Looking ahead to Saturday- week 10

Man this fall is whizzing by.  I cant believe we are already on Week 10 and Thursday is Halloween.  Wow.  Week 9 was terrific.  I think we really learned a lot about the top teams out there.  It seems obvious to me that Alabama, Florida State, and Oregon are a cut above.  There are others that can prove themselves and perhaps get into this title chase.  We shall see.  On to this weeks action:

USC @ Oregon State– Does anyone remember 2008 when a top ranked, hot shot USC team went to Corvallis and got beat by the lowly Beavers on a Thursday night?  Man, that was awesome.  This time Oregon State has the better team and The Trojans are coming in on a Friday.  I see no reason why the outcome will be different than 2008.  Beavers roll in this one.  Watch Sean Mannion, that dude is pretty good.

Wisconsin @ Iowa– Put me in the camp that thinks Wisconsin is a pretty damn good team.  If you count The Arizona State game as a win (and you should, Whisky got JOBBED), The Badgers are a one loss team.  That one loss was to Ohio State in Columbus.  I think realistically Wisconsin should be ranked in the top 15.  Iowa has shown over the last few weeks that they are a pretty decent team themselves.  Also given the home field advantage this one should be pretty good.  Even so, give me The Badgers.  Chris Borland and The Badger Defense will be the difference.

Michigan @ Michigan State– No Offense Sparty takes on Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hide.  This game is one of my must watch games of the weekend.  These teams don’t like each other and they are both jockeying for position in the wide open Legends division.  For The Wolverines, this one is a cant lose, as they still have to play Ohio State.  Michigan State would like very much to defeat it’s rival and put them in their rear view mirror.  I think they will do just that.  The Sparty Defense will be too tough and Michigan relies too heavily on The QB run.

Florida vs. Georgia (Jacksonville)– The Worlds Largest Cocktail Party again takes place in dumpy Jacksonville.  This game lacks the National relevance of years past but regardless is an awesome rivalry.  For Florida, nothing has changed, their Offense is still miserable.  For that reason I will take The Bulldogs.  Aaron Murray and company will put up far too many points for The Gators to be competitive.

Tennessee @ Missouri– Both of these teams lost last weekend in much different ways.  Tennessee got their wheels blown off by possibly the best team in the country, while Missouri BLEW a 17 point 4th quarter lead to end their dreams of a perfect season.  Call me crazy, call be biased, (both are probably true in this instance) but I could see Missouri sleeping on the Volunteers.  That would be a very Missouri think to do.  Meanwhile I am becoming a Butch Jones believer.  He has really done a good job in his first season in Knoxville.  He will have his team ready to play.  I will call for the upset here.  Give me The Vols to go on the road and beat up Missouri.

Oklahoma State @ Texas Tech– This is a very big game in the Big 12.  In all likelihood,  the loser will essentially be eliminated from the possibility of winning this league (that is not to say that either one of these teams will win the league).  I just cant trust the Pokes.  I have watched them a couple of time and have come away both times with a blah feeling.  Conversely, Tech really impressed me last weekend.  Those boys on Defense will pop you.  My only concern for Tech is the hangover effect of last weeks loss to Oklahoma.  Can they forget about and move on to this one?  I will say they can.  Give me Tech to win at home.

Miami @ Florida State– Do you remember when this would be the marquee game for the entire year?  These squads would go at it to determine who would represent Florida in the National Title chase year in and year out.  This rivalry has lost a lot of luster since those days.  It seems that these teams are never good at the same time.  Well this year they are.  Florida State brings in a top 5 Offense and Defense to this matchup.  Miami has been good as well but not nearly as impressive.  I think the better team wins this one as The Seminoles take out The Hurricanes with relative ease.  Miami is good, but they cant hang with Florida State.

Saturday views from the couch 10/13

Wow.  What a fantastic day of College Football.  There was game after game of thrilling action.  I think this was the best Saturday yet.  Here are some views and observations.

*7 Top 25 teams fell on Saturday.  That is more than a quarter of them and they went down in a variety of ways.  There was the predictable (Washington, Florida, Northwestern), The Stunning (Georgia, Stanford)  and The disappointing (Oklahoma, Michigan).  Some of these teams were bound to fall, particularly when we got into conference play.  But 7?  Damn

*What the hell Oklahoma?  You had a chance to bury the Horns and instead you let them run over you?  263 total yards isnt going to do it.  So much for thinking Blake Bell was going to be the guy going forward.  I suppose I have to give credit to Texas who actually stuck with the run.  When you have horses like Jonathan Gray and Malcolm Brown you have to ride them.  Both of those guys rushed for over 120 yards.  A great win for Texas but this has to be absolutely disappointing for Boomer Sooner.

