X Marc's The Spot

2010-07-21T21:00:00.000-04:00

There is no greater feeling for a true sports fan than when your team makes a huge play to win a huge game; the moment when you realize that the accomplishments of the play lead to victory, especially a championship for those who are so lucky. Those types of moments are engrained in our hearts and souls and somehow enable us to endure the losses, letdowns and close calls that didn’t go our way. Those great moments cast rays of hope over future seemingly impossible situations. They are moments that you will remember as long as you live; when you are 90 years old and your great grandson asks: “Pop Pop, what’s your greatest sports memory of all time,” the answer comes easily to mind. Planted closely beneath that joyous remembrance lies a darker, equally, if not more, accessible memory: the biggest gut punch moment that you’ve endured as a passionate follower of sports.

Today I will offer two stories of huge gut punch moments: one from myself and another from blog/podcast contributor Vinny Mac. Warning: the stories you are about to read may illicit tears of frustration for fans of the respective teams. Read at your own risk.

Marc’s Take:

It was a brisk October night in Baton Rouge during the 2005 college football season. I was sitting in the upper deck which feels like miles away in Tiger Stadium. The raucous crowd of 92,000 did not take it easy on the guys in burnt orange and navy that particular evening. The Auburn-LSU matchup is one of my favorites because both teams play such a physical style of football, and this game was no exception. The game was full of missed opportunities for both sides: LSU’s kicker missed two field goals, Dwayne Bowe dropped a wide open touchdown pass for LSU; John Vaughn missed three field goals heading into the game’s final moments.

In an outstanding attempt to toy with my emotions, Brandon Cox waiting until 4^th down to complete a touchdown pass to give Auburn a 17-14 lead with under five minutes to play in the fourth quarter. LSU then rebounded with a decent drive that resulted in a lengthy 44-yard field goal to tie the game with 1:40 left to play. Tie game, Auburn’s ball: at least we won’t lose this game in regulation and now we have a chance to win it!

Auburn had a brilliant drive inside the LSU 35-yard line but ran out of timeouts and had to spike the ball with six seconds remaining. John Vaughn trotted on the field to attempt a 49-yard field goal as time expired to give Auburn the victory. This is the moment that an athlete dreams about: a chance to make a huge play to win the game for your team. The crowd of 92,000 was deafening, even from my nosebleed seat. Of course no one in stadium was in their seat at this point, and a lot of fingernails were a lot shorter than they were when the game started. The snap, the hold, the kick: I see the ball take flight and immediately saw it go wide. He missed it. In boxing terms, the first three missed field goals were the cross to the face, this was miss was a hook to the gut. However, the game wasn’t over as we were heading to overtime.

In overtime, LSU got the ball first and Auburn’s tired defense was able to hold them to a field goal, 20-17 LSU. Auburn now had a golden opportunity: having already started the possession in short field goal range, we had a chance to win the game with a touchdown or at least tie it with an easy field goal. A feeling of optimism flooded the section full of Auburn fans in the upper deck where I was sitting. We knew we were going to win this game, or at the very least tie it up for a 2^nd overtime. But LSU’s defense was tough as nails during Auburn’s possession, holding Auburn to a game tying 39 yard field goal attempt: an extremely manageable distance for an experienced field goal kicker.

I’ve been to a lot of football games in my life, all over the southeast at stadiums that held over 100,000 fans. Never in my life have I heard a crowd of people so loud before John Vaughn’s overtime field goal attempt. The stadium was literally shaking and I couldn’t even hear myself think (this phrase is overused, but in this instance I am dead serious- couldn’t process a thought in my head). The snap, the hold, the kick….. dead silence. The crowd went from the deafening to silent as soon as the ball took flight. It definitely had the distance and it appeared to be on target, and that’s when I heard and saw the final blow: CLANK! off the goal post, no good. He missed the kick to tie the game in overtime. Cross, hook, uppercut. I had been gut punched worse than ever before as a sports fan. I will never forget the feeling of that moment, being in the stadium, hearing the noise and seeing/hearing that ball bounce off the goal post to lose the game. I don’t want to talk about it anymore.

Vince’s story is a little different: he tells of an entire game that was a collective letdown to his team for an extended length of time rather than a single play. Equally gut wrenching and saddening, here is Vince’s Take:

Have you ever been punched in the stomach? If you have, you know how it feels to have the breath taken from your lungs. You know how it feels to be bent over wondering why what just happened…happened. In sports we sometimes have moments when it feels as if you’ve been punched in the stomach. You’re left breathless, and wonder how what just happened…happened.

On November 18th, 2006 I felt as if I was punched in the stomach. This is a sports day that I will never forget. The annual Michigan-Ohio State game was played, and I experienced the biggest letdown I have ever felt while watching sports.

I will setup the scene once again to refresh memory of the event and to torture myself once again. Ohio State and Michigan were on a collision course all year. Ohio State was plowing through teams and setting up QB Troy Smith’s bid for the Heisman Trophy. Michigan was winning games that it annually found a way to lose. The Wolverines were winning games on the road that they had found a way to drop in previous years. A month before Ohio State would host Michigan, ESPN’s College Gameday began a countdown clock for what would be a #1 (Ohio State) vs. #2 (Michigan) game for not only the Big Ten Title but for a spot in the BCS National Championship Game. The stakes were huge not only for the yearly bragging rights for the rivals but for epic implications. “The Game of the Century” is what it was being called.

If the game wasn’t emotional enough for both fan bases, the night before the “Big Game” Michigan’s former coaching legend Bo Shembechler passed away. Current Michigan coach, Lloyd Carr, said he would not use Bo’s death as motivational-inspiration, as if either team needed any more motivation. The game started off with a Michigan drive for a quick touchdown. At the time I worked a graveyard management shift and could have made it through the Christmas rush and through half of winter on this win alone. This game meant the world to me. I had planned on watching it by myself, for my own emotional reasons, but had a few friends over as well as my parents. After Michigan scored first I was very happy to say the least. Ohio State quickly responded with it’s own opening touchdown. Game on!

After both sides scored on their first drives Michigan stalled on it’s next. Ohio State capitalized and made it 14-7. They then made it 21-7. My dad was already singing, “turn out the lights, the party’s over…”. I questioned why I invited him about 4 bars into the song. Michigan managed to grab a touchdown before half with the score 28-14 in favor of Ohio State.

The second half opened with a Michigan score to pull the Wolverines within a touchdown. They then managed a rare stop on defense, kicked a field goal and were within four points of the lead. Then it came. The play I wait for every time these two teams play. The fifty-plus yard rushing touchdown that Ohio State somehow always pulls off against Michigan. Just like that the momentum of the game, which had shifted to Michigan’s side, was back with the Buckeyes. After that play Michigan had one more opportunity to get back into the game but had a helmet-to-helmet penalty continue an OSU drive that had faltered. Ohio State scored again and I was left with a final score of Ohio State - 42 Michigan - 39. I wad devastated. My parents left. My friends left, but I did not leave. I sat in my chair for hours watching highlights, player interviews, and opinions from different ESPN sports announcers. Friends texted me with their condolences and smirks. I’m glad I did not own a BlackBerry at the time.

Since that November night a lot has changed with Michigan. The following year had huge promises once again, but started off with embarrassing losses to Appalachian State and Oregon. The Seniors lost to Ohio State again, and left with a 0-4 record against the Buckeyes. Lloyd Carr also decided he would call it a career at seasons’ end. Nothing would be the same again. Enter Rich Rodriguez, who has gone 8-16 in two seasons since taking over the head coaching position. More embarrassing losses, and more losing to Ohio State. Since that November 18th “Game of the Century” Michigan has gone from one of the most respected teams in the nation to going 17-20 over three seasons while being the punch-line to a lot of Double-A battery jokes.

Bo Shembechler preached, “The team. The team. The team.” That 2006 Michigan team was something that I had been wishing for for a long time. I enjoyed it. I loved it,. And then I was punched in the stomach. What could have been, but what happened…happened.

So as this new season of college football is upon us, here’s to wishing that your soon-to-be memories are the fond type that you will enjoy retelling over the years. Hopefully we can keep the gut-punching to a minimum.

All-Time Sports Movie Teams

2010-03-22T21:01:00.001-04:00

http://web.me.com/marc.corbi/Site/Blog/Entries/2010/3/22_All-Time_Sports_Movie_Teams.html

New Blog: Superbowl Thoughts

2010-02-08T21:27:00.001-05:00

http://web.me.com/marc.corbi/Site/Blog/Entries/2010/2/8_Superbowl_Thoughts.html

New Blog: Pitt to the Big-10

2010-02-02T18:51:00.000-05:00

http://web.me.com/marc.corbi/Site/Blog/Entries/2010/2/2_Pittsburgh_to_the_Big-10.htm l

Check out the new site for an updated blog post on 2/2/10

New Website!!

2010-01-23T12:01:00.001-05:00

http://web.me.com/marc.corbi/Site/Welcome.html

^^ Above is the new website for the blog and a few other things that I will try to have going on starting pretty soon- I'll post updates on here as well but be sure to check out the site.

Thanks for reading!

Should-Be New Year's Resolutions

2010-01-11T21:23:00.003-05:00

Every January 1^st we celebrate the arrival of a new year, and occasionally we mark a new decade or century. But we always tend to view this calendar date as a chance for a new beginning, a chance to right the wrongs in our life and take measures to improve in areas of need. With that in mind, I decided to share some SHOULD BE New Year’s Resolutions that probably haven’t been declared.

Paparazzi: Stop making celebrities out of irrelevant, stupid people.

I do my best to avoid it, yet I can’t escape the stories about Spencer and Heidi, Kate Gosselin, Paris Hilton, and whatever other bootleg celebrities that the media tries to shove down my throat. I admit that Jersey Shore has become a guilty pleasure of mine, but it is obviously best off if I never see any of those people outside of the show, ever. Seriously, six months from now I don’t want to read about who Snooki made a sex tape with. There is enough dirt to dig up on the real celebrities, athletes and politicians without having to create these embarrassing figures to represent my generation. I can’t wait until my kids are browsing ancient news stories on the internet and ask “Daddy, who is J-Woww”…… Go ask your mother.

Sports in General: give the underdog a chance (or at least stop letting evil teams win)

2009 was an atrocious year for sports, as pertaining to its champions. Out of my favorite sports, evil prevailed in every form. The NBA was won by the Lakers, World Series won by the Yankees, Superbowl won by the Steelers and the BCS Championship (for the 2009 regular season) was won by the Alabama Crimson Elephants. It would be extremely hard for there to be a worse possible outcome as far as my allegiances go. The Lakers, Yankees and Steelers are three of the worst possible examples of bandwagon supporters, the type of supporters who are so obnoxious and in-your-face about their allegiance even though they have zero affiliation with the respective cities of their favorite professional franchises.

(**Warning: I didn’t intend on this happening when I started writing, but a mini rant about Alabama just sort of happened, you’ve been warned**) And then there is the University of Alabama who proudly displayed their national championship trophy for the fans at Wal-Mart. No, I’m not joking. I really wish I was joking, but that actually happened. Can you name another team, in any sport, which would have done this? I can’t. Beyond being a heated rival (and accused cheater, currently on downscaled probation for a text book scandal), Alabama’s relentless arrogance is finally starting to get noticed by the general public. The school claims that this was their 13^th national championship (as evidenced by an abundance of t-shirts and banners which previously read “GOT 12?”). The fan base is so delusional that it tricked itself into believing that this year marked their 13^th title until ESPN and countless other media outlets broke the news that this was in fact their 7^th national championship. Seven National Titles is an accomplishment that should be celebrated, but instead it is undermined by the illusion of 13, making the truth seem less impressive. What a shame. But I digress…..

What ever happened to the days when the underdogs had a chance to win? The Devil Rays in the World Series, the Warriors upsetting the Mavericks in the playoffs, an NFL team who rarely makes the playoffs surging to a Superbowl appearance? Perhaps 2010 has some treats in store for us. Perhaps Rex Ryan’s Jets will be the underdog we’ve been waiting to see make a rare appearance in a championship game. Maybe there will be a new “Devil Rays” underdog story in baseball this year. Let’s make it happen!

American Public: Stop being so sensitive and divisive on pertinent issues

Sorry to go political here; I just feel like someone needs to say it.

We need to learn to approach things from a logical standpoint instead of a predetermined position. Party lines and ideologies are obviously not the solution to solving the most pressing issues in our country- so let’s put away your donkeys and elephants and take out your thinking caps. Instead of pointing fingers in blame, lead in a direction of progress.

We are facing a modern day civil war between democrats and republicans. Instead of human lives, the casualties we are suffering have come in the form of jobs, money and overall economic regression. We’re fighting enough wars overseas; can we please end the war at home and figure out a way to work together to fix our problems? End of rant.

Speaking of the American public….

Public Restrooms: Strive to be more cleanly

I don’t think I have to say much about this one. We’re all on the same page, right? Can we put an end to disgusting public restrooms somehow? I don’t have the answer to this problem; I just know that it needs to be solved.

Charlie Weis and Mark Mangino: lose some weight

(And by some, I mean a few hundred for these two).

This one is probably a resolution for 75% of America, but these are your poster boys. If you need motivation to help follow through with your goal of losing weight, simply google images of Mark Mangino (this one is my favorite:

You’ll be hitting the treadmill in no time. I hope you follow through it and don’t end up looking like this:

Marc: Start writing more (but not about politics)

‘Nuff said. Happy 2010!

College Football vs. NFL

2009-12-28T23:01:00.002-05:00

If there is a line drawn somewhere in the sand, chances are I’m standing on one side of it. Simply put, I’m an opinionated person. I very rarely find myself straddling the line unable to form an opinion on a controversial topic. I don’t mean to suggest that I don’t see both sides of an argument, just that I typically lean one way or the other.

But now I find myself at a crossroads on a topic which I never thought would draw such a line in my sandbox: college football vs. the NFL.

As with all significant issues facing this world today, there are two distinct sides to the football world: fans of college football and fans of the NFL. Both sides could passionately state their case why their version of the game is superior or why the other’s format is inferior. There are people, like myself, who truly enjoy both forms of the game. However, if you are sitting in a pub on a fall weekend and the issue comes up, you’re going to have to choose a side. So which side do you choose: college football or the NFL? Which game is more suited to your liking in its current format? While I was formally in the college football camp, I now find myself struggling to choose a side.

NFL:

Quality of Play:

Professional football offers and opportunity to watch the most talented athletes in the world compete on the biggest stage. The competitors in the National Football League are some of the most talented, athletically gifted specimens on earth. They possess unmatched skills and speed compared to any other form of the game. There are far fewer dropped passes, missed field goals and unforced errors in the NFL compared to college football. The hits are harder, the players are faster, and every aspect of the game is generally more polished at the professional level.

Atmosphere:

While there are always exceptions to the rule, the atmosphere at NFL games is typically less electric than that on a college campus. Games are mostly played on Sunday afternoons which can sometimes limit the fun. The stadiums are usually very nice and modern, offering great amenities and the kicker: they sell booze! The stadiums do get loud, especially in the playoffs, but walking around outside of the stadium just doesn’t feel the same in the professional version.

Schedule:

Another huge bonus for the NFL is that you know your team’s complete schedule months ahead of time which allows for concrete travel plans, etc. Other than the rare “flex option” that the NFL has instituted, game times and dates will not be changed. The downside of the NFL schedule is that it can be difficult to attend road games since most games are on Sunday and would require a day off of work or school to attend. Having a Monday Night Football game once or twice per year is a good change-up as well.

Postseason:

The Superbowl is the biggest spectacle in all of American sports. It is the most watched and largest grossing event in sports. The format for the postseason is clear: win enough games to be in the top six teams in your conference (or the top team in your division) and you make the playoffs. The outcome is decided on the field with the winner advancing to the next round. There is no room for interpretation, bias or financial influence: championships are won and lost on the field, not in a corporate boardroom.

Other Intangibles:

Fantasy football is one of the greatest creations in all of sports. It turns the moderate NFL fan into a slightly more knowledgeable, slightly more intense NFL fan. It makes games in which you have no rooting interest much more watchable and exposes you to players that you had no idea about before you started playing. Other sports offer fantasy leagues but none can hold a candle to fantasy football. This should be a major talking point in the argument why the NFL is better.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL:

Quality of Play:

College football features the future talent of the NFL, so there is definitely something to be said for that. The quality and speed of the college game are adequate enough to allow for spectacular moments and unforgettable displays of athletic ability. Rosters are not full of superb talent from top to bottom, like the NFL, but there is enough in the BCS conferences to make the games very enjoyable to watch.

Atmosphere:

The atmosphere at a college football game is unmatched in any sport in the United States. Gamedays are an overwhelming spectacle involving marching bands, live mascots, cheerleaders, choreographed fight songs and cheers, as well as a younger crowd which has a different feel from an NFL game (typically comprised mostly of men above the age of 30). Stadiums are generally historic and blend into campus which makes for a very beautiful scene. You won’t find state-of-the-art amenities, but you will feel the sense of history and tradition as you walk through college stadiums. The whole town just feels special during the week of a big game. It really is indescribable; you have to experience to understand what I’m talking about.

Tailgating/Pre-Game:

One of the best parts of college football is the tailgating experience. Game times in college range from 11A.M. to 8:00 P.M. local time, so tailgating can be done before games, after games, or both. Nothing beats tailgating all day before a big game, something that is extremely rare in the NFL since most games are played at noon or 1:00PM local time.

Schedule:

Every game is important in the college football season. Every. Single. Game. This can work as both a positive and a negative for the sport. If you have championship aspirations and lose at the wrong time, your whole season can be ruined in one week. However, that makes every game exciting, whether you are playing against the #1 team in the country or a cupcake, you feel that sense of urgency to win. A loss in the NFL can be easily shrugged off since you can lose eight games and still make the playoffs during certain years.

Postseason:

The college football postseason can be summed up in one word: terrible. The fate of each program is decided by voters, not by wins and losses. It is a beauty pageant in which only a select few actually have a chance to compete. Of course, the consolation to the 118 teams which are excluded every year consists of meaningless (and usually excruciatingly boring) bowl games such as this year’s Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, ID between Idaho and Bowling Green. Other than the BCS National Championship Game, the college football postseason is meaningless and essentially unwatchable.

Other Intangibles:

When you go to a college football game, it is more of a total experience involving special traditions and local bar scenes which are usually a great time. Also, points must be awarded for stunning co-eds that can be seen in abundance at college games.

RESULTS:

Quality of play: NFL

Atmosphere: College

Pre-game/Tailgating: College

Schedule: Tie

Postseason: NFL

Other intangibles: NFL

The NFL nudged out college 3-2 on the graded categories. With some adjustments to the postseason format, college football could become the most intriguing form of the sport. But until the system is fixed, it is too broken to be declared the winner. I still don’t know which side of the line I’d be standing on if forced to pick my favorite form of the game, but based on the criteria above, the NFL makes a stronger case.

Year End List: Top 10 Events

2009-12-14T18:29:00.002-05:00

Let's keep the year-end lists coming with.....

The Top 10 Events I Attended During 2009

10. ACC Basketball Tournament @ The Georgia Dome- Atlanta, GA: my first taste of the ACC tourney. I got to see second round games ofWake Forest vs.Maryland, as well Duke vs. Boston College. I was glad to see those teams and especially to see Jeff Teague who was projected as a high draft pick, which he was to the Atlanta Hawks. I actually ended up in a lounge in the GA Dome watching Auburn upset Florida in the SEC tourney during part of the Duke game, but no one really likes Duke anyway, right?

9. Beach Trip – Destin, FL: not really an event, I know. Still it was a very fun weekend involving the ocean, a pickup football game on the beach, go karts, seafood, piano bars, and witnessing the most public debauchery I’ve seen in one night in public. I’m definitely planning on making it back to Destin as soon as possible, you should too.

8. Clemson vs. Georgia Tech @ Bobby Dodd Stadium- Atlanta, GA: shockingly, this was the only college football game that I made it to during 2009, so it had to be on the list. What started off as a Georgia Tech blowout ended up being a close game that came down to Tech kicking a game winning field goal in the game’s final seconds. Add to the excitement the fact that we got 50 yard line, 10^th row seats for free and it was definitely a good event.

7. Sick Puppies Acoustic Live-X @ 99X Studios- Atlanta, GA: I won some tickets on the radio to see the Australian rockers Sick Puppies play an acoustic set in the studio. It was a pretty a cool, intimate experience with about 30 people. I ended up buying their album while I was there, its pretty decent. You can check out the footage at 99x.com in the A/V room.

6. Various Braves Games @ Turner Field- Atlanta, GA: summertime, warm weather, tailgating and baseball; doesn’t get much better than that. I can’t single out a game as part of this top ten, but collectively I had a ton of fun at Braves games this year, as always. My one regret was that I didn’t get to pour a cooler full of ice water on anyone this year. There’s always 2010.

5. T.I.’s Going to Jail Concert @ Phillips Arena- Atlanta, GA: I scored some 4^th row seats to this wonderful rap extravaganza. The bass was so ridiculously loud up that close, I don’t think my hearing has been the same since. It was a great time though- my three companions and I definitely looked like the odd men out in our section, but that didn’t stop us from doing crazy white people dance moves and having a great time. We even had a Soulja Boy and Bonecrusher sighting!

4. Hawks Playoff Games- Phillips Arena- Atlanta, GA: nothing beats a playoff atmosphere, and basketball is one of the greatest sports to facilitate electric environments. Phillips Arena is actually a fun place to be during the Hawks playoff games. People arrive hours before tip-off to imbibe in my favorite new pregame ritual: oversized draft beer from Gorins (a little food joint inside CNN Center which I’ve never actually seen serve food, just beer). The fans get hammered, and thus really into the game and the Hawks feed off the energy. The 2008 Hawks/Celtics series was one of the best ever, but the 2009 home playoff games were amazing too. And this time around, the Hawks actually won a series. Next stop, Eastern Conference Finals!

3. Ravens vs. Vikings @ Metrodome- Minneapolis, MN: you can see the full recap in the October section of the X-Marc’s-The-Spot blog, great trip. My only NFL game of the year was certainly a good one. Bad outcome, but great overall experience and way more purple than should be allowed in a building full of 70,000 grown men.

2. Cruefest @ Lakewood- Atlanta, GA: 20-plus years later and Motley Crue is still bringin’ it, and bringin’ it HARD. After a huge letdown from Aerosmith earlier in the year, I didn’t know what to expect from Crue. But the rebellious rock quartet definitely did not disappoint. This was one of the best live performances I have ever seen and we’re talking over twenty years since these guys were in their prime. I would have loved to see a Crue show in the 80’s, but unfortunately the only songs I knew were by the Smurfs and Carebears during that time. I read Nikki Sixx’s book earlier in the year and figured I should check out the show too- got tickets for $20 and I can easily say that was the best value I’ve ever gotten out of a concert. Godsmack put on a great show before Crue as well. I will most definitely be returning to Cruefest in the future if they roll back through Atlanta.

1. Braves vs. Red Sox @ Fenway Park- Boston, MA: da sawx, Fenway paaaak. I feel like the Fenway experience is something that every sports fan should enjoy at least once in their lifetime. Boston is a great city to visit (made sure I went in the summer) and the sports fans up there, which is pretty much everyone, are very knowledgeable and a fun crowd to be around. The Bravos lost a pitching duel in the game that I attended but I had an amazing time nonetheless. The moment you step into the stadium and see the field for the first time is almost surreal at Fenway and its something that I will always remember.

Other notables not ranked:

Going to the unemployment office, Karaoke/Piano bars in Nashville (took about 3 years off my life that night), and a few Thrashers games.

Year End List: Top 10 Movies

2009-12-14T18:24:00.006-05:00

You can refer to my month rankings to see what I think about December (here: http://xmarcspot.blogspot.com/2009/12/ranking-months.html). No matter how you feel about the month, you have to respect the year-end lists that we get in December. I am going to share a few of my lists with you. Let's get it started.

