Boy I'll tell you who has an interesting schedule the rest of the way. Utah. They've got New Mexico this weekend and TCU and BYU left on the schedule. Interesting, that would put them right up there in terms of number of ranked teams played. Sorry this is late, and I didn't have time to write a huge rant at the beginning of the week. But there are a couple of fun games this week to watch and some really good questions. Also I ran out of time to write about all the games I wanted to this week. Also my roommate's cat just threw up on his brand new coffee table. Also (last one I promise) I've been getting these two questions a bunch lately: If Alabama, Texas or Tech, and Penn State all go undefeated who gets leftout ala Auburn from the title game? Any change in your Heisman ballot this week?
Penn State would be the odd man out. They have played all their big games and they end their season 2 weeks before Texas would and 3 weeks before Alabama would. Texas has Kansas 2 weeks from now and then the championship game. Alabama has LSU, Auburn, and then the championship game. So if Alabama somehow goes undefeated (sadly justifying the money spent on scumbag Nick Saban) then it would be them and Texas and the Big 10 loses out on not having championship game.
Heisman:
Colt
D. Johnson Tulsa
Graham Harrell
Kellen Moore (Boise)
Tim Tebow
Comments:
"Has the mass adoption of the Spread, both run and pass versions, made it harder for NFL teams to adequately scout defensive players and figure out how they would translate to the next level? The lack of big D tackles and the lack of games where linebackers are navigating through other players as opposed to playing in space has got to make it difficult. Big time colleges are now recruiting a type of player not necessarily tailored to the NFL game.- Forrest"
Hmm, I actually think that it's made it harder to scout offensive players. I think there will always be a place for big d tackles in college football I don't think they've become harder to scout, it's always been very difficult to figure out how they will pan out. Linebackers are a different story. I think the spread is messing them up because all of a sudden they have to do so much more then a traditional backer. They have to cover receivers and stop the run depending on the play. They also have to play the option. It's got to be really tough to scout those kinds of guys defending against those types of offenses.
"If you were a blue chip recruit coming out of high school this year what would your top 5 schools be and what factors do you consider? In this case you are a QB with a good arm and decent mobility. - Forrest"
Tough to tell because I honestly forget what it was like being an 18 year old kid. What mattered to me then is a little bit of a mystery, I guess if my goal was to go to the NFL then this is how I would proceed:
How good the school was would be a top 5 factor. National exposure would be another factor. The coaches themselves would be important and so would their history of using quarterbacks and how many of those guys went to the next level. The first school that comes to mind is USC, so they would probably be the top of my list. Cal has also had a history of sending QBs to the NFL. UCLA might be on my list because Norm Chow is there now. I might take a look somewhere in the Big 12 just because of how good they are looking now, but not Oklahoma, maybe Missouri or Texas, but probably not texas because they've only had Vince Young. I'd stay away from almost everyone in the ACC and for that matter anyone in the country that runs the spread even though that's where I would excel. I think I would choose USC 1, Cal 2, UCLA 3, LSU 4, Ohio State 5.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMl6LaXEqvQ&feature=related - Spike
Wow I hadn't seen that, what a way to end a game, how bad do you think the punter feels about himself after that? It's the last highlight for those that don't feel like watching the others.
"I'd hate to be the rotten apple that spoils the bunch - does your manlove of Elon athletes extend to the golf team as well? Officially I graduated from Elon College, not the new "University," so my mascot will always be Mr. E, the Fightin' Christian. Too bad your prediction didn't come to pass, as mighty Wofford took us out on our home turf. - Ryan"
Of course it does! I'd forgotten that my favorite golf pro went to Elon! My apologies.
"GODDAMMIT MARTIN! It is Thursday morning, I am sick and don't want to be at work. The least you can do is to email out a little wit to let me know the week is almost over. - Peter"
1000 pardons good sir. I got extremely busy at work this week and was actually acting manager for a time, so I wrote this up and then forgot to put the finishing touches on it, like sending it and such. I hope you live to feel better.
Games:
Miami (FL) at Virginia - If the Miami Hurricanes were ranked 18 in the country then there's no possible way they could beat the Virginia Cavaliers. Virgina has beaten the two teams ranked #18 in the last two consecutive weeks. Virginia is led by Sophomore QB Marc Verica who will hopefully be able to focus his team of felons (Virgina's fullback will be facing felony burglary charges), and overcome the team previously known for misdeeds, Miami. Virgina are the new Miami, but only when it comes to getting arrested, not when it comes to winning national championships. Miami on the other hand will have to rely on QB Robert Marve and QB Jacory Harris. Both teams are 5-3 and this game will have a profound impact on which undeserving team from the ACC gets to go to a BCS game. UVA could have a multi game lead going into the last 3 weeks of the season where they will have to beat Wake Forest, Clemson, and Virginia Tech. Good luck Wahoos, may you all not end up in jail, I think you will win a close hard fought ACC (inferior to the rest of the big conferences) game.
#18 Tulsa at Arkansas - This game is compelling just because of what could happen to the BCS bowl picture. The Tulsa Golden Hurricanes come in 8-0 and if I had a Heisman ballot then QB David Johnson would be on it. Incidently one of David's favorite targets is WR Damaris Johnson, I only mention it because it's confusing when you are looking up stats and trying to select the correct player and it's doubly confusing when a Wide Receiver wears a Quarterback's number (#3 in this case). The Arkansas Razorbacks in the meantime haven't been great this year, but they are the only really big team on Tulsa's schedule (they play Marshall for the last game of the year). A Tulsa victory would perhaps warrant their rankings in the top 15 and if they remained undefeated, a berth in a high profile BCS Bowl game. Tulsa has put up unreal numbers the entire season, Arkansas meanwhile has a piece of $hit for a coach (he has questionable ethics and loyalty, he's actually a heck of a coach). This game also won't be on where I live so I'm just going to predict Tulsa wins, and hope for the best, since I can't watch it.
#8 Florida at #6 Georgia - This game could be a lot of fun to watch. I didn't think the Georgia Bulldogs had a very exciting offense till I saw their game last week against LSU in which they put up 52 points and watched RB Knowshon Moreno (spelled it right without looking) run for almost 8 yards a carry. The Georgia defense is also very exciting to watch and they directly accounted for 14 of the 52 points last weekend. The Florida Gators on the other hand, just run one of the most entertaining offenses ever to hit college football. Nobody knows what they are going to do and they also happen to be led by a young man named Tim Tebow. Tim as you might recall won a small award last year called the Heisman, and although I didn't have him in my top five the last couple of weeks, after last week he's in and the Gators are thinking revenge after Georgia's disrespectful end-zone celebration last year. This game will be as fun and entertaining as watching and young Fred Astaire and a young Cary Grant fight each other to the death (I can't really explain why that would be entertaining but just go with it). Being an SEC game you'll see lots of explosive speed and hitting and an ugly bulldog on the sideline. Yes this game will have it all, except a happy ending for Gerogia, who will lose when they get distracted by a clown on the sideline getting hit by an errant Mathew Stafford pass in the head and then dying to a brain aneurysm. Matthew is the QB of the Bulldogs and I don't think he's as good as people say. We'll find out Saturday!
#1 Texas at #7 Texas Tech - The big question in this game is who will come to play defense. These are two hyper productive and amazing offenses and thusfar nobody has really slowed down the Longhorns of Texas, and very few teams have been able to halt The Texas Tech Red Raiders. The young Texas defense should have enough to slow down Texas Tech. Texas QB Colt McCoy had an off game last week and he still completed 84% of his passes in a win against Oklahoma State, he had an amazing first half and a lackluster second half, which would cost him if it happens again. Texas Tech on the other hand has been impressive the last couple of weeks but prior to that they had a string of close calls and wins that snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. The Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell is equally as exciting as Colt, but the TT run game is a bit lackluster compared to what Texas has been able to muster. So I think Texas will roll. Texas Tech has been lucky thusfar and they shouldn't be undefeated. Watch this come back and bite me in the butt when they win. The Big 12 is like the weirdest conference in the country, all of a sudden they all have really prolific spread offenses, it's like the entire league evolved in a completely different direction in all of 2 years. It's actually kind of eerie. Defense was a staple of the Texas national title team a couple years ago but I just don't think most college programs have found a way to defend the spread.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
College Football Weekend October 25th, 2008
Let's start by saying that I'm thrilled that the Phillies are in the World Series, I'm really proud of them. I'm actually watching game one right now and the Phillies are winning 2-0. But all these good feelings are just going to make it more devastating when the Phillies make the Devil Rays the greatest story in sports history (and yes I know they aren't the Devil Rays anymore). It's Philly sports, they will lose in some embarrassing way, and I'll get more bitter with more grey hair and a further receding hairline. I'm a total stud I know. But enough about the Failies, I have plenty of time to lament the fact that nobody in a major sport in Philadelphia, I need right now to lament the fact that both Missouri and BYU have betrayed me. Now the best I can hope for is a Tulsa, Ball State, Boise State and Utah to be in the BCS. It keeps me awake at night dreaming about a Tulsa VS. Ball State BCS game, holy oxymoron batman! Oh I'd also like to take a moment to thank everyone who called me out for being a wuss while I was sick and not writing a column, I hope you all lose your cell phones and have to get everyone's number again. If you get a chance go over to the blog and check out the talk I had this week about college football, some good stuff in there.