* Oh Georgia.  My Oh My.  This one will make Mark RIcht and Aaron Murray sick to their stomach at seasons end.

*Penn State beat Mr. Inconsistent in a 4 OT thriller yesterday evening.  Penn St. needed, and got, a furious last minute TD drive with heroics by Allen Robinson.  The OT sessions were sloppy by both teams.  Penn State won as they were the first to score a TD, in the 4th OT period, There were no points were scored in 2 of those periods.  In other news Im ready to proclaim Allen Robinson as one of the 2 or 3 best receivers in the country.  That dude is a baller.  This game also served as a reminder of how much Beaver Stadium can rock.  That has to be one of the best atmospheres in the country.

*It has to hurt to be a Stanford fan this morning.

*Did anyone watch the Texas A&M/Ole Miss game?  Wow what a game.  Ole Miss led by a TD with 6 minutes to go.  Give The Aggs credit.  They stormed back and won the game at the gun.  John Football his usual self.  Just another 346 yards passing 124 yards rushing day.  Nothing special, just another day at the office.  Trey WIlliams added 2 rushing TDs for A&M in this one.  Williams is really fun to watch.  You can think what you will of A&M but they are going to play some very entertaining games this season.  I would suggest tuning in.

Stock up
LSU– The Tigers might be the best team in the SEC.  Their Offense is rolling and if yesterday was any indication their Defense is gaining footing as well.
Michigan State- Look out big 10.  Sparty might have found some Offense.
Oregon– The Ducks are so consistent it often gets overlooked.  Yesterday they beat a fine Washington team in a hostile environment and nothing is thought of it.
South Carolina– Going on the road and putting the smack down on a Conference opponent lands you on the stock up list.
Wisconsin– Damn.  The Badgers put a beat down on the Wildcats.
BYU– Nice win for The Cougs.

STOCK DOWN
Oklahoma– Come on Boomer.
Georgia– For the love of Christ!!  I shower the Dogs with praise, calling them a Title Contender after beating LSU and since then they have played poorly in 2 games and lost to Misery.  UGH
Miami (OH)- Losing the UMASS?  Unless we are talking about basketball this will land you on the stock down list.
Michigan– Who are these guys?  The team that came out of the gates on fire or the squad that is staggering around like a hobo after a bottle of scope.
Eastern Michigan– allowing 50 points to Army?
Stanford– I wont pour salt in the wound but I have to put the Cardinal on this list.

LSU/Georgia- the best game of the year.

Saturday afternoon we were reminded why College Football and in particular the SEC is so great.  The SEC draws the ire of much of the nation because of the constant exposure the media inundates us with.  Regardless of that coverage Saturday afternoon in Athens was a reminder that the SEC still is the best, at least at the top.  The Georgia Bulldogs and the LSU Tigers played what will go down as one of the best games of the year.  This game had it all.  There were playmakers all over the field.  There were 2 future NFL Qbs dueling all afternoon.  There were 2 top flight head coaches leading talent laden rosters.  It was a see-saw affair where both schools played their hearts out.  It was a reminder of why we love college football so much.

As a viewer it was an absolute joy to watch.  At its core this game was a battle of 2 QBs.  Forget the story line CBS was shoving down your throat and examine this game and a whole.  Aaron Murray may have his detractors but on this afternoon he was marvelous.  He threw for 298 yards and 4 Tds.  More importantly he threw the clutch balls, leading a TD drive with less than 2 minutes remaining.  Murray was the point man for this prolific attack all day long.  He deserves a ton of credit.  His counterpart Zach Mettenberger deserves every bit as much credit.    Mettenberger threw for 372 yards and 3 Tds in this one.  That normally wins a ballgame.  This game went back and forth, in thrilling fashion, all afternoon.  Todd Gurley left the game with an apparent ankle injury, and the run game was never the same.  Keith Marshall filled in and was adequate but he lacks the difference making ability of Gurley.  Offensively the ability to run the ball was the real difference.  LSU had a difficult time all afternoon, averaging only 2.1 yards per rush.  Meanwhile the Dogs ran for 5.4 yards per rush. That tells it all.  The Tigers had no choice but to rely on Mettenberger all afternoon, and while he was fantastic, he was unable to carry his team to victory.

