Welcome to Week 5 of the college football season. So, after four weeks, we’ve seen suspensions, sanctions, conference switching, ref’s admitting blowing calls, and a whole host of wild finishes. While I’m trying to forget most of that list, I love the wild finishes. Looking at some of the games this week, we should be in store for some good ones. Anyway, on to the Touchdown:
1) No. 8 Nebraska at No. 7 Wisconsin – 8:00 PM on ABC
If you’re going to open up play in your new conference, this is the way to do it. This game could even be a preview of a Big Ten Championship Game. I’m getting chills just thinking about it. Either that or I need to turn on the heat.
So far this season, neither team has faced any competition. I’m not sure if this is the best way for either team to jump into Big Ten play. Both teams are going to get a challenge in this one.
When you talk about the best quarterbacks in college football right now, Russell Wilson from Wisconsin needs to be near the top of the list. He has a completion percentage over 75 percent and doesn’t make dumb mistakes. He makes the defense stop him and his offense.
Of course, passing is easy when every defense is going to be keyed to the backfield duo of Montee Ball and James White. They will be there to punish the Nebraska defense and open up the air to Wilson, as you’re going to need eight guys in the box to think about stopping the Badger’s potent run game.
While Nebraska has beaten up on their opponents, they haven’t looked that great. While they have an athletic defense that can make plays, they are vulnerable to the balanced offensive attack of a team like Wisconsin.
Taylor Martinez has also been less than stellar. While is completion percentage about 50 percent, his true talent is running the ball. He leads the team in rushing, but has a nice compliment in Rex Burkhead to take some of the carries.
If Wisconsin can contain Martinez and make him have to throw the ball, it’ll be a long day for the Cornhuskers. While I don’t think they can do it all game, I feel that Martinez is going to have to throw effectively to slow down the Badger defense. Wisconsin wins this one, but Nebraska keeps it close.
2) No. 3 Alabama at No. 12 Florida – 8:00 PM on CBS
I could steal my own line from above and say how this could be a preview of the SEC Championship Game, but with the strength of the SEC, you never know what could happen. My only problem in writing about this game is the two teams are pretty much mirror images of each other.
Worse yet, the winner will be giving a blue print to the rest of the SEC on how to beat them. Part of me just wants to use the ambiguous “they” when describing the two teams, just to save time. But that would be lazy of me.
While both teams have very impressive defenses, you need to give the nod to Alabama, as they have beaten two ranked teams, while the only moderately good team Florida has beaten was Tennessee. The Tide shut down the high powered offensive of Arkansas last week, making them look average.
Offensively, both teams boost great running backs. However, in order to win this game, the quarterback is going to have to make some plays. I know this is shocking, but I actually trust John Brantley more than I do A.J. McCarron. While their numbers are virtually identical, I think Charlie Weis will put Brantley in more of a position to win, offensively speaking.
All that said, I think the Tide win this one. This is a defensive match and it’ll come down to which defense makes the mistake that costs their team the game. I feel the Alabama defense is just too good to make that mistake. Expect this to be a hard fought game. Roll Tide!
3) No. 13 Clemson at No. 11 Virginia Tech – 6:00 PM on ESPN2
As a Clemson fan, last week I was looking forward to the Florida State game because I knew that FSU was a paper tiger. This week, I’m dreading the Virginia Tech game, because I know that the Hokies are for real.
The thing that mainly scares me is the fact that Clemson’s young offensive stars get their first game on the road against a physical, athletic defense. If you haven’t heard what Tajh Boyd and Sammie Watkins have been doing over the last two weeks, watch College Gameday on Saturday morning for a quick recap.
Virginia Tech, on the other hand, relies mainly on Logan Thomas handing the ball off to David Wilson. What VT is going to do once they get into the main portion of the season is try and emulate LSU from last year.
Virginia Tech is going to let their defense win the game for them by covering for the inadequacies of their quarterback. They will run the ball as much as possible and play a field possession game and hope for a turnover deep in their own territory.
Virginia Tech is just nowhere near as good as LSU was. The Clemson offense is going to make mistakes and that will keep this game closer than it really should be. The only thing the Clemson defense can do is stop the run and thankfully that is all Virginia Tech does. Clemson pulls it out on the road and people start gushing even more over Boyd.
4) No. 14 Texas A&M vs. No. 18 Arkansas – 12:00 PM on ESPN (in Arlington, TX)
Nothing says fun on a Saturday like watching an SEC West throw down. Oops, sorry, I’m already looking into the future. Right now, both teams are in different conferences. Not to worry, I’ll use this line next year.
Both of these teams are coming off of a loss, but the games were completely different. Texas A&M had a complete choke-job (also known as Red Sox-itis) against Oklahoma State, losing 30-29 after being up 20-3 at halftime. Arkansas, on the other hand, got manhandled by Alabama. The Tide defense limited the Arkansas offense to 226 yards, which is over 200 yards fewer than their average.
If you vanish the second half of last week’s game, this looks like a cake-walk for Texas A&M. However, you need to realize that the Aggie defense got absolutely lit up by Brandon Weeden. While Tyler Wilson is not Brandon Weeden, he is reasonable substitute. However, Wilson is going to need help from his running game, which he didn’t against Alabama, in order to slow down the Aggie pass rush.
Texas A&M will need better running from Cyrus Gray, who got a staggering 35 yards rushing against Oklahoma State. The Aggies have no issues at quarterback. As long as Ryan Tannehill can find Ryan Swope, everything will be fine.
This game will dissolve into a shoot-out before the end of the first half. I think the Aggies defense redeems itself and actually steps up and makes a stop when needed. It’ll be close and high scoring and the Aggies get back on track.
5) Auburn at No. 10 South Carolina – 3:30 on CBS
While watching South Carolina this year, you just keep wondering when the wheels are going to come flying off. Seriously, South Carolina is a team I think everyone is just waiting for them to lose.
Amazingly, all of South Carolina’s issues can be found on offense. I think Stephen Garcia has finally decided to stop alternating between being good and bad and just stuck with bad. He threw four interceptions against Vanderbilt last week. I knew he would get picked off, but four! Can we just get Connor Shaw in there and end everyone’s misery?
To make matters worse, Marcus Lattimore finally proved he was human by only rushing for 77 yards last week. The only good thing going for South Carolina is the fact that Auburn’s defense is pretty poor. The Tiger defense gives up way too many yards and way too many points. South Carolina should be able to get back on track offensively.
Offensively, Auburn hasn’t been that great either. Barrett Trotter has been holding his own and Michael Dyer is a good running back. The problem is the fact that the South Carolina defense has been what has been saving the Gamecocks week in and week out. Expect Auburn to have issues moving the ball.
I’m always scared when picking a South Carolina game because they can play amazing one week and putrid the next. I’ll pick South Carolina, but their own ineptitude will keep it close.
6) Michigan State at Ohio State – 3:30 on ABC
This is the last game for Ohio State before the “tattoo suspensions” are lifted. It doesn’t really matter though, considering the Buckeyes will get tattooed in this game and the three following it. Come on, that was funny!
Extra Point:
If you’ve followed Big Ten football this year, you know that Russell Wilson has been lighting the world on fire. Now, if you’re an ACC fan like me, you might be asking yourself why that name sounds familiar. Well, until last year, Russell Wilson was the starting quarterback for the North Carolina State Wolfpack.
But wait, don’t transfer students have to sit out year? That is very true, except there is a little loophole there. If the player graduated and still had eligibility left, he doesn’t need to sit out. Wilson graduated from North Carolina State, yet still had one year of eligibility.
Now you have to be wondering why NC State would let Wilson leave? He did throw for over 3000 yards in the past two seasons. Well, this is where the Colorado Rockies come into the picture. Wilson, also a baseball star at NC State, was drafted last year by the Rockies. He made the choice to skip spring and summer drills to play in the Rockies minor league system.
NC State decided that Mike Glennon was now their starting quarterback. They released Wilson from his scholarship and he transferred to Wisconsin, enrolling in their graduate program in order to play. So, is this good for college football?
Personally, I do not see the harm in it. The main thing everyone always brings up when talking about college football, whether it be an argument about a playoff system or paying athletes, is that the kids are at college for an education.
Wilson worked his butt off to graduate early and decided that he wanted to explore his opportunities in professional baseball so as not to have to commit to football. NC State wanted him to commit fully to football (although this wasn’t an issue when he was playing baseball for the Wolfpack).
While I don’t think there should be ease of transfer for undergrads, when it comes to graduate students, the player should be able to transfer if he wants. These are good kids looking for another year to prove their worth to scouts, not someone jumping for school to school looking for playing time and headlines.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
The Three Best Two Loss Teams in College Football
So, you’ve gotten through the first four weeks of the college football season and your favorite team has two losses already? Fear not, the season is not over. There are still teams with two losses that are playing competitive football and could make a run at something special. So, I’m going to give you three of the two loss teams you shouldn’t dismiss just yet.
1) Georgia (2-2)
Georgia didn’t have it easy to start the season. They had to face Boise State on a neutral field and got SEC East favorite South Carolina at home. So it was unsurprising that Georgia started out 0-2. It was also unsurprising that they won against Coastal Carolina and Ole Miss in the next two games.
Georgia definitely has some positives going for it. Quarterback Aaron Murray gets better with every game, finally emerging as the leader they need him to be. Also, Isaiah Crowell has burst on the scene as an impact running back for the Bulldogs. With offensive stability, they can finally stop leaning on Brandon Boykin as their playmaker.
Defensively, they are getting better. They gave up way too many points to Boise State and South Carolina to responsibly win those games. The defense recently found their groove against lesser opponents, so it is still questionable if they can keep up the intensity.
For an SEC team, the schedule looks pretty favorable for Georgia. They go on the road to Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and Georgia Tech, get Auburn and Kentucky at home, and face Florida on a neutral field. While they probably won’t be winning the SEC East, they will at least be able to make a nice bounce back from last year, shake things up, and use it as a stepping stone for next year.
2) Missouri (2-2)
Missouri has a rough stretch to start out the season, with road losses to an underrated Arizona State team (in overtime) and the top ranked Oklahoma Sooners. They were able to temper those losses with wins against Miami (OH) and Western Illinois.
While their wins have been against less than stellar opponents, the Missouri losses have been close (17 points total). Added to the fact that they were on the road and it doesn’t seem that bad. The kicking game has failed Missouri this season, as they missed a field goal in OT that would have won it against Arizona State and two field goals against Oklahoma which would have kept the game closer.
The Missouri offense may have lost Blaine Gabbert to the NFL, but they have only been moderately effected. While quarterback James Franklin may not have a great completion percentage, he can make teams pay by running the ball (over 100 yards rushing against Oklahoma). They also have Henry Posey in the backfield, who can easily get 100 yards rushing a game if he gets the touches.
While they aren’t amazing defensively, they are good enough to keep Missouri in most games. They hit a four game stretch starting in late October that is less than desired, where they are at home against Oklahoma State, on the road at Texas A&M and Baylor, and then back home against Texas. If they can win two of the four, that will put them in good position at the end of the season.
3) Notre Dame (2-2)
As much fun as it would be to tweak Notre Dame fans by keeping them off the list, I’d be remiss if I did so. However, I will say that if you told me Notre Dame was 2-2 at this point in the season, I would have predicted the loss to South Florida, but not Michigan.
After the 0-2 start, Notre Dame beat Michigan State (at home) and Pittsburgh (on the road). I was surprised by the victory over Michigan State, seeing as I thought Michigan State was a better team and the fact they were coming off the heart breaking loss to Michigan.
Notre Dame’s big problem is going to be turnovers. Tommy Rees is throwing too many interceptions to make the Fighting Irish a winning team. Rees also uses Michael Floyd as too much of a security blanket, with over a third of his completions going to Floyd. The running game has been important to Notre Dame’s offense, with Cierre Wood able to get important yards on the ground.
Defensively, the Fighting Irish have been better than normal, but not great. There is really no excuse for the defensive lapses that allowed Michigan to win their game. It always seems to be the Achilles Heel of Notre Dame over the past five years or so.
The schedule looks good for the Irish, with only the last game at Stanford looking like a loss. The rest of the schedule is against the dregs of the ACC (at Wake Forest, home against Maryland and Boston College) and the Service Academy’s (Air Force and Navy at home). The USC matchup on October 22 gives you pause, but seeing as it’s at home and USC isn’t really that good, Notre Dame should prevail.
Keep praying to the Touchdown Jesus and Notre Dame could back their way into a BCS Bowl. Or they could continue to turn the ball over, lose winnable games, and make Brian Kelly wonder why he left Cincinnati. Seriously, no one should ever wonder why they left Cincinnati.
1) Georgia (2-2)
Georgia didn’t have it easy to start the season. They had to face Boise State on a neutral field and got SEC East favorite South Carolina at home. So it was unsurprising that Georgia started out 0-2. It was also unsurprising that they won against Coastal Carolina and Ole Miss in the next two games.
Georgia definitely has some positives going for it. Quarterback Aaron Murray gets better with every game, finally emerging as the leader they need him to be. Also, Isaiah Crowell has burst on the scene as an impact running back for the Bulldogs. With offensive stability, they can finally stop leaning on Brandon Boykin as their playmaker.
Defensively, they are getting better. They gave up way too many points to Boise State and South Carolina to responsibly win those games. The defense recently found their groove against lesser opponents, so it is still questionable if they can keep up the intensity.
For an SEC team, the schedule looks pretty favorable for Georgia. They go on the road to Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and Georgia Tech, get Auburn and Kentucky at home, and face Florida on a neutral field. While they probably won’t be winning the SEC East, they will at least be able to make a nice bounce back from last year, shake things up, and use it as a stepping stone for next year.
