Bleed Orange and Blue

Five fearless predictions for the 2011 season

2011-01-15T12:01:00.001-05:00

Maybe this is hypocritical- after all, I am one of the people that absolutely decries preseason polls. But this isn't about ranking the teams. These are just five bold predictions for next year's oh-so-far-away college football season. Hold onto your hats, folks.

1. The SEC East will have four of its teams in contention for the division title going into the last week of SEC games.

South Carolina showed this year that they are a good football team. They are a football team that can be VERY good at times, but they are not yet an elite team. Tennessee and Georgia both came on strong at the end of the year before one was screwed out of a bowl victory and one forgot to show up. As for Florida, they bring in a new coaching staff with a firm idea of the identity they want the team to have, unlike the past year. All of this will set up a very interesting season filled with parity. Though South Carolina has the inside track, they are South Carolina, and probably won't be running away with the division like Florida did in 2008 and 2009.

2. LSU will win the SEC West handily.
Yes, they lose some important pieces, but with Gary Crowton skipping town and Les Miles staying put, they should win the SEC West. Alabama looked like beasts in their game against Michigan State, but they lose more juniors than does LSU, and Mississippi State, while good, is probably not yet at a level where they can defeat LSU and Alabama with any consistency. LSU probably won't be undefeated, but they should still win the division by at least a game.

3. Florida State will be undefeated.
Yes, I know they play Oklahoma. Yes, I know the defense was still suspect and the offense could stall at times. Yes, I know that Christian Ponder is gone. But this is essentially and SEC team. They have the speed, they have the coaches, they recruit the sames players. The only difference? They get to play in the ACC. Let's be honest, despite the 5-5 record in bowl games, the SEC is a much better conference than the ACC. The Nole will only have to get up for Oklahoma and Florida. The odds are stacked in their favor. Maybe even to win the whole she-bang...

4. Stanford won't be undefeated.
Oregon will slide, and though it won't be by much, I think that Stanford will be the favorites to win the Pac 12. They return star QB Andrew Luck, and while Jim Harbaugh is gone, his offensive coordinator was promoted. They shouldn't miss a beat offensively. This team almost beat Oregon in Autzen last season. I think they'll get revenge against the Ducks this year. So who will defeat them? Arizona played them tough for a half. UCLA pulled some big upsets last year, and USC is still dangerous. Bottom line, I don't think that they win out- and for that reason, I think a one-loss SEC champion gets the nod over them for the title game.

5. TCU or Boise will be undefeated, but still miss the championship game in favor of a one-loss AQ team.
As it should be, in my opinion. Still, each of these schools has a decent schedule next season. The Mountain West will be at its strongest next year before TCU leaves, and the Horned Frogs especially have out of conference games against the likes of SMU as well. Still, I see at least three teams- Stanford, Oklahoma and LSU- being one-loss conference champs when it's time to decide who plays FSU for the title. I think that LSU will be the one to get the nod, since the Big 12 (Ten) will be diluted, the Pac 12 is no SEC, and the SEC East won't be as down next year as it was this year.

Week 7 rankings, or: The Florida Gators are not here. Steve Addazio, you need not be either.

2010-10-17T21:24:00.000-04:00

1. Auburn- War Damn. These guys allowed a lot of points to a good Arkansas team (who have a surprisingly good backup), but they put up 65 points. Denard Robinson is out of the picture- Heisman's all yours, Cam Newton.

2. Oregon- The off week meant that another top team couldn't lose, but they did get knocked from the top spot.

3. LSU- They keep winning, even if it doesn't look good. Everyone else keeps losing. And really, that's all you need against competition like their.

4. Oklahoma- Lookin stronger every week. Enough so that the BCS (sham that it is) has them at #1.

5. Alabama- Not particularly impressive against Ole Miss, but a win is a win. If they keep rolling (pun intended), they can sill play for the MNC.

6. Boise State- The AQ schools are going to do everything in their power to make me hate college football forever by losing enough to allow these guys to play for a national championship.

7. TCU- Please win bigger so I can have you jump Boise.

8. Michigan State- Well, I read last week that of the Big Ten (XII) schools, these guys had the best shot at making it through the year unscathed. I thought Ohio State had a better shot. I was wrong.

9. Ohio State- Yet another reason for me to hate you- You made my Badger hatred look irrational and misguided. Shame on you.

10. Utah- The Utes are lurking quietly... They may have the best chance at catching and passing Boise State.

11. Stanford- Only good things can happen to teams that don't play this week (Oregon excepted).

12. Florida State- As I pointed out to a gloating friend earlier, Florida State's success is relative compared to Florida's failure- Mississippi State > Boston College, LSU > Miami (FL), Alabama > Virginia, etc.

13. Oklahoma State- The Cowboys keep winning and winning big. We'll see how they handle an average Texas squad.

14. Missouri- The new favorites in the Big 12 (X) north. Also, I thought A&M was supposed to be good this year?

15. Arizona- Seems like the ranked teams in action are finding wins harder and harder to come by. Arizona didn't have any problems though.

16. Iowa- Effectively ended Denard Robinson's shot at winning the Heisman. Also, these guys are good.

17. Wisconsin- Stupid Badgers. But hey, they knocked off Ohio State in impressive fashion and anyone that beats the Buckeyes is OK by me.

18. Nebraska- I feel like a fool. I guess revenge really isn't that good a motivator. Maybe I should research a paper on that.

19. Arkansas- Remember that talk about how Arkansas finally had the defense to go with their offense to perhaps compete for a national championship? Yeah, not so much. On the bright side, their back QB is pretty damn good, huh?

20. South Carolina- Two words. If you're a fan of SEC football, I'm sure you can figure them out for yourself. If you're not, it rhymes with Micken Murse.

21. West Virginia- Absolutely pummeled South Florida with a good defense. I love those who pummel the Bulls. West Virginia looked good doing it.

22. Virginia Tech- Yes. A loss to a I-AA (of FCS if you will) team can only keep a good team down for so long. I don't know why we expect anything other than a 10 win yet somehow still disappointing season from the Hokies.

23. Mississippi State- They've only lost to the #1 and #3 teams in the country, and they played both of them relatively close. They beat Florida in the Swamp (for as little as that means now). They beat a good C-USA team (stop laughing) on the road. This is not dissonance. They are a good team. Really.

24. Kansas State- They're back. And they put a shellacking on Kansas like no other. Guess Bill Snyder doesn't like to lose.

25. Miami (FL)- But barely. Also considered UCF (for real- they're really good!), Georgia Tech, and Baylor. But Miami has the best schedule and most respectable losses of the bunch (at least who they've lost to, not the fashion in which they lost).

Week 6 rankings

2010-10-13T22:13:00.000-04:00

Okay, I'm back in action, this time before any teams that are ranked take the field.
There are some major shakeups in this week's poll. I'm sure you can guess why. Anyways, here they are, without further ado.

1. Oregon- Yup. Bout that time. Not quite a point a minute, but still a scary offense. They can be stopped, though. Tennessee shut them down for a half, so if they end up playing an Ohio State or an LSU, they may be in trouble.

2. Ohio State- But only because Auburn wins oh so ugly. Not diminishing the Buckeyes though. They'll have a chance to show everyone what they're made of this weekend in Madison.

3. Auburn- How do you think Florida would be doing right now if Cam Newton had just asked for a new laptop? They would've given it to him...

4. LSU- No, really. Who else in this country has beaten six BCS teams? And say what you will, but even with Addazio's awful play calling, they won in the Swamp. It was the loudest I've ever heard it, and they came out with the W. They'll stay here until they lose.

5. Nebraska- Damn, Taylor Martinez. Watching him break off runs against K-State almost made me feel bad for Bill Snyder. Almost. These guys have a huge game against the Longhorns this weekend, and I fully expect that they show up- the defense is almost as nasty as their QB.

6. Oklahoma- By virtue of being undefeated and having looked better in the past few weeks. There aren't many hurdles left for them leading up to a probably Big XII (Ten) championship game against Nebraska.

7. South Carolina- Steve Spurrier's finest moment in Columbia. Even people in Gainesville were cheering for this one (at least in the bar I was at). Their biggest games remaining are against Arkansas at home and on the road against Florida. I think they stand a great chance of winning both of those games. Could South Carolina play for the national championship? It wouldn't surprise me.

8. Alabama- Nick Saban cussed about this. Coachbot. Cussed. This will not end well for Ole Miss.

9. Arkansas- Remember when they were the darlings of the SEC? Now they're the fifth best team in the conference. But even that is good enough for ninth in the country. Dayum! We'll see whether they climb or fall this weekend, as they have a titanic matchup with Auburn.

10. Boise State- This is about as high as you'll climb, Broncos! Enjoy it, since you will lose to Nevada and/or Idaho (I say that completely seriously... stop laughing!)

11. TCU- The Mountain West is a better conference than the WAC, but the Horned Frogs a lurking just behind the Broncos... for now.

12. Utah- Damnit, they're just so fundamentally sound, how can they not be ranked this high? Soon, either these fellows or TCU will drop. Until then, Boise should be concerned about getting jumped by the original BCS buster as well.

13. Michigan State- Denard Robinson is human? Why yes, he is. Sparty shut down Michigan's offense, but I'm still not completely sold. And I don't know if I ever will be- they don't play Ohio State this year.

14. Stanford- I love to see a quarterback lay out a defender. I also love seeing USC lose on last second field goals. This joy is multiplied exponentially now that Kiffykins is their coach. Gold star for Andrew Luck and the Cardinal!

15. Florida State- Is the ACC really that bad, or is Oklahoma really that good? I don't know if I'll be able to stand the sumg coming from Tallahassee leading up to November 27th, but there's a lot of football to be played between now and then.

16. Oklahoma State- They always look real good during the first half of the year. They're into the meat of their conference schedule starting this weekend, with a game against Tommy Tuberville. After that? Oh, just some team from Nebraska. No big.

17. Missouri- Because they're undefeated and in the Big XII (Ten). THE BIG XII IS STILL THE SECOND BEST CONFERENCE IN THE COUNTRY!!! I CAN'T HEAR YOU!! (LALALALA)

18. Arizona- Hey, Oregon State is probably the best barely-over .500 team in the country. And you've still got Oregon and Stanford to take a crack at... That's good, right?

19. Iowa- Let's see if they can contain Denard Robinson enraged! And even if they can't, it's not like Michigan's defense will be able to stop them.

20. NC State- Damnit Virginia Tech! The Wolfpack looked great until they got bit by the mediocrity bug that perpetually infects the ACC. The Hokies just HAD to spread the mediocrity around, didn't they?

21. Michigan- Denard Robinson... betcha wish he could fly around like a guided missile on D, too, huh? Just call them Auburn lite.

22. Florida- Somehow, some way. Maybe because the loss to Bama wasn't as bad as it looked. Maybe because they somehow had a lead in the final minutes against LSU. Maybe because I hope Steve Addazio will be fired now that recruits are openly saying they have doubts about committing due to poor play calling... Let's hope Dan Mullen rolls in, out-playcalls Addazio soundly, and ALMOST beats the Gators. Maybe putting the fear of God in the Gators in front of the homecoming crowd will lead to some results.

23. Nevada- I saw a picture of Colin Kapernick's head on an ostrich's body with a gun covered in bling on EDSBS. That alone means the (other) Wolfpack must be ranked.

24. Air Force- Their only loss was to Oklahoma, and barely at that. These guys play defense. These guys run the ball like crazy. These guys once DIDN'T THROW ONE PASS THE ENTIRE FREAKIN' GAME! Shouldn't a team called AIR FORCE rely on the passing game instead of the run game? Well that's just what they want you to think...

25. West Virginia- Because I still think Wisconsin stinks. Also, because I'm feeling sentimental about this whole Chilean miners thing. And there are miners aplenty in West Virginia. Plus, they get to beat USF this weekend, and it's always fun to beat those shit talkers!

Matchups of ranked teams this week

#9 Arkansas at #3 Auburn
#19 Iowa vs #21 Michigan

Damn. Boring ass week coming up, so it seems.

Week 5 rankings

2010-10-07T20:04:00.002-04:00

I've been busy lately, but I do have my rankings. Unfortunately, Nebraska just scored. Still, I tried to get em up in time.

1. Alabama

2. Auburn

3. Ohio State

4. Boise State

5. Oregon

6. Oklahoma

7. LSU

8. Nebraska

9. TCU

10. Michigan

11. Arizona

12. Arkansas

13. South Carolina

14. Florida

15. Utah

16. Stanford

17. West Virginia

18. Michigan State

19. Kansas State

20. Iowa

21. Florida State

22. Miami

23. North Carolina State

24. Oklahoma State

25. Northwestern

No time for blurbs this week!

First rankings of the year

2010-09-26T16:06:00.001-04:00

We have four weeks of football behind us. Most teams have gotten into their conference slate, and most teams have four games under their belt. My rankings don't look much like ESPN's, and the reason for that is I don't rank teams until they've actually, you know, played enough games for a decent sampling size.
This does a couple things. It keeps everything in perspective, it prevents poll inertia, and I can see who's actually played a good schedule.
So without further ado, here are my rankings.
*One quick note, Southern Cal won't be showing up in these rankings, because they are dirty rotten cheaters and cannot play in the postseason, so they won't be taking a poll spot from a team that can.
**Another quick note- no, I did not forget Texas. Texas sucks. They played and beat cupcakes in an unimpressive fashion, and then lost to a medicore UCLA team at home. Deal with it.

1. Alabama (4-0)
So much for these rankings not looking like ESPN's. The Tide have played well this year, and though Arkansas gave them all they could handle, they still managed to pull out a win on the road. However, they did show that they're mortal, and Florida finally seems to have found it's offense heading into Tuscaloosa.

2. Ohio State (4-0)
I swear, these are NOT the same rankings as the AP and Coaches' polls! Ohio State has played very well this year though. They were great against Miami, and none of the other teams they have faced have been able to slow them down much. As much as I hate to say it, the Buckeyes look like they're for real.

3. Auburn (4-0)
I told you that these we're the same as ESPN's rankings! Auburn has been great this year. Cam Newton is a large reason why. They're 4-0, and have already played two SEC teams, as well as Clemson. Nothing to sneeze at. If Alabama weren't playing like they didn't lose anyone to the draft, and Ohio State weren't cruising as well, the Tigers would be number one. And hell, they're close as it is. Their win against South Carolina showed that these guys are for real.

4. Boise State (3-0)
I hate Boise State. But when you've beaten two teams that are better than their combined 3-4 record indicates (VT and Oregon State) you deserve some props. That said, expect to see the Broncos fall as teams from larger conferences remain undefeated against tough conference opponents.

5. Florida (4-0)
The Gators have played a pretty tough schedule to this point (opponents record is 9-6), and while the defense has looked good, the offense has obviously struggled. Their performance against Kentucky and the emergence of Trey Burton snagged this spot for them. It's a good thing the Gators have found their groove too, with Alabama looming.

6. LSU (4-0)
LSU hasn't looked great in many of their games- they're a lot like Florida in that the defense looks good but the offense has its troubles. Well, even though that may be the case, when you've got two SEC wins and two wins against non-conference BCS teams, you get ranked this highly. If the Tigers can get it together offensively, Alabama should be concerned.

7. Oklahoma (4-0)
So was their piss poor performance against USU an anomaly? It sure looks like it. Cincy kept it close for a little while, but these guys absolutely blasted Florida State a few weeks ago. Landy Jones and DiMarcy Muarry will keep this team in a national title hunt, especially with the rest of the league down.

8. Stanford (4-0)
No, you're not seeing things. Andrew Luck has been lights out, and Stanford has rolled some pretty good teams. Much better teams than Oregon has rolled. We'll see who's better this weekend.

9. Oregon (4-0)
But they have rolled nonetheless. Still, when your toughest game was against a crappy Tennessee team, Arizona State gave you some trouble, and the other two team you've played are basically JuCo squads, don't expect me to be overly impressed. Win against Stanford, and then we'll see.

10. Nebraska (4-0)
Four games, four solid wins against four unspectacular, but not particularly terrible teams. Their offense looks to be better running through Martinez, and the defense is the same blackshirt defense that Bo Pelini has brought back into vogue in Lincoln. Things should be smooth sailing all the way to a Big 12 title tilt against Oklahoma.