Top 10 Movies of 2009

10. Watchmen- graphic novels aren’t really my thing, but this was a well done flick. The characters are intriguing and it had some very relevant political undertones that weren’t in-your-face like a lot of movies try to pull off.

9. Star Trek- I had no interest in seeing a Star Trek film until it was made and marketed in way that appeals to non-trekkies. This was the film that will reenergize the franchise. I knew nothing about Star Trek going into the movie and never felt like the film was over my head. Good action, good casting and it never got boring. I will probably check out the sequels.

8. Taken- The acting was mediocre at best, and the plot could have been written by high schooler, but Taken held my complete attention from start to finish. Here’s why: after learning that his daughter has been abducted in France, Liam Neeson, who has served as a cover operative for the US government for his whole life, travels to Europe to find the abductors and save his daughter. Not a mind-blowing plot, but the style of which it was carried out impressed me. Neeson goes over there and just kills EVERYONE. He takes no prisoners; he just kick ass and saves his daughter. He even takes out a few innocent people in the process just because it had to be done to save his family. That’s the way it would be done in real life, yet it is very seldom done that way in a movie. Props to the writers.

7. District 9- This one made the list mainly because of its unique style. This movie had a high stock due to producer Peter Jackson’s attachment. I thought he did a good job of creating something new, but the film won’t be remembered as an all-time great. If you look deeper into the movie’s themes of privatization and xenophobia, you’ll realize that there was a special meaning of setting the film in South Africa. This film may be a little ahead of its time, but definitely worth watching.

6. The Informant- while it was never really “laugh-out-loud” funny, I found myself enjoying the subtle comedy in this Matt Damon flick. Damon’s character, although frustrating at times, is simply a likeable guy. His A.D.D. and personal mannerisms that recur throughout the movie make it too hard for you to get mad at his actions. This is a movie that can be enjoyed by people of all ages (as long as they understand some of the corporate concepts involved) and certainly does a good job of satirically mocking some of the notorious scandals that have plagued corporate America.

5. The Blindside- As a Ravens fan, I felt obligated to see this movie. I thought it was going to be very over-the-top cheesy, but it wasn’t. The movie was ok, but the story is just amazing. I felt like, at times, the film was too focused on Sandra Bullock as opposed to the actual characters about which the story was written. But in the end, The Blindside delivered an inspirational message and made you leave the theater thinking that maybe society isn’t always as bad as we tend to think.

4. Public Enemies- In addition to being an enjoyable organized crime type flick, this movie was a great reminder about how our generation is simply slacking in the nickname department, featuring characters known as Baby Face, Red, and Pretty Boy. I thought Johnny Depp phenomenal portrayal of John Dillinger really satisfied the wide range of emotions that you feel toward his character. Christian Bale and Billy Crudup were also very convincing. I’m not sure how it will fare when it comes to re-watchability, but I find myself wanting to see it at least once more.

3. The Hurt Locker- great independent film which chronicles the experiences of a U.S. Army bomb disposal unit in Iraq. This movie didn’t get much hype and wasn’t released nationwide, but it was a treat for those who were fortunate enough to see it. The cinematography was simply brilliant. Moviegoers had an eerily realistic depiction of what these guys go through on a daily basis. The film’s star, played by Jeremy Renner, was fearless and inspirational, yet he made you question his sanity at the same time. The character depth and development, along with the way in which the scenes were shot, really grabbed my attention and made me feel like I was actually there watching the chaos unfold. If you don’t come away from this one thinking about how brave our troops are and how lucky you are to be sitting in an air-conditioned theater while they are thousands of miles away from home and risking their lives, you don’t have a pulse.

2. Zombieland- absolutely great film. Not since Shaun of the Dead has a movie successfully blended two aspects on such opposite ends of the spectrum into one fabulous film watching experience. It managed to mix comedy and horror in a way that wasn’t cheesy; a task that is almost impossible in a movie. The film would be hysterical one minute and have you on the edge of your seat in suspense the next. Woody Harrelson turns in an outstanding performance along with the rest of the cast, including one of the best cameos of all time from Bill Murray. The movie is certainly re-watchable and definitely worthy of a DVD purchase. I know a lot of people probably didn’t see it in theaters, but trust me on this: Zombieland is one of the best films of 2009.

1. The Hangover

one of the top ten comedies of all time which makes it the default #1 movie for 2009. I typically enjoy most movies involving one of the following: Vegas, bachelor parties, groups of friends going on vacation together, and ridiculous amounts of partying that result in memory loss. This movie combined all of those elements. The Hangover quickly became the go-to movie for references and quotes, the mark of a popular film. A few stars were born from their performances in this film and will most likely be vaulted into upcoming comedies as a result. The Hangover definitely left its mark on Hollywood as well as claimed its spot as one of the best comedies of all time.

Movies still to come in 2009 that I didn’t see before I made the list:

Avatar and Sherlock Holmes both have serious potential to land in my top 10 for 2009, but unfortunately they come out very late in the year and can’t be included. Do you think they plan it this way to maximize Oscar hype? Hmm….

It is Chaos That We Need

2009-12-08T14:06:00.000-05:00

We were so close.

So very close. Barely two feet away from complete and utter BCS chaos. One second and two feet saved Texas from throwing away a chance to play for the national title. I’m still trying to process what happened and trying to figure out what was going through the minds of Mack Brown and Colt McCoy during the end of the Big-12 title game. If the clock would have stayed at zero, or the game winning field goal would have held two more feet to the left, we’d still be trying to sort out the mess. The real chaos would have come when the selection committee had to select which team would play Alabama in the title game.

These are the things that we need to have happen in order for there to be any changes to the system. Unfortunately, Texas held on and had their mediocrity rewarded with a ticket to the BCS Championship Game. It is hard to argue with the teams that were included in the BCS, but some of the matchups are questionable.

The BCS Championship Game will once again feature two teams from BCS conferences (the SEC and Big-12). There were three other teams which finished the year undefeated but were not afforded a chance to play for the national title. Cincinnati has the biggest gripe since they are a member of BCS affiliated conference. A conference which finished with just as many teams ranked in the top 25 as the SEC and Big-12. You can’t make the argument that the Big East is the inferior conference based on those results, so why is Cincinnati the team that is left out? Simply because Cincinnati doesn’t sound quite as “sexy” as Texas or Alabama. If you watched how Texas handled the last two minutes of the Big-12 title game, how can you feel confident that the Longhorns are the second best team in the nation? It just can’t be explained- another arbitrary selection from the BCS.

Pairing TCU and Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl is probably the biggest mistake of the year. By matching two of the so-called “BCS Busters” in the same game, the committee has removed any opportunity for either team to prove that it belongs in the same category of the nation’s elite. These teams, who have both had phenomenal seasons, deserve a chance to compete against the big time programs. Take the Fiesta bowl between Boise State and Oklahoma, for example: it was one of the best BCS games of all time, and it legitimized the Broncos program as a school which could compete with the big boys. While the winner of this game can claim a BCS victory, it will not have the same effect as a win over a team from one of the big six conferences. Why not let TCU play Georgia Tech and Boise State could play Iowa? This was a terrible decision by the committee which will likely result in one of the lowest rated BCS bowl games ever.

One of the better non-BCS games is the Capital One bowl featuring LSU and Penn State. Both teams hovered around the top ten all year but just couldn’t get to that next level. I think they are evenly matched and this could end up being one of the best bowl games of the year. Other notable games are Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee in the Chick-fil-A Bowl; again, two teams who seem evenly matched, both featuring pretty bad quarterbacks who have shown flashes of decency. The Sun Bowl, Oklahoma vs. Stanford, is another game that should be a fun watch and could actually feature the 2009 Heisman winner in Stanford runningback Toby Gerhart.

Bobby Bowden’s last game is definitely a fitting way to send out one of the game’s greatest coaches: the Gator Bowl, in Jacksonville, will feature the Seminoles vs. West Virginia, the team that Bowden coached at before FSU. This matchup never happens if Bowden doesn’t announce his retirement, but most would agree that he deserves this game as a farewell party.

Pittsburgh has to be feeling pretty down after almost shocking Cincinnati in what was essentially the Big East tile game. A critical missed extra point was the difference in the Panthers playing in the Meineke Car Care bowl as opposed to the Sugar Bowl (roughly a $17 million difference in payouts). The future is bright in Pittsburgh with Dion Lewis, a true freshmen, looking like he’ll be one of the country’s superstars in the coming years.

The Trojans suffered an extreme fall from grace, going from the preseason number four team in the nation to playing on December 26th in the Emerald bowl against Boston College. It was definitely an irritating year for USC fans who struggled to explain why their team wasn’t producing wins.

I have a genius idea to spruce up the bowl season: since we are at the mercy of the selection committee doing an awful job of picking the BCS games, and the political process of schools vying for individual bowl bids, don’t you think it would an awesome idea if the fans got to vote on a bowl game between two teams who didn’t get make a bowl game? We nominate all of the non-eligible teams and vote on the matchup that we wanted to see the most. This year: Michigan vs. Notre Dame would easily be the winner. The regular season meeting was awesome and both teams have nothing better to do, so why treat the fans to this bowl game. It would probably be better than 80% of the matchups that will be shoved down our throats in December anyway. Maybe someone should vote my as the College Football Fan Ambassador.

My first item of business when I take office: changing the color of Boise State’s field, then maybe I’ll eliminate automatic bids to bowl games. Someone has to induce enough chaos to cause the elimination the BCS. This year, we were so close…..

Final Rankings

2009-12-07T11:37:00.002-05:00

Here is a quick comparison of the final AP Poll rankings with the team’s preseason rank which is in parenthesis:

1-Alabama (#5)
2-Texas (#2)
3-TCU (#17)
4-Cincinatti (unranked)
5-Florida (#1)
6-Boise State (#14)
7-Oregon (#16)
8-Ohio State (#6)
9-Georgia Tech (#15)
10-Iowa (#22)
11-Penn State (t-#9)
12-Virginia Tech (#7)
13-LSU (#11)
14-Miami (unranked)
15-BYU (#20)
16-Oregon State (unranked)
17-Pittsburgh (unranked)
18-West Virginia (unranked)
19-Stanford (unranked)
20-Nebraska (#24)
21-Oklahoma State (t-#9)
22-Arizona (unranked)
23-Utah (#19)
24-Wisconsin (unranked)
25-Central Michigan (unranked)

Preseason Top-25 teams that dropped out of the final AP Poll:

Oklahoma (#3), USC (#4), Ole Miss (#8), California (#12), Georgia (#13), Florida State (#18), North Carolina (#21), Notre Dame (#23) and Kansas (#25)

Only three of the preseason top 10 teams finished in the final top, while the number of preseason top ten teams who finished unranked is also three. One team who started unranked snuck into the top five, while eight others made the final poll.

The pollsters missed BAD on USC and Oklahoma, as well as Cincy, TCU and Boise. How many more years of busted rankings do we need to eliminate this mess? More thoughts on the bowl games coming soon….

Ranking the Months

2009-12-01T18:16:00.009-05:00

December has arrived and didn’t waste any time bringing it’s freezing cold temperature along with it, at least in Atlanta. As I woke up freezing cold, I saw the date on my phone: 12/1/09 and I started thinking about what all December holds in store for me. I decided that there was only one thing left to do: create a ranked list of the best months of the year. I ranked the months using three main criteria: holidays, sports, and overall other attributes. (Note: I use the term “sports” loosely with a few of the events, but you get the point)

#1 OCTOBER
Perfect weather: not too hot, not too cold. I actually get to turn my heat/AC off too so I save a few bucks on the power bill which is a nice extra bonus. Somedays I get to wear shorts, others I get to wear a hoodie (my favorite clothing item, so comfortable). October is the basically the best of all worlds. The clear cut #1 month in my book.

Holidays: My favorite night of the year is in October: Halloween. There is no better night of the year to go out to a bar. You end up talking to almost everyone at the bar and taking pictures with strangers, its just a fun night. And who doesn’t love discounted candy? If Halloween doesn’t do it for you, maybe Columbus Day will.

Sports: Football in full swing, the NBA and NHL both start, you have college basketball midnight madness, and of course baseball playoffs. Easily, 100%, hands down, inarguably the greatest month for sports. This month has something great to offer a fan of just about any sport. There’s only one October….each year anyways.

#2 SEPTEMBER
I can't even think what I want to say about September, all I can think about at this point is that football is here! And yeah, beautiful weather. But FOOTBALL!

Holidays: We get a much appreciated long weekend with Labor Day. Cookouts, pool parties and consistently being able to wear shorts come to an end during September. And don’t forget to put those white pants away.

Sports: Finally! Football arrives, real football! No more preseason rankings (college) and training camp drama, we get to watch actual games on Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, YESSSSSSSS! We also can get somewhat excited about baseball again with the final stretch of the regular season. And for racing fans, the NASCAR Chase begins. I don’t know what else to say about that.

#3 JUNE
June is always a good month to take a vacation which automatically moves it way up the list. You are guaranteed some beautiful weather.

Holidays: Father’s Day is always an enjoyable way to spend some quality time with the family. If you aren’t all partied out from Father’s Day, you can really have a blow out on Flag Day (182nd best drinking day of the year).

Sports: NBA finals and the Stanley Cup, not bad. Also we wrap up the Triple Crown with Belmont (most fun I’ve ever had in Vegas was watching Big Brown lay an egg against a huge money line in the ’08 Belmont race, cha-ching!). And get out your cream and berries because the first must see tennis tourney of the year, Wimbledon, beings. Baseball fans continue to see MLB action along with the College Baseball World Series.

#4 NOVEMBER
Food and football are what make November what it is. I know this is basically looking into the next to criteria, but we have to look at the month as a whole, and the theme of November is food and football. Nice weather too, for the most part. The leaves changing colors is a nice touch until the go brown and fall all over the ground. There is nothing better than sitting on the couch and watching three straight football games and a basketball game while trying to guess how many pounds of food you just ate.

Holidays: I’ve already hit on Thanksgiving, which is usually a nice short week at work. For those of us who work in the financial world, we get another little break in Veteran’s Day. Also a great day to be thankful for what you have as well as the sacrifices others make so you can sit at home and get fat while watching sports. Thanks Vets!!!!!

Sports: again, touched on football and basketball. Also we get to celebrate the end of NASCAR, I’m thankful that it no longer occupies time on Sportscenter. Although I couldn’t bring myself to watch this year due to hating both teams, the World Series is now played in early November. I think its ridiculous that the season goes this long, but hey, more to be thankful for during November.

#5 DECEMBER

December is definitely scoring some points for days off of work (even if you aren’t given holidays, people usually take off anyway). People are generally more friendly during this time of year too.

Holidays: Christmas and New Year’s Eve- both fun and enjoyable for obvious reasons. December never offers a reason to slack off on having a good time.

Sports: we have the NBA, NHL and NFL in full swing. It’s the key stretch for NFL teams who are hoping to make the playoffs, so we usually get some good football. We also get college football championship games and the start of bowl season toward the end of December. The majority of the good bowl games are played in January, but we get at least a few decent matchups before year’s end.

#6 MARCH
The weather starts getting a little more bearable in March, although I think it snowed in Atlanta last year during March. Can’t beat drinking green beer and the leaves starting to come back on trees.

Holidays: St. Patrick’s Day is always a good time. Sometimes Easter? That’s all I could really come up with. Unless you’re in school and still get a spring break, in which case I hate you.

Sports: March Madness is really the highlight of the month. Fire up the office pools! Nothing will beat the time I was at work and the entire server shut itself down because too many people were streaming the games online- you know it’s a good event when that happens. Also we have the start of the very long NBA and NHL playoffs, but those are both marathons.

#7 JULY
Pool parties, cookouts, crazy heat, sun burns, and an indescribable itch for football are things that come to mind when I think about July. Its usually at this point in the year where I bust out old Madden or College Football games and update the rosters and act like its current, even though I know its not. The new games usually come out later in the month which helps, but I’m jonesing bad for some football in July.

Holidays: Independence Day is definitely one of the better holidays throughout the year. Not only do most people get the day off, you get a combination of patriotism, overeating/drinking,

and explosions! What could possibly be better than that?!

Sports: The MLB All-Star Weekend is a good watch. We also get the finals at Wimbledon, the Tour de France, and the British Open. Great month for international sports as well as America’s favorite pastime.

#8 MAY
May flowers, ahhhhhhh. Probably the 2nd best month of the year as far as weather goes. The temperature is just right and the pollen has usually cleared. Its amazing the effect weather has on your mood, I just find myself usually happy in May for some reason.

Holidays: We are treated to a nice long weekend for Memorial Day, perfect time for a beach trip. We also get to spend some quality time with mom for Mother’s Day. Anytime I can make my mom feel special is a good day for me.

Sports: The NBA playoffs are booming in May. Fans of the ponies are treated to the Kentucky Derby and Preakness; both are always fun to watch. Auto racing fans also get to enjoy the Indy 500. MLB is at full speed too, not a bad month for sports fans.

#9 APRIL
Time to bust out the shorts and t-shirts again once April arrives. The weather is nice, definitely able to start hosting cookouts by this point. Although, there is that whole rhyme about April showers, so don’t get too excited about perfect weather just yet. Also, pollen can be really annoying. You’re losing points for pollen, April!

Holidays: Sometimes Easter and Earth Day, not the greatest month for Holidays. If the government was serious about going green they should look into making Earth day a national holiday, don’t you think?

Sports: America’s favorite pastime kicks off its regular season in April. We also get to see The Masters, which is the one must watch golf tournament of the year for me (even though I end up watching several others- I always catch the Masters). We also have the ever-changing event known as the NFL draft. This year the first round is on a Thursday night, 2nd and 3rd rounds are on Friday and the remaining rounds are on Saturday. Good ‘ol Roger likes to mix things up.

#10 JANUARY
Not a bad month, although it starts getting way too cold for my liking. There is still enough positive stuff during the month to put it too low on the list due to awful weather.

Holidays: New Year’s Day and MLK Day, two days off of work, thank you very much. New Year’s Day is reserved for watching football and nursing hangovers while MLK day is usually just spent nursing hangovers, no football that day.

Sports: Not a bad sports month since we get the college football bowl games and the NFL playoffs. The NBA and NHL are still in full swing as well. But, here’s the kicker: WWE Royal Rumble! How can you not love the Royal Rumble? It is the one wrestling event that I won’t miss every year, and usually the only pay per view I buy all year (unless there is a can’t miss boxing match or something, but even those don’t compare to the Rumble). There is nothing more amusing than watching a living room full of people who are gambling on a fake wrestling match screaming “FIVE! FOUR! THREE! TWO! ONE!” every couple of minutes in anticipation of who is coming out next, only to have the guy who drew The Miz shake his head in shame after realizing that his hopes of winning the Rumble pool are in shambles.

#11 FEBRUARY
Cold. Freezing cold. Not good. A month can’t hurt itself any worse than being miserably cold. However, we do have one of the biggest sporting events of the year, as well as my birthday and Mardi Gras. February definitely overcame its awful temperatures with a slew of exciting events.

Holidays: One of the year’s greatest consumer holidays, Valentine’s Day, highlights the month. Although I’m not a big fan, Valentine’s Day is usually very popular for women who are typically treated to nice dinners, flowers, candy and expensive gifts. Men usually get a bottle of cologne and a nice huge credit card balance. I’m scoring V-Day for the ladies. Also, if you are lucky enough to get it, February offers the President’s Day holiday which allows for a nice long weekend. And if you want to get picky, Groundhog’s Day is also in February.

Sports: the Superbowl, doesn’t get any bigger than that. We also get the NBA All-star Game as well as the NHL All-star Game, both entertaining weekends. If you’re into racing (…..anyone?) the Daytona 500 is your bright spot here. Also not included in the sporting events, though it should be, is the Mardi Gras beer funneling competition.

#12 AUGUST
August is the only month of the year without a notable holiday. It basically lacks an identity and doesn’t have anything major to look forward to, other than school starting back up (which means college football is on the way!).

Sports: Basically limited to MLB during August but we do get the start of NFL training camp and the US Tennis Open. By this point in the baseball season, I’m far more interested in preseason NFL games than any baseball games. Shorten the season already!

There you have it. October wins the month of the year award and August is in the dog house. Let’s hear how you rank the months in the comments section. If you don’t have any input I’ll just assume you agree with my flawless rankings.

Quick note to women: do NOT have your wedding during football season. Seriously. Do us all a favor and have it in August or April when we are bored. If you have any questions regarding scheduling a wedding around a sporting event, feel free to give me a call. Consultations are free.

Only 10 months until next October….

2009 College Football Regular Season Recap

2009-11-30T15:55:00.002-05:00

Much like Chinese food, the 2009 college football season initially had me satisfied, but as we reach the end of the regular season, I find myself empty and wanting more. Perhaps we have been spoiled the past few years by an abundance of memorable moments and games:, the Crabtree catch against Texas, an epic Heisman race, Appalachian State upsetting Michigan, countless last second/overtime decisions involving LSU, Charlie Weis tearing an ACL while standing on the sidelines.

Ten years from now, what will we remember about the 2009 regular season? Due to the outcomes, we won’t remember how Texas A&M and Auburn ALMOST shook up the BCS picture during rivalry week. We’ll simply remember that Florida, Alabama and Texas all ran the table and went into the conference title games undefeated. Looking back, I honestly cannot think of a defining moment for the season. One can only hope that something so incredible will happen during the postseason which casts a shadow on the dull regular season.

Perhaps one reason for the season being a little less exciting than usual was poor play of from a lot of teams who typically in the national championship picture. Oklahoma, Florida State, Michigan, and USC all had disappointing seasons. Even some of the teams you expect to compete for their conference, such as Tennessee, Miami and LSU, also didn’t necessarily perform as expect. A few of the preseason top 25 teams had major letdowns early in the year. Ole Miss, USC and Oklahoma never did play like top ten teams, yet all three were in the top eight to begin the year. But you already know how I feel about preseason polls, so I won’t climb back on that soap box.

The Heisman race this year was one of the least interesting in the past decade. We began the year with two Heisman winners returning which is unheard of. Also returning was Colt McCoy who had a ridiculously high completion percentage and gaudy stats worthy of the trophy last year as well. It was almost a foregone conclusion that Tebow, Bradford or McCoy were going to win the Heisman in 2009. But then Bradford got banged up, Tebow started distributing the ball to teammates more often, and McCoy decided to put up mediocre numbers instead of the eye popping stats from last year. There were a handful of running backs, and a few other skill position players, who made a decent claim for the award as well. But there just wasn’t any one player who you could watch week in and out and say ____ is simply the best college football player every single game. Nobody stepped up and stood out. The Heisman race mirrored the rest of the season: mediocrity and forgettable moments.

But it wasn’t all bad- it was still college football, after all. The postseason could totally redeem the less than stellar regular season for all we know. We won’t be returning two Heisman trophy winners next season, that much is safe to say.