2) Missouri (2-2)
Missouri has a rough stretch to start out the season, with road losses to an underrated Arizona State team (in overtime) and the top ranked Oklahoma Sooners. They were able to temper those losses with wins against Miami (OH) and Western Illinois.
While their wins have been against less than stellar opponents, the Missouri losses have been close (17 points total). Added to the fact that they were on the road and it doesn’t seem that bad. The kicking game has failed Missouri this season, as they missed a field goal in OT that would have won it against Arizona State and two field goals against Oklahoma which would have kept the game closer.
The Missouri offense may have lost Blaine Gabbert to the NFL, but they have only been moderately effected. While quarterback James Franklin may not have a great completion percentage, he can make teams pay by running the ball (over 100 yards rushing against Oklahoma). They also have Henry Posey in the backfield, who can easily get 100 yards rushing a game if he gets the touches.
While they aren’t amazing defensively, they are good enough to keep Missouri in most games. They hit a four game stretch starting in late October that is less than desired, where they are at home against Oklahoma State, on the road at Texas A&M and Baylor, and then back home against Texas. If they can win two of the four, that will put them in good position at the end of the season.
3) Notre Dame (2-2)
As much fun as it would be to tweak Notre Dame fans by keeping them off the list, I’d be remiss if I did so. However, I will say that if you told me Notre Dame was 2-2 at this point in the season, I would have predicted the loss to South Florida, but not Michigan.
After the 0-2 start, Notre Dame beat Michigan State (at home) and Pittsburgh (on the road). I was surprised by the victory over Michigan State, seeing as I thought Michigan State was a better team and the fact they were coming off the heart breaking loss to Michigan.
Notre Dame’s big problem is going to be turnovers. Tommy Rees is throwing too many interceptions to make the Fighting Irish a winning team. Rees also uses Michael Floyd as too much of a security blanket, with over a third of his completions going to Floyd. The running game has been important to Notre Dame’s offense, with Cierre Wood able to get important yards on the ground.
Defensively, the Fighting Irish have been better than normal, but not great. There is really no excuse for the defensive lapses that allowed Michigan to win their game. It always seems to be the Achilles Heel of Notre Dame over the past five years or so.
The schedule looks good for the Irish, with only the last game at Stanford looking like a loss. The rest of the schedule is against the dregs of the ACC (at Wake Forest, home against Maryland and Boston College) and the Service Academy’s (Air Force and Navy at home). The USC matchup on October 22 gives you pause, but seeing as it’s at home and USC isn’t really that good, Notre Dame should prevail.
Keep praying to the Touchdown Jesus and Notre Dame could back their way into a BCS Bowl. Or they could continue to turn the ball over, lose winnable games, and make Brian Kelly wonder why he left Cincinnati. Seriously, no one should ever wonder why they left Cincinnati.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Trent's Touchdown: Six Week 4 College Football Games to Watch
Is it Week 4 of the college football season already? This week, the talk hasn’t been about the early season showdowns in the SEC, ACC, and Big 12, but about realignment. With the possible expansions for both the ACC and Pac 12, everyone has been talking about possibilities and consequences. For now though, the talk has died down some, but more on that later. Now, on to the Touchdown:
1) No. 14 Arkansas at No. 3 Alabama – 3:30 PM on CBS
How can you not get excited about a SEC West showdown? One reason not to is the fact that it’s on CBS and I have to deal with Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson. How about ESPN loan out Nessler and Blackledge for this and we all walk away happy?
This is really a tale of two different offenses. The Tide are going to do all they can to limit the weakness of A.J. McCarron. While he has talent, he’s not ready to carry this offense. The Tide are going to depend on Trent Richardson and Eddie Lacy to run the ball to soften up the Arkansas defense.
That shouldn’t be too hard, considering Arkansas has a poor rush defense. The Razorbacks gave up over 450 yards of rushing to Troy. While defense may not be the strong suit of Arkansas, they do have a dynamic offense.
The Razorbacks have one of the best passing offenses in the country, led by Tyler Wilson. Wilson’s issue is accuracy, which is not a problem you want against the tough Alabama defense. While they have a competent running back in Ronnie Wingo, expect Arkansas to throw early and often.
Arkansas will want to make this into a shootout, which will favor them. Alabama will want to slow it down and grind it out, which will favor them. As much as I like Arkansas, I think Alabama has this one, but expect it to stay close. Roll Tide!
2) No. 7 Oklahoma State at No. 8 Texas A&M – 3:30 PM on ABC
We have a top tier Big 12 matchup just days after Texas greed scuttled a plan to blow up the Big 12. Oklahoma State was all ready to jump to the Pac 12 and A&M is already off to the SEC, but for now we have to deal with the facts of this game.
Offensively, it’s tough to find a better team than Oklahoma State. They are in the top 10 in a handful of offensive categories. They kind of remind me of that Graham Harrell/Michael Crabtree Texas Tech team from a few years ago. However, appearances can be deceiving.
Brandon Weeden, while having a completion percentage over 70 percent, has an interception problem. Since the Cowboys are a pass happy team, it doesn’t bode well for them. While the offensive line is competent, they’ll have issues stopping the rush of Texas A&M.
Ryan Tannehill, on the other hand, has the ability to keep the ball out of the defenses hands. Tannehill also has the added benefit of having Cyrus Gray in the backfield, who is almost a guarantee to get over 100 yards rushing. The Aggies shouldn’t have much issue moving the ball against a lackluster Cowboy defense.
Much like the Razorbacks, Oklahoma State forgoes defense and wins games by just outscoring their opponents. While working against lesser teams, they will have issues against teams that have a solid defense, like Texas A&M. Expect it to stay close throughout, but the Aggies prevail in the end.
3) No. 11 Florida State at No. 21 Clemson – 3:30 PM on ESPN
Clemson has a massive win over Auburn, but that was just the first of the three games in a row that will push the Tigers to their limits. FSU is facing problems of their own on the injury front after their loss last week to top ranked Oklahoma.
Clemson answered all the doubters last week with their two touchdown victory over Auburn, after being down by two touchdowns themselves earlier in the game. Tajh Boyd had nearly 400 yards passing and 4 touchdowns to end the defending National Champions 17 game winning streak. The one sour note for Clemson in that game was their lackluster defense.
As for Florida State, the team doctor should be able to afford a yacht considering all the injuries that team is dealing with. Most importantly, E.J. Manuel has a sprained non-throwing shoulder, which could keep him out or limit his effectiveness in the game on Saturday. The Seminoles also have injury issues at wide receiver and running back.
FSU can exploit the Clemson defense, but they need to stay mistake free and keep the ball out of Boyd’s hands. FSU also needs to keep play-making wide receiver Sammy Watkins under wraps, after he dominated against Auburn’s secondary. FSU hasn’t won in Death Valley since 2001. I think that is a streak Clemson will help continue this week, but it’ll be a close game.
4) No. 2 LSU at No. 16 West Virginia – 8:00 PM on ABC
Of the many realignment rumors over the past week, one that sticks out is West Virginia’s possible move to the SEC if the Big East falls apart. This game could be a preview of future SEC conference battles if that comes to pass.
To start off, I think I owe an apology to Jarrett Lee. I once compared his play to eating rancid meat. He’s actually not half bad. He reminds of Trent Dilfer during the Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl year. He won’t win games for you, but he won’t lose them for you either.
The key to victory for LSU is their defense. They are one of the best defensive teams in the country and proved that in Week 1 against Oregon. They are going to have an equally tough challenge against West Virginia.
West Virginia really doesn’t have a running game to speak of. The basis offensive strategy for the Mountaineers is to give the ball to Geno Smith and tell him to throw it. Giving WVU credit, it’s worked for them, as they are 6th in the country in passing yards per game. Unfortunately for WVU, a one dimensional offense will not work against LSU.
I see the LSU defense causing West Virginia fits and Jarrett Lee using great field position to score offensive points. Expect LSU to win this by at least a touchdown.
5) Vanderbilt at No. 12 South Carolina – 7:00 PM on ESPN2
I’ve been doing the Touchdown for close to 6 years now and I think this is the first time Vanderbilt has ever made it. Congratulations Commodores.
Vanderbilt has flown under the radar starting out 3-0, beating quality opponents like UConn and Ole Miss. The defense for Vandy is going to be the key. They create loads of turnovers and the offense has the ability to capitalize. Expect Vandy to run the ball a lot on offense, as quarterback Larry Smith isn’t exactly wowing people with his abilities.
Speaking of inconsistent quarterbacks, I’m convinced the Stephen Garcia has two settings: Heisman and Spaz. Garcia was in “spaz” mode against Navy last week so the offense turned to Marcus Lattimore to run the ball (246 yards rushing on 37 carries). Expect more of the same from Lattimore this week, considering Vandy leads the FBS in interceptions.
South Carolina seems to want to play every game with a degree of difficulty. Every game this year has been closer than it should have been. It’ll come back to bite them at some point. I think South Carolina wins it, but it’ll be closer than anyone expects.
6) No. 10 Oregon at Arizona – 10:15 PM on ESPN2
Last year I had a man-crush on Jake Locker, this year it’s Nick Foles. Expect lots of passing, lots of offense, and an Arizona loss. With all that said, it should be a fun game.
Extra Point:
Earlier this week, I had written, in my mind, a nice article on the facts and speculation of college football realignment. Not 24 hours later, the Pac 12 said “no thanks” to Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State, thereby blowing up my article.
The reason is the odious Longhorn Network. If you are not accustomed to the Longhorn Network, picture the Big Ten Network, if it only focused on Ohio State. Basically, when Texas and ESPN developed the idea, it was a big middle finger to the rest of the Big 12.
The main reason Nebraska bolted to the Big Ten was that it was tired of being treated like a second class citizen. Once Nebraska left, I figured that the other dominos would fall. While a team like Baylor may not have the cache to find another top flight conference, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Texas A&M could surely find a new place.
The Aggies were the first out of the shoot with an invite to join the SEC. This, along with the previous defections of Nebraska and Colorado, brought the Big 12 down to nine teams and on the precipice of implosion. This was why Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, and Texas Tech all decided to talk to the Pac 12 about a super-conference.
The major stumbling block and eventual deal-killer was the Longhorn Network. Yet again, the monument to Texas self-absorption proved too much for some to handle. The reasoning from the Pac 12 was sound. They didn’t want two separate revenue models, one for Texas and a different one for the remaining fifteen teams.
So, here’s the deal. If you live in Big 12 Country and you love the conference and are scared that it will self-destruct with teams joining other conferences and natural rivalries being lost, you get a convenient scapegoat. Don’t blame Nebraska, Colorado, or Texas A&M. Blame the University of Texas and the Longhorn Network. Instead of “hook’em horns”, flash them a whole new hand gesture.
1) No. 14 Arkansas at No. 3 Alabama – 3:30 PM on CBS
How can you not get excited about a SEC West showdown? One reason not to is the fact that it’s on CBS and I have to deal with Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson. How about ESPN loan out Nessler and Blackledge for this and we all walk away happy?
This is really a tale of two different offenses. The Tide are going to do all they can to limit the weakness of A.J. McCarron. While he has talent, he’s not ready to carry this offense. The Tide are going to depend on Trent Richardson and Eddie Lacy to run the ball to soften up the Arkansas defense.
That shouldn’t be too hard, considering Arkansas has a poor rush defense. The Razorbacks gave up over 450 yards of rushing to Troy. While defense may not be the strong suit of Arkansas, they do have a dynamic offense.
The Razorbacks have one of the best passing offenses in the country, led by Tyler Wilson. Wilson’s issue is accuracy, which is not a problem you want against the tough Alabama defense. While they have a competent running back in Ronnie Wingo, expect Arkansas to throw early and often.
Arkansas will want to make this into a shootout, which will favor them. Alabama will want to slow it down and grind it out, which will favor them. As much as I like Arkansas, I think Alabama has this one, but expect it to stay close. Roll Tide!
2) No. 7 Oklahoma State at No. 8 Texas A&M – 3:30 PM on ABC
We have a top tier Big 12 matchup just days after Texas greed scuttled a plan to blow up the Big 12. Oklahoma State was all ready to jump to the Pac 12 and A&M is already off to the SEC, but for now we have to deal with the facts of this game.
Offensively, it’s tough to find a better team than Oklahoma State. They are in the top 10 in a handful of offensive categories. They kind of remind me of that Graham Harrell/Michael Crabtree Texas Tech team from a few years ago. However, appearances can be deceiving.
Brandon Weeden, while having a completion percentage over 70 percent, has an interception problem. Since the Cowboys are a pass happy team, it doesn’t bode well for them. While the offensive line is competent, they’ll have issues stopping the rush of Texas A&M.
Ryan Tannehill, on the other hand, has the ability to keep the ball out of the defenses hands. Tannehill also has the added benefit of having Cyrus Gray in the backfield, who is almost a guarantee to get over 100 yards rushing. The Aggies shouldn’t have much issue moving the ball against a lackluster Cowboy defense.
Much like the Razorbacks, Oklahoma State forgoes defense and wins games by just outscoring their opponents. While working against lesser teams, they will have issues against teams that have a solid defense, like Texas A&M. Expect it to stay close throughout, but the Aggies prevail in the end.
3) No. 11 Florida State at No. 21 Clemson – 3:30 PM on ESPN
Clemson has a massive win over Auburn, but that was just the first of the three games in a row that will push the Tigers to their limits. FSU is facing problems of their own on the injury front after their loss last week to top ranked Oklahoma.
Clemson answered all the doubters last week with their two touchdown victory over Auburn, after being down by two touchdowns themselves earlier in the game. Tajh Boyd had nearly 400 yards passing and 4 touchdowns to end the defending National Champions 17 game winning streak. The one sour note for Clemson in that game was their lackluster defense.
