tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39684815808128440552023-11-15T09:45:01.168-08:00College Football's Top 10JEasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05017134954362171349noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3968481580812844055.post-68067194348804154932009-09-21T08:50:00.000-07:002009-09-21T09:29:48.208-07:00CFTop10 Week 3 Upset ReviewI would like to start this week out with a review of the Trojans. The loss to Washington has to be the biggest upset of the year. All the intrigue because of the coaching staff is fun to think about, but what this boils down to is that USC is not playing USC ball right now. You cannot turn the ball over like they did. They left 24 points sitting out there on the turf. It is going to be hard to beat any well coached team like that. Especially when those turnovers are in your opponents territory. <br /><br />There are a few other things that makes the loss so aggravating and it stems from several larger issues. The play calling seemed to be vanilla once again. It has been this way for such a long time. The loss of Ronald Johnson is painfully obvious. USC cannot spread the field with Williams and Ausberry. The coaches are not confident enough in the other receivers they have that can spread the field. They don't use the size advantage of Ausberry in screens and slants. In fact, they really don't want to throw the ball at all. Which I find very interesting considering they called almost 40 pass plays against Ohio State. Pete should have sucked it up and pulled Corp for Mustain the moment they lose confidence in his arm. <br /><br />For all the raving about Aaron Corp coming into this game, I didn't see anything that would lead me to believe that he is worthy of the 2nd spot let alone the first. It is plain to see why Pete was so eager to name Barkley the starter. Will he make every pass he throws? No, but sure won't short hop a 15 yard pass to a wide open Anthony McCoy with the game in the balance. No one knows Corp's strengths and weaknesses better than one man. Steve Sarkesian. He was his OC and QB coach for two years at USC. Nick Holt knows that just as well. It was obvious that USC was not going to run him, and they sure didn't show any confidence in throwing the ball. The two coaches on the other side of the field are the two people in the world that could take advantage of everything Pete was going to give. I didn't see Corp throw a decent ball all game. But I did see 4-5 passes that scared the poop out of me.<br /><br />The killing point in this was the final USC drive. They got into UW territory and were completely one demensional. There was to threat to throw. There was no threat for the QB to run. USC lined up and said stop us if you can. In the last several years every loss but Oregon has been because of this attitude. Stop us if you can. <br /><br />Why the complete loss of confidence in the talent? I don't know. Pete has a tendency to go extremely conservative and let his talent win the games. A lot of this can be attributed to a couple of things. First, attrition. USC loses lots of players to the draft. A lot of guys leave early. You can probably see why Pete was so angry about Mark leaving early. There was little confidence in the other QB's. USC has lost a lot of coaches. All of this leads to continuity issues. It is amazing to me that they have kept it up this long. You look at Florida and they lost 3 or 4 games 2 years ago including their bowl game. LSU has had some 3-4 loss seasons. Oklahoma is going to do so this year. Would I call this a rebuilding year for USC? Probably not. They truly do reload. I expect USC to roll over their competition when Barkley is behind center. The USC defense is really really good. USC doesn't turn the ball over and they win huge. The defense doesn't get the kind of pressure on it when the O does its job.<br /><br />In the end there is no excuse to lose to Washington. None. USC was not outplayed, they were out coached. Holt and Sark made adjustments. They put in different personnel to stop the Trojans. Pete kept his cards on the table face down. At some point you just have to throw caution to the wind and let your guys loose.<br /><br />Other than Sark and Holt I give my game ball to Joe McKnight. The guy was a warrior on Saturday. He turned his ankle, and came back. He got his leg rolled up on, and came back. He fought for every yard he got even after the injuries. In the three years he's been here I was not ready to crown him our guy until this year. He needs to hold onto the ball, but he is playing with a strength he has not shown before.<br /><br />If USC wants to avoid going to the Holiday Bowl (which is looking very likely) they need to step up the offensive play calling and let it loose.JEasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05017134954362171349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3968481580812844055.post-74771185736016171292009-09-16T11:21:00.000-07:002009-09-16T11:28:54.023-07:00CFTop10 Pac-10 Week 3 PicksI've changed my mind on the USC v UW game. <br /><br />Cal @ Minn<br />Pick: Cal 35 Minn 10<br /><br />USC @ Washintgon<br />Pick: USC 42 UW 3<br /><br />Utah @ Oregon<br />Pick: Oregon 32 Utah 21<br /><br />Arizona @ Iowa<br />Pick: AZ 20 Iowa 10<br /><br />SMU @ Wazzu<br />Pick: Wazzu 28 SMU 21<br /><br />Cinci @ Oregon State<br />Pick: OSU 35 Cinci 31<br /><br />San Jose State @ Stanford<br />Pick: Stanford 28 SJS 14<br /><br />ULM @ ASU<br />Pick: ASU 35 ULM 14<br /><br /><br />UCLA @ Kansas State<br />Pick: UCLA 21 KState 7JEasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05017134954362171349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3968481580812844055.post-79172528942902925792009-09-15T12:38:00.000-07:002009-09-15T13:51:12.391-07:00CFTop10 Week 3 GamesThis week has a bunch of very interesting games. Things will really shake out this week in terms of the overall picture of the Top25 teams in the country.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">10. Georgia Tech +4.5 @ Miami -4.5</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pick:</span> Miami to cover. This is going to be a real test for Miami's defense. If they can hold serve and allow their offense to get something going, they can pull out a win here. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">9. Tulsa +15.5 @ Oklahoma -15.5</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pick:</span> Oklahoma to cover. Oklahoma's defense is very suspect and Tulsa's offense can be potent. It will be very interesting to see how Oklahoma rebounds after the loss to BYU (Idaho State is not a game). I would not be surprised to see Oklahoma not cover here while looking ahead to a big game against Miami.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">8. USC -20.5 @ Washington +20.5</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pick:</span> Washington and the points. USC wins this but I am not sure they cover. The offenses and defenses are going to be very similar due to the closeness of the coaching staffs. I expect that UW will play safe and run the clock. This will bring the score down. USC covers if it scores quickly in the first. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">7. Utah +4 @ Oregon -4</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pick:</span> Oregon and the points. Oregon wins this one running away in the 4th. It will stay close early on but the speed of the Oregon offense will begin to roll at the end.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">6. Georgia -1 @ Arkansas +1</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pick:</span> Arkansas and the points. Georgia has looked absolutely hopeless so far this season. Arkansas has a ton of talent ready to explode. Ryan Mallet has the best arm in the country and USC transfer Broderick Green is a beast. Arkansas wins this ballgame.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. Cincinnati 0 @ Oregon State 0</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pick:</span> Cinci has been rolling up the offense, and destroyed OSU last year on their home turf. I don't expect the same thing this year. Even though OSU struggled against a UNLV team defensively, Quizz had almost 200 yards rushing. If OSU can take the lead early I like them to win this game on the backs of the Roger's brothers.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. Nebraska +4 @ Virginia Tech -4</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pick:</span> Virginia Tech to cover. VT is only going to get better with each game. After a hard loss and a blowout win they should have the confidence to win this out. Nebraska is playing well but they are a year away from the return to the top.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Florida State +7.5 @ BYU -7.5</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pick:</span> Florida State and the points. FSU has a significantly better defense than anyone BYU has played to this point. I think they jump out and surprise the Cougs early with hard hits on Max Hall. Hall doesn't make great choices all the time and doesn't have an elite arm. The speed of the FSU defense will open up the offense.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Tennessee +29 @ Florida -29</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pick: </span> Tennessee and the points. Tim Tebow has already come out and vowed revenge on Kiffin for his comments about his coach. Ahhhh, poor baby has to stick up for his coach. Tennessee is going into the lions den. The Tennessee offense won't do a whole lot against the speed of Florida's defense, but expect their defense to put up a fight all day long. Florida wins this one by 20, but not 29.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Texas Tech +17.5 @ Texas -17.5</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pick:</span> Texas Tech and the points. Texas has yet to play a game this year. Mike Leach and that funky offense will keep the ball going all day and McCoy off the field. I don't expect TT to come out and win this on the road, but Texas won't get spoiled again this year by the Red Raiders. Texas wins by about 10.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Darkhorse upset of the week: South Carolina over Ole Miss.</span>JEasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05017134954362171349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3968481580812844055.post-32302955328619972422009-09-14T08:21:00.001-07:002009-09-14T08:39:23.029-07:00CFTop10 Week 3 Top 10After much deliberation on this topic I finally feel comfortable with what I am about to pick. A lot of football is still needing to be played, but enough has happened to make me believe I have seen enough for now.<br /><br />10. Ole Miss - Slow start but nice finish. I am starting to falter on my feel with them. They have too many questions for a very veteran team.<br />9. Boise State - Oregon's win over Purdue makes them look better, but Oregon is still not a great team. BSU solid against perennial 'powerhouse' Miami of OH.<br />8. Penn State - Still solid on offense. Let's see how they do against a quality foe.<br />7. Ohio State - Yes they lost, but they played as well as I've seen them play defensively in about 4 years. They won't face a faster defense again this year and so their offense will pick up dramatically.<br />6. BYU - Slow but solid against Tulane.<br />5. Alabama - Nice win over FIU. They beat a very good VT at home. I should move them up but I still cannot get over their bowl game.<br />4. Cal - Destroyed a D2 opponent. Yeah.<br />3. Texas - Sure they pulled away in the second half, but the first was very ugly for a very veteran team.<br />2. Florida - Haven't beaten anyone, but look very solid against very inferior opponents.<br />1. USC - Without several key starters and a true freshman QB, USC went into Columbus and beat an Ohio State team that was ravenous. OSU needed this game. They NEEDED this game. You could feel it. But in the end, USC won. As of right now, with the way USC played at the end of last year and at the beginning of this year, they are the best team in the country. They went on the road and beat a very good OSU team. They will only get better.JEasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05017134954362171349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3968481580812844055.post-42232040806319506272009-09-13T13:30:00.000-07:002009-09-13T14:01:27.056-07:00CFTop10 Week 2 ReviewVery exciting week in College Football. We are starting to see who are players and who are not. While some schools should be ashamed of themselves for their scheduling, others should be applauded and given credit in the rankings, not just lip service.