Recap of my SEC predictions:

The SEC played out almost exactly as I predicted, from a standings aspect at least, records were a little off and I swapped UGA/UT and Arkansas/Ole Miss in standings. Overall, I feel like I had a pretty good grasp of the conference before the year started. Here is a recap:

EAST:
Florida
Actual: 12-0 (8-0) 1st Place
Predicted: 11-1 (7-1) 1st Place
Tennessee
Actual: 7-5 (4-4) 2nd Place
Predicted: 6-6 (3-5) 3rd Place
UGA
Actual: 7-5 (4-4) 3rd Place
Predicted: 7-5 (5-3) 2nd Place
South Carolina
Actual: 7-5 (3-5) 4th Place
Predicted: 6-6 (2-6) 4th Place
Kentucky
Actual: 7-5 (3-5) 5th Place
Predicted: 4-8 (1-7) 5th Place
Vanderbilt 4-8
Actual: 2-10 (0-8) 6th Place
Predicted: (1-7) 6th Place

WEST:
Alabama
Actual: 12-0 (8-0) 1st Place
Predicted: 10-2 (7-1) 1st Place
LSU
Actual: 9-3 (5-3) 2nd Place
Predicted: 10-2 (6-2) 2nd Place
Ole Miss
Actual: 8-4 (3-5) 3rd Place
Predicted: 9-3 (5-3) 4th Place
Arkansas
Actual: 7-5 (3-5) 4th Place
Predicted: 8-4 (5-3) 3rd Place
Auburn
Actual: 7-5 (3-5) 5th Place
Predicted: 6-6 (3-5) 5th Place
Miss St.
Actual: 5-7 (3-5) 6th Place
Predicted: 4-8 (1-7) 6th Place

I already have a good feeling how things are going to shake out next year in the Southeastern Conference, but you might just have to wait until August before you find out. Next year promises to be a little more exciting across the country than this year. There are some high impact guys who are going to be freshmen in the fall and I think a few of them could make some serious noise in the SEC.

Tired of reading about my predictions? Welp, here is one more batch before the bowl game pick ‘em extravaganza (winners in caps):

Oregon State @ OREGON
CINCINNATI @ Pittsburgh
WEST VIRGINIA @ Rutgers
Arizona @ USC
FLORIDA vs. Alabama
TEXAS vs. Nebraska
CLEMSON vs. Georgia Tech

College Football: Week 13

2009-11-24T19:00:00.001-05:00

Polls, conference championship games, and the BCS: not quite the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria, but these are the devices that get us where we are going in the world of college football. Whether you are thankful for them or not, their sails have caught wind and there is no turning back now.

As we enter rivalry week, and the final weekend of the regular season, it is pretty clear what needs to happen for each team to arrive at their destination. Only three teams control their fate to play for the BCS National Championship: Florida, Alabama and Texas. The rest of the contenders must win their games and hope for a miracle at the top. There will certainly be a lot of people pulling for FSU, Auburn and Texas A&M this weekend, particularly in Cincinnati, Boise and Forth Worth.

Rivalry week is great. We get to watch more heated, competitive games this week than the past three weeks combined (maybe more). You can throw out records, postseason implications and recruiting class rankings this week. This is a player’s week, a week where the game is personal, a week where a loss leaves a sour taste in your mouth for an entire year. To the winner goes bragging rights for 365 days, and to the loser: the humility of arguing that “there’s always next year.” This is the week where a coach can save his job with a single win, even if the rest of the year has been disappointing. This is the week that is circled on calendars as soon as the schedule comes out. It’s a week where statements are made, recruiting battles are won, and the will and determination of the two teams is tested until the final whistle. This is must see TV for college football fans.

And now it’s the time where I normally talk about how Charlie Weis should be fired. But this week I think enough other people have said it, so I’ll spare you. I feel vindicated. If only most athletic departments had the same insight. If they did, maybe LSU’s staff would have made sure that Les Miles knows that you can’t take timeouts to the grave with you and that maybe someone should make sure that Les knows how to manage the clock at the end of a game. Nah, he’s got a national championship on his resume, he’ll be fine. Whoops. What was Les thinking, letting 17 seconds run off the clock before calling timeout. Most of the time you can’t blame a loss on a single event or coaching decision (with the exception of the rare 4th and 2 on your town 28 yard line incident). But this loss is hard to pin on anyone except for the mad hatter. At least Miles manned up to his mistake and shouldered the blame for the loss. Good thing that LSU was already out of the SEC race or this could have been grounds for a firing in Baton Rouge.

There really is an awesome slate of games this weekend. I am going to try my hardest to watch them all, unless Auburn gets massacred by Alabama on Friday and I have such a bad taste in my mouth for football that I can’t stomach any more. Let’s just hope that doesn’t happen. You’re hoping for me, right? Here come the picks (winners in bold):

Texas @ Texas A&M
Pittsburgh @ West Virginia
Oklahoma State @ Oklahoma
Miami @ South Florida
Virginia Tech @ Virginia
Arizona @ Arizona State
Boston College @ Maryland
Missouri @ Kansas
Utah @ BYU
Notre Dame @ Stanford
UCLA @ USC

Alabama @ Auburn
Clemson @ South Carolina
Mississippi @ Mississippi State
Florida State @ Florida
Arkansas @ LSU
Tennessee @ Kentucky
Georgia @ Georgia Tech

Crazy thought for the weekend

2009-11-20T15:00:00.002-05:00

Kansas State plays Nebraska Saturday. The winner goes on to play Texas in the Big-12 Title Game.

However, if Kansas State loses they will not be bowl eligible because they played two D-1AA schools and only have five eligible wins going into this weekend.

Let's get this straight: two more wins and Kansas State plays in a BCS bowl, but a loss on Saturday eliminates them from any postseason?

Yeah, this BcS thing is working out just fine.

Quick Thought During Lunch...

2009-11-19T12:00:00.002-05:00

If you are a head coach in football, and your name begins with "MANGIN" and ends with I or O, you will lose your job this year.

If it ends with an A, well that's just hilarious.

Top Five Resons Why Brady Quinn is a Tool

2009-11-18T14:22:00.002-05:00

As if you didn't already know that Brady Quinn is awful, here are the top five reasons why I think he's a tool:

1. He is second cousins with Brad from Home Improvement (Zachary Ty Bryan). Honestly, does anyone like Brad? Mark was probably the least likeable of the three brothers just because his entire role was based on sympathy, except for that short period of time when he turned goth, but Brad was definitely a tool. Brady Quinn exerts many of the same qualities as Brad Taylor: stupid hair, unwarranted cockiness, and also they both seem underachieve with the ladies. Did Brad ever bring home a hot chick on that show? Nope- a few that were decent, but the star of the soccer team should be doing way better. I don’t even need to mention Brady Quinn’s girlfriend that we had to see for 8 straight hours on the day that Quinn was drafted. You could do better Brady, if you weren’t a tool.

2. Myoplex Commercials- probably the most annoying line ever “Now I’m Done!” Do I really need to say anything else about this? A commercial that was tailor made for, and by, tools.

3. He is a Terrible NFL Quarterback: career stats- 52% completion, 3 TDs, 7 picks, QB rating of 58. He can’t beat out Derek Anderson (who is completing only 42% of his passes for 2 TDs and 9 picks this yer) for the starting job on a consistent basis. His team never won anything impressive during college and he certainly won’t win anything during his professional career with numbers like that. Maybe spend less time on making awful commercials and more time working on your game. Also, spend less time doing things like this:

4. The Taunting Incident at a Cleveland Gay Bar: Politics aside, this just wreaks of being a tool. If you don’t like a particular group of people, just stay away from them. Don’t show up at a bar where you know they will be and start taking out your frustration about being a terrible quarterback out them. That’s what the practice squad is for. Sorry, that’s what the practice squad should be for, but you are so bad that you probably eve make them look good.

5. The Chop Block on Terrell Suggs: Dear Brady Quinn, I know your team is 1-8 and you’ve scored less touchdowns than the Baltimore Ravens defense. I understand that you drink your Myoplex and you’re so jacked up during a game that you want to hit someone, which you typically have plenty of chances to do since you throw so many interceptions. But you can’t dive at people’s knees like a little punk! Especially when the NFL goes to extreme lengths to protect quarterbacks, a guy like Quinn better be very careful when trying to deliver a hit on an opponent. What does he do? He dives for the knees and delivers a dirty chop block. Congratulations on injuring Terrell Suggs and most likely ending his season, along with any hope the Ravens had of making the playoffs. Your tool-ness has become full circle.

Brad Taylor would be proud.

College Football: Week 12

2009-11-18T08:05:00.000-05:00

As we approach the final stretch of the 2009-10 college football season, I find myself ready for the conclusion that we’ve all been anticipating for a while now. How long have we known that the winner of the SEC Championship Game will be playing Texas for the national championship? Alabama claimed the #3 spot in the rankings during week 3 and hasn’t looked back. Talk about an anti-climactic ending. The real drama will deal with the outsiders: Boise State, TCU and Cincinnati. How will these teams be rewarded for phenomenal seasons? Their reward will be a bag of cash and a thank-you note from the BCS but those teams will still feel empty, especially if they win their bowl game and remain undefeated.

But for those who stand a chance to win this popularity contest, there is still work to be done. Florida and Bama both eat cupcakes this week before playing their rivals next week. Florida will host Florida State and Alabama travels to Auburn. Both teams essentially have a bye this week, except for the scout team guys who will likely get in a good workout. Texas hosts Kansas this week before traveling to Texas A&M to finish the regular season. A Big-12 championship matchup, most likely against Nebraska, won’t be a walk in the park, but the ‘horns should have no trouble making it to the BCS National Championship Game.

I can’t remember a year where the Heisman race was less interesting than 2009. The current top three (according to ESPN’s expert poll) are all running backs: Mark Ingram (the odds-on favorite), Toby Gerhart, and C.J. Spiller. Tebow, McCoy, and Kellen Moore (all quarterbacks) are the next three on the list. I can’t recall the last time that a QB wasn’t in the top three. I’m guessing ESPN’s “expert opinions” will not reflect those of the Heisman committee. The presentation will feature at least one quarterback, if not both McCoy and Tebow.

I’ll go ahead and officially state that Dion Lewis will win the Heisman trophy one day. It might not be next year, but he will win it before he heads to the league- take that one to the bank. Here is a good place to randomly insert: Charlie Weis should be fired and forced to return the money he’s stolen from Notre Dame. Ahhhh, I feel better now- that’s my mandatory Weis knock for the day.

This is a boring week for most schools who are gearing up for rivalry week. Again, not too much to get excited about when looking at the schedule. Ohio State and Michigan is normally interesting, but it couldn’t be much more meaningless than it this year with Michigan in the can and Ohio State already clinching a berth in the Rose Bowl. Oklahoma at Texas Tech would be phenomenal if it were 2008, but it’s a snoozer in 2009. If you were going off the preseason rankings, LSU @ Ole Miss would be a national championship caliber game. Who would have thought that the rankings were way off….. anyone?

Well there must be some good college hoops this weekend, right? You can watch Radford at Duke, or Rider at Kentucky! Ok, maybe this just isn’t the best Saturday for sports. But hey, next week is Thanksgiving and you will most certainly get to see a ton of good football, so hang in there. Until then, do whatever you can to avoid the movie theaters where there is sure to be hundreds of teenage girls in line to see some vampire movie. Bring on turkey day!

Arbitrary picks for the week (winner in bold):

Ohio State @ Michigan
Minnesota @ Iowa
Maryland @ FSU
Oklahoma @ Texas Tech
Penn State @ Mich State
California @ Stanford
Kansas @ Texas
Oregon @ Arizona

Chattanooga @ Alabama
Mississippi State @ Arkansas
Florida International @ Florida
LSU @ Ole Miss
Vandy @ Tennessee
Kentucky @ UGA

Random thoughts on a Monday

2009-11-16T16:24:00.000-05:00

There is an old proverb about karma that states “before you begin on the journey of revenge, dig two graves.” I sure hope Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh bought two shovels for his Saturday night victory against USC. Harbaugh made the call to go for a two-point conversion when the Cardinal were up 48-21 with 6:47 left in the fourth quarter. That can’t be good karma, especially against a program like USC who is typically dominant over the Pac-10. I’m sure the Trojans will remember that moment when Stanford week rolls around in 2010.

Switching gears towards teams that have no conference to dominate or be dominated by: have we finally reached the end of the road for Charlie Weis at Notre Dame?! I think the Irish’s 27-22 loss at Pittsburg may have sealed the fate of Mr. Weis (or as my diehard ND fan friend Andrew calls him, “front-butt”). After continually recruiting the top talent in the nation and squandering countless opportunities for should-have wins, the Irish better come up with the cash to pay off Weis’ contract and move in a positive direction. I know Notre Dame has been bad under Chuck, but here is a crazy fact I just learned this week: under Weis, the Irish haven’t beaten a team that finished the season with less than four losses. In laments terms: they haven’t beat a team that anyone would consider “good.”

How awesome was the Florida/South Carolina game? Although it was an extremely cheesy way to do so, I thought it was cool that the Gamecocks wore uniforms to honor the troops. Instead of wearing their names on the back of their jerseys, the Cocks put inspirational words associated with the military on the back of their uniforms. For example, South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia’s jersey said “Service” instead of Garcia. It provided four hours worth of witty jokes about the words on the back of their uniforms, like this one before the opening kickoff:

My friend Tony (Gator fan): “I can’t wait until we see Courage run out of bounds to avoid a big hit.” He then made faked a Constanza-like exit for another laugh and then actually pulled a Costanza-like exit later on which really confused us.

I kept waiting for Garcia to throw a pick so I could yell “TREASON!”, but it never happened while we were watching. How many households were making the exact same jokes during those four hours? Has to be in the millions.

Only two weeks left of college football- it has gone by crazy fast this year. I hope you are ready for some rambling, un-objective opinions on random things like movie reviews and top 10 reasons why I hate the Beastie Boys. I’m going to try to start posting several times per week, so try to keep up. Be sure you didn’t miss my BCS hate piece below.

Off to the Hawks game (best record in the NBA- hell must be freezing tonight), and then watching the Ravens play the Brows on the lowest rated Monday Night Football game of the season. Holler back.

Wise Words from Billboards

2009-11-15T22:23:00.000-05:00

“It's all about the Benjamins baby
Now, what y'all wanna do?
It's all about the Benjamins baby
Wanna be ballers, shot-callers
It's all about the Benjamins baby”

-Puff Daddy (P.Diddy/Diddy/Sean Combs)

Puff Daddy probably had no idea how relevant his hit single would be to the world of college football when he wrote the above lyrics. The shot callers of college football clearly only care about one thing: the Benjamins (AKA “money” for you old timers). While this fact is hardly breaking news, it is becoming harder and harder to swallow as we continue to see injustice year after year in college football. We cannot simply point fingers at the BCS and claim that all problems would be solved by its elimination. We have to fight for a reform of the sport in several aspects, including the postseason/bowl process.

BCS:

Since its inception in 1998, the BCS has continually produced controversial results. Whether leaving out undefeated teams or including eventual champions with multiple losses, there has not been a single year where at least one team did not have a legitimate gripe about how the BCS Bowl Games were chosen. Smaller schools have no chance of making it to the national championship game.

Demonstrated Exclusivity:

In 11 years, there have only been 11 teams to appear in the BCS National Championship Game: Oklahoma (4), Ohio State (3), Florida State (3), Florida (2), LSU (2), USC (2), Miami (2), Texas (1), Tennessee (1), Nebraska (1), and Virginia Tech (1). There has never been a team play in the national championship game that was not one of the six conferences that are affiliated with the BCS. In fact, of the 94 total BCS Bowl bids that have been handed out to date, only four teams who were not affiliated made an appearance (excluding the 3 appearances from Notre Dame who receives an automatic BCS bid by finishing in the top eight).

Statistics alert: 4.25% of the teams who have played in these bowls were not conference affiliates. That number is astounding. There are 66 schools in the BCS conferences receiving 95.75% of the bids which equates to 7.66 bids out of the 8 per year. That leaves .34 bids per year for the 54 at large teams.

What does this mean in terms of whole numbers?

It means that only one team which is not affiliated with the BCS will make a BCS Bowl Game roughly every 3 years.

Of course that is speaking from a numbers standpoint only, since parity has become more and more widespread since 1998. It looks as though there will be at least one non-BCS team in the bowl games this year. But that just shows the extreme bias that BCS inflicts on college football.

As if it weren’t bad enough to exclude 45% of the teams that play D-1A football from competing in the cherished post-season competition, the BCS has also had several instances of screwing teams that are affiliated with the conference. I couldn’t possibly discuss all of miscues caused by the BCS over the years, but for a complete listing, as well as how they affected the system, check out this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BCS_controversies

The system doesn’t work for its affiliates or for the outsiders. So who exactly does it work for? The BCS is a money making machine for the conference affiliates, but not the specific teams in those conferences. It benefits the television networks who get to air these over-hyped, meaningless (all but one) games. It does financially reward the teams who are selected to participate, but I’ve already demonstrated how exclusive the selection process is. In a nutshell, the BCS is a system which benefits very few and harms the vast majority of schools, fans, players and teams. But the people calling the shots see nothing but dollar signs as they select the same teams over and over again to compete for their highly coveted awards.

Now that I’ve made clear the inadequacies of the post season system in college football, it is time to consider other flaws which are harming the sport.

Preseason Rankings:

As early as June or July, college football fans rush to newsstands across the nation to pick up a copy of their favorite season preview magazine, sometimes as early as 3 months before the season begins. Gaming fans pre-order their copy of the yearly college football video game weeks in advance and stand in line at midnight of its release. ESPN runs is programming specials during the middle of summer, while no students are on campus, predicting how each conference will play out. Media days are held across the nation so that reporters can interview players on their thoughts and predictions.

What do all of these events have in common? They are fueled by arbitrary preseason rankings. The magazines can’t be sold without the opinion of the expert writers as to who should be ranked #1 before a minute of college football is even played. The talking heads on ESPN have to dissect the rankings. The video games have to have a hierarchy to tell which teams should be better than others: all based on undignified predictions.

Before the season begins, certain teams are given an unfair advantage through their preseason ranking. Think about the end result: in December, the BCS committee has to decide between several undefeated, one loss, or two loss teams. How do they pick who gets in and who misses out? Rankings! And how did these teams arrive at their rank at the end of the year? Either they climbed from the bottom and fought an uphill battle all year, or they rode the free ride of their high preseason ranking. Guess which team is more likely to get picked, even if both have teams have the same record and strength of schedule? You guessed it- the team with the higher preseason ranking.

Why not just wait until the third or fourth week and then decide which teams are actually playing the best instead of guessing and then having to stick with those predictions until they make you look stupid? Money, that’s why! The pundits have to have something to talk about on their shows, the magazines and video games have to have something to sell, and the BCS needs to kick start its agenda months before preseason camp has even begun. Preseason rankings are simply the match which lights the BCS fire.

Weak Schedules

Why play 12 games if you are going to fill the schedule with teams like Charleston Southern or Louisana Monroe (sorry, Bama)? No one is excited to see Tim Tebow destroy a D-1AA team for one half and then watch the second and third teamers continue to dominate. With the occasional exception, wins are a foregone conclusion in those types of games. Yet, teams like Ole Miss schedule two D-1AA opponents this year. Fans aren’t excited, TV networks aren’t excited, and the schools aren’t impressing the BCS- so why do it? Ticket revenue and money spent traveling, that’s why. The money is important to the towns, the schools and the programs.

The broken system currently employed by college football is ruining one of the country’s greatest sports. The game day experience across college campuses is unmatched in any other sport. My love for college football will always be strong, but the ongoing injustice that we see on a yearly basis is causing it to waver. Simply steps can be taken to right the wrongs. But who will step forward and lead the charge for change? It certainly won’t be anyone affiliated with the BCS, and the reason is simple:

“It's all about the Benjamins baby”

College Football: Week 11

2009-11-10T18:22:00.000-05:00

The sports gods continue to curse me: Alabama has secured a spot in the SEC Championship Game and controls its own fate to play in the national title game as well. The Tide may very well have the #1 contender for the Heisman trophy, as well, in running back Mark Ingram.

Let’s recap:

-Steelers win the Superbowl

-Yankees win the series, Phillies win the NL

-Bama wins the SEC West

-My fantasy football team just above the cellar

-Ravens are just about out of the playoff picture

…..yep, that’s about the worst year I could have hoped for when it comes to sports. I think I am going to sacrifice a lamb or have some other ritual this weekend to ensure that the evil Tide doesn’t win the national championship (bama fans: don’t hate- this is actually very, very good that I’m rooting against your team).

But it’s not about me. It is about the sport- what’s good for the sport. Maybe that is why the SEC has its officials blow calls on a weekly basis in favor of the conference’s undefeated teams. But I digress….

If I were voting for the Heisman, Case Keenum would be my guy. His 71% completion percentage, and 3,815 yards, 28 TDs to 5 interceptions are eye popping. He has overachieved by leading a mediocre Houston team to 8-1, including a road win at then #5 Oklahoma State and against SEC foe Mississippi State. If the Cougars win out, he deserves the award more than anyone. But the system just isn’t fair and objective, so this won’t happen. If he had the exact same stats and record at a big name school, it’d be in the bag already.

I’ve been talking about it this all season, and it has almost reached full circle: Rich Rodriguez and Charlie Weis better have those resumes updated. I predict that one of them will be fired before national signing day in February, if not both. Rich Rod managed to weasel in a huge buyout clause into his contract, even after Michigan paid over $2 million to buy out his old contract at West Virginia. Red Flags anyone?

Auburn and Georgia both have a lot at stake this weekend. The Tigers and the Dawgs have been mediocre in league play, and both teams will have a very tough time defeating their rivals in Alabama and Georgia Tech, respectively. A win this weekend would put Auburn at 8-3, surpassing most people’s expectations during what is supposed to be a rebuilding year. It would be disastrous for UGA to drop to 5-6. Mark Richt is in for a long offseason as it is; a loss this weekend will inevitably bring out thousands of Chicken Littles in Athens.

Here's what I'm thinking this week (winners in bold):

West Virginia @ Cincinnati

Michigan @ Wisconsin

South Dakota @ Minnesota

VA Tech @ Maryland

Stanford @ USC

Iowa @ Ohio State

Miami @ UNC

Utah @ TCU

Notre Dame @ Pittsburgh

Arizona @ California

Florida @ South Carolina

Kentucky @ Vandy

Tennessee @ Ole Miss

Alabama @ Miss State

Louisiana Tech @ LSU

Auburn @ Georgia

Troy @ Arkansas

College Football: Week 10

2009-11-04T06:49:00.001-05:00

Hang in there, Oregon: at this point last year, the Florida Gators were ranked #8 in the BCS standings before going on the win the national championship. So should the currently ranked #8 Ducks feel encouraged by that fact? Probably not. Boise State, the only team who beat Oregon and a team that remains undefeated, is ahead of the Ducks in the BCS poll. It would be a tough sell for Oregon to jump an undefeated Boise team under any scenario since we’ve already seen the Broncos defeat the Ducks. Speaking of the BCS….

My new #1 argument for why preseason rankings are worthless: Ole Miss is in danger of not making a bowl game. The same Ole Miss who was ranked in the top ten before the year began. Under the current NCAA rules, a team must win at least six games to be bowl eligible. Ole Miss currently has five wins with remaining games against Northern Arizona, Tennessee, LSU, and a road trip Mississippi State. Here’s the catch: you can only count one win against D1-AA competition toward bowl eligibility. That means this weekend’s matchup against Northern Arizona is meaningless for the Rebs, which means that Ole Miss will have to win at least one out of the Vols, LSU and Miss State. While this is a very attainable goal, it seems like the wheels have come off in Oxford. The players and fan base are deflated after a beating in Auburn this past weekend. Tennessee is red hot, LSU can play very well when they want to, and the Egg Bowl is in Starkville this year- never discount a team in a rivalry game.

More to come on my growing hatred for the system very soon. But for now, on to other current events.

This is a big week for the Alabama Crimson Tide when LSU travels to Tuscaloosa for one of the biggest games of the year in the SEC. Both teams, although faint for LSU, have national championship aspirations. A win this week would vault either team closer to that goal while a loss would all but eliminate either of them for contention. The winner of this game is likely to appear in the SEC Championship Game in December to face Florida with a BCS bid on the line.