As for Florida State, the team doctor should be able to afford a yacht considering all the injuries that team is dealing with. Most importantly, E.J. Manuel has a sprained non-throwing shoulder, which could keep him out or limit his effectiveness in the game on Saturday. The Seminoles also have injury issues at wide receiver and running back.
FSU can exploit the Clemson defense, but they need to stay mistake free and keep the ball out of Boyd’s hands. FSU also needs to keep play-making wide receiver Sammy Watkins under wraps, after he dominated against Auburn’s secondary. FSU hasn’t won in Death Valley since 2001. I think that is a streak Clemson will help continue this week, but it’ll be a close game.
4) No. 2 LSU at No. 16 West Virginia – 8:00 PM on ABC
Of the many realignment rumors over the past week, one that sticks out is West Virginia’s possible move to the SEC if the Big East falls apart. This game could be a preview of future SEC conference battles if that comes to pass.
To start off, I think I owe an apology to Jarrett Lee. I once compared his play to eating rancid meat. He’s actually not half bad. He reminds of Trent Dilfer during the Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl year. He won’t win games for you, but he won’t lose them for you either.
The key to victory for LSU is their defense. They are one of the best defensive teams in the country and proved that in Week 1 against Oregon. They are going to have an equally tough challenge against West Virginia.
West Virginia really doesn’t have a running game to speak of. The basis offensive strategy for the Mountaineers is to give the ball to Geno Smith and tell him to throw it. Giving WVU credit, it’s worked for them, as they are 6th in the country in passing yards per game. Unfortunately for WVU, a one dimensional offense will not work against LSU.
I see the LSU defense causing West Virginia fits and Jarrett Lee using great field position to score offensive points. Expect LSU to win this by at least a touchdown.
5) Vanderbilt at No. 12 South Carolina – 7:00 PM on ESPN2
I’ve been doing the Touchdown for close to 6 years now and I think this is the first time Vanderbilt has ever made it. Congratulations Commodores.
Vanderbilt has flown under the radar starting out 3-0, beating quality opponents like UConn and Ole Miss. The defense for Vandy is going to be the key. They create loads of turnovers and the offense has the ability to capitalize. Expect Vandy to run the ball a lot on offense, as quarterback Larry Smith isn’t exactly wowing people with his abilities.
Speaking of inconsistent quarterbacks, I’m convinced the Stephen Garcia has two settings: Heisman and Spaz. Garcia was in “spaz” mode against Navy last week so the offense turned to Marcus Lattimore to run the ball (246 yards rushing on 37 carries). Expect more of the same from Lattimore this week, considering Vandy leads the FBS in interceptions.
South Carolina seems to want to play every game with a degree of difficulty. Every game this year has been closer than it should have been. It’ll come back to bite them at some point. I think South Carolina wins it, but it’ll be closer than anyone expects.
6) No. 10 Oregon at Arizona – 10:15 PM on ESPN2
Last year I had a man-crush on Jake Locker, this year it’s Nick Foles. Expect lots of passing, lots of offense, and an Arizona loss. With all that said, it should be a fun game.
Extra Point:
Earlier this week, I had written, in my mind, a nice article on the facts and speculation of college football realignment. Not 24 hours later, the Pac 12 said “no thanks” to Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State, thereby blowing up my article.
The reason is the odious Longhorn Network. If you are not accustomed to the Longhorn Network, picture the Big Ten Network, if it only focused on Ohio State. Basically, when Texas and ESPN developed the idea, it was a big middle finger to the rest of the Big 12.
The main reason Nebraska bolted to the Big Ten was that it was tired of being treated like a second class citizen. Once Nebraska left, I figured that the other dominos would fall. While a team like Baylor may not have the cache to find another top flight conference, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Texas A&M could surely find a new place.
The Aggies were the first out of the shoot with an invite to join the SEC. This, along with the previous defections of Nebraska and Colorado, brought the Big 12 down to nine teams and on the precipice of implosion. This was why Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, and Texas Tech all decided to talk to the Pac 12 about a super-conference.
The major stumbling block and eventual deal-killer was the Longhorn Network. Yet again, the monument to Texas self-absorption proved too much for some to handle. The reasoning from the Pac 12 was sound. They didn’t want two separate revenue models, one for Texas and a different one for the remaining fifteen teams.
So, here’s the deal. If you live in Big 12 Country and you love the conference and are scared that it will self-destruct with teams joining other conferences and natural rivalries being lost, you get a convenient scapegoat. Don’t blame Nebraska, Colorado, or Texas A&M. Blame the University of Texas and the Longhorn Network. Instead of “hook’em horns”, flash them a whole new hand gesture.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
College Football Realignment: 2011 Edition
If you thought the first round of realignment in college football was crazy, the second round is chaotic. It is hard to separate fact from speculation and the good from the bad. So, we’re going to dive right in and take a look at this by conference and see who comes out on top and who is left in the dust.
ACC:
Fact:
The ACC will gain both Pittsburgh and Syracuse. The timing depends on other factors involving the Big East, Big 12, and Pac 12 to be discussed later. The longest it would take would be 27 months, due to Big East Conference bylaws.
Speculation:
UConn and Rutgers are both in talks to join the ACC. It is looking increasingly likely that this will happen. Another wrinkle is the fact that Notre Dame, if feeling they couldn’t make it as an independent, they would first look to the ACC before the Big Ten.
End Result:
So far, it’s a win for the ACC. The conference looked on the brink of collapse at the beginning of the season, with Miami facing the death penalty and talks of Clemson moving to the SEC. Now, the ACC is looking like it’ll have a presence all up and down the Eastern seaboard.
If they can pull in UConn and Rutgers, they’ll be the first super-conference. I can’t be the only one excited about the possibility of a super-conference. Sixteen teams battling for a conference crown. This is good stuff.
SEC:
Fact:
The SEC is adding its 13th member with Texas A&M. Additional candidates will pop up once everything shakes out.
Speculation:
Two top teams on the SEC radar are West Virginia and Missouri. If the Big East and Big 12 merger or implode, look for WVU to definitely make the move. It would be a smart pick-up for the SEC. Missouri would be a good addition to the SEC West.
End Result:
Solid results for the SEC so far. Texas A&M is a good pick-up and WVU and Missouri would definitely help solidify the conference as the best in the country. The SEC, like the ACC, will pick who they want and are in the driver’s seat as to who they’ll accept. It’s a good position to be in these trying times.
Big East:
Fact:
The conference is losing Pittsburgh and Syracuse. However, they will be gaining TCU before the next football season.
Speculation:
Doom! The Big East is on the brink of losing UConn and Rutgers. If they go forward with the Big 12 merger, they will most likely lose West Virginia. Of course, this will free up both Pitt and Syracuse to move under the 27 month window.
End Result:
I do not see the Big East surviving. Of course, this is a good thing for college football. The quality of football in that conference was sub-par at best. Although, if the Big 12/Big East merger goes through, I don’t see the quality really picking up.
The one team you feel sorry for is TCU. They wanted a nice easy conference to dominate and get an automatic BCS bid. Now, they’re like the youngest child watching the bitter divorce of their parents. They’re not quite sure what’s going on, but they know they’ll get screwed in the end.
Big 12:
Fact:
Texas A&M has left for the SEC. Texas and Oklahoma have given their Presidents permission to talk to the Pac 12 about joining, which is a move that will bring Texas Tech and Oklahoma State with them.
Speculation:
If the move of the four schools to the Pac 12 goes though, there are a number of things that could happen. There is the possibility of the aforementioned merger with the Big East, in which Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, and Missouri would absorb all the remaining Big East teams.
The Big 12 could just cease to exist, leaving the above mentioned teams to find their own conferences. Scuttlebutt on Saturday was the Baylor and Iowa State were in talks with the Big East and Missouri is known to fancy the SEC.
End Result:
Not good. While Texas greed is the reason for the end of the Big 12 as we used to know it, it’s almost sad to see the once mighty conference left to scramble for scraps. The best the Big 12 could hope for would be the merger deal, while keeping West Virginia and Missouri. However, I predict that WVU becomes the 14th member of the SEC, while Missouri tries to get into either the SEC or Big Ten.
Pac 12:
Fact:
No moves as of yet. However, the speculation is enough to set the world on fire.
Speculation:
Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech are in talks to move to the Pac 12, making it a super-conference. Texas, as always, still has the ability to scuttle any deal. However, this looks like it might happen.
End Result:
A Pac 16? It’s a no-brainer. If they pull this off, the Pac 16 is the big winner in the realignment shuffle. Oklahoma and Texas are massive prizes and will mean good things for the new conference. The main hurdle is how to make the new conference work. My guess would be that they will make the announcement and the ACC will follow suit.
Also, everyone needs to find a way around the particularly loathsome Longhorn Network, which will have issues considering the Pac 12 already has a conference network. The Pac 12 has the edge here, since they don’t need Texas. However, with the defection of Texas A&M and the fact Missouri wants out, Texas is going to need to do something fast.
End Conclusion:
There are people who are going to support realignment and those against it. It’s like a Presidential Election, there is always going to be a group of people upset by it. However, I see this as a natural evolution of college football.
The problem all started when Texas wanted their own network and the Big 12 decided to let them have it. Nebraska didn’t like it and bolted to the Big Ten. It all started a domino effect. The thing is that as college football becomes big business, schools are going to do what is in their financial best interest (or what they think will be in their financial best interest).
Nebraska was tired of being the red-headed stepchild of the Big 12 and wanted more of the pie. This year, Pittsburgh, Texas A&M, and Syracuse all found greener pastures in different conferences. The landscape of college football is changing daily and teams are scrambling to find solid ground.
There are even more possible moves that I didn’t mention above. One interesting possibility is the merger between the Mountain West and Conference USA, which would give the newly formed conference an automatic BCS bid. With the Big East on the verge of losing their automatic bid, this could be huge.
According to a recent poll done by Baylor, 76 percent of college fans would be disappointed with super-conferences. Of course, the poll was done in Big 12 states, so I don’t know how much stock can be put into it. The problem is that this is going to happen. If you could find me one person in the 76 percent who is going to boycott college football because of this, I’ll eat this article. Just make sure you pass me some ketchup.
ACC:
Fact:
The ACC will gain both Pittsburgh and Syracuse. The timing depends on other factors involving the Big East, Big 12, and Pac 12 to be discussed later. The longest it would take would be 27 months, due to Big East Conference bylaws.
Speculation:
UConn and Rutgers are both in talks to join the ACC. It is looking increasingly likely that this will happen. Another wrinkle is the fact that Notre Dame, if feeling they couldn’t make it as an independent, they would first look to the ACC before the Big Ten.
End Result:
So far, it’s a win for the ACC. The conference looked on the brink of collapse at the beginning of the season, with Miami facing the death penalty and talks of Clemson moving to the SEC. Now, the ACC is looking like it’ll have a presence all up and down the Eastern seaboard.
If they can pull in UConn and Rutgers, they’ll be the first super-conference. I can’t be the only one excited about the possibility of a super-conference. Sixteen teams battling for a conference crown. This is good stuff.
SEC:
Fact:
The SEC is adding its 13th member with Texas A&M. Additional candidates will pop up once everything shakes out.
Speculation:
Two top teams on the SEC radar are West Virginia and Missouri. If the Big East and Big 12 merger or implode, look for WVU to definitely make the move. It would be a smart pick-up for the SEC. Missouri would be a good addition to the SEC West.
End Result:
Solid results for the SEC so far. Texas A&M is a good pick-up and WVU and Missouri would definitely help solidify the conference as the best in the country. The SEC, like the ACC, will pick who they want and are in the driver’s seat as to who they’ll accept. It’s a good position to be in these trying times.
Big East:
Fact:
The conference is losing Pittsburgh and Syracuse. However, they will be gaining TCU before the next football season.
Speculation:
Doom! The Big East is on the brink of losing UConn and Rutgers. If they go forward with the Big 12 merger, they will most likely lose West Virginia. Of course, this will free up both Pitt and Syracuse to move under the 27 month window.
End Result:
I do not see the Big East surviving. Of course, this is a good thing for college football. The quality of football in that conference was sub-par at best. Although, if the Big 12/Big East merger goes through, I don’t see the quality really picking up.
The one team you feel sorry for is TCU. They wanted a nice easy conference to dominate and get an automatic BCS bid. Now, they’re like the youngest child watching the bitter divorce of their parents. They’re not quite sure what’s going on, but they know they’ll get screwed in the end.
Big 12:
Fact:
Texas A&M has left for the SEC. Texas and Oklahoma have given their Presidents permission to talk to the Pac 12 about joining, which is a move that will bring Texas Tech and Oklahoma State with them.
Speculation:
If the move of the four schools to the Pac 12 goes though, there are a number of things that could happen. There is the possibility of the aforementioned merger with the Big East, in which Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, and Missouri would absorb all the remaining Big East teams.
The Big 12 could just cease to exist, leaving the above mentioned teams to find their own conferences. Scuttlebutt on Saturday was the Baylor and Iowa State were in talks with the Big East and Missouri is known to fancy the SEC.
End Result:
Not good. While Texas greed is the reason for the end of the Big 12 as we used to know it, it’s almost sad to see the once mighty conference left to scramble for scraps. The best the Big 12 could hope for would be the merger deal, while keeping West Virginia and Missouri. However, I predict that WVU becomes the 14th member of the SEC, while Missouri tries to get into either the SEC or Big Ten.
Pac 12:
Fact:
No moves as of yet. However, the speculation is enough to set the world on fire.
Speculation:
Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech are in talks to move to the Pac 12, making it a super-conference. Texas, as always, still has the ability to scuttle any deal. However, this looks like it might happen.