Comments:
" I'm disappointed in you. Get worse soon. What happened to you doing review of your previous week articles? I liked hearing you mock yourself on a weekly basis (to a greater degree than you do now). Did you see/hear about the JMU game last week? That was more re-donkey-lous than that donkey from Shrek. - John"
I figured that I was TOO DAMN GOOD and that there was no need to review my previous success every week. That makes me seem cocky and it falsely showed that I was lacking humility. I don't want to have to remind everyone how good I am at everything I do, that's unnecessary. I mean for goodness sake I went 4 for 6 last week and I could barely type. Also it was too much work and it was causing me to spend too much time in front of my computer instead of doing stuff outside...which has not changed one bit but now I don't have to write two columns a week. Also we don't usually get JMU games out here in the land of magic, and I'm too lazy to figure out what happened.
"Current Heisman:Colt McCoyTim TebowBradford (Can not be ranked ahead of McCoy because McCoy beat him)Thoughts? - Forrest"
My Heisman would probably be something like:Colt McCoyDavid Johnson (Tulsa)Zach Robinson (OKst)Graham HarrellKellen Moore (Boise)All of which are on undefeated teams, which is what I'm using at the moment to determine the difference between all the great quarterbacks this year, there are no great running backs (I know I know I'm all starstruck over the quarterbacks, a girl can dream right?). Winning all your games isn't a requirement for the Heisman, but it helps, and frankly Colt McCoy could cool off only a little and he would win. He's completing more then 80% of his passes, which is silly, I don't even get my garbage in the trash 80% of the time. You could tell me that Colt McCoy was a magical wish granting alligator who wants to take a friend and the woman of his dreams to an all expense paid trip to the moon and it would be slightly more believable than a QB completing over 80% of his passes.
Games:
#8 Texas Tech at #23 Kansas - The Kansas Jayhawks are a team of contrast, the contrast being that while they have a decent offense, they play good defense about as often as my father watches Gilmore girls...which is to say infrequently but not every week. Their QB Todd Reising ins any other year would be a Heisman contender, he's accurate and smart and he makes plays. But in this, the year of the Big 12 Quarterback he's probably the 5th or 6th best QB in that conference. One of the QBs who is higher rated then him is the Texas Tech Red Raiders Graham Harrell, who put up silly numbers by virtue of playing at TT. Texas Tech is one of those undefeated teams that people don't think should be undefeated, they've played poorly against teams they should have crushed and have been underwhelming. Kansas at home coming off a decent game against Oklahoma is just the cure for Texas Tech's ($5 dollars to whomever tells me the full school name of TT off the top of their head) unblemished record. They've played better against the good teams they've played and their uniforms look better. Which is how I pick all my football games.
#6 Oklahoma State at #1 Texas - I'll be the first one to admit that I was shocked at how bad the Longhorns of Texas beat down Missouri. It was like they were playing a team in division 6 for the first half of the game, Missouri had no way to stop them. It made me feel strange on the inside, it made me feel like Missouri, who I had talked up all year, put a dagger in my back, slashed the tires on my bike, and kicked my non-existent dog. But then afte the shock wore off I realized that this is the time of year (about 6-7 games in) that all the young players who are starting for the first year are just now getting the defense or offense. They are just now figuring out the bigger pictures and what they should be doing at all times. Texas has a very young defense with lots of new starters this year, those guys may have turned a corner in the last couple weeks, and that may be what has made them so darn good. Either that or I didn't see enough Texas games prior to last week to see how good they are, whichever. That being said, the Oklahoma State Cowboys pulled off the upset a couple weeks ago against Missouri, sure it wasn't as dominant a win but they did a decent job of bottling up Missouri's spread offense. The difference being that Texas has a much better running game and defense, and they are playing at Texas. QB Zach Robinson has been tremendous for OkSt. so far this year, but the cattle drive stops here when Colt McCoy and the Longhorns go on a stampede and drive the Cowboys back to the Ranch??? (I guess that's where cowboys live, I was going to say Brokeback Mountain but that's not terribly politically correct).
#2 Alabama at Tennessee - I'm not going to write much here other then to say that this is the week the young Alabama team blows it. I just want to get that out there so that I can say I called it if it happens because it's going to happen one of these weeks. Tennessee has not met its preseason expectations and they are just waiting to surprise someone. Plus it's the SEC and who the heck knows what's going to happen. If Tennessee doesn't win then I'm going to keep betting against Alabama until I get it right and then I can be all, "I told you so." And people will go, "Oh Marty you totally called that!"
#3 Penn State at #9 Ohio State - It's easy to assume the Ohio State Buckeyes will win this game. After all the Penn State Nittany Lions haven't won there in forever and they already broke their streak for the year when they beat Michigan last week. The problem with Penn State getting a bunch of hype is the fact that everyone they've beaten has proven to be paper tigers, so they haven't really shown how good they could be, maybe they will against OSU. OSU has freshman QB Terrell Pryor who doesn't know the taste of defeat or the disappointment of not getting what you want for Christm...I mean hasn't lost a big college game that he's started. He's got a great arm and can run like crazy, but he hasn't seen a defense as good as Penn State's except for the couple of snaps he played against USC. Penn State in the meantime has terminally underrated RB Evan Royster, who as one person I know mentioned, gets less publicity than any running back in the country considering that he's run for over 9 yards a carry and over 100 yards a game this year. That's pretty impressive. This game is a tough one to call, on one hand Penn State is the better team in my mind, on the other hand I don't like them to break to losing streaks in a row. So I consult with my colleague Dr. Coin. who thinks that Penn State will win in a close game. if OSU does win, it will likely be because RB Beanie Wells had a huge game against a Penn State, who were busy defensing Terrell Pryor.
#4Wofford at #3Elon - These top 5 powerhouses (Division 1-AA) face off in North Carolina in what could be a preclude to some postseason playoff action. The Elon Phoenix are known to me only because their head coach, Pete Lembo, who was the coach of Lehigh during my time there. Lembo has taken the Phoenix from the bottom of the SoCon standings to becoming a championship contender and top-25 program in the FCS national polls as well as made noticeable improvements in the areas of academic progress, recruiting, alumni relations, home game attendance, scheduling, community outreach and fund-raising. Every person I've met who played for Elon has been a tremendous person and so I think very highly of the school. The football team itself has won all but one game this year, beating the likes of traditional powerhouses Georgia Southern, Furman, and the Citadel. The Wofford Terriers are also a perennial powerhouse in Division 1-AA and they have also only lost once this year, they also boast the most frightening mascot in college football. This will be an exciting game, and expect to see the highlights nowhere, I'll take the Phoenix's to rise up and burn the awful little dogs.
Comments:
" I'm disappointed in you. Get worse soon. What happened to you doing review of your previous week articles? I liked hearing you mock yourself on a weekly basis (to a greater degree than you do now). Did you see/hear about the JMU game last week? That was more re-donkey-lous than that donkey from Shrek. - John"
I figured that I was TOO DAMN GOOD and that there was no need to review my previous success every week. That makes me seem cocky and it falsely showed that I was lacking humility. I don't want to have to remind everyone how good I am at everything I do, that's unnecessary. I mean for goodness sake I went 4 for 6 last week and I could barely type. Also it was too much work and it was causing me to spend too much time in front of my computer instead of doing stuff outside...which has not changed one bit but now I don't have to write two columns a week. Also we don't usually get JMU games out here in the land of magic, and I'm too lazy to figure out what happened.
"Current Heisman:Colt McCoyTim TebowBradford (Can not be ranked ahead of McCoy because McCoy beat him)Thoughts? - Forrest"
My Heisman would probably be something like:Colt McCoyDavid Johnson (Tulsa)Zach Robinson (OKst)Graham HarrellKellen Moore (Boise)All of which are on undefeated teams, which is what I'm using at the moment to determine the difference between all the great quarterbacks this year, there are no great running backs (I know I know I'm all starstruck over the quarterbacks, a girl can dream right?). Winning all your games isn't a requirement for the Heisman, but it helps, and frankly Colt McCoy could cool off only a little and he would win. He's completing more then 80% of his passes, which is silly, I don't even get my garbage in the trash 80% of the time. You could tell me that Colt McCoy was a magical wish granting alligator who wants to take a friend and the woman of his dreams to an all expense paid trip to the moon and it would be slightly more believable than a QB completing over 80% of his passes.