11. TCU (4-0)
Two wins over BCS teams, a win over a good mid-major, and a beatdown on a cupcake lands the Horned Frogs just outside the top ten. Since they play some decent teams, you can expect them to eventually a) move past Boise State and b) fail to crack the top five unless some of the big boys lose multiple games. Thems the breaks- the Mountain West was never the Big East, and they're probably closer to C-USA in this down year.

12. Denard Robinson/Michigan (4-0)
Can you rank one player? Not really? You should be able to- this man has been insane for Michigan. Even last week, he had almost 200 yards before he went out with an injury... IN THE FIRST QUARTER! As long as he's healthy and Michigan continues to roll, the Wolverines will probably keep climbing the rankings.

13. Arizona (4-0)
Beaten some good teams, they have. But they also struggled against Cal. They can stay here for now, especially since they have a bye this week.

14. Arkansas (3-1)
They looked so promising for three quarters. Mallet had it going, but then Alabama took over in the fourth quarter. Still, they've been pretty impressive to this point, and when your only blemish is a loss against the best team in the country, you can only fall so far.

15. South Carolina (3-1)
Poor Gamecocks. They went to Auburn and gave the Tigers all they could handle for the second week in a row. In the end, poor play at quarterback (Stephen Garcia, as well as Connor Shaw) doomed them on the road. Still, they were incredibly resilient, and this will only help to strengthen their resolve when they hit the road for some other big games (here's looking at you, Gators).

16. North Carolina State (4-0)
Wow, the Wolfpack is good. For real. They've played good competition (yes, UCF is good!) and looked impressive in winning (ask Georgia Tech). However, when you're the conference's top ranked team at 16, it doesn't bode well for your chances to move up in the rankings.

17. Wisconsin (4-0)
Kentucky would be embarrassed by Wisconsin's schedule so far. I almost forgot to rank them. That's all they get.

18. West Virginia (3-1)
Well, they looked good until they had to play a real (aka SEC) team. They're still a good enough team, and have enough weapons, to win the Big East. Which is down. Which makes it more like the MAC than a BCS conference. But it is what it is.

19. Utah (4-0)
There is opportunity for advancement here. The Utes are a good program, and so far, they've looked impressive in their wins. The MWC doesn't suck so horribly, but they must beat TCU if they want to join the big boys in the top ten.

20. Kansas State (4-0)
Some cupcakes, a couple decent teams (yes, I mean UCLA and UCF), but undefeated. If they can beat some Big 12 teams, look for the 'Cats to make a big jump in the rankings.

21. Penn State (3-1)
Haven't looked very impressive in wins over teams they should blow out (think South Carolina) but their only loss was to Alabama. And considering Alabama only put up 24 on them, and they were at home, there's something to be said for the defense. Namely that JoePa is still good at building good ones.

22. Iowa (3-1)
Pretty much the same as Penn State, but instead of Alabama they lost to Arizona.

23. Michigan State (4-0)
Cupcakes are bad for your figure, and they're bad for your ranking when they're all you've played. Notre Dame is still not good. Your wins are relatively unimpressive. We'll see how good you are once we get into the meat of the schedule.

24. Florida State (3-1)
Grudgingly. They've looked good in all their games, except for their thrashing at Oklahoma. We'll see who drops out of the rankings when they play Miami.

25. Miami (FL) (2-1)
Lost to Ohio State on the road, killed a cupcake, and beat a BCS team on the road. It's still tough to gauge where the Canes are, but they've definitely looked like a top 25 team so far. We'll see if they actually are when they play Clemson.

Matchups of ranked teams this weekend
#5 Florida vs #1 Alabama
#8 Stanford vs #9 Oregon
#17 Wisconsin vs #23 Michigan State (here's a hint- after this, only one of the teams will be ranked)
#21 Penn State vs #22 Iowa (here's another hint- the same is true for this game!)

Who to cheer for this weekend

2010-09-09T13:06:00.000-04:00

It's a big weekend in college football, with no shortage of marquee matchups.
I'm here to address the questions you may have about two of those games- specifically, the tilts between Florida State and Oklahoma and Miami (FL) and Ohio State.
As a Florida fan, it's easy to simply cheer against the Seminoles and Canes. We hate them. It's in our nature. However, I'll be the first to admit- in every game that Florida State plays against a team other than the Gators, I would prefer that they win. I do no actively cheer for them (that would be wrong) but as I tried to explain to my ex many times over, strength of schedule is important.
First thing's first-Miami visits Ohio State. Why should we care about this game? The Gators don't play either team this year, so why do we care about the outcome? It's simple- while we don't play either team, Florida State plays Miami. This is why I will be pulling for the Canes. It helps that I also hate Ohio State, but we need the Canes to win. Subsequently, we need the Seminoles to beat the Canes- you see where I'm going with this? The Canes, should they win against everyone other than the Noles, will be a highly ranked team- and if the Noles beat them, it just looks better when we beat the Noles.
By the same note, we want the Noles to beat the Sooners- they're a top ten team (according to the fools who think it's appropriate to rank teams so early in the year) and a win over them would make FSU soar in these same bogus rankings. Which is only good for us.
So swallow your pride- Pull for the Canes and the Noles this weekend. And while you're at it, cheer for the HBC to put up 50 on Georgia (or at least beat them) because to hell with Georgia!

Should Florida fans be worried about the offense?

2010-09-06T14:20:00.000-04:00

I'm not an alarmist. I've read (and heard from a lot of friends and fellow fans) that it's time to hit the panic button.
Well, not so fast, I say.
While I didn't see the game until Breakfast with the Gators (I listened to it on the radio at work), it did sound ugly. And it was ugly. Mike Pouncey was not good. Deonte Thompson dropped a beautiful deep pass. Emanuel Moody couldn't get anything going on the ground.
So what? There were a lot of things going on Saturday that people seem ready to overlook, when they shouldn't overlook them. For many of the players, this was their first time starting a game in the Swamp. Yes, many of them have played in the Swamp before, but they played behind some fellows named Tim Tebow, Riley Cooper, Aaron Hernandez, Louis Murphy, Percy Harvin and Maurkice Pouncey. Not easy shoes to fill.
I'm not making excuses for our guys- even if there were nerves, they should've gotten it together after a quarter or so, right?
Well, maybe not. Keep in mind the offensive line was also heavily modified. There were three guys playing out of position, as well as one starter suspended for the game. You wonder why there were hardly any lanes for Moody and Demps to run through? That's why.
Also remember that Frankie Hammond Jr. and Andre Debose didn't play. Who knows when Hammond will be back, but expect to see Debose in the next game- it's their last chance to get him up to speed before the SEC slate begins.
On the bright side, the defense still looked good. I was pleased to hear Matt Elam's name being called a lot on the radio.
Don't hit the panic button just yet Gator fans. It was a fluke week. If this persists against USF, though, it may be a different story- both the result and the inclination to panic.

Five bold predictions for 2010

2010-09-02T18:43:00.000-04:00

College football season is upon us! There's only about an hour left until Southern Miss takes on South Carolina (Go Gamecocks! No, I never said I would be impartial). Anyways, I thought I'd have a little fun and make some predictions about this season. Without further ado, here we go.

1) Boise State will lose at least two games.
Maybe even three. I believe firmly that Virginia Tech will dispatch them unceremoniously this weekend. I also believe that either Oregon State or Idaho will beat them. I used to drink the Boise State kool-aid, but I've since come around.

2) Florida will struggle mightily.
However, they will still be good enough to win the east. Yeah, really going out on a limb there. They've got a lot of young players, especially on defense. These fresh out of high school guys are going to be pushed around by experienced SEC linemen at times. However, I believe that there is enough depth and talent on that side of the ball to keep them fresh enough to compete at a high level week in and week out.

3) An SEC team will not play in the BCS championship game.
First of all, Alabama has lost more than many people realize. Luckily for them, they still have a killer backfield, but they lost playmakers like Terrence Cody, Ronaldo McClain, and Javier Arenas on defense. I also believe that they will loose to LSU, Auburn, or perhaps both.
Florida will probably have at least two loses going into the SEC Championship game. Where I expect them to defeat Alabama. Call me crazy, but I don't think that Urban Meyer loses to the same team twice in a year. Not to mention a young Gator football team will be playing much better in their 13th game of the season as opposed to their fifth game.
That parity will ultimately be the SEC's undoing this season.

4) Nebraska will play for the BCS Championship.
Sticking a gigantic middle finger up at the Big 12, the Huskers will win the Big 12 and the right to play in the BCS national championship game. The defense is stout, and Zac Lee is an experience quarterback. Their toughest game is at home against Texas, followed by their second toughest at Oklahoma State. I expect them to loose another close game to Texas at home before defeating them in the championship game.

5) Ohio State will win the BCS Championship.
Two of their three most difficult games (vs Miami (FL) and Penn State) will be in the Horseshoe. Miami plays... they haven't played very cleanly early in the season the past few years. That said, it could still be interesting, but Ohio State is VERY good defensively and Terelle Pryor will only be smarter with his decision making this year.
Their most difficult game may be against Wisconsin on the road, but we all know how Wisconsin fares when they play other top ranked teams later in the year.
With the SEC playing themselves out of a fifth straight championship, Ohio State will defeat Nebraska in the BCS National Championship game this year.

Ben Folds "Song of the Indeterminate Periord of Time" Pt 3

2010-03-03T12:40:00.000-05:00

Today I'd like to feature three awesome new songs from Ben Folds' new collaboration album with British author Nick Hornsby. The duo are releasing an album called "The Foldsby: Levi Johnston's Blues." Tentative release date is sometime in Spring 2010, so hopefully this gem will be here soon. Hornsby wrote the lyrics, while Ben provided the music.

The first song is a cool, subdued little number title (appropriately enough) "Levi Johnston's Blues." It features some nifty understated piano riffs, a big drum sound, and perfectly biting lyrics (with a chorus straight off Johnston's myspace page- also, who the hell still uses myspace?). Check out the demo version on youtube.

The second song floating around out there is a track with an awesome chorus called either "Picture Window" or "Hope is a Bastard." At concerts, Folds had been announcing it as "Hope is a Bastard," but a recent twitpic from Ben of the album's track list has it listed as "Picture Window." As I said before, the chorus is just awesome- "You know what hope is/Hope is a bastard/Hope is a liar/a cheat and a tease." Awesome. Musically, it really reminds me of "Effington," from Way to Normal. Here it is

The last song is called "Belinda," but I haven't been able to find a good demo of it, just some decent live versions. I think lyrically, it strikes a good balance of melancholy and comedy while still being serious. It recalls songs like "Jane," and "Kylie from Connecticut," musically. I actually do like this song a whole lot. So here's that one.

Ben Folds "Song of the Week" part 2

2010-02-21T16:27:00.000-05:00

Yes, this was originally intended to be a song of the day feature. However, I am notoriously bad at holding myself to deadlines, and it's a good thing I'm going to be a psychologist as opposed to a journalist.
However, I will try to make it up by featuring a few very different, but very cool, Ben Folds tunes.

The first song is a nifty cover song called "Wicked Little Town." It feats Ben Folds, Ben Kweller, and Ben Lee (The Bens) doing a song for a Hedwig and the Angry Itch box set of cover songs. Very good stuff, take a listen.

The second song is a Ben Folds original that he stopped playing at concerts for awhile because it was so popular. It's fun and demonstrates Ben's trademark humor. So take a listen to "There's Always Someone Cooler Than You."

Ben Folds "Song of the Day"

2010-02-06T00:00:00.001-05:00

Ben Folds has recently announced new tour dates, and fortunately, Florida is the site of two shows, both of which I will be attending. The first show is on March 16th in Orlando at the House of Blues. I've never been, but I hear it's a nice, intimate venue. The second show is being hosted by my alma mater, the University of Florida on St. Patrick's Day, March 17th. If Ben's past shows are any indication, this should kick some serious ass.
I first saw Ben back in August 2007. He opened for John Mayer. I bought my ticket for one reason and one reason only: Ben Folds. I was at the front of the lawn rocking the fuck out in front of 60,000 teenage girls who had no idea who the dude playing the piano was. Once Ben was finished performing, I left before Mayer played. Because John Mayer sucks, and shame on you for supporting his greedy greedy ways.
The second time I had the pleasure of seeing Ben was in 2008 at Bonnaroo. He played on the What stage and debuted some songs from "Way to Normal," including Errant Dog, Hiroshima, and Free Coffee. I was in a bit of an altered state, but you can see me in the official video of "One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces," (but more on that later). He told us that show he was retiring "Bitches Ain't Shit," but he lied.
The next time I saw Folds was in April 2009. I was literally the first one in line at UNF's arena, and when the doors opened, I was thrilled to see that it was a free for all- just a floor and a barrier in front of the stage. Naturally, I was front and center for that show, and even got to touch Ben during the "Frown Song," (note the emission of the "e").

So onto the purpose of this post- to demonstrate the sheer awesomeness that is Ben Folds. Each day from now until the concert, I will post a Ben Folds "Song of the Day." The songs will all be Ben Folds originals, unless his cover version is that much better than the original (they usually are). So where to start on day one?
Hiro's Song! This neat little ditty was release on the Japanese version of "Rockin the Suburbs" and later came to the US as part of the "Songs for Goldfish" album of b-sides and rarities. This song is even relatively new to me, I've probably only known it for 11 or so months. Still, it's an awesome song that shows us what Ben's about- taking some fun, simple riffs, and turning them into a kick-ass song. Enjoy!

Senior Bowl practice- South Team & Tebow watch

2010-01-26T15:10:00.011-05:00

3:57 P.M.- Broadcast fo the practice is over. Wish I didn't have to work every day, I'd love to watch this all week. Oh well.

3:53 P.M.- Full on drills, whole teams on the field. Jarrett Brown up first. Complete to Andre Roberts on his first pass. Second play, Dexter McCluster just had a nice run up the middle, and would've taken it in were it not for the whistles.

3:49 P.M.- Just got to see one Tebow pass from his seven on seven, and he almost threw a pick to Darryl Sharpton (Miami). Also took awhile to get his feet set and still had that long wind-up.

3:45 P.M.- Terrence Cody is good enough to just punish some of the best senior O-linemen lining up against him. Two tries, two trips to the backfield for him. Jeff Byers (Southern Cal) keeps getting pushed around by the SEC linemen. If he can't handle SEC guys, he'll have a time trying to handle NFL guys.

3:42 P.M.- Linemen drills right now, Geno Atkins looking good, Brandon Lang (from Troy) had a nice pass rush as well. Ciron Black (LSU) is working like a beast keeping the D-Linemen out of the backfield. Chris Scott (Tennssee) not looking as good. Antonio Coleman (Auburn) just blew by him.

3:38 P.M.- Seven on seven drills, with Zac Robinson up first. Nice completion to Jeremy Williams from Tulane. Joe Webb finally made a catch, but wrapped up quick by Javy Arenas.

3:35 P.M.- Andre Roberts just beat Taylor Mays, ouch. Jarrett Brown throwing now. Terry Coleman just stopped Joe Webb from UAB- Don't think he's helping himself too much. Cooper also just dropped a pass, followed right away by Dexter McCluster dropping one.

3:31 P.M.- Most of Tebow's incompletions were right on the money. Only completely missed one receiver (Cooper) cause he got tangled up with Taylor Mays. Every other incomplete pass was catchable or knocked out by the defender.

3:29 P.M.- Tebow keeps completing deep throws- Dropped one into Hodge over Trevard Lindley (Kentucky). Joe Webb keeps dropping passes right into his chest. Cooper just made a nice catch being ]covered from Patrick Robinson.

3:26 P.M.- Joe Webb (UAB) just dropped a nicely thrown Tebow passed. Myron Rolle knocked it out. Riley Cooper then beat Nate Allen from USF. Dexter McCluster just ran away from Javier Arenas, Tebow dropped it right into his hands. Cooper just beat Taylor Mays off the line, but got tangled up.

