I think its official. If you don’t get pumped up watching SEC games, there is something seriously wrong. The Duchess was even sitting on the edge of her seat for the end of the LSU/Auburn game and she only has a passing interest in football. I may suffer a heart attack if we get week in and week out of this. Anyway, on to the Touchdown.
1) No. 8 Alabama at No. 3 Georgia – 7:45 PM on ESPN
Don’t let the score fool you (as much as 27-10 can fool anyone), Georgia completely man-handled Arizona State. A.J. Green was channeling Randy Moss (you know, when Moss tries) and I think Knowshon Moreno was wearing Superman’s cape when he made that dive into the end zone.
If you look at it, Georgia and Alabama have a lot in common. They both have great running backs, dynamic freshman receivers, and good quarterbacks (though I believe Stafford is better than Wilson). However, this won’t be a barn burner. Both have very tough defenses and this one will come down to the last play. I expect Georgia to prevail.
2) No. 22 Illinois at No. 12 Penn State – 8:00 PM on ABC
Penn State’s biggest question coming into this game going to be where Joe Paterno coaches from, the field or press box. That’s a good problem to have. If I where a Penn State fan, I would be more concerned about Juice Williams. He can take off when the pressure gets to him and can throw it down field when needed. This isn’t the same guy from last year.
However, Penn State has a quick defense that will try and contain and pressure him. Should be interesting, but Penn State will pound the ball and win this one.
3) No. 24 TCU at No. 2 Oklahoma – 7:00 PM on local channels
This game makes me physically ill, if only because Oklahoma fans will point to it and say “see, a quality opponent, we deserve to be No. 2”. Yeah, sure.
Listen, Oklahoma is going to win this one and there is one reason why. You can’t win a shootout with Oklahoma. You just can’t. You need a good defense to beat them. You harass Sam Bradford and he’ll buckle like a belt. TCU won’t be able to do it.
4) No. 1 USC at Oregon State – 9:00 PM on ESPN (9/25)
USC rolls into Oregon State with everyone wondering if they can be beat. Truth be told, I’m wondering the same thing. Dismantling Virginia and Ohio State has that effect on people.
As for this game, USC is going to do what they always do, run, pass, tackle, and beat you into submission. They only question about this game is when we see back-up Aaron Corp taking snaps from center.
5) Tennessee at No. 15 Auburn – 3:30 on CBS
I would not want to be Tennessee this week. First, you get beat down by Florida last week and now you have to face an Auburn team that wants to take out their frustrations on someone due to their loss to LSU.
I’m not saying Auburn is great, they have some issues at quarterback, but their running game is superb and their defense is nasty. Get the whirlpool ready for Jonathan Crompton because he’s going to get knocked around by Auburn.
6) Minnesota at No. 14 Ohio State – 12:00 PM on Big Ten Network
Hey, Beanie Wells should be back this week. As we all know, that makes all the difference. As a side note, I almost typed that all out without laughing.
Extra Point:
7) I’m saying it right now, the rankings system in college football makes no sense. I can’t provide a better solution, so don’t expect this rant to have any mind-altering equation to figure it all out. How about just using common sense.
A few weeks ago Georgia was ranked 2 and Oklahoma was at 3. Oklahoma completely thrashes Washington 55-14 while Georgia beats South Carolina 14-7. Oklahoma then jumps Georgia in the rankings. Does that make sense? Who do you think is a tougher opponent? The only question is “how many touchdowns would South Carolina be favored by over Washington?”
If both of these teams goes undefeated and Georgia is on the outside looking in, well, there is no justice. If it’s Oklahoma on the outside, I’ll cackle with delight.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Trent's Touchdown - Week 4
While I am willing to admit that Week 3 wasn’t all it could have been, I sure as hell beat out the first two weeks in regards to watchability. I was pretty much in front of the TV for 12 hours straight for college football fun, much to the chagrin of the Duchess. It’s not like we’re getting married in a two weeks or anything. Oh, wait a minute….
Anyway, on to the Touchdown:
1) No. 6 LSU at No. 10 Auburn – 7:45 PM on ESPN
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you have to love SEC match-ups. This one’s going to be a grudge match. You can go on and on about Charles Scott at running back, but his yards came against Appalachian State and North Texas. I could average 100 yards a game against those two teams. In fact, I probably would have picked Auburn, except the stinker they put up against Miss. State. Yeah, the defense was great, but only a field goal from the offense. You can’t pull that crap against LSU. This will be a close, low scoring defense game. The team who makes the last mistake will lose (probably Auburn).