This victory vaults the Bulldogs squarely into the National Title discussion.  Sure the Dogs lost to Clemson, but that is a top team, which makes it all the more forgivable.  Its even better that the lost was week 1.  As Thanksgiving rolls around that loss  will be a distant memory.  To date Georgia has played 3 top 10 teams.  No other team can make a claim anywhere close to that.  The Dogs are 2-1 in those games.  If you were to ask me today, based upon what I have seen in the last month, I would be hard pressed to keep the Dogs out of the National Title game.  Surely there are challenges ahead for UGA, a trap in Jacksonville comes to mind, but the rest of the regular season is navigable.  If you wish to discuss the National Title picture at this time you had better include Aaron Murray and the Georgia Bulldogs.

looking ahead-week 5

Last week will go down as one of the least eventful weeks of the college football season. Fotunately for all of us this week is much different.  There are numerous big games and even better big conference games.  I had to be somewhat selective this week..  Here is a run down of this weeks action.

Virginia Tech @ Georgia Tech (Thursday)- A team that impressed me last weekend in Georgia Tech, against a team that is turning into a bit of an under acheiver in Virginia Tech.  Can the Hokie Defense stand up to Vad Lee and the Rambling wreck?

SMU @ TCU- The battle for the Iron Skillet.  This is a big one around here.  TCU has struggled early on while the Ponies havent exactly set the world ablaze.  Then again June Jones’ club always brings their best to Fort Worth.

LSU @ Georgia- SEC play gets ramped up as Jeremy Hill and the Tigers go between the Hedges against Aaron Murray and the Bulldogs.  This is my game of the week.  If Georgia plays as loose as they did against South Carolina, I like the Dogs.

Oklahoma @ Notre Dame- Here are 2 teams that I don’t know what to think of.  Oklahoma seems to have found its starting QB in Blake Bell, but if he is so great why wasn’t he the obvious choice all along?  Meanwhile Notre Dame’s offense seems to sputter with Tommy Reese.  Not that they have any options there.  I dont think I could possibly be surprised by the outcome of this game.

Ole Miss @ Alabama- The new kid on the block in the SEC goes to Tuscaloosa to tangle with the big bad bully.  This should be a good game on paper but I think The Tide might put a spanking on the Rebs.  I just think Ole Miss is a bit too green for such a matchup.  I could be wrong of course.

Arizona @ Washington- This will be an underrated game.  After beating 3 patsies the Wildcats finally get to the meat of their schedule.  Meanwhile the Huskies are this years surprise team to this point.  These 2 programs are on the rise. Give me the home team in this one.

Wisconsin @ Ohio State- The 2 best teams in the Big 10 go at it in Columbus.  This game could very well decide the Leaders division when its all said and done.  Ive been impressed early with The Badgers and new coach Gary Andersen.  Meanwhile the Buckeyes appearing to be coming into shape.  It appears Braxton Miller will play.  I expect Chris Borland and the Wisonsin Defense to give the Buckeyes plenty of problems.

GAMBLERS CORNER

OKState -19.5 @ West Virginia
Wyoming -12.5 @ Texas State
Wisconsin +7.5 @ Ohio State
Arizona State -6.5 vs. USC
Miami -19 @ South Florida

Looking ahead…..

One of the best trends around college football is the early season showdown.  It seems years ago these were rare treats for the college Football fan to behold.  Now There are several good games taking place week 1.  Here is a look at a few of them.

North Carolina @ South Carolina Thursday- Ive long been an admirer of Larry Fedora.  I think he is one of the best young coaches in college football and will do great things in Chapel HIll.  That said Thursday night he takes his team into a buzz saw in Columbia.  South Carolina is a legitimate National Title Contender with studs all over the field.  We all know about Clowney but the rest of the D-line is similarly fantastic.  South Carolina balances a monster Defense with a pretty good offense.  The spread on this game is S.Carolina -11.  I’m hoping this affair is closer than that.

LSU vs. TCU Saturday night from a test tube in Arlington Tx- This is an intriguing matchup between a team with a lot to replace, LSU, and a team that was remarkably young last season in TCU.  While most will think LSU will beat up on the boys from Fort Worth, I think otherwise.  Gary Patterson will have his team ready.  TCU is a program with a chip on its shoulder and this game plays right into that.  Also dont forget the game may be “neutral” site but look at a map.  TCU will be well represented.  Maybe the Frogs dont win the game but it will be highly competitive.