Games:
#8 Texas Tech at #23 Kansas - The Kansas Jayhawks are a team of contrast, the contrast being that while they have a decent offense, they play good defense about as often as my father watches Gilmore girls...which is to say infrequently but not every week. Their QB Todd Reising ins any other year would be a Heisman contender, he's accurate and smart and he makes plays. But in this, the year of the Big 12 Quarterback he's probably the 5th or 6th best QB in that conference. One of the QBs who is higher rated then him is the Texas Tech Red Raiders Graham Harrell, who put up silly numbers by virtue of playing at TT. Texas Tech is one of those undefeated teams that people don't think should be undefeated, they've played poorly against teams they should have crushed and have been underwhelming. Kansas at home coming off a decent game against Oklahoma is just the cure for Texas Tech's ($5 dollars to whomever tells me the full school name of TT off the top of their head) unblemished record. They've played better against the good teams they've played and their uniforms look better. Which is how I pick all my football games.
#6 Oklahoma State at #1 Texas - I'll be the first one to admit that I was shocked at how bad the Longhorns of Texas beat down Missouri. It was like they were playing a team in division 6 for the first half of the game, Missouri had no way to stop them. It made me feel strange on the inside, it made me feel like Missouri, who I had talked up all year, put a dagger in my back, slashed the tires on my bike, and kicked my non-existent dog. But then afte the shock wore off I realized that this is the time of year (about 6-7 games in) that all the young players who are starting for the first year are just now getting the defense or offense. They are just now figuring out the bigger pictures and what they should be doing at all times. Texas has a very young defense with lots of new starters this year, those guys may have turned a corner in the last couple weeks, and that may be what has made them so darn good. Either that or I didn't see enough Texas games prior to last week to see how good they are, whichever. That being said, the Oklahoma State Cowboys pulled off the upset a couple weeks ago against Missouri, sure it wasn't as dominant a win but they did a decent job of bottling up Missouri's spread offense. The difference being that Texas has a much better running game and defense, and they are playing at Texas. QB Zach Robinson has been tremendous for OkSt. so far this year, but the cattle drive stops here when Colt McCoy and the Longhorns go on a stampede and drive the Cowboys back to the Ranch??? (I guess that's where cowboys live, I was going to say Brokeback Mountain but that's not terribly politically correct).
#2 Alabama at Tennessee - I'm not going to write much here other then to say that this is the week the young Alabama team blows it. I just want to get that out there so that I can say I called it if it happens because it's going to happen one of these weeks. Tennessee has not met its preseason expectations and they are just waiting to surprise someone. Plus it's the SEC and who the heck knows what's going to happen. If Tennessee doesn't win then I'm going to keep betting against Alabama until I get it right and then I can be all, "I told you so." And people will go, "Oh Marty you totally called that!"
#3 Penn State at #9 Ohio State - It's easy to assume the Ohio State Buckeyes will win this game. After all the Penn State Nittany Lions haven't won there in forever and they already broke their streak for the year when they beat Michigan last week. The problem with Penn State getting a bunch of hype is the fact that everyone they've beaten has proven to be paper tigers, so they haven't really shown how good they could be, maybe they will against OSU. OSU has freshman QB Terrell Pryor who doesn't know the taste of defeat or the disappointment of not getting what you want for Christm...I mean hasn't lost a big college game that he's started. He's got a great arm and can run like crazy, but he hasn't seen a defense as good as Penn State's except for the couple of snaps he played against USC. Penn State in the meantime has terminally underrated RB Evan Royster, who as one person I know mentioned, gets less publicity than any running back in the country considering that he's run for over 9 yards a carry and over 100 yards a game this year. That's pretty impressive. This game is a tough one to call, on one hand Penn State is the better team in my mind, on the other hand I don't like them to break to losing streaks in a row. So I consult with my colleague Dr. Coin. who thinks that Penn State will win in a close game. if OSU does win, it will likely be because RB Beanie Wells had a huge game against a Penn State, who were busy defensing Terrell Pryor.
#4Wofford at #3Elon - These top 5 powerhouses (Division 1-AA) face off in North Carolina in what could be a preclude to some postseason playoff action. The Elon Phoenix are known to me only because their head coach, Pete Lembo, who was the coach of Lehigh during my time there. Lembo has taken the Phoenix from the bottom of the SoCon standings to becoming a championship contender and top-25 program in the FCS national polls as well as made noticeable improvements in the areas of academic progress, recruiting, alumni relations, home game attendance, scheduling, community outreach and fund-raising. Every person I've met who played for Elon has been a tremendous person and so I think very highly of the school. The football team itself has won all but one game this year, beating the likes of traditional powerhouses Georgia Southern, Furman, and the Citadel. The Wofford Terriers are also a perennial powerhouse in Division 1-AA and they have also only lost once this year, they also boast the most frightening mascot in college football. This will be an exciting game, and expect to see the highlights nowhere, I'll take the Phoenix's to rise up and burn the awful little dogs.
Monday, October 20, 2008
10-20-08 Give and Take
Forrest:
OK Marty,
Here are my thoughts on college football right now, use them how you see fit and I would be pleased to hear your response.
I think Texas is the unchallenged #1 team in the nation right now. I think they would run Alabama off the field and I think Penn state, while better suited athletically would struggle. Reason being Colt McCoy is so darned efficient its is hard to stop that offense. When you complete 80% of your throws and you can run those are video game type numbers and attributes. Add that to the fact that Texas's DB's are young and getting better every game, also playing in the lead allows them to be more aggressive and not get tight and over think themselves. They will be tested by Kansas and Tech but I think that Defense overall is just too good to lose.
Alabama lacks the explosion on offense to win the National title and maybe the SEC. Yes they put up big numbers against Georgia during the blackout but have struggled against some mediocre teams. When you're constantly playing to the level of your opponent someone is going to catch you.
I love Penn State, I think they have all the tools to win the title and I think a PSU vs UT game would be amazing, like Vince vs USC amazing, however I don't know that they can make it past this weekend. PSU has always tripped up in a big situation recently, (see Michigan '05) and OSU for all the loathing I have for them is starting to look really good. Pryor is legit and Beanie is healthy. I think PSU might have the athletes to contain then, and going against the spread every day in practice helps, but playing in the horseshoe is never easy. By the way does any back that consistently gains over 150 yards a game get less pub the Royster?
Current Heisman:
Colt McCoy
Tim Tebow
Bradford (Can not be ranked ahead of McCoy because McCoy beat him)
Thoughts
Marty:
Texas was damn impressive saturday night, I'm not sure who could stop that offense. But it's exactly the same way I felt about Missouri's offense a couple weeks ago and we all saw how that turned out. So I'm not entirely sure that it's going to stay that way. Oklahoma State had a good game plan against Missouri, maybe they will against texas as well. Kansas doesn't have the skill on defense to hang with texas, and I think texas tech is just going to get bottled up by that texas defense. Even if they beat everyone they are still going to have to win the big 12 championship game, it would be at a neutral site against probably missouri, playing in austin may have had something to do with the way missouri played, they just seem to suck at austin.
Someone has to catch Alabama, I don't know who it's going to be, but it's going to be bad when it happens. Could even be Tenn. who have got to be pissed about where they are at the moment.
I'm torn on Penn State. I see them one week and they are great for a whole game. But against michigan if they don't score at the end of the first half I think it's a different game. I don't think they go crazy in the second half and I'm not sure they win at all much less look as impressive as they do. Penn state really has to beat OSU this weekend to make me think that they could play well against texas, I'm even leaning toward favoring osu in that game. The problem with Penn State getting a bunch of hype is the fact that everyone they've beaten has proven to be paper tigers, so they haven't really shown how good they could be, maybe they will against OSU.
My heisman would probably be something like:
Colt McCoy
David Johnson (Tulsa)
Zach Robinson (OKst)
Graham Harrell
Kellen Moore (Boise)
Forrest:
I think I pretty much agree with everything that you said. Also, I will agree that you should be leading your team to an undefeated season at this point. But that begs the question of how do you define the heisman? Is it the best player in the land or simply the MVP of the best team? I tend to see it as the best player in college football not necessarily the MVP of the best team.
Marty:
I agree with your definition, but at this point in the season all the best players in college football are on one of the many undefeated teams.
Forrest:
Hmm, so you wouldn't consider that Tim Tebow is one of the best players in the land? Nor Sam Bradford? Is McCoy goes 24-28 for 300+ and still loses is he no longer in the fight for the trophy? You couldn't tell me he is somehow less of a player then Boise's QB at that point.
Marty:
First of all, the best quarterbacks statistically in the country right now are all grouped at the top with such ridiculous numbers that the only way you can tell some of them apart is the fact that some have only wins and some have a loss. If McCoy had a great game and lost he would still be on the list. Tim Tebow on the other hand played poorly in their loss and several other games. He had alot of yards in that loss but he made poor decisions on key plays. I think he's a great player, but the fact that he played poorly in the loss to Miss takes him out of my top 5. Boise's QB on the other hand is completing over 72% of his passes and is averaging 267 yards a game with 13 td's and 3 int's. He also threw for 386 and 3 tds at Oregon when they were still ranked. Tim Tebow (who's team is only ranked higher by virtue of their preseason ranking) is completing 62.4% of his passes and is only averaging 2.5 yards a carry and is averaging 236 yards (rushing and passing) a game. I love Tim Tebow but he's not having a heisman year at this point, in the case of Boise he's actually got running backs with better stats behind him...
