Notes and Such 2/8

*Some strange news out of Norman.  QB Blake Bell will make the move to TE his Senior season.  I cannot recall another time that a QB was moved to that position.  Obviously Bell has the kind of size the TE position demands, but will he be able to block?  How are his hands?  I like the Belldozer, but I dont see this being a viable move for a productive season.  I think he should have remained at QB.  Trevor Knight may have had a great game in the Sugar Bowl, but his position as a starter was not solid throughout the year.  If Knight faltered, there may be a chance for Bell to regain his starter status.  As it stands, I think he will spend his Senior season sparring it up at TE.

*Michigan Coach Brady Hoke is holding an open QB competition this spring and fall.  I’m no Michigan man, but if I were, I would be ecstatic about this move.  Devin Gardner’s numbers are decent (60%completion percentage, 21/11 Td to Int ratio) but those numbers don’t tell the story.  In a number of losses, Gardner led an ineffective offense.  At times he seemed frazzled and didn’t know where to go with the ball.  If his first read wasn’t there, he would take off and as the season wore down so did he.  A healthy competition will surely be a good thing for a Wolverine offense that sucked last year.

* Another player has joined the list of graduate transfers.  Former N.C State QB Pete Thomas declared his intentions to transfer this week.  I’m sure Thomas is a nice young man, but he is a poor QB.  He does complete 60% of his passes, but his TD/Int ratio is 4/9.  That is awful, just plain awful.  This will also be Thomas’ 3rd stop after stints at Colorado State and N.C State.  I’m not a scout, but it appears to me a program would have to be pretty damn desperate to take a flyer on Thomas.  It is worth keeping an eye on.

*Cincinatti has hired a new Athletic Director.  Former Colorado A.D Mike Bohn comes over with a singular goal.  That goal is to get Cincy into another conference.  While I am not surprised by this goal I am surprised by how outward they are being about it.  But my question is this: What conference do they intend on joining?  The ACC has already turned down the Bearcats.  The Big 10 is looking to expand its footprint and Cincinnati doesn’t do that.  The Big 12?  Perhaps, but at this time that conference seems content with 10 teams.  I guess we shall see where this goes, but Cincy has made their intentions known.  They want out of the AAC.

Weekly List- Biggest Disappointment of 2013

1)Florida Gators– An absolute train wreck of a season.  After winning 11 games in 2012 they won a measly 4 games in 2013.  The Gators lost their last 7 games including a loss to Georgia Southern who managed to beat them despite throwing for 0 yards.  How Will Muschamp has a job is beyond me.
2)Northwestern– A season with such high hopes unravelled in a hurry amidst a flurry of crucial injuries and heartbreaking defeats.  The Wildcats lost 7 straight including 4 by 7 points or fewer.  Regardless, the Wildcats 2013 campaign was an enormous disappointment.
3)Texas– Most preseason publications called for Texas to win the Big 12 and go to a BCS bowl.  Some even thought the Horns would contend for a bigger prize.  UT lost 5 games on the year.  Their season was so dissapointing that it cost Mack Brown his job.
4)North Carolina– I thought Larry Fedora’s team would contend for a division title in 2013.  The division seemed wide open and the Heels had plenty of talent on their roster.  North Carolina jumped out to a god awful 1-5 start before rebounding to save their season.  Even after a bowl win N.C went 7-6 on this disappointing campaign.
5)Nebraska-I hate to say it but my beloved Huskers belong on this list.  The 2013 was absolutely disappointing.  Rather than contending for a Big 10 crown the Huskers had an inconsequential season marred by a slew of injuries and controversy.  It was a real shame.

A couple of notes from around the rest of the sports world

Lord Almighty that was a stinker of a Super Bowl.  I don’t think anyone in their right mind forcasted the kind of smack down we all witnessed Sunday night.  It was atrocious.  It didn’t take long for this thing to get out of hand.  Its a real shame because I thought the game had a boat load of potential.  Peyton Manning was just hounded and harassed into perhaps the most miserable performance of his career.  That was the worst Super Bowl since the Ravens trashed the Giants in 2000.

Winter Olympics anyone?  I find myself oddly fascinated by these niche sports every 4 years.  I never know what to make of them, but I am enthralled by these athletes.  So many of these sports are something I could never, in my wildest dreams, hope to replicate.  Its absolutely fascinating.  I will be watching sporadically for the next couple of weeks.  Chime in folks.  What are your thoughts on the Winter Olympics?  What, if anything, do you look forward to seeing?