2) No. 3 Georgia at Arizona State – 8:00 PM on ABC
This would have been my number 1 game if ASU hadn’t poo-ed the bed against UNLV. I had to look at the a few times before I realized it wasn’t a joke. I love this game for Georgia, because they have actually scheduled a tough non conference opponent. No matter what happened last week, this won’t be a walk for Georgia. The one thing they don’t want is to get into a shoot-out with ASU, they don’t have the firepower. ASU learned from there mistake last week, which is don’t run more than you throw, at least not with Rudy Carpenter. ASU will air it out against the Georgia secondary, and they better hope to get some pressure on Carpenter, or it won’t be pretty.
3) No. 4 Florida at Tennessee – 3:30 PM on CBS
Normally, I would give a bunch of crap to Tennessee about how they suck, but I thought the same thing last year and they back-doored their way into the SEC Championship Game. Anyway, Florida has lots of firepower on both sides of the field. Tennessee is going to have to try and keep Percy Harvin contained and hope that Tim Tebow starts making mistakes. Tennessee needs to get their running game going to help Eric Crompton because if the game is in his hands, the Vols are in trouble.
4) Boise State at No. 17 Oregon – 3:30 PM on local channels
I’m telling you right now, if I were Jeremiah Masoli or Chris Harper, I would have an extra sturdy knee brace on. God must hate Oregon QB’s because if he is not making them like Akili Smith or Joey Harrington, he’s blowing out their knees. With that said, Oregon will probably stick to the running game to make sure they don’t put too much pressure on their new quarterback. However, Oregon needs to watch out because Boise State can put up points in a hurry. If Oregon can control the tempo, they should be fine.
5) No. 18 Wake Forest at No. 24 Florida State – 7:00 PM on ESPN2
I think I would be physically ill if I watched this game, but it is a bit interesting. Here’s a tip for all you teams that fell from glory, beat up on two weak opponents and get back into the top 25 on name recognition alone. FSU did it. I would sit here and say things like “FSU has the top offense in the country”, but they did it against Western Carolina and Chattanooga. No, seriously. On the other side, I like QB Riley Skinner of Wake Forest. He actually lead his team back to beat Ole Miss, you know, a real opponent. If Wake doesn’t win this game, and win it big, they only have themselves to blame.
6) No. 13 Ohio State at Troy – 12:00 PM on Big Ten Network
Gee, you think Ohio State can handle this one? After the stink job against USC, this Trojan team is more their speed.
Extra Point:
7) Did you see that smack down USC laid on Ohio State? I’m still giddy about it. It finally exposed OSU for the fraud team they are. However, I am here to help OSU with their problem, even if I don’t like them. The problem lies in recruiting.
Now, before all you OSU fans start flipping out, OSU has a very good recruiting system, but they miss one key position each and every time. A quarterback. If you seriously think that Todd Boeckman or Terrelle Pryor are leading your team anywhere but the “also ran” column, you need some serious help.
Now, what I’m saying is surround your already good team with a good quarterback, preferably a drop back quarterback with a strong arm and leadership skills. They aren’t that hard to find. Let’s see, you have Cullen Harper, Mark Sanchez, Curtis Painter, Todd Reesing, Chase Daniel, Matt Stafford, Matt Grothe, Riley Skinner, Colt McCoy, Graham Harrell, and John Parker Wilson. Those are just off the top of my head and I know I’m missing some.
Put any of those quarterbacks on OSU and you have a significantly better team that might actually be able to beat a good opponent. Or keep recruiting stiffs like Boeckman and get blown out by teams from the SEC and Pac-10. Whatever works.
Anyway, on to the Touchdown:
1) No. 6 LSU at No. 10 Auburn – 7:45 PM on ESPN
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you have to love SEC match-ups. This one’s going to be a grudge match. You can go on and on about Charles Scott at running back, but his yards came against Appalachian State and North Texas. I could average 100 yards a game against those two teams. In fact, I probably would have picked Auburn, except the stinker they put up against Miss. State. Yeah, the defense was great, but only a field goal from the offense. You can’t pull that crap against LSU. This will be a close, low scoring defense game. The team who makes the last mistake will lose (probably Auburn).
2) No. 3 Georgia at Arizona State – 8:00 PM on ABC
This would have been my number 1 game if ASU hadn’t poo-ed the bed against UNLV. I had to look at the a few times before I realized it wasn’t a joke. I love this game for Georgia, because they have actually scheduled a tough non conference opponent. No matter what happened last week, this won’t be a walk for Georgia. The one thing they don’t want is to get into a shoot-out with ASU, they don’t have the firepower. ASU learned from there mistake last week, which is don’t run more than you throw, at least not with Rudy Carpenter. ASU will air it out against the Georgia secondary, and they better hope to get some pressure on Carpenter, or it won’t be pretty.