The game is also loaded with personal history for Alabama head coach Nick Saban who formerly coached LSU to a national championship before jumping ship for a short lived NFL career. Tiger fans are still bitter about how Saban treated the situation as well as some comments that he has made along the way. LSU would love nothing more than to stick it to Saban and the Tide and ruin their perfect season. They have the defense to pull it off, but can the LSU offense outplay a stingy Tide defense that has held opponents to 20 points or less in seven of eight games, including single digits in four of those wins? It will be an extremely tough task for Les Miles offense this Saturday in Tuscaloosa.

There really isn’t a whole lot to get excited about this weekend other than the marquee SEC matchup. We have Ohio State visiting Penn State- that is about as good as it gets this weekend. We are at the point in the season where teams either have byes or cupcakes on the schedule to gear up for rivalry week and other big time conference matchups. Fortunately, we at least those have two games with national relevance.

In coaching news, the seat that had previously cooled for Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez is starting to catch on fire now. Losing to an inept Illinois team is inexcusable for a program like Michigan. Rich Rod better have his sales pitch ready and come out hitting hard early next season or the sun may be setting on the Rich Rod era in Ann Arbor. Despite his best efforts to butcher every game, Charlie Weis’ team is playing pretty well with two losses so far. I guess having a potential Heisman candidate can make any coach look good (hey, even Joe Cain made James Caan seem like a good coach).

Random thought of the week: Minnesota probably won’t win another game this year without stud wideout Eric Decker. Out for the rest of the year with an ankle injury, Decker’s college football career is most likely over. Decker will have to choose between a pro baseball or football career. I think he could be a solid possession guy in the NFL, but depending how he heals up and what kind of numbers he shows if he makes it to the combine, I have a feeling he might lean toward baseball. He has taken a beating while being the only option on the Gopher offense for the past few years.

I hope no one has been keeping score on my predictions. I haven’t really been putting much time into researching them and it is really showing with some of the picks. But again subjecting myself to more embarrassment and criticism, here are my picks for the week (winners in bold) :

Week 10:

Purdue @ Michigan

Illinois @ Minnesota

Navy @ Notre Dame

Oregon @ Stanford

Ohio State @ Penn State

FSU @ Clemson

UConn @ Cincinnati

SEC GAMES:

South Carolina @ Arkansas

Tennessee Tech @ UGA

Eastern Kentucky @ Kentucky

Furman @ Auburn

LSU @ Alabama

Memphis @ Tennessee

Vandy @ Florida

Northern Arizona @ Mississippi

Good to be a home team in the SEC this week. Hopefully I just gave Alabama the kiss of death.

2009-10-27T22:10:00.003-04:00

Do you know what this Saturday is? I’ll wait a second while you think about it….. that’s right, Saturday is the long awaited battle between Middle Tennessee State and Florida Atlantic, woooo!! The Hilltoppers and the Mean Green, two of college football’s most unique mascots. In addition to this lovely affair that college football is treating us to, Saturday is also one of my favorite days of the year: Halloween!

Halloween is an exciting holiday because you get to pretend that you are something, or someone, totally different from your true identity. Several football teams are pretending to be something they are not by appearing to be national championship contenders at this point in the year. But as the 2009 season approaches its final stretch, which teams are true contenders and which are merely pretenders hiding behind a mask and weak schedules?

With no playoff in place for college football, many teams’ fate are left at the mercy or arbitrary polling and computer formulas. Unlike any other sport, only two teams have a chance to play in the title game. You can tell your daughters and your little sisters that there will be no Cinderella after Halloween this year, at least until March Madness rolls around. Several teams, however, will need to keep their beauty pageant contestant costumes ready if they play to make it to the big game. Here is a list of pretender vs. contender for teams who have a decent shot at making the BCS Title Game through week 8:

Contenders:

Florida #1: the Gators have one ranked team left on the schedule (@ #22 South Carolina) but they also play tough games against UGA and Florida State. A matchup with the winner of the SEC West, either Alabama or LSU, will most likely decide which SEC team will play in the BCS Title Game. The Gators will definitely be the better team in every game they play until the SEC Title Game, which could go either way. But at this point, the Gators are as real as it gets.

Alabama #2: the tide squeaked out a win against Tennessee to remain undefeated in week eight. A loss would have been devastating to the tide’s national championship ambitions. It won’t get much easier for bama this week as they host #9 LSU (a game which will decide who represents the SEC West in the title game. Bama just seems to have an answer for every question their opponents pose this year.

Texas #3: The Longhorns face their toughest remaining test this weekend when they travel to #14 Oklahoma State. Coly McCoy, although not as gaudy as last year, is putting up some impressive numbers (1806 yards and 14 TDs). Other than the game against Oklahoma, the ‘horns have scored at least 34 points in each of their games and have held opponents to 20 points or less in six of their seven contests so far. While this weekend will likely forecast the team’s fate, Texas certainly looks like they are on their way to the BCS Title Game.

USC #5: anytime USC is in the top five of the BCS standings before December, there is a good chance the Trojans will keep climbing to the top. A tough remaining schedule for USC has its advantages (impressing voters with potential quality wins over #10 Oregon, #20 Arizona, Arizona State, Stanford, and UCLA) and disadvantages (risk of losing to any of those capable squads). While it will be tough to justify a one loss USC over an undefeated team currently in the top 3, the Trojans still have a shot. And if they get chance, the talent and coaching at USC makes them a contender.

Cincinnati #8: I’ve been saying this for weeks now: Cincinnati is sneaky good. Although they are no longer flying under the radar, the Bearcats continue to impress voters. While averaging 40.7 points per game and holding opponents to 13.7 points per game, Cincinnati has been dominant all year (their closest victory being an 8 point win against Fresno State). Like USC, the Bearcats will need a loss or two from the current top three teams to continue to climb the BCS standings. The schedule looked a lot easier earlier in the year than it does now for Cincy: #21 West Virginia and #15 Pittsburgh, still on the schedule, have been shockingly good thus far. If the Bearcats run the table in the Big East (and win an out of conference matchup against a struggling Illinois team), it will be tough to keep them out of the national championship picture.

Pretenders:

LSU #9: Let me start by saying that LSU and Alabama could easily swap roles if LSU comes away with a win this week. However, LSU has been far too consistent on offense to be considered a true contender at the moment. With a subpar performance against Mississippi State and only scoring 3 points against Florida, LSU has shown that they don’t necessarily bring their A-Game week in and out. When they do, LSU is tough to beat. The problem is, LSU still has to play #2 Alabama, #25 Ole Miss, and a tough Arkansas team, as well as Florida in the SEC Championship game (assuming they make it that far). That is a rough gauntlet for an unfocused team that doesn’t play to its potential every week.

Boise State #7: The Broncos have been getting an awful lot of mileage out of a week one win against Oregon (at home). Climbing to #7 without playing a ranked team or even so much as another BCS conference opponent is a little ridiculous for Boise State. I understand that they will most likely be undefeated, but to justify an appearance in the BCS Title Game with that schedule is almost impossible. I wouldn’t feel bad about BSU getting left out in January.

TCU #6: TCU deserves more respect than Boise State, having played Clemson, Virginia, BYU and still Utah remaining on the schedule. But there is really only room for one BCS buster, and an undeserving Boise is standing in the way of the Horned Frogs. Almost zero percent chance TCU gets the chance to win a national title this year.

Iowa #4: There is just something about this team that I can’t buy into. A last second win over Michigan State, barely beating Northern Iowa and Arkansas State, and an overall weak schedule (Penn State and Ohio State are the only teams they’ve faced who will be ranked at the end of the year): I’m just not sold on the Hawkeyes. On Tuesday came news that their starting RB is out for the rest of the year and their best offensive lineman is also out for an extended amount of time- its going to be an uphill battle for the Hawkeyes. Iowa is sitting pretty at #4 in the current BCS standings, but a November 14^th visit to Ohio State will most likely change that.

Oregon #10: The Ducks offense came to life after an embarrassing (in more ways than one) showing in Boise. Its better to lose early in the world of college football, so the Ducks got that one right. Just as Oregon is gaining back respect, USC is on the docket this weekend. It doesn’t get much easier after this week as Oregon still must play Arizona State and Oregon State at home, as well as Stanford and Arizona on the road. Better crank up the “quack, quack, quack” underdog chant if Oregon has a prayer of making it through the rest of the year unbeaten.

Georgia Tech #11: The only team outside of the top 10 that I decided to include and here is the reason: Tech is sitting at #11 with an extremely manageable remaining schedule, probably easier than any of the top 10 teams. With home games against Wake Forest and Duke and road trips to Vandy and Georgia, there isn’t a huge challenge left for the Jackets. They have a long, long way to move from 11 to 2 in just four games, but if the chips fall right, I think Tech is capable (but not likely) of contending for a title. If they win out, they could very well be a one-loss ACC champ stuck on the outside looking in. That is, unless a few miracles happen.

Here are my picks for the week (winners in bold):

UNC @ VA Tech (Thurs)

West VA @ USF (Fri)

USC @ Oregon

Texas @ OK State

Mich @ Illinois

Mich State @ Minnesota

UGA @ Florida

South Carolina @ Tennessee

Ole Miss @ Auburn

EMU @ Arkansas

Miss State @ Kentucky

Georgia Tech @ Vandy

Tulane @ LSU

Ravens/Vikings Trip Recap

2009-10-22T21:38:00.003-04:00

Despite both of my teams (and my bank account) losing, I had a great trip to Minnesota this past weekend to catch the Ravens play the Vikings. I haven’t been to many NFL games over the years, but the whole experience was definitely my best yet. Here is a recap of the trip:

Thursday (day before leaving): I keep checking the weather every ten minutes or so to see if someone was pulling a joke on me and tricking me into thinking it was actually going to be in the 30’s and 40’s my whole time up north. I begin to dread the arctic freeze ahead (especially with a slight head cold developing thanks to living with 2 other guys who were snotted up all week). I pack my bags and get some sleep so I can dream about a Metrodome filled with purple and a mall big enough to fit roller coasters. Mini-soda, here we come.

Friday evening: Jon, David and I arrive at the airport with plenty of time to grab a bite and a beer before the flight (unlike our fourth companion, Spitty, who missed his flight and would now be arriving early Saturday morning). AirTran decided to give us a little more time by delaying our flight for over an hour. Thanks AirTran, now we have time to hit the Hartsfield-Jackson International hotspot known as “Last Call” for a few more pints. A few more $6 pints of Budweiser and we are playing the “recap the NFL draft” game where I quiz Jon and DQ about past NFL draft orders, schools and teams. This is entertaining for at least 45 minutes, especially for the old guy next to us who was conspicuously eavesdropping. I could tell he knew a few of the answers that were bugging the other two contestants, but he kept mostly to himself. I don’t think we ever declared a winner to the NFL draft game, but we definitely all tied in the draft beer game: 4 pints down before the flight.

We finally board the plane, have a successful takeoff, and anxiously await the in-flight beverage service, always a must when traveling on a weekend evening.

Saturday morning: we wake up early to pick Spitty up from the Airport and decide to head to the famous Mall of America. When pulling up to the mall, I was underwhelmed with the exterior size of the mall. I was expected a building I couldn’t see from end-to-end. But once I got inside and saw the rollercoasters and rides, along with all of the different levels with escalators and elevators everywhere, I appreciated it vastness. The highlight of this trip: cameo appearance by Sully Sullenberger. That’s right, the guy who had an emergency plane landing in the Hudson River. He was doing a book signing at the mall and Dave spotted him right away (from 5 stories by nonetheless). Tried to find some cool Ravens gear at the mall, but supplies were limited. Time to eat anyway.

We hopped in line at Hooters inside the mall. After checking out the waitresses (and a little future event planning) we decided to pass up Hooters and went for a local sports bar which was pretty solid. After lunch we hit a small hole-in-the-wall type bar called Jerseys to kill some time before our next stop. Here, we had a group debate over how hot the bartender was. I was giving her a 7-7.5, others in the group lobbied for as high as 9. Eventually, I talked a few of them down into the 7.5-8 range (counting this as a victory for myself and my flawless rating system). Next we visited an establishment known as the King of Diamonds (more fondly to the locals as “K.O.D.”). This establishment didn’t open until 3:30 PM and had a nice $1 beer happy hour until 5:30.

When we arrived at 3:28PM, there was literally a line of gentlemen waiting to get in. Our group decided that we had to wait in the car because waiting in a line to get into a place like that at 3 in the afternoon would have (hopefully) been a low point for all of us. We enjoyed our happy hour beers by the tableful (15 at a time for the group, which was growing at this point) and headed back to the Quick house for a family event. Nothing like a family cookout after an early afternoon drinking marathon. After some nice Minnesota home cooking (and some more adult beverages), we ended up hanging around and watching sports the rest of the night: Gators cheated and won, Auburn lost, Yanks won in extras- terrible sports evening for me. I was ready for some live NFL action.

Sunday, earrrrrrrrrrrrrrrly.- awake and ready for some tailgating. We load up the minivan and we’re at the Metrodome by 8A.M. Breaking news: it is cold in Minnesota in October at 8 A.M., really cold. Most of my initial thoughts when we started tailgating were about how cold I was and that I couldn’t wait to get inside that dome. After a few beers, a little more sunshine, and tossing the football around, my blood starting flowing and it was more bearable. But still cold! We had fresh hamburger meat with no preservatives or any of that junk in it- straight from a farm in South Dakota, courtesy of our weekend host’s family farm. Damn good hamburger. We ran into a few Ravens fans, but mostly just Viking after Viking after Viking. One guy had a nice 30 rant about me being a murderer for wearing a Ray Lewis jersey. That was awkward for everyone around for sure. But hey, someone has to be “that guy.”

The Game: I don’t want to talk about it, you know what happened. Stupid kickers! At least we had some good seats and saw a great comeback (even though it fell short). Quick notes: Ray Rice is nasty, AP is crazy fast in real life, Favre really is impressive (and yet so underrated- someone should really give him some credit every now and then), and the fans in Minnesota are, except for the idiots behind us, pretty nice. Here’s a look from our seats:

After the game we grabbed some dinner and a few more drinks and headed back to the house where we hatched a genius plot: going to the casino after drinking for 12 straight hours. This has to work out well, right? It actually did for everyone in our group, besides me.

Late Sunday night: The Casino

My blackjack experience paralleled that of the Ravens/Vikings game that I attended earlier in the day: got killed early on, had a huge comeback, but still came up short. The Karma never got off on the right foot in the early stages of the night for me. Karma is the most important thing going for you at blackjack table- it can affect your confidence which can affect the way you play the game. Its just a very powerful part of playing cards, and once someone messes it up, you need to walk away. But through my stubborn (read: intoxicated) state, I decided to ride it out. After all, 21 has its swings that you must endure too, even with good Karma. I got down to my last few chips, finally moved tables (way too late) and lost the rest of my chips. Not to be deterred by temporary setbacks such as this, I reclaimed additional chips and started over at a new table where I actually did pretty well.

Jon and I were playing two hands each and making some decent money, but we were both absolutely exhausted. I was ready to call it a night, but I knew that we couldn’t drag the other members of the group away from the table for at least another hour, so we had to suck it up. As the dealer finished the shoe for about the 15^th time Jon gave me this look like Rudy to the sidelines, asking his coach “WHAT DO I DO?!?”, so I flashed back the inspiring nod/arm wave and give him the old “STAY ON” routine. And stay on we did, long enough for Jon to earn some big time interest on a few borrowed bucks from Spitty. I was still digging out of my original hole, but there was light at the end of the tunnel. That is until Karma killer sat at our table and insisted on playing on of the two hands that Jon had in front of him. I’m telling you, these things really do affect the flow of the game. The winning became less and less frequent until we decided to walk away, Jon up big and me down still from my earlier massacre. Still good solid 5 hour blackjack session that I’ve been needing for quite a while now (Vegas this spring/summer anyone?!)

Highlight of the night for me: I was playing slots with a few long singles that I had left over and I was down to my last pull. I bet my remaining balance (around 60 cents or so) and pull the trigger. Lights start flashing, the machine starts making this insanely loud noise (and keep in mind I’m the only one playing on any of the slots around and there are about 12 people playing blackjack nearby, including Dave and Spitty, so its pretty quiet in the room). Everyone looks over in excitement upon hearing the noise. I look down and notice that my big “winnings” were…… 25 cents. Still, I wasn’t going to pass up this opportunity with flashing lights, big sounds and everyone watching me; I stand up and yell “ I WON!” to which everyone of course asked how much. I yelled “I WON, I WON!” a few more times before finally revealing that it was only a quarter. Everyone got a kick out of that. What a tease that slot machine was. Overall, it was a fun casino outing.

After finally getting to bed after a 16 hour booze/football/gambling bender (and still feeling the effects, by the way) we headed home on Monday afternoon. My total damage for the weekend: 1 Auburn loss, 1 Ravens loss, Phils/Yanks (two teams I hate) closing in on the world series, lost money playing blackjack, extreme exhaustion, but tons of great memories and an overall awesome roadtrip (can you still call it that if you fly?). I love football season.

Like the Ravens, I’m taking a week off (from making picks). I hope you don’t squander your nest egg without my expert advice. At least you know the refs won’t let Florida lose, so go ahead and bet everything on the Gators moneyline this week. Until next time, happy watching.

College Football: Week 7

2009-10-14T17:13:00.005-04:00

What's good for the goose is what's good for the gander. So what is the gander? Obviously, its the goose that got the switcheroo pulled on it....... anyone?

Alabama pulled the switcheroo after pollsters voted for the tide to jump Texas to claim the #2 spot in the AP poll. A lot of people are trying to make a big deal out of it, but since they will have to play Florida (assuming) in the SEC Championship Game, Texas is safe as long as they win out. I also expect Texas to reclaim the #2 spot if they can manage a win against Oklahoma this weekend -- big game for both teams.

There is a slew of great games this week. And since I'm short on time (who knew working was so time consuming) and I'm heading to the arctic freeze in Minnesota to go to the Ravens/Vikings game, I'll simply leave you with my picks:

Cincy @ South Florida

Pitt @ Rutgers

Oklahoma @ Texas

Iowa @ Wisconsin

USC @ Notre Dame

Minnesota @ Penn State

VA Tech @ GA Tech

Missouri @ OK State

UGA @ Vandy

MS State @ MTSU

Arkansas @ Florida

UAB @ Ole Miss

Kentucky @ Auburn

South Carolina @ Alabama (in a close one)

College Football: Week 6

2009-10-06T11:04:00.005-04:00

Another glorious week of college football has come and gone, filled with more drama and excitement than a Gene Hackman movie. Why Gene Hackman? He is unofficially the actor who has been in the most movies ever. So this week, I am going to compare some teams/players to the corresponding Hackman flick.

Absolute Power - Texas Longhorns/Alabama Crimson Tide
There are a similarities between these two top 3 teams- for starters, neither team has been tested yet. Sure, the Tide had a semi-close game against the Hokies in week one, but they still dominated that game (and VA Tech has looked unbeatable since). Neither Texas nor Alabama have had team closer than 10 points in the final score. Both teams have scored at least 34 points in every game so far. Both teams boast very strong defenses that should enable them to have no problem winning if they can continue to score 34+ points per game. Both teams have four ranked teams left on the schedule, two at home and two on the road (kinda for Texas). There are no games on either teams' schedule that look un-winnable. Alabama and Texas have absolute power in controlling their own destiny, and their march to the BCS Championship Game.

Under Suspicion- LSU Tigers
LSU has looked extremely vulnerable during their 5-0 run to begin the season. Most expected blowouts, even on the road, against Washington and Mississippi State. After squeaking out a win in Athens, LSU will have to prove that it belongs among the elite teams by hanging with the Florida Gators this weekend.

Heartbreakers- Oklahoma Sooners
The Sooner faithful have to be deflated. Most experts and fans thought the Sooners would basically walk into the BCS Championship Game again this year. Losing in week one and losing your Heisman quarterback were bad enough. Losing an out of conference game for your 2nd loss, with Texas, Oklahoma State, Kansas, Texas Tech, and Nebraska still on the schedule- heartbreaking. The Sooners are the only ranked team with two losses- but don't expect a BCS appearance from the consensus #2 team to start the year.

The Replacements - Florida State

Jimbo Fisher better be ready, in a hurry, because it looks like Bobby Bowden's reign is nearing its end in Tallahassee. The 'Noles have suffered an extreme fall from grace over the past few years. Fisher can only hope his replacement players, coaches and philosophy can get FSU back to a national (even though they'd probably settle for state) powerhouse.

Mississippi Burning - Ole Miss Rebels

The Rebels were the #4 team in the nation two weeks ago. This week they will host the #3 team in the country, Alabama. Jevan Snead isn't living up to expectations and the defense hasn't looked like it did in the second half of 2008. A loss this weekend could send the Rebels into a free fall, with a schedule that is not getting any easier.

Enemy of the State - Lane Kiffin

102,000 people can get really, really loud during a football game. During a home loss to Auburn this past weekend, Vols fans weren't loud enough to cause any false start penalties or big miscues on offense for Auburn, but they sure got loud when they booed Jonathan Crompton. The 2nd loudest moment of the night came when Crompton finally completed a pass for a first down after 7 straight incompletions and the crowd sarcastically cheered. The real boos may not have been for Crompton, but for the playcalling and decision by Kiffin to leave Crompton in the game. The Tenneessee fans are quickly losing their temper with Kiffin. The Vols look like they are heading for a losing season and watching bowl games from home. With a lot of seniors graduating, Kiffin is not impressing many people in Knoxville. Expect the boos to continue for a while.

Superman - Tim Tebow

Really, I'm actually doing this? If only Gene Hackman, as Lex Luthor, would have known that the only real kryptonite for Superman was his own player's knee to the back of the head. That would have been much easier than trying elaborate bank heists and joining forces with terrorists in attempts to destroy the Eiffel Tower. Can a concussion really keep Tebow from the biggest game of the year for Florida? Nope.

Heist - Boise State Broncos

As previously discussed on the blog, Boise is well on their way to a BCS Bowl. It is simple robbery with their remaining schedule. They will not be tested again until the post season. We will see if they deserve the high ranking or if they took advantage of the vulnerable polling process.

Postcards from the Edge- Maryland Terrapins

Just when I thought the Terps were one of the worst ten teams in all of D-1A football, they bust out an ACC win over Clemson. I was worried that the Terps were very, very close to the edge after losing to Middle Tennessee State and barely beating D-1AA James Madison. For now, Ralph Friedgen can step back from the edge.

Extreme Measures- Oregon Ducks

After dropping a road game at Boise State in week one, Oregon looks like it might be a contender in the Pac-10. Chip Kelly has realized that his team may need LeGarrette Blount, after all, if they want to keep the train rolling. I'm confused because they lost the only game that he played in- a game which he had negative rushing yards. Yet, there is talk of letting him back on the team? Odd decision to me.

Narrow Margin- Miami Hurricanes

A last second dropped touchdown pass against FSU, a one point victory over Oklahoma: the 'Canes fans better have the defibrillator close by. This team is fighting and clawing its way to respect. Even after an embarrassing display against Virginia Tech, Miami is flirting with the top ten. A win is a win, no matter how ugly. I'm sure Randy Shannon doesn't mind winning by one point, or winning at the last second.

Loose Cannons- Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Paul Johnson's offense is capable of dominating a game at times, and at others, not moving the football at all. When the Jackets O is clicking, this team is dangerous.

It was very tempting to use Hoosiers or Crimson Tide to talk about those respective teams, but that was too obvious, and I didn't have anything to say about Indiana football. There were a lot of other good flicks that I had to leave out, because I know you are reading this while at work and you are being unproductive, get back to it! But real quick, here are my predictions for this weekend:

#21 Nebraska @ #24 Missouri (Friday)

Boston College @ #5 VA Tech

Purdue @ Minnesota

#15 OK State @ Texas A&M

Wisconsin @ #9 Ohio State

#13 Oregon @ UCLA

Connecticut @ Pittsburgh

#22 Georgia Tech @ Florida State

Michigan @ #12 Iowa

Georgia @ Tennessee

Vanderbilt @ Army

#17 Auburn @ Arkansas

Kentucky @ #25 South Carolina

Houston @ Mississippi State

#3 Alabama @ #20 Ole Miss

#1 Florida @ #4 LSU

Okay, one more:

Get Shorty - Nick Saban

Get it? He's short.