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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.

Looking ahead to Saturday week 6

Last week was terrific.  There were good games all day Saturday.  Awesome.  That LSU @ Georgia was just terrific.  Then Lane Kiffin was fired to put the cherry on top.  This week contains some hum-dingers as well.  Here are a few…

Maryland @ Florida State- The Terrapins have had a great start to their season.  Now they go to Tallahassee and tangle with the big boys.  Maryland has been a nice story but I think an ass kicking is in order.

Illinois @ Nebraska- The Huskers open conference play with a team that was once considered a bottom dweller.  Thus far the Illini have been impressive.  Unfortunately I think the Huskers will have their hands full Saturday.

Georgia Tech @ Miami-A key divisional matchup in ACC play.  If Miami wants to be something they have to win games like this.  Likewise Georgia Tech is coming off of a humbling at home.  I have a feeling about the Jackets in this one.

TCU @ Oklahoma- Ive been really impressed with Oklahoma.  It seems like this team, and in particular the offense, has been ignited by the play of Blake Bell.  TCU got some confidence last weekend with a win over the SMU ponies.  Ill take the Sooners in this one but I will definitely be keeping an eye on this one.

Ole Miss @ Auburn-This is the perfect trap game for the new kids on the SEC block.  Last week The Rebs got shutout in Tuscaloosa.  This week they go to Auburn, who is good but not great.  Can Ole Miss forget about last week and focus on this week’s opponent?

Arizona State vs. Notre Dame (Arlington Tx)-  Just like Ole Miss, Arizona State is coming off a big game.  Unlike the Rebs, The Sun Devils won their big game.  Now they go to Jerry World to play Notre Dame in a game whose location makes no sense to anyone.  Will Todd Graham have his team ready?  Will Brian Kelly get his Offense in gear?  This is  a fascinating matchup.

Ohio State @ Northwestern- Is this the biggest game in Northwestern history?  Probably not.  I recall a Rose bowl in 1995.  Nevertheless this is a HUGE game for Pat Fitzgerald’s program.  If the Buckeyes arent ready to play, they could be in trouble.

West Virginia @ Baylor- Dana Holgerson’s Jeckyl and Hyde Act goes to Waco.  If the Bears are for real they need to handle the Mountaineers.  It wouldn’t hurt their national perception to beat them up a bit either.

Washington @ Stanford- Another great late night Pac-12 treat.  The team who has been most impressive thus far, Washington, goes to Palo Alto to tangle with the Cardinal.  If Stanford wants to remain in the TItle hunt they must withstand this test from the Huskies.

GAMBLERS CORNER
UCLA -6.5 @ Utah
Ohio St. -7 @ Northwestern
Oklahoma -10.5 vs. TCU
Rutgers -6 @ SMU
Minnesota +20.5 @ Michigan

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

Big 12 picks (2013)

So in order to make my Big 12 pick I’ve been pouring over stats, trends, projections and anything else that might give me some insight in to who will win this league.  Still, I have no fucking idea.  I would feel better about building a rocket ship from the contents of my refrigerator than picking this league.  I considered throwing darts at a board or letting my baby girl select one for me.  There are no less than 6 teams who can lay claim at a chance to win the conference title.  The hot pick seems to be the Texas Longhorns.  The Horns have a sense of optimism that I just can’t explain.  Texas comes off a 9-4 campaign where they lost 2 of their final 3 games.  Their optimism seems to be derived from a bowl win over a, in my view, average at best Oregon St. team.  Consider the fact that the game was 80 miles from their campus, and had to come from behind to beat the Beavers.  David Ash will most likely improve in his Jr. campaign, as most players do, but will it be enough?  The defense last year was atrocious (see OU game).  They allowed point totals of 48, 50, 42, and 63 all in conference games.  More than anything else, I must say, I just dont trust the Horns.  After a National Title appearance in ’09, they haven’t been the same.  Who have they beaten in that time? I understand the team has strengths, but I have to see it to believe it.