<br /><br />10. Hawaii @ Washington State<br />Pick: FAIL. It looked for a little while that Wazzu was finally going to get out of the losing slump. Didn't happen. Paul Wulff is going to be in a heap of trouble if he cannot find a way to win some games. Unfortunately, he won't win any in conference.<br /><br />9. Idaho @ Washington<br />Pick: FAIL. Washington didn't cover, but they laid the whooping down on Idaho. Washington is coming into their own with the new life being inserted by the coaching staff. Kudo's to Sark and Holt on the win (albeit Idaho is one of the worst programs in FBS).<br /><br />8. Utah @ San Jose State<br />Pick: PASS. San Jose has good coaches. They are a ways from being a good team, but they did well and beat the spread. Utah looks fairly vulnerable and could face some tough tests on the road coming up soon.<br /><br />7. Vanderbilt @ LSU<br />Pick: FAIL. LSU rolled over a very inferior opponent but failed to cover the spread in a very dirty game.<br /><br />6. Stanford @ Wake Forest<br />Pick: FAIL. Stanford had every opportunity to win this game and just watched their 17 point lead slip away. Rather pathetic outing for a team that prides itself on its mental toughness.<br /><br />5. South Carolina @ Georgia<br />Pick: PASS. South Carolina is not a great team, and neither is Georgia. But Spurrier and his boys almost came with the upset, but beat the spread.<br /><br />4. Purdue @ Oregon<br />Pick: PASS. Purdue brought their game and Oregon woke up from the dreamstate the blue turf put them in. They held on to win and Purdue beat the spread.<br /><br />3. Notre Dame @ Michigan<br />Pick: FAIL. No excuses here. Notre Dame flat stunk it up. They had a lead, lost it. Had a chance at redemption, lost it. It is going to be a very long season for Notre Dame if they cannot keep their poise defensively. The good news here? Dr. Lou is wrong again. So is Beano Cook for that matter. No NC for ND.<br /><br />2. UCLA @ Tennessee<br />Pick: FAIL. I have nothing to say here. UCLA looked dreadful but came out with a win, much like last year. Both teams have a lot of growing to do but this ugly game was just that unpredictable.<br /><br />1. USC @ Ohio State<br />Pick: FAIL. Sitting in the Horseshoe for this game was unbelievable. I don't think I have ever heard a louder crowd or seen a more exciting game in person before. It was obvious that Ohio State's defense came to play. They gave so little room for error for USC. They played fantastic. USC's defense played lights out with the exception of a few plays. Ohio State has nothing to be ashamed of. They played like a team in desperate need of national credibility. I believe they earned it last night. USC? Wow. Never doubt Pete Carroll. He knows football and he knows who is the man for the job. Matt Barkley just put himself in the drivers seat for a Heisman hopeful next year. His numbers may not have looked great, but with 4-5 throw aways, 4 drops and 2 PI's not called, his numbers are actually very very good. Especially when he was asked the throw the ball almost 40 times in his second game, in that stadium.JEasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05017134954362171349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3968481580812844055.post-46504370426444066322009-09-09T10:47:00.000-07:002009-09-09T11:38:17.995-07:00CFTop10 Games of Week 2This is honestly one of the worst weeks of college football I have seen in years. We have about 15 Div 1 teams playing Div 2 opponents. Top that off with another 10-15 top programs playing non-conference games with teams that have losing records over the last decade. The BCS is ruining college competition and not instilling the creation of rivalry games. For all their talk of keeping college sports pure, their formula rewards teams for winning records not quality of competition.<br /><br />Having said that, here are the best games of the week (as sad as this may seem):<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">10. Hawaii -2 @ Washington State +2</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pick:</span> Washington State and the points. I don't know what to expect here, but Wazzu has to win sometime. The spread is so thin that its hard to pick some one but that means the Vegas hasn't got a clue either. Wazzu is in dire need of a win so I think that Hawaii won't cover.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">9. Idaho +21 @ Washington -21</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pick: </span> Washington to cover. As funny as it seems, we have a Washington team on a 15 game losing streak as a 21 point favor over another FBS team. Goes to show you how much Jake Locker meant to this team last year and how tough of a schedule they have played. Washington is a new team right now and I expect them to roll.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">8. Utah -13.5 @ San Jose State +13.5</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pick:</span> San Jose State and the points. San Jose State may have been embarrassed by USC last week but they are certainly a better team that the score showed. They play very very good defense. They show a lot of different looks and their talent is on par with Utah. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">7. Vanderbilt +13.5 @ LSU -13.5</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pick: </span> LSU to cover. Once again we have this Vady build up because their QB threw for like 600 yards last week. LSU isn't elite by any means right now, but Vady is a bottom feeder. They get rolled this week.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">6. Stanford +3 @ Wake Forest -3</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pick: </span> Stanford and the points. Wake has been solid the last several years but the Cardinal are a physically and mentally tough team. Probably the toughest playing team in the country. They aren't as talented as a lot of teams but they make up for it with their heart. Stanford wins solidly.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. South Carolina +7 @ Georgia -7</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pick:</span> South Carolina and the points. A battle of the defenses right now. As hard as that may seem. South Carolina plays hard defense, their offense is streaky but they can come on strong. They have some serious talent available. It will be closer than 7.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. Purdue +12 @ Oregon -12</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pick:</span> Purdue and the points. Unless Masoli and the offensive line do a complete celebrity makeover session this week, I cannot envision them winning by double digits. Especially not with the nice running attack Purdue has. If BSU could run the ball with ease, so can Purdue.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Notre Dame -3 @ Michigan +3</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pick: </span> Notre Dame to cover. Michigan is still not ready to face FBS opponents. ND has had a hard time the last several years but their talent is here and its at least better than Michigan. The off field problems with Michigan is a much bigger problem than people realize. It's hurt the team depth and continuity. Notre Dame wins well here.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. UCLA +9 @ Tennessee -9</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pick: Tennessee to cover.</span> UCLA is still so very young. They have some very talented players but not enough. Karl Dorrell really left the cupboard pretty bare. It will take some more time for the sun to shine on Westwood. Tennessee has an incredible coaching staff and some great talent left over. They win big.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. USC -6.5 @ Ohio State +6.5</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pick:</span> USC to cover. Frankly I am a little surprised that the line is only 6.5. After the beatdown that OSU received last year, losing a ton of talent on defense and skill players on offense, I would think that USC had a greater advantage. Their skill players are back, as well as their DB's and OL. It's the same OL that blocked for McKight's 100+ last year and protected Mark Sanchez. Look for USC to start a little slow on offense but take over in the 2nd when the OL and DL start pushing people around. <br /><br />Darkhorse upset of the week: San Jose State over Utah.JEasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05017134954362171349noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3968481580812844055.post-72782558242022103392009-09-08T11:32:00.000-07:002009-09-08T11:50:22.634-07:00College Football's Top 10 Week 2I am having a very difficult time looking at the Top 10 polls and rationalizing the picks that are out there. Every poll have the same formula of Florida, Texas and USC in the top spots. Alabama got some first place votes in the AP. I don't understand how the voters do this. They want to take into consideration last year (vote Florida and Texas 1 and 2) and then completely forget the buttwhooping Utah placed on Alabama and give them a #4 ranking. In my mind there is very little reason to believe that Florida is the clear cut #1. They didn't play the correct team (or teams) in the NC game last year. Both Texas and USC had more credit for that game than Oklahoma (which just lost to a scrappy but not elite BYU team) to play in that game. Having said that I am now refusing to vote a #1 team right now. Neither Florida, Texas or USC has shown they are deserving of the title with their opening games. Especially Florida.<br /><br />10. Boise State<br />Reason: They looked very sloppy against an Oregon team which will lose 4-5 games this year. But they won. I don't expect that they will be troubled by anyone else on their schedule (maybe Tulsa) but Oregon will show to be so overrated it will hurt them in the longrun.<br />9. BYU<br />Reason: Oklahoma looked overwhelmed at times and I believe they will lose 3-4 games this year. They have a tough schedule coming up with a FSU team that may surprise them. Won't help them that Oklahoma isn't going to be as good as advertised.<br />8. Penn State<br />Reason: They looked very solid, but they lost some talent and were destroyed by a USC team in their bowl game.<br />7. Ohio State<br />Reason: They lost a lot of talent and its shows. They won't stay in the top 10 much longer.<br />6. Alabama<br />Reason: They dealt a blow to a VT team that just looked sad at times. I still am having a hard time getting over how poorly they played in their bowl game.<br />5. Oklahoma State<br />Reason: They put a whooping down on Georgia. Very solid team on offense and their defense will be probably 2-3 in the Big12 behind Nebraska and Texas.<br />4. California<br />Reason: They play extremely good defense and Reilly is showing he can run a very potent offense with Best at the #1 back spot.<br />1a. Florida<br />Reason: Returning NC. Lots of talent on both sides of the ball.<br />1b. Texas<br />Reason: Should have played for the NC game last year. Lots of returning talent on both sides of the ball.<br />1c. USC<br />Reason: Should have played for the NC game last year. Best RB's in the country and they are all sharing time. Best OL in the country. Will have as punishing of a defense as last year.JEasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05017134954362171349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3968481580812844055.post-72002744766449145992009-09-06T17:59:00.000-07:002009-09-06T18:39:25.991-07:00CFTop10 Week 1 ReviewWhat a fantastic first week of football. Other than Florida (who was playing a thoroughly outmatched opponent) almost every team showed a little rust. It is so unfortunate that so many teams are forced to schedule such big games so early. Many of these marquee games would be so much more exciting later in the season when teams have the ability to gel. It's hard in college where players fly in and out so fast that you cannot get a feel for them. Especially with all the rules the NCAA has on summer practices and such. So if you team didn't play very crisp ball, don't fret. There is a lot of football left in the season.<br /><br />Onto the games.<br /><br />1. Oregon @ BSU.<br />Review: FAIL. I picked Oregon and the points. I really thought Oregon would have been able to do so much more than they did. I give a lot of credit to BSU for their gameplan against the spread attack, but Oregon just looked terrible in the trenches. I knew that they would have some issues there, but I had no idea it would be this bad. Now Oregon has to go the rest of the season without the best RB and their best defensive player. I know I said don't fret above..... but Oregon should fret. Right now, this is not a good football team. Boise State on the other hand looks to be a very solid team. The rest of their schedule is pathetic, but they may need to look out for some conference foes who will only get better as the season goes on.