3:25 P.M.- Starting nine on seven drills- Lots of SEC running backs here. Jarrett Brown almost lost a faked handoff. Took it himself for a nice gain the next play.

3:23 P.M.- Tebow with a nice completion on a running throw to a Citadel receiver, name coming as soon as I look it up (Andre Roberts). Jarrett Brown also looking pretty impressive. Robinson has been the least impressive of the QBs thus far.

3:18 P.M.- Tim just threw a bullet to Shay Hodge from Ole Miss, but can we see some other QBs? And here we are, Robinson had a nice throw to Jimmy Graham.

3:16 P.M.- Tebow's back, offensive players practicing some throwing drills- made a nice completion to Staffon Johnson with a nice spiral. Tim just took about one and a half seconds longer to get his feet set to throw. And Cooper just dropped his pass.

3:13 P.M.- Linemen blocking against each other. George Sielve didn't let the O-lineman get to the second level- Terrence Cody did. C.J. Wilson from ECU just got pushed back pretty easily.

3:11 P.M.- Wide receivers/defensive backs practice. The WRs are working on blocking. Riley Cooper is about to go up against Patrick Robinson (from FSU), didn't do bad- held his block long enough for his man to get some yards.

3:08 P.M. - Been listening to the guys talk about Tebow not being an "accurate" quarterback since the broadcast started. Tebow still has a long windup, but it's not as bad. Contrary to yesterday's reports, Tebow looks fine taking snaps from under center. Zac Robinson was the worst out of the three QBs- sailed one pass over his receiever and underthrew one a little bit.

Urban Meyer is gone

2009-12-26T19:51:00.000-05:00

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.

Bowls galore! Part 4, featuring Exciting Bowls

2009-12-22T14:16:00.000-05:00

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.

Poinsettia Bowl, Wednesday, December 23, 8:00 P.M. on ESPN
Utah vs California
This one is a lot like the Las Vegas bowl matchup. I was fooled into thinking that Utah was the number two MWC team, but clearly that's BYU. Can they earn some repdemption here? I've underestimated Cal all season long, but now they won't have Jahvid Best for this game. So who do I think holds the edge here? Probably Utah. You know they'll be paying attention to BYU's game, and no matter the outcome, they'll come in determined. If BYU wins, have another MWC team beat another Pac-10 opponent. If they lose, one up them by beating a comparable team from the same conference. Cal, I am underestimating you once again.

Champs Sports Bowl, Tuesday, December 29, 8:00 P.M. on ESPN
Miami (FL) vs Wisconsin
A couple of 9-3 teams meet in this one. Miami started hot, and for the most part, played very good football this year, even beating Georgia Tech, and coming close against Clemson. Wisconsin, however, never really put up much of a fight, and managed to lose to Northwestern as well to finish at 9-3 instead of being the fourth 10-2 Big Ten team. This should be a fun one to watch, as Jacory Harris will probably have lots of fun running on a Big Ten defense. Not to discredit the Badgers. They exceed expectations every year it seems, at least nationally. So they'll put up a fight. I just think the Canes will be better, and continue to get their swag back on the way to a 10-3 season.

Holiday Bowl, Wednesday, December 30, 8:00 P.M. on ESPN
Arizona vs Nebraska
Why is this an exciting bowl, you ask? One, because Arizona is a good team- they beat USC and anyone who does that is good by me. Also, because Nebraska should really be 12-1 and playing for the national championship. But oh well, that's the way the cookie crumbles. Hell, Ndamukung Suh (spelling??) should be enough to make you tune into this one. Bo Pellini has raised this team from the ashes. The other Stoops has done the same for Arizona. Can the Wildcats stand up to Nebraska's defense? Maybe. The Pac 10 knows all about offense. So this will be a good one to watch. I think that Nebraska will probably end up with the W.

Brut Sun Bowl, Thursday, December 21, 2:00 P.M. on CBS
Oklahoma vs Stanford
Since when does a matchup of a 7-5 team and a 8-4 team make for an exciting bowl? Well, since it's Oklahoma and Stanford. Oklahoma underachieved this year, due in large part to injuries to Sam Bradford, as well as their tight end. Stanford probably overachieved, running over the Pac 10 with Toby Gerhardt. Landry Jones has looked very competent running this offense at times, while at other times he hasn't looked too great. The defense has also been unpredicatble, though usually solid. I think it'll be fun to see which of these surprise teams can knock each other out- will Oklahoma's high octane offense score enough to offset Toby Gerhardt potentially running all over their defense? Perhaps. I wouldn't be surprised if an angry Gerhardt (he should've won the Heisman, IMHO) put the whole team on his back. Guess we'll have to watch and see.

Bowls galore! Part 3, featuring "Decent Bowls"

2009-12-13T13:45:00.000-05:00

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.

Outback Bowl, Friday, January 1, 11:00 P.M. on ESPN
Auburn vs Northwestern
Northwestern had some decent wins this year, including knocking off Iowa. Auburn had a rebuilding year under Gene Chizik and got off to a hot start before stumbling a bit down the stretch. Overall, the team from the Big 10 has a better record. But Auburn plays in the SEC. I think most people know what I think about matchups between Big 10 teams and SEC teams. The Big 10 doesn't stand a chance. I think that Northwestern DOES have a chance, seeing as they were 5-3 in conference play as opposed to Auburn's 3-5, but I ultimately think Auburn will prevail.

Rose Bowl, Friday, January 1, 4:30 P.M. on ABC
Oregon vs Ohio State
I surprised myself by putting an Ohio State BCS game in anything other than the "Boring" category. Maybe it's due to this exciting Oregon team, or the classic "Offense vs Defense" thing that's goin on here, but I think this one will be watchable. Ohio State somehow won the Big 10 again this year (the humanilty!!), and Oregon dethroned perpetually-overrated USC atop the Pac 10 to set up this bowl. As I said before, the most intriguing aspect will be seeing if the Buckeyes can stop the weapons that Oregon brings to the table. Defense wins championships, but can Oregon overcome this to hand Ohio State yet another BCS loss? Here's hoping.

Papajohns.com Bowl, Saturday, January 2, 2:00 P.M. on ESPN
South Carolina vs UConn
UConn is probably the best 7-5 team in the country. They are literally a few plays away from being 10-2. After Jasper Howard was killed, they had a stretch of three games where they lost by the slimmest of margins. South Carolina is similar in that they could have been 9-3 pretty easily. Still, they both finished the season strong to end up 7-5. South Carolina even beat hated Clemson along the way. The Big East isn't as bad as everyone thought, and the SEC was parity personified this year. This should be an interesting one, if not a bit sloppy.

Liberty Bowl, Saturday, January 2, 5:30 P.M. on ESPN
Arkansas vs East Carolina
This one matches up the C-USA champion with a decent SEC team. This one is kind of intriguing because of the fact that Arkansas doesn't play defense, and conference champs from I-A football are nothing to sneeze at. Nevermind that ECU probably loses to Houston if they play in Houston. Still, if ECU can't find a way to stop Ryan Mallet, this one will be over real quick. I think they'll make it interesting though, because as I said, Arky is defensively challenged.

Orange Bowl, Tuesday, January 5, 8:00 P.M. on Fox
Iowa vs Georgia Tech
In matchups like this, most people would probably look at it and say "boring." I was tempted to. But I wanted to see what Georgia Tech's run game could muster against Iowa's defense. Both teams like to run, though they do it very different ways. Iowa will smash your moth, Georgia Tech will finesse you. I don't think either defense will be able to defend the run too well, and I think Tech is more equipped to win a shootout. Still, Iowa is an underrated team, and it should be a pretty decent game.

GMAC Bowl, Wednesday, January 6, 7:00 P.M. on ESPN
Troy vs Central Michigan
The MAC champs (who I have ranked) face the Sun Belt champs in Troy. While their conference is weaker, Troy is a decent team. They started the year with a hiccup against MAC team Bowling Green, but still finished with nine wins. They could have had ten if they got that. Central Michigan, however, is probably the best non-AQ team outside of Boise State and the MWC trio of Utah, BYU and TCU. That said, I don't expect LeFevor and co. to exactly romp. The Trojans should give them a game for awhile, but I think in the end, Central Michigan will seal up a 12 win season, and if there is justice in this world, an invite to the Big Ten- I hear they're looking to expand, and I don't think Notre Dame will be up for joining them.

BCS National Championship Game, Thursday, January 7, 8:00 P.M. on ABC
Alabama vs Texas
What? This game isn't in the exciting bowls section? You're being a bitter Gator fan! Well, not exactly. Truth be told, if it weren't for the implications of this game, it would've landed in the boring bowls for one reason- Alabama will dominate the Longhorns. There's no question in my mind that the Tide are a far superior team to the Longhorns, whom aren't even the best team in Texas. Like I said, sure things make for boring bowls. The only thing that worries me is the Heisman curse. Ingram has it, McCoy doesn't. McCoy may be pissed. He may try and will his team to victory. That's the only thing that will make this game interesting. Still, it's a foregone conclusion for me- Bama rolls.

BONUS BORING BOWL!
Eagle Bank Bowl, Tuesday, December 29, 4:30 P.M. on ESPN
UCLA vs Temple
Temple kinda came from nowhere. UCLA was .500. Talk about meh. Temple was so bad, that when the Big East restructured, they got kicked out. Sorry if I'm not frothing at the mouth over this one, but you just can't get me interested in the "Eagle Bank Bowl." Seriously, what's Eagle Bank? Stop being greedy I-A presidents, get a real playoff systems, and then keep your little bowls so you can keep making your money.

Bowls galore! Part 2, featuring "Decent Bowls"

2009-12-09T13:06:00.000-05:00

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!

St. Petersburg Bowl, Saturday, December 19, 8:00 P.M. on ESPN
UCF vs Rutgers
There's some familial interested here, as my cousin and cousin-in-law went to UCF and my dad to Rutgers. Still, I think this will be a good game. UCF is a good C-USA team (i.e. where the Big East gets teams from when they rebuild) and upset a good Houston squad. They've also got the third most wins in Florida, and those Florida athletes. Rutgers came on strong at the end of the year, but lost in their final game of the season. Greg Schiano did a good job rebounding after a disappointing start. These are two fairly evenly matched teams, though Rutgers is probably a bit better. It should feel like a home game for UCF though, as Orlando is a bit closer than New Jersey.

R+L Carriers Bowl New Orleans, Sunday, December 20, 8:30 P.M. on ESPN
Southern Miss vs Middle Tennessee State
Southern Miss was one of the original BCS busters. A team that can hang with the big boys from BCS conferences. That's where they've remained however. Still, they are a strong mid-major team. MTSU is the largest school in the state of Tennessee. They've got nine wins on the year, and narrowly missed out on winning the Sun Belt. They're good, but make no mistake- the Sun Belt isn't as strong as even C-USA. Still, the disparity between the lower conferences is much smaller than those between the little guys and the big six. Expect a good close matchup in this one.

Meineke Car Care Bowl, Saturday, December 26, 4:30 P.M. on ESPN
Pittsburgh vs UNC
This would be a more intriguing matchup if these two teams didn't come into the match on losing streaks. Pitt lost consecutive games to West Virginia and Cincinnati, and blew a chance at a BCS game. You have to think that weighs heavily on them. UNC lost to rival NC State and it may have cost them a trip to sunny Florida for a bowl. Still, these are two high octane teams that can get it done on the field. I think Pitt holds an advantage, but they may be suffering from major letdown. If so, North Carolina may be able to take advantage of that. If both teams show up to play, expect a competitive game, with Pitt having a bit of an advantage.

Emerald Bowl, Saturday, December 26, 8:00 P.M. on ESPN
Southern Cal vs Boston College
My how the mighty have fallen. USC played terribly in the second half, and lost three games along the way to drop them from a BCS bowl to the Emerald. Boston College, accustomed to winning ACC divisional titles, had a rebuilding year, and are probably much happier to be here than the Trojans. Will that be the difference? Perhaps. While the Trojans are deflated, they're still better than the Eagles. But BosCo has an opportunity to make a statement here. This year, at least, these two teams are on relatively even playing fields. I think that fact and a combination of disappointment and contentment will lead to a very decent (and high scoring) game.

Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl, Monday, December 27, 8:30 P.M. on ESPN
Kentucky vs Clemson
This could be a colossal mismatch, or it could be a very memorable and exciting game. The uncertainly leads me to place it in this category. Rich Brooks did a fantastic job with the Wildcats this year. They were the walking wounded this year, sometimes holding 40 players out of practices. Clemson didn't have the high expectations of last year, and almost made it to a BCS bowl behind C.J. Spiller without them. Which teams show up will determine the quality of this game. Can Randall Cobb and co. from the SEC stop Spiller? Can their offense score on one of the ACC's better defenses? This is one of the mid-level ACC-SEC matchups that could be a disaster, or could be great to watch.

Independence Bowl, Tuesday, December 28, 5:00 P.M. on ESPN
Georgia vs Texas A&M
Gotta love the SEC-ACC and SEC-Big 12 matchups. This one matches a struggling SEC team against a perennially middle-of-the-pack Big 12 team. This could go a long way determining who has the deeper conference. Georgia has a much maligned defense, and TAMU has shown that they are capable of scoring. However, Georgia has also shown some firepower, especially in their run game. Texas A&M is vulnerable against the run. To complicate matters more, Georgia has recently fired a bunch of defensive assistants. I think this will be a watchable, if not sloppy, game. Really, the most intriguing thing about it is which conference goes deeper. But that's not a bad thing.

Armed Forces Bowl, Thursday, December 31, 12:00 P.M. on ESPN
Houston vs Air Force
If these two teams were better, I would have considered putting the game into the "Exciting" bowls category. But as with so many of these "Decent" bowls, that's not the case. Houston, as everyone knows, has Case Keenum. Case Keenum loves to throw. Last year, Air Force became the first team in years to run the ball on every. Single. Play. Strange, seeing as they are AIR FORCE. So basically this is a matchup of a great running team versus a great passing team. Houston is feeling down, having lost the C-USA championship game. Air Force is the best of the rest in the Mountain West (that rhymes!) after the Utah schools and TCU. So they're two mid-tier schools who will go at each other and put on an entertaining game. Still, that nothing's really at stake here lessens the intrigue just a bit.

That's it for today. The rest of the "Decent" bowls will be previewed in due time. Check back.

Bowls galore, featuring "Boring Bowls"

2009-12-07T15:25:00.000-05:00

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.
The "Boring Bowls," presented to you in chronological order!

New Mexico Bowl, Saturday, December 19, 4:30 P.M. on ESPN
Fresno State vs Wyoming
This is the first bowl game of the season, so a lot of people will watch it anyways. However, there's not much to get excited about here. Wyoming is unimpressive in a conference that couldn't qualify enough teams for its tie-ins, and Fresno State isn't the BCS busting machine we once thought they were. Each team had stretches of decent-ness (Wyoming for the first 1 1/2 quarters vs Texas, Fresno State for awhile against Boise) but these are two "meh" teams, and they're going to play "meh" football.

Hawaii Bowl, Thursday, December 24, 8:00 P.M. on ESPN
Nevada vs Southern Methodist
Well, Nevada is an exciting and good football team. Their offense has been downright scary at times. SMU, however, is not very good. Their best win was over ECU, but they also lost to some baaaad (Washington State) teams. The reason this is a "Boring" bowl is because it'll probably be Nevada running SMU ragged. I like competition, not blowouts. I'll pass on this one and open presents instead.

Little Caesars Bowl, Saturday, December 26, 1:00 P.M. on ESPN
Ohio vs Marshall
Ohio was second place in the MAC, losing to CMU. Marshall was not good this year, going 6-6. Bowls like this (Little Caesars Bowl, really?) are why people like me become disillusioned with the sport when bowl season comes around. Ohio will probably run train on Marshall, because they can grind it out against the likes of Tennessee, while Marshall lets Memphis into games.

Humanitarian Bowl, Wednesday, December 30, 4:30 P.M. on ESPN
Bowling Green vs Idaho
Truth be told, this matchup would've been much more intriguing to me if Idaho hadn't gone into free-fall mode to end the season. The Vandals have grown by leaps and bounds, but now have to face an established Mid-Major in Bowling Green. Will the motivation to win be there? Maybe. But when you have a team coming in hot facing one coming in ice cold, it's a recipe for a boring bowl game.