End Result:
A Pac 16? It’s a no-brainer. If they pull this off, the Pac 16 is the big winner in the realignment shuffle. Oklahoma and Texas are massive prizes and will mean good things for the new conference. The main hurdle is how to make the new conference work. My guess would be that they will make the announcement and the ACC will follow suit.
Also, everyone needs to find a way around the particularly loathsome Longhorn Network, which will have issues considering the Pac 12 already has a conference network. The Pac 12 has the edge here, since they don’t need Texas. However, with the defection of Texas A&M and the fact Missouri wants out, Texas is going to need to do something fast.
End Conclusion:
There are people who are going to support realignment and those against it. It’s like a Presidential Election, there is always going to be a group of people upset by it. However, I see this as a natural evolution of college football.
The problem all started when Texas wanted their own network and the Big 12 decided to let them have it. Nebraska didn’t like it and bolted to the Big Ten. It all started a domino effect. The thing is that as college football becomes big business, schools are going to do what is in their financial best interest (or what they think will be in their financial best interest).
Nebraska was tired of being the red-headed stepchild of the Big 12 and wanted more of the pie. This year, Pittsburgh, Texas A&M, and Syracuse all found greener pastures in different conferences. The landscape of college football is changing daily and teams are scrambling to find solid ground.
There are even more possible moves that I didn’t mention above. One interesting possibility is the merger between the Mountain West and Conference USA, which would give the newly formed conference an automatic BCS bid. With the Big East on the verge of losing their automatic bid, this could be huge.
According to a recent poll done by Baylor, 76 percent of college fans would be disappointed with super-conferences. Of course, the poll was done in Big 12 states, so I don’t know how much stock can be put into it. The problem is that this is going to happen. If you could find me one person in the 76 percent who is going to boycott college football because of this, I’ll eat this article. Just make sure you pass me some ketchup.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Trent's Touchdown: Six Week 3 College Football Games to Watch
Welcome to Week 3 of the college football season. I think ESPN is calling this “Road Test Weekend”. While an apt title, I wonder who comes up with this stuff. If any games this week are as thrilling as the Notre Dame/Michigan game last week, we’re in for a treat. Anyway, on to the Touchdown:
1) No. 1 Oklahoma at No. 5 Florida State – 8:00 PM on ABC
This game is a must-win for both of these teams if they want to play in the National Championship Game. Oklahoma no longer has a conference championship game to show off in and FSU belongs to an overall weak conference, so this is it.
Both teams have been impressive to start the season, but that’s inconsequential as the opponents have all been easy. So, here’s what we know. Oklahoma can light it up offensively. I may not like Landry Jones, but does have the ability to spread the ball around and make plays (when he’s not throwing interceptions).
The Oklahoma defense will have their hands full with E.J. Manuel. While I don’t trust Manuel, he has the ability to fire up his team and take off running if needed. He can be a little erratic when throwing the ball but he’ll most likely be targeting Rodney Smith at wide-out. FSU will definitely have problems running the ball against the tough Oklahoma defense.
Oklahoma probably has the most well-balanced offense in the country and has a good enough defense to contain most of the teams they’ll face this year. The Sooners need to come out fast, take the crowd out of it, and give Landry Jones enough of a cushion so he doesn’t feel pressured to have to perform (like last year’s game against Missouri).
Oklahoma wins this one by two touchdowns, but FSU keeps it interesting through half-time.
2) No. 15 Michigan State at Notre Dame – 3:30 PM on NBC
This game last year put everyone on notice that Michigan State was for real. This could be just the statement game they need to get everyone’s attention this year again.
With all the conference realignment talk in the Big Ten, Wisconsin being the team to beat, and Ohio State’s drama, Michigan State has flown under the radar. Proof positive of that statement is the fact that 0-2 Notre Dame is actually favored to win this game.
In my mind, Kirk Cousins is probably the best quarterback in the Big Ten. He throws quality balls and doesn’t make dumb mistakes. He should have no issues throwing on the Notre Dame defense, as they need to stay cognizant of the MSU rushing attack, which can eat a defense up if they aren’t prepared.
Things aren’t looking good for Notre Dame, especially after that last second loss to Michigan last week. The worst part about that is the fact that Notre Dame had the ability to put that game away early and let the opportunity slip through their fingers.
The decision by Brian Kelly to start Tommy Rees is actually starting to look like a good decision. While he did have two picks, he was effective moving the ball through the air. MSU is going to need to blanket Michael Floyd, as Rees always goes to Floyd when he’s in trouble. The Irish need to use Cierre Wood and a running game to ensure that MSU doesn’t focus solely on the pass.
All signs point to this being a close game. Notre Dame has the ability to keep every game close before finding a way to lose. Michigan State pulls this one out in the last two minutes of the game, leaving Irish fans miserable, despondent, and clinging to the argument that Rees is better than Crist.
3) No. 6 Stanford at Arizona – 10:45 PM on ESPN
Finally, I can stop talking about the running game because this game features Nick Foles and Andrew Luck, the two best quarterbacks in the Pac-12. Okay, I will bring up the running game, but it won’t be complimentary.
If you don’t know who Andrew Luck is, just stop reading right now, because college football is not for you. Even though Stanford has had no real competition, they have done what good teams do against inferior opponents and give us a few minutes of Sportscenter highlights out of the deal. Stanford has also been able to use its running game to make defenses stay honest. Stepfan Taylor isn’t going to light the world on fire, but he can give you 50 to 75 yards a game.
Arizona, on the other hand, has no running game. I think I can gain more rushing yards than Keola Antolin and Ka’Deem Carey combined. The Arizona offense is all on the shoulders of Nick Foles. Foles has a completion percentage above 75% and nearly double the passing yards of Luck.
However, with such a one sided offensive attack, it’s easy for defenses to key on Foles and not have to worry about any other threats. Expect the Stanford defense to do just that. Arizona will have a much tougher time on defense as the Stanford offense is a more balanced attack.
If you’re a fan of aerial displays, this is the game for you. If Arizona goes down early, they’ll give up all pretense of running and let Foles throw it until his arm falls off. Stanford wins this game, but it’ll be closer if Arizona finally learns how to run the ball.
4) No. 21 Auburn at Clemson – 12:00 PM on ABC
This is a rematch of last year’s game which pretty much told the world that Cam Newton was for real. Thankfully, for Clemson fans, Newton is in the NFL and don’t have to worry about him anymore. Of course, neither do Auburn fans, but that’s another point entirely.
The defending National Champions are getting no respect this year, mostly for good reason. This year should be a window into what would have happened to Auburn last year if Newton wasn’t around. Their offensive running game is suspect, which is kind of sad when you have Michael Dyer and Onterio McCalebb in the backfield. If that wasn’t enough, the defense is pretty bad and that’s not a description you want when you’re in the SEC West.
Clemson has been offensively sound, with Andre Ellington running the ball for big yards. However, they let bad teams stick around for far too long in games. This is going to come back to big them if they don’t take advantage of the opportunities they have. The Clemson defense isn’t too great either and gave up huge rushing numbers to Wofford.
Like last year, this game will be close. However, unlike last year, Clemson will be able to pull it out in the end.
5) No. 23 Texas at UCLA – 3:30 PM on ABC
For all you Texas fans out there, last year, this game marked the beginning of the end. We’ll see if this year will bring about different results.
The most intriguing part of this game is the whole quarterback situation for both teams. Let’s start with Texas since I’m giddy that we have another McCoy at Texas. That’s right; Case McCoy came off the bench to save Texas’ bacon against BYU last week. He rallied the team around him and he led them to victory. Don’t expect to see Garrett Gilbert anytime soon.
As for UCLA, Kevin Prince left last week’s game with a minor concussion, but he is cleared to play. It’s just a question of whether he’ll start, as Richard Brehaut did pretty well in relief. Even with the UCLA quarterback situation in flux, you can count on Derrick Coleman to put up some good rushing yards to help out.
I learned a long time ago to never bet against a Texas team led by a kid named McCoy. If only for that reason, I’m thinking Texas wins it. It’ll be close though, considering Texas is getting used to a competent quarterback.
6) No. 17 Ohio State at Miami – 7:30 PM on ESPN
This game is fun just because you can come up with so many jokes for it. How about the Convict Bowl? Can we just use this game as a scared straight video for kids about to start playing in college? Is this game sponsored by the NCAA Investigations Department? Come on, think up your own, it’s fun.
Extra Point:
If you’ve paid attention to college football this week, you know that the NCAA smacked down Boise State for rules violations. They will lose nine scholarships over a three year span and the athletic department will be on three year’s probation. In addition, the NCAA also reduced the number of spring and preseason practices BSU can hold.
Before the NCAA handed down the penalties, Boise State did what all good college programs should do. They created self-imposed sanctions. While the school did reduce the number of scholarships and practices, the NCAA felt this wasn’t enough.
Head coach Chris Petersen said he was “surprised by the findings”. Actually, anyone who has followed college football for the last year shouldn’t be surprised. The NCAA has a bit of a black eye over the last year, with a vacated National Championship, a vacated Heisman Trophy, and a vacated ACC Championship. Let’s not forget the Ohio State and Miami scandals.
The NCAA needed to drop the hammer. While in the past the self-imposed sanctions would have been enough to let the NCAA walk away from this, the current climate in college football today necessitates that the NCAA call down the thunder on the slightest indiscretion. Know this, if your favorite team is the target of a NCAA probe, prepare for the worst.
1) No. 1 Oklahoma at No. 5 Florida State – 8:00 PM on ABC
This game is a must-win for both of these teams if they want to play in the National Championship Game. Oklahoma no longer has a conference championship game to show off in and FSU belongs to an overall weak conference, so this is it.
Both teams have been impressive to start the season, but that’s inconsequential as the opponents have all been easy. So, here’s what we know. Oklahoma can light it up offensively. I may not like Landry Jones, but does have the ability to spread the ball around and make plays (when he’s not throwing interceptions).
The Oklahoma defense will have their hands full with E.J. Manuel. While I don’t trust Manuel, he has the ability to fire up his team and take off running if needed. He can be a little erratic when throwing the ball but he’ll most likely be targeting Rodney Smith at wide-out. FSU will definitely have problems running the ball against the tough Oklahoma defense.
Oklahoma probably has the most well-balanced offense in the country and has a good enough defense to contain most of the teams they’ll face this year. The Sooners need to come out fast, take the crowd out of it, and give Landry Jones enough of a cushion so he doesn’t feel pressured to have to perform (like last year’s game against Missouri).
Oklahoma wins this one by two touchdowns, but FSU keeps it interesting through half-time.
2) No. 15 Michigan State at Notre Dame – 3:30 PM on NBC
This game last year put everyone on notice that Michigan State was for real. This could be just the statement game they need to get everyone’s attention this year again.
With all the conference realignment talk in the Big Ten, Wisconsin being the team to beat, and Ohio State’s drama, Michigan State has flown under the radar. Proof positive of that statement is the fact that 0-2 Notre Dame is actually favored to win this game.
In my mind, Kirk Cousins is probably the best quarterback in the Big Ten. He throws quality balls and doesn’t make dumb mistakes. He should have no issues throwing on the Notre Dame defense, as they need to stay cognizant of the MSU rushing attack, which can eat a defense up if they aren’t prepared.
Things aren’t looking good for Notre Dame, especially after that last second loss to Michigan last week. The worst part about that is the fact that Notre Dame had the ability to put that game away early and let the opportunity slip through their fingers.
The decision by Brian Kelly to start Tommy Rees is actually starting to look like a good decision. While he did have two picks, he was effective moving the ball through the air. MSU is going to need to blanket Michael Floyd, as Rees always goes to Floyd when he’s in trouble. The Irish need to use Cierre Wood and a running game to ensure that MSU doesn’t focus solely on the pass.
All signs point to this being a close game. Notre Dame has the ability to keep every game close before finding a way to lose. Michigan State pulls this one out in the last two minutes of the game, leaving Irish fans miserable, despondent, and clinging to the argument that Rees is better than Crist.
3) No. 6 Stanford at Arizona – 10:45 PM on ESPN
Finally, I can stop talking about the running game because this game features Nick Foles and Andrew Luck, the two best quarterbacks in the Pac-12. Okay, I will bring up the running game, but it won’t be complimentary.
If you don’t know who Andrew Luck is, just stop reading right now, because college football is not for you. Even though Stanford has had no real competition, they have done what good teams do against inferior opponents and give us a few minutes of Sportscenter highlights out of the deal. Stanford has also been able to use its running game to make defenses stay honest. Stepfan Taylor isn’t going to light the world on fire, but he can give you 50 to 75 yards a game.
Arizona, on the other hand, has no running game. I think I can gain more rushing yards than Keola Antolin and Ka’Deem Carey combined. The Arizona offense is all on the shoulders of Nick Foles. Foles has a completion percentage above 75% and nearly double the passing yards of Luck.
However, with such a one sided offensive attack, it’s easy for defenses to key on Foles and not have to worry about any other threats. Expect the Stanford defense to do just that. Arizona will have a much tougher time on defense as the Stanford offense is a more balanced attack.
If you’re a fan of aerial displays, this is the game for you. If Arizona goes down early, they’ll give up all pretense of running and let Foles throw it until his arm falls off. Stanford wins this game, but it’ll be closer if Arizona finally learns how to run the ball.
4) No. 21 Auburn at Clemson – 12:00 PM on ABC
This is a rematch of last year’s game which pretty much told the world that Cam Newton was for real. Thankfully, for Clemson fans, Newton is in the NFL and don’t have to worry about him anymore. Of course, neither do Auburn fans, but that’s another point entirely.