Quick Sunday Morning Thoughts

2009-10-04T10:25:00.003-04:00

-AJ Green is the best receiver in the SEC, one of the best in the nation

-Speaking of receivers, a guy that pretty much no one knows about, Eric Decker from Minnesota, is putting up ridiculous stats. The guy is good- look him up

-Charlie Weis is awful. No more than two years left at ND

-Lou Holtz needs to be told to quit being the biggest Notre Dame homer ever on the air at ESPN. If I have to listen to him tell me how good ND is after they barely beat Washington, at home, I might lose it

-LSU continued its mediocrity with a narrow road win in Athens. The Tigers look very vulnerable and will most likely be exposed when the Gators come to town next weekend

-If Oklahoma is still ranked, the AP Poll needs to be gone. There are enough zero and one loss teams that deserve to be ranked, yet the Sooners will probably still be in the 20's

-- And now its Sunday, time for some NFL. Speaking of NFL, the 2010 draft will probably be one of the better draft classes in a long time

Happy Watching

College Football Week 5 Preview

2009-10-02T09:31:00.002-04:00

Hard to believe its already week five of college football. There has already been a great deal of shakeups in the polls and some dramatic injuries to key players. A few teams will be looking ahead to next week when we will see some marquee match ups across the nation (Florida @ LSU, Michigan @ Iowa, Alabama @ Ole Miss). But this week should give us a few good games as well. Here is what I'll be watching:

Pittsburgh @ Louisville: the Big East continues to be less and less impressive. I think Pittsburgh has the potential to dominate that league but they aren't quite there yet. Still think they beat Louisville.

Michigan @ Michigan State: the Wolverines are hot right now. Tate Forcier (and the rest of the young Wolverines) haven't played an away game yet- so this will be a mental test, but Michigan should win this one.

Wisconsin @ Minnesota: the Gophers are much improved from the previous decade, but still lack the overall talent and depth to hang with the big boys of the Big-11 (if you can call Wisconsin a big boy). Badgers beat the Gophs.

Clemson @ Maryland: sad to say, but the Terps have to be one of the worst 10 teams in division 1-A football. Clemson wins big.

Alabama @ Kentucky: do I really need to say anything about this one? Bama big.

LSU @ Georgia: this game is very, very important to both teams. Neither can afford to lose a conference game this early. Is LSU looking ahead to Florida next week? Probably not- I think they are out to prove that they deserve that #4 ranking. Solid road win for the Bayou Bengals.

--- Scary that I've picked all road teams so far, that's never a good sign.......

Washington @ Notre Dame: the Huskies got too much credit for a bad Trojan habit. Jimmy Clausen, the ostrich, has a big game and leads the Irish to victory (and a win for the home team, whew!)

Florida State @ Boston College: snoozer. I don't know why ESPN College Gameday is going there. I couldn't really care less about this meaningless game- but hey why not go with the noles to complete the self destruction- BC wins.

South Carolina State @ South Carolina: for my dedicated readers/ hardcore Gamecock fans- I really hope you guys don't play down to ScarSt's level in this one. You're almost ranked now, hang in there and win big this week.

Georgia Tech @ Mississippi State: Tech should struggle in this one- Miss State has shown a lot of improvement under Dan Mullen (almost knocked off LSU last week). I think the Bulldogs figure out how to shut down Tech's option attack and come away with a solid victory.

Auburn @ Tennessee: Auburn will face its first road test and the best defense it has opposed this year. This battle will be won in the trenches, with both teams stacking the box. Auburn's secondary vs. Jonathan Crompton and Chris Todd vs. Eric Berry- I think we'll see 6 combined interceptions this week. Get ready for the turnover battle to begin! Auburn is young in a lot of positions and Todd didn't play well on the road last year. I have to give the edge to the Vols.

USC @ California: Cal has to be happy that they are playing back at home since they don't even bother showing up on the road. USC should be re-focused on being an elite team. The Stafon Johnson incident will probably give them something extra to play for this weekend (as if the Trojans need it). USC wins on the road.

Oklahoma @ Miami: the Sooner offense, sans Bradford, appears to be coming together. They aren't the OU offense of 2008, but they should be able to outscore the 'Canes.

While there are some quality games this week- I am glad I'm not coaching or playing this week, because I'm definitely looking forward to next week already. The top 5 will be shaken big time in the next two weeks, guaranteed.

Happy Watching.

College Football Week 4 Recap

2009-09-29T09:59:00.008-04:00

Dream big, college football fans.

This could be the year that the system finally destructs. This could be the season that proves how broken the BCS truly is. There is a scenario in place that could exploit the flaws that have been so well documented, yet unchanged, since the inception of the Bowl Championship Series system in college football. Bear with me here:

Boise State (now ranked #5 in the nation) is poised to be a huge BCS buster. If the Broncos remain undefeated, they could very well be on their way to a top two ranking in the AP poll. With losses guaranteed to at least two of the current top three teams, Boise State is going to move up at least two slots. If Sam Bradford comes back healthy and gets the Sooner offense back on track, Oklahoma could knock off Texas. That means we could potentially see Boise State ranked as the #1 team in the AP poll. I realize that this scenario is a long shot, but it is far from inconceivable. It will be interesting to see how the computers like Boise when the BCS rankings are released. For the record, I don't think we will see the Broncos in the BCS Championship Game, but I certainly expect that they will make one of the BCS bowl games.

Here is the scenario I am hoping for, just imagine: Florida loses to LSU (Alabama moves to #2, LSU #3, Boise State to #4). Alabama beats LSU (Bama to #2, Boise to #3). Texas loses to Oklahoma (Bama to #1, Boise to #2). Alabama loses to Florida in the SEC Championship Game and drops down, Boise State moves to #1. A strong Florida team that had a midseason road loss to the #3 team in the nation is still regarded as a top 2 team and gets re-ranked as #2 or #3 after winning the SEC. A one loss Oklahoma team (who lost early enough to climb back up the polls) has enough momentum to be ranked #3 after winning the Big-12. So now we have #1 Boise (undefeated), #2 Florida (one loss) and #3 Oklahoma (one loss). The computers, not thrilled with Boise State, launch Florida and Oklahoma to the top. Now we have an undefeated #1 team in the nation left out of the BCS Championship Game. If THAT isn't the catalyst that will change the system in college football, I don't know what will finally cause the revolution.

But I digress. It is fun to think about these scenarios, but everything would have to go just right for it to happen. Hell, even if everything does fall into place to expose how awful the BCS really is, that still doesn't guarantee any changes. We have seen the system at its worst (2004 Auburn/Utah and 2006 Michigan, for example) without any major changes to the system. We can hope and dream all day long for Boise State to lead the revolution, but I don't see it happening. So let's talk about what is actually happening in the world of college football.

No cupcake Saturday turned out to be exactly what I was expecting- we saw four top 10 teams lose (#4 Ole Miss, #5 Penn State, #6 Cal and #9 Miami) and three other ranked teams also come out with an L in week four. Florida, Texas and Alabama are the clear cut top three at this point in the season. Filling out the remaining top 10 slots is an arbitrary process at this point which looks like it could change from week to week for the remainder of the season. Boise State, TCU, and Cincinnati could potentially be fixtures in the top 10, but it is likely that at least one of those teams will slip up and lose a game.

Cal proved once again that they can't win Pac-10 road games with an embarrassing 42-3 loss at Oregon. The loss was bad enough to slide Cal all the way from #6 to a #24 ranking, which is probably generous. Penn State also showed that they have a new daddy named Hawkeye. Daryll Clark has looked good for PSU, until this week when he threw 3 picks and completed only 12 of his 32 pass attempts. The Big-Ten (11) is going to be an interesting race this year, especially with Iowa with a strong 4-0 start and the resurgence of a Michigan team that looks like it could wreak havoc on conference opponents (especially those who can't score many points, cough cough Ohio State cough Penn State).

The SEC continues to be the dominant conference in terms of rankings. Even with Ole Miss sliding down the charts, three of the top four teams are from the SEC. Florida obviously has to be worried about the status of Tim Tebow. Even with a solid backup in John Brantley, the Gators need Tebow with a tough conference schedule upcoming. Superman's vulnerability has never before been witnessed by his teammates or anyone else in the college football world. Luckily for the Gators, this is an off week before a tough road test in Baton Rouge in week six. Lucky might just be on the Gators side after all: if there were ever a time for Tebow to go down, that was it. With two weeks to heal and prepare for LSU, the Gators should be firing on all cylinders in what could be the game of the year between highest ranked opponents (provided LSU can beat UGA in Athens this weekend).

I wonder how many injuries there were from fans and media jumping off the Miami bandwagon after an embarrassing 31-7 loss for the 'canes in Blacksburg on Saturday. Jacory Harris didn't help his darkhorse Heisman bid with a 9 for 25, zero TD, one interception performance against the Hokies. Virginia Tech finally figured out how to use Tyrod Taylor! I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the final box score- Taylor completed 4 of 9 passes for a TD and 98 yards, but he ran 10 times for 75 yards. PERFECT game plan for Taylor. You don't want this guy throwing the ball more than 20 times per game. VA Tech finally let their running game carry them to victory, rushing for a total of 272 yards. Let's see if Beamer is wise enough to continue this strategy or if he is dumb enough to think Taylor can be a true QB and put the team on his back with the passing game. No, Frank, don't do it!

Houston won their toughest test left on the schedule against Texas Tech on Saturday. The Cougars could very well sneak into the BCS as well this year. All sorts of chaos await us, how exciting. BYU also won again and will most likely continue to slowly climb the polls.

Bobby Bowden, its time to retire, seriously. This Florida State team is the very definition of night and day. I don't even know where to begin fixing the problem in Tallahassee. Bobbo, you're not going to catch JoePa after you had to vacate the wins for cheating, its time to concede the all-time win record and do yourself, and ultimately the FSU fans and football, a huge favor and retire at the end of the year.

Washington proved that, while it is a very improved team from last year, they were a one hit wonder in beating USC. UW could still very well win a few Pac-10 games (after all, Cal has to play at Washington so go ahead and chalk a W in for the Huskies in that one).

Missouri and Auburn, both 4-0, are the top two vote getters outside of the top 25. Both of the Tigers are the only undefeated, unranked teams. Meanwhile, there are 14 teams with one loss who are ranked ahead of the two BCS conference schools. Both of these teams have historically been good football programs and both have made BCS appearances within the past 5 years. Yet, non-BCS programs and teams with one loss (a few to unranked opponents) are ranked higher than Mizzou and Auburn. Expectations for both programs were very low to begin the year, and apparently the voters are unimpressed with the pair of 4-0 starts. Both teams will have their chance to prove they belong this upcoming week when Mizzou travels to #14 OK State and Auburn travels to Knoxville to play the Vols. I guess it is true that respect isn't given, it is earned. Time for both Tigers to earn some respect.

One more thing to add: "Minnesota beat Northwestern to win their first conference game as David predicted".

I'll have a week 5 preview out tomorrow- in the mean time, have fun dreaming about a world with no BCS, or at least a college football system so engulfed with chaos that it is forced to make some drastic changes.

Sweet dreams.

College Football: Week 4 Preview

2009-09-23T10:42:00.007-04:00

No cupcake Saturday has arrived.

The term "Separation Saturday" is typically used by the media at some point during October or November to describe a day of college football in which we will figure out which teams rise to the top and which will begin to fall. While this Saturday will most likely not divulge any insight to conference champions, the polls could see a major shake up after Saturday's games. There is an insane number of ranked teams playing games that could easily go either way. The word "parity" might become extremely overused by myself (and the media) during the course of the 2009/10 season. As I said in an earlier post (http://xmarcspot.blogspot.com/2009/09/college-football-week-2-recap.html), this season reminds me of 2007- a season which could, and most likely will, produce some unexpected conference champions and top seeded rankings over the duration of the year.

Florida and Texas have looked decent in their first three games, but neither looked like a clear-cut national champion to me. During USC's dominating run in the early 2000's, it seemed like every week they had final scores of 62-7. Florida was absolutely dominating in most games last year. This year, there is a certain vulnerability with just about every team in the top 25. Five of the preseason top 10 teams have already suffered a loss, two in the top four. Alabama (current #3 and preseason #5) actually looks like it might be the best team in the nation at this point. Even though they played a tough Virginia Tech team at a neutral site, bama's schedule after that has been a joke, not even a funny joke- one of those jokes that you kind of sit there and stare at the person after they say it and wonder if they actually thought it was funny before it came out of their mouth. Florida International and North Texas are much different from Florida playing Tennessee or Texas playing Texas Tech, but the tide did beat VA Tech, so I have to give them some credit.

Taking a look at the slate of games for this week, there honestly isn't one ranked team that I would say with 100% confidence is safe this week. Obviously I'm not picking Kentucky to upset Florida, but my point is that there are no cupcakes this Saturday, how refreshing. Now that we have the tune-up games out of the way we should be getting some really great football. Here is a look at some of the key games this weekend (predicted winners in bold):

Fresno State @ #14 Cincinnati - the Bearcats have a great opportunity to make a major splash in the BCS if they can handle their extremely manageable schedule. Fresno State is no pushover, but Cincy should be able to pull this one off.

South Florida @ #18 Florida State - the Noles have been a mystery this year. After an epic battle with Miami they almost lay an egg at home against Jacksonville State. And then they go and blow out BYU on the road. So which team shows up this weekend? If South Florida didn't lose Matt Grothe, this decision would be a lot harder, but the Noles have a major edge now.

Southern Miss @ #20 Kansas- Southern Mississippi has looked surprisingly good so far. But the Golden Eagles haven't had to deal with a dynamic QB like Todd Reesing who is piling on the yards to go with his 6-1 touchdown to interception ratio to start the year. This should be closer than a lot of people expect. I could see SoMiss winning, but the smart move is to pick the Jayhawks at home.

#22 North Carolina @ Georgia Tech- the Tech offense has hit a wall after impressing the nation since Paul Johnson took control last year and Butch Davis has really done a great job since taking over at UNC. This game should be a great battle but I think Paul Johnson gets the Jackets' offense back on track with a big home win against the 'heels.

Indiana @ #23 Michigan- three years ago no one would give Indiana a chance to win this game. This year, its a little more uncertain, not so much due to Indiana's success, but to Michigan's recent struggles. The Michigan faithful hope that Tate Forcier will continue his early success make sure that the nation has no doubt that the blue will beat teams like Indiana if he has anything to say about it.

#6 California @ Oregon- since Oregon's opening game loss at Boise State the Ducks look like an improved squad. The Ducks knocked off a good Utah team last week. Cal, meanwhile, is gaining momentum behind potential Heisman candidate Jahvid Best. Best has 412 yards and 8 rushing touchdowns through the first three games. I am tempted to pick Oregon at home because Cal has really struggled with Pac-10 road games over the past few years. After I looked up the stats of Jeremiah Masoli, Oregon's quarterback, and saw that he has zero touchdown passes through three games (and completed just 4 passes in a win against Utah last week), I can't go with the Ducks. Oregon will have to augment their one dimensional rush offense if they want to beat a top 10 opponent. Cal should win, although I'm nervous about this pick.

#9 Miami @ #11 Virginia Tech- most likely the game of the week. If Randy Shannon is smart, he is making sure his team isn't listening to all the hype. The Hurricanes are being well publicized, including talk of quarterback Jacory Harris being a potential Heisman candidate. A win in Blacksburg would be huge for Miami. Tyrod Taylor still has a lot to prove as a quarterback- his completion percentage is under 50%, which is fine if he is tearing it up on the ground. But Taylor has just 10 net rushing yards through the first three games. He has to do one or the other particularly well on Saturday if the Hokies want to hold off a hot Miami team who looks like they are focused on bringing the U back to national prominence. I like the 'canes on the road.

Illinois @ #13 Ohio State- I am underwhelmed by the 2009 version of the Buckeyes. I don't think they are the powerhouse that we have seen (during the regular season anyway) over the past decade. That said, they will most likely handle business against the Illini.

#15 TCU @ Clemson- this is the first real test of the season for TCU, and it should be a tough one. Death Valley is not an easy place to win a game, especially for a team that isn't used to playing in that type of environment. Other than one terrible quarter against GA Tech, Clemson has looked like a solid team. TCU better bring their A game, anything less and we are looking an "upset", if you will. I like the Tigers at home.

Colorado State @ #19 BYU- how will BYU respond to the big loss at home last week? Well, I imagine. While an at-large BCS bid will be much harder to come by with a loss on the books, BYU still has plenty left to play for and should take home another W this week.

Iowa @ #5 Penn State- Iowa managed to beat the Nittany Lions in thriller last year in Iowa City. Penn State will surely remember how the Hawkeyes destroyed their national championship aspirations last year and look to come out swinging on Saturday. Daryll Clark has been impressive so far this year, but he will have to take care of the ball against a tough Hawkeye team. JoePa might have to take a potty break in excitement, but I like Penn State this week.

Notre Dame @ Purdue- I dislike Jimmy Clausen a little more every week. Notre Dame makes me nervous, I don't know how to pick this one; is it an upset if Purdue wins? Eh, probably not going happen- Irish should win.

#24 Washington @ Stanford- Washington is a one-hit-wonder. You shouldn't go from 0-12 last year to the top 25 because of one big win. This Washington squad, lead by Jake Locker, is much improved from last year, but they still have a ways to go to be a major player. I like Stanford.

Texas Tech @ #17 Houston- Houston QB Case Keenum has 725 yards and seven touchdowns so far this year. Here's the catch: the Cougars have only played two games. Those are some pretty impressive numbers. That looks like Texas Tech type numbers, only the 2008 version of the Red Raiders. Tech can't keep up with the Houston offense this year.

Washington State @ #12 USC- I'm sure Pete Carroll has his team re-focused after the letdown last week. Trojans will be back with a vengeance.

SEC GAMES:

#4 Ole Miss @ South Carolina - great Thursday night game. South Carolina's offense looks much improved from week one, but the defense looks a little more vulnerable. Jevan Snead should be able to exploit the hit or miss Gamecock defense for a win.

# 7 LSU @ Miss State- Starkville is hardly a home field advantage. Compare that with an 11AM local kickoff time and it is nonexistent. Not that it would matter anyway, LSU will win big.

Arkansas @ #3 Alabama- Alabama's reliable defense will be tested this week. Arky QB Ryan Mallet has 717 yards and 6 TDs in just two games (most of which came against the UGA defense). The Hogs are averaging 50 points per game. The Tide have been putting up good numbers on offense, but not quite that of Arkansas. The Alabama defense is the key to this game. This should be a very interesting game which is significant in the SEC West race. I think bama holds on for a close win.

#1 Florida @ Kentucky- Not an un-winnable game for the Wildcats, especially with the flu hitting the Gators squad. But, the Florida bench players are still better than most of the UK starters- Gators win big.

Arizona State @ # 21 UGA-the Sun Devils lost at home to the dawgs last year, but UGA looks a lot more vulnerable than Stafford and Moreno's squad. Still, Georgia has enough talent to handle a mediocre ASU team who hasn't been challenged yet this year.

Ball State @ Auburn- the Tigers continue to impress. The train should keep on rolling with a big win over a winless Ball State team.

Ohio @ Tennessee- the Vols are on a two game losing streak. Kiffin should spend more time on game planning and leading his team in practice than talking smack. There is no excuse for the Vols to lose this game.

Vandy @ Rice- I can't believe an SEC team would travel to Rice, but the Commodores are making the trip. I don't think Rice's home field advantage will compare to what Vandy is used to. This is one of the winnable games on the Commodore schedule.

BONUS COVERAGE: I am experimenting with a new idea this week for the first time, guest bloggers! I asked a friend, and Minnesota sports fanatic, David Quick to give me some insight on the Gophers game this week. Here is what David had to say:

Minnesota @ Northwestern

The Minnesota Gophers will be traveling to Ryan Field to play Northwestern at Noon on Saturday. Both teams are 2-1 and looking to get their first conference win. The last two times these teams have met, the games have gone into double overtime. Both times, the WildCats have come out on top. Northwestern is favored by 2.5, respectively, since they are at home, but I see this game going to the Gophers this time. Eric Decker is showing why he is the best WR no one knows about. In 3 games, he has 27 receptions for 415 yards and 2 TD’s. He has also thrown a touchdown this season. QB, Adam Weber would be lost without Decker, and it showed when Decker went out last week in the last few minutes of the game with an apparent ankle injury. Northwestern seems to be looking better the past couple of years and will make sure to give the Gophers all they got this weekend. Northwestern has better Total Yards, Passing Yards, Rushing Yards, and Points scored this season than the Golden Gophers. However, Northwestern has had an easier schedule and they also lost to Syracuse (even though Minnesota barely beat them as well). Northwestern should pound the ball and control the clock with the running game. They have a slew of talent with Stephen Simmons and Jacob Schmidt. They have 3 RB’s with 2 TD’s each. Minnesota, who usually has one of the best running games in the Big Ten, has been pretty bad this season and needs to step it up to help the passing game (and Decker to not be triple teamed). I see this game def. being a close one (possibly a third double overtime game), but this year the game belongs to Minnesota. Homer in full effect!

Take Minnesota to win straight up, and take over the projected total (48).

Thanks David, good stuff. Homerism is allowable on X Marc's the Spot- but if you are wrong on this one, you will be publicly BOO'd. That said, I agree with your pick.

Final word to Lane Kiffin: spend more time with this instead of talking smack about a team that just beat you:

College Football: Week 3 Recap

2009-09-22T17:26:00.005-04:00

A classic case of good news and bad news: I went 16-2 in college picks but I don't even want to talk about my NFL picks. So for recap sake, I missed Georgia winning at Arkansas and USC going down to Washington. Other than that, I was perfect. I feel pretty good about that. Let's just say that I was not nearly as fortunate with my pro picks this week.

I really wish USC had to climb the polls like the majority of other teams in college football. They lost at least one easy Pac-10 road game every single year. Everyone knows that it is coming and every week there is a discussion on whether this is the week they are going down. Following that huge win at Ohio State was too much for the Trojans. Fortunately for Pete Caroll's squad, they are still ranked high enough to make a BCS appearance if they finish the rest of the year out strong. Other teams are not so lucky.

BYU and Utah, for example, have most likely had their Cinderella dreams crushed with losses to FSU and Oregon, respectively, this week. The polls are so ridiculous some times- a 2-1 Washington team climbs into the top 25 (after going 0-12 last year). Big time win over USC, but come on. This is not a top 25 team, perhaps not even a top 40 team. You want me to believe that Washington is a better team than unranked Missouri, Georgia Tech, Auburn, UCLA, Notre Dame, or Pittsburgh? I'd take any of those teams straight up at Washington. Polls, polls, polls.

Other random thoughts after week 3:

-Miami looks like it might be on its way back to the BCS if they can continue to protect Jacory Harris and let him make plays. The ACC is a very winnable conference this year, and the Hurricanes have stepped up and shown that they are the favorite through the first three games.

-Will Lane Kiffin EVER shut up? You lost, Lane, take it like a man. I have never been a big fan of the Vols, but I am really starting to despise them thanks to Mr. Kiffin. I would be embarassed to have an immature guy like that as the face of my program.

-The SEC West is going to be a very interesting race this year. Alabama, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Auburn and LSU all look capable of competing for the West this year (sorry Miss State). Alabama is definitely the favorite, but with a few breaks, we could see another team rise to the top. Don't be shocked if we see an unusual face in the SEC Title game against Florida this year.