<br /><br />2. BYU v Oklahoma.<br />Review: PASS. I knew this would be a very interesting game and it was. The loss of Grisham only made this more interesting. The thing I cannot get over is the absolute lack of OL protection OU had. BYU got after them really well. The loss of Bradford IMHO was inevitable with the way they were playing. OU has 2 good players on defense. Reynolds and McCoy. BYU played a very sloppy offense and the loss of Harvey Unga was obvious. I didn't think BYU would win, I knew they would keep it close. Kudo's to Bronco and his Cougs. They came out and played defense and I didn't think they could. With or without Bradford I saw BYU winning this in the second quarter. The Sooners got very conservative with their backup and the pressure would have gotten to Bradford a lot in the second and probably would have caused all sorts of problems (and turnovers).<br /><br />3. Georgia @ Oklahoma State.<br />Review: PASS. I didn't doubt this for a second. Georgia played pretty good defense against a very very good offense. OK State is moving up on my list and they are a lot better on defense than last year.<br /><br />4. Alabama @ VT.<br />Review: FAIL. Alabama played excellent defense. VT is going to be fine, but their offense needs some more time to get it together. They were completely inept. The Alabama offense just wore them down. I do not expect this offense to score as many points every game but they are going to be very solid. By the way, an extremely boring game to watch. I think that is just Saban's style. Not only does he lull you to sleep with his expressionless face and voice, his teams do the same. They just keep plugging away.<br /><br />5. Maryland @ Cal<br />Review: PASS. Cal is a very dangerous team. Balanced offense and very underrated defense. They will give the Trojans a run for their money in the PAC-10, and are also very deserving of a top 10 ranking.<br /><br />6. LSU @ Washington<br />Review: FAIL. Wow. All I can say is wow. Sark and Holt have given a pathetic 0-14 team over the last 14 games electroshock therapy. You take away 2 plays and/or some wide receivers to catch 4-5 dropped passes and Washington walks away with a win here. LSU was very lucky to walk out of this one. I knew the Huskies would play hard and that there were some real concerns about the LSU offense, but this game was great. Locker is bigtime player and the Huskies are going to scare some people this year. LSU looked lethargic at times but had a ton more talent and continuity when things got tough. They should get a lot better as their QB gets more experience and their WR's learn to run better routes.<br /><br />7. Nevada @ Notre Dame<br />Review: PASS. Nevada still can't play defense and this factored into the score. They just couldn't play clock possession against a Notre Dame team that is very skilled on the outside. I'm not ready to crown Jimmy a Heisman candidate yet (sorry Dr. Lou) but they are obviously better. We'll see how they handle some other teams that are committed to playing defense. I thought Nevada would do more on offense, but once they got down by 2 scores it was obvious their gameplan was shot and they fell apart.<br /><br />8. Mizzou @ Illinois<br />Review: FAIL. This is the one that I really failed at. I really expected Illinois to play better than this. Juice and Benn are too good to show like this. Blaine Gabbert is the real deal and will break every Mizzou passing record before he leaves. I am still scratching my head at this one. Illinois is a much better team than this. Mizzou will do well, but I don't expect them to threaten the top of the Big12 this year.<br /><br />9. Western Mich @ Michigan<br />Review: PASS. I didn't get to watch this game but Michigan just outclassed WM. Let's see how they fare next week vs ND.<br /><br />10. Central Mich @ Arizona<br />Review: PASS. Just barely. The Stoops defense did their job and the offense was rather anemic. I am curious to see how Arizona does over the next few weeks. Their offense needs a lot of work.<br /><br />We'll see the Miami FSU game tomorrow, but for this week I was 6-4.JEasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05017134954362171349noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3968481580812844055.post-68813562228065057412009-08-31T11:08:00.000-07:002009-08-31T12:06:30.669-07:00CFTop10 Games Week 1First of all, I would like to sling some poop at all the schools who scheduled Div II schools. I could care less about teams like Temple (a glorified DII team anyway) or Iowa State, but teams like Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Florida, Kansas, and Arizona State have no business playing schools from that division. Shame on them and they all should lose points in the BCS standings for doing so. You cannot tell me that they couldn't find a way of scheduling some one. Look at all the teams playing DII schools! Even a bottom feeding DI team is better. It's pathetic. But the real poop goes on Florida. They consistently schedule these teams. How many other programs that sat at 5-7 or 6-6 and didn't get a bowl bid because they scheduled a tough team instead of a scrimmage could have used that spot for a creampuff and raked in the nice bowl money for their programs... Top 25 teams have no business going out and doing that. I don't care what conference they are in or how hard they think their schedule is without it.<br /><br />Onto the top 10 games of the week.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Oregon +4 @ Boise State -4</span><br /> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Pick</span>: Take Oregon not only for points, but I think they win this..... Big.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. BYU +22 @ Oklahoma -22<br /> Pick: </span>This is an interesting game. BYU has a tendency to start strong and finish weak in the season. Is Oklahoma's defense better? Is BYU's? I see a shootout here. BYU with the points. Oklahoma wins but won't cover.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Georgia +5 @ Oklahoma State -5</span><br /> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Pick</span>: Oklahoma State to cover.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. Alabama -4 @ Virginia Tech +4</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Pick: </span> I find this to be a very interesting line. Bama get's blown up by Utah and VT wins their bowl game. Bama loses some key people and VT returns a rediculous amount of their talent from a team even Beemer thought wouldn't do well last year. Take VT and the points. They will win this in heroic fashion over a Bama team that needs another year before they show up for real.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. Maryland +21 @ Cal -21</span><br /> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Pick:</span> Cal will cover. It will be interesting to see how Cal responds to a lack luster season and a major disappointment at Maryland last year. I see Cal opening it up and running away with the game early on the shoulders of Javid Best.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">6. LSU -17 @ Washington +17</span><br /> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Pick:</span> As of this morning not many places had a line on this game. That the line is 17 makes me scratch my head a little. People must think UDub has some talent and the new coaching staff will get the best out of it. Nick Holt comes from the Pete Carroll/Monte Kiffin cover 2 defense scheme which will limit the homerun balls. Sark comes from the mastermind Norm Chow west coast offense which spreads you out. Combine that with the freakish ability of Jake Locker and you've got some weapons. LSU doesn't have the horses it once had. LSU wins and will cover. But just barely.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">7. Nevada +14.5 @ Notre Dame -14.5</span><br /> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Pick:</span> Notre Dame covers, but will struggle to make it there. NV will throw some funky stuff at them but Notre Dame has the talent to overcome. Jimmy Clausen will finally show why he was so highly recruited in this game.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">8. Mizzou +6.5 @ Illinois -6.5</span><br /> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Pick:</span> Illinois will cover in a blowout fashion. Mizzou is in dire need of some talent around a QB that very well could be a massive talent (Blaine Gabbert) in a year or two. Mizzou keeps it close early but falls apart late.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">9. Western Michigan +11 @ Michigan -11</span><br /> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> Pick:</span> Michigan to cover. Interesting because if they fall apart, with all the other stuff that has happened, RichRod won't be here next year. He's pissed away all his chances with the alumni and from what it looks like, his players.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">10. Central Michigan +12 @ Arizona -12</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Pick: </span> Central Michigan has one of the best unknown QB's in the game but Stoops lost a lot of talent on both sides of the ball. His defense will be stout but not that stout. Central Michigan and the points. Zona wins but doesn't cover.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Darkhorse Upset of the Week: Washington</span>JEasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05017134954362171349noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3968481580812844055.post-88162568471234027612009-08-27T14:29:00.000-07:002009-08-27T15:12:30.018-07:00PAC10 Prognostication1. USC (9-0) (12-0 overall) will play in the NC game unless Texas/OK and Florida go undefeated. Otherwise some other BCS game. SC won't get a break in the polls.<br />2. Cal (8-1) (11-1 overall) will play in the Holiday. Won't get a break into the BCS.<br />3. OSU (7-2) (10-2 overall) Sun Bowl.<br />4. Ore (6-3) (9-3 overall) Alamo....<br />5. UCLA (5-4) (7-5 overall)<br />6. Stan (4-5) (6-6 overall)<br />7. ASU (3-6) (5-7 overall)<br />8. UW (2-7) (5-7 overall)<br />9. AZ (1-8) (4-8 overall)<br />10. Wazu (0-9) (2-10 overall)JEasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05017134954362171349noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3968481580812844055.post-46505969312907791492009-08-27T14:16:00.001-07:002009-08-27T14:23:02.965-07:00USC UpdateAs I have said would most likely happen for some time now, Matt Barkley has been named the starting QB for USC. No offense to Aaron Corp who was a phenomenal talent in HS at Orange Luthran, Barkley is the real deal. Pro arm strength and composure. It was only a matter of time before Pete named him the started at USC. Had he come in and struggled right away there would have been room for the staff to redshirt him for a year. But with his early entrance and mastering of a very difficult program, it was only a matter of time before he supplanted Corp as the QB. He truly is a rare talent and USC avoided a controversy sometime this season or at the beginning of the next season.<br /><br />I would not be surprised to see Corp come into the game more often that any other backup under Pete, but Matt is going to really blow people away with his maturity. Neither QB has any real game experience in college so that is a real equalizer. <br /><br />Mitch Mustain won't take many snaps at USC, but I still think he will be drafted in late rounds and play in the NFL much like another USC backup not so long ago... Mitch is no slouch and given an opportunity in a much less crowded field will show a lot of moxy.JEasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05017134954362171349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3968481580812844055.post-42322863951590443132009-08-25T12:59:00.000-07:002009-08-25T13:14:03.603-07:00CFTop10 3rd Week Preseason Top10Only 2 weeks of fall practice left and things are starting to clear up.<br /><br />10. Oklahoma State - I believe this is the darkhorse team to come out of the Big 12 this year. Very potent offense with Dez Bryant being a Sunday-bound guy.<br />9. Penn State<br />8. Virginia Tech<br />7. Alabama<br />6. Cal - Riley being named starter adds continuity to the end of last season. <br />5. Ohio State - Still too much uncertainty on defense to move them up.<br />4. USC - The injury to Aaron Corp doesn't concern me as much as the injury to Kris O'Dowd and Armond Armstead. The good news is that the backups for both players have had significant play time and success. After their scrimmage this weekend I'll know more about where they are.<br />3. Oklahoma<br />2. Florida - Not convinced they have a running game or receivers to add help to TT. Without the threat of Percy Harvin it will be much easier to teams to focus on TT who isn't going to wow you with his speed. I still believe their defense is overrated.