Georgia @ Clemson- This is a rare top 10 showdown week 1.  Aaron Murray vs, Taj Boyd.  My mouth waters just thinking about this fantastic matchup.  This one will be a real treat.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Bulldogs win this one but Ill take Clemson to hold serve on their home field.  I expect this game to be a dandy.  If you are big into atmosphere, as I am, Death Valley will be rockin Saturday night.
Ole Miss @ Vandy Late Thursday night- This is the battle of teams you shouldn’t sleep on.  James Franklin has worked wonders at Vanderbilt, turning them into a damn fine team while Hugh Freeze at Ole Miss is in the process of doing the same.  Im not a fan of conference games this early in the season but that wont stop be from enjoying this one.  Give me the Commodores over the Rebels by a field goal.

Alabama vs Virginia Tech, Saturday night from Atlanta- This one sounds a whole lot better on paper than it will in real life.  The Crimson Tide will do to the Hokies, this year, what they did to Michigan last year.  The score last year was 41-14.  I expect a similar score.  I have very little faith in Logan Thomas and Alabama is so freaking loaded it wouldn’t matter anyway.  The spread reflects this notion as the Tide are a 21 point favorite.

These are some of the big time week 1 matchups that have had me salivating for months.  Later today I will go over some games that interest me personally.  5 MORE DAYS FOLKS.  Get your foam finger and game day treats ready!!

SEC East Picks (2013)

In strong contrast to its counterpart, the SEC East is wide freaking open.  The Alabama Crimson Tide are a lock to win their division, but in the East it’s difficult to come up with a compelling case that one of the top contenders will prevail over the others.  The Florida Gators, the Georgia Bulldogs and the South Carolina Gamecocks will all spend this fall jockeying for the division title.  All are fine teams, with noticeable holes.  Personally, I think this will be the most fun division in college football this upcoming season.

The Georgia Bulldogs are absolutely loaded offensively.  In fact, I think this is the best offense in the conference.  Aaron Murray has his detractors, but the dude has a huge arm, and last year completed 64.5% of his passed with a 36-10 TD to int. ratio.  I don’t know how you can look at stats like that and not think he is one of the nation’s best.  The Bulldogs also return a dynamic duo of backs with both Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall.  These two Sophomores ran for over 2,000 yards collectively last fall.  It’s not the offense that is the big question mark for Georgia.  The Defense returns just 2 starters from their starting 11 from last season.  In fact they return just 3 of their top 12 tacklers from that season.  With those kind of question marks I just couldn’t put Georgia in Atlanta to play the Tide again for the league title.  If Georgia’s Defense can come together as a force, this team has a terrific shot to win this division and potentially much more.

The Florida Gators certainly belong in the conversation as well.  Will Muschamp’s team made tremendous improvement last season.  In fact, they were one bad game from winning their division and playing Alabama for a shot at the National Title.  In Jacksonville they turned the ball over 6 times in a 17-9 loss to Georgia.  I’m sure that game sticks in their craw.  Jeff Driskel returns at quarterback for a paltry Gator offense that was incredibly inconsistent.  Don’t take my word for it; let’s look at some numbers.  This unit ranked 7th (in the conference) in points per game, 13th in passing Offense and 12th in total Offense in conference play.  Needless to say I’m not a big fan of the offense but it’s not the biggest enemy of the Florida Gators.  The schedule is brutal.  There is no sugar coating it.  They play @ LSU, @ South Carolina and Georgia in Jacksonville in conference play and Miami and Florida State out of conference.  Yikes, that is a hell of a schedule.  The Gators will be good, but to be honest there is no way they can navigate that schedule.

My pick to win the SEC East is the South Carolina Gamecocks.  To me, South Carolina has the best balance of Offense and Defense as well as a manageable schedule.  In a vacuum I’m not sure they are the best of these 3.  Don’t get me wrong, this is an excellent team.  Connor Shaw returns for his Senior year after completing 67% of his passes and running for 600 yards as a Junior.  He is poised for a huge year.  The Offensive Line returns 4 starters and I suspect the Gamecocks will have a strong running game albeit with unproven backs.  The Defensive Line will be among the nation’s best led by all world DE JaDaveon Clowney.  I suspect they will again lead the league in sacks.  The Gamecocks seem to have everything going their way this season.  This includes the schedule as they avoid Alabama and LSU. The other two contenders aren’t as fortunate.  Additionally, they get Florida at home.  The big game is week 2 at Georgia.  It seems to me that it takes Offenses a bit longer to hit their stride than Defenses.   I think South Carolina wins this game but I’m not sure they would if this game were in October or November.  I think this is part of the folly of starting conference play this early, but that is a different topic for a different time.  All of these reasons call for me to give South Carolina my nod to win the SEC East.  If things shake their way, they are a legitimate National Title contender. But for now Ill just call for them to win the SEC East.