-Texas still has a lot to prove, to me, if not the voters. Sure they started 3-0 and held their top five ranking in the process, but this team hasn't impressed me enough to call them a top five team. But, no one asked me for my vote. I think the Big 12 is another conference where there is no clear cut champion. Parity is rearing its ugly (or wonderful, depending on which side of the fence you stand) face once again in 2009.

-Charlie Weis doesn't have long at Notre Dame. I know I've been mentioning this off and on for a while now, and even though they squeaked out a win against a mediocre Michigan State team, I can't see the Irish winning more than 7 or 8 games this year. That is going to hurt the fan base after Lou Holtz did a horrible job of tempering expectations and picking the Irish to play for the BCS Championship.

-Cincinnati is sneaky good. There is not a ranked opponent on the schedule, which is extremely manageable. If they continue to win they will be in the top five by the end of the year and perhaps in the top two. This team is a major sleeper right now who could sneak into a major BCS bowl.

-Auburn's defense needs to get back to its old form, and in a hurry, if they want to remain undefeated. As the Tigers approach their conference schedule, allowing an average of 22.3 points per game, all against teams who were unranked, will probably not cut it against SEC opponents. The offense continues to impress and has shown that it can win a game on the ground or through the air. But the defense needs to really tighten up if the Tigers want to make a successful run in the SEC in 2009.

It has been a great season so far. We've seen upsets and some amazing games already, and its only week three. Woooooooooooooo!

NFL Week Two Predictions

2009-09-18T14:02:00.002-04:00

Five road teams are favored this weekend in NFL action. The most surprising spread to me was New Orleans being favored in Philly. I'm guessing if McNabb was 100% the Eagles would be at least a 3 point favorite.

Raiders +3 @ Kansas City - KC should cover. Tough to pick games with awful teams

Texans +6.5 @ Titans - I like the Titans by a TD at home. Every year people say Houston will finally be good. Not this year, Titans cover

Patriots -3.5 @ New York Jets - It's hard to go with the Pats on the road after last week, but they always surprise us. Pats cover 3.5

Bengals +9 @ Green Bay - Cincinnati is bad, really bad. I like Green Bay to cover 9

Vikings -10 @ Detroit - Is this a broken record? Detroit is bad, really bad. I like the Vikings to serve up enough points to cover at Detroit

Saints -1 @ Eagles - We could have a shootout on our hands here. If McNabb was healthy I'd easily take the Eagles in this one. Without him, I still think the Eagles cover at home

Panthers +6 @ Falcons - Is 6 the point spread or the over/under on Delhomme interceptions? Falcons cover 6 at home

Rams +9.5 @ Washington - St. Louis is a pretty awful team too. If Washington could get some production at QB, they could be a pretty good team. I think they win, but Rams are within 9.5

Cardinals +3 @ Jaguars - Far trip for the Cards, who didn't look so hot last week. I like the Jags at home

Seahawks +1.5 @ 49ers - Two teams who looked suprisingly good in week one. I think the Seahawks look a little better and cover 1.5 at Candlestick

Bucs +5 @ Buffalo - The Bills fanbase may be the only more deflated group of players than the Bills football team after the disaster on Monday Night Football. I think they look to rebound with a solid effort against a weak TB team, Bills cover 5 at home

Browns +3 @ Denver - Again, two stinkers here. Who plays less crappy? Me thinks the Browns win this one outright- take the points

Steelers -3 @ Chicago - Chicago needs some wide receivers, bad. Steelers, even without Polamalu, should handle the Bears with no problem. Pitts covers

Ravens +3 @ San Diego - West coast trip for the Ravens, always tricky. The Chargers are very banged up. I hate picking Chargers games because I'm usually wrong. So I'm going with Chargers to cover 3 (hope I'm wrong)

Giants +3 @ Dallas - Two teams who will most likely underachieve this year. Can't wait to see the new stadium (sarcasm). The Dallas fans will be pumped up for this one and should fuel a win, Dallas covers at home

Colts -3 @ Miami - Both teams could struggle a bit on offense this year (crazy to say that of a Peyton Manning team, he just doesn't have enough weapons around him). I still think the Colts are at least 3 points better than the Dolphins, even on the road

I like these a lot better than last week's 8-8. Time will tell.

And Lendale, don't forget your shoes. You got a game agains the Texans to win/cover. Hoorah.

College Football Week 3 Preview

2009-09-17T10:44:00.003-04:00

I know at least one head coach in college football didn't pay attention in history class. Somebody missed Theodore Roosevelt's speech about speaking softly and carrying a big stick.

As Saturday quickly approaches, Lane Kiffin is wishing his feet were a few sizes smaller so they will be easier to get out of his mouth after the Gators get finished pounding the Vols. Lane Kiffin's mouth/ego has written some big checks that his team simply won't be able to cash. I'm sure you've read the quotes 50 times by now, that's probably about 1,000 times less than every Gator football player who has seen the quotes plastered all over the bulletin boards and locker rooms in Gainesville since Kiffin opened his mouth. You can bet the Gators have had this Saturday circled on their calendars for a long time now. I wonder how long it has been since Tennessee was a 28.5 point underdog? I also wonder how much lower the line would have been if Kiffin didn't rattle the giant's cage? Apparently Urban Meyer's vengeance is good for a 10 point swing on the line.

This week features several games where ranked opponents play tough, unranked teams. If the season's trend continues, we will most likely see a few upsets. Thursday night's matchup between Georgia Tech and Miami will provide a frontrunner for the ACC's Coastal division, and most likely produce the favorite to win the conference. Friday night's game between Boise State and Fresno State is a very important game on the national scene, as Fresno represents one of the few remaining teams on Boise State's schedule which could beat the Broncos and prevent them from being a BCS buster once again.

With a 1-1 overall record, UGA is sitting at the top of the SEC East. That status will be greatly challenged this weekend with the dawgs head to Fayetteville to play Arkansas. Caleb King's return should bolster the Georgia offense, but injuries continue to plague the Bulldogs. Georgia continues to lose players seemingly on a weekly basis, making success in the Southeastern Conference an extremely tall task. Along with injuries, Georgia is facing one of the tougher schedules in the nation this year. Every game is critical for the dawgs, and Saturday's contest against the Razorbacks will be a huge test.

Perhaps it is the lack of a marquee game in week 3, but ESPN is really trying to make us care about Texas Tech vs. Texas game. Yes, we all remember the last minute Crabtree touchdown. Yes, we remember the national relevance of the game last year. No, we don't care at all this year. The head Pirate even said that Texas Tech is just another game on Texas' schedule, not a huge game this year. Texas should win this one, big, at home.

While there are no games on the slate for week 3 which should make or break anyone's season, there should be more than enough entertainment. I find it hilarious that the entire nation is not talking about whether the Vols can beat the Gators, but IF the Gators are going to cover the 28.5 points. If Urban has the ball with a 28 point lead with two minutes left, I'm betting he burns those timeouts, a la the Georgia game last year, in attempts to really rub it in Kiffin's face. I, for one, really hope it happens.

Never has a guy with so little success as a coach talked so much trash, especially to a guy who has had so much success as a coach. People say Urban Meyer is one of the bigger jerks in college football. Really? I don't remember him calling out any other teams or coaches in public. I don't remember him sending his entire team out on the field after a touchdown for a classless celebration. I don't remember him being condescending to any other coaches, fans or media (looking at you Mr. Saban). I DO remember Urban Meyer's teams getting it done on the field when it matters, where business in college football is meant to be settled (unless we're talking about the BCS selection process, in which case I need about 30 more pages to discuss that one). The Gators will cover the spread, but only if Meyer wants to. If he is smart, he will get up by 20 and rest the starters. However, the backups may still be able to go for the jugular in this one. I know I'll be watching to end to see if the Gators can pull it off.

Now for the Auburn folk that so lovingly follow the blog- the West Virginia game will be very telling for what kind of team Auburn really has. While most people agree that Auburn's chances of being a nationally relevant team during this rebuilding year are slim, the Auburn Family would love to see a win this week. A loss really won't mean anything for the season, as the Tigers main focus should be on winning some conference games and proving that their new offense can, in fact, succeed in the SEC. Slowing down Noel Devine should be the main objective for Ted Roof's defense. Devine ran all over Auburn last year in Morgantown. The Tiger running attack has been the foundation for success on offense for Gus Malzahn. These teams have both been putting on a show offensively this year. The team that runs the ball and controls the clock the best will be the winner in the one.

How about some picks? Here's what I'll be keeping an eye on this weekend (predicted winners in bold):

GA Tech @ Miami

Boise St @ Fresno St

East Carolina @ UNC

Boston College @ Clemson

USC @ Washington

Nebraska @ VA Tech

Utah @ Oregon

Arizona @ Iowa

Texas Tech @ Texas

Louisville @ Kentucky

Tennessee @ Florida

Louisiana-Lafayette @ LSU

Miss State @ Vanderbilt

SE Louisiana @ Ole Miss

West Virginia @ Auburn

North Texas @ Alabama

Florida Atlantic @ South Carolina

Georgia @ Arkansas

Happy watching.

NFL Week One Recap

2009-09-15T12:09:00.003-04:00

Week one in the NFL got started with a thriller in Pittsburgh and ended with a thriller in Oakland, what a great start to the season. There were a lot of great games, a few upsets, and even a miracle or two. My advice was the avoid the Bengals/Broncos game at all costs. That was good advice until the last 30 seconds of the game (thank you red zone channel for keeping it live for me). Kyle Orton threw a yard hail-mary which was tipped by the Cincinatti defense before being hauled in by Brandon Stokley for an 87 yard miracle touchdown to take the lead with 11 seconds on the clock. I guess it was a good reward for anyone who invested time watching that awful game, or for those who invested money in getting NFL Ticket.

If you went with my picks across the board this week, you went 8-8 (sorry about the juice, hopefully you laid it at a casino and broke even- hey! free entertainment). As for my teaser, my disdain for Boston sports continues. Here are my picks again and the results:

Bengals to cover 4 - wrong (12-7 Broncos miracle play)

Jets +4.5 -correct (24-7 Jets)

Lions +13 - wrong (45-27 Saints)

KC +13- wrong (38-24 Ravens 4th down TD under a minute left)

Cardinals to cover 6.5 - wrong (49ers win outright 20-16)

St. Louis +8.5 - wrong (28-0 Seattle)Atlanta -4 - correct (19-7 Falcons)

Vikes -4 - correct (34-20 Minn)

Colts -7 - wrong (14-12 Indy)

Dallas to cover 6 - correct (34-21 Cowboys)

Skins cover 6.5 - correct (23-17 NYG)

Eagles cover -1.5 - correct (38-10 Eagles)

San Diego covers -9 - wrong (24-20 last minute drive win)

Tenn covers +6.5 - correct (13-10 Steelers)

Green Bay covers -3.5 - correct (21-15 Packers)

Pats cover -10.5 - wrong (25-24 Pats)

Teaser of the week: Dallas +1 @ TB, Pats -4.5 against the Bills, and Minnesota +2 @ Cleveland. Wrong. Don't even want to talk about this one. The Patriots have a knack for disappointing me in week one, the trend continues. Their offensive line better get it together or Tom Brady may be on the shelf again before too long. He sure didn't look like the all-world quarterback that he was pre-injury, at least last night. After I realized that the Pats weren't going to cover I started pulling hard for a Bills upset. Constant disappointment from the Patriots. They are on the inside track to be this years' Chargers for me (a team that screwed up every wager I laid on a game involving them last year somehow).

The Eagles defense was just nasty in week one, forcing five interceptions and recovering two fumbles while holding the Panthers to just 10 points. Everyone is talking about the Eagles offense but it may just be the defense which carries this team to the playoffs. Donovan McNabb suffered a rib injury and will most likely miss some time. The Eagles signed veteran Jeff Garcia for security. Garcia refused to accept a back-up role in Oakland but it looks like he will be either third or fourth string on the Eagles depth chart when McNabb and Vick return to the lineup. I have a feeling Kevin Kolb's days in Philly are numbered. I said it preseason and I think it even more after the first game, I think the Eagles will play for, if not win, the Superbowl this year.

How about Cadillac Williams? What a comeback he had after basically missing two years with knee injuries. Cadillac had 97 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Good to see the guy back on the field after all he has been through, and playing well at that.

And don't look now, but the Ravens finally look like they have an offense. Flacco went 26-43 with 307 yards and 3 TD's (but also had a costly interception that almost turned the game around and needs to improve his pocket presence to make the jump to elite QB status). Ray Rice is running hard and pairs up very well with McGahee out of the backfield. This team looks like a possible contender after week one.

After week one, this is how the league is looking to me:

Teams that look good: Ravens, Falcons, Vikings, Saints, Cowboys, Eagles, Jets

Teams that look bad: Dolphins, Broncos, Bengals, Browns, Lions, Panthers, Texans, Rams

Teams that could go either way: Titans, Steelers, Chiefs, Jags, Colts, Bucs, Redskins, Giants, 49ers, Cardinals, Seahawks, Bears, Packers, Bills, Patriots, Chargers, Raiders

I'm thinking I need to do some extra homework on the NFL this week so I can go better than 8-8 on my picks. I'm feeling better now that I have a little foundation to build on. I'm just glad that football is back and I can spend hours and hours writing, talking and arguing about football related topics. Social life, you can wait until February.

College Football Week 2 Recap

2009-09-13T23:28:00.003-04:00

Week two gave us some good nail biters- GA Tech/Clemson was down to the wire, as was Notre Dame/Michigan, UGA/South Carolina and USC/Ohio State. There are also a few games who's final score is not indicative of the struggle: Jacksonville State was beating FSU, in Tallahassee, with 34 seconds remaining on the clock. That would have probably been the biggest upset of all time (Michigan fans would have rejoiced). Also, Alabama and Texas both struggled mightily early on against extremely inferior opponents (Florida International and Wyoming, respectively), but ended up with a respectable final score.

To me, this year is very similar to 2007 with its extreme parity. Remember when South Florida was #2 in the county? A two loss LSU team snuck into the BCS Championship Game due to the lack of any powerhouse teams who were clearly better than all the rest. I think Florida stands out as the team who can be the exception this year, but the #2 team is a wide open race. If Florida goes undefeated, or suffers just one loss, they are going to march into the title game. The question remains, who will the voters put over the top to challenge the Gators? Most likely USC or Ohio State since the pointless preseason rankings have them in position to handle early losses. I'll be surprised if we see an undefeated team in the BCS Title Game (sorry Boise State and BYU, it just ain't gonna happen).

As for my predictions, I went 9-5 (5-1 on SEC games) in week two, not my best. A few of those I really don't feel bad about (CMU over Mich State, Colorado losing to Toledo) but such is the volatility of college football. Here are the results:

W- Clemson @ Georgia Tech

L-Colorado @ Toldeo

L-Central Michigan @ Michigan State

W- Fresno State @ Wisconsin

W-BYU @ Tulane

L-Notre Dame @ Michigan

W-USC @ Ohio State

L-Stanford @ Wake Forest

L-UCLA @ Tennessee

W- Vanderbilt @ LSU

W-South Carolina @ Georgia

W-Troy @ Florida

W-Florida International @ Alabama

W-Miss State @ Auburn

At least I was right about tOSU going down to USC. Happy to see Tyrelle Pryor lose in the big spotlight, even though his moron of the month award was swiftly stolen by Kanye West (see what I did there?). Michigan could be a dangerous team in a few years: 89 of their players are either freshmen or sophomores. True freshman QB Tate Forcier looked very good against a quick, blitz-crazy Notre Dame defense. I still think this is still far off, but we may be seeing a resume on monster.com that looks something like this:

Name: CONFIDENTIAL

Purpose: Find a head coaching position which allows mediocrity

Experience:

2000-2004 Offensive Coordinator, New England Patriots

Duties: let Tom Brady and Bill Belichek make me look like a genius

2004-2009 Head Coach, Notre Dame

Duties: turned a top tier program into the door mat of college football

Don't feel bad for the guy though, he is the most overpaid coach in college football. You're off the hook, Kirk Ferentz:

1. Pete Carroll, USC	Pac-10	$4,400,000
2. Charlie Weis, Notre Dame	Ind.	$4,200,000
3. Urban Meyer, Florida	SEC	$4,000,000
4. Nick Saban, Alabama	SEC	$3,900,000
5. Bob Stoops, Oklahoma	Big 12	$3,800,000
6. Les Miles, LSU	SEC	$3,800,000
7. Jim Tressel, Ohio State	Big Ten	$3,500,000
8. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa	Big Ten	$3,030,000
9. Mack Brown, Texas	Big 12	$2,910,000
10. Bobby Petrino, Arkansas	SEC	$2,900,000

College Football: Week 2 Thoughts and Predictions

2009-09-10T10:27:00.003-04:00

Week one was pretty solid for college football (check out the review a few posts below). We had games Thursday through Monday, pretty sweet. This week will be a different story. There are not nearly as many marquee games for the sport this weekend. Week two will be remembered for two major games: Notre Dame at Michigan, and USC at Ohio State.

Speaking of Ohio State, props to Tyrelle Pryor for one of the most idiotic, ignorant quotes ever from an athlete regarding forgiveness of Michael Vick. Before I give my additional thoughts, let me just let you read the exact quote:

"I just feel that, uh, I mean he made his mistake, and, uh, I think he just needs more support. I mean, uh, not everybody's the perfect person in the world. I mean everyone does kills people, murder people, and all types, steals from you, steals from me, whatever. I mean, I just feel that people need to give him a chance. I mean I always looked to Mike Vick and I always will, 'cause I still think he's one the best quarterbacks to me and I just love, I love Mike Vick and I look up to him a lot."

WOW. I had no idea that "everyone does kills people." I was wondering why I haven't fit in perfectly with society, I haven't murdered yet. In fact, I dislike murder. Therefore, I dislike Tyrelle Pryor, Ohio State, Michael Vick, and any ignorant person who tries to defend this statement (I'm looking at YOU, guy in the sweater vest). Go Trojans!!!! (end rant here).

On to things actually football related, one big question for the week is how does Georgia respond after losing to Oklahoma State last week? South Carolina won a very close game last week at North Carolina State, but Spurrier always finds a way to be very competitive with the Bulldogs. Georgia really needs to find another playmaker on offense to complement AJ Green, or it will be a long year full of double teams for the sophomore wideout. This game should be a defensive battle.

The battle for the hottest seat in college football is the best day game on Saturday when Notre Dame visits Michigan. Both teams started the year with major question marks and uncertainty, and both looked pretty darn good in week one. Which of the teams will keep the train rolling with a big win in week two and take some stress off of their respective head coach? I don't think either Weis or Rodriguez are in true danger of losing their job, but fans and the media are just waiting for a reason to criticize both of these coaches. Freshman Tate Forcier gets the nod as Michigan's starting QB and he will face a fierce defense for the first time (sorry, Western Michigan). The Fighting Irish and the Wolverines should put on a good show for us, probably the best game of the week.

Clemson visits Georgia Tech tonight in Atlanta. I really think Georgia Tech is a sleeper team that could cause big time problems for any team on their schedule. Paul Johnson's offense has been quite effective and the Tech defense has been able to keep the Jackets in just about every game since Johnson's arrival. I've already said that I am very high on Jonathan Dwyer- if Tech wins 10 games, I suspect he will be in New York for the Heisman ceremony, but won't win (and will only get invited since Bradford is now out of the running- still an honor).

For my quick two cents on Auburn- the Tigers looked pretty solid last week. Mississippi State had a great final score against Jackson State, but were basically given points from ridiculous turnovers. Miss State's offense didn't look too improved from last year, while Auburn appears to be headed in the right direction. As the Tigers begin their conference schedule, keeping the defense healthy will be a HUGE (can't emphasize how big) factor in Auburn's success. There is basically no depth at linebacker, a position which will be tested in a rough, physical manner every week in the SEC. I think Auburn wins this game by two touchdowns and continues to impress critics who are still wanting to talk about last year's disaster. I can safely say that the total points scored in this game will be a lot more than 5.

How about some picks?!?! (winners are in bold)

National Games:

Clemson @ Georgia Tech

Colorado @ Toldeo

Central Michigan @ Michigan State

Fresno State @ Wisconsin

BYU @ Tulane

Notre Dame @ Michigan

USC @ Ohio State

Stanford @ Wake Forest

SEC Picks:

UCLA @ Tennessee

Vanderbilt @ LSU

South Carolina @ Georgia

Troy @ Florida

Florida International @ Alabama

Miss State @ Auburn

Apparently home teams in the SEC are safe by my calculations. I guess we will find out this week if its true that "everybody does kills people" when Jim Tressel tries to burn Pete Carroll with his death stare during the game. I have never liked tOSU, but now I am officially a hater. I'll be wearing Cardinal and Gold for that one, fight on Trojans!!!

NFL Week One Preview

2009-09-09T11:24:00.006-04:00

Ohhhhhhh yes. Time to watch the guys who get paid to play! The NFL regular season gets started this Thursday night when the Steelers host the Titans. I wonder if Clemson @ Georgia Tech is going to put up a fight for ratings? Any excuse I have to NOT watch a Steelers game, I'll take it. It is amazing how many bootleg Steelers' fans there are out there now. They are entering the realm of the Red Sox and Lakers. If I hear one more person explain their allegiance based on "my grandfather was born in Pittsburgh," I'm going to lose it. Maybe the fake rape case against Big Ben will deter a few people from jumping on the bandwagon, but I doubt it.

There is only one problem with the NFL- there are simply too many games on at one time to be able to watch them all. Trust me, we try to watch them all at my house: three tv's and a laptop or two is still not enough. So I'll go ahead and give you my best advice on what to spend your time watching this week. Obviously if you're a Vikings fan, but your probably not since they have the lowest revenue in the NFL year in and year out, you're going to want to watch the Vikings. But if you have no team allegiances, or your team plays on Thursday (shaking my head at you, Steelers fans), here is look at the week one matchups:

Avoid at all costs:

Denver @ Cincinatti: this should be one of the uglier games of the week. While it may be close, because both teams should be pretty awful, I've had my fill of the Bengals through Hard Knocks, and Kyle Orton playing quarterback makes me wonder if I could have made it in the NFL. Pass on this one (if you must, take the Bengals to cover 4 at home).

New York Jets @ Houston: while it may be intriguing to see how Mark Sanchez handles his first NFL start, there is no reason anyone outside of New York or Houston should be watching this one (I do like the Jets +4.5 in this one)

Detroit @ New Orleans: again, it is tempting to watch how rookie Matt Stafford handles his first start, but you can see all that on the highlights. He should do better against the Saints secondary than against most teams this year. We'll see if the Saints offense can pick up where they left off (and I think they can, but I don't like them as a 13 point favorite, take the Lions +13)

Kansas City @ Baltimore: this is tough for me to say, but no one wants to watch this game besides Ravens and Chiefs fans. Baltimore should dominate this game from the beginning against a KC team that has a ton of new faces and personnel. I'll be watching, but I don't expect many people to (I don't think the Ravens will cover 13, but it won't ever be a close game. Take KC +13).

San Francisco @ Arizona: seriously, its the 49ers. Even if they win a few games this year, it won't be fun to watch (I like the Cardinals to cover 6.5 at home in this one, a LOT).

St. Louis @ Seattle: two of the really bad teams from last year. With Hasselback returning to healthy form, the Seahawks should be able to handle a St. Louis team that looks like it is a long way from being any type of contender (i think it is closer than 8.5 though, take St. Louis +8.5)

Watchable for the whole family:

Miami @ Atlanta: sophomore slump or big leap in year two for Matt Ryan? I think the addition of Tony Gonzalez will really add a lot to the Atlanta offense. Miami should be decent this year as well. Definitely a watchable game that could be close (I like Atlanta -4 at home).