The defending National Champions are getting no respect this year, mostly for good reason. This year should be a window into what would have happened to Auburn last year if Newton wasn’t around. Their offensive running game is suspect, which is kind of sad when you have Michael Dyer and Onterio McCalebb in the backfield. If that wasn’t enough, the defense is pretty bad and that’s not a description you want when you’re in the SEC West.
Clemson has been offensively sound, with Andre Ellington running the ball for big yards. However, they let bad teams stick around for far too long in games. This is going to come back to big them if they don’t take advantage of the opportunities they have. The Clemson defense isn’t too great either and gave up huge rushing numbers to Wofford.
Like last year, this game will be close. However, unlike last year, Clemson will be able to pull it out in the end.
5) No. 23 Texas at UCLA – 3:30 PM on ABC
For all you Texas fans out there, last year, this game marked the beginning of the end. We’ll see if this year will bring about different results.
The most intriguing part of this game is the whole quarterback situation for both teams. Let’s start with Texas since I’m giddy that we have another McCoy at Texas. That’s right; Case McCoy came off the bench to save Texas’ bacon against BYU last week. He rallied the team around him and he led them to victory. Don’t expect to see Garrett Gilbert anytime soon.
As for UCLA, Kevin Prince left last week’s game with a minor concussion, but he is cleared to play. It’s just a question of whether he’ll start, as Richard Brehaut did pretty well in relief. Even with the UCLA quarterback situation in flux, you can count on Derrick Coleman to put up some good rushing yards to help out.
I learned a long time ago to never bet against a Texas team led by a kid named McCoy. If only for that reason, I’m thinking Texas wins it. It’ll be close though, considering Texas is getting used to a competent quarterback.
6) No. 17 Ohio State at Miami – 7:30 PM on ESPN
This game is fun just because you can come up with so many jokes for it. How about the Convict Bowl? Can we just use this game as a scared straight video for kids about to start playing in college? Is this game sponsored by the NCAA Investigations Department? Come on, think up your own, it’s fun.
Extra Point:
If you’ve paid attention to college football this week, you know that the NCAA smacked down Boise State for rules violations. They will lose nine scholarships over a three year span and the athletic department will be on three year’s probation. In addition, the NCAA also reduced the number of spring and preseason practices BSU can hold.
Before the NCAA handed down the penalties, Boise State did what all good college programs should do. They created self-imposed sanctions. While the school did reduce the number of scholarships and practices, the NCAA felt this wasn’t enough.
Head coach Chris Petersen said he was “surprised by the findings”. Actually, anyone who has followed college football for the last year shouldn’t be surprised. The NCAA has a bit of a black eye over the last year, with a vacated National Championship, a vacated Heisman Trophy, and a vacated ACC Championship. Let’s not forget the Ohio State and Miami scandals.
The NCAA needed to drop the hammer. While in the past the self-imposed sanctions would have been enough to let the NCAA walk away from this, the current climate in college football today necessitates that the NCAA call down the thunder on the slightest indiscretion. Know this, if your favorite team is the target of a NCAA probe, prepare for the worst.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Clemson Tigers Football: Three Games in Hell
My alternative title for this article was “How Dabo Swinney loses his job”, but decided to be a little optimistic. For the Clemson season, the next three weeks are critical. It is probably one of the toughest three week spans for any team not in the SEC. It will also show if Clemson has decided to be a contender or an also-ran. So, let’s look at these games.
At Home vs. Auburn – September 17:
Clemson gets the defending National Champion after the heartbreaking overtime loss in Auburn last year. It was also the game where Cam Newton decided he needed to be “the man” and carry his team to victory. But that was last year.
Auburn this year has pretty much the same problem last year. They get into close games and hope that someone will bail them out. Unfortunately, Cam Newton is in the NFL. While you would expect more out of a SEC West defense, Auburn can’t stop the run. While this wasn’t an issue last year, that will get them into a mess of trouble this year.
Andre Ellington is going to be the key to a Clemson victory here. He needs to do in this game what he did in last year’s loss to Auburn, which is to gain lots of yards on the ground and beat up the Auburn run defense. This will open up Tajh Boyd to make plays as he should have plenty of time to throw the ball.
The problem Clemson will have is stopping the run. As they’ve had issues against Wofford stopping the run, don’t expect it to be easier when facing Michael Dyer and Onterio McCalebb. While Clemson will have issues in this game, it is clearly the most winnable of the three.
At Home vs. Florida State – September 24:
One week after Florida State gets top ranked Oklahoma at home, they have to go on the road to Death Valley. I think Clemson’s chances in this game hinge on what Oklahoma does to FSU. If FSU wins, the ride a wave of confidence of knocking off a number 1, if they lose, they could be let down over their chance to move to one of the best teams in the country.
Clemson is going to need a more balanced offensive attack to thwart the FSU defense. Therefore, Tajh Boyd is the key to a Clemson victory here. He needs to be able to successful throw the ball, not take sacks, and generally keep the FSU defense worried about the pass to let Ellington successfully carry the ball.
As far as the defense is concerned, the Clemson defense needs to be more focused on the run. They have had horrible games trying to stop the run and I don’t buy the argument that they were unfocused. E.J. Manuel is not that great of a quarterback and if the defense forces him to have to throw the ball, Clemson should be in a good position. Not saying it’ll happen, but Clemson could win this one. Don’t forget, FSU is a paper tiger.
On the Road vs. Virginia Tech – October 1:
The fifth game on the Virginia Tech schedule is also the first real test the Hokies will face this season, considering the toughest opponent they will have faced before this game is East Carolina. However, this is also the toughest of the three games for Clemson. It’s doesn’t help that the game is in Blacksburg.
Even though Virginia Tech is in a bit of a transition period, they are going to be the toughest ACC opponent Clemson will face this year. The key for Clemson is going to be their run defense. If they can contain David Wilson, they put the game in the hands of the inexperienced and shaky Logan Thomas. Good things will happen at this point.
The Clemson offense will need to play mistake free against the Virginia Tech defense to capitalize. The VT defense was pretty poor last year and they are looking to redeem themselves, as seen with the victory over East Carolina. The big question that still needs to be answered is if Boyd will be the quarterback everyone thinks he can become. Clemson could eke out a victory in this one.
End Result:
Okay, I’m not going to sugar coat this. What I ran through above is best case scenario for Clemson. This is by no means what is going to happen. Clemson has some serious issues in letting bad teams hang around way too long (like last weeks Wofford game). They can’t do this and expect to win and of these games.
Most rational people would say that Clemson either goes 2-1 (at best) or 1-2 (most likely). I think winless or undefeated in these three games is highly unlikely. However, unless Clemson does go 2-1 in this stretch, Dabo Swinney will lose his job at the end of the season.
No matter how good a Clemson team is, they have a knack for losing games they should win. Following these three games, the Tigers have 6 games against ACC opponents (3 at home, 3 on the road), then the end of the year match at South Carolina. Clemson does not run the table in the ACC after these games.
Swinney can salvage his job with an 8-4 season and a back door invitation to the ACC Championship Game. Clemson isn’t going through the front door (issues winning winnable games) and they are going to need FSU to falter somewhere along the way. The key game in this stretch is FSU. They need to beat them to have any hope of making the ACC Championship Game.
We’ll get a picture of Clemson on Saturday at 12 noon against Auburn. We’ll see if this year’s Clemson team is ready to make a step or two forward or if they’re the same as all the other Clemson teams of the past few years. God help us if they find snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
At Home vs. Auburn – September 17:
Clemson gets the defending National Champion after the heartbreaking overtime loss in Auburn last year. It was also the game where Cam Newton decided he needed to be “the man” and carry his team to victory. But that was last year.
Auburn this year has pretty much the same problem last year. They get into close games and hope that someone will bail them out. Unfortunately, Cam Newton is in the NFL. While you would expect more out of a SEC West defense, Auburn can’t stop the run. While this wasn’t an issue last year, that will get them into a mess of trouble this year.
Andre Ellington is going to be the key to a Clemson victory here. He needs to do in this game what he did in last year’s loss to Auburn, which is to gain lots of yards on the ground and beat up the Auburn run defense. This will open up Tajh Boyd to make plays as he should have plenty of time to throw the ball.
The problem Clemson will have is stopping the run. As they’ve had issues against Wofford stopping the run, don’t expect it to be easier when facing Michael Dyer and Onterio McCalebb. While Clemson will have issues in this game, it is clearly the most winnable of the three.
At Home vs. Florida State – September 24:
One week after Florida State gets top ranked Oklahoma at home, they have to go on the road to Death Valley. I think Clemson’s chances in this game hinge on what Oklahoma does to FSU. If FSU wins, the ride a wave of confidence of knocking off a number 1, if they lose, they could be let down over their chance to move to one of the best teams in the country.
Clemson is going to need a more balanced offensive attack to thwart the FSU defense. Therefore, Tajh Boyd is the key to a Clemson victory here. He needs to be able to successful throw the ball, not take sacks, and generally keep the FSU defense worried about the pass to let Ellington successfully carry the ball.
As far as the defense is concerned, the Clemson defense needs to be more focused on the run. They have had horrible games trying to stop the run and I don’t buy the argument that they were unfocused. E.J. Manuel is not that great of a quarterback and if the defense forces him to have to throw the ball, Clemson should be in a good position. Not saying it’ll happen, but Clemson could win this one. Don’t forget, FSU is a paper tiger.
On the Road vs. Virginia Tech – October 1:
The fifth game on the Virginia Tech schedule is also the first real test the Hokies will face this season, considering the toughest opponent they will have faced before this game is East Carolina. However, this is also the toughest of the three games for Clemson. It’s doesn’t help that the game is in Blacksburg.
Even though Virginia Tech is in a bit of a transition period, they are going to be the toughest ACC opponent Clemson will face this year. The key for Clemson is going to be their run defense. If they can contain David Wilson, they put the game in the hands of the inexperienced and shaky Logan Thomas. Good things will happen at this point.
The Clemson offense will need to play mistake free against the Virginia Tech defense to capitalize. The VT defense was pretty poor last year and they are looking to redeem themselves, as seen with the victory over East Carolina. The big question that still needs to be answered is if Boyd will be the quarterback everyone thinks he can become. Clemson could eke out a victory in this one.
End Result:
Okay, I’m not going to sugar coat this. What I ran through above is best case scenario for Clemson. This is by no means what is going to happen. Clemson has some serious issues in letting bad teams hang around way too long (like last weeks Wofford game). They can’t do this and expect to win and of these games.
Most rational people would say that Clemson either goes 2-1 (at best) or 1-2 (most likely). I think winless or undefeated in these three games is highly unlikely. However, unless Clemson does go 2-1 in this stretch, Dabo Swinney will lose his job at the end of the season.
No matter how good a Clemson team is, they have a knack for losing games they should win. Following these three games, the Tigers have 6 games against ACC opponents (3 at home, 3 on the road), then the end of the year match at South Carolina. Clemson does not run the table in the ACC after these games.
Swinney can salvage his job with an 8-4 season and a back door invitation to the ACC Championship Game. Clemson isn’t going through the front door (issues winning winnable games) and they are going to need FSU to falter somewhere along the way. The key game in this stretch is FSU. They need to beat them to have any hope of making the ACC Championship Game.
We’ll get a picture of Clemson on Saturday at 12 noon against Auburn. We’ll see if this year’s Clemson team is ready to make a step or two forward or if they’re the same as all the other Clemson teams of the past few years. God help us if they find snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Trent's Touchdown: Six Week 2 College Football Games to Watch
Welcome to week 2 of the college football season. While no real huge shockers as far as scores last week, we got a nice quarterback controversy in Notre Dame and a bunch of new head coaches got wins.
I think the biggest shocker was some of those new uniforms. I thought I was going to have a seizure when I saw the new Georgia uniforms. Those things were ghastly. But enough of me auditioning to be a judge on Project Runway, on to the Touchdown.
1) No. 3 Alabama at No. 23 Penn State – 3:30 PM on ABC
Two words you never want to hear when talking about your favorite teams some up when talking about these teams: quarterback controversy. Although, it’s less of a controversy and more of a question mark.
After the Greg McElroy years, Nick Saban is still undecided on who to name as starting quarterback. Neither McCarron nor Sims really distinguished themselves, throwing a combined 1 touchdown and 4 interceptions against Kent State. They’ll have issues with the experienced secondary of Penn State.
For Penn State, while there were no interceptions, Bolden and McGloin only threw for a combined 114 years. The main problem Penn State has is quarterback protection, where the PSU offensive line had troubles against the vaunted pass rush of Indiana State.
The game plan on for both teams will be fairly similar. They both want to use the running game, make sure their quarterbacks don’t screw up, and let the defense win it for them. The edge in this one goes to Alabama because the Bama defense will make Bolden and McGloin throw the ball.
That won’t be an issue for Alabama. Their quarterbacks can throw the ball; it’s just a question of keeping it out of the secondary’s hands. Alabama wins, but it’s closer than it should be.
2) No. 12 South Carolina at Georgia – 4:30 PM on ESPN
The SEC season has begun and not a minute too soon. The winner gets early position in the SEC East race. However, early position in that division doesn’t mean much since all the teams are on an even level really.
South Carolina is the favorite to win the division, yet they seem to want to win with a degree of difficulty. It really comes down to Stephen Garcia, who is really all over the place. One game he’s great, the next he’s horrible. I never know what to make of him.
One thing Garcia should do is throw early and often to Alshon Jeffery. It took me a while to get on the Jeffery bandwagon, but I’m a convert now. However, I know the Spurrier game plan in this one. Run Marcus Lattimore until either Georgia stops him or he passes out from exhaustion.
Georgia is going to have trouble stopping the run as one of their best linebackers is out due to foot surgery. Plus, Lattimore is not an easy guy to take down. Last year they had issues with that and this year won’t be much different.