<br />1. Texas - Outstanding talent on both sides of the ball. Unless one of the other top 4 show more consistency in all facets of the game, Texas is #1 to me.<br /><br />Dropped off: Oregon. Too many questions on the OL and DL to put them on the top 10.JEasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05017134954362171349noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3968481580812844055.post-4878968962373426162009-08-11T10:12:00.000-07:002009-08-11T10:24:40.039-07:00CFTop10 Pre-Season Week 1Week 1 of the preseason practices are now underway. No major injuries to report, but some gaps are being filled already.<br /><br />10. Cal - Enters the Top10 with the QB situation starting to clear itself up. Best is one of the, well, best RB's in the country and their line looks to be solid for him.<br />9. Penn State - The offense will be potent, but less so than last year. Their defense looks to be a little less potent than it should be.<br />8. Virginia Tech - VT defense is stout and Tyrod Taylor is showing improved decision making capability. Very dangerous.<br />7. Alabama - New QB. Let's see how the fall plays out, but they may be up for a drop here.<br />6. Oregon - Looks like a little trouble on both the offensive and defensive lines.<br />5. Ohio State<br />4. Oklahoma - Not so much that they dropped a spot, but USC jumped a spot.<br />3. USC - Completely healthy at this point and their defensive line has been dominating what is being called the best offensive line in the country. Not a good sign for the opposition.<br />2. Texas<br />1. Florida<br /><br />Dropped off: Boise State. Not sure they have the guns to run with Oregon this year. Even though they are playing at home and boast one of the greatest home records since the 1970's. I believe they have lost less than 30 home games in that time. Impressive.JEasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05017134954362171349noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3968481580812844055.post-77047190930809280442009-07-31T09:49:00.000-07:002009-07-31T10:32:41.751-07:00CFTop10 Pre-Season EntryAfter a long layoff I have decided to continue the CFT10 blog. I will try and cover each of the Top10 weekly as the fall camps open up and more availability to the teams increases.<br /><br />10. Boise State - Returns a freshman QB that performed well beyond his years. They've lost some talent, but they have recruited well to their scheme. Their defensive secondary should be exciting and they have a ton of skill players. Their Oregon match up should be very interesting.<br />9. Virginia Tech - Tyrod Taylor is a freakish athlete, much like many of his predecessors. If he can stay healthy he should be able to cause a lot of problems for the defenses (or lack thereof) in the ACC. Beamer will always field a stout defense. They will have some tests early, which I expect they will pass.<br />8. Penn State - High powered offense with a smidgeon of defense will be the sound out of Happy Valley this year, much like last year. I do not suspect they will be as lucky as they were last year but will play very well. <br />7. Alabama - Nick Saban is stockpiling tons of talent in Alabama. This is a Top10 team right now, but soon to be a Top5 team over the next several years. Saban defense and plenty of offensive weapons will do well for them this year, but they are still young.<br />6. Ohio State - You cannot count out Tressell. He always seems to be prepared to win 10 games. I see them winning the Big10, but they will most likely do so in ugly fashion. They have a lot of young talent and it will take them a little while to get going.<br />5. Oregon - Lots and lots of offense here. They are rebuilding their defense quite a bit but teams will have to score as much as they do in order to win. Blount is a pretty special back and will be in the top 5 rushers in the country if he is healthy.<br />4. USC - The only reason they are 4 is due to the massive attrition to the NFL and to the state of Washington. The good news is that they return unbelievable talent at every position and the only position not to have significant game experience (or starting experience for that matter) is QB. If they go into Ohio State and win, expect them to rise.<br />3. Oklahoma - Lots of returning talent on offense. Problem here.... No defense. They will roll through most of the Big12 due to their lack of defense and superior firepower. They will struggle with any team that shows they have a defense.<br />2. Texas - Same here that is true for Oklahoma. Major offense and no defense. I think their defense is better than Oklahoma and they beat them last year. Texas should be better this year and angry about being left out of the big game.<br />1. Florida - Tebow. Defensive speed. Tebow. I do not expect they will be as potent as last year and there are a lot of teams that will be better than last year. But they are the NC and so are #1 with all their returning talent.<br /><br />Just missing the cut: Ole Miss. Oklahoma State. BYU. California.<br /><br />Most surprising teams this year: North Carolina. Stanford. Baylor. Nevada.JEasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05017134954362171349noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3968481580812844055.post-3846632892609498202008-11-03T13:01:00.000-08:002008-11-03T13:19:08.445-08:00CFTop10 Week 11 Top 10 TeamsAnother week and another group of upsets. I have finally changed my opinion and believe that CF needs a playoff system. Too much of college football is being dictated by the media and its whims. They promote teams in self-interest. Not because they are the best, but because they make money from it. Any organization that has a monetary interest in determining the games that are played should not be in charge of its outcome. The game needs to be played on the field and dictated by the ability of each team, not some pencil pushers opinion because it is his job.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. USC</span><br /> Why: Their defense is better than any offense in college football. Take away two poor quarters of play and the Trojans are perfect. In fact, you take away 2 quarters of football and no one has had a drive of over 60 yards that ended in points for any team they've played this year. The offense is very young, but they have shown tremendous talent that is unmatched. They can score fast or they can drive you into the ground.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Florida</span><br /> Why: The only team that scares me as a Trojan fan. Very balanced offense with tons of tools. The defense has shown tremendous poise as of late and is climbing in my estimation as one of the best in the country.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Texas Tech</span><br /> Why: There is no doubt that Crab is the best WR in the game. Harrell can put the ball on the money and their funky scheme is causing a lot of problems for people. Still, the Big12 cannot play defense and so it hard to tell how they would fare against an elite defense.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. Penn State</span><br /> Why: They have been unbeaten so far, but their poor effort against Ohio State has me wondering how they would fare against better defenses and against much more potent offenses. Still, they are unbeaten and are likely to remain so.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. Texas</span><br /> Why: The offense can score. No doubt about it. But their defense is still swiss chesse like everyone else in the Big12. They are probably better than Penn State but seeing how they were beaten for the entire game by Tech, shows me that they are very beatable indeed.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">6. Alabama</span><br /> Why: Very solid on defense and make some plays on offense. They have showed great poise, but I don't think their defense is as elite as it seems, and their offense is subpar. I don't expect them to stay in this position much longer.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">7. Oklahoma State</span><br /> Why: Tons of offense. I am prepared to move them up after they beat a couple of teams they have coming up, but their defense is still very suspect.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">8. Oklahoma</span><br /> Why: Tons of offense against no defenses. No defense of their own. It is hard to watch them play shadowball against everyone.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">9. Boise State</span><br /> Why: They play very tough ball with less talent. It would be hard for them to hang with the deeper programs in the country, but they have done very well so far in shutting down everyone.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">10. Utah</span><br /> Why: They are unbeaten, but likely will not be so after the next several weeks. They are decent on both sides of the ball, but have been luckier than good so far.JEasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05017134954362171349noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3968481580812844055.post-63987766926917509872008-10-30T08:56:00.000-07:002008-10-31T09:53:16.580-07:00CFTop10 Week 10 Top 10 Games<span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Florida @ Georgia (FL -6)</span><br />Pick: Florida to cover.<br />Why: Georgia has not played good defense against any caliber opponent this year. Don't expect them to be able to stop Tebow/Harvin/Dempes and the Florida offense. Florida big here.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />2. Texas @ Texas Tech (TX -4)</span><br />Pick: Texas Tech with the points.<br />Why: The Texas defense is vasty overrated. And that is saying a lot considering they play in the worst defensive conference in the country. I like Tech in the possible upset here at home. The throw the ball all over and Texas is weak here.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />3. Miami @ Virginia (VA -2)</span><br />Pick: Virgina to cover.<br />Why: UVA has it rolling now. The offense is coming together and they have seen the hardest parts of their season. Playing at home against a very inconsistant Miami offense/defense. UVA wins this one well.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />4. Oregon @ California (CA -3)</span><br />Pick: Oregon with the points.<br />Why: Oregon wins this game. They have a better overrall defense and their offense is coming into their own. Cal has too many problems at the QB position to count them as a real threat. Oregon has been playing very well with the issues they have.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />5. Nebraska @ Oklahoma (OK -22)</span><br />Pick: Nebraska with the points.<br />Why: Oklahoma has no defense. I don't think Nebraska can win, but their defense is better than Oklahoma and they have shown they can score a bit too.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />6. TCU @ UNLV (TCU -14)</span><br />Pick: UNLV with the points.<br />Why: TCU's offense isn't great and UNLV has played surprisingly well. Coach Sanford has these kids playing with some fire. UNLV won't win but they make it close.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />7. West Virginia @ Connecticut (WV -4)</span><br />Pick: Connecticut with the points.<br />Why: UConn has played well on defense at times this year and can put up some points. WV is a hot and cold team, I think UConn can win this one at home.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />8. Boise State @ New Mexico State (BSU -20)</span><br />Pick: New Mexico State with the points.<br />Why: NM can put points on the board and BSU hasn't shown a ton of defense against teams that spread the ball around. BSU wins, but won't cover.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />9. Florida State @ Georgia Tech (GT -2)</span><br />Pick: Florida State with the points.<br />Why: Florida State wins this game. GT is vastly overrated and FSU is playing pretty well this year. FSU's defense will hold this Tech team down.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />10. Missouri @ Baylor (MO -20)</span><br />Pick: Baylor with the points.<br />Why: Baylor's young QB can really throw the ball and Mizzou doesn't play defense. Mizzou wins but not by 20.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Darkhorse Upset of the Week: New Mexico over Utah</span>JEasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05017134954362171349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3968481580812844055.post-71504731772194201812008-10-28T09:11:00.000-07:002008-10-28T09:30:34.701-07:00CFTop10 Week 10 Top 10Sorry, took last week off with a lot of business to take care of. Back on this week. Let me preface this entire post by saying that the Big12 plays the worst defense I've seen in many many years. I've watched every team in the Big12 play and it is no wonder people are putting up ungodly numbers. Every throw goes uncontested to the WR's or TE's. They cannot cover anyone, unlike in the PAC10, SEC and Big10 where almost every WR has to battle to get the ball. This is not a route question, it is a poor effort by the DC's and even poorer DB's. This unfortunately has the entire poll system squewed and has a lot of Big12 teams ranked higher than they should be. Slow starts by a lot of programs in other conferences have hurt them, but they are coming on strong now.