3) No. 4 Florida at Tennessee – 3:30 PM on CBS
Normally, I would give a bunch of crap to Tennessee about how they suck, but I thought the same thing last year and they back-doored their way into the SEC Championship Game. Anyway, Florida has lots of firepower on both sides of the field. Tennessee is going to have to try and keep Percy Harvin contained and hope that Tim Tebow starts making mistakes. Tennessee needs to get their running game going to help Eric Crompton because if the game is in his hands, the Vols are in trouble.
4) Boise State at No. 17 Oregon – 3:30 PM on local channels
I’m telling you right now, if I were Jeremiah Masoli or Chris Harper, I would have an extra sturdy knee brace on. God must hate Oregon QB’s because if he is not making them like Akili Smith or Joey Harrington, he’s blowing out their knees. With that said, Oregon will probably stick to the running game to make sure they don’t put too much pressure on their new quarterback. However, Oregon needs to watch out because Boise State can put up points in a hurry. If Oregon can control the tempo, they should be fine.
5) No. 18 Wake Forest at No. 24 Florida State – 7:00 PM on ESPN2
I think I would be physically ill if I watched this game, but it is a bit interesting. Here’s a tip for all you teams that fell from glory, beat up on two weak opponents and get back into the top 25 on name recognition alone. FSU did it. I would sit here and say things like “FSU has the top offense in the country”, but they did it against Western Carolina and Chattanooga. No, seriously. On the other side, I like QB Riley Skinner of Wake Forest. He actually lead his team back to beat Ole Miss, you know, a real opponent. If Wake doesn’t win this game, and win it big, they only have themselves to blame.
6) No. 13 Ohio State at Troy – 12:00 PM on Big Ten Network
Gee, you think Ohio State can handle this one? After the stink job against USC, this Trojan team is more their speed.
Extra Point:
7) Did you see that smack down USC laid on Ohio State? I’m still giddy about it. It finally exposed OSU for the fraud team they are. However, I am here to help OSU with their problem, even if I don’t like them. The problem lies in recruiting.
Now, before all you OSU fans start flipping out, OSU has a very good recruiting system, but they miss one key position each and every time. A quarterback. If you seriously think that Todd Boeckman or Terrelle Pryor are leading your team anywhere but the “also ran” column, you need some serious help.
Now, what I’m saying is surround your already good team with a good quarterback, preferably a drop back quarterback with a strong arm and leadership skills. They aren’t that hard to find. Let’s see, you have Cullen Harper, Mark Sanchez, Curtis Painter, Todd Reesing, Chase Daniel, Matt Stafford, Matt Grothe, Riley Skinner, Colt McCoy, Graham Harrell, and John Parker Wilson. Those are just off the top of my head and I know I’m missing some.
Put any of those quarterbacks on OSU and you have a significantly better team that might actually be able to beat a good opponent. Or keep recruiting stiffs like Boeckman and get blown out by teams from the SEC and Pac-10. Whatever works.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
White Trash Heaven
I realize that as of late, I’ve been ignoring my non-sports reading fans. So, fear not, I’m about to astound you with tales that have absolutely nothing to do with real sports.
Over Labor Day weekend, the Duchess and I returned to the state in which I was raised to; once again, expose her to the wonder that is the Vermont State Fair. The best way to sum up the Fair is a comment a friend of my Dad’s made when my Dad told him I was bring her. “Does he want to scare her off?” Oh yes, that is the Fair in a nutshell.
Now, the Fair has everything you could possibly want for fun-filled entertainment. You have rides, bad food (health wise), farm animals, pig races, country music, political kiosks, mouth-breathing locals, and people hocking shitty products. By shitty products, I mean everything from flimsy jewelry to campers. And I mean everything. The only thing they didn’t have was the one thing I wanted, which was the Sham-Wow. You know, that product you see on TV being sold by the guy who looks like he suffered a stroke about 5 minutes prior to taping. You know, it was made in Germany!!!
Anyway, after we filled ourselves with bad food sold by boosters of the local Catholic high school, we made our way to building that was holding bunnies for sale and a bunch of other animals. When we walk in, we see a cage holding two llamas. Let’s just say the llamas weren’t being shy about there affections (bumping uglies, knocking boots, making the beast with two backs, whatever you want to call it).
Now, I’m not trying to look. I’m making a conscious effort to seem interested in the beaver pelts some dude was displaying. It’s kind of tough when the Duchess is standing next to me looking to be cycling her emotions between confused, shocked, and laughing out loud. Not only that, but the llamas seemed to have attracted a crowd of slack-jawed on-lookers. Seriously people, go home and watch skin-a-max.