Forrest:
Have you watched Boise play? I just do not feel good about that guy, too stiff and robotic. Definitely not a next level guy.
Marty:
Being a next level guy is not a requirement for the heisman...and by virtue of the fact that their the only team that plays eveyr wed or thursday for the last two weeks and for the next 23 weeks I've seen and will continue to see quite a lot of Boise. If stiff and robotic gets you a 72% comepletion rate I'll take it any time.
Forrest:
I want to see how he looks against Utah and Fresno.
Marty:
Luckily he only plays Utah State and not real Utah. Boise, Ball State, Tulsa, and Utah all in BCS bowls baby.
Forrest:
That would be horrendous. I am a big conference elitist I think. While it was fun watching Boise upset Oklahoma there is just something about watching games like USC vs Texas or Penn State vs Alabama that get me excited.
Marty:
Utah and Boise did it in the past. History tells us that there's no way all 4 of those teams make it out undefeated. But what if they do? I mean then all your at large bids should go to them. Shame we don't have a playoff.
Forrest:
Every argument against a playoff is ludicrous. It needs to happen.
Marty:
Your 2008 National Champions Tulsa Golden Hurricanes
Forrest:
That would be a travesty and here is why. When an underdog wins March Madness or the College World Series they have actually earned it and beaten the best teams. This makes their story even better and more inspiring. If a team like Tulsa beats a 1 loss Big 12 team and gets the title while there are 3 other 1 loss major conference teams then you do not know that they really earned it. Just like USC didn't earn it because they didn't play Auburn.
Marty:
That's why there needs to be a playoff. There can still be bowl games, but there's no reason to not have a playoff. All the other divisions do it. USC earned the title under the system, it's not their fault that Auburn wasn't ranked higher in the pre-season.
Forrest:
Well that is why there shouldn't be preseason rankings. They shouldn't rank teams at all until week 7.
Marty:
Exactly. Also they should give me more money and I should have a girlfriend.
OK Marty,
Here are my thoughts on college football right now, use them how you see fit and I would be pleased to hear your response.
I think Texas is the unchallenged #1 team in the nation right now. I think they would run Alabama off the field and I think Penn state, while better suited athletically would struggle. Reason being Colt McCoy is so darned efficient its is hard to stop that offense. When you complete 80% of your throws and you can run those are video game type numbers and attributes. Add that to the fact that Texas's DB's are young and getting better every game, also playing in the lead allows them to be more aggressive and not get tight and over think themselves. They will be tested by Kansas and Tech but I think that Defense overall is just too good to lose.
Alabama lacks the explosion on offense to win the National title and maybe the SEC. Yes they put up big numbers against Georgia during the blackout but have struggled against some mediocre teams. When you're constantly playing to the level of your opponent someone is going to catch you.
I love Penn State, I think they have all the tools to win the title and I think a PSU vs UT game would be amazing, like Vince vs USC amazing, however I don't know that they can make it past this weekend. PSU has always tripped up in a big situation recently, (see Michigan '05) and OSU for all the loathing I have for them is starting to look really good. Pryor is legit and Beanie is healthy. I think PSU might have the athletes to contain then, and going against the spread every day in practice helps, but playing in the horseshoe is never easy. By the way does any back that consistently gains over 150 yards a game get less pub the Royster?
Current Heisman:
Colt McCoy
Tim Tebow
Bradford (Can not be ranked ahead of McCoy because McCoy beat him)
Thoughts
Marty:
Texas was damn impressive saturday night, I'm not sure who could stop that offense. But it's exactly the same way I felt about Missouri's offense a couple weeks ago and we all saw how that turned out. So I'm not entirely sure that it's going to stay that way. Oklahoma State had a good game plan against Missouri, maybe they will against texas as well. Kansas doesn't have the skill on defense to hang with texas, and I think texas tech is just going to get bottled up by that texas defense. Even if they beat everyone they are still going to have to win the big 12 championship game, it would be at a neutral site against probably missouri, playing in austin may have had something to do with the way missouri played, they just seem to suck at austin.
Someone has to catch Alabama, I don't know who it's going to be, but it's going to be bad when it happens. Could even be Tenn. who have got to be pissed about where they are at the moment.
I'm torn on Penn State. I see them one week and they are great for a whole game. But against michigan if they don't score at the end of the first half I think it's a different game. I don't think they go crazy in the second half and I'm not sure they win at all much less look as impressive as they do. Penn state really has to beat OSU this weekend to make me think that they could play well against texas, I'm even leaning toward favoring osu in that game. The problem with Penn State getting a bunch of hype is the fact that everyone they've beaten has proven to be paper tigers, so they haven't really shown how good they could be, maybe they will against OSU.
My heisman would probably be something like:
Colt McCoy
David Johnson (Tulsa)
Zach Robinson (OKst)
Graham Harrell
Kellen Moore (Boise)
Forrest:
I think I pretty much agree with everything that you said. Also, I will agree that you should be leading your team to an undefeated season at this point. But that begs the question of how do you define the heisman? Is it the best player in the land or simply the MVP of the best team? I tend to see it as the best player in college football not necessarily the MVP of the best team.
Marty:
I agree with your definition, but at this point in the season all the best players in college football are on one of the many undefeated teams.
Forrest:
Hmm, so you wouldn't consider that Tim Tebow is one of the best players in the land? Nor Sam Bradford? Is McCoy goes 24-28 for 300+ and still loses is he no longer in the fight for the trophy? You couldn't tell me he is somehow less of a player then Boise's QB at that point.
Marty:
First of all, the best quarterbacks statistically in the country right now are all grouped at the top with such ridiculous numbers that the only way you can tell some of them apart is the fact that some have only wins and some have a loss. If McCoy had a great game and lost he would still be on the list. Tim Tebow on the other hand played poorly in their loss and several other games. He had alot of yards in that loss but he made poor decisions on key plays. I think he's a great player, but the fact that he played poorly in the loss to Miss takes him out of my top 5. Boise's QB on the other hand is completing over 72% of his passes and is averaging 267 yards a game with 13 td's and 3 int's. He also threw for 386 and 3 tds at Oregon when they were still ranked. Tim Tebow (who's team is only ranked higher by virtue of their preseason ranking) is completing 62.4% of his passes and is only averaging 2.5 yards a carry and is averaging 236 yards (rushing and passing) a game. I love Tim Tebow but he's not having a heisman year at this point, in the case of Boise he's actually got running backs with better stats behind him...
Forrest:
Have you watched Boise play? I just do not feel good about that guy, too stiff and robotic. Definitely not a next level guy.
Marty:
Being a next level guy is not a requirement for the heisman...and by virtue of the fact that their the only team that plays eveyr wed or thursday for the last two weeks and for the next 23 weeks I've seen and will continue to see quite a lot of Boise. If stiff and robotic gets you a 72% comepletion rate I'll take it any time.
Forrest:
I want to see how he looks against Utah and Fresno.
Marty:
Luckily he only plays Utah State and not real Utah. Boise, Ball State, Tulsa, and Utah all in BCS bowls baby.
Forrest:
That would be horrendous. I am a big conference elitist I think. While it was fun watching Boise upset Oklahoma there is just something about watching games like USC vs Texas or Penn State vs Alabama that get me excited.
Marty:
Utah and Boise did it in the past. History tells us that there's no way all 4 of those teams make it out undefeated. But what if they do? I mean then all your at large bids should go to them. Shame we don't have a playoff.
Forrest:
Every argument against a playoff is ludicrous. It needs to happen.
Marty:
Your 2008 National Champions Tulsa Golden Hurricanes
Forrest:
That would be a travesty and here is why. When an underdog wins March Madness or the College World Series they have actually earned it and beaten the best teams. This makes their story even better and more inspiring. If a team like Tulsa beats a 1 loss Big 12 team and gets the title while there are 3 other 1 loss major conference teams then you do not know that they really earned it. Just like USC didn't earn it because they didn't play Auburn.
Marty:
That's why there needs to be a playoff. There can still be bowl games, but there's no reason to not have a playoff. All the other divisions do it. USC earned the title under the system, it's not their fault that Auburn wasn't ranked higher in the pre-season.
Forrest:
Well that is why there shouldn't be preseason rankings. They shouldn't rank teams at all until week 7.
Marty:
Exactly. Also they should give me more money and I should have a girlfriend.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
College Football Weekend October 11th, 2008
Far far shorter column this weekend, based solely on my schedule. I've got so much time and so little to do...wait, reverse that. (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Gene Wilder reference). I really wish I had more time this week to dedicate to writing this column, but sadly I am busy saving orphans from burning school buses and helping poindexters learn how to dance. I'll say this, as I sat at the bar last weekend doing my laundry and watching the Vanderbilt game, I was shocked to see them not screw up the game. I figured they would throw an interception, or fumble, or let up a big play. They didn't, and I'd like to apologize to all the patrons of the bar who had to listen to me predict that they would. I'm sorry. And to atone, I'm going to buy you all a beer (beer can only be redeemed during happy hour at Dave's Tavern in San Diego).