<br /><br />1. Texas<br /> Why: They've shown a ton of offensive power and are relatively balanced.<br /> Why Not: The Big12 has just about the worst defenses in the country. They look like the WAC from the 1990's.<br /><br />2. USC<br /> Why: Their defense is the best in the country. Hands down. Their offense is very young, but tons of potential.<br /> Why Not: They lost to Oregon State.<br /><br />3. Penn State<br /> Why: Undefeated in the Big10 and are playing like a team that wants to win it all.<br /> Why Not: They struggled to win against OSU, who was walloped by USC. <br /><br />4. Florida<br /> Why: Tons of offensive power, and are showing a bit of defense to go along with it.<br /> Why Not: The SEC teams are not looking as good as they have been hyped to be.<br /><br />5. Alabama<br /> Why: Undefeated in the SEC and some very nice wins on the road. Above average defense keeps them in the game.<br /> Why Not: Their opponents have been very overrated for the most part and they have showed very little offensive power against some very poor defensive teams.<br /><br />6. Oklahoma<br /> Why: Tons and tons of offense. Decently balanced.<br /> Why Not: They couldn't cover paraplegic running a post pattern. KS threw for over 400 yards.<br /><br />7. Texas Tech<br /> Why: Massive offensive power.<br /> Why Not: A decent defense can scheme their gimmick offense into making nothing and their defense is horrible. I.E. Nebraska.<br /><br />8. Georgia<br /> Why: Well balanced offense with some play makers.<br /> Why Not: They cannot close out games with that defense.<br /><br />9. Oklahoma State<br /> Why: Tons of offense and played their hearts out against Texas in Austin. I expect to move them up in just a few weeks.<br /> Why Not: Again, no defense.<br /><br />10. Boise State<br /> Why: They are one of the most fundamentally sound teams in the country. Great coaching and great discipline. They have pounded most of their competition and won at Oregon.<br /> Why Not: They are in the WAC. Which is not playing well this year. Their competition is very poor.JEasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05017134954362171349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3968481580812844055.post-36452215299640560732008-10-15T10:21:00.000-07:002008-10-15T11:49:35.541-07:00CFTop10 Week 8 Top 10 Games1. Missouri @ Texas<br /> Pick: Missouri 33-28<br /> Why: Mizzou and Texas run relatively similar offenses. I don't expect that Texas will bring anything that Mizzou does not practice against on a daily basis. They are better suited to handle the spread option than Oklahoma. The Texas defense will have a very difficult time getting to Chase Daniel due to the fact that he lines up almost 8 yards deep, much farther back than any QB I've ever seen. Doesn't throw the deep ball as well as Oklahoma State and Mizzou needs this game to hang in the hunt for Miami. Chase Daniel is far too accurate a passer and the Mizzou defense will keep the holes plugged up well. It very well could flip flop due to this game being in Austin, but Mizzou should come out very hot for this.<br /><br />2. LSU @ South Carolina<br /> Pick: South Carolina 21-14<br /> Why: LSU's QB quandry is a bigger problem than people believe. Neither QB they have played has a command of the offense or are suited for it. They are playing a bit out of their comfort zone and it is going to hurt them against an aggressive SC defense. SC has played very well against the run this year. SC's QB situation is not dissimilar to LSU, but Garcia is a very talented kid who has overcome a miriad of problems to finally get on the field. The Ol' Ball coach has been waiting to get this kid on the field. It will be a break out game for the SC offense.<br /><br />3. Ohio State @ Michigan State<br /> Pick: Ohio State 24-10<br /> Why: Ohio State's defense is playing better every week. Michigan State only has one option, ride Javon Ringer into the endzone. They don't do anything else particularly well, and OSU's linebackers are too good to make play action a serious part of their offense. Pryor and Well's will have record days against a fairly pourus run defense. Don't be surprised if it turns into a blowout.<br /><br />4. Kansas @ Oklahoma<br /> Pick: Oklahoma 44-21<br /> Why: It is at Oklahoma and Kansas is competely overrated. I don't expect this to be much of a game at all. The separation from the top to the bottom in the Big12 happens this week. It is only an intriguing game from the perspective that people believe in Kansas, although they really have not won a big game in their two years in the top 25.<br /><br />5. California @ Arizona<br /> Pick: Cal 28-21<br /> Why: Cal has a much more balanced offense and defense, even with the uncertainty at QB. Both QB's have shown they can win and have posted good numbers. Arizona's fairly weak on both sides of the line and Cal is not. Expect Arizona to put up some numbers but struggle to get the ball in the endzone. Cal will probably make some mistakes to keep the game close, but they have better team discipline.<br /><br />6. Viginia Tech @ Boston College<br /> Pick: VaTech 24-10<br /> Why: Tech plays a lot better defense. This is a battle for the ACC title run. BC cannot afford to lose this game and keep their hopes alive. Tech has been playing very well and Beemer gets his guys jacked up even when they are a little low on the talent. They still have more than BC though. They will play tough defense and get some points from it.<br /><br />7. Wake Forest @ Maryland<br /> Pick: Maryland 21-13<br /> Why: Maryland has a lot of young talent. They have been playing pretty well this year and have some nice playmakers in their backfield. Wake plays some of the best ball in the country for their talent, but their time is running out. Expect Maryland to shore up their defense inside the 20 and hold Wake to some field goals. <br /><br />8. BYU @ TCU<br /> Pick: BYU 28-14<br /> Why: BYU has a ton of firepower. Not a lot of startpower, but a lot of firepower. They use great balance with their strong RB Unga and their use of the best TE in CFB is a mismatch for almost anyone. This game is interesting in that it is the last team BYU will face before Utah that actually has a chance of defeating them. If the TCU defense can force BYU into a one dimensional game, they have a chance at winning. Chances are slim.<br /><br />9. Ole Miss @ Alabama<br /> Pick: Ole Miss 17-14<br /> Why: Ole Miss has had one of the most underrated recruting classes in the last several years. Ed Ogeron may not have won a lot of games, but he had some really solid kids. They have a very talented line and Jevon Snead is the real deal. Bama has some issues on offense and are very young. Ole Miss plays hard and they can really jump up and hit people in the mouth. Bama's defense is good, but not great. The quality of their wins so far continues to be suspect and Houston Nutt knows how to win big games.<br /><br />10. USC @ Washington State<br /> Pick: USC 70 - 0<br /> Why: The only reason I pick this game is because I want to see if USC can hang 70+ on the dismal Cougars. The last time USC was favored this much they laid an egg against Stanford at home. I don't see that happening here, but stranger things have happened.<br /><br />Dark Horse Upset: Ole Miss over Alabama.JEasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05017134954362171349noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3968481580812844055.post-27224672752440846742008-10-14T08:59:00.000-07:002008-10-14T09:33:12.505-07:00CFTop10 Week 7 Picks Recap<span style="font-weight: bold;">Record - 4 - 6</span><br /><br />In my defense most of the teams I picked to win were very competitive in their games, and most folded in the last few minutes.<br /><br />1. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Texas @ Oklahoma</span><br /> - Neither team figured out how to play defense, except that Texas's offense was so well rounded that it left Oklahoma with no real ability to run the ball. Both teams are going to struggle against strong defensive teams if they cannot figure out how to stop people. I though Oklahoma would get to McCoy a little more, they didn't and Texas reaped the benefits. Explosive offenses. Mediocre defenses.<br /><br />2. <span style="font-weight: bold;">LSU @ Florida</span><br /> - As I stated several weeks ago, LSU is not as good as advertised. They are a mess at QB and their vaunted defense isn't all that vaunted. Les Miles is running out of Nick Saban's players and I suspect they will struggle mightily in the next several weeks. Florida's offense has a ton of speed and talent. Their weakness is still in the offensive line and it will be exploited by tougher defensive teams.<br /><br />3. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Oklahoma State @ Missouri</span><br /> - I had a feeling Oklahoma State could win this one if they got some stuff going early. They did, and they did. Mizzou never was able to keep up with the Cowboys' big plays. Mizzou played very consistant, but their defense was unable to stop the long ball and several long runs. Their defense will continue to struggle against high-powered offenses. Oklahoma State played gritty ball on defense and was able to capitalize.<br /><br />4. <span style="font-weight: bold;"> Penn State @ Wisconsin</span><br /> - Wisconsin made some huge errors at the close of the first half that allowed Penn State to take them out of their offense. If Wisconsin gets down early they have virtually no ability to come back with their style of offense. They play ball control offense and that didn't happen. Their defense spent so much time on the field that there was no way they could stop the huge play capability of Penn State's offense. <br /><br />5. <span style="font-weight: bold;"> Colorado @ Kansas</span><br /> - Game was actually much closer than the score. The Buffs hung with Kansas into the 4th quarter and some very key turnovers cost them dearly. It will be very interesting to see how Hawk deals with the QB issue. His son needs to make better decisions because it is hurting a very talented (but very young) football team. Kansas is still very overrated and didn't play particularly well against a mediocre but upcomming Colorado team.<br /><br />6. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Notre Dame @ North Carolina</span><br /> - The Golden Domers really gave this game away. Blowing a nice lead and then some key turnovers spoiled their chances at getting into the Top 25. They played very well offensively against a very good NC defense. They ND defense needs a lot of work and even more discipline, but their offense shows some very good things. Jimmy Clausen is maturing but is still a long ways away from being the savior of the Notre Dame program he was hyped to be. North Carolina should vie for the ACC title and will have to be on their game to beat a VT team that is coming into their own right now.<br /><br />7. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Tennessee @ Georgia</span><br /> - Georgia finally got their offense really going. I don't know if this speaks more for them or less of Tennesee, but Phil Fullmer is on his last leg. They are terrible on both sides of the ball. Georgia still has some work to do on defense, but their offense is looking more balanced and their WR's are starting to run better routes. I don't think it will be enough to get them to the SEC Title Game though.<br /><br />8. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Clemson @ Wake Forest</span><br /> - Losing CJ Spiller had a lot to do with this loss, but it still shouldn't have ended this way. Clemson has a ton more talent than Wake but could not seem to get anything right. As predicted, Tommy Bowden is gone. I thought they would give him another week, but with the schedule they have in front of them, they might as well make the change now. Wake is playing Wake ball. They aren't going to blow anyone out of the water, but they find ways to win.<br /><br />9. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Arizona State @ USC</span><br /> - About as ugly of a win as I've seen USC have in a long time. Arizona State is not as bad as they seem. USC's defense is just that good. Rudy Carpenter is a good QB, but cannot get the kind of protection needed to keep him going the whole game. USC's talent is outstanding, but it is so fragmented and spuratic that you never know what you are going to get on offense.