Rankings

Before you say anything about how long it's been since I posted, I know. I haven't had a TV for the last 2 Saturday's, and school and baseball have been really weighing me down. I've finally been able to get my priorities in order, but I've only got a few minutes, so I'll make this quick.

1. USC - Any questions?
2. Oklahoma - Even against bad opponents, their offense has been impressive
3. Florida - They're defense has looked really fast and physical
4. Georgia - A few lackluster performances against mediocre opponents have dropped them down to #4
5. Missouri - Their offense has looked best in the nation so far, bar none
6. Texas - Not really sure how good the Horns are yet, but matchups against Oklahoma and Missouri in the next few weeks should tell us
7. LSU - Andrew Hatch has looked a lot better than expected so far
8. Alabama - They haven't not consistent, but expect Alabama to blow out Arkansas this week
9. Texas Tech - Nothing new to report about the offense, but the defense looked really good vs SMU
10. East Carolina - They don't play too many tough games down the stretch, which will help their BCS-berth chances

What We Learned in Week 1

We learned a lot in this first work in college football, but it still hasn't all been resolved. We'll start if off with a quick rundown of what we did and did not learn on Christmas Morning for college football fans.

What we learned: Only 4 of the top 10 teams weren't scared to schedule solid opponents in Week 1 (UF, Mizzou, LSU, and Clemson), Clemson should have scheduled a middle of the road Big 10 team and not one from the SEC (Alabama), I can pick a ball game (see next post, Week 1), LSU is not a pushover (look at score vs. App State), Wake Forest is the team to beat in the ACC (41-13 win vs Baylor), the ACC is crap, Mark Sanchez faked his injury (more USC publicity), Percy Harvin is not the only fragile speed demon in the country (Maclin-Wells), there is a faster player than Trindon Holliday (Jeffrey Demps), Ray Rice was the only reason Mike Teel passed for 3000 yards last year, the SEC is the most dominant conference in the country (10-2 in Week 1), East Carolina will be a match for West Virginia (win vs #17 Virginia Tech), FIU is still the worst team in college football, and Jake Locker is not the next Tim Tebow

What we didn't learn: how good the top 4 teams in the country are (opponets-Georgia Southern, Youngstown State, Virginia, and Chatanooga), if the defenses at Texas Tech and UF are really as fast as they looked, if LeSean McCoy is truly a Heisman candidate, and who the frontrunner is the for the same award.

Sadly, there's now more certainties than questions, but there's still enough to keep us bloggers...er, blogging. Week 2 could answer more of our wonderings, but could also give us more. It should be fun, which is why we do this.

~Will

The Best Games of 2008

After finally finding something to blog about, I'm back, and just in time for the start of the 2008 CFB season. So without further ado, here are the top 2 games for each week, along with predictions for each one.

Week 1:

#6 Missouri vs #20 Illinois: Jeremy Maclin will run wild ~ 42-20 Missouri

#9 Clemson vs #24 Alabama: Clemson will start out fast, but Cullen Harper chokes at the end ~ 23-17 Alabama


Week 2:

Boston College vs Georgia Tech: Jonathan Dwyer will run all over a depleted BC defense ~ 27-13 Georgia Tech

#8 West Virgina vs East Carolina: If either Pat White or Noel Devine have a bad game, this could be a hotly contested game ~ 35-31 West Virginia


Week 3:

#2 Ohio State vs #3 USC: A healthy Mark Sanchez gurantees a USC win ~ 41-20 USC

#14 Kansas vs #19 South Florida: this one comes down to the QB's, and I think that Todd Reesing is an overall better player than Matt Grothe ~ 28-24 Kansas


Week 4:

#1 Georgia vs #15 Arizona State: ASU will give Georgia a run for their money, but Georgia just has too many offensive and defensive weapons ~ 34-21 Georgia

#7 LSU vs #10 Auburn: This is another one that comes down to QB's, and Kodi Burns has a lot more experience and mobility than all of the prospects at LSU ~ 28-17 Auburn

Week 5:

#17 Virginia Tech vs Nebraska: If Bo Pelini's Nebraska defense can get to Sean Glennon, this one's no contest ~ 30-17 Nebraska

#20 Illinois vs #22 Penn State: Expect a big game from Juice Williams against a sub-lime Penn State defense ~ 35-14 Illinois

Week 6:

#19 South Florida vs #25 Pittsburgh: LeSean McCoy makes his case for the Heisman ~ 24-14 Pittsburgh

#3 USC vs #21 Oregon: After just losing Nate Costa for 8-10 weeks, Oregon won't have a chance again Mark Sanchez and Co ~ 49-17 USC

Week 7:

#4 Oklahoma vs #11 Texas: Although Oklahoma pulls it out in the end, expect Colt McCoy to make it interesting ~ 38-35 Oklahoma