Well, I’m not a prude or anything, but I don’t need to stare at two llamas getting it on. Two things about the llama sex show before I continue. 1) The male llama would have no issues if there was ever a market for llama porn. 2) She seemed about as thrilled as I am whenever I heard about a delay on my commuter rail line (or as I refer to it, the Seventh Circle of Hell).
As soon as I was able to extricate myself from that building, we made our way up to the cow milking area. Thankfully, no animal sex was going on. Basically, three cows were led in and hooked up to a machine to milk them. The Duchess and I found this oddly fascinating, spending a solid 30 minutes there, even making bets on which cow would fill up there milk container first. After this, we decided to leave the fair for a few hours before returning for the main event.
The main event happened to be a demolition derby. Oh boy, oh boy. Now, for the uneducated, a demolition derby is basically a bunch of cars smashing into each other until only one car is left running. My Dad scored us second row seats so the possibility of getting hit with flying dirt, rocks, and/or car parts was high. It seemed like every driver had their own cheering section and I’m pretty sure I had more teeth than any other spectators combined. It basically went as you would expect. One added bonus was the fact that they needed to get the losing car heaps off the track.
No self-respecting tow truck driver was going to do it, so the fair let people in for free if they would tow some demolished cars. So, you had a handful of rape vans and pickup trucks that would come out and tow off the cars at the end of each round. Two things stood out here.
One was that one of the pickups had four people, a guy and girl in the cab and a guy and girl in the back of the pickup. Nothing says a Saturday night out with your dates like towing cars at the demolition derby. Of course, its Vermont, so that is pretty much a high quality date.
Two was one of the other pickups was proudly flying the Confederate flag. Yes, you read that correctly. A quick history lesson here about the state of Vermont. They were the first state to outlaw slavery in it Constitution. It is also the northern most state in which a Civil War battle took place. Oh yeah, IT WAS ALSO IN THE UNION. What a bunch of mouth-breathing, inbred, bango-strumming hicks. Go back to Indianapolis where you belong.
After it was over, I knew my experience could only go downhill from there, so we took off. All and all, it was a pretty good time. You know, if you take the overt racism and animal sex all in stride.
Over Labor Day weekend, the Duchess and I returned to the state in which I was raised to; once again, expose her to the wonder that is the Vermont State Fair. The best way to sum up the Fair is a comment a friend of my Dad’s made when my Dad told him I was bring her. “Does he want to scare her off?” Oh yes, that is the Fair in a nutshell.
Now, the Fair has everything you could possibly want for fun-filled entertainment. You have rides, bad food (health wise), farm animals, pig races, country music, political kiosks, mouth-breathing locals, and people hocking shitty products. By shitty products, I mean everything from flimsy jewelry to campers. And I mean everything. The only thing they didn’t have was the one thing I wanted, which was the Sham-Wow. You know, that product you see on TV being sold by the guy who looks like he suffered a stroke about 5 minutes prior to taping. You know, it was made in Germany!!!
Anyway, after we filled ourselves with bad food sold by boosters of the local Catholic high school, we made our way to building that was holding bunnies for sale and a bunch of other animals. When we walk in, we see a cage holding two llamas. Let’s just say the llamas weren’t being shy about there affections (bumping uglies, knocking boots, making the beast with two backs, whatever you want to call it).
Now, I’m not trying to look. I’m making a conscious effort to seem interested in the beaver pelts some dude was displaying. It’s kind of tough when the Duchess is standing next to me looking to be cycling her emotions between confused, shocked, and laughing out loud. Not only that, but the llamas seemed to have attracted a crowd of slack-jawed on-lookers. Seriously people, go home and watch skin-a-max.
Well, I’m not a prude or anything, but I don’t need to stare at two llamas getting it on. Two things about the llama sex show before I continue. 1) The male llama would have no issues if there was ever a market for llama porn. 2) She seemed about as thrilled as I am whenever I heard about a delay on my commuter rail line (or as I refer to it, the Seventh Circle of Hell).
As soon as I was able to extricate myself from that building, we made our way up to the cow milking area. Thankfully, no animal sex was going on. Basically, three cows were led in and hooked up to a machine to milk them. The Duchess and I found this oddly fascinating, spending a solid 30 minutes there, even making bets on which cow would fill up there milk container first. After this, we decided to leave the fair for a few hours before returning for the main event.
The main event happened to be a demolition derby. Oh boy, oh boy. Now, for the uneducated, a demolition derby is basically a bunch of cars smashing into each other until only one car is left running. My Dad scored us second row seats so the possibility of getting hit with flying dirt, rocks, and/or car parts was high. It seemed like every driver had their own cheering section and I’m pretty sure I had more teeth than any other spectators combined. It basically went as you would expect. One added bonus was the fact that they needed to get the losing car heaps off the track.