Insight Bowl, Thursday, December 31, 6:00 P.M. on NFL Network
Iowa State vs Minnesota
Well... Iowa State had a nice win over Nebraska. Minnesota came out hot and has been on life support since. Neither team, especially Iowa State, is a powerhouse program. Not saying that's why not to watch this game, but neither team plays football particularly well. Most people don't even get the NFL Network, so it's all good.

Gator Bowl, Friday, Friday, January 1, 1:00 P.M. on CBS
West Virginia vs Florida State
Am I being too harsh putting this game in the losers bracket? No. And it's not just because I hate Florida State. But this game will be over before it starts. FSU has been gashed by the run and West Virginia certainly loves to run the ball. The Noles are only 6-6 and truthfully shouldn't even be here, as per the bowl's contract. But they are. The only thing that may make this game better is if the team comes out fired up for Bobby Bowden's last game. Still, I don't think the Noles have a chance. Foregone conclusions make for bad bowls.

International Bowl, Saturday, January 2, 12:00 P.M. on ESPN2
South Florida vs Northern Illinois
Well... Both finished in the middle of their conference. NIU in the MAC, and USF in the Big East. Now don't get me wrong, NIU is a decent program. But the MAC isn't close to the Big East, even if the Big East is the weakest BCS conference. USF has shown flashes at times this year, and has big playmakers on defense. If Matt Grothe hadn't been hurt, who knows what the Bulls might have done? Still, they managed to beat some decent and good teams (FSU, WVU) so they know how to play. NIU may try to get up for this one, but USF will beat them down soundly. Parity is good in bowls, blowouts aren't.

Alamo Bowl, Saturday, January 2, 9:00 P.M. on ESPN
Michigan State vs Texas Tech
Just looking at names, one may think this would be a good matchup. Well, one would be wrong- Saban's at Alabama now, not Michigan State. The Spartans lost to every good Big Ten team they went up against, while Texas Tech was a respectable 5-3 in the Big 12. What I'm hinting at here is the disparity in talent. Michigan State will be way overmatched. The Big 12 is the second best conference for a reason, and a winning record there is something to be proud of. Going .500 in the Big Ten isn't. Romps don't make for entertaining football, unless you're a Red Raider.

So that's it for the boring bowls. I'll split up the "Decent" and "Exciting" bowls over the next few entries. Check back for more.

Week 15 rankings

2009-12-06T13:34:00.000-05:00

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.

6. Boise State (13-0): This would be a cruel, unjust world if the Bronco's don't get a bid to a BCS bowl.
7. Oregon (10-2): The Civil War was every bit the game we expected, and the Ducks came out on top. Can their high octane offense get past Ohio State's defense? We shall see.
8. Georgia Tech (11-2): Only one of the teams in the ACCCG could avoid a losing streak to end the season. Georgia Tech was that team. An Orange Bowl berth awaits them, probably against TCU.
9. Ohio State (10-2): Can Ohio State manage to win a BCS game? The last time they managed it they played an overmatched Notre Dame team.
10. Iowa (10-2): There's a good chance of them going to the Fiesta Bowl, but...
11. Penn State (10-2): It's also possible that the Nittany Lions, with their large fanbase could make the trip.
12. Louisiana Tech (9-3): They look to be Capital One Bowl bound.
13. Virginia Tech (9-3): They look to be headed to the Peach Bowl (it's REAL name).
14. Oklahoma State (9-3): Probably going to the Cotton Bowl.
15. Miami (FL) (9-3): Probably going to get screwed into the Champs Sports bowl by the Gator's selection of FSU.
16. Pittsburgh (9-3): They're going to be relegated to the Meineke Car Care bowl as the Gator is picking West Virginia to beat FSU.
17. Brigham Young (10-2): They'll be traveling to the Las Vegas Bowl barring a surprise selection by a BCS bowl. That probably won't happen though.
18. West Virginia (9-3): They get to a ten win season because they play FSU in the Gator Bowl... But the Noles will certainly want to win one for Bobby, so it could end up being a good one.
19. Stanford (8-4): Could go anywhere from the Holiday Bowl to the Pointsettia Bowl... They'll probably end up in the Las Vegas bowl or the Emerald Bowl.
20. Arizona (8-4): Same story here. Look for the Wildcats to make it to the Holiday Bowl as the rightful number two Pac-10 team.
21. Central Michigan (11-2): They'll get a chance to embarass a Big Ten team in the Little Caesar's Pizza bowl, most likely Minnesota.
22. Wisconsin (9-3): Probably going to the Champs Sports Bowl or Alamo Bowl.
23. Utah (9-3): They'll most liekly end up in the Pointsettia Bowl, but could go to the Las Vegas.
24. Oregon State (8-4): Another team in the log-jam of Pac-10 bowl eligibles. Probably going to the Sun Bowl, but could end up all the way in the Pointsettia Bowl.
25. Nebraska (9-4): Going to the Holiday Bowl, probably.

Dropped from the rankings:
Houston (formerly #14): I can't justify having them ranked anymore. Not when they miss three extra points.
California (formerly #20): Just another 8-4 Pac-10 squad, and one that didn't beat any of the best teams at that.
Clemson (formerly #21): C.J. Spiller can't do it all on his own.
Southern California (formerly #23): As much as Florida losing hurt, the pain is almost tempered by seeing USC do the same. Will the people at ESPN and other voters finally grow a pair and drop them from the rankings like they should? They did lose to all the best teams in the conference.

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

2009-12-03T10:18:00.000-05:00

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.

There are some interesting matchups here. Each defense is strong against the other team's best offensive asset- Oregon State is better than Oregon against the run (98.5 yd/gm for the Beavers), and Oregon is better than Oregon State against the pass (193.4 yd/gm for the Ducks).
That being said, I certainly think with players like Jaquizz Rodgers and Jeremiah Masoli, both the Ducks and Beavers will be able to perform offensively. Something that is a bit disconcerting for the Beavers- the Ducks have almost twice as man picks as they do (13 to 7), so if both teams can find their strength, it'll be advantage Ducks.
There's also some intangible factors here- The Beavers want revenge for the Ducks ruining their chance at the Rose Bowl last year. Since this is a winner take all game (winner gets the Pac 10), as well as a rivalry, you can bet the Beavers will leave it all on the field.
Similarly, the Ducks want to prove that they're legitimate top contenders by getting to the Rose Bowl and taking down Ohio State. They may have been in the conversation for a national championship were it not for their hiccup against Stanford.
A final important factor is home field advantage. The Ducks are hosting this one in Autzen Stadium, by all accounts I've heard, a difficult place to play. But don't take my word for it, ask Matt Barkley. I think that will play a big role in this game- the fans know what's at stake, and they hate Oregon State anyways. Not a good combo.
So, all said and done, what do I expect from this game? Lots of offensive fireworks. I predict a victory (and Pac 10 crown) for the Oregon Ducks by a score of 42-33.

Week 14 rankings

2009-11-29T11:40:00.000-05:00

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?

6. Boise State (12-0): Nevada was their last remanining test, and they passed. They have one more chance to run up the score on a relative cupcake and impress the voters. Oklahoma State losing also helps their chances of making a BCS bowl like they deserve.
7. Oregon (9-2): Hey, an off week and some loses mean you climb up, Ducks! Show us what you got this week in the Civil War.
8. Ohio State (10-2): Bleh. See you in January.
9. Penn State (10-2): You too.
10. Iowa (10-2): Sheesh, and you. Ask Central Michigan to join your league and play a championship game, dammit!
11. Louisiana State (9-3): They keep hanging around and around. Also, don't you find it ironic that one week after the Ole Miss debacle, another team's inability to kick a field goal led to an LSU win? Hilarious, I tell you.
12. Georgia Tech (10-2): SEC! SEC! SEC! How is it the best team in the ACC loses to a rebuilding and mediocre Georgia team? The parity in the SEC still means we're better than the other conferences. Don't worry, at least Clemson lost too.
13. Pittsburgh (9-2): This is why rivalrys are so dangerous. I wasn't surprised they lost the Backyard Brawl, but they probably should have pulled out the win, if they were really an elite team. They can still finish in the top ten with a win over Cincinnati and BCS win.
14. Houston (10-2): I love Houston. They absolutely destroyed Rice this weekend. Bet they want mulligans against UTEP and UCF. Either way, they've got a chance to win again when they take on ECU in the C-USA championship.
15. Virginia Tec (9-3): Al Groh, consider your job lost. The Hokies took care of business, and while they won't be playing in the championship game this season, they have positioned themselves to go to the second best ACC bowl (Chic-Fil-A, against South Carolina or Georgia, perhaps?).
16. Oklahoma State (9-3): Looks like Oklahoma still had some fight in em. Say bye bye to your BCS hopes, and hello to the Cotton Bowl, OkState.
17. Miami (FL) (9-3): They are the second best team in Florida. Unfortunately, UF doesn;t have the spine to schedule them very often, so we won't know for sure this year. Still, Miami has set themselves up for a nice bowl.
18. Nebraska (9-3): I'm going to say it again- Nebraska will give Texas all they can handle. The fact that Texas had a sloppy game only makes me feel this is even more true. Their defense is outstanding, and they should probably be 11-1 on the season and in the top 10. Let's see if they prove it this weekend.
19. Oregon State (8-3): Gigantic showdown looming against Oregon. The winner of this game will have a chance to run all over Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. Now, who wants it?
20. California (8-3): One more game against the lowly Huskies. Then off to the bowls.
21. Clemson (8-4): SEC! SEC! SEC! The Gamecocks slapped them all over Williams-Brice Saturday, proving the mid-tier SEC teams are better than the ACC's elite. Can they save their season against Georgia Tech Saturday? Maybe. They didn't fare any better against Georgia.
22. Birgham Young (10-2): They defied my expectations and beat cross-state rival Utah. It took overtime, but they got the job done. Perhaps I havent given Young, Unga and co. enough credit this season?
23. Southern Cal (8-3): Man, I dislike ranking this team. The package about them on GameDay did more for them than being UCLA. Just kidding. Still, I need to go vomit, so excuse me.
24. West Virginia (8-3): An upset in the Backyard Brawl vaults them back into the polls, barely. A showdown against Rutgers (who just barely missed the 25 spot) awaits to determine the true #3 team in the Big East.
25. Stanford (8-4): Okay, let's start slow this time and see where you end up, alright Stanford? Also, kudos, for getting Charlie Weis fired! If he stays, the NAACP better be all over that university.

Dropped from the rankings:
Ole Miss (formerly #14): Seems like a far drop, but you lost to one of the two SEC teams that can't go bowling. Being ranked MUST be this team's kryptonite. By the way, great job in year one, Dan Muller. 5-7 at Miss State could be good for the SEC Coach of the Year.
North Carolina (formerly #23): You lost to NC State. Can't happen if you want to remain ranked. Especially when you built up a big lead against a bad team.
Utah (Formerly #24): You made me look like a fool for thinking you were the best team in Utah! Oh well, I was too lazy to post the preview of your game anyways.

Matchups of ranked teams this week:
Finally, another crazy week with thousands of games with ranked teams. Championship week is here!
ACC Championship game: #21 Clemson vs #12 Georgia Tech
Pac-10 Championship game (sort of): #19 Oregon State @ #7 Oregon
Big East Championship game (sort of): #13 Pittsburgh vs #5 Cincinnati
Big-12 Championship game: #4 Texas vs #18 Nebraska
SEC Championship game: #1 Florida vs #2 Alabama

Depending on my workload three weeks before graduation, I may or may not be able to do all these previews.

Week 13 rankings

2009-11-22T20:34:00.000-05:00

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.
6. Boise State (11-0): The best thing about Boise State? Drinking games! Drink for a first down, drink for a score- when you're watching Boise State, have at least a sixer for yourself. They can put up points with the best of 'em. Unfortunately (and don't I sound like a broken record), they're not putting points up against the best of 'em.
7. Georgia Tech (10-1): The Yellowjackets may have picked a dangerous time to play the Bulldogs... UGA VII just died, and the Dawgs pissed away a big lead to Kentucky. I don't think the Jackets will lose, but Georgia is going to be playing for pride big time this weekend. Still, pride is only worth so much with a defense as pourous as Georgia's- Tech is probably going to run them into the ground.
8. Pittsburgh (9-1): A showdown against West Virginia looms large on Friday. If the Panthers win, they play in the (de facto) Big East championship game against Cincinnati to end the season. They probably won't get to the national championship even if they win, but this is college football, and crazy things can happen.
9. Oregon (9-2): A hard fought win against Arizona keeps them atop the Pac 10. Oregon State is a good football team, and I'd be surprised not to see some offensive fireworks next weekend. Whoever wins that wins the Pac 10, and earns the right to stomp Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.
10. Ohio State (10-2): Ugh. Man, I hate Ohio State. They get a month off while the real teams play their extended schedules and championship games. Tressel and co. need to start couting down the days until their latest BCS humiliation.
11. Oklahoma State (9-2): You know what I was saying about Oklahoma always being able to beat the Cowboys? I'm not so sure now that they can't beat the Sooners. They struggled against Colorado, but ultimately won. Oklahoma, on the other hand, struggled to put up points against Texas Tech. Oklahoma State could be looking at an 11-2 season and top five finish.
12. Penn State (10-2): It took them awhile to get going, but they put away Michigan State. Now they too get a month off to prepare for a BCS/Capital One/Outback bowl.
13. Iowa (10-2): They never really got it going against Minnesota, but it was enough. As is the case with Ohio State and Penn State, they get a month off before their BCS/Capital One/Outback bowl.
14. Ole Miss (8-3): Well... it looks very probable that the Rebels will have a ten win season. Somehow, the folks in Oxford probably won't look at that as a big accomplishment. Still, a ten win season is nothing to sneeze about.
15. Louisiana State (8-3): Les Miles... two seasons removed from a national championship, and maybe on the hot seat. The debacle at the end of the Ole Miss game was a shame, but the Tigers have a chance to rebound against Arkansas. However, the Hogs can be dangerous, and LSU is still in danger of finishing with the same record as last year.
16. Houston (9-2): Case Keenum didn't linger on the loss to UCF. The Cougars are back in the hunt for the C-USA championship, and only Rice remains before a championship game with Souther Miss or East Carolina.
17. Virginia Tech (8-3): The Hokies only have to beat Virginia Tech before playing in a good bowl. A chance for a ten win season is still a distinct possibility.
18. Clemson (8-3): The annual showdown with South Carolina is this weekend before the ACC Championship game against Georgia Tech. That should be a fun one to watch with Tech's triple option and Thunder and Lighting. First thing's first though, as South Carolina will be playing with hate in their hearts and pride on the line.
19. Miami (FL) (8-3): Duke showed some toughness, but unfortunately for them, teams play 60 minutes, not 30. Miami continues to impress me with their non-conference scheduling. They travel to Raymond James Stadium to determine the second best college football team in the state of Florida.
20. Oregon State (8-3): The Civil War looms large. It's winner-take-all in Eugene. Jaquizz Rogers and company will have to be at their best to knock off a very good Ducks team.
21. Nebraska (8-3): The Cornhuskers will need to be sharp against Colorado. With their ticket punched to the Big 12 championship game, the Huskers can't relent if they want to finish high in the rankings. I think they have a shot at beating Texas with their defense, but that's contingent on beating Colorado.
22. California (8-3): They've climbed their way back into the rankings, and their latest win was over red-hot Stanford. Their final game against Washington could be a trap game, but I think the Bears will win it for a chance at a ten win season.
23. North Carolina (8-3): After annihilating BosCo, North Carolina finds themselves ranked going into the last week of the season. The matchup against North Carolina State shouldn't provide too much of a problem, but then again, they did lost to Florida State. Still, they'll probably win and get into a good bowl game.
24. Utah (9-2): Holy War will go a long way in determining which non-BCS darling gets a better bowl game. The game may be in Provo, but I think this team is a bit tougher than BYU and should pull it out.
25. BYU (9-2): How much do you think they hate Florida State and TCU right now? The Cougars get one more shot to knock off a big name team against Utah.