Comments:
"How can teams like Ball State even be ranked? Period? -Chris"
Because they've won six games without losing? But more importantly how aren't Northwestern and Tulsa ranked. I'll tell you why, it's because the Big 12 plays powderpuff schedules and has like 14 teams that haven't lost.
"What offense will Auburn run this week? Since they fired their offensive coordinator and all. - Spike"
I'm shocked that they fired their coach. Like, surely somebody must have pointed out to them that running the spread offense well, in any conference, takes a couple of years to implement. Nobody runs it well at first, it usually takes a year of implementation and a year of recruiting to get the people you need. Not to mention in the SEC you have to face the country's toughest defenses every week, so there it might take longer. I just think it was a bad decision to let him go that fast. They will be running the I formation primarily this weekend where they put up 100 yards total.
" Sure, you predicted the Wisconsin loss to Ohio State. But did you know the Wisconsin Band held the key to victory, and better yet, did you know that they were going to be suspended for the game!?- Tuna"
I did know that they were going to be suspended, and as you said yourself, " !!!!THE GREAT AND WISE SWAMI KNOWS ALL!" Well it's a little thing I like to call clairvoyance. It let's me get half price coats at Joseph Banks once every 15 seconds when they have a new sale. But in all seriousness, I actually think having a band play during a game is important. It, like all music, brings reactions and other important emotions to not just the fans but the players. I know when I was in high school, our band was so good that you just got so darn pumped when they played. When I would block and the running backs would run into the end zone music was our reward. And it was good.
Games:
#5 Texas vs. #1 Oklahoma - I think the most perplexing thing about this game, is why did they change the name. The Red River Shootout conjures images of dustbowls and cowboys and long held grudges that never fade. The Red River Rivalry is lame and at most it makes you imagine that perhaps someone was slightly dirty when they took a bath in that river. The more pressing issue is that neither of these teams have played anyone yet that has showed me how good they are. It's true, the Sooners of Oklahoma have played TCU and Cincinnati, who were both decent. But both games were just such horrible beatdowns that it's hard to get a read on how good QB Sam Bradford really is. Texas has played nobody, so you can't even say that QB Colt McCoy has gotten better because he's been playing against JV teams. Analysts have said that this is a more physical Teas defense then they've seen in the past decade or more, but that doesn't seem right because the toughest meanest defense I've ever seen was the Longhorns when they won the National Title in 2005. I predicted earlier in the year that the cows would beat the settlers, but I'm floundering a little bit (or as they say in Texas being yeller...at least I think they say that). Oklahoma is good and they should win but this team really reminds me of the same type of team earlier in the decade who played nobody all year, and then Jason White and the rest of the team got killed in the National title game. I think people may have forgotten a little bit about those debacles, but watch it happen again.
Notre Dame at #22 North Carolina - In a beer haze late Saturday night I had the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in my top 25. And just like waking up to an ugly chick next to you that you don't remember, I woke up next to a list that I couldn't believe I'd done. So I did what I might normally do in that situation (it's been 4 years at least by the way), I cooked the list breakfast and then promised to call and then never spoke to it again. But here we are some weeks later, and who did I see at the bar but Notre Dame playing against the ACC's own North Carolina Tarheels. This is a game that ultimately boils down to the defenses and who can play the pass better. But I'm not going to elaborate on that and instead I'm going razzle dazzle and distract you to talk about the two quarterbacks in the golden domer's QB Jimmy Clausen and the umm light blue domer's QB Cameron Sexton(who I assume is starting). Jimmy has the worst hair cut I've ever seen, it's like a throwback to the 80's because it's long and busted and obnoxious, here's a tip Jimmy, cut it. Sexton has recently had to register his arm as a weapon since it was found to be a rifle.when he stepped off the bench and shot up Miami. I think North Carolina wins, otherwise look forward to a week of every college football columnist in the country talking about the luck of the Irish and touchdown Jesus and revenge since they play their old coach next week. Also I'm awarding $5 to whomever can tell me off the top of their head what a Tarheel is.
#23 Michigan State at Northwestern- Does it seem fair to you that Northwestern has not lost and Michigan State who has only lost once is ranked? Well life's not fair and Northwestern are going to find that out when the Spartan's RB Javon Ringer runs all over them in a blowout for Michigan State.
#17 Oklahoma State at #3 Missouri - I've been saying for weeks that Missouri is the best team I've seen all year. They are amazing on offense with QB Chase Daniel and WR/RB/KR/Chef/Drummer Jeremy Maclin. The tigers have put up some sickeningly good offensive stats this year. All that means is that I'm going to have to back peddle really fast when the Oklahoma State Cowboys win. So go Missouri, let me please sit atop my high horse for at least one more week. This game brought to you by Smith and Wesson, who always enjoy a good shootout.
#4 LSU at #11 Florida - You would have a tough time believing that the Gators of Florida would be able to overcome the LSU Tigers when they were unable to put up much offense again Ole Miss. But the Tigers soon to be in the NFL starting defensive tackle threatened the health of Florida QB and former Heisman winner Tim Tebow. They gators must be furious at that, and they will play with the intensity and fire of 1000 suns. This game will be a knock down dragout brutally slugfest (see that just makes me think of slime) between two SEC defenses that are hungry, in some cases quite literally. Florida has a better offense then Auburn, who almost beat LSU a couple weeks ago, and WR/RB Percy Harvin is due for a huge game this year. It's been almost two decades since the defending national champion played the previous year's winner, Dr. Coin takes the Gators in a big win at home.
#6 Penn State at Wisconsin - This game will go a long way in telling us who will win the Big 10 this year. If the Nittany Lions of Penn State win convincingly then they are a solid bet to go undefeated through the rest of the conference. If the Wisconsin Badgers (who I believe will have their band back) win then it's pretty much a tossup who wins the Big 10. Look for Fairfax Virginia's own WR Deion Butler to have a big impact on the game for Penn State. He'll probably be playing all the special teams return positions so he could break the game wide open at any point. Wisconsin will be looking to avenge last weeks loss and RB P.J. Hill will hope to return to the time of two years prior, his freshman year when he torched Penn State for 148 yards. This game should be nothing like his freshman year however, since Penn State's offense is nothing like that and they will put up at least 6 points in a win at Wisconsin.
Cornell at Harvard - Kickin it old school with some Ivy up in Allston, Mass where the Harvard Worthless Business School Masters Degrees take on the Cornell It Gets Really Cold and Lonely Up Here in the Winter's. It's a published fact that more then one Harvard MA in your company or team will lead to failure, but Senior QB Chris Pizzotti is hoping to shake that stigma and lead the Crimson to victory. The Cornell Big Red will rely on senior QB Nate Ford to try and show Harvard which shade of red is superior. Ivy league games are as exciting as huge SEC contests, you never know who's going to win and they really leave it all on the field since they don't need it in the classroom where their grades are inflated. Cornell is the team to beat in the Ivy League this year, and they haven't beaten Harvard since 2005, so I pick the Big Red in a win.
Comments:
"How can teams like Ball State even be ranked? Period? -Chris"
Because they've won six games without losing? But more importantly how aren't Northwestern and Tulsa ranked. I'll tell you why, it's because the Big 12 plays powderpuff schedules and has like 14 teams that haven't lost.
"What offense will Auburn run this week? Since they fired their offensive coordinator and all. - Spike"
I'm shocked that they fired their coach. Like, surely somebody must have pointed out to them that running the spread offense well, in any conference, takes a couple of years to implement. Nobody runs it well at first, it usually takes a year of implementation and a year of recruiting to get the people you need. Not to mention in the SEC you have to face the country's toughest defenses every week, so there it might take longer. I just think it was a bad decision to let him go that fast. They will be running the I formation primarily this weekend where they put up 100 yards total.
" Sure, you predicted the Wisconsin loss to Ohio State. But did you know the Wisconsin Band held the key to victory, and better yet, did you know that they were going to be suspended for the game!?- Tuna"
I did know that they were going to be suspended, and as you said yourself, " !!!!THE GREAT AND WISE SWAMI KNOWS ALL!" Well it's a little thing I like to call clairvoyance. It let's me get half price coats at Joseph Banks once every 15 seconds when they have a new sale. But in all seriousness, I actually think having a band play during a game is important. It, like all music, brings reactions and other important emotions to not just the fans but the players. I know when I was in high school, our band was so good that you just got so darn pumped when they played. When I would block and the running backs would run into the end zone music was our reward. And it was good.