While I have faith in Aaron Murray, Georgia needs more offensive weapons. I’m starting to get the feeling that Brandon Boykin is going to be asked to play both ways this year. Not that that’s a bad thing, especially when your number one receiver is the tight end.
I’m going to say it’ll stay close due to South Carolina’s inability to play a flawless game, but I think they will win. Although Georgia could win and it wouldn’t surprise me. The only thing I know for certain is that the Georgia uniforms assault my eyes.
3) Notre Dame at Michigan – 8:00 PM on ESPN
I feel kind of bad that ESPN got roped into this being the prime time game and neither team is ranked. But hey, it’s a night game in Ann Arbor and that has to count for something.
After the dismal performance last week against South Florida, Notre Dame is floundering. Brian Kelly did the only thing he could do; bench Dayne Crist in favor of Tommy Rees. While this flies in the face of my personal feelings about someone over the age of five going by the name “Tommy”, it’s the move that needed to be made.
Any football fan will tell you that the fans favorite player is the back-up quarterback, especially if your starter is shaky. While I would normally support Crist (I just love saying the name), I think the rabid Irish fan base needs to see Rees either succeed or fall on his face. I don’t know which it is, though I am growing tired of all the “Rees is the man” articles I’ve been reading by writers who two weeks ago stated that “Crist is the man”.
Michigan has the same problem they had last year and it was the one I was harping on when everyone was jumping on the Michigan bandwagon. Denard Robinson is the problem, not the solution. His mindset is run first, throw second. He needs to get more comfortable in the pocket and look for the open man.
However, Notre Dame showed last week they have issues with mobile quarterback, but I trust B.J. Daniels throwing the ball more than Robinson. The Irish defense needs to be able to contain Robinson if they want a shot a winning. One the flip side, the Irish should be able to get some offense going against Michigan, they just need to start Rees off slowly and let him build confidence.
I feel Notre Dame gets their feet under them in this game and finally gets a victory. The defense will have issues, but will be able to stop Robinson when it counts.
4) Oregon State at No. 8 Wisconsin – 12:00 PM on ESPN
I know you’re all wondering why I’m putting this game up here, considering Oregon State lost last week, at home, to Sacramento State. Of course, you’re all probably wondering when Sacramento became a state too (yeah, yeah, bad pun).
Listen, even though Oregon State lost, they are still a scary team. The OSU running attack under Malcolm Agnew is brilliant. He carried the ball 33 times for 223 yards and 3 touchdowns. Those are crazy numbers. The only issue is can he get those types of yards against a tough Wisconsin defense.
As for Wisconsin, they have the luxury of replacing their seasoned starting quarterback from last year with a seasoned starting quarterback from another school. Russell Wilson has two straight seasons with over 3000 yards passing at North Carolina State before making the move to Wisconsin.
Of course, Wilson has the luxury of having one of the better backfields in the country with Montee Ball and James While. Even Dayne Crist would be successful with that backfield. Even if defenses can stop these two, they then need to be able to stop Wilson. Not an easy task for anyone.
I think Oregon State can actually keep it close for a little bit. They have talent all over the field, but are a bit rudderless. While I think Wisconsin wins it, it’ll be closer than people expect.
5) BYU at No.24 Texas – 7:00 PM on ESPN2
Texas is trying to rebound from a tough season last year while BYU is looking to make a name for itself as an Independent. It’s fun all around.
Texas quarterback Garrett Gilbert is becoming more comfortable running the offense at Texas and no longer looking like a deer in the headlights. Last week, Texas even busted out the wildcat formation against Rice. To me, the wildcat always seems to be an act of desperation. It basically says that you don’t trust your quarterback and don’t respect the defense.
The big problem for Texas is going to be J.J. DiLuigi. Not that he’s an amazing running back, but the fact that Texas can’t stop the run. Also good news for BYU is that Jake Heaps should have plenty of time to throw since the Texas defense can’t rush the quarterback very well either. That said, the Texas defense is an athletic bunch and make stops when they need to.
I see a game that will remind us of the Ole Miss/BYU game last week, very tightly contested and down to the last minute. I think BYU gets out of Austin with a win.
6) No. 16 Mississippi State at Auburn – 12:21 PM on SEC Network
I think I made the joke last week that Auburn could go from national champion to last in the SEC West. Not to worry Auburn fans, you should be able to finish ahead of Ole Miss.
Extra Point:
I am a huge college football fan and my favorite team is Clemson. I have no ties whatsoever to the school. I do not know anyone who has ever been to Clemson. If fact, I don’t think I know anyone who has even been to South Carolina. Strange?
I don’t think so. The thing I don’t understand is the fierce loyalty to a school that you attended. Basically, you have paid an organization large amounts of money to provide a service that is virtually that same everywhere else (unless it’s an Ivy League school) and, in turn, you pay money for and zealously root for that organizations sports teams. It’s just not clicking in my head.
The college I went to for undergrad did not have a football team, but I currently attend Boston College for grad school. I absolutely hate the Boston College football team. Mostly because they just play an ugly version of football. Why can’t we just look at the teams and make a determination?
That’s what I did. I watched Clemson play one day as a young boy and I liked the way there were playing. I decided at that time that they would be my team. I watch teams I enjoy to watch and root for those teams. When I was younger I hated Notre Dame, but now I love them. They are just fun to watch.
So, the whole point is that we should choice teams we like to watch, not because we went to that college. Either that or you should root for teams based on gentle parental manipulation from a young age. That’s the only way I can explain being a New England Patriots fan in the early 1990’s.
I think the biggest shocker was some of those new uniforms. I thought I was going to have a seizure when I saw the new Georgia uniforms. Those things were ghastly. But enough of me auditioning to be a judge on Project Runway, on to the Touchdown.
1) No. 3 Alabama at No. 23 Penn State – 3:30 PM on ABC
Two words you never want to hear when talking about your favorite teams some up when talking about these teams: quarterback controversy. Although, it’s less of a controversy and more of a question mark.
After the Greg McElroy years, Nick Saban is still undecided on who to name as starting quarterback. Neither McCarron nor Sims really distinguished themselves, throwing a combined 1 touchdown and 4 interceptions against Kent State. They’ll have issues with the experienced secondary of Penn State.
For Penn State, while there were no interceptions, Bolden and McGloin only threw for a combined 114 years. The main problem Penn State has is quarterback protection, where the PSU offensive line had troubles against the vaunted pass rush of Indiana State.
The game plan on for both teams will be fairly similar. They both want to use the running game, make sure their quarterbacks don’t screw up, and let the defense win it for them. The edge in this one goes to Alabama because the Bama defense will make Bolden and McGloin throw the ball.
That won’t be an issue for Alabama. Their quarterbacks can throw the ball; it’s just a question of keeping it out of the secondary’s hands. Alabama wins, but it’s closer than it should be.
2) No. 12 South Carolina at Georgia – 4:30 PM on ESPN
The SEC season has begun and not a minute too soon. The winner gets early position in the SEC East race. However, early position in that division doesn’t mean much since all the teams are on an even level really.
South Carolina is the favorite to win the division, yet they seem to want to win with a degree of difficulty. It really comes down to Stephen Garcia, who is really all over the place. One game he’s great, the next he’s horrible. I never know what to make of him.
One thing Garcia should do is throw early and often to Alshon Jeffery. It took me a while to get on the Jeffery bandwagon, but I’m a convert now. However, I know the Spurrier game plan in this one. Run Marcus Lattimore until either Georgia stops him or he passes out from exhaustion.
Georgia is going to have trouble stopping the run as one of their best linebackers is out due to foot surgery. Plus, Lattimore is not an easy guy to take down. Last year they had issues with that and this year won’t be much different.
While I have faith in Aaron Murray, Georgia needs more offensive weapons. I’m starting to get the feeling that Brandon Boykin is going to be asked to play both ways this year. Not that that’s a bad thing, especially when your number one receiver is the tight end.
I’m going to say it’ll stay close due to South Carolina’s inability to play a flawless game, but I think they will win. Although Georgia could win and it wouldn’t surprise me. The only thing I know for certain is that the Georgia uniforms assault my eyes.
3) Notre Dame at Michigan – 8:00 PM on ESPN
I feel kind of bad that ESPN got roped into this being the prime time game and neither team is ranked. But hey, it’s a night game in Ann Arbor and that has to count for something.
After the dismal performance last week against South Florida, Notre Dame is floundering. Brian Kelly did the only thing he could do; bench Dayne Crist in favor of Tommy Rees. While this flies in the face of my personal feelings about someone over the age of five going by the name “Tommy”, it’s the move that needed to be made.
Any football fan will tell you that the fans favorite player is the back-up quarterback, especially if your starter is shaky. While I would normally support Crist (I just love saying the name), I think the rabid Irish fan base needs to see Rees either succeed or fall on his face. I don’t know which it is, though I am growing tired of all the “Rees is the man” articles I’ve been reading by writers who two weeks ago stated that “Crist is the man”.
Michigan has the same problem they had last year and it was the one I was harping on when everyone was jumping on the Michigan bandwagon. Denard Robinson is the problem, not the solution. His mindset is run first, throw second. He needs to get more comfortable in the pocket and look for the open man.
However, Notre Dame showed last week they have issues with mobile quarterback, but I trust B.J. Daniels throwing the ball more than Robinson. The Irish defense needs to be able to contain Robinson if they want a shot a winning. One the flip side, the Irish should be able to get some offense going against Michigan, they just need to start Rees off slowly and let him build confidence.
I feel Notre Dame gets their feet under them in this game and finally gets a victory. The defense will have issues, but will be able to stop Robinson when it counts.
4) Oregon State at No. 8 Wisconsin – 12:00 PM on ESPN
I know you’re all wondering why I’m putting this game up here, considering Oregon State lost last week, at home, to Sacramento State. Of course, you’re all probably wondering when Sacramento became a state too (yeah, yeah, bad pun).
Listen, even though Oregon State lost, they are still a scary team. The OSU running attack under Malcolm Agnew is brilliant. He carried the ball 33 times for 223 yards and 3 touchdowns. Those are crazy numbers. The only issue is can he get those types of yards against a tough Wisconsin defense.
As for Wisconsin, they have the luxury of replacing their seasoned starting quarterback from last year with a seasoned starting quarterback from another school. Russell Wilson has two straight seasons with over 3000 yards passing at North Carolina State before making the move to Wisconsin.
Of course, Wilson has the luxury of having one of the better backfields in the country with Montee Ball and James While. Even Dayne Crist would be successful with that backfield. Even if defenses can stop these two, they then need to be able to stop Wilson. Not an easy task for anyone.
I think Oregon State can actually keep it close for a little bit. They have talent all over the field, but are a bit rudderless. While I think Wisconsin wins it, it’ll be closer than people expect.
5) BYU at No.24 Texas – 7:00 PM on ESPN2
Texas is trying to rebound from a tough season last year while BYU is looking to make a name for itself as an Independent. It’s fun all around.
Texas quarterback Garrett Gilbert is becoming more comfortable running the offense at Texas and no longer looking like a deer in the headlights. Last week, Texas even busted out the wildcat formation against Rice. To me, the wildcat always seems to be an act of desperation. It basically says that you don’t trust your quarterback and don’t respect the defense.
The big problem for Texas is going to be J.J. DiLuigi. Not that he’s an amazing running back, but the fact that Texas can’t stop the run. Also good news for BYU is that Jake Heaps should have plenty of time to throw since the Texas defense can’t rush the quarterback very well either. That said, the Texas defense is an athletic bunch and make stops when they need to.
I see a game that will remind us of the Ole Miss/BYU game last week, very tightly contested and down to the last minute. I think BYU gets out of Austin with a win.
6) No. 16 Mississippi State at Auburn – 12:21 PM on SEC Network
I think I made the joke last week that Auburn could go from national champion to last in the SEC West. Not to worry Auburn fans, you should be able to finish ahead of Ole Miss.
Extra Point:
I am a huge college football fan and my favorite team is Clemson. I have no ties whatsoever to the school. I do not know anyone who has ever been to Clemson. If fact, I don’t think I know anyone who has even been to South Carolina. Strange?
I don’t think so. The thing I don’t understand is the fierce loyalty to a school that you attended. Basically, you have paid an organization large amounts of money to provide a service that is virtually that same everywhere else (unless it’s an Ivy League school) and, in turn, you pay money for and zealously root for that organizations sports teams. It’s just not clicking in my head.
The college I went to for undergrad did not have a football team, but I currently attend Boston College for grad school. I absolutely hate the Boston College football team. Mostly because they just play an ugly version of football. Why can’t we just look at the teams and make a determination?
That’s what I did. I watched Clemson play one day as a young boy and I liked the way there were playing. I decided at that time that they would be my team. I watch teams I enjoy to watch and root for those teams. When I was younger I hated Notre Dame, but now I love them. They are just fun to watch.
So, the whole point is that we should choice teams we like to watch, not because we went to that college. Either that or you should root for teams based on gentle parental manipulation from a young age. That’s the only way I can explain being a New England Patriots fan in the early 1990’s.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
The Craziness of Notre Dame Football: 2005-2011
There are a few ways you can tell its fall. The leaves start to change, the weather gets a little cooler, Sam Adams Octoberfest hits the shelves, and the Notre Dame football team implodes. It’s like clockwork.
It has to be heartbreaking for fans to see another highly touted Notre Dame team fail to meet early expectations. However, this has been the storyline for a while now in South Bend. While this probably occurred prior to the 2005 season, I’m using that as a jumping off point. The reason is the fact that Tyrone Willingham should never inspire confidence in anyone.
The Charlie Weis Era: The Brady Quinn Years (2005-2006):
While I may have no respect for Tyrone Willingham as a coach or recruiter, he did leave Charlie Weis with a pretty good team in 2005. Willingham was sort of like Ron Zook, but instead of doing his homework and recruiting high quality players, he sort of lucked into guys like Quinn.