#5 Florida vs #7 LSU: Look for Tebow and Harvin to avenge last years loss, knocking LSU out of the Top 10 [if they're still undefeated] ~ 52-31 Florida

Bonus Upset Game: #1 Georgia vs #18 Tennessee: UT catches Georgia looking a little too far ahead to LSU and UF. If they can stuff Moreno and force Stafford into a few picks, watch out ~ 27-21 Tennessee

Week 8:

#4 Oklahoma vs #14 Kansas: Kansas stays undefeated by upsetting #4 Oklahoma and boosting themseleves into the Top 10 ~ 31-24 Kansas

#6 Missouri vs #11 Texas: Missouri blows out Texas, fans ask for Mack Brown's head ~ 49-17 Missouri

Week 9:

#8 West Virginia vs #10 Auburn: Another huge blowout, I don't think even Auburn's D can keep up with Pat White and Noel Devine ~ 38-21 West Virginia

#1 Georgia vs #8 LSU: A good game until the 4th quarter, where Georgia snuffs LSU's hopes out like a candle ~ 35-24 Georgia

Week 10:

#1 Georgia vs #5 Florida: assuming neither team loses, [I'm still calling UT over UGA] this could be a #1-#2 matchup, and probably the most watched game since OSU vs UM in 2006. I'm going to watch this one as a fan, and not an "expert" *cough cough* ... no pick on this one, I'm just going to enjoy the game for what it is

#11 Texas vs #12 Texas Tech: This could be the game with which Mack Brown gets fired, seriously ~ 42-24 Texas Tech

Week 11:

#7 LSU vs #24 Alabama: Another game that comes down to the QB posistion ~ 31-30 Alabama

#9 Clemson vs Florida State: this one's always close, and this year should be no different ~ 35-28 Bowden Jr.

Week 12:

#11 Texas vs #14 Kansas: Texas lets another one slip through their weakening grip ~ 33-24 Kansas

#2 Ohio State vs #20 Illinois: Juice "pours it on" vs Ohio State for the second year in a row ~ 28-17 Illinois

Week 13:

#2 Ohio State vs Michigan: UM will put up a fight, but they lack the experience and depth to play with OSU ~ 27-10 OSU

Georgia Tech vs Miami: Randy Shannon earns another year ~ 17-10 Miami

Week 14:

#8 West Virginia vs #25 Pittsburgh: complete domination on WVU's part ~ 55-13 West Virginia

#3 USC vs Notre Dame: I hate Notre Dame, so I had to include this potential beatdown in the best games of the year ~ 56-14 USC

#3 USC vs UCLA: Another USC beatdown ~ 42-20 USC

#8 West Virginia vs #19 South Florida: I'm thinkin' that WVU will finally snap the streak ~ 31-20 West Virginia

I'll get to the conference championship games once the division champs are decided, so until next time,

-]~W:I:L:L~[-

Preston Parker and the Elusive Triple Crown

CFB: Preston Parker and his Punishment

Preston Parker was the only player who kept Florida State’s offensive motor from stalling last year, providing a spark from wide receiver and running back. Within the last month though, he was caught with a loaded gun and marijuana in his possession. Both were originally felony charges, but were downgraded to misdemeanors. Parker is only going to miss 2 games though, according to Bobby Bowden…The two worst games on FSU’s schedule, West Carolina and Chattanooga...

FSU's Preston Parker was as dynamic off the field this Winter as he was on it in the fall...is this a one time anomaly or an emerging pattern for the Florida State star?

...He’ll be back for their ACC opener though, just in time for their game against Wake Forest, a team who has had the Seminole’s number the last 2 years. After the first report of this incident came out, I thought Parker would miss at least 6 months of the upcoming season, possibly kicked off the team. He seems to being following in the footsteps of another multi-talented South-East football star: Ryan Perrilioux. All 3 of his offenses were mid-major, similar to Parker’s charges.





MLB: Berkman a possible Triple Crown Winner?

I don’t follow baseball as much as I used too, I don’t watch as many games or keep up with statistics as much as much as a few years ago. One player who’s caught my attention though is Lance Berkman. They guy’s leading the NL in home runs, runs batted in, and is in second place in batting average behind Chipper Jones. And it’s not that his (Berkman’s) average is that low, it’s at a stellar .389, 25 points ahead of anyone else...

Lance Berkman is on pace to hit 54 home runs this year, easily better than any other players' projected total.

...Assuming pitchers find a way to Jones out, Mr. Berkman might get the triple crown; the first time done in the MLB in more than 40 years. It would be the first time in over 70 years for a player in the national league. No player has been dominating pitchers the way Berkman has this year. He’s always been an All-Star caliber player, but if he keeps playing the way he has, [regardless of whether he wins the Triple Crown] he’s a shoo-in for MVP.

That's it for today, be sure to vote on the poll on the sidebar.