Games:
#5 Texas vs. #1 Oklahoma - I think the most perplexing thing about this game, is why did they change the name. The Red River Shootout conjures images of dustbowls and cowboys and long held grudges that never fade. The Red River Rivalry is lame and at most it makes you imagine that perhaps someone was slightly dirty when they took a bath in that river. The more pressing issue is that neither of these teams have played anyone yet that has showed me how good they are. It's true, the Sooners of Oklahoma have played TCU and Cincinnati, who were both decent. But both games were just such horrible beatdowns that it's hard to get a read on how good QB Sam Bradford really is. Texas has played nobody, so you can't even say that QB Colt McCoy has gotten better because he's been playing against JV teams. Analysts have said that this is a more physical Teas defense then they've seen in the past decade or more, but that doesn't seem right because the toughest meanest defense I've ever seen was the Longhorns when they won the National Title in 2005. I predicted earlier in the year that the cows would beat the settlers, but I'm floundering a little bit (or as they say in Texas being yeller...at least I think they say that). Oklahoma is good and they should win but this team really reminds me of the same type of team earlier in the decade who played nobody all year, and then Jason White and the rest of the team got killed in the National title game. I think people may have forgotten a little bit about those debacles, but watch it happen again.
Notre Dame at #22 North Carolina - In a beer haze late Saturday night I had the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in my top 25. And just like waking up to an ugly chick next to you that you don't remember, I woke up next to a list that I couldn't believe I'd done. So I did what I might normally do in that situation (it's been 4 years at least by the way), I cooked the list breakfast and then promised to call and then never spoke to it again. But here we are some weeks later, and who did I see at the bar but Notre Dame playing against the ACC's own North Carolina Tarheels. This is a game that ultimately boils down to the defenses and who can play the pass better. But I'm not going to elaborate on that and instead I'm going razzle dazzle and distract you to talk about the two quarterbacks in the golden domer's QB Jimmy Clausen and the umm light blue domer's QB Cameron Sexton(who I assume is starting). Jimmy has the worst hair cut I've ever seen, it's like a throwback to the 80's because it's long and busted and obnoxious, here's a tip Jimmy, cut it. Sexton has recently had to register his arm as a weapon since it was found to be a rifle.when he stepped off the bench and shot up Miami. I think North Carolina wins, otherwise look forward to a week of every college football columnist in the country talking about the luck of the Irish and touchdown Jesus and revenge since they play their old coach next week. Also I'm awarding $5 to whomever can tell me off the top of their head what a Tarheel is.
#23 Michigan State at Northwestern- Does it seem fair to you that Northwestern has not lost and Michigan State who has only lost once is ranked? Well life's not fair and Northwestern are going to find that out when the Spartan's RB Javon Ringer runs all over them in a blowout for Michigan State.
#17 Oklahoma State at #3 Missouri - I've been saying for weeks that Missouri is the best team I've seen all year. They are amazing on offense with QB Chase Daniel and WR/RB/KR/Chef/Drummer Jeremy Maclin. The tigers have put up some sickeningly good offensive stats this year. All that means is that I'm going to have to back peddle really fast when the Oklahoma State Cowboys win. So go Missouri, let me please sit atop my high horse for at least one more week. This game brought to you by Smith and Wesson, who always enjoy a good shootout.
#4 LSU at #11 Florida - You would have a tough time believing that the Gators of Florida would be able to overcome the LSU Tigers when they were unable to put up much offense again Ole Miss. But the Tigers soon to be in the NFL starting defensive tackle threatened the health of Florida QB and former Heisman winner Tim Tebow. They gators must be furious at that, and they will play with the intensity and fire of 1000 suns. This game will be a knock down dragout brutally slugfest (see that just makes me think of slime) between two SEC defenses that are hungry, in some cases quite literally. Florida has a better offense then Auburn, who almost beat LSU a couple weeks ago, and WR/RB Percy Harvin is due for a huge game this year. It's been almost two decades since the defending national champion played the previous year's winner, Dr. Coin takes the Gators in a big win at home.
#6 Penn State at Wisconsin - This game will go a long way in telling us who will win the Big 10 this year. If the Nittany Lions of Penn State win convincingly then they are a solid bet to go undefeated through the rest of the conference. If the Wisconsin Badgers (who I believe will have their band back) win then it's pretty much a tossup who wins the Big 10. Look for Fairfax Virginia's own WR Deion Butler to have a big impact on the game for Penn State. He'll probably be playing all the special teams return positions so he could break the game wide open at any point. Wisconsin will be looking to avenge last weeks loss and RB P.J. Hill will hope to return to the time of two years prior, his freshman year when he torched Penn State for 148 yards. This game should be nothing like his freshman year however, since Penn State's offense is nothing like that and they will put up at least 6 points in a win at Wisconsin.
Cornell at Harvard - Kickin it old school with some Ivy up in Allston, Mass where the Harvard Worthless Business School Masters Degrees take on the Cornell It Gets Really Cold and Lonely Up Here in the Winter's. It's a published fact that more then one Harvard MA in your company or team will lead to failure, but Senior QB Chris Pizzotti is hoping to shake that stigma and lead the Crimson to victory. The Cornell Big Red will rely on senior QB Nate Ford to try and show Harvard which shade of red is superior. Ivy league games are as exciting as huge SEC contests, you never know who's going to win and they really leave it all on the field since they don't need it in the classroom where their grades are inflated. Cornell is the team to beat in the Ivy League this year, and they haven't beaten Harvard since 2005, so I pick the Big Red in a win.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
College Football Weekend October 4th, 2008
Ok so I'm a little worn out because works has been really rough. But I just wanted to rant a little bit. For everyone who sent me e-mails, texts, calls, telegraphs, smoke signals, singing telegrams about the USC loss last week, I'd just like to say I appreciate it all. That being said, I don't care if Southern Cal lost, They aren't even really Southern Cal, they are more like Northern Southern California. I live 2 miles south of where the "University of Southern California" is, and let me tell you, it's nicer here, we have less smog (we have no smog really). And regardless of what USC wants to pretend they are, it doesn't matter because they live in or around southern California. Where the weather is nice every day, seriously. It was 80 degrees outside today and people in my office were complaining about how it was a heat wave. 80 degrees, heat wave...unreal. So the real loser here is anyone who felt sorry for USC. Because all they had to return to was their perfect weather, beautiful women, and plenty of fun things to do. I know I shed a tear for them.
In all seriousness though what a great weekend of college football last weekend! I mean there were upsets and surprises and fun. I love upsets, I love them. I can't get enough of them, If every team in the top 25 lost in a weekend I would stop watching football and start watching bass fishing because there is nothing more for me to enjoy in the sport at that point. I mean seriously it would be the happiest day of my life, well second happiest, I figure the first happiest will be having kids...or getting a ATV, those things are pretty cool. So many upsets and in all honesty I don't think they are going to stop. It could be exactly like last year where there are no perfect teams and there will be a ton of controversy over who gets to play in what bowl game. It could be really cool, like that time the coin collector left the Ninja Turtles game unlocked so we got a bunch of free games until the arcade manager found us and then we had to leave. But looking at it now, there's a distinct possibility that you get a bunch of teams that have 1 or 2 losses, or even better, you get a bunch of teams from non-BCS conferences that go undefeated. Right now you could get BYU or Utah and then Boise State, Tulsa, and Ball State undefeated. If 2 of those teams go undefeated what happens? What about 3 of them? 4? I'll tell you what happens, I start dancing like Fred Astaire (a fatter less elegant Fred Astaire). So let's see the upsets of these top 10 teams keep coming, let's see this non-BCS guys go unbeaten, I'll be happy as a clam, and you should be too. And if that doesn't make you happy, then you are pro-kicking puppies. You monster.
Comments:
"So I couldn't resist answering a trivia question. A Sooner, I believe, refers to the original settlers of the Oklahoma territory, and because the land was open first come first serve, there was something to do with when the land was opened up, people were already settling, got there 'sooner' something to that respect, like they settled before the date they were supposed to. Now my confidence in answering that correctly has devolved into a rambling 40% true statement.Hope life in sunny San Diego is as continuously beautiful as you describe it to be, and unfortunately, you won't go undefeated this week, the HOOOS will crush Duke leaving the Devils quite blue, and by crush, I mean win in a hard fought 10-7 grindfest.
Take it easy." - Ethan
That's a very very close guess, and I'm going to have a hard time deciding who gets the $5 because both you and my friend Peter contacted me very early about this. Neither of you was exactly right. But you can still split the $5. I actually looked it up, a "Sooner" derives it's name from the "sooner clause" of the Indian Appropriation Act, which stated that no one should be allowed to enter and occupy the land prior to the opening time and that such people would be denied rights to illegally claimed land. So congratulations, you are almost right. In regards to your second comment, San Diego is an awful place full of bad weather and you should never come here. Lastly, the one thing I know I was right about last week was that Duke punished the Cavaliers.