While 2006 may have been the more hyped year, 2005 was the best year. The 2005 squad wasn’t expected to do much, with a new coach, new system, and coming off a 6-6 season. However, Quinn seemed to flourish under Weis’ pro-style offense while leading Notre Dame to a 9-3 record.
The 2005 team beat three ranked teams on the road (Pittsburgh, Michigan, and Purdue) and lost their two regular season games by a total of 6 points (Michigan State and USC). The Michigan State game was lost in overtime, but Quinn had rallied the team from a 21 point deficit to get it to overtime. As for the USC game, you can’t mention that to a Notre Dame fan without incoherent ramblings about the “Bush Push” (one of the greatest games ever played).
At the start of the 2006 season, hopes were high and Notre Dame was ranked number 3. Hopes were dashed when Michigan trounced Notre Dame at home by 26 points in the third game of the season. Then, in the final game of the season, Notre Dame got run over by USC by 20 points. They still received a Sugar Bowl berth, only to get blown out by LSU by 27 points.
The Charlie Weis Era: The Jimmy Clausen Years (2007-2009):
At the end of the 2006 season, the Fighting Irish lost a number of players to graduation and the NFL Draft, including Brady Quinn. This left room for freshman Jimmy Clausen to take the reins. Freshman starting quarterbacks usually don’t mean good things. I think you can tell where the 2007 season is heading.
Here is a quick recap of the 2007 season. Notre Dame went 3-9, starting out 0-5 before their first victory (UCLA on the road), then losing four in a row before back to back victories (Duke and Stanford) to end the season. As the season went on, Clausen started to show improvement, so things seemed to be turning around a bit.
The 2008 season was lackluster, but a definite improvement at 7-6. There was only one blowout loss (USC by 35 on the road). The remaining five losses were by a total of 42 points, which is respectable. Only two of those losses came at home, by a combined 4 points. Notre Dame managed a Hawaii Bowl berth and beat Hawaii 49-21. Hopes were high that Notre Dame could build off this and improve the following year.
In the 2009 season, Notre Dame started off 6-2, with close losses to Michigan (by 4 on the road) and USC (by 7 at home). At this point, the Fighting Irish were ranked 19, with four games remaining. Those four games were home against Navy, on the road against Pitt (ranked 8), UConn at home, and on the road against Stanford. Any right minded fan would think, based on the season at this point, that Notre Dame would go 3-1 in this stretch.
The Fighting Irish lost all four. I think the worst part was that they were all close games. They lost all 4 by a total of 17 points. The Stanford game pretty much ended the Charlie Weis era by giving up 18 points in the 4th quarter. It was so bad, that Notre Dame announced that they wouldn’t attend a bowl game that year, even though they were eligible.
The Brian Kelly Era: The Dayne Crist/Tommy Rees Years (2010-present):
After Charlie Weis was shown the door, Notre Dame hired Brian Kelly after his sterling year at Cincinnati. He immediately needed a quarterback since Jimmy Clausen decided he had enough and was going to the NFL Draft. Dayne Crist and his sketchy knee got the nod to run Kelly’s spread offense.
While the 2009 team was great to watch as a football fan (due to the close nature of nearly every game), the 2010 team needed to be watched just because you had no clue what the heck was going to happen from week to week. The 2010 season was a roller coaster ride.
Notre Dame started out 1-3, with the loss to Michigan coming on Michigan’s final drive and the loss to Michigan State coming in overtime on a fake field goal. The Irish then win 3 straight, making everyone think they turned it around. They then lose to Navy and Tulsa, with Crist blowing out his knew in the Tulsa loss.
Freshman Tommy Rees comes in beats number 15 Utah at home, beats Army at Yankee Stadium, and goes to Coliseum and beats USC. Just to end on a high note, he leads the Irish to a beat-down of Miami. They finish with a respectable 8-5 season. You could almost feel the anticipation by Irish fans for the start of the season.
In the off-season, the quarterback battle ended when Crist got the starting nod for the first game against South Florida. With a pre-season ranking of #16 and a pretty favorable schedule, some fans thought this might be the start of a return to a BCS Bowl. In the immortal words of Lee Corso, “not so fast my friend”.
Notre Dame got off to a slow start and underestimated the scrappy South Florida team. The ineffective Dayne Crist was replaced by Tommy Rees. Rees did better by comparison, but there were plays in the red zone that left you wondering if Crist would have gotten it done. With the three point loss at home, Notre Dame tumbled out of the top 25. They now have to man-up for a trip to Ann Arbor and Michigan.
The End Result:
Notre Dame has been awash with talented players and coaches since 2005. Minus the 2007 season, there really isn’t an excuse for the 43-33 record over that time period. The offense hasn’t really been the issue over that time, except for the times when Clausen looked like a deer in the headlights. They had two offense minded coaches who were quiet skilled at moving the ball.
The one explanation I have always heard has been the bad defense. I agree with that, to a point. Yes, Notre Dame had issues stopping teams. They also gave up points at inopportune times and couldn’t seem to stop good offensive teams. I fully agree that the defense bares a bulk of the responsibility.
However, the offense was never lighting the world on fire. The offense was riddled with bad play calling, bad execution, and dumb plays more times than I could count. I have trouble watching a Notre Dame game from start to finish because it just becomes grating to watch a receiver run a 5 yard out when they need 8 yards.
So, I have to feel bad for Notre Dame fans because the teams have the talent, they just can’t seem to make the final leap and capitalize on it. I guess I can sympathize because it’s kind of like being a New England Patriots fan right now. You know they have all the parts, you get excited before the season because of all the good things you’ve heard, but in the back of your mind, you’re wondering how they’re going to blow it.
Look on the bright side, maybe this was a one-time deal before the two headed monster of Rees and Crist lead the Irish to new heights. Of course, if you think that can actually happen, maybe you should buy some lottery tickets too.
It has to be heartbreaking for fans to see another highly touted Notre Dame team fail to meet early expectations. However, this has been the storyline for a while now in South Bend. While this probably occurred prior to the 2005 season, I’m using that as a jumping off point. The reason is the fact that Tyrone Willingham should never inspire confidence in anyone.
The Charlie Weis Era: The Brady Quinn Years (2005-2006):
While I may have no respect for Tyrone Willingham as a coach or recruiter, he did leave Charlie Weis with a pretty good team in 2005. Willingham was sort of like Ron Zook, but instead of doing his homework and recruiting high quality players, he sort of lucked into guys like Quinn.
While 2006 may have been the more hyped year, 2005 was the best year. The 2005 squad wasn’t expected to do much, with a new coach, new system, and coming off a 6-6 season. However, Quinn seemed to flourish under Weis’ pro-style offense while leading Notre Dame to a 9-3 record.
The 2005 team beat three ranked teams on the road (Pittsburgh, Michigan, and Purdue) and lost their two regular season games by a total of 6 points (Michigan State and USC). The Michigan State game was lost in overtime, but Quinn had rallied the team from a 21 point deficit to get it to overtime. As for the USC game, you can’t mention that to a Notre Dame fan without incoherent ramblings about the “Bush Push” (one of the greatest games ever played).
At the start of the 2006 season, hopes were high and Notre Dame was ranked number 3. Hopes were dashed when Michigan trounced Notre Dame at home by 26 points in the third game of the season. Then, in the final game of the season, Notre Dame got run over by USC by 20 points. They still received a Sugar Bowl berth, only to get blown out by LSU by 27 points.
The Charlie Weis Era: The Jimmy Clausen Years (2007-2009):
At the end of the 2006 season, the Fighting Irish lost a number of players to graduation and the NFL Draft, including Brady Quinn. This left room for freshman Jimmy Clausen to take the reins. Freshman starting quarterbacks usually don’t mean good things. I think you can tell where the 2007 season is heading.
Here is a quick recap of the 2007 season. Notre Dame went 3-9, starting out 0-5 before their first victory (UCLA on the road), then losing four in a row before back to back victories (Duke and Stanford) to end the season. As the season went on, Clausen started to show improvement, so things seemed to be turning around a bit.
The 2008 season was lackluster, but a definite improvement at 7-6. There was only one blowout loss (USC by 35 on the road). The remaining five losses were by a total of 42 points, which is respectable. Only two of those losses came at home, by a combined 4 points. Notre Dame managed a Hawaii Bowl berth and beat Hawaii 49-21. Hopes were high that Notre Dame could build off this and improve the following year.
In the 2009 season, Notre Dame started off 6-2, with close losses to Michigan (by 4 on the road) and USC (by 7 at home). At this point, the Fighting Irish were ranked 19, with four games remaining. Those four games were home against Navy, on the road against Pitt (ranked 8), UConn at home, and on the road against Stanford. Any right minded fan would think, based on the season at this point, that Notre Dame would go 3-1 in this stretch.
The Fighting Irish lost all four. I think the worst part was that they were all close games. They lost all 4 by a total of 17 points. The Stanford game pretty much ended the Charlie Weis era by giving up 18 points in the 4th quarter. It was so bad, that Notre Dame announced that they wouldn’t attend a bowl game that year, even though they were eligible.
The Brian Kelly Era: The Dayne Crist/Tommy Rees Years (2010-present):
After Charlie Weis was shown the door, Notre Dame hired Brian Kelly after his sterling year at Cincinnati. He immediately needed a quarterback since Jimmy Clausen decided he had enough and was going to the NFL Draft. Dayne Crist and his sketchy knee got the nod to run Kelly’s spread offense.
While the 2009 team was great to watch as a football fan (due to the close nature of nearly every game), the 2010 team needed to be watched just because you had no clue what the heck was going to happen from week to week. The 2010 season was a roller coaster ride.
Notre Dame started out 1-3, with the loss to Michigan coming on Michigan’s final drive and the loss to Michigan State coming in overtime on a fake field goal. The Irish then win 3 straight, making everyone think they turned it around. They then lose to Navy and Tulsa, with Crist blowing out his knew in the Tulsa loss.
Freshman Tommy Rees comes in beats number 15 Utah at home, beats Army at Yankee Stadium, and goes to Coliseum and beats USC. Just to end on a high note, he leads the Irish to a beat-down of Miami. They finish with a respectable 8-5 season. You could almost feel the anticipation by Irish fans for the start of the season.
In the off-season, the quarterback battle ended when Crist got the starting nod for the first game against South Florida. With a pre-season ranking of #16 and a pretty favorable schedule, some fans thought this might be the start of a return to a BCS Bowl. In the immortal words of Lee Corso, “not so fast my friend”.
Notre Dame got off to a slow start and underestimated the scrappy South Florida team. The ineffective Dayne Crist was replaced by Tommy Rees. Rees did better by comparison, but there were plays in the red zone that left you wondering if Crist would have gotten it done. With the three point loss at home, Notre Dame tumbled out of the top 25. They now have to man-up for a trip to Ann Arbor and Michigan.
The End Result:
Notre Dame has been awash with talented players and coaches since 2005. Minus the 2007 season, there really isn’t an excuse for the 43-33 record over that time period. The offense hasn’t really been the issue over that time, except for the times when Clausen looked like a deer in the headlights. They had two offense minded coaches who were quiet skilled at moving the ball.
The one explanation I have always heard has been the bad defense. I agree with that, to a point. Yes, Notre Dame had issues stopping teams. They also gave up points at inopportune times and couldn’t seem to stop good offensive teams. I fully agree that the defense bares a bulk of the responsibility.
However, the offense was never lighting the world on fire. The offense was riddled with bad play calling, bad execution, and dumb plays more times than I could count. I have trouble watching a Notre Dame game from start to finish because it just becomes grating to watch a receiver run a 5 yard out when they need 8 yards.
So, I have to feel bad for Notre Dame fans because the teams have the talent, they just can’t seem to make the final leap and capitalize on it. I guess I can sympathize because it’s kind of like being a New England Patriots fan right now. You know they have all the parts, you get excited before the season because of all the good things you’ve heard, but in the back of your mind, you’re wondering how they’re going to blow it.
Look on the bright side, maybe this was a one-time deal before the two headed monster of Rees and Crist lead the Irish to new heights. Of course, if you think that can actually happen, maybe you should buy some lottery tickets too.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Trent's Touchdown: Six Week 1 College Football Games to Watch
College Football is finally here! While my wife may be giving the sarcastic “that’s great” response, I couldn’t be happier. After enduring the most disheartening off-season in memory, we can finally start seeing games. Not only that, but there are a lot of quality games early, but more on that later. For now, let’s get to the Touchdown:
1) No. 3 Oregon vs. No. 4 LSU – 8:00 PM on ABC (in Arlington, TX)
Oh boy, a battle between two top 5 teams to open the season. I’m getting giddy just thinking about it. We are going to answer some big questions in regards to both of these teams.
Last year, when breaking down a LSU game, I said that deciding between Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson was like trying to decide whether to drink spoiled milk or eat rotted meat. Well, a bar room brawl made Les Miles’ decision that much easier and Lee gets the start (LSU fans may cringe now).
LSU is going to try and limit the mistakes that Lee will make. This means, offensively, they will run the ball and use short, high percentage passes to move the ball. They will slow down the game and grind it out. The easiest way to stop the Oregon offense is to keep them off the field.
Oregon, on the other hand, is all about the run and gun. You’ll see Darron Thomas throwing all over the field and use LaMichael James to soften up the LSU defense. This Oregon team needs to prove that they can move the ball against tough SEC defenses, especially after last season’s National Championship Game.
Last year Oregon proved they could hang with the big boys of the SEC, just not beat them. As long as they don’t get too full of themselves, they should be able to turn the tables, starting Saturday night. Look for Oregon to roll and look for Lee to throw 3 interceptions.