Until next time,

-]~W:I:L:L~[-

Thoughts on Spring Practice

Spring practice has come and gone. 3 1/2 more months of college football-less Saturday nights. 3 1/2 more months of the NBA playoffs dominating the sports channels. Unless, of course, Stern decided to make the series best out of 9 with 2 days in between games. I personally learned a lot this spring, but not just from on the field happenings. I learned that all of the major newspapers and ESPN writers think that this is finally "the year" for the Buckeyes of Ohio State...that last year they were "young and inexperienced", but this year they are older, wiser, and bigger.

To me, this sounds a lot like the team that was crushed by the Gators 2 years ago. The only difference is that Todd Boeckman can't outrun a Big 10 defensive player. Off topic a bit, James Laurinitis is going to be a FORCE at middle linebacker for OSU. Despite playing in the Big 10, the guy's going to be a great NFL player. He really took over in some of the games last year. RB Chris Wells also played really well in Ohio State's biggest games last year. If he can step up his game again this year, Ohio State could make it to 3rd Straight National Championship Game.

Big 10 or no Big 10, Laurinitis is regarded as most as the best defensive player in the country. On the opposite side of the ball, RB Chris Wells hopes to state his case for the Heisman trophy against USC in their September matchup.


I'll post more entries later on more of my thoughts from spring, but here's a look at my preseason Top 10:

1. USC Trojans: With their only major loss on offense being QB John-David Booty, the Trojans have one goal in mind this year: National Championship. Mark Sanchez looked promising filling in when Booty was injured last fall, and C.J. Gable is most likely going to have a huge year. Barring a few key injuries, USC's defense will be stellar again, part of the reason they're sitting at #1 on my board

Mark Sanchez cost USC their title hopes last year by losing to 40 point underdog Stanford. With the help of star RB C.J. Gable, can he lead this Trojan team to a National Championship win?

2. Georgia Bulldogs: Although maybe the best team in the country, the Bulldog's schedule is without a doubt the toughest in the country. With a balanced offense and solid defense, the Bulldogs were one of the 2 hottest teams [the other being the Trojans] at the end of last year.

Knowshon Moreno played stellar all of last year after starting RB Thomas Brown went down. If Moreno goes down this year, who will replace him?

3. Oklahoma Sooners: With a favorable schedule and QB Sam Bradford and RB Allen Patrick leading the way, this Sooner team hopes to lead the nation for the second time in a row in touchdowns. With an offensive line regarded as the best in the country they could easily do so again.

4. Florida Gators: With QB Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin on the same field together, you know there's point to be scored. Florida also adds former USC RB Emmanuel Moody to the mix, and a healthy Chris Rainey could spell nightmares for defenses across the country. If their defense is solid, they may be headed to Miami in January.

What is Tim Tebow thinking about more? Heisman or National Championship?

5. Ohio State Buckeyes: Even though they're not the 5th best team in the country, their bad schedule [besides USC early] and public backing from sportswriters across the country could get them into the National Championship for the third time in a row. James Laurinitis is un-doubtedley [and deservedly so] the best defensive player in the country, and Chris Wells is already a frontrunner for the Heisman.

6. Missouri Tigers: Returning Heisman finalist Chase Daniels will lead the way for the Tigers along with sophmore kick-returner/receiver Jeremy Maclin. Missouri, like Oklahoma has a favorable schedule, not having to play major Big 12 schools including Oklahoma, Texas Tech, and Texas A&M.

Jeremy Maclin was a force to be reckoned with in his freshman year. Can he and returning QB Chase Daniels lead Missorui to BCS bowl game?

7. West Virginia Mountaineers: WVU's only key loss from last year was junior RB Steve Slaton, who surpisingly left for the NFL draft after having a down year. WVU does return senior QB Pat White and sophmore RB Noel Divine, both who played huge roles in WVU winning a BCS bowl. New coach Bill Stewart seems to be a good fit for this experienced WVU team.

8. Clemson Tigers: After a dissapointing end to their season last year, Clemson hopes to rally behind their experienced offensive weapons. QB Cullen Harper is considered by many to be a Heisman sleeper, and winning the ACC would definitely help his resume.

9. Auburn Tigers: With LSU losing predicted starting QB Ryan Perrilloux, Auburn might be the team to beat in the SEC West. The newly installed spread offense [at Auburn, from traditional I- formation offense] seems to fit sophmore QB Kodi Burns like a glove. Auburn hopes to have another solid defense in the upcoming year, but if Burns can't handle the starting job, the Tigers have no chance at winning the SEC West.

Freshman QB Kodi Burns had a lot to celebrate after scoring the game-winning touchdown in Auburn's bowl game, but is he ready to handle the starting job this year?

10. Texas Longhorns: Although Texas lost star RB Jamaal Charles to the NFL draft, QB Colt McCoy hopes to rebound from a dissapointing sophmore season. This Texas team can go only as far as he takes them.

That's it for today, I'll post another entry within a week. Leave a comment!

-]~W:I:L:L~[-