Dropped from the rankings:
Wisconsin (formerly #15): You can't lose to Northwestern and stay ranked, especially if you play in the Big 10. They also screwed up their chance for a good bowl game. Oh well. Easy come, easy go.
Stanford (formerly #16): Their quick rise to glory is matched by their equally quick fall. The giant-killers go down, and perhaps unfairly so. With a win against Notre Dame, they may find themselves ranked again going into bowl season.

Matchups of ranked teams this weekend:
Only one, the Holy War- #24 Utah @ #25 BYU. Preview of this matchup... maybe? It's Thanksgiving week, I shouldn't be too busy.

The alphabet according to YouTube and Google

2009-11-17T23:18:00.000-05:00

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.

The alphabet according to YouTube

A is for Akon
B is for Beyonce
C is for Chris Brown
D is for Down
E is for Eminem
F is for funny
G is for Green Day
H is for Hannah Montana
I is for I Gotta Feelin
J is for Justin Beiber
K is for Kanye West
L is for Lady Gaga
M is for Michael Jackson
N is for New Moon
O is for One Time
P is for Party in the USA
Q is for Queen
R is for Rihanna
S is for Shakira
T is for Taylor Swift
U is for Usher
V is for Vanessa Hudgens
W is for Whatcha Say
X is for X Factor 2009
Y is for You Belong With Me
Z is for Zombieland

The alphabet according to Google

A is for Amazon
B is for Bank of America
C is for Craigslist
D is for dictionary.com
E is for eBay
F is for facebook
G is for gmail
H is for hotmail
I is for imdb
J is for Jet Blue
K is for Kohls
L is for Lowes
M is for myspace
N is for Netflix
O is for Office Depot
P is for Pandora
Q is for quotes
R is for realtor.com
S is for Southwest Airlines
T is for Target
U is for USPS
V is for Verizon Wireless
W is for Walmart
X is for XM radio
Y is for YouTube
Z is for zillow

Completely irreverent and not realted to sports, but fun nonetheless.

Week 12 rankings

2009-11-15T20:08:00.112-05:00

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.

6. Boise State (10-0): They have three games left, but the poor Broncos can't catch any breaks, even though they punish their opponents each week. Maybe it's because all five of the teams above them would punish those same teams even more if they played the same schedule?
7. Georgia Tech (10-1): Duke was winning that game for a few minutes. Unfortunately for the Blue Devils, games last more than a few minutes. The Yellowjackets have an off week to get ready to run all over Willie Martinez's defense. Then again, the Dawgs did just beat Auburn...
8. Pittsburgh (9-1): Two big matchps against two of the Big East's better teams remain. If they can get past WVU, the Panthers have a shot at BCS glory when they end the season by hosting Cincinnati.
9. Louisiana State (8-2): What the heck was that? A team that has only lost to Alabama and Florida shouldn't struggle against competition like Louisiana Tech. A chance at an 11-2 season is still there, but the matchup against Ole Miss looks a little more challenging than it did last week.
10. Oregon (8-2): No room for a second letdown game in a row. Oregon got back on track against Arizona State and will win the Pac 10 if they beat Arizona and Oregon State. If they do, they'll get to beat up on Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.
11. Ohio State (9-2): Is there no justice in this world? BCS doormat Ohio State beat Iowa to win the Big 11. They did it using a kicker who has played professional soccer. I didn't know that was allowed, but apparently so. I think the BCS should just stick them into a bowl with Oklahoma so Tressel and Stoops will finally win a BCS game. Actually, I don't. I hope Michigan and Oregon both romp.
12. Oklahoma State (8-2): They beat Texas Tech, and are in a position to go to the Cotton Bowl. A game there against LSU would be pretty fun. Of course, they have to get past Colorado (not hard) and Oklahoma before that happens. Who cares that Oklahoma is missing half their team- they always seem to find a way to beat the Cowboys.
13. Penn State (9-2): The lose-fest by the teams ahead of the Nittany Lions last weekend means they move up the rankings. An 11 point win against Indiana isn't anything to get excited about though, especially with a much more decent Michigan State team coming up. Still, Sparty did just allow 37 points to lowly Purdue.
14. Iowa (9-2): Oh how the mighty have fallen. If Ricky Stanzi had been able to play, Iowa may have come away with the win against the Buckeyes. Alas, it wasn't to happen, and Iowa will be flying to sunny Florida, pending a win against the Golden Gophers of Minnesota.
15. Wisconsin (8-2): Wait, where did the Badgers come from? The two close losses earlier in the season bumped them out of the rankings, but they've been winning and winning even since, their latest victim being Michigan. Northwestern is next up, followed by a game against (formerly good) Hawaii.
16. Stanford (7-3): They're feelin' hot hot hot! After beating Oregon last week, the Cardinal stayed on a tear and beat the living hell out of USC. I haven't had such a warm fuzzy feeling since UF took the lead in the championship game last year... They get a good Cal team before finishing against Notre Dame and outgoing head coach Charlie Weis. Wait, that's not official yet? Well, it will be after this game.
17. Houston (8-2): Houston should've looked out for those Florida athletes... Sure, they may be rejects from UF, UM, FSU, USF and most other SEC and ACC schools, but they're still Florida athletes, for the most part. My guess is that Houston was just caught unprepared. Still, my C-USA darlings are now in danger of not winning their division, and slide down nine spots in the rankings.
18. Virginia Tech (7-3): Playing Maryland is just the tonic ye' need for struggling teams to right the ship. The Hokies have had a letdown season, but they can still win ten games. Two bad teams, NC State and Virginia, lie ahead, as well as their bowl game.
19. Clemson (7-3): I was in South Carolina for the UF-USC game this weekend, and man, they hate Clemson even when they're playing UF. Aside from Virginia this week, those Gamecocks are the only thing standing between Clemson and a shot at a BCS game and 11 win season. However, they travel to Columbia, so maybe the Gamecocks can show some SEC pride.
20. Miami (FL) (7-3): This team is seriously bi-polar. Some weeks I think they're legit BCS contenders, other weeks they lay eggs against North Carolina. The 'Canes are a good football team, and next year, they'll probably be favored to get to a BCS bowl. They're tremendously talented, so I can see why. Duke is their punching bag this weekend, and then we'll see if USF is better than TWO of the state's powerhouse programs.
21. Ole Miss (7-3): No, the experts do not have Ole Miss ranked, but 7-3 in the SEC is better than 7-3 in the Pac 10 (ahem, Southern Cal). You may gripe, but if they lose to LSU, they'll be right back outta the rankings. So sit tight.
22. Oregon State (7-3): Two teams from Oregon are ranked and only one from California? What's going on in the Pac 10? Well, in Oregon State's case, they can run the ball like something crazy. I will laugh and laugh if Oregon State wins out (and wins the Pac 10). Cause then USC will be something like FOURTH in the pac 10 pecking order for bowls. I don't think it will happen, but I'd laugh if it did.
23. Utah (8-2): Well, they only lost to Oregon and TCU. If they played in a BCS conference they'd probably be a top 15 team. But they play Utah State. So sorry Utah, no dice. At least you're still ranked!
24. Nebraska (7-3): After a mid-season skid, the Cornhuskers can get to 9-3 overall and 6-2 in conference play before a trip to the Big 12 championship game. With their strong defense, Nebraska could give Texas a run for their money. Kansas State and Colorado stand in the way of Nebraska ruining Texas' season.
25. BYU (8-2): Fine, Mountain West teams that are 8-2 with loses to TCU and a .500 Florida State team should probably be ranked in the top 25, sheesh.

Dropped from the rankings:
Arizona (formerly #14): It may seem like a precipitous fall, but they lost to another simply mediocre team. Maybe they and Cal can climb back into the rankings next week.
Southern Cal (formerly #18): After five bad games in a row, including the two biggest blowouts since Pete Carroll arrived, why do the experts still have this team ranked? THEY'RE NOT A VERY GOOD FOOTBALL TEAM THIS YEAR! The "Southern Cal Trojans" written on their uniforms do not make them good, sorry.
Texas Tech (formerly #21): What the hell Mike Leach, did you let those fat little girlfriends come around again? Ridiculous.
South Florida (formerly #22): Retraction- South Florida loudly announced that Rutgers is, in fact, the third best Big East team. Jim Leavitt apologizes for the misunderstanding.
Auburn (formerly #25): I really wanted them to kill Georgia. With their offense and Georgia's defense, they should have. Gene Chizick has one strange team.

Matchup of ranked teams this weekend:
Just one this weekend. #9 Louisiana State travels to Oxford to play #21 Ole Miss. If I can't manage a preview of this one, I should just stop blogging.

This weekend's previews

2009-11-13T23:39:00.000-05:00

#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.

Ohio State is playing at home for a chance to (somehow) win ANOTHER Big 10 championship. They've been here before, while Iowa has not. Not to mention, Iowa is missing Ricky Stanzi. I hate Ohio State, I really do, but I think they win here handily, 28-17.

#17 Oklahoma State vs #21 Texas Tech
Who is Mike Leach starting? Does it matter. Neither of these teams play defense. Both allow over 300 yard per. Sine Dez Bryant is not coming back, and Zac Robinson has shown us he folds under pressure, I like Texas Tech to win a shootout at home, 48-35.

#5 TCU vs #15 Utah
Let's not kid ourselves. TCU has finally sold out their home stadium, and they have one of the BEST defenses in the whole country. They may not get a lot of picks, but they shut down the run game like no other MWC team, and they're not bad against the pass either. I think this one will be a laugher, and TCU will win 24-10.

Week 11 rankings

2009-11-08T11:42:00.000-05:00

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.
6. Boise State (9-0): As unimpressive a win as their win over Louisiana Tech was, they got it done in a week where teams in front of them didn't. Still, I don't think Boise State is a top 5 team. They need to get back to winning big, or risk being jumped... again.
7. Georgia Tech (9-1): Another top team, another narrow escape. Wake Forest gave the Yellowjackets all they could handle, but they've all but assured they're playing in the ACC Championship game. Duke and Georgia are all that remains to bolster their resume before bowl season.
8. Houston (8-1): At least this almost-loss came in spectacular fashion. I had counted them out, but lo and behold they make a 51-yarder to hang on. Some people may think I'm crazy to have Houston in the top 10, but their strong out-of-conference showing earlier means they've earned this spot.
9. Iowa (9-1): They finally ran out of that magic. They can still claim a Rose Bowl berth and keep Ohio State out of the BCS if they can win in Columbus this Saturday. And I really hope they do.
10. Pittsburgh (8-1): Who would've thought that the Big East would be the only conference other than the SEC to have two teams in the top 10? Both Pittsburgh and Cincinnati still have their toughest tests ahead of them, including a head-to-head.
11. Miami (FL) (7-2): Miami wasn't going to buy into any of this "close game" stuff this weekend. They walloped Virginia like they used to wallop people in 2001-2002. As long as they keep winning, Miami keeps their slim chances of playing in the ACC Championship for the first time alive.
12. Louisiana State (7-2): Thems the breaks. You almost feel bad for LSU. Their only two losses are against the two best teams in the country, and they came relatively close to winning both. An 11 win season is still a possibility for the Tigers.
13. Oregon (7-2): Talk about a letdown game. The Ducks still control their destiny and can win the Pac-10 by winning out. But that possibility seems less likely than it did just last week.
14. Arizona (6-2): Arizona also controls its destiny in the Pac-10, but showdowns with Oregon and USC still loom large. Still, a beatdown of Washington State has to have them feeling good going into a matchup against a Jahvid Best-less Cal.
15. Utah (8-1): This is the week for Utah to prove that they belong in a BCS bowl, or, if they win, probably just make sure the best non-BCS team doesn't make it into a bowl. Win or lose, Utah will get a decent bowl game anyways.
16. Ohio State (8-2): Terrelle Pryor silenced his critics with a big win in Happy Valley. Now the Buckeyes host Iowa in the Big 11 Championship game. Well, not really, but the two teams are playing for the conference crown this weekend. Can Ohio State prove itself the most undeserving conference champ in the nation once again? We'll have to wait and see.
17. Oklahoma State (7-2): Mike Gundy's team showed some resiliance this week, making sure they didn't get beat by Iowa State after their dissapointing loss to Texas last week. The loss of Dez Bryant (this time for sure) was also surely a distraction they were able to overcome.
18. Southern Cal (7-2): Looks like the Pac-10 is finally not scared of the big-bad USC anymore. Arizona State almost beat them, and they're another sub-.500 team. You think USC can avoid losses to Stanford and Arizona? I'm not so sure they can.
19. Penn State (8-2): That's gotta be tough. Thinkin' you have a chance against the Buckeyes, only for them to punk you... Luckily for Penn State, they're still most likely going to book a nice bowl game to sunny Florida instead of getting beat up by a Pac-10 team in the Rose Bowl.
20. Wisconsin (7-2): With matchups against three sub-par teams still to go, and their only losses against the two best teams in the conference, the Badgers have a chance to hit double digit wins before bowl season begins.
21. Texas Tech (6-3): No news is good news for the Red Raiders. No game means no chance to lose, and Mike Leach's team is safe for now. Second place in the Big 12 south is on the line this weekend against Oklahoma State.
22. South Florida (6-2): Same story as above. Thankfully for South Florida, the bulk of the Big East schedule is behind them. They travel to Rutgers this weekend. After that, it's doormat Louisville followed by a visit from the Hurricanes.
23. Virginia Tech (6-3): Check out who's back! A win against the Purple Pirates coupled with losses by formerly ranked teams allows the Hokies to climb into the rankings. Their final three games are all very winnable, but don't be surprised if the Hokies stumble yet again.
24. Clemson (6-3): Did they really rush the field against Florida State? They realize that this is 2009, not 1999, right? Two winnable games preceede the matchup against South Carolina. After that, expect a rematch against Georgia Tech in the ACC Championship game.
25. Auburn (7-3): A third Tigers team in the top 25? Yep. After their three game slide, Auburn has won two in a row. That's good enough for the last spot in this week's rankings. They face a very beatable Georgia this weekend before the Iron Bowl.

Dropped form the rankings:
Notre Dame (formerly #15): They lost to Navy. Navy is a good team, but quarterbacks as good as Jimmy Clausen with weapons like Golden Tate have no excuse losing to service academy schools. The disparity in talent should be too large.
Oklahoma (formerly #21): I guess Landry Jones isn't that good when he faces a good defense. Nebraska held Oklahoma to three points. The last time they didn't have a touchdown was all the way back in 1998. Embarassing. But at least the defense is still solid.
California (formerly #22): Jahvid Best is out. Cal got beat. Overall, not a very good weekend for the Golden Bears.

Matchups of ranked teams this week:
#9 Iowa @ #16 Ohio State
#5 TCU vs #15 Utah
#17 Oklahoma State vs #21 Texas Tech

Gouge-gate

2009-11-02T14:13:00.000-05:00

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

2009-11-02T12:27:00.002-05:00

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.

