ranked teams, but six will still take the field against each other.
First up is #16 South Florida against #18 Pittsburgh. Offensively, these teams are just about mirror images of each other. They ranked #21 (South Florida) and #23 (Pittsburgh) nationally in scoring offense at 33.7 and 33.3 points a game respectively. USF is only about 12 and 13 yards better through the air and on the ground respectively, compared to Pittsburgh.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Week 8 rankings

Another weekend of college football behind us, and more top 5 upsets in the books. Virginia Tech went down, Florida lucked out, and Colt McCoy showed that he's only a field goal better than Landry Jones (which my girlfriend pointed out before me). More undefeated teams fell by the wayside (South Florida, Kansas), and the first BCS rankings of the year are out. Without further ado, my rankings for week 8.

1. Alabama- They've played better than and worse than Florida against Arkansas and Kentucky respectively, but a win over Virginia Tech (which honestly, doesn't look quite as good now) has them ranked #1 in my poll for the first time this season.
2. Florida- Even elite teams have a bad game. If the Gators didn't want to lose the top spot, they should probably stop scheduling cupcakes and start playing some better teams.
3. Texas- "Colt McCoy is only 3 points better than Landry Jones."- Megen Olivo. True, but they're still undefeated in the Big 12.
4. Iowa- It's not pretty watching this football team, but they're 7-0 and that's impressive. Why they're not getting more love from the flesh and blood, I don't know.
5. Cincinnati- They steamrolled a good South Florida team in Tampa despite losing star quarterback Tony Pike. They still have Pittsburgh, West Virginia and Connecticut, but if they win out, they have a real shot at playing for a national title.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Patriots 59, Titans 0

No, that's not a high school or college football score. That is an honest to god NFL score. The New England Patriots best the Tennessee Titians 59 to 0.
Parity my ass.
Also, the day my fantasy team decided to come alive, I face a 1-3-1 team that's also decided to come alive. I'll be damned if a 30 point performance from Randy Moss and 29 points from DeAngelo Williams go to waste.
Also, sorry I couldn't update before the South Carolina-Alabama game. To give you a taste of what I was going to say, it was that Alabama is all about the defense. They're better on both sides of the ball than SC. My final score prediction was 35-14 Bama. At least I got this outcome right.
New poll tomorrow, so be sure to check back. Also, the BCS is completely ridiculous.

Friday, October 16, 2009

This weekend's previews: #4 Virginia Tech @ #17 Georgia Tech

The ACC costal division showdown between #4 Virginia Tech and #17 Georgia Tech is probably the second best game on this weekend, behind only the Red River Rivalry. Each team enters 5-1, but Virginia Tech hold a 3-1 ACC record, while Georgia Tech suffered a loss at the hands of Miami to put them at 3-1 in the conference.
If you wanted to take the easy way out, you could just point to their one common opponent (Miami) and say that Miami beat Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech beat Miami, but let's be honest- GT played in Miami, and Miami played in Blacksburg. It's not that simple.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

This weekend's previews: #6 Cincinnati @ #7 South Florida

Two of the top ten teams in the nation square off tonight in Raymond James Stadium as the Cincinnati Bearcats take on the South Florida Bulls. The big name going into this matchup is Cincinnati quarterback Tony Pike. He's been mentioned in Heisman talk, and is probably the best offensive player in the Big East.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

This weekend's previews: #5 Iowa @ #22 Wisconsin

Iowa is one of those teams that the folks at ESPN don't give much respect to. Despite a 6-0 record, they're ranked outside the top 10 in both the AP and USA Today polls, behind (one-loss) Ohio State and only a few spots above (one-loss) Penn State. Wisconsin is in a similar boat- despite being 5-1 and thuroughly outplaying Ohio State in the Horseshoe (Ohio State's defense sealed the deal), they find themselves unranked going into this week's matchup with the Hawkeyes.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

This weekend's previews: #18 Southern Cal @ #24 Notre Dame

The rivalry between the Fighting Irish and the Trojans will be renewed this weekend, as both teams come into the matchup ranked since the 2005 classic.
This is an interesting matchup, as it's a bit hard to get a read on either of these teams. Each team has a loss, though Notre Dame's loss (on the road at Michigan) is arguably better than USC's (on the road at Washington). I know some of you may be barking that USC played that game with their backup quarterback, but with such superior athletes, and against a team that was winless the previous season, USC really had no excuse for losing that game.

Monday, October 12, 2009

First rankings of the season

With six weeks of college football behind us, and the rest of the blogosphere already ripe with rankings, I've decided it's time to throw my hat into the fray. By this point in the season, teams have already begun their conference slates and played some decent non-conference games. I'm one of the camp that thinks it's a bit silly to rank teams early in the season, so don't be surprised if these rankings don't look like the ones you'd find on ESPN. So without further ado, my week 7 rankings.

1. Florida
2. Alabama
3. Texas
4. Virginia Tech
5. Iowa
6. Cincinnati
7. South Florida
8. Miami (FL)
9. LSU
10. TCU
11. Kansas
12. Nebraska
13. South Carolina
14. Auburn
15. Boise State
16. Oregon
17. Georgia Tech
18. Southern California
19. Ohio State
20. Houston
21. Penn State
22. Wisconsin
23. Oklahoma State
24. Notre Dame
25. Pittsburgh