<br /><br />10. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Nebraska @ Texas Tech</span><br /> - Bo Pelini did what he needed to do. He schemed Texas Tech into max protection throws and kept the ball in front of them. I didn't think they had the offensive fire power to hang in there, but then again, this is the Big12, there is no such thing as defense in the Big12 right now.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dark Horse Upset</span>: Vandy is a novelty item. They will lose another 4 games before the end of the year. The real question is whether or not they will be supplanted by another local team as the bottom feeder of the SEC.JEasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05017134954362171349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3968481580812844055.post-41115508786630999042008-10-13T08:57:00.000-07:002008-10-13T10:11:33.703-07:00CFTop 10 Week 8 Top 10 TeamsAfter a week of 'upsets' the dust begins to settle in college football. We are starting to see which teams are title contenders and which are not. Many teams to this point have not played strong enough teams to showcase themselves as contenders, and others are just now showing that the teams they played are indeed good teams. Here is the new Top 10.<br /><br />1. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Penn State</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: They have showed tremendous explosiveness on the offense and have also displayed tremendous resilience on defense. They make good decisions and play with a high football IQ. So far they have shown the best overall balance on offense and defense of any team in the country.<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why Not</span>: Not one team they have played so far has a winning record. They are all .500 or worse. Only time will tell if they truly are this good. They've shown it so far against some poor opponents. We'll know for sure in 2 weeks when they go against a very good defense in Ohio State.<br /><br />2. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Texas</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: They continue to roll up great numbers on offense. They don't have a ton of star power, but that may change very quickly as some of their young talent begins to get some showtime. Colt McCoy is a lot tougher than he has been the last two years and is making much better decisions. He can spread the ball around and his mobility is fantastic. He allows his players to have a little more time to get open and can deliver the ball well enough on the run to open big plays.<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why Not</span>: The Big12 does not play defense. The talk is all about their offenses being so great, but they don't talk about how bad the defenses are to allow the offenses to put up such impressive numbers. Defense wins championships and if Texas cannot stop other high powered offenses, they will not be able to win every shootout.<br /><br />3. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Alabama</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: So far they have played pretty serious defense. They've been able to hold down their opponents long enough for their offense to come up with plays and get it into the endzone. They scheme very well and they are big up front on both sides of the line. They can play clock games with anyone and Nick Saban has a lot of young talent that will show itself over time.<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why Not</span>: The Clemson win looks bad now. So does the Auburn win. Both teams were vastly overrated. Probably the most overrated teams preseason I've seen in a long time. They dominated Georgia at home which is why I still have them at the top, but they struggled mightily with Kentucky.<br /><br />4. <span style="font-weight: bold;">USC</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: Defense. Defense. Defense. They have without a doubt the best defense in the country. They lead the nation in defensive scoring (9.4 points per game) and rank very high in sacks, total defense etc. Their offense has incredible big play ability. Their talent is unsurpassed on both sides of the ball. They are the ultimate plug and play team. Their overall depth is incredible. Pete Carroll has the highest win percentage amongst active coaches and has the best record against ranked opponents ever. Even with their one loss I think they are the best team in the country and could handle anyone ranked above them.<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;"> Why Not</span>: USC still struggles with their offensive identity. It is becoming more and more clear that having too much talent can be a problem. They spread the ball around with the RB's and it takes them a little too long to decide who is the best fit for that day. They also have a serious tendancy to play down to their opponents. That is the Pete Carroll nice guy coming out. They don't carry the destroy all opponents mentality and allow teams to hang with them.<br /><br />5. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Oklahoma State</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: They have a very versitile offense that can attack defenses at various different points. They have a solid running back and a QB that can make throws in the pocket and on the run. They defense is not stellar, but they play very hard. They have a gem at WR with Dez, a very tough player with tremendous potential. They are opportunistic and play with grit all over.<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why Not</span>: It is hard to say whether or not they got up for one game or are a complete team. They've only played Mizzou and a handful of team that have losing records. Their kicking game is really really bad, and against tough opponents that will hurt them.<br /><br />6. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Oklahoma</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: They have a great offense. Sam Bradford can really fling the ball around and make some plays. Their WR's get open and have good speed. They gameplan pretty well and Bob Stoops gets his guys to play with a killer mentality. They don't let up on people. He doesn't mind running up the score on inferior opponents and that carries over.<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why Not</span>: Their defense stinks. Their scheme is pretty good, but they have gaping holes all over the field. They don't set themselves as a defense first team and are depending on their offense to outshoot anyone. Texas showed why that doesn't always work. In the Big12 this year, just scoring points isn't going to be enough to make it out alive. They have to make a stand more than once or twice a game.<br /><br />7. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Florida</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: Their offense is very very good. They have a ton of legitimate weapons on offense and can score at will. Tim Tebow is such a strong kid that short yardage is almost a gimme for him. Their versatility on offense makes them a very dangerous team. Their defense is a lot better than last year and will get better as the season gets on.<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why Not</span>: While Tebow is a very strong kid with a very strong arm, he has an extremely slow delivery. Against fast defenses he will really struggle to get the ball downfield in time for his guys to make a play on the ball. They will need to depend on his mobility and outlet routes to get them out of fixes. This opens him up to get hit. A lot. He's big enough that he can take a licking, but no QB can take it too many times without it effecting his throwing motion.<br /><br />8. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Missouri</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: Still a very very good offense. Chase Daniel gets the ball around to so many people. They spread the defense out and he can pick apart the secondary if given enough time. Throws pretty well on the run and is tough as an ox for some one his size. Jmac is a tremendous talent and makes mismatches happen all over the field.<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why Not</span>: Overrall I'm not sure they are really tough. JMac is a talent but is not very tough. He has been in and out of games all year. Tough defenders have a tendancy to push him around at the point of attack. Their defense is not a strong as originally thought. They lack speed on the outside and deep in the secondary. Their LB's are not particularly strong and get run over by lineman downfield.<br /><br />9. <span style="font-weight: bold;">BYU</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: Great offensive balance. Ability to throw the ball all over the field and get very solid play from their backs. Best TE in the country in Collie. Max Hall does a great job of seeing the field and distributing the ball. Very disciplined team.<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why Not</span>: Their schedule is pathetic. Although their conference has been able to beat the PAC10 this year, overrall I think this speaks more for how the PAC10 has overlooked their opponents early in the season than for how deep the MWC is. <br /><br />10. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Ohio State</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: They defense is really really good. Jim Tressel is the master of ball control and clock management. He just knows how to win. Good, bad, pretty, ugly. It doesn't matter, he knows how to win. Their offense will continue to grow as Pryor learns how to play college ball. Wells is so strong that he offers some reprieve for the young QB. They have decent WR's and can work a team over by methodically moving the ball and then breaking something open.<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why Not</span>: They cannot get into a shootout with some one. Falling behind is a big problem for their offense. It isn't designed to open up quickly right now. Against some powerful offenses they could struggle if they cannot put more than 16 points on the board.JEasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05017134954362171349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3968481580812844055.post-48790373828850907702008-10-08T09:20:00.000-07:002008-10-08T09:55:36.503-07:00CFTop10 Week 7 Top 10 Games1. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Texas @ Oklahoma</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Pick</span>: Oklahoma 33-30<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: Neither team has played against a defense or a particularly potent offense so it is hard to decide who has a better mixture of the two. I am going to give Oklahoma the nod because I think more of Bob Stoops' defense than Mack Browns. If they can get to Colt McCoy, he will struggle.<br /><br />2. <span style="font-weight: bold;">LSU @ Florida</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Pick</span>: Florida 35-28<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: Florida has a more potent offense than LSU has defense. Florida's defense isn't very good, but they are playing at home and when Superman says he's going to deliver the goods, I'd take him up on that.<br /><br />3. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Oklahoma State @ Missouri</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Pick</span>: Missouri 42-28<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: Mizzou is playing at home and Oklahoma State is not proven. I think that this could go the totally opposite direction with Oklahoma State winning if a few things go their way early, but I don't see it happening. No one is going to cover JMac and Chase Daniel will have plenty of time to throw the ball.<br /><br />4. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Penn State @ Wisconsin</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Pick</span>: Wisconsin 28-21<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: Wisconsin is going to need this game if they want to play in a decent bowl game. They are playing at home and have a solid defense. They will step up after a tough loss to OSU and will hold the Lions in check. They will play control offense with solid inside running and drain the clock.<br /><br />5. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Colorado @ Kansas</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Pick</span>: Colorado 24-20<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: You cannot hold Dan Hawkins down very long. He's a great gameplanner and Kansas is vastly overrated. Colorado will force Kansas into mistakes and win a close one.<br /><br />6. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Notre Dame @ North Carolina</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Pick</span>: Notre Dame 33-21<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: As much as it pains me to pick the Irish for anything, I think they have the horses on offense to get it done. They are playing hot right now and have had a lot of sucess. This will give them the mental boost to win the game. Expect Clausen to throw the ball down field a lot. This is the signature win this program needs right now to jump into the polls.<br /><br />7. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Tennessee @ Georgia</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Pick</span>: Georgia 28-14<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: Georgia is playing at home and the Vols are just not very good. The only thing that makes this an intruiging game is that Phil Fulmer need this game if he wants to keep his job. Georgia should run the ball all over Tenn though.<br /><br />8. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Clemson @ Wake Forest</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Pick</span>: Clemson 28-24<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: Coach Bowden would like to keep his job. That probably won't happen if he cannot win the ACC this year. Dropping from the top 10 to where they are, he needs to run the table to have any hopes of seeing another year on the sideline for the Tigers.<br /><br />9. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Arizona State @ USC</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Pick</span>: USC 44-10<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: This should be interesting if both Carpenter and Sanchez sit. USC has more reason to sit Sanchez (tons of weapons on offense and a stellar defense) than ASU does with Carpenter. If Sanchez sits, expect Carpenter to play. If Sanchez plays, there is a pretty good chance Carpenter won't. USC is not the defense to take chances on. But, even with Mustain at QB, expect USC to roll big.<br /><br />10. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Nebraska @ Texas Tech</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Pick</span>: Texas Tech 35-14<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: This is another game where it could very easily go the other way. Nebraska coming off of a very embarrasing home loss to Mizzou needs a nice rebound game. Tech's spread offense churns out the yards, but doesn't do anything extra-ordinary. It is just a matter of whether or not the DB's for Nebraska are up to covering all those guys without leaving gaping holes for Crabtree to weave through. I don't expect that they will though.<br /><br /><br />Darkhorse Upset of the Week: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Miss St. over Vandy. 14-10.</span>JEasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05017134954362171349noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3968481580812844055.post-53106497172654749232008-10-07T08:43:00.000-07:002008-10-07T09:16:30.795-07:00CFTop10 Recap of Week 6 Picks<span style="font-weight: bold;">Week 6 Picks</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Record: 7-3</span><br /><br />1. <span style="font-weight: bold;"> Ohio St. @ Wisconsin</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Analysis</span>: Game was a little closer than I predicted, but Ohio State is only going to get better as the season progresses. Wells and Pryor are a combination that will cause a lot of trouble for opposing defenses. Especially in the Big10 where the defenses are down from their normal potency.<br /><br />2. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Oregon @ USC</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Analysis</span>: Pretty much what I expected. I though Oregon would get another field goal, but the stout USC defense held one of the best running attacks in the country in check all night. USC is only going to get better. Oregon is going to struggle.<br /><br />3. <span style="font-weight: bold;"> Penn State @ Purdue</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Analysis</span>: I thought Penn State could score more against a very porous Purdue defense. This could be a sign of weakness in the Penn State offense as they get into the meat of their Big10 schedule. Purdue likewise didn't score as much as I thought, Penn State's defense played them well.<br /><br />4. <span style="font-weight: bold;"> Oregon State @ Utah</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Analysis</span>: I though Oregon State would be able to pull it out on the road in a nail biter, but they just couldn't hold on. Oregon State gave this game away. Even with the terrible call on the 2 point conversion (which would have sealed the game for Oregon State) they still allowed Utah to throw three passes to get into the end zone, and then gave the game away in OT.<br /><br />5. <span style="font-weight: bold;"> Auburn @ Vanderbilt</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Analysis</span>: Auburn is just plain terrible on offense. Vandy is a nice little team, but they are vastly overrated due to the fact they have played some very poor SEC teams this year. The game was rather boring, but I expected Auburn's superior talent to wipe the floor with Vandy. I was very wrong. Auburn is just that bad.<br /><br />6. <span style="font-weight: bold;"> Stanford @ Notre Dame</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Analysis</span>: I thought I had this one pegged when it was 28-7, but Stanford came rolling back. Notre Dame is fairly lucky with the muffed punt call, it could have gone the other way very easily. In fact, you could pretty much say that's true with the eratic nature of PAC10 officials.<br /><br />7. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Arizona State @ California</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Analysis</span>: Arizona State still cannot run the ball. They are a team that is a work in progress for Denny, they will look better in a year or two, but not now. Cal played pretty well considering the amount of unknown at the QB position, but Tedford usually puts a good game plan together.<br /><br />8. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Florida State @ Miami</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Analysis</span>: Took Miami a little too long to decide they were playing football on Saturday. It was interesting to see both teams put up so many points. It could be that they both scored more in one game than thay did all last year. :o<br /><br />9. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Missouri @ Nebraska</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Analysis</span>: I never expected the Huskers to win, but I thought they would put up a better fight. But one thing hasn't changed in Lincoln in the last several years, they still cannot play defense. They cannot tackle, and they cannot stay in their zones. Bo has a lot of work to do to restore the Black Shirts.<br /><br />10. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Connecticut @ North Carolina</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Analysis</span>: North Carolina has a very nifty defense. They are going to be very good in a few years if their offense can catch up. I suspect North Carolina could win the ACC. They are playing very well.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Darkhorse Pick</span>: Colorado over Texas. Well, I guess that's why they call it a darkhorse. Give Hawk another year with some more great recruits and it won't be a darkhorse pick. They are going to win a lot of games very soon.JEasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05017134954362171349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3968481580812844055.post-38821446661745409942008-10-06T08:40:00.000-07:002008-10-06T09:03:07.381-07:00CFTop10 Week 7 Top Ten Teams<span style="font-weight: bold;">Week 7 Top Ten Teams</span><br /><br />1. <span style="font-weight: bold;"> Oklahoma</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: Still playing the strongest ball of any team on a consistent basis.<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why Not</span>: Still haven't played a team with any kind of defense, most without any real offense either. They won't face a top defense all year until a bowl game. Maybe.<br /><br />2. <span style="font-weight: bold;"> Alabama</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: Beat top teams on the road.<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why Not</span>: Struggled with a sub-par Kentucky team. The teams they've beaten haven't proved their really good.<br /><br />3. <span style="font-weight: bold;"> Missouri</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: Massive offense, very productive and showing some balance.<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why Not</span>: As with Oklahoma, they haven't played anyone with any sort of defense.<br /><br />4. <span style="font-weight: bold;"> USC</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: The destruction of Oregon (without Rey Rey) shows they truly are a championship caliber team. The Oregon State game was an aberration.<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why Not</span>: Oregon State. They still overlook opponents.<br /><br />5. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Penn State</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: Great balance. Play with fire.<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why Not</span>: They show some weakness against physical opponents. They might struggle against some Big10 defenses.<br /><br />6. <span style="font-weight: bold;"> Texas</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: They've rolled up some nice numbers. Colt McCoy is making plays under duress. Good news for Texas.<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why Not</span>: Like the other Big12 teams though they haven't played against a defense.<br /><br />7. <span style="font-weight: bold;"> LSU</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: Unbeaten so far. Done a very nice job picking up wins.<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why Not</span>: No quality opponents so far. Auburn has proven they aren't a good team this year.<br /><br />8. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Ohio State</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: They are getting better as the season goes on. Wells and Pryor are going to make a showing of it in the Big10.<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why Not</span>: They have not been steady or explosive. Defense isn't as good as advertised.<br /><br />9. <span style="font-weight: bold;"> BYU</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: High powered offense with remarkable balance considering their style.<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why Not</span>: Don't know about their defense and they have no quality opponents.<br /><br />10. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Texas Tech</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: Shear numbers. They are putting up some astounding yards on offense. They keep teams on their heels with their offense. Harrell is the real deal in a gimmick offense. He would thrive anywhere.<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why Not</span>: They've played no one. They've played no strong defense.JEasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05017134954362171349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3968481580812844055.post-64102229185041599032008-10-01T08:30:00.000-07:002008-10-01T09:18:45.540-07:00CFTop10 Week 6 Top 10 Games<span style="font-weight: bold;">Top 10 Most Intruiging Games of Week 6</span><br /><br />1. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Ohio State @ Wisconsin</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Pick</span>: Ohio State 28-14<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: This is the redemption game for Ohio State. The only way these seniors can revive a season destroyed by USC is to come out and beat one of the two ranked teams left on their schedule. Beating Wisconsin will set them up for a showdown with Penn State. Pryor is inserted as their guy, and their offense will be coming into its own with his athleticism.<br /><br />2. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Oregon @ USC</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Pick</span>: USC 35-13<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: Pete Carroll has never lost 2 consecutive games since his first season at USC. They are at home. They are embarrassed from the Oregon State loss and there are a lot of players hungry to show what they can do, and after a dismall performace last week the backup guys are looking to supplant the starters. This is where the depth of the USC roster comes into play.