6. Lousiana State (7-1): This is the make or break week for LSU. Will the Tigers keep their national title hopes alive by shocking the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, or will they go quietly to the Capital One Bowl? The Tiger offense is riding high coming off a beatdown of Tulane, but Alabama is NOT Tulane.
7. Texas Christian (8-0): Another weekend, another beatdown of a hapless MWC team. Utah is looming, but the Horned Forgs are in upset avoidance mode against San Diego State on Saturday.
8. Oregon (7-1): How long have I had Oregon ranked over USC? Did I not predict a blowout win and USC embarassment? Thank you, you're welcome. Next up for the Ducks is Stanford, a good team with a penchant for upsetting the #1 ranked team in the Pac-10.
9. Boise State (8-0): It had to happen. Blowout wins over cupcakes in the WAC are not as impressive as blowout wins over media darling USC. Don't worry Boise, the upset bug is bound to bite one of the teams above you.
10. Georiga Tech (8-1): It took them long enough, but they did beat Vandy. Who knew the Commodores would put up that much of a fight for three quarters? The Yellowjackets have a great shot at the ACC title, with Wake Forest visiting them this week.
11. Houston (7-1): Oh Houston, how you get no respect. Maybe it's because you get into shootouts with bad (UTEP) and mediocre teams (Southern Miss). Still, Case Keenum is insane, and you have good wins and only one loss. You'll stay here as long as you keep scoring like '08 Oklahoma.
12. Penn State (8-1): How much do you think the Fighin' JoePas want that Iowa game back? Another big win and Penn State keeps climbing up the rankings.
13. Pittsburgh (7-1): Two Big East teams in the top 15? That's tied for second among BCS conferences with the Big 10, behind only the SEC. Who woulda thunk it? Pittsburgh is a good football team, and good football teams get ranked highly. This highly ranked team gets to beat up Greg Paulus this weekend. Ohh, fun!
14. Miami (FL) (6-2): A one point win over middle-of-the-road Wake Forest is still a win, and in a week where teams above them went down, Miami climbed up. Plus Jacory Harris is the truth. The Cavaliers visit Joe Ro- er, Pro Pla- er, Dolph-... The Cavaliers visit Miami Gardens this weekend.
15. Notre Dame (6-2): Golden Tate is a beast. Really. Three defenders (even if they're WaSU defenders) should not allow him to make that catch. Just insane. Navy corners and safetys be warned- you are about to get Tate'd.
16. Arizona (5-2): The Wildcats avoided a loss by not playing, and move up for it. Those hapless fellows from Washington State visit the desert this weekend, where they will be introduced to perhaps the Pac-10's best defense.
17. Utah (7-1): Perhaps I should concede that 7-1 in the Mountain West really isn't anything to sneeze at, and leave it at that. Besides, Oregon is really good. This week, they face New Mexico. If the Utes are smart, they won't do anything to piss off head-coach-turned-UFC-fighter Mike Locksley. And by that I mean he might punch Kyle Wittingham.
18. Ohio State (7-2): The Buckeyes travel to Happy Valley to get murked by the Nittany Lions this weekend, except nobody cares because the Big-11 is an inferior conference and there's a huge SEC West showdown. Jim Tressel is probably happy for that, because his Buckeys may drop out of the rankings with a third loss.
19. Oklahoma State (6-2): I think Mike Gundy would be okay with it if the Cowboys don't have to play teams from Texas ever again. The Cyclones should be warned, because methinks the Cowpokes will be a bit mad when they visit Iowa State this weekend.
20. Southern Cal (6-2): Haha, I told you so! Pete Carroll isn't going to win the Pac-10 for the first time in eight years, and the Trojans really aren't that good. Who knew? Well, me, for one. USC gets another strong defense test when they travel to Tempe. I know I'm a Sun Devils fan this weekend. Besides, their cheerleaders... waaaay hotter than the Song Girls.
21. Oklahoma (5-3): They're still not the best team in Oklahoma, but a win against a ~~good~~ ~~decent~~ Nebraska football team this weekend should make fans feel better about Landry Jones taking the reins.
22. California (6-2): The Golden Bears win again! Back-to-back losses had them counted out, but the Bears are rising from the depths to claim a better bowl bid than the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl. Two run happy teams will square off in Cali when Jaquizz Rogers comes to town.
23. Texas Tech (6-3): Mike Leach made sure all his players fat little girlfriends didn't get in their way this week. The Red Raiders get an off week before they face a Dez Bryant-less (they hope) Oklahoma State squad.
24. Wisconsin (6-2): The Badgers must be glad they don't have to play Penn State this year. It could allow them to coast to a 9 or 10 win regular season. Indiana (poor, poor Indiana) is up next. If they're smart, they'll spot them a 14 point lead and let them implode in the 4th quarter. Or they could just, you know, win.
25. South Florida (6-2): Losses to the two best teams in the conference aren't so bad, especially when you beat what was thought to be the third best team in the conference. B.J. Daniels made everyone take notice- the BULLS are the third best team in the Big East!

Dropped from the rankings:
West Virginia (fromerly #16): Sorry, Mountaineers, these rankings are only big enough for three Big East teams.
Virginia Tech (formerly #17): The Hokies scared me by making me think all teams wearing hideous uniforms would lose over Halloween weekend. Fortunately, Oregon looked normal and didn't suffer an upset like the Chokies.
South Carolina (formerly #19): Damn, HBC. You would think you could be able to stop the Kiffins. Then again, Monte did beat you 35-13 in 2002 when you were with the 'Skins...
Ole Miss (formerly #21): Well, Auburn couldn't have had FOUR piss poor games in a row. At least the SEC has lots of bowl tie ins!

Matchups of ranked teams this week:
#2 Alabama vs #6 LSU
#12 Penn State vs #18 Ohio State

Previews forthcoming. Time will allow this week, with no exams or tests to worry about, for the time being.

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

2009-10-30T11:51:00.000-04:00

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.

Since it's almost Halloween, I'm going to start off by pointing out some spooky things. You know how the Pac-10 is all offense? Well, Oregon and USC are #15 and #19 nationally in points allowed. USC allows 15.1 points per, while Oregon only allows 16.7 points per. Not bad for a couple of Pac-10 teams. Those numbers are fairly impressive, considering each has played three ranked teams (by the bigs boys, not me). The wheels have kind of falled off USC's defense the past couple of weeks though, allowing and average of 31.5 against Notre Dame and Oregon State (and they got the Beavers at home!).
The two top scoring defense in the Pac-10 are also #2 and #3 respectively in yards per game. USC allows 291.7 per, while Oregon allows 297.1 (funny, that is). Oregon is better against the pass (178.3 yards per vs USC's 211.9), while USC is better against the run (79.9 yards per vs the Ducks' 118.9 yards per). This makes for an interesting matchup- USC has a better passing game (249.6 yards per game), but still rely heavily on the run (198.3 yards per). Oregon is fully committed to the run, though, racking up 210.7 yards a contest. Which defense will bend and not break?
While Oregon isn't as good against they run, they're still not bad- if they can for Matt Barkley (barf) to throw it, they'll undoubtedly have some opprotunities to get some picks. He has five interceptions to only seven TDs throwing, while the Ducks defenders have 10 picks (with two pick sixes thrown in). USC's vaunted defense led by saftey Taylor Mays has less than a third of that- only three picks, and no pick sixes. That's dead last in the Pac-10, since Standford has returned one of their three to the house.
Speaking of the house, this game is going to be played in Autzen Stadium on Halloween. Let me say that again. Autzen Stadium. Halloween. USC has a freshman quarterback. In Autzen Stadium. On Halloween. If you couldn't tell, I'm betting that Oregon will have a sizeable homefield advantage.
Both teams know what's a steak here. For USC, it's their last chance to really impress people and try to gain some ground on Texas. Their final game of the season is the only other one against a currently ranked team (#22 Arizona). Oregon also wants to reach a BCS bowl. And while the human voters probably won't put them in the national championship, even if their only loss is to undefeated Boise State, you never know when Florida, Bama, Texas, Cincy, or Iowa will go the way of the Choke-er, Hokies.
USC hasn't looked great at times this year, and I expect that this game will be a 60-minute version of that. Oregon is the hotter team, and their defense has gotten BETTER as the year goes on, not worse. I say damn the experts and listen to common sense! Oregon beat Washington, Washington beat USC. Oregon lost to an undefeated #8 Boise State team in Boise. USC lost to Washington, the 3-5 powerhouse. In case you forgot.
So, IMHO, Halloween plays a trick on USC and the Ducks and the crowd in Autzen Stadium get a nice treat, as the Ducks embarass the Trojans 35-17.

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

2009-10-28T12:38:00.000-04:00

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.

Offense, not surprisingly, is not a problem for either of these teams. Texas is #1 in the country in points per game (41.9) while Oklahoma State sits at #7 (37.0 per). Each also rank in the top 30 in yards per game, with over 400 a contest. Texas has generated their offense through the air, with Colt McCoy running less and throwing more. Oklahoma State has stuck to their roots and are averaging 185.6 yard on the ground.
If Oklahoma State had Dez Bryant, then they may have been able to win a shootout at home. That's not the case, so they're in trouble if it comes down to that.
Here's why it won't come down to that- Texas is #9 in the country in points allowed. They give up only 13.6 a game to their opponents. Oklahoma State are no slouches either, but they give up 20 point a contest. That places them at 35th in the country, behind powerhouses such as UCF and Temple.
Another, perhaps more telling stat, is that Oklahoma State gives up more than 100 more yards per game. Texas is the best in the Big 12, allowing 237 yards per. Oklahoma State is tops in the bottom half, surrenduring 352.1 to their opponents.
When taking the strengths of the other team into account, things don't look too good for the Cowboys either. The Texas run defense is the best in the conference allowing 42.7 rushing yards a game. That is not a typo. The Cowboys allow 253.2 yards through the air a game. Texas isn't a one trick pony, either. They only allow 194.3 yards through the air.
Texas is also one of the better teams (second in the conference) at picking off passes. Zac Robinson only has three this year, but he hasn't played Texas. The Cowboys have only picked off eight passes this year, which is actually the number of picks McCoy has thrown. So hey, maybe the Cowboys are gonna get some points that way.
This is Texas' last chance to really wow voters, and their last test before the BCS National Championship game. Let's be honest- they Big 12 north is awful and Kansas State could win it. That won't give Texas the opprotunity to prove anything. It comes down to this for the Longhorns- survive and advance. For Oklahoma State, this is their chance to prove they belong with Oklahoma and Texas. This is their chance at having an outside, but decent, shot to play in the national championship.
After what happened to Texas last year, I don't expect the Longhorns to squander this game away. It will be early close, but Texas closes the door late, and takes this one 44-35.

Week 9 rankings

2009-10-25T15:25:00.000-04:00

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.

6. Louisiana State (6-1): I didn't expect to see LSU's offense show up, but now that they have, it would make for a very interesting matchup against the Crimson Tide in two weeks.
7. Texas Christian (7-0): Their toughest game is behind them, and the Horned Frogs dominated. A showdown with Utah is their only big test left this season.
8. Boise State (7-0): A big win over Hawaii keeps them here. If the Broncos don't want slip down the rankings, they'll need wins like that the rest of the year.
9. Oregon (6-1): The Ducks continue on their rampage. They throttled Washington, and the matchup with #11 Southern Cal looms large.
10. Georgia Tech (7-1): It took some time to get it going, but Georgia Tech beat Virginia pretty handily. Can the Yellowjackets avoid the upset bug against Vanderbilt? Miami and Virginia Tech both lost as the top ranked ACC team.
11. Southern Cal (6-1): I'm not going to lie- I can't stand USC. Why the "experts" have them at #4 is a mystery to me. Oregon lost to a better team, and beat the team that beat USC. Halloween will hold a cruel trick for USC if they believe they can waltz into Autzen Stadium and grab a win.
12. Houston (6-1): Houston has the same problem as Boise State. With all their good opponents behind them, they suffer because their best remaining games are against Tulsa, Southern Miss, and UCF.
13. Penn State (7-1): All right, I'm a bit more sold on Penn State after they went into the Big House and beat up Michigan pretty good.
14. Oklahoma State (6-1): Their Halloween matchup with Texas is huge. If the Cowboys can win that game, they position themselves to win the Big 12, and enter the national championship conversation.
15. Pittsburgh (7-1): The toughest tests are still ahead for the Panthers. After their next game against Syracuse, Pitt gets Notre Dame, travels to West Virginia and then hosts Cincinnati. The Panthers will need to stay on top of their game to win out and play in a BCS bowl.
16. West Virginia (6-1): West Virginia probably has the toughest road in the Big East. It will be tough for them to win three more games this year, but it will be doable against South Florida.
17. Virginia Tech (5-2): With Miami's loss, things are looking up for the idle Hokies. If Georgia Tech loses another conference game, the Hokies will get to defend their ACC crown.
18. Miami (FL) (5-2): Some people saw the loss against Clemson coming- I was not one of those people. Miami is now playing for an upper-tier ACC bowl.
19. South Carolina (6-2): Well, they finally beat Vanderbilt! This could be the last hurrah for the Gamecocks for awhile though. They travel to Tennessee and Arkansas before hosting #2 Florida.
20. Notre Dame (5-2): They're back. The Fighting Irish snapped their losing streak against Boston College and now get Washington State. Their annual showdown with Navy follows, and then another chance to prove themsevles against a ranked team (#15 Pitt).
21. Ole Miss (5-2): I think this is the Ole Miss team people were expecting. They're not an elite team like many people thought, but they're a good middle-of-the-pack SEC team, which makes them a very good college football team. If Javon Snead can keep playing well, they have a chance to upset LSU later this year.
22. Arizona (5-2): Another team that was bitten by the Washington upset bug, the Wildcats just beat a respectable UCLA squad. Their biggest forcoming test is in three weeks against Oregon.
23. Utah (6-1): Well, I have to have at least one BCS-busting Utah school ranked, right? If only the Utes' schedule was beefier, I could feel justified in ranking them.
24. Ohio State (6-2): Is it too soon to rank them after their loss to Purdue? Maybe, but Terelle Pryor looked pretty good beating down a solid Minnesota team. They get a cupcake next week, followed by a brutal three game stretch against Iowa, Penn State, and Michigan.
25. Oklahoma (4-3): Losses by one point to two decent teams and three to the #3 team in the country (without their starting quarterback) are better than blowouts. Ask Kansas. Lucky for Oklahoma, losing to quality opponents is better than being a one loss team from the MAC- Sorry Central Michigan.

Dropped from the rankings: South Florida (formerly #16), Kansas (formerly #20), Auburn (formerly #22), Texas Tech (formerly #23), BYU (formerly #24), Nebraska (formerly #25). Hot damn that's a lotta teams dropping out of the rankings! Kudos to South Carolina for being the only team ranked in the 20's last week to avoid losing.

This week's matchups of ranked teams:
#3 Texas @ #14 Oklahoma State
#9 Oregon vs #11 Southern Cal

Prviews of those games will be up later this week.

Back to back Bulldogs

2009-10-24T11:47:00.000-04:00

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?

Well... Back in 2007 (2009), the Florida Gators were on a quest to repeat as national champions. After narrowly escaping Ole Miss (Arkansas), the Gators started a two-game stretch against both Tiger (Bulldog) teams. The two game stretch got off to a bad start as the Auburn Tigers (Mississippi State Bulldogs) upset the #3 (#2) Gators. The next week against the LSU Tigers (Georgia Bulldogs), the Gators jumped on the competition early, but ultimately could not hold on.
While I admit that Mississippi State isn't on the level of that 9-4 Auburn team and Georgia isn't as good as 12-2 national champion LSU, it's still a cautionary tale. Dan Mullen will be out for blood, and a win over the Golden Tebow and Coach Meyer would be huge for Mississippi State. Also, with speculation flying about Mark Richt's job security, you think he wouldn't love a win over the hated Gators?
Florida will probably win each of these games and continue on their collision course with Alabama. Still, they cannot be caught looking ahead. Dan Mullen knows our team better than anyone outside of Urban Meyer, and with Spikes out, Dixon could go crazy on the Gators. Likewise, Georgia needs a big win after getting murdered by Tennessee (Vandy does not count).
Last time Florida played SEC teams with the same mascot back to back, it didn't go well. Let's hope that history doesn't repeat itself this year.

P.S. Why is the SEC so piss-poor at picking mascots? Two Tigers and two Bulldogs teams? Really, there are only 12 teams in this league, you couldn't have come up with something else?

This weekend's previews

2009-10-23T14:58:00.002-04:00

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.

South Florida's defense is a bit better- They allow 5 points less per contest and defend against the pass better. South Florida has 8 picks compared to Pittsburgh's 4. However, as Cincinnati showed last week, South Florida's run defense is just about average. Pittsburgh is better against the run than the Bulls.
I expect Dion Lewis to run against the Bulls with great success. The game will be played in Heinz Field, and I believe the cracks in the Bulls' armor is starting to show once again. South Florida will play better than last week, but Pittsburgh wins this one 34-24.