Minnesota @ Cleveland: if only there were some offseason headlines to follow about quarterbacks in this game, it might be worth watching. Favre in purple and Brady Quinn, no wait, Derek Anderson, or is it Quinn? I guess we will have to watch and see (give me the Vikes -4).

Jacksonville @ Indy: can Peyton make the Colts a threat to win the Superbowl once again, without Marvin Harrison in the picture? Joseph Addai better get back to his rookie form if that is going to happen (I like the Colts -7).

Dallas @ Tampa Bay: not much appealing about this one, but everyone likes to watch America's team play, right? Tampa's quarterback situation should be a recurring comedic theme this year so I want to be in on the joke early (I like Dallas to cover 6 on the road).

Washington @ NY Giants: did you hear that Plaxico shot himself? And the Redskins tried to shoot Jason Campbell with possible talks of trades and drafting a rookie QB. This is a big game for both teams in week one (I think the Giants win, but the Skins cover 6.5).

Philadelphia @ Carolina: wouldn't we all be reallllllly excited if Vick was playing in this game? No. Why do people even care about Vick at this point? He is a backup, and McNabb is pretty damn good, good enough to make the Superbowl this year, in my opinion (Eagles cover -1.5)

San Diego @ Oakland: the only reason this one didn't get lumped into the "avoid" category is because its on Monday Night Football, although its the late game that most people will fall asleep to. Nothing better than falling asleep to live football!! (San Diego covers -9)

Games you don't want to miss:

Tennessee @ Pittsburgh: first game of the season, Thursday night, defending champs against the team who won the most regular season games last year- should be a good watch (Pitt wins a close one, but Tenn covers +6.5)

Chicago @ Green Bay: this is the Sunday night game and, therefore, must be watched. Jay Cutler's debut as a Bear makes it a little more interesting. I'm looking forward to this one (Green Bay covers -3.5 at home).

Buffalo @ New England: the first Monday Night Football game of the year, how can you not watch? Plus America's most perfect man makes his return to football. Get ready for 8,000 close ups of Tom Brady's knee. Bellicheck will make a statement that the Pats are back (Pats cover -10.5)

Well now that you know what to watch, get out there and do it! Just don't gamble. But, if you must- here is my teaser of the week: Dallas +1 @ TB, Pats -4.5 against the Bills, and if you must take a third team: Minnesota +2 @ Cleveland.

Week 1 Summary

2009-09-08T10:45:00.002-04:00

In case you didn't spend 14 straight hours sitting on the couch with McDonalds and Amstel Light, watching two games on two televisions at a time, I got you covered on week one. I went 16/21 this week on my picks, 11 of 12 on SEC games. I've been told that my bias against Alabama screwed up my perfect run at SEC picks this week. I'm still sticking my idea that breaking in a new quarterback and a rebuilt offensive line against a top 10 opponent, away from home, is enough to pick the other team. Anyhow, here are my misses:

Mizzou beat my pick, Illinois. Again here, I went with the experienced "quarterback" (loose term for this guy) in Juice Williams to beat a Missouri team that was replacing Chase Daniel, who over-performed with his teams the past few years.
BYU over Oklahoma- didn't foresee Gresham and Bradford going down in/before this one. Huge blows to an offense that was an absolute scoring machine last year. I don't feel bad about missing this one.
Cincy over Rutgers- never trust a team from New Jersey
Alabama over Va Tech- I think I covered this in my opening
Miami over FSU- see below

The Miami/Florida State game was an absolute treat for college football fans. I picked FSU simply because of, yet again, experienced quarterback play. Miami was starting a redshirt freshman, backed up by a true freshman (who was destined for a redshirt before the top two backups both transferred two weeks ago). Jacory Harris showed great poise for Miami during the pressure packed 4th quarter. He made some freshmen mistakes, as expected, but managed to keep his team in position to win the game. FSU's returning quarterback, Christian Ponder, played a decent game as well. Jarmon Fortson, FSU wideout, dropped the winning touchdown pass (although it would have been tricky, he should have held on) as time expired. Ponder played a good game but his secondary had one blown coverage after another which allowed Miami to squeak out a win. Never discount experience at the QB position when looking at games, even if you lose a few (as I did this week), most of the time you will be in good shape.

Other week one notes:

I can't imagine a single Buckeye fan that has any fingernails left after a close call with Navy. Lou Holtz says a lot of crazy things, but one thing he was dead on about this week was NEVER open the season with a team like Navy (that option offense is a lot to prepare for, especially since tOSU probably won't see another like it all year). It will be interesting to see how Ohio State does against USC next week after the Navy game.

Greg Paulus did surprisingly well in his debut as a college QB. He didn't necessarily set the world on fire, but he did enough for his team to win if the Syracuse defense didn't get torched in the fourth quarter. He had a lot of short, dump passes and screens which ideal for a guy who hasn't played a down of football in four years. I don't think he'll be going pro, but it was fun to watch.

Jonathan Dwyer is good, really good. Heisman dark horse if Georgia Tech can manage to win a lot of games this year.

The Georgia Bulldogs looked very good on the opening drive against Oklahoma State. And then, for some strange reason that escapes me, they stopped running the football and let Joe Cox go 15/30 for 162 yards, one TD and one interception. Those aren't terrible numbers, but when you go 80 yards and score on the first possession while leaning on your running game, and it works, WHY STOP RUNNING THE BALL?? This is an SEC team that should understand the importance of ball control against an Oklahoma State team that isn't known for its defense. I believe UGA could have won that game if they kept running the ball. But they didn't- so one point for the X-man's prediction.

In a game with zero national relevance, the Auburn Tigers looked much, much improved from last year's 5-7 fiasco. Auburn's offense managed 556 yards of total offense. Wait, really? If you didn't watch the game, which I suspect most who are not Auburn fans did not, you probably want to double check that number. But it is true- the Tigers ran the football for 301 yards, including an outstanding effort from freshman tailback Onterrio McCalebb who ran for 148 yards in his Auburn debut. Chris Todd looked like a new man at quarterback, throwing for 255 yards and two touchdowns with, perhaps the most important stat- ZERO interceptions. Todd will get zero respect from the common football fan after his performance during an injury riddled season last year. But if Todd can continue to build on his performance from Saturday night, this Auburn offense could shock a lot of teams this year. Any time you rush for over 300 yards you are in damn good shape.

The Auburn defense played a decent game, holding Lousiana Tech to 245 yards of total offense and just 13 points, seven of which came on their first possession when a 3rd down pass interference call and 3 facemask penalties gave the Bulldogs 60 penalty yards. Take away that possession and you are looking at a very fine performance from the Auburn defense. My original prediction for this team was 6-6, I think that number could be realistic because of the lack of depth at key positions, but the Auburn Tigers have a chance to drastically increase that number if they can continue to play like they did while nobody was watching on Saturday night.

Week two predictions are on the way- also heads up for some NFL shenanigans. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh, football is back.

Week 1 Predictions

2009-09-03T10:56:00.005-04:00

It is Thursday, September 3rd, which means it is officially gameday for several programs across the nation! Fans will be treated to several games on national television tonight- starting with South Carolina visiting NC State. For those who have ESPNU, North Texas takes on Ball State at 7:30. And then, of course, the ugliest college football game of all time: Oregon at Boise State will be on after USC/NC State.

There are some interesting match ups this week, the most highly publicized being Alabama vs. Virginia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Another big time contest features UGA making the trip to Stillwater, OK to play Oklahoma State at 3:30. The only other game between two ranked teams features BYU at Oklahoma. The Sooners aren't exactly on upset watch, but it isn't completely out of the question for BYU to steal an early season win (though it will be very, very difficult).

I'm interested to watch Greg Paulus make his college football debut when Syracuse hosts Minnesota. That should be worth watching for at least two or three series. Ohio State gets a national tv game against Navy, that one should be over by halftime. It will be interesting to see how Rich Rodriguez handles playing three QBs when Michigan opens against Western Michigan. Michigan needs a good showing on Saturday after the recent struggles and negative publicity we've been seeing. Speaking of struggles, Charlie Weis better bring his A-game on Saturday when Nevada comes to South Bend to play Notre Dame.

On Sunday, #8 Ole Miss visits Memphis in a game that could be closer than many expect. There are a pair of big games on Monday as well: Cincinnati visits Rutgers in a game which should showcase the top two Big East Teams this year. Also on Monday night, Florida State hosts in-state rival Miami. There are enough quality games to keep us very entertained in week one. So, how about some predictions?!

WEEK ONE PREDICTIONS:

National TV Games:

South Carolina over NC State

Boise State over Oregon

Ohio State over Navy

Minnesota over Syracuse

Michigan over Western Mich

Illinois over Missouri

Oklahoma over BYU

California over Maryland

Rutgers over Cincy

Florida State over Miami

SEC Games:

South Carolina over NC State

Kentucky over Miami OH

Tennessee over Western Kentucky

OK State over UGA

MS State over Jackson State

Florida over Charleston Southern

Auburn over La Tech

Arkansas over Missouri State

Vanderbilt over Western Carolina

Virginia Tech over Alabama

LSU over Washington

Ole Miss over Memphis

History on Thursday Night....

2009-08-31T15:10:00.003-04:00

Ladies and gents, we are about to witness the undisputed, ugliest football game in the history of the world.

These uniforms,

on this field,

Prepare yourself. Your eyes will never be the same. Thursday night at 10:15, only on ESPN.

Preseason Top 25 Thoughts

2009-08-27T13:08:00.008-04:00

I am a list person. I like to see lists for rankings and standings. I hate it when websites say "LIST" and then its a bunch of paragraphs explaining each ranking without ever showing the list. Well, here at X Marc's The Spot, you want lists, you get lists:

Preseason AP Top 25:

1. Florida

2.Texas

3. Oklahoma

4. USC

5. Alabama

6. Ohio State

7. Virginia Tech

8. Mississippi

9T. Oklahoma State

9T. Penn State

11. LSU

12. California

13. Georgia

14. Boise State

15. Georgia Tech

16. Oregon

17. TCU

18. Florida State

19. Utah

20. BYU

21. North Carolina

22. Iowa

23. Notre Dame

24. Nebraska

25. Kansas

There are no surprises to me in the top four, but I was a bit shocked to see Alabama ranked #5. Alabama had a disastrous ending to the season with losses in the SEC Championship Game followed by the embarrassing Sugar Bowl blowout against Utah. Combine that with breaking in a ton of new starters (including quarterback) and I see Alabama more as a #10. My next shocker on the list would have to be Ole Miss at #8. Voters are impressed with Jevan Snead and an Ole Miss team that beat Florida last year, but that team finished 9-4. I think the Rebels will be a decent football team, but no where near top 10.

With a little luck along the way, teams like Boise State (#14), TCU (#17) and Utah (#19) are set up to be BCS busters again in 2009/10. I don't think we will ever see the day when those teams play for the BCS Title, but I expect to see one of those teams in a BCS bowl game again this year.

Notre Dame at #23 is an interesting vote. The Fighting Irish finished 7-6 last year. Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate should have pretty good junior campaigns. Despite his ridiculous contract, the seat might be getting pretty hot for Charlie Weis if the Irish don't finish in the top 25 this year. Lou Holtz proved, once again, that he is completely out of his mind by picking the Fighting Irish to play in the BCS Champsionship Game. If that happens, I'll run for Senate (wait a second...).

It should be an interesting battle at the top of the polls. You'd be hard pressed to find a college football fan or critic who thinks we won't see some combination of Florida, Texas, Oklahoma and USC in the BCS Title Game. Florida is the preseason consensus pick to win it all, but it is well documented how tough the road can be in the Southeastern Conference. The Gators have never had an undefeated season in school history. That appears to be the Gators motivation in attempts to avoid complacency. If I were a betting man, if that is, my money would be on Florida to win it all again this year.

I'm really getting pumped for the season to start. I'll have a few more predictions out this week along with my SEC game predictions so that more people can call me a bammer homer when I pick VA Tech to beat the parole tide on Saturday. OUSH!

SEC Preview: Vanderbilt Commodores

2009-08-27T12:37:00.004-04:00

There were celebrations in Nashville last winter, when the Commodores recorded their first bowl victory in over 50 years. If head coach Bobby Johnson hopes to get his team to another bowl game this year, he will have to figure out a way to get some production out of an offense that managed just over 250 yards per game last year.

Sophomore quarterback Larry Smith will be the man in Nashville after winning his first career start in last year's Music City Bowl. However, if Smith struggles, we could see a quarterback controversy with Mackenzi Adams who started three games last year for the injured Chris Nickson. The good news for the starting quarterback is that all five offensive linemen return. Other than that, there is not much to be excited about on offense for a unit that struggled last year. Bobby Johnson hopes some new faces at receiver will increase production.

The Commodores made it to a bowl game last year by leaning on their defense who was quite stingy in 2008. Vandy returns nine starters on the unit that had 30 takeaways last year. While three of the returning starters each had over 100 tackles last season, replacing the teams star cornerback D.J. Moore will be the toughest task. However, another Vandy corner, Myron Lewis, managed to add five interceptions along with five sacks last year for the defense. Lewis will be the anchor in the secondary with Moore heading to the NFL. The defense will once again be the heart and soul of the Vanderbilt football team.

On special teams, there will be a battle for the new starting place kicker spot with Vandy's career leading scorer Bryant Hahnfeldt graduating. The punter position belongs to Brett Upson who was outstanding last year.

Vandy's schedule is typical of an SEC East team: imposing. Road games at LSU, South Carolina, Florida and Tennessee will test the young quarterbacks and new offensive players. Vandy also plays to out of conference road games at Army and Rice, in addition to hosting Georgia Tech. The Commodores must take advantage of home games and try to develop some potency on offense if they hope to return to a second consecutive bowl game.

PREDICTION:

Realistic Best Case Scenario: 7-5

Realistic Worst Case Scenario: 3-9

X Marc's The Spot Predicts: 4-8 (1-7), last place in the SEC East

SEC Preview: Mississippi State Bulldogs

2009-08-25T17:17:00.004-04:00

Bulldog fans in Starkville hope that change is a good thing for the 2009 Mississippi State football team. Head coach Dan Mullen takes over for coach Sly Croom who never quite got the Bulldogs where they wanted to be in the SEC West. Mullen, a former offensive coordinator at the University of Florida, brings his aggressive spread offense to Starkville in hopes of reviving an offense that has been flatlining for the past five or so years. Mullen brings hefty expectations to State after leading the Florida offense to national championships and the youngest Heisman winning quarterback of all time (Tim Tebow for those of who didn't know).

If Mullen hopes to resemble his prior success he will have to expect big things from returning starting quarterback Tyson Lee and running back Anthony Dixon. However, the Bulldogs' first challenge has already struck, in the form of a DUI charge against Dixon. There has been no announcement what the punishment will be for Dixon, but you can expect that the Bulldogs' success on offense will be a direct correlation with how much Dixon sees the field this year. Four starters return to the offensive line to protect Lee and help him deliver passes to wide receiver Brandon McRae who lead the team with 53 receptions last year. You can expect that Mullen will have some pretty effective game plans for the State offense. Whether or not they are executed properly will decide the Bulldogs' offensive fate.

In the past, Mississippi State has typically relied on a stout defense to keep them in games. With only two starters returning this year, the defense will need some new faces to step up and contribute in a hurry. Mullen was able to sign five junior college transfers this spring, some of who are expected to start immediately. Senior linebacker Jamar Chaney, who missed time last year with a knee injury, could be one of the best linebackers in the league if his knee is fully recovered. Question marks surround the defense due to the lack of experience and depth, but new defensive coordinator Carl Torbush hopes that the new faces in Starkville will help bolster the talent on defense.

The special teams units will featuer two new junior college transfers in starting placekicker Sean Brauchle and punter Heath Hutchins. Brauchle was able to connect on two 57 yard field goals during the spring and figures to be a major upgrade over the inept kicking game from last year.

The Bulldogs' schedule will test Mullen in his first year as a head coach. A tough SEC schedule including games against LSU, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida, plus road games at Auburn and Arkansas is tough enough. But the Bulldogs will also host an out of conference game against a Georgia Tech team who looked very strong at the end of last season. With a brand new coaching staff and scheme changes, look for it to be a long year in Starkville while the Bulldogs adjust.

PREDICTIONS:

Realistic Best Case Scenario: 7-5

Realistic Worst Case Scenario: 3-9

X Marc's The Spot Predicts: 4-8 (1-7), last place in the SEC West

SEC Preview: Kentucky Wildcats

2009-08-25T16:31:00.005-04:00

Coming off their third straight bowl appearance, the University of Kentucky Wildcats have begun to gain some consistency, while still lacking the depth and talent to compete for conference championships. Most Wildcat fans would be pleased just to make a bowl game year in and out. Well evidenced over the years, however, is that mediocrity is alright in the short term, but you must show that you can compete for championships every now and then to keep a head coaching gig in the SEC.

Rich Brooks hopes that junior quarterback Mike Hartline got the wake-up call midway through last season when he was benched in favor of a wide receiver-turned-running quarterback Randall Cobb. Cobb has been moved back to wideout and Hartline will get the nod to start the season once again. The Wildcats' passing offense was dreadful last year, finishing 96th in the nation. The offensive line is anchored by three seniors, so that could be a strength if the youngsters come along quickly. After three years of being a backup, Alfonso Smith will finally be the starting running back. Randall Cobb should be a playmaker at wideout, but only as long as Hartline is able to get him the ball enough.

On defense, the Wildcats return one of the nations best defensive backs in senior Trevard Lindley. Lindley will likely be a first round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. Other than that, the Wildcats return just two other starters, neither of which are impact players. With sack leader Jeremy Jarmon violating a banned substance policy and being ineligible for the 2009-10 season, the defense will have very little depth or experience. Other than Lindley, the defense could be a big liability if some new faces to step up and answer the call.

The Wildcats senior place kicker Lones Seiber has been hot and cold througout his career, more cold as of late. By his senior year, he should be more consistent. Sophomore Ryan Tydlacka will handle the punting duties and could even get a shot at field goals if Seiber continues to struggle.

With a tough schedule, Kentucky will rely on winning some of its easier games at home against teams like Eastern Kentucky and Lousiana-Monore. However, those look like the only two guaranteed wins for the whole season. Out of conference games against Louisville and at Miami (Ohio) are toss ups. Kentucky's conference schedule is no easier with foes like Florida, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee on the schedule. A school record fourth consecutive bowl appearance would be a phenomenal feat for a mediocre Kentucky team with a tricky schedule.

PREDICTIONS:

Realistic Best Case Scenario: 8-4

Realistic Worst Case Scenario: 2-9

X Marc's The Spot Predicts: 4-8 (1-7) 5th place in the SEC East

SEC Preview: South Carolina Gamecocks

2009-08-25T15:48:00.008-04:00

The University of South Carolina Gamecocks have been the model for mediocrity in the SEC East since head coach Steve Spurrier took over five years ago. The cocks have had their fair share of upsets during Spurrier's reign, but have failed to live up to the high expectations that Spurrier's arrival brought to Columbia. With a resume like his, it is doubtful that the 'Ol Ball Coach is on the hot seat. But with a few more middle of the SEC East pack seasons, locals in Columbia could be convincing Spurrier to retire from coaching sooner than he had hoped.

Offense has always been the bread and butter for Spurrier's teams. Stephen Garcia has been well publicized in his few years at South Carolina, but not for his play on the field. Garcia has constantly been having issues off the field, both in the classroom and off campus as well. He has all the tools to be a solid SEC quarterback if he can stay out of trouble, and that is probably the biggest key to the Gamecocks' season. The cocks will feature some new faces on offense, like highly touted freshman Stephen Gilmore, and sophomore running back Eric Baker. But as I said, the key to success on offense is squarely on the shoulders of Stephen Garcia.

The Gamecock defense should be on par with the past few seasons: good enough to win some games if the offense doesn't put their backs against the wall too often. Linebacker Eric Norwood's decision to return for his senior year will help the Gamecock pass rush in addition to adding veteran leadership. The secondary will be the question mark for this year's defense. The cocks return only one starter in a secondary which ranked #2 in the nation in pass defense last year. It will be extremely tough replacing three starters, but if some of the younger guys who played sparingly last year managed to pick up enough game experience and knowledge to carry over to this year, it could be another year of solid defense in Columbia.

Spencer Lanning will handle both the kicking and punting duties for the Gamecocks in 2009. He has been a solid punter, averaging over 42 yards per punt last year, but has never attempted a field goal in a college game. The cocks haven't shown that they have a threat to run back kicks or punts, so those duties should be up for grabs to begin the season.

The Gamecocks will kick off the 2010 college football season with a road trip to NC State on Thursday, September 3rd for a night game on ESPN. After a road trip to Athens the next week, the cocks have 5 straight home games before a tough road test at Alabama. The last four games of the season could be brutal for the cocks: road trips to Tennessee and Arkansas, followed by home contests against Florida and Clemson. The cocks better win some early games if they hope to make another bowl appearance this year.

PREDICTIONS:

Realistic Best Case Scenario: 8-4

Realistic Worst Case Scenario: 4-8

X Marc's The Spot Predicts: 6-6 (2-6) 4th place in the SEC East

SEC Preview: Auburn Tigers

2009-08-24T16:45:00.006-04:00

After an unimpressive 2008 campaign, the Auburn Tigers have a new head coach in former defensive coordinator Gene Chizik. Although the Auburn Family was less than thrilled with the hiring, Chizik silenced many critics by assembling one of the top assistant coaching staffs in the nation. The Tigers are also hot on the recruiting trail, making the short list for several of the top high school players across the country. If Auburn expects to sign any of the top players in the 2010 recruiting class, they need to show some progress on the field in 2009.

New offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn has brough much excitement to the Loveliest Village on the Plains. Malzahn's offense was number one in the nation last year at Tulsa. Malzahn will look to senior quarterback Chris Todd to lead his version of the spread offense. The new OC has been adamant about running the football successfully and controlling the tempo of the game. Senior running back Ben Tate is poised for a breakout season if Malzahn follows through with his promise to focus on the ground game. The Tigers must focus on getting the ball into the hands of the playmakers on offense if they wish to improve on a dreadful 2008 numbers. Mario Fannin and Onterrio McCaleb have been outstanding in scrimmages, but must prove they can handle the load during actual games. True Freshman quarterback Tyrik Rollison has been very impressive in preseason and appears to be the favorite for the backup role unless junior Neil Caudle can hold him off. Either way, it appears as though Rollison is the future franchise player for the Tigers.

New defensive coordinator Ted Roof is an experienced guy who plays a very aggressive style of defense. Roof comes from Minnesota to help the Tigers improve their number of takeaways and continue to focus on stopping the run. The loss of Sen'Derrick Marks and Jerraud Powers will hurt the Tigers, but the biggest question mark on the team is depth at linebacker. A few injuries at the LB position and the Tigers will be turning to freshmen and walk-ons to contribute. Look for Auburn to play more nickel and dime packages to keep less linebackers on the field during 2009. Junior college transfer Eltoro Freeman (nicknamed "The Bull") has fans excited with a stellar spring and summer performance. Freeman absolutely flies to the ball and punishes ball carriers with a downhill, hard hitting style of play. Opponents expect Auburn's strength to be their defense and this year should be no exception.

The Tigers return kicker Wes Byrum who had a major sophomore slump in 2008. Byrum had an oustanding freshmen campaign, including a game winning kick as time expired at Florida (which he actually kicked twice) but had a pitiful sophomore season. Walk-on punter Clinton Durst was finally awarded a scholarship after a tremendous summer and fall camp performance. He should be among the SEC's best punters. The return game is up in the air at the moment- coaches have not set a depth chart.