The other Big 12 mainstay is again in the picture.  The Oklahoma Sooners again have a potent offense but the big question is at QB.  Blake Bell has spent the last couple of seasons as a short yardage QB.  How will he handle being in the game play in and play out?  He will be aided by a productive running game spearheaded by Damien Williams and Brennan Clay.  Williams had more than 1,200 all purpose yards, a dozen TD’s last year, and is poised for a monster year this season.  Besides QB play the defense as a whole is a question, returning only 4 starters from a unit that didn’t exactly set the world ablaze.  The Sooners play in Stillwater, Manhattan and Waco in the months of November and December.  If they can find something at QB, the Sooners have as good of a chance as anyone to win the Big 12.

The Kansas St. Wildcats are again the Rodney Dangerfield of the Big 12 (if not college football as a whole).  Again the Wildcats were picked 6th in the league by the media.  The kitties were a bad night in Waco away from being in the National Title game.  They did lose a lot of key contributors including Collin Klein, Arthur Brown and Chris Harper.  But does anyone want to count the Wildcats out?  I sure don’t.  Bill Snyder has the midas touch in Manhattan.  Most programs get a Juco QB and it smacks of desperation.  The Kitties do it and you stand up and take notice.  Jake Waters was the Juco Player of the year and was on campus for spring ball.  He may end up being a household name by Thanksgiving.  Assessing the roster in July gives you no plausible reason to believe the Cats will win the Big 12, but I will put my next mortgage payment on the Cats being in the mix deep into the season.

The Texas Christian Horned Frogs return 9 starters (and 10 of their top 11 tacklers) from a Defense that was the best in the Big 12.  That makes them an oddity in the league of no defense.  Additionally Casey Pachall returns from rehab to take the reigns of the offense.  This unit too should be damn good.  To be honest I think the Horned Frogs have the best balance of offense, defense and coaching.  But their schedule is a beating.  They go to Oklahoma, Ok. St., and Kansas St. That alone is enough to do them in.  Maybe Im wrong, if so I will be the first to eat a crow sandwich. I look for the Frogs to be very good, god damn interesting, and compete with the rest of the league, but I simply cannot put them as the champ with that schedule.

My pick to finish 2nd in this league is the Oklahoma St. Cowboys.  The media has chosen them to win the league based upon their schedule and returning offensive weapons.  They make a pretty good case when you look at it.  The pokes return their top 3 receivers a starting qb (supposedly) and key contributors on the Oline.  They also return 5 of their top 7 tacklers.  The schedule is kind as well.  They get Kansas St., Baylor, TCU, and Oklahoma at home.  Their QB situation is not settled and is thus a question mark.  They return Clint Chelf, but apparently sophmore JW Walsh is still in the mix.  Like I said, there is a compelling case to be made for the Cowboys.  I however do not trust Mike Gundy and his program.  I had big expectations last year for the pokes and they disappointed me with an 8-5 campaign.  I really can’t explain why I won’t pick the pokes.

My winner of the Big 12 is Baylor.  I can’t believe I just typed that.  It’s hard to imagine that just a few years ago the Bears were a laughing stock of the league, now in July of 2013 I am picking them to win the damn thing.  I have good reasons.  Offense has never been a problem under Art Briles.  For my money he is as good as anyone on that side of the ball.  I expect Bryce Petty to have a fantastic season, because that is what QBs do in Art Briles’ system.  Lache Seastrunk ran for over 1,000 yards last year with an average over 7.  He is an All-American candidate.  Baylor returns 8 of their top 10 tacklers from a year ago.  It stands to reason that the Defense will improve from a year ago.  Additionally, the Bears were competitive with the leagues best last year, staying close with Oklahoma and beating Kansas St. in Waco.  The schedule sets up favorably for the Bears with an easy early season to get their feet wet and no trips to Austin or Norman.  The key game is at Oklahoma. St November 23rd.  I expect them to be 7-0 going into a Thursday night home game against the Sooners.  If this occurs the Bears will prove me right and be right in the thick of things come November.

I know I will get killed for picking Baylor to win this league.  Some may suggest I take an intelligence test, others a drug test.  It seems implausible.  But there is no obvious stand out team in this league.  Everyone has their warts and question marks.  Baylor included.  Picking the Bears is a reach, for sure, but one of the great things about college football is that it’s unpredictability.  Its even more unpredictable in a conference where defense is in short supply.  Remember last year K-State was picked 6th.  The Bears have been knocking at the door for a few years now, perhaps this is the year they break through and win a championship.