Next up is the battle of the Tigers. #22 Auburn visits #7 LSU. This matchup is a hard one for me to peg. On the one hand, I think LSU has a pretty good defense. Their offense, on the other hand, is... anemic, to say the least. Auburn is the opposite. Their offense has been good this year, but their defense has been lacking.
LSU last took the field in Death Valley against #2 Florida and managed only 3 points. Auburn got beaten by Kentucky 21-14. After firing on all cylinders for the first five games, Gene Chizik's team has forgotten how to score points.
LSU on the other hand never figured out how to score points. As I said before, I could see this game going either way. It will be hard for Auburn's offense to get on track in Death Valley, but unless LSU can put up some points, it won't matter. I think LSU stands a decent chance of putting up points against Auburn's defense though.
Do I think Auburn will continue to be lost and lose a third game in a row? Perhaps. Do I think that LSU will lost back to back games at home? Absolutely not. I don't think this game will be particularly pretty, and defense and special teams will decide the outcome more than the offenses. LSU squeaks by with a 24-17 win.

Finally, we have #8 TCU at #24 BYU. Honetly, TCU is a much better team defensively. They allow more than a touchdown less a game, and have given up about 700 fewer yards through the air than the Cougars. They've also surrendured 200 yards less on the ground. The only area BYU outshines TCU is in picks- they've got 8 to TCU's 4.
BYU puts up more points a game (38.6- about 5 more than TCU), but they've done it against far inferior competition. TCU are no slouches themselves, scoring 33.8 points per. For a team that is average at best against the rush, TCU has a huge edge, as they run for over 200 a contest on the ground.
TCU is undefeated this season so far. BYU has a loss to (slightly less pathetic looking) Florida State. At home. TCU still has a lot to play for- an undefeated season will lead to a BCS bowl, and a (very, very) long shot at playing for the national championship. BYU will probably not get that chance, even if they win out.
I expect TCU to throttle the Cougars in Provo, and win easily 28-10.

Week 8 rankings

2009-10-19T15:45:00.001-04:00

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.
6. Miami (FL)- Their loss looks worse now than a week ago, but the Canes did enough this weekend by beating UCF. If the Hokies lose again, the Canes control their own destiny.
7. Louisiana State- The Tigers had the weekend off, and their only loss was to #2 Florida, albeit at home. There's a catfight coming up this weekend in the Bayou as #22 Auburn comes into Death Valley.
8. Texas Christian- A good non-conference slate has the Horned Frogs ranked above Boise. That the Mountain West is far better than the WAC will only help as the season wears on. A matchup with #24 BYU in Provo is this weekend.
9. Boise State- To be fair, the only reason the Broncos are this high is because they're undefeated and have a win over Oregon that looks better every week.
10. Oregon- Speaking of the Ducks, they round out the top 10 due to their phenomenal play since the first week. Their loss to Boise State is much better than USC's loss to Washington. They're not above Boise due to their head to head loss.
11. Georgia Tech- A win over what I had considered to be a very good Virginia Tech team and a bunch of losses by the teams above them vaults the Yellowjackets to #11. If they, Virginia Tech and Miami all win out, it will make for an interesting story in the ACC.
12. Southern Cal- They knocked off a good Notre Dame team in South Bend, but just barely. The humans have them ranked too high, as does the BCS. Their big test comes in two weeks in Eugene against #10 Oregon.
13. Houston- Case Keenum and co. keep blasting their opponents. If they hadn't lost to UTEP, Houston would be in my top 5, with wins against Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Mississippi State.
14. Penn State- By virture of being a good team whose only loss came to the #4 team in the land.
15. Oklahoma State- It's too bad that Houston lost to UTEP, because Oklahoma State would be ranked in my top ten if not for Houston's slide. I think that they're a better team than Penn State, but all things considered, Iowa is a better team right now than Houston, so I can't justify ranking the Cowboys over the Nittany Lions.
16. South Florida- Have the true South Florida Bulls shown up? Maybe, but Cincinnati is an elite football team. The fact that they still got doubled up at home lands the Bulls behind a host of other one-loss teams. That and the fact that their schedule hasn't been as good...
17. West Virginia- They're ranked above Pittsburgh because Auburn is a far superior team to North Carolina State, even with two losses. That said, West Virginia has a murderer's row of Big East teams the next five weeks. If they can win them all though, they're pretty much guaranteed a BCS bowl.
18. Pittsburgh- The last of a group of three Big East teams, the Panthers get #16 South Florida at home this weekend. If they win that game, they'll have some swag going into their next three games against Syracuse, Notre Dame and at #17 West Virginia.
19. Virginia Tech- They're not the first team that couldn't stop the triple option, and they won't be the last, but the Hokies's national championship hopes are gone. A BCS bowl is still possible if they win out and Georgia Tech loses another game.
20. Kansas- A loss to Colorado, on the road or not, will cause you to drop nine spots every time. With their porous defense, this wasn't unexpected. Things don't get any easier against Oklahoma and Texas Tech the next two weeks.
21. South Carolina- The Gamecocks can do a lot of things, and do them alright. However, the Gamecocks cannot do a lot of things well. They obviously lack the athletes of teams like Florida and Texas, so a loss to those teams is almost expected, but if they can't win against Vandy and Tennesse in the next few weeks, they could be in big trouble.
22. Auburn- Is there trouble brewing in Alamaba? A bad pass defense losing agaisnt Ryan Mallet wasn't too surprising, but Kentucky is an overwhelmingly mediocre team. Memo to Gene Chizik- the honeymoon is over. If you can't best #7 LSU this weekend, don't be surprised to find "For Sale" signs in your yard.
23. Texas Tech- They're 2-1 in the Big 12 and their losses have come to #3 Texas and #13 Houston. They lost Michael Crabtree, Graham Harrell, and new starter Taylor Potts, so I'd say that's pretty darn respectable.
24. Brigham Young- I really didn't want to have BYU ranked, since their best win is against 3-3 Oklahoma, they got absolutely shellacked by miserable FSU (at home), and other than that, they've played absolutely nobody.
25. Nebraska- Losses to #19 Virginia Tech (in Blacksburg) and #23 Texas Tech (at home) aren't so bad. They may have two losses, but they hang on to their final spot because Utah (5-1), Idaho (6-1), and Central Michigan (6-1) have played nobody. Well, Utah played #10 Oregon, but they lost. Nebraska has played better competition thus far.

Dropped from the rankings: Ohio State (formerly #19), Wisconsin (formerly #22), Notre Dame (formerly #24).

Matchups of ranked teams this week:
#7 LSU vs #22 Auburn
#8 TCU @ #24 BYU
#16 South Florida @ #18 Pittsburgh
Previews of these games will be posted throughout the week, and this time I promise, I will get to all of them!

Patriots 59, Titans 0

2009-10-18T20:56:00.000-04:00

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.

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

2009-10-16T12:34:00.000-04:00

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.

Traditionally, the strength of Virginia Tech has been Bud Foster's defense. Year after year, his Hokies have ranked near the top of the nation in rush defense and total defense. This year, they're only fifth in the ACC in total defense, and in the bottom half (seventh) for rushing yards allowed. However, the Hokies manage to give up only 17.7 points per game, second best in the conference.
The Yellowjackets defense hasn't fared much better. They are ninth in the conference in points allowed (26.5 per) and allow 385.2 yards a contest, better than only Maryland and Florida State in the ACC. They've also picked off six passes tied for third in the conference. Virginia Tech also has six picks this year, including one returned for a touchdown.
Neither team is particuarly dazzling on offense- their total offense rank only 24th and 54th (Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech, respectively), and both teams have a problem throwing the ball. The Hokies get 196.8 yards in the air a game, 90th best in I-A, while the Yellowjackets get only 152.8 yards a game passing, better than only five other teams in I-A.
Not surprisingly, both teams get it done on the ground. Georgia Tech utilizes their triple option to gain 277 yards a game, fourth in I-A. Virginia Tech uses a more traditional ground game to gain 208.5 yards per, 15th in the country. Freshman Ryan Williams has carried the load well since stepping into the role following an injury to starter Darren Evans. Johnathan Dwyer and Josh Nesbitt have done most of the rushing for the Yellowjackets.
When it comes to the schedule, Virginia Tech has a huge leg up. They played a very good Alabama team tough, losing by 10 points to open the season. Since then, they've knocked off two more ranked team in #8 Miami and #12 Nebraska. Georgia Tech has traveled a different road. They've defeated mediocre teams in North Carolina and Clemson, as well as an up-and-coming Mississippi State team. However, in their only true test so far, they got shellacked by Miami. They were even in danger of losing to Florida State for a large portion of their last game.
All things considered, besides strength of schedule, these teams are very similar. However, I'm not going make the same mistake twice. These teams are NOT the same. Georgia Tech is far behind the Hokies defensively, and Frank Beamer didn't become the third winningest active coach in I-A by being an idiot. Virginia Tech has put up better numbers against superior competition. There's a reason why I have Virginia Tech ranked #4- it's because they're a very good football team. Expect Virginia Tech to put away the Yellowjackets 34-20.

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

2009-10-15T14:49:00.001-04:00

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.
Cincinnati picked up where they left off last season, with the #11 offense in the country, generating 468.2 yards a game. It's not a surprise that Pike is leading the charge. Pike already has 1493 yards and 13 touchdowns this season against decent competition, including Oregon State, Rutgers, and Fresno State. The Bearcats average 333.4 passing yards a game, good for seventh in I-A.
How are the Bulls doing? Not bad. The freshman quarterback B.J. Daniels doesn't throw it as much as Pike, but the Bulls are still in the upper half of I-A, averaging 232 yards a game through the air. The Bulls rely on Daniels and Moise Plancher to get it done on the ground. They have the better run game, churning out 190.8 yards a contest, 28th in all of I-A. Their total offense ranks 34 in I-A (at 413.6 ypg), and their scoring offense isn't far behind Cincinnati's at 37 points per, 17th in I-A.
With the offenses evenly matched, it comes down to defense. The Bearcats and the Bulls are virtually identical in rush defenese. The Bulls have the 17th ranked rush defense (104.8 yards per), while the Bearcats have the 18th ranked rush defense (105.6 yards per).
South Florida has stood up much better against the pass, however. They are number six in the nation against the pass, allowing a scant 158.2 yards per contest. The Bearcats are only 39th in that category, allowing 208.8 yards per. Both defenses have a propensity to pick off passes- South Florida has seven picks this year, including one returned for a TD, while the Bearcats have 11 picks themsevles.
South Florida is also fifth in the nation in points per game, allowing only 9.4 points a game. Cincinnati is close behind at #10 in the nation, allowing 13.8 points per game.
This makes for an interesting matchup. Raymond James will probably be near full, and crazy things happen in Thursday night games. Both teams are similar, but Cincinnati has played stronger schedule (though South Florida did have a good road win in Tallahassee). This game will match Cinncinnati's offensive strength against South Florida's defensive strength. The Bulls also face a good run defense, but they can hit you multiple ways on the ground. The Bearcats will have a tougher time moving the ball against the likes of Jason Pierre-Paul and George Selvie.
When you're talking about matching offensive muscle against defensive muscle though, a similar pattern has emerged over the years- defense usually trumps offense. For the inside track to the Big East title and an outside shot at playing for the BCS National Championship, this game is huge. The fans at USF know this. USF plays better defense than the Bearcats, and can keep stride offensively. So who wins this matchup of unbeaten teams? South Florida grits it out with good defensive play and timely scores and gets the win 24-21.

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

2009-10-14T16:23:00.000-04:00

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.

For the Hawkeyes, it all starts with defense. They are only 67th in total offense, generating 363 yards a game. They also average only 25.7 points per game, 66th in all of I-A. Their best offensive bet is their passing game, which is ranked 41st in the country at 251.3 yards a game. With numbers like that, it's a good thing their defense is 20th in points allowed. They allow only 15.8 points per game. They're slightly worse in total defense, allowing 305.3 yards per game. That's still good for 3rd in the Big 11 and 30th overall in the nation.
Their pass defense is ranked 37th in I-A, allowing 171 pass yards a game. Their rush defense is middle of the pack, allowing 134.3 yards a game. However, their strength is in their takeaways- Iowa is second in the nation with 12 picks, averaging two per game.
Wisconsin isn't as good defensively, ranking only 8th in the Big 11. They allow 25.7 points per game, but are fifth in the conference in yards per game, allowing only 333.2 a yards contest. They rank fourth in the conference with 9 interceptions. They allow 210.3 passing yards a game, compared to 122.8 rush yards a game, better than Iowa.
Wisconsin's strength is their run game- they rush for 200.7 yards a game, good for 21st in I-A. This bodes well for the Badgers, who are mere mortals against the run. Couple this with the fact that the game is in Madison, then the Hawkeyes are in a bit of trouble.
Iowa will need to lean on their passing game. Wisconsin isn't that great against the pass, and with their average run game, the Badgers will be able to stuff their runners if they can't establish their passing game.
Numbers are well and good, but they don't mean anything unless you know who they've come against. Iowa has played six games, and three of them have been decided by a field goal or less. You would expect that Arizona, Penn State and Michigan would have given them the most problems, but you'd only be right on one count. Mighty Northern Iowa and 1-3 Sun Belt team Arkansas State each came within a field goal of defeating the Hawkeyes IN Iowa City. Their best win is in Penn State against #21 Penn State. They win ugly, but they do win, and agaisnt a decent slate, they're 6-0.
Wisconsin has traveled a different road. They have played perennially decent Northern Illionis to open the year, and en route to a 5-0 record defeated a good Fresno State team and beat 4-2 Minnesota on the road. Their only hiccup came against #19 Ohio State in Columbus. Wisconsin were a few defensive and special teams plays from upsetting Ohio State, and I expect that they will be fired up going into the matchup against Iowa.
So, all things considered, who wins this game? Iowa is a good team- they can blow people out (sort of) and they can definitley win close. Their schedules have been about the same, and the two teams are very similar. However, Wisconsin is coming off a tough loss, and after working their way to 5-0 to find themselves ranked, they're one again being discounted by the pollsters. Iowa is at least ranked, even if it's too low. I expect Wisconsin to come out strong, and the fans to be rowdy. Wisconsin wins their homecoming game 34-21, handing Iowa their first loss of the season.

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

2009-10-13T14:12:00.006-04:00

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.
Looking at the offenses, Notre Dame has a decided advantage here. Jimmy Clausen, turf toe or not, is having a monster year thus far- a 67.6 completion percentage, 1544 yards, and 12 TDs against only 2 picks. Not to mention, he leads the nation in efficency. Clausen has great intangibles as well, as evidence by Notre Dame's numerous last second victories this year. He's been the starter at Notre Dame since the 2006 season, so he undoubtedly has an edge there over USC's Matt Barkley.
Barkley hasn't lived up to USC's four previous quarterbacks so far this year, throwing for only 3 TDs against 2 picks, as well as less than 1000 yards. Yes, he was out for a game, but with playmakers like USC has, after four games in this offense, there's no reason why Barkley's numbers should be so low. His best game of the year so far was at home against Washington State, where he had 247 yards and two TDs. However, on the road at Ohio State and against Cal, Barkley has completed barely half his passes (53%), thrown zero TDs and two picks. You'd better believe that the folks in South Bend won't make this game a hospitable environment for Barkley and the Trojans.
However, where Barkley falls short, the Trojan's stable of running backs makes up for the slack. they average 208 rushing yards a game, 17th best in the nation. Notre Dame is giving up 139.6 yards on the ground a game. That doesn't bode well for the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame is also allowing 403.2 total yards a game, better than just 21 I-A teams.
USC on the other hand is surrenduring only 238.6 yards a game, good for sixth in the nation. Their rush defense in particular is allowing 64.8 yards a contest. Norte Dame churns out 148 rushing yards a game, exactly in the middle of the pack at 60th in the nation. So if Notre Dame is to gain an offensive edge, they will need to rely exploiting USC's #17 pass defense (173.8 yards/game). With 333.2 passing yards a game (good for 8th in the nation), if Jimmy Clausen can avoid throwing to Taylor Mays, the Fighting Irish have a chance.
As far as the quality of their schedule so far goes, Notre Dame will have a big edge on USC, having already played the likes of Michigan, Michigan State, Nevada, Purdue, and (wait for it) Washington. USC played that same Washington team and lost, albeit Notre Dame got them at home. Notre Dame's biggest margin of victory was 35-0 over a good offensive Nevada team, but their rest of their games have been close, with the most lopsided score being a 37-30 win over Washington.
The Trojans have played a couple of decent games, including at Ohio State (who isn't nearly as good as ESPN would have you believe) and at Cal (how they were ever ranked as high as they were is beyond me). Their other games were home against San Jose State, and against the Washington schools (they split those, 1-1). USC blew out the not-very-good teams (excepting Washington) by a combined score of 113-12, while beating Ohio State by just a field goal, and losing by the same margin to Washington.
What this comes down to it that USC has been feasting on cupcakes and struggling in games against legitimate competition, while Notre Dame has showed that it has some grit and can beat higher quality teams.
So my prediction for this weekend? I think that USC is vasty overrated by ESPN. Their defensive stats are a bit padded, while Notre Dame's poor stats have come against quality competition. I'm not saying USC isn't a quality team- I have them at #18, so I think they're decent. I'm not a big Notre Dame guy, but they've had a good year so far. They've shown they can win close games, and with Jimmy Clausen at the helm, I expect Notre Dame to keep this one close. Call me crazy, but I think the Fighting Irish break their seven game losing streak and put an end to USC's national title hopes by a final score of 28-24.