No self-respecting tow truck driver was going to do it, so the fair let people in for free if they would tow some demolished cars. So, you had a handful of rape vans and pickup trucks that would come out and tow off the cars at the end of each round. Two things stood out here.
One was that one of the pickups had four people, a guy and girl in the cab and a guy and girl in the back of the pickup. Nothing says a Saturday night out with your dates like towing cars at the demolition derby. Of course, its Vermont, so that is pretty much a high quality date.
Two was one of the other pickups was proudly flying the Confederate flag. Yes, you read that correctly. A quick history lesson here about the state of Vermont. They were the first state to outlaw slavery in it Constitution. It is also the northern most state in which a Civil War battle took place. Oh yeah, IT WAS ALSO IN THE UNION. What a bunch of mouth-breathing, inbred, bango-strumming hicks. Go back to Indianapolis where you belong.
After it was over, I knew my experience could only go downhill from there, so we took off. All and all, it was a pretty good time. You know, if you take the overt racism and animal sex all in stride.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Patriots Karma and the Matt Cassel Era
I was recently reading a NFL Week 2 article from a certain ESPN hack writer, who shall remain nameless, and he was writing about the Patriots/Jets game. The unnamed ESPN hack writer, lets call him Sill Bimmons, basically told us all the give up on the Matt Cassel era before it begins and Tom Brady’s injury was due to bad karma from the Spygate thing. Oh, were to begin. Let’s break this down without sounding too irrational and bitter.
One, I am seriously trying to talk myself into the Matt Cassel era. I continually try and forgot things about him that I would make fun of other team’s QB’s for. Like the fact that he hasn’t started a game since high school or that he looked like he was playing drunk during the preseason. That stuff would just give me a headache. I try and find solace in the fact that he was backup to two Heisman trophy winners in a pro style offense at one of the best college football programs. Or that he is backup to one of the best QB’s in the NFL. Or that he knows the offensive system since he’s been there a few years. Or the fact that the Patriots are masters of dumbing down an offense for QB’s thrown into bad situations. This is evidenced by 2001 with Tom Brady. They stayed away from all his weakness (like the deep out routes) and played to his strengths (like dump passes to running backs). This has got to count for something. Right? Anyone?
Two, and the part that really got me, was the fact that this was some sort of cosmic retribution for the team’s past indiscretions. WHAT A BUNCH OF CRAP. To Sill Bimmons and everyone else who believes this, there is no such thing as karma in sports. If there was, Ted Williams would have won a World Series. Things like Brady’s injury happen just because they do. Team karma and silly superstitions by fans do not determine the outcome of sporting events, the actions of athletes on the field does. So, you don’t have to wear the same clothes, or sit in the same chair, or read the Boston Herald Sports Section (that’s my Dad) in order for your favorite team to win.
So, if you think the Jets are going to win because they have a better team, or because the last time the Pat’s QB started a game was before his Senior Prom, or any other reason that involves the play on the field, then fine. However, if you think the Jets will win because karma is against the Pats, well, you need some serious help.
One, I am seriously trying to talk myself into the Matt Cassel era. I continually try and forgot things about him that I would make fun of other team’s QB’s for. Like the fact that he hasn’t started a game since high school or that he looked like he was playing drunk during the preseason. That stuff would just give me a headache. I try and find solace in the fact that he was backup to two Heisman trophy winners in a pro style offense at one of the best college football programs. Or that he is backup to one of the best QB’s in the NFL. Or that he knows the offensive system since he’s been there a few years. Or the fact that the Patriots are masters of dumbing down an offense for QB’s thrown into bad situations. This is evidenced by 2001 with Tom Brady. They stayed away from all his weakness (like the deep out routes) and played to his strengths (like dump passes to running backs). This has got to count for something. Right? Anyone?
Two, and the part that really got me, was the fact that this was some sort of cosmic retribution for the team’s past indiscretions. WHAT A BUNCH OF CRAP. To Sill Bimmons and everyone else who believes this, there is no such thing as karma in sports. If there was, Ted Williams would have won a World Series. Things like Brady’s injury happen just because they do. Team karma and silly superstitions by fans do not determine the outcome of sporting events, the actions of athletes on the field does. So, you don’t have to wear the same clothes, or sit in the same chair, or read the Boston Herald Sports Section (that’s my Dad) in order for your favorite team to win.
So, if you think the Jets are going to win because they have a better team, or because the last time the Pat’s QB started a game was before his Senior Prom, or any other reason that involves the play on the field, then fine. However, if you think the Jets will win because karma is against the Pats, well, you need some serious help.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Trent's Touchdown - Week 3
Do you know how painfully boring Week 2 was to watch? In the middle of the afternoon, I debated whether to watch the Clemson/Citadel game on ESPN360 (I ended up watching the third quarter) or “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” (I watched up until the end of the second task). I pretty much ended up zoning out during the East Carolina/West Virginia game, but did watch the last series of the Washington/BYU debacle.