"Will not be the first, last, or the funniest person saying this: sorry about USC Oregon State dude :(" - Rob
Don't be sorry, great game. Also as funny as it may seem, one prominent sports writer actually picked Oregon State to win that game way back in like July. Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated actually said he thought that they would beat USC and Penn State and that they would be the surprise team of the year. Lots of people laughed at him because Oregon State got beaten by Stanford to start the year and then dominated by Penn State. But who's laughing now? That's right, me, I just heard a funny joke about a crab playing soccer, how absurd.
"1) I don't know what is more difficult to believe: that someone would actually subject their son to the naming of Jacquizz, or that said person could rush on USC for 186 yards and 2 touches. The Trojan defense couldn't have tackled the icebox (yes a Little Giants reference).
2) "Knowshon for Heisman" is looking more and more like the most ridiculous statement ever with each passing week. Now with an elbow injury? A deeply injured Georgia team should still beat Tennessee next week.....right?
3) Andy texted me saying "Ole Miss beat Florida", and I had to read it 5 or 6 times until it made sense. A bloced PAT to (basically) lose the game? I know Ole Miss has a history of handing a loss to the Gators, but beating them when they're #4 in the country is impressive. Does this mean that the SEC is deeper than the the Gulf of Mexico, or is this a fluke?
4) Has the ACC solidified their "worst conference in college football" stigma for this year yet? It's not looking too good for their 2 top-25 teams, #20 VA Tech and #25 Wake Forest. Thoughts?" - Cali
My first thought is that you should come visit me in San Diego, thanks. But I'll take these questions one by one.
1) Weird name but I'll be honest, I've never seen something like what he was doing to USC defenders. I wasn't even watching the game till someone called me and asked if I was. Why would I, it's going to be a terrible game? "Because USC is losing by 2 touchdowns that's why." I've never seen a running back slip through defenders, because that's essentially what he was doing. The was getting hit in the backfield, at the line of scrimmage, and was just slipping through peoples arms for 5 or more yards. USC had the perfect defense called, Jacquizz just kept slipping by them. On the one touchdown he scored in the second half he actually went under the defenders arms, Tom and Jerry style.
2) I don't know, I think Tennessee is pretty bad, but they've lost 2 close games this season in conference. Georgia on the other hand will have a huge chip on their shoulder from the Alabama beatdown and they have a week to rest while Tennessee plays this weekend. As for the Heisman my top 5 has looked like this for the past 2 weeks:
1. Chase Daniel, Missouri2. Sam Bradford, Oklahoma3. Max Hall, BYU4. Donald Brown, UConn5. Colt McCoy, Texas
3) That game wasn't on ANYWHERE that I could easily get to because I was at the bar doing laundry. But in Ole Miss's defense they've been competitive in the SEC for the last couple years and their new coach Houston Nutt really knows the SEC. I also think the Gators were a little overrated and that the score of their game against Tennessee wasn't indicative of how close that game was. Also the rankings are pretty much a crapshoot until week 6-8 where the cream rises to the top.
4) They are awful, they don't deserve a BCS bid.but they may be better than the Pac-10, but not as good as the MWC. Scary huh? Well not as scary as this old lady that lives next door, I think she's trying to eat our cat and I can't tell if that's a wig or a cat on her head.
Games:
Kentucky at #2 Alabama - Last year if you got the number 2 ranking in the country it basically was like getting the Black Spot from Treasure Island (if you've never read it go read a book you punk, or watch the Muppet's version). It meant you were going down soon because some pirate was about to straight up stab you or something, I don't know I kinda skimmed that book. I can't help wonder if we might see that start to happen here. We have the Alabama Crimson Tide, who just rolled up the most dominating win of the season against the number two team in the country at the time, they had a huge emotional burst from that game, and everyone thinks they are the greatest thing since unsliced bread (which was pretty good at the time)...See a pattern here? The Kentucky Wildcats are undefeated, they have the best statistical defense in the country, they have never won at Alabama. Sure Alabama will probably cruise and just be happy knowing they are so good, heck they probably won't ever lose again and RB Glen Coffee will continue to put up eye opening numbers. The certainly won't lose to an undefeated Kentucky team who feels like they aren't getting their due even though they knocked off LSU last year and in four games they've only let up 22 points. Gosh, seems like a lock for Alabama (not).
Florida State at Miami (FL) - Remember when this game used to be the biggest in the country? Seminoles versus Hurricanes, wide right field goals, defense and drama and national title hopes oh my? Well it's not anymore. Booya.
#13 Auburn at #19 Vanderbilt - I honestly don't understand why the Vanderbuilt Commodores are ranked and Kentucky is not. I also don't understand why they are called the Commodores even thought they are 500 miles from a body of water that can hold a naval vessel, if you can explain this to me without looking it up you've got five dollars or a milkshake coming your way. Vandy is ranked for the first time in like 4000 years or something and it's apparently because of the spread offense they run and RB Jared Hawkins, although their offensive numbers aren't terribly spectacular. They will run the ball as much as they can, which could be a problem because the Auburn Tigers have a stifling defensive line. These teams are very similar, hard playing bruising defenses, spread attacks that feature a running game more then passing, and they also have the letters A, R, and N in their name, I know I was staggered by that revelation as well. Auburn was a play or 2 from winning against LSU, and they have a better defense, offense, and special teams, but the game is at Vandy. Vandy hasn't been ranked in forever and a day, I just have a feeling that they could pull it off especially since Auburn just got done playing two brutal games.
#24 Connecticut at North Carolina - The Huskies of UConn are maybe the luckiest team in the land. I've watched their last two games and I don't think they really deserved to win either, they certainly tried really hard to lose but unlike the Philadelphia Eagles they were unsuccessful. UConn has the nations leading running back in Donald Brown but like all their games I would expect this one to go something like this. UConn gets down by a couple touchdowns, has a second half comeback, and then you flip a coin to see whether the Tar Heels of NC have what it takes. I saw QB Cameron Sexton come in and play against Miami last week after the starter for UNC got hurt. He has the arm of a pro quarterback, no joke he can really wing it. Toss up game, but I'll pick the home team so that I can field a bunch of e-mails about why the Big East stinks and so does the ACC. We're going to call this the academic game of the week since I don't want to write about Villanova/William and Mary or Cornell/Lehigh.
#23 Oregon at #9 USC - Can two Oregon teams beat the Trojans on consecutive weeks? Short answer no, USC hasn't lost back to back games against Pac-10 opponents since 2001 I believe. They actually haven't lost back to back games period since 2001. Sure the Oregon Ducks will come in with one of their 500 different uniform combinations provided by Nike, and they will run the spread offense very nicely. But if they don't cover their running backs in butter like Oregon State did, they aren't going anywhere. The USC defense is going to be angry, they are going to be mean, and I predict a very one sided home win for the Trojans. Also I predict rain, no seriously it's supposed to rain this weekend, what's up with that?
#14 Ohio State at #18 Wisconsin - One of these teams is a pretender and one of them is a contender. The Wisconsin Badgers got beat by Michigan last weekend in a surprise loss, their offense just isn't balanced enough to take on a good defense, they mainly rely on RB P.J. Hill to do the majority of the work, The Buckeyes have had a couple weeks to groom freshman QB Terrelle Pryor and will be getting back RB Beanie Wells. I've seen enough of Ohio State's offense to believe that they don't really have the tools to play against a good Wisconsin defense. What I'm getting at here is that this game will probably have about as much offensive fire power as a fluffy rabbit with two squirtguns taped to it's side. It very well could be a tough game that comes down to whether Pryor, who was an all world phenom out of highschool, makes mistakes or not. If not, they win, if so, they lose, either way I doubt it will be pretty. Dr. Coin projects Ohio State winning. Have a great weekend, sorry this is so long. So long.
In all seriousness though what a great weekend of college football last weekend! I mean there were upsets and surprises and fun. I love upsets, I love them. I can't get enough of them, If every team in the top 25 lost in a weekend I would stop watching football and start watching bass fishing because there is nothing more for me to enjoy in the sport at that point. I mean seriously it would be the happiest day of my life, well second happiest, I figure the first happiest will be having kids...or getting a ATV, those things are pretty cool. So many upsets and in all honesty I don't think they are going to stop. It could be exactly like last year where there are no perfect teams and there will be a ton of controversy over who gets to play in what bowl game. It could be really cool, like that time the coin collector left the Ninja Turtles game unlocked so we got a bunch of free games until the arcade manager found us and then we had to leave. But looking at it now, there's a distinct possibility that you get a bunch of teams that have 1 or 2 losses, or even better, you get a bunch of teams from non-BCS conferences that go undefeated. Right now you could get BYU or Utah and then Boise State, Tulsa, and Ball State undefeated. If 2 of those teams go undefeated what happens? What about 3 of them? 4? I'll tell you what happens, I start dancing like Fred Astaire (a fatter less elegant Fred Astaire). So let's see the upsets of these top 10 teams keep coming, let's see this non-BCS guys go unbeaten, I'll be happy as a clam, and you should be too. And if that doesn't make you happy, then you are pro-kicking puppies. You monster.