The Tigers play only four road games in 2009, but they are in extremely hostile stadiums: Tennessee, Arkansas, LSU and UGA. An out of conference home game against West Virginia will be the first major test for the Tigers before getting into the heart of their schedule. If the offense comes together as expected (and those expectations should be tempered after the botched Tony Franklin experiment) and the defense can stay healthy, the Tigers could potentially be a force in the SEC West, but there are too many question marks to say for certain.

PREDICTION:

Realistic Best Case Scenario: 9-3

Realistic Worst Case Scenario: 5-7

X Marc's The Spot Predicts: 6-6 (3-5), 5th place in the SEC West

SEC Preview: Tennessee Volunteers

2009-08-24T16:23:00.003-04:00

If preseason ranks were based on off-season publicity, there is no doubt that the University of Tennessee would be ranked #1 in everyone's poll. Lane Kiffin didn't take long to begin rattling cages when he was hired in December of 2008. Kiffin takes over a program that former coach Phil Fulmer left in bad shape, by Volunteer standards. The Vols expect to compete for the SEC East title year in and year out, but the Vols haven't won the division since 2004, and had a dreadful year (5-7) in 2008.

Kiffin must hope that senior quarterback Jonathan Crompton will be much improved from last year if the Vols will have any success on offense. The offense should feature some new faces this year, including the nation's number one running back recruit in Bryce Brown. Brown should get significant playing time in 2009, but will most likely start behind senior running back Monterio Hardesty. Returning junior Gerald Jones is a versatile guy who could get touches at running back, wide receiver and maybe some wildcat type situations. The Vols best days on offense are in the future with a solid recruiting effort by Kiffin and staff.

Defense should be the foundation of the 2009 version of the Tennessee Volunteers. Long time NFL defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin joined his son, Lane, to assume the same role for the Vols. Monte has some serious talent to work with on defense. Junior safety Eric Berry is one of, if not the, best players in the nation at any position. Berry will likely be a top five pick in the 2010 NFL Draft and should be an absolute monster in the defensive backfield again this year. The Vols are experienced and quick on defense and there is no reason the unit shouldn't be among the best in the SEC.

The Vols return experienced players on special teams with kicker Daniel Lincoln and part timer Chad Cunningham returning to handle the punting duties. Gerald Jones and Dennis Rogan are dangerous returners who threaten to run back kicks at any moment.

As with any SEC East team, the Vols schedule looks threatening. The good part is only four games will be played away from intimidating Neyland Stadium in Knoxville: at Florida, Alabama, Ole Miss and Kentucky. However, the home schedule isn't a cakewalk with teams like UCLA, Auburn, Georgia, and South Carolina coming to visit. With an solid coaching staff and an abundance of fresh, young talent, the Vols are still a year or two away from being relevant in the SEC, although they could ruin a few team's dreams in 2009.

PREDICTION:

Realistic Best Case Scenario: 9-3

Realistic Worst Case Scenario: 5-7

X Marc's The Spot Predicts: 6-6 (3-5), 3rd place in the SEC East

SEC Preview: Ole Miss Rebels

2009-08-24T16:03:00.004-04:00

The expectations are very high in Oxford during Houston Nutt's second year as head coach of the Rebels. Though Ole Miss has never made it to Atlanta to play in the SEC Championship Game, the Rebels are expecting big things in 2009.

Junior quarterback Jevan Snead returns after a strong finish to the 2008 season. Snead, who transferred from Texas after losing the QB battle with Heisman hopeful Coly McCoy, is probably the SEC's best pure quarterback (not a knock on Tebow, but Snead's game translates better on the next level). Senior wide receiver Dexter McCluster also returns as the Reb's top playmaker. McCluster is a do-it-all type guy (who has earned comparison to Florida's Percy Harvin) who was in the top 10 in rushing yards, receptions and receiving yards, as well as all-purpose yards in the SEC. Another weapon on offense is senior wide out Shay Hodge who is the SEC's active leader in receptions, yards and TD's.

Ole Miss should be nasty on defense with the return of defensive end Greg Hardy. Hardy battled injuries last season but still managed to earn 8.5 sacks and is constantly giving offensive coordinators headaches. Hardy's return, along with the fact that the Rebels boasted the nations fourth best rush defense in 2008, means that Ole Miss should be solid on defense.

Senior kicker Josh Shene has been a reliable player for the Rebels and should continue to be so this year. Return specialist Marshay Green will be back to field punts after a mediocre year in 2008. Special teams should not be an issue for the Rebels, but is still probably the weakest part of their game, outside of placekicker.

The Rebel's schedule is set up nicely with most of the tougher games at home (including Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee and LSU). The Reb's open the year with a road game at Memphis which should result in an easy win. It is never easy to win on the road in the SEC, but Ole Miss doesn't necessarily have the biggest home field advantage at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium (capacity just over 60,000). I expect to see a few home losses throughout the season but the potential is there for the Rebels to contend for the SEC West title.

PREDICTION:

Realistic Best Case Scenario: 11-1

Realistic Worst Case Scenario: 7-5

X Marc's The Spot Predicts: 9-3 (5-3), tied for 3rd in the SEC West.

SEC Preview: Arkansas Razorbacks

2009-08-24T15:42:00.002-04:00

A team that could be surprise some opponents in the SEC is the Arkansas Razorbacks. The big news in Fayetteville is transfer quarterback Ryan Mallett taking the reigns on offense.

Bobby Petrino has always been an great quarterbacks coach and is generally recognized as an offensive genius. Petrino will find a way to score points and should have a much easier time during his second season as head coach of the Razorbacks. Mallett, a sophomore, transfered from Michigan after Rich Rodriguez made it known that he was less than thrilled with Mallett in his version of the spread offense. He has a big time arm and stands at 6'7, so he should have no problems seeing the field. Mallett has some weapons returning on offense with guys like junior tight end DJ Williams and small, but deadly running back Michael Smith. Replacing two offensive linemen will be an important key to success for Arkansas.

The defense has no choice but to improve from last year when the Razorbacks ranked last in the SEC. Arkansas gave up at least 21 points in every single game last year. Typically, defense is king in the SEC, but Petrino is a guy who is more aggressive than most head coaches. If the Razorbacks want to improve on last year's 5-7 record, the returning starters will need to rely on their experience to control field position. Defensive end Malcom Shepard had 6.5 sacks last year and loves to wreak havoc in the backfield. With seven upperclassmen starting on defense, I expect to see the unit improve from last year.

On special teams, the Razorbacks didn't make a field goal attempt over 30 yards last year. That is unacceptable for a big time college program. Kicker Alex Tejada had a big time sophomore slump last season after an impressive freshmen campaign. He will need to regain his first year form to keep his job this year. The Razorbacks will also break in a new punter in 2009.

The schedule for the Razorbacks is moderate: road games at Alabama, Texas A&M, Florida, Ole Miss, and LSU. The 'backs also take on UGA, Auburn, South Carolina, and Mississippi State at home along with what could be a tough out of conference home game against Troy. With five of their last six games at home, the Razorbacks could find themselves in the middle of the pack in the SEC West if they can manage to control things on defense while Mallett and the offense get rolling.

PREDICTION:

Realistic Best Case Scenario: 9-3

Realistic Worst Case Scenario: 5-7

X Marc's The Spot Predicts: 8-4 (5-3) 3rd Place in the SEC West

SEC Preview: University of Georgia

2009-08-17T13:38:00.003-04:00

The University of Georgia Bulldogs have come to expect success year in and out, even while competing in the SEC East, a division that is probably the toughest in all of college football. Expectations must be tempered this year in Athens as the Bulldogs play one of the most difficult schedules in the nation this year as well. The Bulldogs need to avoid the injury bug that plagued the preseason national championship caliber team last season. Replacing starting quarterback Matthew Stafford as well as star running back Knowshon Moreno will make it even tougher for a Bulldog team that won 10 games in 2008.

On offense, senior quarterback Joe Cox will finally get the opportunity to be the full time starter for the dawgs. Cox, a perennial backup, will have to prove that he can handle being an SEC caliber quarterback. He has never thrown more than 28 passes in a single season during his backup years in Athens. Cox will, however, have the benefit of playing behind four returning offensive linemen. Cox also has an excellent target in sophomore wideout A.J. Greene. Sophomore running back Caleb King will get the first shot to replace Moreno. King was highly touted coming out of high school and has dealt with injuries over the years but definitely has the abilities to be a great SEC running back if he can stay healthy.

Defensively, the dawgs have plenty of experience. Seven projected starters are seniors and the other four are juniors. The defensive line is big and nasty in the middle, anchored by nose guard Geno Atkins. Georgia needs to find a threat from the defensive end position which accounted for only 11 sacks in 2008. The Bulldogs will miss former cornerback Asher Allen anchoring the secondary but hope that experience and depth at the position will fill the shoes that Allen left behind.

On special teams, the dawgs return placekicker Blair Walsh but will feature a new punter in Drew Butler. Prince Miller is back to handle the return duties for UGA once again. Miller showed that he is capable of being a dangerous return man and an asset on special teams.

Georgia's schedule is not very friendly with a road trip to play Oklahoma State in week one. The Dawgs also host Arizona State and travel to Georgia Tech for an extremely tough out of conference schedule. As if the out of conference games weren't enough, the dawgs have to play Florida at a neutral site in Jacksonville, FL, South Carolina, LSU and Auburn at home as well as tough conference road games at Arkansas, Tennesse and Vanderbilt. With all of the new key position starters and tough schedule, it could potentially be a long year for Bulldog fans. With a little luck and some key guys stepping up early, the dawgs should easily make it to a bowl game. But with Florida in control of the East, UGA is likely destined for second place in 2009.

PREDICTION:

Realistic Best Case Scenario: 9-3

Realistic Worst Case Scenario: 5-7

X Marc's The Spot Predicts: 7-5 (5-3) and 2nd place in the SEC East

SEC Preview: LSU

2009-08-13T16:01:00.008-04:00

Since the early 2000's, the Louisiana State University Tigers have been a major player on the scene, both in the SEC and nationally. The Bayou Bengals have won two BCS National Championships: once in 2003 under then head coach Nick Saban and again in 2007 under current head coach Les Miles. With one of the most ferocious and intimidating venues in all of college football, Baton Rouge is a tough place for opposing players and fans to visit with 92,000 screaming fans screaming, chanting and intimidating opponents. Can the Tigers use their strong home field advantage, outstanding recruiting class and the arrival of well-hyped defensive coordinator John Chavis to produce a better result than last year's 8-5 record?

If LSU expects to improve on last year's record they will need to find some consistency at quarterback. Last year, the Tigers used a quarterback by committee type approach before Jordan Jefferson, now in his sophomore year, won the job for good late in the season. The line protecting Jefferson will feature two new starters, but returns both starting tackles which is usually a great foundation. Senior running back Charles Scott will get the majority of carries for the Tigers' running game. SEC receptions leader in 2008, Brandon LaFell, returns to Baton Rouge for his senior year. LSU also signed the number one reciever in the 2009 recruiting class in Rueben Randle. Randle is expected to contribute as a freshman and could perhaps be the number two target behind LaFell.

LSU head coach Les Miles has done an outstanding job of recruiting talent to Baton Rouge. The Tigers hope that some new talent will help solidify what is typically a strong defensive unit at LSU. In the past two years, the Tigers have lost two top-five picks to the NFL draft with Glenn Dorsey and Tyson Jackson. The front four for the Tigers needs to find solid replacements to step up and fill those holes. Behind the D-line are two returning linebackers who were very dependable in 2008, Perry Riley and Kelvin Sheppard. Both starting cornerbacks return for LSU which could be a good or a bad thing depending on their progression. Chris Hawkins and Patrick Peterson were both new starting corners last year and showed signs of vulnerability at certain times. Perhaps the spring and summer workouts have given the LSU secondary enough experience to control field position enough for the offense to get into a groove.

On special teams, the Tigers will have a brand new look with the exception of dangerous return man Trindon Holliday. LSU will feature a new kicker and punter this year. Former kicker Colt David was dependable for the Tigers and will be missed. Special teams will be a question mark for the bayou bengals.

The Tigers begin the season with a trip to Seattle to play the University of Washington, a team that was winless in 2008. A trip across the country is never easy, but the Tigers should have no problem with this out of conference road game. The Tigers also travel to Starkville, Athens, Tuscaloosa and Oxford for tough SEC road games in addition to hosting SEC juggernaut Florida and division rival Auburn. If the Tigers get consistent quarterback play from Jefferson and continue to play stingy defenses, the Tigers have a shot to contend for the SEC West.

PREDICTION:

Realistic Best Case Scenario: 11-1

Realistic Worst Case Scenario: 8-4

X Marc's The Spot Predicts: 10-2 (6-2), 2nd place in the SEC West

SEC Preview: University of Alabama

2009-08-13T14:38:00.008-04:00

As always for a program with rich tradition and a history of success, expectations are quite high for the University of Alabama Crimson Tide. The fan base always expects the Tide to field a team that is capable of winning championships, and this year is no exception. Alabama is coming off a 12-0 regular season followed by consecutive losses to Florida in the SEC Championship Game followed by Utah in the Sugar Bowl. Many voters believe Alabama will indeed win the SEC West again in 2009-2010. Will we see a rematch of last year's SEC title game? Perhaps, but the Tide have some questions to answer before that can be determined.

On offense, the Tide have to replace starting quarterback John Parker Wilson. Junior Greg McElroy won the job during the offseason and looks poised to take over an offense that will look quite different from the 2008 version. McElroy will be taking snaps behind an offensive line that features three new starters, including left tackle, center, and right guard. Former left tackle Andre Smith (#6 overall pick in this year's NFL draft) will be missed while McElroy learns to adjust to the speed of SEC defenses. Offensive line isn't the only position that will be revamped in 2009: the starting running back and tight end positions will feature new starters this year in sophmore running Mark Ingram, who lead them team with 12 touchdowns last year, and a pair of tight ends in senior Colin Peek and Brad Smelley.

If McElroy can manage the offense and not turn the ball over, the Tide has potential to be solid on offense. Sophomore receiver stud Julio Jones, who broke just about every school record for a freshman receiver last year, will be the focal point for offensive coordinator Jim McElwain. Jones had 58 catches for 924 yards last season but managed to find the endzone only 4 times. The Tide need to focus on looking for Jones in the redzone to really maximize his potential. With Jones' size and speed (6-4, 210 lbs and a 40 yard dash in the 4.4 range) he should have no problem scoring more during his sophomore season.

Alabama head coach Nick Saban always fields a ferocious defense and this season will be no exception. Last year's defense was one of the elite units in the country and returns nine starters in 2009. Defensive coordinator Kirby Smart has to be pleased that senior nose tackle Terrance Cody (more affectionately known by the Tide faithful as "Mount Cody", standing at 6'5 and 365 pounds) decided to return for another year of terrorizing SEC offensive lines. The defensive line as a whole should be giving opposing offenses fits this season. Behind the line returns one of the top linebacking corps in the nation including junior Rolando McClain and sophomore Dont'a Hightower. With Alabama's base 3-4 defense, the Tide does an outstanding job of fielding a speedy defense fronted with huge lineman.

Returning to the Tide's secondary are Jim Thorpe watch list cornerback Javier Arenas, who is one of the best shutdown corners in the league, as well as last year's other starting cornerback Kareem Jackson. Replacing Rashad Jones at free safety will be the toughest task for the Alabama defense. If they can find a solid replacement, the Crimson Tide should be among the best defensive units in the nation once again.

Special teams should be a strength for the Tide as well. Placekicker Leigh Tiffin and punter P.J. Fitzgerald return to the field. Javier Arenas also handles the return duties for the Tide. Last season Arenas returned three punts for touchdowns and hopes to build on that number this year.

Many SEC fans are quick to criticize the tactics of Alabama head coach Nick Saban. Allegations have been flying since last year about illegal recruiting tactics and NCAA violations. The Tide has appealed a decision from the NCAA regarding a text book scandal which caused the loss of scholarships for several sports, including football. Saban has also dismissed an extraordinarily high number of players from his program over the past few years. It is safe to say that the NCAA will be keeping a close eye on the goings on in Tuscaloosa for the next couple of years. But no matter how Saban gets his recruits to campus, he brought the #1 signing class of 2009 to campus, and once they arrive, Saban makes sure they get it done on the field as well. Unfortunately for opposing SEC teams, the NCAA oversight committee might be the only group who can stop the Tide this year.

The Tide open the season in Atlanta with an out of conference matchup against Virginia Tech, who just lost their leading rusher Darren Evans for the year to an ACL injury. With the exception of a tough Hokie team, Alabama's out of conference opponents combined for just seven wins last season. With their toughest road game in Oxford against Ole Miss on October 10th, the Tide definitely have a schedule for success in 2009. Despite hosting LSU and playing the Iron Bowl in Auburn this year, Alabama has one of the easy conference schedules in the SEC. If the offense comes around early in the year, I expect big things from the Crimson Tide.

PREDICTIONS:

Realistic best case scenario: 12-0

Realistic worst case scenario: 9-3

X Marc's The Spot Predicts: 10-2 (7-1) and a loss in the SECCG to Florida

SEC Preview: University of Florida

2009-08-12T14:41:00.008-04:00

Where do you begin to discuss the defending champion Florida Gators? I'm sure many discussions start with something like, "It's a bird! It's a Plane!" Most people believe the biggest strength of the team is the return of Heisman winning quarterback Tim Tebow. Sure, it's always great to get a Heisman winner and a great leader like Tebow back on the field, but perhaps a different element of the 2009 version of the Florida Gators is more impressive: the Gators return all 11 starters on defense. Oklahoma sure can vouch for the most over-used, cliche saying in sports: "Offense sells tickets, defense wins championships."

Florida's defense held an Oklahoma team scored at least 58 points in each of the last six weeks of season to just 14 points in 24-14 win in the the BCS Championship Game in January. That was the same Oklahoma team whose season low point total was 35, a team who scored 50 or more points nine times during the year. So why dwell on last year? Normally I wouldn't, but the Gators return all 11 starters, which is almost unheard of. Oh, and if that wasn't enough, 10 of the defensive backups return this year. There should be no question marks on defense for the Gators. So how about offense?

Tim Tebow's decision to return for his senior year definitely bolsters

the Gators chance of defending their title in 2009. Tebow's leadership maybe be more im

portant to this team than his ability to lead the offense, and that is a big statement. Florida is so stacked with talent that a few media personnel have said that an injury to Tebow wouldn't necessarily remove the Gators from national title contention. Backup quarterback John Brantley has been getting rave reviews this offseason. Hopefully for the Gator Nation, Brantley is only seen in mop-up duty in 2009.

The Gators also return some other weapons on offense including tight end Aaron Hernandez (first team preseason All-SEC), wide receivers Riley Cooper and Deonte Thompson, as well as a committee of running backs that are expected to share the load. Replacing the versatile Percy Harvin will be a tough task in Gainesville. You can't replace a guy like that, you just have to hope for alternative options. Last year's second leading receiver Louis Murphy left some big shoes to fill as well. But head coach Urban Meyer certainly has plenty of options to choose from. In addition to replacing Harvin and a few other key players on offense, the Gators have a new offensive coordinator in Steve Addazio after former offensive coordinator Dan Mullen took the head coaching position at Mississippi State. Despite some of the losses on offense, Addazio steps into a position that most OC's would envy: he's got arguably the best football player in the nation running his offense and a defense that should provide his team with outstanding field position throughout the year.

On special teams, the Gators caught a break when kicker Jonathan Phillips was granted medical hardship waiver for a 2007 injury, allowing him an extra year of eligibility. The Gators also return the top punter in the SEC in junior Chas Henry. The Gators return team is always a threat to take one back, especially Brandon James who proved last year that he is capable of being one of the best return men in the country.

It is easy to see why the Gators are the consensus preseason number one in the AP polls and just about everyone's pick to win the BCS Championship again in 2009-2010. If they do repeat, the Gators will be the first team to repeat back to back years during the BCS era. It appears as though the Gators have the tools to be the first repeat BCS Champion, and the first repeat national champion since Nebraska won back to back championships in 1994 and 1995.

Looking at the Gators schedule, things are set up quite nicely for the Gators to make a title defense. A road game at LSU on October 10th is easily the Gators biggest test. Florida has two non-conference opponents at home to open the season before hosting Tennessee in their first SEC game. Tenneesee head coach Lane Kiffin has been all over the news since his hiring in November of 2008. His controversial comments and repeated recruiting violations have hardly kept him out of the spotlight. Kiffin really rattled the cages in Gainesville when he tried to publicly criticize and report alleged recruiting violations against the Gators. Those allegations ended up being not true, according to findings of SEC Commissioner Mike Slive. Don't be surprised to see Urban Meyer pull out all the stops in that game as Florida should be anxious to teach Lane Kiffin a lesson in how things are done in the SEC.

The event formerly known as "The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" takes place once again on Halloween in Jacksonville between the Gators and the Georgia Bulldogs. Florida has had the upper hand over the past few years in this rivalry and I don't expect things to change this year. On November 28, in-state rival Florida State comes to Gainesville for the regular season finale. FSU just doesn't have the horses to compete with the Gators depth and experience. The Florida Gators have a very realistic chance of defending their title in Pasedena in January.

Predictions:

Realistic best case scenario: 12-0

Realistic worst case sceanario: 10-2

X Marc's The Spot Predicts: 11-1 (7-1) and a win in the SEC Championship Game.

The Gators will win the SEC and go on to become the first BCS repeat champion by beating the Texas Longhorns in Pasadena.

It's That Time of Year...

2009-08-12T14:04:00.006-04:00

As rush hour traffic becomes more crowded with large yellow buses, winter clothing starts appearing in stores and Starbucks re-introduces the Pumpkin Spice Latte, one thing is obvious: football season is here!

Nothing is more exciting on college campuses across the country than the anticipation of the upcoming season. It has been 7 months since we saw Florida take care of business in 24-14 win over Oklahoma in the BCS Championship Game. National Signing Day has passed, new recruits are on campus and preseason camps are under way across the nation. In one region, in particular, the intensity and interest in college football never slowed down: The Southeastern Conference.

If you still need convincing that the SEC enthusiasts are among the most passionate of all sports fans, look no further than the SEC Media Days which occurred in late July. Over one thousand credentials were issued to the media to cover the 3 day event which included all twelve head coaches as well as a select number of players from each of the SEC schools. You just

don't see that kind of interest in any other conference.

Stand around a water cooler in just about any city in the state of Alabama in mid-June and you will most likely be hearing co-workers debating the dominance of their favorite in-state program. Walk into a barbeque restaurant in the state of Louisiana wearing a Florida Gators shirt and I'll bet you'll hear at least one or two "Tiger Bait" chants before you are done with your meal. I'm not saying these things don't happen in the mid-west, Big-Ten land or in the home of the Pac-10, but I am saying that it doesn't happen near as often. The SEC simply has more passion and interested fans than any other league across the nation, period. Whether or not you believe that it is the strongest football conference in the country, the SEC has won 3 of the past 4 BCS Championships and has garnered an unprecedented amount of interest on a year round basis from the public.

So in the next few days and weeks you will be seeing an expansive preview of SEC Football and team by team coverage. I'll wet your appetite and little bit and get you started with my predicted regular season records and standings:

SEC EAST:

1. Florida 11-1 (7-1)

2. UGA 7-5 (5-3)

3. Tennessee 6-6 (3-5)

4. South Carolina 6-6 (2-6)

5. Kentucky 4-8 (1-7)

6. Vanderbilt 4-8 (1-7)

SEC WEST:

1. Alabama 10-2 (7-1)

2. LSU 10-2 (6-2)

3. Arkansas 8-4 (5-3)

4. Ole Miss 9-3 (5-3)

5. Auburn 6-6 (3-5)

6. Miss St. 4-8 (1-7)

SEC Championship Game: Florida def. Alabama

Stay tuned for a team by team breakdown and analysis before the season kicks off on September 3rd.