Anyway, we finally get to a fairly competitive week, even if I’ll find myself coasting until 8:00. Just for fun, I thought about completely leaving off game 1, but decided even I’m not that coy. Anyway, on with the Touchdown.
1) No. 5 Ohio State at No. 1 USC – 8:00 on ABC – Everyone seems to think this game hinges on just how healthy Beanie Wells is. Let me say this, Beanie Wells could channel Reggie Bush and OSU would still get the beat down. There are two main reasons for this. One, USC is just a great team on both sides of the ball. There offense is high flying and the defense is hard hitting. Two, the OSU Quarterback is Todd Boeckman. I wouldn’t trust him to make a tuna fish sandwich, let alone run my team against the best team in the nation. But, if the first two weeks proved anything, I don’t exactly have a great track record in picking who will win.
2) No. 13 Kansas at No. 19 South Florida – 8:00 on ESPN2 on Friday – Either both of these teams are underrated or both are overrated, there really is no in-between here. Kansas has looked impressive so far, but there competition isn’t exactly high caliber. South Florida, on the other hand, had some issues last week with Central Florida. In my opinion, Kansas has the better Quarterback in Reesing, but they aren’t going to surprise anyone this year. South Florida will play them tight, but I expect Kansas to win.
3) No. 2 Georgia at South Carolina – 3:30 on CBS – When all is said and done, I think that the National Championship Game should be between USC and whoever makes it out of the SEC. Georgia could very well be that team. This is the first real test for Georgia in their “heightened expectations” season, where anything less than the National Championship is a failure. I’ll give Mark Richt credit for playing the “nobody respects you” card to Knowshon Moreno in the media, but seriously, it was just a dumb highlights piece. I give Georgia the edge, but you never really know when two SEC clash, especially when Steve Spurrier is involved.
4) No. 10 Wisconsin at No. 21 Fresno State – 10:30 on ESPN2 – An overrated Big Ten team? That never happens (a little sarcasm for all you OSU haters out there). Is there an uglier Top 10 team than Wisconsin? Fresno State on the other hand is fun to watch, even if they have balanced their offensive attack more. Plus, they actually have a competent defense, which kind of shocked me. They get credit because they’ve actually played a good opponent on the road and won, unlike Wisconsin, who played Akron and Marshall at home. Fresno State wins and makes me think even more that they should join the Pac 10.
5) No. 16 Oregon at Purdue – 3:30 on ABC – I’m putting this game here for two reasons. One, it’s an overt attempt to kiss up to the Duchess, since she’s a big Oregon fan. Two, I think Purdue is better than they get credit for. I am a big fan of Curtis Painter and the Purdue passing attack. They did have the top offense in the Big Ten last year and this was due to the success of Painter. They will catch someone napping on them, just not Oregon (who happens to have the top offense in the nation). By the by, after Oregon lost a Quarterback to a season-ending knee injury for the second straight year, would you really want to be a Quarterback there?
6) No. 14 East Carolina at Tulane – 3:00 on local channels – Who wouldn’t laugh if East Carolina took the pipe here? Come on, don’t be shy, it would be hilarious. Although, maybe not if you rooted for Virginia Tech or West Virginia.
Extra Point:
7) Please note if you’re an Oklahoma fan, it would be good if you stopped reading now. You’ve been warned. Alright, I was watching a halftime show on ABC (I think) and they were babbling about all the good Quarterbacks in the Big 12. I slowly nodded my head, as I give big thumbs up to Todd Reesing, Chase Daniel, and Graham Harrell. However, the first Quarterback they mentioned was Sam Bradford.
Um, excuse me? Someone name me the last good Quarterback from Oklahoma (and so help me God if someone says Jason White). Oklahoma is a woefully overhyped team that gets exposed for there true colors when facing quality opponents, which is probably why they don’t schedule any for non-conference games.
I cringe at the thought of them making it unscathed through the Big 12 (a distinct possibility) and making it to the National Championship Game. Why? Because they’ll get blown out by USC, Georgia, or anyone else they face (minus OSU, they can’t beat anyone of quality either). As for Bradford, here’s a phrase you may want to learn after your football career ends at Oklahoma: “Do you want fries with that?”
Anyway, we finally get to a fairly competitive week, even if I’ll find myself coasting until 8:00. Just for fun, I thought about completely leaving off game 1, but decided even I’m not that coy. Anyway, on with the Touchdown.