<br /><br />3. <span style="font-weight: bold;"> Penn State @ Purdue</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Pick</span>: Penn State 38-32<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: While Purdue can score a ton of points, Penn State is more in control of their games. Look for a high point game and for it to be a last stand by the Penn State defense to make it a winner. Expect the Nittany Lions to come out to a small lead and hold on for the game. <br /><br />4. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Oregon State @ Utah</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Pick</span>: Oregon State 28-21<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: We are starting to see the Oregon State team that everyone expected to see from the beginning. No one expected them to beat USC, but they did expect them to be competitive. Mike Reilly is one of the best unknown coaches in the game and he does a good job keeping his team focused. I don't expect the Beavers to fall down after their huge win. I expect to see them ride the momentum into Salt Lake and outlast the Utes.<br /><br />5. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Auburn @ Vanderbilt</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Pick</span>: Auburn 27-7<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: Vandy is a pretender and the reason why this game is intreguing. They beat a very disfunctional South Carolina team and snuck up on a very young Ole Miss team. I don't expect them to be able to repeat their success again many (if any) other SEC teams. Auburn's offense is dismal, but their defense should set them up very nicely against a Vandy team that was a pitty pick for the Top 25.<br /><br />6. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Stanford @ Notre Dame</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Pick</span>: Notre Dame 35-7<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: Notre Dame could be coming into their own. They finally put up some very good numbers against a quality opponent in Purdue. Stanford still has a long way to go and have not shown consistant play. The crowning point for this game will be that Notre Dame will be 4-1 with their only loss to a very good Michigan State team. No one wants to be back in the Top 25 more that Charlie Wiess.<br /><br />7. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Arizona State @ California</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Pick</span>: California 32-28<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: This is the first battle for the pecking order behind USC for supremecy in the Pac-10 this year. Cal has more playmakers on their side and they are at home. The Sun Devils will need a massive resurgence in their running game to take the pressure off of Carpenter to win, I don't see that happening. Tedford keeps it balanced and will win the game in a close matchup, but the game will never be in doubt.<br /><br />8. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Florida State @ Miami</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Pick</span>: Miami 21-17<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: Florida State is playing pretty well, but is in a constant state of decline. Randy Shannon knows he needs to start winning more games or he will be on the hot seat. Bobby Bowden on the other hand does not have that same problem, and so expect Shannon to instill a fire in his guys to come out and win a close one in the battle of defenses.<br /><br />9. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Missouri @ Nebraska</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Pick</span>: Missouri 35-21<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: Mizzou will just outclass Nebraska. Bo may make this game interesting with his defensive schemes, but they don't have anyone to cover JMac. Chase Daniel will get the ball around and the Huskers may keep it close for awhile, but they won't be able to hold on for the duration. Mizzou runs away at the end.<br /><br />10. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Connecticut @ North Carolina</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Pick</span>: North Carolina 21-14<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: North Carolina defense. UConn is without their starting QB and it will show against a surprisingly talented UNC defense. Butch Lewis is an outstanding coach and his team will only get better over the next several years. This could be the game to jump UNC into the Top 25.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Darkhorse Upset Pick of the Week:</span><br /><br />Colorado 32 Texas 28JEasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05017134954362171349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3968481580812844055.post-10590184091676444772008-09-29T09:42:00.000-07:002008-09-29T10:52:26.870-07:00Week 6 2008 Top 10Top 10 Teams<br /><br />1. <span style="font-weight: bold;"> Alabama</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: Pretty simple here. At the time they played them, Bama beat 2 very highly ranked opponents. And they beat them on the road. Going into Clemson and into Georgia and coming out with wins is impressive. Beating both teams they way they did, is even more impressive. Nick Saban has recruited well and the Tide are a force to be reconed with for a long time.<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why Not</span>: Clemson and Georgia were both highly overrated. Clemson should never have been ranked in the Top 25 and Georgia was very highly ranked due to their lambasting of a Hawaii team that should never have played in a BCS Bowl game, but was able to run the table in a mediocre WAC last year. They are very young in a lot of spots. Their youth could be exploited against very physically tough opponents.<br /><br />2. <span style="font-weight: bold;"> Oklahoma</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: The Sooners have shown dominance in every game they have played so far this season. Sam Bradford has a very high completion rate and they score quickly. Their high powered offense keeps other teams on the defensive and out of their offensive game plan. Their recruiting has been superb and Bob Stoops is one of the best coaches in the game.<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why Not</span>: The combined record of their opponents is 8-10. Neither of the teams that have winning record have beaten anyone of consequence. In fact, both teams and Oklahoma have one or more D-II teams on their schedule. Both quality wins were at home.<br /><br />3. <span style="font-weight: bold;"> Missouri</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: Chase Daniel is a very accurate QB who runs their system very well. JMac is an outstanding player and will be very difficult for anyone to cover. This offense will be very hard to stop with its athelicism.<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why Not</span>: Their only quality win is against an Illinois team that had a nice run last year but cannot hope to duplicate this year. They have not played a team with anything resembling a defense and so it is very difficult to gauge where they truly are.<br /><br />4. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Penn State</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: They have dismantled every oppenent so far. They show flashes of brilliance on offense and have some very solid players on both sides of the ball. They show a relatively balanced offense which will keep teams guessing. They play with a fire that a lot of teams in the Big 10 seem to be lacking as of late.<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why Not</span>: Every game worth talking about was played at home. The college stadium in the country. Their warm up was against Costal Carolina?! They have yet to face a team that is really on top of their game. They got Oregon State at home very early while they were still trying to figure out who they were.<br /><br />5. <span style="font-weight: bold;"> USC</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: Two words. Pete Carroll. Even with the most uncharactaristic loss I've seen in the Pete Carroll era (no real turnovers, poor tackling, giving up yards on the ground to an RB) USC has more talent than any other program in the country. You cannot discount the success they have had over the last 7 years. Couple that with the beating they placed on Ohio State (another team I'll talk about) they have looked spectacular.<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why Not</span>: USC has shown a tendancy to come out flat against significantly inferior opponents. They have not shown the killer instinct that is prominent in the other major contenders. SC has not shown that they can run inferior teams out the door, but they play down to their level.<br /><br />6. <span style="font-weight: bold;"> LSU</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: They beat Auburn on the road. Anytime you can go into another guys place and win its a pretty awesome thing. But to beat Auburn at Auburn is saying something for your team. They have some very explosive players on offense and a steady running attack.<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why Not</span>: Appy State. North Texas. They struggled to beat an unbelievable bad Miss State team. Auburn's offense is aweful right now. The teams they have beaten have looked very beatable and LSU didn't look that incredible against them. Les Miles is running out of Nick Saban's recruits. We'll see how he does over the next few seasons.<br /><br />7. <span style="font-weight: bold;"> Texas</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: Their spread-option offense is in full swing for the first time since VY. Colt McCoy is making good decisions and they have a lot of talent to go around on both sides of the ball. They attempt to stay balanced in their spread attack which gives them a lot of stability in the OL play.<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why Not</span>: Every team they have beaten is downright bad. Combined records of 7-10. And Rice is the only team with a winning record. Look who they've beaten....<br /><br />8. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Ohio State</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: Even though they lost to USC badly, they have a ton of talent on their team. With a healthy Chris Wells and a very special QB in Pryor, expect to see them run the table in the BIG 10. The more Pryor plays, the more confident he will be. They have tremendous balance on offense and their defense knows how to play. They just haven't played up to their potential yet.<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why Not</span>: They have not won a game that did not give them fits at one point or another. The dismantling by USC hurts them badly. They didn't just get beat. They got hammered. It didn't seem like they could do anything right agains the Trojans.<br /><br />9. <span style="font-weight: bold;"> BYU</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: Max Hall is the real deal. He's an old school BYU type passer (Boscoe, Young, Sarkesian). He's a smart kid who makes very good decisions. Unga is a massive runner with quick feet. Pitta could be the best TE in the country. Great passing attack with a powerful runner makes the Cougars a dangerous team.<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why Not</span>: Their oppenents all have losing records. Really bad losing records. They've played at home 3-4 games. Their defense has shown a tremendous amount of softness, but their offense powers teams out of their scheme. They lack depth and it may show itself if injuries occur, or late in the game against a scrappy oppenent.<br /><br />10. <span style="font-weight: bold;"> Florida</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why</span>: Tim Tebow. You cannot hold that kid down forever. Meyer is going to have to do some thinking about how he runs the ball, but when he does, this team has enough talent on offense to hurt people in the long run. Their defense is good enough to keep them in just about any game in the SEC which is not showing a lot of offensive fire power at the moment.<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why Not</span>: They cannot run the ball. It is outside their scheme to get the ball into the hands of their RB's more than 20 times a game. They cannot manage the clock well by pounding the opposition into submission. Tebow cannot be the bulk of their offense and stay healthy enough to win out.JEasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05017134954362171349noreply@blogger.com0