Comments:
"So I couldn't resist answering a trivia question. A Sooner, I believe, refers to the original settlers of the Oklahoma territory, and because the land was open first come first serve, there was something to do with when the land was opened up, people were already settling, got there 'sooner' something to that respect, like they settled before the date they were supposed to. Now my confidence in answering that correctly has devolved into a rambling 40% true statement.Hope life in sunny San Diego is as continuously beautiful as you describe it to be, and unfortunately, you won't go undefeated this week, the HOOOS will crush Duke leaving the Devils quite blue, and by crush, I mean win in a hard fought 10-7 grindfest.
Take it easy." - Ethan
That's a very very close guess, and I'm going to have a hard time deciding who gets the $5 because both you and my friend Peter contacted me very early about this. Neither of you was exactly right. But you can still split the $5. I actually looked it up, a "Sooner" derives it's name from the "sooner clause" of the Indian Appropriation Act, which stated that no one should be allowed to enter and occupy the land prior to the opening time and that such people would be denied rights to illegally claimed land. So congratulations, you are almost right. In regards to your second comment, San Diego is an awful place full of bad weather and you should never come here. Lastly, the one thing I know I was right about last week was that Duke punished the Cavaliers.
"Will not be the first, last, or the funniest person saying this: sorry about USC Oregon State dude :(" - Rob
Don't be sorry, great game. Also as funny as it may seem, one prominent sports writer actually picked Oregon State to win that game way back in like July. Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated actually said he thought that they would beat USC and Penn State and that they would be the surprise team of the year. Lots of people laughed at him because Oregon State got beaten by Stanford to start the year and then dominated by Penn State. But who's laughing now? That's right, me, I just heard a funny joke about a crab playing soccer, how absurd.
"1) I don't know what is more difficult to believe: that someone would actually subject their son to the naming of Jacquizz, or that said person could rush on USC for 186 yards and 2 touches. The Trojan defense couldn't have tackled the icebox (yes a Little Giants reference).
2) "Knowshon for Heisman" is looking more and more like the most ridiculous statement ever with each passing week. Now with an elbow injury? A deeply injured Georgia team should still beat Tennessee next week.....right?
3) Andy texted me saying "Ole Miss beat Florida", and I had to read it 5 or 6 times until it made sense. A bloced PAT to (basically) lose the game? I know Ole Miss has a history of handing a loss to the Gators, but beating them when they're #4 in the country is impressive. Does this mean that the SEC is deeper than the the Gulf of Mexico, or is this a fluke?
4) Has the ACC solidified their "worst conference in college football" stigma for this year yet? It's not looking too good for their 2 top-25 teams, #20 VA Tech and #25 Wake Forest. Thoughts?" - Cali
My first thought is that you should come visit me in San Diego, thanks. But I'll take these questions one by one.
1) Weird name but I'll be honest, I've never seen something like what he was doing to USC defenders. I wasn't even watching the game till someone called me and asked if I was. Why would I, it's going to be a terrible game? "Because USC is losing by 2 touchdowns that's why." I've never seen a running back slip through defenders, because that's essentially what he was doing. The was getting hit in the backfield, at the line of scrimmage, and was just slipping through peoples arms for 5 or more yards. USC had the perfect defense called, Jacquizz just kept slipping by them. On the one touchdown he scored in the second half he actually went under the defenders arms, Tom and Jerry style.
2) I don't know, I think Tennessee is pretty bad, but they've lost 2 close games this season in conference. Georgia on the other hand will have a huge chip on their shoulder from the Alabama beatdown and they have a week to rest while Tennessee plays this weekend. As for the Heisman my top 5 has looked like this for the past 2 weeks:
1. Chase Daniel, Missouri2. Sam Bradford, Oklahoma3. Max Hall, BYU4. Donald Brown, UConn5. Colt McCoy, Texas
3) That game wasn't on ANYWHERE that I could easily get to because I was at the bar doing laundry. But in Ole Miss's defense they've been competitive in the SEC for the last couple years and their new coach Houston Nutt really knows the SEC. I also think the Gators were a little overrated and that the score of their game against Tennessee wasn't indicative of how close that game was. Also the rankings are pretty much a crapshoot until week 6-8 where the cream rises to the top.
4) They are awful, they don't deserve a BCS bid.but they may be better than the Pac-10, but not as good as the MWC. Scary huh? Well not as scary as this old lady that lives next door, I think she's trying to eat our cat and I can't tell if that's a wig or a cat on her head.
Games:
Kentucky at #2 Alabama - Last year if you got the number 2 ranking in the country it basically was like getting the Black Spot from Treasure Island (if you've never read it go read a book you punk, or watch the Muppet's version). It meant you were going down soon because some pirate was about to straight up stab you or something, I don't know I kinda skimmed that book. I can't help wonder if we might see that start to happen here. We have the Alabama Crimson Tide, who just rolled up the most dominating win of the season against the number two team in the country at the time, they had a huge emotional burst from that game, and everyone thinks they are the greatest thing since unsliced bread (which was pretty good at the time)...See a pattern here? The Kentucky Wildcats are undefeated, they have the best statistical defense in the country, they have never won at Alabama. Sure Alabama will probably cruise and just be happy knowing they are so good, heck they probably won't ever lose again and RB Glen Coffee will continue to put up eye opening numbers. The certainly won't lose to an undefeated Kentucky team who feels like they aren't getting their due even though they knocked off LSU last year and in four games they've only let up 22 points. Gosh, seems like a lock for Alabama (not).
Florida State at Miami (FL) - Remember when this game used to be the biggest in the country? Seminoles versus Hurricanes, wide right field goals, defense and drama and national title hopes oh my? Well it's not anymore. Booya.
#13 Auburn at #19 Vanderbilt - I honestly don't understand why the Vanderbuilt Commodores are ranked and Kentucky is not. I also don't understand why they are called the Commodores even thought they are 500 miles from a body of water that can hold a naval vessel, if you can explain this to me without looking it up you've got five dollars or a milkshake coming your way. Vandy is ranked for the first time in like 4000 years or something and it's apparently because of the spread offense they run and RB Jared Hawkins, although their offensive numbers aren't terribly spectacular. They will run the ball as much as they can, which could be a problem because the Auburn Tigers have a stifling defensive line. These teams are very similar, hard playing bruising defenses, spread attacks that feature a running game more then passing, and they also have the letters A, R, and N in their name, I know I was staggered by that revelation as well. Auburn was a play or 2 from winning against LSU, and they have a better defense, offense, and special teams, but the game is at Vandy. Vandy hasn't been ranked in forever and a day, I just have a feeling that they could pull it off especially since Auburn just got done playing two brutal games.
#24 Connecticut at North Carolina - The Huskies of UConn are maybe the luckiest team in the land. I've watched their last two games and I don't think they really deserved to win either, they certainly tried really hard to lose but unlike the Philadelphia Eagles they were unsuccessful. UConn has the nations leading running back in Donald Brown but like all their games I would expect this one to go something like this. UConn gets down by a couple touchdowns, has a second half comeback, and then you flip a coin to see whether the Tar Heels of NC have what it takes. I saw QB Cameron Sexton come in and play against Miami last week after the starter for UNC got hurt. He has the arm of a pro quarterback, no joke he can really wing it. Toss up game, but I'll pick the home team so that I can field a bunch of e-mails about why the Big East stinks and so does the ACC. We're going to call this the academic game of the week since I don't want to write about Villanova/William and Mary or Cornell/Lehigh.
#23 Oregon at #9 USC - Can two Oregon teams beat the Trojans on consecutive weeks? Short answer no, USC hasn't lost back to back games against Pac-10 opponents since 2001 I believe. They actually haven't lost back to back games period since 2001. Sure the Oregon Ducks will come in with one of their 500 different uniform combinations provided by Nike, and they will run the spread offense very nicely. But if they don't cover their running backs in butter like Oregon State did, they aren't going anywhere. The USC defense is going to be angry, they are going to be mean, and I predict a very one sided home win for the Trojans. Also I predict rain, no seriously it's supposed to rain this weekend, what's up with that?
#14 Ohio State at #18 Wisconsin - One of these teams is a pretender and one of them is a contender. The Wisconsin Badgers got beat by Michigan last weekend in a surprise loss, their offense just isn't balanced enough to take on a good defense, they mainly rely on RB P.J. Hill to do the majority of the work, The Buckeyes have had a couple weeks to groom freshman QB Terrelle Pryor and will be getting back RB Beanie Wells. I've seen enough of Ohio State's offense to believe that they don't really have the tools to play against a good Wisconsin defense. What I'm getting at here is that this game will probably have about as much offensive fire power as a fluffy rabbit with two squirtguns taped to it's side. It very well could be a tough game that comes down to whether Pryor, who was an all world phenom out of highschool, makes mistakes or not. If not, they win, if so, they lose, either way I doubt it will be pretty. Dr. Coin projects Ohio State winning. Have a great weekend, sorry this is so long. So long.
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