1) No. 5 Ohio State at No. 1 USC – 8:00 on ABC – Everyone seems to think this game hinges on just how healthy Beanie Wells is. Let me say this, Beanie Wells could channel Reggie Bush and OSU would still get the beat down. There are two main reasons for this. One, USC is just a great team on both sides of the ball. There offense is high flying and the defense is hard hitting. Two, the OSU Quarterback is Todd Boeckman. I wouldn’t trust him to make a tuna fish sandwich, let alone run my team against the best team in the nation. But, if the first two weeks proved anything, I don’t exactly have a great track record in picking who will win.
2) No. 13 Kansas at No. 19 South Florida – 8:00 on ESPN2 on Friday – Either both of these teams are underrated or both are overrated, there really is no in-between here. Kansas has looked impressive so far, but there competition isn’t exactly high caliber. South Florida, on the other hand, had some issues last week with Central Florida. In my opinion, Kansas has the better Quarterback in Reesing, but they aren’t going to surprise anyone this year. South Florida will play them tight, but I expect Kansas to win.
3) No. 2 Georgia at South Carolina – 3:30 on CBS – When all is said and done, I think that the National Championship Game should be between USC and whoever makes it out of the SEC. Georgia could very well be that team. This is the first real test for Georgia in their “heightened expectations” season, where anything less than the National Championship is a failure. I’ll give Mark Richt credit for playing the “nobody respects you” card to Knowshon Moreno in the media, but seriously, it was just a dumb highlights piece. I give Georgia the edge, but you never really know when two SEC clash, especially when Steve Spurrier is involved.
4) No. 10 Wisconsin at No. 21 Fresno State – 10:30 on ESPN2 – An overrated Big Ten team? That never happens (a little sarcasm for all you OSU haters out there). Is there an uglier Top 10 team than Wisconsin? Fresno State on the other hand is fun to watch, even if they have balanced their offensive attack more. Plus, they actually have a competent defense, which kind of shocked me. They get credit because they’ve actually played a good opponent on the road and won, unlike Wisconsin, who played Akron and Marshall at home. Fresno State wins and makes me think even more that they should join the Pac 10.
5) No. 16 Oregon at Purdue – 3:30 on ABC – I’m putting this game here for two reasons. One, it’s an overt attempt to kiss up to the Duchess, since she’s a big Oregon fan. Two, I think Purdue is better than they get credit for. I am a big fan of Curtis Painter and the Purdue passing attack. They did have the top offense in the Big Ten last year and this was due to the success of Painter. They will catch someone napping on them, just not Oregon (who happens to have the top offense in the nation). By the by, after Oregon lost a Quarterback to a season-ending knee injury for the second straight year, would you really want to be a Quarterback there?
6) No. 14 East Carolina at Tulane – 3:00 on local channels – Who wouldn’t laugh if East Carolina took the pipe here? Come on, don’t be shy, it would be hilarious. Although, maybe not if you rooted for Virginia Tech or West Virginia.
Extra Point:
7) Please note if you’re an Oklahoma fan, it would be good if you stopped reading now. You’ve been warned. Alright, I was watching a halftime show on ABC (I think) and they were babbling about all the good Quarterbacks in the Big 12. I slowly nodded my head, as I give big thumbs up to Todd Reesing, Chase Daniel, and Graham Harrell. However, the first Quarterback they mentioned was Sam Bradford.
Um, excuse me? Someone name me the last good Quarterback from Oklahoma (and so help me God if someone says Jason White). Oklahoma is a woefully overhyped team that gets exposed for there true colors when facing quality opponents, which is probably why they don’t schedule any for non-conference games.
I cringe at the thought of them making it unscathed through the Big 12 (a distinct possibility) and making it to the National Championship Game. Why? Because they’ll get blown out by USC, Georgia, or anyone else they face (minus OSU, they can’t beat anyone of quality either). As for Bradford, here’s a phrase you may want to learn after your football career ends at Oklahoma: “Do you want fries with that?”
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Trent's Touchdown - Week 2
I do have to say, writing this week’s Touchdown was tough. Not as tough as the ACC had it last week, but tough none the less. Everyone who is a straight college football fan is looking forward to the throw-down next weekend between Ohio State and USC. In fact, let’s get through this as quickly as possible so we can get closer to next weekend.
1) Miami at No. 5 Florida – 8:00 on ESPN
Rivalry games are so fun, especially early in the season. While not your regular cut and dry rivalry, I think this fully qualifies. While most of the U’s players were most worried about prom dates less than 2 years ago, Florida has the experience and the talent. I’m not saying Miami isn’t close to resurrecting itself once again, but Florida has enough talent to just beat you into submission. Of course, it doesn’t help the Miami’s starting QB is making his debut.