First rankings of the season

2009-10-12T22:37:00.010-04:00

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

Even with a decent sample size to work with, this was still tough. I feel like the bottom of the rankings, say 15 on down, is kind of a crapshoot, and I'm not 100 percent satisfied. Trying to keep in mind the team's losses, strength of schedule, etc. is tough, but I think I'm pretty close to right.
Feel free to leave comments and let me know what you think- Is someone too high, too low, did I leave a deserving team out?
That being said, here are some match-ups to watch of my ranked teams this weekend:

#18 Southern California @ #24 Notre Dame (preview Tuesday, 10/13)
#5 Iowa @ #22 Wisconsin (preview Wednesday, 10/14)
#6 South Florida vs #7 Cincinnati (preview Thursday, 10/15)
#4 Virginia Tech @ #17 Georgia Tech (preview Friday, 10/16)
#2 Alabama vs #13 South Carolina (preview Saturday, 10/17)

Dolphins knocking on playoff door

2008-12-02T18:55:00.001-05:00

Who would’ve thought? After last year’s 1-15 debacle (come on, we didn’t even beat the right team! It was destiny to go into the New England game winless and hand them defeat!), the Dolphins are a very real threat to make the playoffs. They’re 7-5 so far, their best win total since Nick Saban’s first year.
The Phins have played pretty well in three of their losses this year, by my accounts. They almost beat the hated Jets at the beginning of the year, and the only thing that kept them from winning their first ever game against Houston was leaving too much time on the clock.
I’d have to say, the thing that has surprised me the most about their season isn’t the fact that they’ve won seven games- with Parcells at the helm, I was among those who expected improvement immediately, but the fact that they continue to get mileage out of their wildcat formation. Hell, it surprised me that they would use a gimmicky formation like that to begin with. But I guess if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
But back to the task at hand- making the playoffs. Last week’s loss to the Patriots still hurts, but the Dolphins played them close until a late-game meltdown. But easier times lay ahead for the Phins.
It’s pretty simple- win out, and you’ll probably nab a wild card playoff spot. They’ve got four games left- Against the bumbling Bills (in Toronto- essentially a home game for the bills), then they finish up their tilt against the NCF and AFC west, hosting the lackadaisical 49ers, and traveling to Arrowhead to take on the Chiefs. The finale? A matchup with those hated Jets. The key? Win those next three games against the Bills, 49ers and Chiefs. They’re a combined 12-24. That seems like a fairly easy task- hell, three wins and a 10-6 record may even get you in. But sometimes this Dolphins team scares me.
See, while the can play up to the level of quality teams, they also play DOWN to the level of inferior opponents (see @ Houston, vs Seattle, vs Oakland, @ St. Louis). This is a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde team- so which one will show up for the remaining games? Will the Dolphins come out fired up against the three ho-hum teams left on their schedule? Will Ronnie and Ricky run wild on the defenses? Will Pennington be hitting Bess and Fasano for big gains on critical third downs? Or will we see the Dolphins that struggled to beat a 2-win St. Louis team?
To be honest, I expect the Dolphins to know what is on the line, and not trip up before the season finale in the Meadowlands. I have no reason to believe that Sporano won’t have the team ready for a playoff run, sitting at 10-5 going into the game against the Jets. He’s a good coach, and the Dolphins are a solid football team. The playoffs aren’t out of the realm of possibility. The Dolphins just need to do what they’ve been doing, and take care of business. Finish 11-5, and you're in for the first time since 2001 (with an identical record, too).

The BCS Mess, part deux

2008-12-01T18:43:00.012-05:00

Last post I talked about a solution to the BCS. Far be it from me though to think everything the whole way though. But fear not- I've fleshed out my solutions, and even provided some (projective) examples based on this season!

Scenario #1 (I.e. the fariest scenario that University Presidents would never endorse)

-The top 12 teams at the conclusion of the regular season get to play in a BCS bowl game

-The top 4 teams in the BCS recieve a bye to the second round

-There are NO automatic bids for BCS conferences

-The Cotton Bowl, Outback Bowl, Peach Bowl and Citrus Bowl will host the first round matchups

-The Rose Bowl, Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, and Fiesta Bowl will host the second round games

-Whichever BCS site last hosted the championship game will not host a semi-final game

-The semi-finals sites will host the teams which it DID NOT host in the second round

-The site of the national championship will rotate as normal

-The playoff will begin on the first Thursday after the conclusion of the regular season

-Games will be held each week until the conclusion of the semi-final round, where the two finals teams will recieve an additonal week for rest and preperation

-The national championship will be played the second Saturday of January

So for instance, this year, the Superdome wouldn't host a semi-final or championship game this year. Dolphins Stadium would host the national championship as scheduled.

Here's an example of how that would look...

Scenario #2 (I.e. a scenario that isn't THAT bad, and may actually have a chance...)

-The six champions of the BCS conferences receive automatic bids

-The four highest ranked BCS conference champs receive first round byes

-The remaining two BCS conference champions will be matched with their first round opponent according to their ranking

-The remaining six playoff spots will be filled by the next six highest ranked teams in the BCS poll, HOWEVER

-Undefeated non-BCS teams ranked above the LOWEST RANKED BCS conference champion receive an automatic bid, taking the place of the lowest ranked non-conference championship teams

-Brackets will be set up using a conventional method, with highest seed facing lowest seed, etc. in the first round, despite the actual ranking of teams (I.e. #1 could play #21, should that #21 team be a BCS conference champion.)

-The Rose Bowl, Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, and Fiesta Bowl will host the second round games
-Whichever BCS site last hosted the championship game will not host a semi-final game
-The semi-finals sites will host the teams which it DID NOT host in the second round
-The site of the national championship will rotate as normal
-The playoff will begin on the first Thursday after the conclusion of the regular season
-Games will be held each week until the conclusion of the semi-final round, where the two finals teams will recieve an additonal week for rest and preperation
-The national championship will be played the second Saturday of January

Under that scenario this year, #13 Cincinnati and (presumably) #15 Boston College would get in, knocking out #12 Ball State and #11 TCU. However, #12 Ball State, being undefeated, would displace the highest automatic "at large" team, #10 Ohio State.

Here's an example of how that would look...

So those are my ideas. I for one would love to see EITHER version, so long as we get a playoff. Too bad this won't happen this year- Am I the only one who would be excited by a Utah vs Florida matchup?

The BCS Mess

2008-12-01T16:21:00.005-05:00

The BCS has done it again. After slighting Auburn after an undefeated season a few seasons ago, the BCS has once again shut out a deserving team.
I know that by my own admission I thought OU was more deserving of the bid, but that doesn't change the fact that actual voters, and a good number of other so-called "experts" thought Texas deserved the bid. Texas is a good team, but unfortunately, under this current system, they're SOL.
But Texas isn't the only one who is going to be royally screwed out of a bid. Chances are, even with Oregon State's loss, that Boise State will be left out of a BCS bid, with the directors choosing 10-2 and less-deserving Ohio State to play in a game over them. And while we're at it, Ball State has the potential to be 13-0, ranked in the top 12 of the BCS, and also be shafted.
This is absurd. I've heard the suggestion put forth that since non-BCS conference teams have to finish in the top 12 of the BCS to be considered for a BCS bowl, why not have conference champs adhere to that same criteria? Shouldn't we reward teams for playing well instead of rewarding them because their fan bases will bring in more money?
But alas- this isn't a perfect world. No director in their right mind would pick Ball State or Boise State over #16 Cincinnati or #17 Boston College/#25 Virginia Tech. It's not fair, but that's how it works. Over the course of the season, Ball State and Boise State have played better than any of those teams, but they won't be rewarded for it, despite finishing higher (and undefeated!) in the BCS itself. What a shame.
I know that we're years away, but I still think a playoff would be the best way to settle it. Forget automatic bids for winning a "BCS conference." That's crap. The gap is closing. Utah and Boise State showed us that (Hawaii not so much). But when App State can be Michigan in the Big House and TCU's can upset Oklahoma's, it's time to make things fair.
My proposal? Have the top 4 teams in the BCS (right now, Alabama, OU, Texas, Florida) get automatic byes, a-la the NFL. Next, take the next 8 highest ranked teams, and have them play it out. That's a field of 12 teams. So the winner of #8 Penn State and #9 Boise State plays #1 Alabama in the second round, the winner of #5 USC vs #12 Ball State plays #4 Florida, the winner of #6 Utah and #11 TCU plays #3 Texas, and the winner of #7 Texas Tech and #10 Ohio State plays #2 Oklahoma. Seems fair to me.
One of the arguments proponents of the BCS make is that it leads to an unparalled regular season. You think there's room to slip up when only 12 teams would make this field? No. TCU and OSU are the only 2-loss teams in that field, and they lost to Oklahoma and Utah and USC and Penn State respectively.
Another thing is, it wouldn't extend the season by more than a couple weeks.
As far as money and tie ins? Call the second round games your Rose Bowl, Orange Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and Sugar Bowl, and then rotate the semi-finals and the national championship sites between those venues.
The rest of the college football world can still have their bowls. To me, this seems like the best solution. Teams are rewarded for playing well, the fat cats still make their money, their beloved BCS formula is still relevant, and you still need a stellar season to win the championship.

Who should win the Big 12 South?

2008-11-30T10:19:00.001-05:00

The Big 12 south is arguably the best division in (maybe) the best conference in college football this season. Three teams finished division play with 7-1 conference records and are 11-1 overall. This, as every media outlet that covers sports has said, has led to a clusterf*ck. Texas, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech are all vying to get to the Big 12 Championship game and the BCS National Championship game. But who should go?

The case for Texas:
45-35 winner vs #1 OU
39-33 loser @ #7 TTU
The Longhorns showed resolve in this year's Red River Rivalry, coming in as dogs to the top ranked Sooners. Colt McCoy and Texas matched Oklahoma blow for blow the entire game to knock off the mighty Sooners. The game was played at a neutral site between the two best teams in the Big 12 South (my apologies to Texas Tech). Even in their loss, McCoy was phenomenal, and their only mistake was leaving too much time on the clock after driving the length of the field to win in. That should be enough to get the Longhorns in, right?
Well... Not exactly. Their out of conference schedule consisted of FAU, UTEP, Rice, and Arkansas. UTEP and Arkansas are both 5-7, while FAU is 6-6. Rice is the only decent out of conference team they played, at 9-3.
Against common opponents (compared to OU), Texas was 4-1 and outscored their opposition 190-100. For Texas Tech, they were 5-0, outsocring their opponenets 202-102.
Wins against ranked teams include three in a row over #1 Oklahoma, #11 Missouri, and #6 Oklahoma State.

The case for Oklahoma:
65-21 winner over #2 Texas Tech
45-35 loser vs #5 Texas
Since their loss to the Longhorns, the Sooners are probably playing the best offensive football in the country right now. They've scored at least 45 in every game, including four straight with 60+.
One knock on Texas was its' weak out of conference schedule- Not so with the Sooners. Yes, they played Chatanooga and Washington, but they also played the Big East champs and Orange Bowl bound Cincinnati Bearcats, as well as a very good TCU squad... by a combined score of 87-36.
As far as common opponents? Among common opponents with Texas, OU is 5-0, outscoring their opponents 286-138. Against common opponents with Texas Tech, they are 4-1, outscoring opponents 256-162.
Quality wins include the win over eventual conference champ Cincinnati, against #24 TCU, #16 Kansas, #2 Texas Tech and #12 Oklahoma State.

The case for Texas Tech:
39-33 winners over #1 Texas
65-21 losers @ #5 Oklahoma

The Red Raiders are the hardest team to make an argument for. Luckily for them, the BCS isn't as big on "style points" as it once was. However, enough cannot be said about Graham Harrell, Michael Crabtree, and the rest of the Texas Tech team. Facing defeat in the biggest game in the program's history, they knock off #1 Texas when Crabtree snuck into the endzone with a few ticks left on the clock.
The fact that they got their clock cleaned by Oklahoma.... you can chalk it up to a few factors (which doesn't make it any better, by the way). They were playing the Sooners in Norman, with the Sooners in a must win game- I defy you to find a team that WOULDN'T lose in that situation. Also, every team has a bad day. Unfortunately, the Red Raiders chose to have it on the worst day possible.
Their out of conference schedule is also damning- Two FCS teams, 1-11 Southern Methodist, and a medicore 7-5 Nevada squad aren't going to help their stock.
But what about common opponents? For schools in common with Texas, the Red Raiders went 4-1, outscoring the opposition 218-159. With the Sooners, they are 5-0, outscoring opponenets 236-127.
Their big wins? Not as many as Texas and Oklahoma- They beat #1 Texas and #9 Oklahoma State.

So, who goes? I think it's safe to eliminate the Red Raiders from the conversation. They got absolutely shellacked by OU, and Texas wasn't out of the game until the very end. Their out of conference schedule is w-e-a-k, and they didn't beat as many ranked teams as either OU or UT.
That leaves the Longhorns and the Sooners. Were this an actual two way tie, the answer would be easy. However, Tech chose to complicate the picture, leaving the choice up to the votes. If I had a vote?
I'd go with Oklahoma, by a hair. They may have lost to Texas, but they've atoned ever since then, much like Florida has since Ole Miss. Their out of conference schedule also provides a big boost over Texas- the fact that they played (and beat) TCU and Cincinnati is what ends up pushing them over the top.
Don't get me wrong, I think Texas is a great football team, but since it is a three way tie, and not an actual two way tie, I have to reward the Sooners for beating more quality teams than the Longhorns this year.
So... here's hoping for a UF-OU matchup in the BCS National Championship!

Twelve down, two to go

2008-11-30T02:42:00.000-05:00

The Florida Gators dismantled Florida State today in Tallahassee. The 45 points scored was the most that the Gators have ever scored in Trashahassee. There are a couple of encouraging things about this rout-
1) The Gatos accomplished this feat in the pouring rain. They gashed the Noles for something like 317 yards on the ground, and Tebow added another 185 through the air.
2) Percy Harvin was out for most of the game, yet the Gators still found a way to score 42+ (and win by 28+) for the eighth game in a row.
3) The defense only gave up 15 points and 242 yards to the Criminoles.
Of course, the fact that Percy was injured doesn't bode too well for next week's match-up with #1 Alabama in the SEC Championship game. Truth be told, I think that even without Harvin, UF will be fine. They still have potent weapons in Demps, Rainey, Moody, Thompson, Murphy, Hernandez, etc.
One thing that bugs me though is Alabama's #1 ranking. Honestly, there are probably four teams (UF, OU, UT, USC) that are more talented and playing as well as (or better than) the Crimson Tide. Still, the game won't be a gimme by any stretch of the imagination. Whether it's because the voters are rewarding them for being undefeated in the always tough SEC, or they actually believe they are the best team in the country, the Gators had better come to play on December 6, or else they can look forward to a trip to New Orleans instead of Miami Gardens.