2) Stanford at No. 15 Arizona State – 10:07 on local networks
Woohoo, Pac-10 showdowns early in the season. Raise your hand if you’re excited. If we’ve learned anything from last season (besides the need for a playoff), it’s “don’t sleep on Stanford.” Now, I’m not expecting Stanford to light the world on fire here, but I expect them to be competitive. Rudy Carpenter should have enough firepower to get past Stanford, but they are going to need their ground game to help out.
3) Mississippi at No. 20 Wake Forest – 3:30 on ABC
The reason this gets number 3 is because it’s yet another ACC/SEC clash in which the ACC is expected to win. If Clemson proved anything last week (besides how to look completely foolish) it was that the SEC is a far superior conference (duh!). However, as long as Ole Miss doesn’t wet themselves before kick off, they should consider it a moral victory. All kidding aside, Wake should win, considering they have more talent and are not playing with a new offense, but I can’t forget the last two Clemson games.
4) Oregon State at No. 19 Penn State – 3:30 on ABC
Penn State is breaking Trent’s third rule of college football, which reads “Pick one QB and stick with him!!!!”. The revolving door at QB is never a good thing. The Beavers have a good offense, even if it is prone to the turnover. You don’t want to get down to Penn State, since they can move the ball. Both have good defenses, so it may come down to who makes the fewest errors, and that favors Penn State.
5) No. 8 West Virginia at East Carolina – 4:30 on ESPN
I was ready to gloss over this game until I remembered that ECU beat Virginia Tech last week (a VT loss is always a good thing). While WVU only had about half of the total offense last week as they averaged all year, Pat White was nearly automatic when throwing the ball. This plans to be a near weekly thing, since the new coach has promised more passing. ECU has more talent this year than they did when they got thrashed by WVU last season, but don’t expect another upset.
6) All pregame shows in case they mention next weeks Ohio State/USC game
Extra Point
7) The first week of college football thought us a few things. It taught us to always expect the upset, that USC is going to run rough shot over anyone in their path, that the ACC can’t beat quality opponents, that marshmallow schedules aren’t fun, that the injury bug can hit anyone at anytime, and that it’s so good to have college football back.
1) Miami at No. 5 Florida – 8:00 on ESPN
Rivalry games are so fun, especially early in the season. While not your regular cut and dry rivalry, I think this fully qualifies. While most of the U’s players were most worried about prom dates less than 2 years ago, Florida has the experience and the talent. I’m not saying Miami isn’t close to resurrecting itself once again, but Florida has enough talent to just beat you into submission. Of course, it doesn’t help the Miami’s starting QB is making his debut.
2) Stanford at No. 15 Arizona State – 10:07 on local networks
Woohoo, Pac-10 showdowns early in the season. Raise your hand if you’re excited. If we’ve learned anything from last season (besides the need for a playoff), it’s “don’t sleep on Stanford.” Now, I’m not expecting Stanford to light the world on fire here, but I expect them to be competitive. Rudy Carpenter should have enough firepower to get past Stanford, but they are going to need their ground game to help out.
3) Mississippi at No. 20 Wake Forest – 3:30 on ABC
The reason this gets number 3 is because it’s yet another ACC/SEC clash in which the ACC is expected to win. If Clemson proved anything last week (besides how to look completely foolish) it was that the SEC is a far superior conference (duh!). However, as long as Ole Miss doesn’t wet themselves before kick off, they should consider it a moral victory. All kidding aside, Wake should win, considering they have more talent and are not playing with a new offense, but I can’t forget the last two Clemson games.
4) Oregon State at No. 19 Penn State – 3:30 on ABC
Penn State is breaking Trent’s third rule of college football, which reads “Pick one QB and stick with him!!!!”. The revolving door at QB is never a good thing. The Beavers have a good offense, even if it is prone to the turnover. You don’t want to get down to Penn State, since they can move the ball. Both have good defenses, so it may come down to who makes the fewest errors, and that favors Penn State.
5) No. 8 West Virginia at East Carolina – 4:30 on ESPN
I was ready to gloss over this game until I remembered that ECU beat Virginia Tech last week (a VT loss is always a good thing). While WVU only had about half of the total offense last week as they averaged all year, Pat White was nearly automatic when throwing the ball. This plans to be a near weekly thing, since the new coach has promised more passing. ECU has more talent this year than they did when they got thrashed by WVU last season, but don’t expect another upset.
6) All pregame shows in case they mention next weeks Ohio State/USC game
Extra Point
7) The first week of college football thought us a few things. It taught us to always expect the upset, that USC is going to run rough shot over anyone in their path, that the ACC can’t beat quality opponents, that marshmallow schedules aren’t fun, that the injury bug can hit anyone at anytime, and that it’s so good to have college football back.
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