2) No. 5 Boise State vs. No. 19 Georgia – 8:00 PM on ESPN (in Atlanta, GA)
Just last week, I had written how Boise State still had some magic left in the tank, but the more I think about it, the more I’m beginning to wonder.
Let’s be straight, Kellen Moore is still one of the best quarterbacks in the country. His career numbers are absolutely gaudy and he could crack the 50 win mark if everything breaks right for BSU this season. However, Moore’s numbers usually come against bad teams.
BSU has a tendency to give up too many points to moderately good teams and have thirties in points. They faced four good teams last year, beating Virginia Tech and Utah on neutral fields, beating Oregon State at home, and losing on the road to Nevada. They scored a total of 127 points, while giving up 91 points. While that seems like a good spread, the remaining totals are 459 points scored versus 75 points surrendered. Yeah, not so pretty now.
Georgia is a rebound team. After going a dismal 6-7 last season, they are back with moderate expectations. Aaron Murray has a serviceable season last year and fans are expecting big things this year. If he gets time, he can tear up this BSU team and make people sit up and notice them.
This will be a close game. BSU will get out on top first, but Georgia will battle back. I think Georgia pulls it out late.
3) South Florida at No. 16 Notre Dame – 3:30 PM on NBC
The Dayne Crist era begins again! The only one more excited that Crist about this is probably his surgeon. The kid has already had two knee surgeries, let’s see if he can stay upright for a full season.
With Crist back at the helm (after competent stewardship by Tommy Rees), Brian Kelly is more confident to take the reins off and let his offense go. As Crist has a year of the spread offense under his belt, he will be more confident and have more plays at his disposal this year than he did starting the season last year. Look to see Crist air out the ball and really challenge the USF defense.
However, the eight returning starters for the Irish will have their hands full with B.J. Daniels. While his numbers last year weren’t mind blowing, he kept them close in all their games with his ability to run and throw. The Achilles heel of the Irish the last handful of years has been the defense. If they can contain and control Daniels, that will give them a good confidence boost to start the season.
Unlike last year, Crist and the Irish will not find a way to blow the game in the final two minutes. Look for them to come out primed and ready and beat up on South Florida.
4) Tulsa at No. 1 Oklahoma – 8:00 PM on FX
The next couple of games will be fun to watch only if you are interested to see how teams respond to adversity. I’m going to start with the number 1 team in the land.
Normally, I don’t like Oklahoma. Nothing has changed, but for once I’m not going to complain about them being number 1. They’ll find some way to screw it up, they usually do. While Oklahoma has a lot of talent returning on both sides (as well as Heisman candidate Landry Jones), they have to deal with injury to Travis Lewis and the death of Austin Box.
Tulsa, on the other hand, is missing their big playmaker in Damaris Johnson, although he’ll be out due to stupidity. He is being investigated on a felony embezzlement charge. Tulsa was already going to have enough issues trying to break Oklahoma’s 36 game winning streak without being dealt this blow.
This game will give us all some insight in how well Oklahoma can cope with the death of Box. Strong emotions have been shown to both help and hurt teams. It will also give us a window in the type of team that will be playing Florida State in two weeks. Oklahoma rolls in this game.
5) No. 14 TCU at Baylor – 8:00 PM on ESPN (on 9/2)
It seemed like Andy Dalton has been in college for the past 10 years. Now, we get to see how TCU is going to replace the 4 year starter and all-around leader of the team.
TCU will be turning to Casey Pachall to take over for Dalton under center. Not only that, TCU also lost about half its starters from last year, so their final season in the Mountain West should be fun. Pachall will have help on the offensive side, with a veteran crew of receivers and running backs to make his life a little easier.
Baylor will be sporting the dangerous Robert Griffin III, who will start turning heads if you can lead Baylor to some wins in the Big 12. While Griffin has a quality crew of receivers, the big question is in the backfield and who will fill the shoes of Jay Finley. Expect Griffin to try and attack the TCU defense through the air and test out some of the new starters.
I think this will be a close game, but Pachall should be able to squeeze out a win on the road. As long as he stays calm and listens to his coach, he should be fine.
6) Akron at No. 18 Ohio State – 12:00 PM on ESPN
Dan Herron, DeVier Posey, Mike Adams, and Solomon Thomas are all suspended for the first five games of the season. Jordan Hall, Corey Brown, and Travis Howard are all suspended for this game. Terrelle Pryor left for the NFL and Jim Tressel resigned in disgrace. If all that wasn’t bad enough, Ohio State has Joe Bauserman as the starting quarterback. Things don’t look pretty in Columbus.
Extra Point:
I’ve always been one to complain about the marshmallow feel of early season games. However, in recent years, the trend has been toward tougher schedule strength. This season is a perfect example, when four of the top six teams play each other in the first three weeks of the season (Oregon/LSU in week 1 and Oklahoma/FSU in week 3).
I think teams are starting to realize that going undefeated isn’t enough these days. Two years ago, Cincinnati went undefeated yet got no higher than 4th in the rankings. The reason is that they rolled through a sub-par Big East Conference and their non-conference schedule was Southeast Missouri State, Oregon State, Fresno State, Miami (OH), and Illinois. That wasn’t exactly a Murderers Row. They showed their stripes when they got waxed by Florida in the Sugar Bowl by 27 points.
Boise State has been facing the same criticism over the last couple of years, though they have been making strides with non-conference games against Oregon (2009), Virginia Tech (2010), and Georgia (2011). Their problem is they are willing to face one big team, but that’s it. After Georgia this year, there other non-conference games are Toledo, Tulsa, Nevada, and Fresno State. No team is punching their ticket by playing two mid-level ranked teams and a bunch of unranked teams nobody knew played football.
On the other hand, you have a team like LSU, who is not only in the toughest division in the toughest conference in college football, but two of their four non-conference games are against ranked opponents (Oregon and West Virginia). Should LSU lose a close game early (say against Oregon), then run the table, I think the BCS will look lightly on that loss.
The point is that tougher schedules are slowly becoming the norm in college football. Going undefeated is no longer enough. I think this is probably the one valid argument against a playoff system in college football. With a playoff system, teams will be playing to be ranked in the top 8 (or however the system is set up), so they can easily schedule cupcake teams and coast into that ranking.
With the BCS, you have to be the top 2 to have your shot at the National Championship. Of course, if you give the fans a playoff, I don’t think they’ll care if the first two weeks is the equivalent of pre-season. I know I wouldn’t.
1) No. 3 Oregon vs. No. 4 LSU – 8:00 PM on ABC (in Arlington, TX)
Oh boy, a battle between two top 5 teams to open the season. I’m getting giddy just thinking about it. We are going to answer some big questions in regards to both of these teams.
Last year, when breaking down a LSU game, I said that deciding between Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson was like trying to decide whether to drink spoiled milk or eat rotted meat. Well, a bar room brawl made Les Miles’ decision that much easier and Lee gets the start (LSU fans may cringe now).
LSU is going to try and limit the mistakes that Lee will make. This means, offensively, they will run the ball and use short, high percentage passes to move the ball. They will slow down the game and grind it out. The easiest way to stop the Oregon offense is to keep them off the field.
Oregon, on the other hand, is all about the run and gun. You’ll see Darron Thomas throwing all over the field and use LaMichael James to soften up the LSU defense. This Oregon team needs to prove that they can move the ball against tough SEC defenses, especially after last season’s National Championship Game.
Last year Oregon proved they could hang with the big boys of the SEC, just not beat them. As long as they don’t get too full of themselves, they should be able to turn the tables, starting Saturday night. Look for Oregon to roll and look for Lee to throw 3 interceptions.
2) No. 5 Boise State vs. No. 19 Georgia – 8:00 PM on ESPN (in Atlanta, GA)
Just last week, I had written how Boise State still had some magic left in the tank, but the more I think about it, the more I’m beginning to wonder.
Let’s be straight, Kellen Moore is still one of the best quarterbacks in the country. His career numbers are absolutely gaudy and he could crack the 50 win mark if everything breaks right for BSU this season. However, Moore’s numbers usually come against bad teams.
BSU has a tendency to give up too many points to moderately good teams and have thirties in points. They faced four good teams last year, beating Virginia Tech and Utah on neutral fields, beating Oregon State at home, and losing on the road to Nevada. They scored a total of 127 points, while giving up 91 points. While that seems like a good spread, the remaining totals are 459 points scored versus 75 points surrendered. Yeah, not so pretty now.
Georgia is a rebound team. After going a dismal 6-7 last season, they are back with moderate expectations. Aaron Murray has a serviceable season last year and fans are expecting big things this year. If he gets time, he can tear up this BSU team and make people sit up and notice them.
This will be a close game. BSU will get out on top first, but Georgia will battle back. I think Georgia pulls it out late.
3) South Florida at No. 16 Notre Dame – 3:30 PM on NBC
The Dayne Crist era begins again! The only one more excited that Crist about this is probably his surgeon. The kid has already had two knee surgeries, let’s see if he can stay upright for a full season.
With Crist back at the helm (after competent stewardship by Tommy Rees), Brian Kelly is more confident to take the reins off and let his offense go. As Crist has a year of the spread offense under his belt, he will be more confident and have more plays at his disposal this year than he did starting the season last year. Look to see Crist air out the ball and really challenge the USF defense.
However, the eight returning starters for the Irish will have their hands full with B.J. Daniels. While his numbers last year weren’t mind blowing, he kept them close in all their games with his ability to run and throw. The Achilles heel of the Irish the last handful of years has been the defense. If they can contain and control Daniels, that will give them a good confidence boost to start the season.
Unlike last year, Crist and the Irish will not find a way to blow the game in the final two minutes. Look for them to come out primed and ready and beat up on South Florida.
4) Tulsa at No. 1 Oklahoma – 8:00 PM on FX
The next couple of games will be fun to watch only if you are interested to see how teams respond to adversity. I’m going to start with the number 1 team in the land.
Normally, I don’t like Oklahoma. Nothing has changed, but for once I’m not going to complain about them being number 1. They’ll find some way to screw it up, they usually do. While Oklahoma has a lot of talent returning on both sides (as well as Heisman candidate Landry Jones), they have to deal with injury to Travis Lewis and the death of Austin Box.
Tulsa, on the other hand, is missing their big playmaker in Damaris Johnson, although he’ll be out due to stupidity. He is being investigated on a felony embezzlement charge. Tulsa was already going to have enough issues trying to break Oklahoma’s 36 game winning streak without being dealt this blow.
This game will give us all some insight in how well Oklahoma can cope with the death of Box. Strong emotions have been shown to both help and hurt teams. It will also give us a window in the type of team that will be playing Florida State in two weeks. Oklahoma rolls in this game.
5) No. 14 TCU at Baylor – 8:00 PM on ESPN (on 9/2)
It seemed like Andy Dalton has been in college for the past 10 years. Now, we get to see how TCU is going to replace the 4 year starter and all-around leader of the team.
TCU will be turning to Casey Pachall to take over for Dalton under center. Not only that, TCU also lost about half its starters from last year, so their final season in the Mountain West should be fun. Pachall will have help on the offensive side, with a veteran crew of receivers and running backs to make his life a little easier.
Baylor will be sporting the dangerous Robert Griffin III, who will start turning heads if you can lead Baylor to some wins in the Big 12. While Griffin has a quality crew of receivers, the big question is in the backfield and who will fill the shoes of Jay Finley. Expect Griffin to try and attack the TCU defense through the air and test out some of the new starters.
I think this will be a close game, but Pachall should be able to squeeze out a win on the road. As long as he stays calm and listens to his coach, he should be fine.
6) Akron at No. 18 Ohio State – 12:00 PM on ESPN
Dan Herron, DeVier Posey, Mike Adams, and Solomon Thomas are all suspended for the first five games of the season. Jordan Hall, Corey Brown, and Travis Howard are all suspended for this game. Terrelle Pryor left for the NFL and Jim Tressel resigned in disgrace. If all that wasn’t bad enough, Ohio State has Joe Bauserman as the starting quarterback. Things don’t look pretty in Columbus.
Extra Point:
I’ve always been one to complain about the marshmallow feel of early season games. However, in recent years, the trend has been toward tougher schedule strength. This season is a perfect example, when four of the top six teams play each other in the first three weeks of the season (Oregon/LSU in week 1 and Oklahoma/FSU in week 3).
I think teams are starting to realize that going undefeated isn’t enough these days. Two years ago, Cincinnati went undefeated yet got no higher than 4th in the rankings. The reason is that they rolled through a sub-par Big East Conference and their non-conference schedule was Southeast Missouri State, Oregon State, Fresno State, Miami (OH), and Illinois. That wasn’t exactly a Murderers Row. They showed their stripes when they got waxed by Florida in the Sugar Bowl by 27 points.
Boise State has been facing the same criticism over the last couple of years, though they have been making strides with non-conference games against Oregon (2009), Virginia Tech (2010), and Georgia (2011). Their problem is they are willing to face one big team, but that’s it. After Georgia this year, there other non-conference games are Toledo, Tulsa, Nevada, and Fresno State. No team is punching their ticket by playing two mid-level ranked teams and a bunch of unranked teams nobody knew played football.
On the other hand, you have a team like LSU, who is not only in the toughest division in the toughest conference in college football, but two of their four non-conference games are against ranked opponents (Oregon and West Virginia). Should LSU lose a close game early (say against Oregon), then run the table, I think the BCS will look lightly on that loss.
The point is that tougher schedules are slowly becoming the norm in college football. Going undefeated is no longer enough. I think this is probably the one valid argument against a playoff system in college football. With a playoff system, teams will be playing to be ranked in the top 8 (or however the system is set up), so they can easily schedule cupcake teams and coast into that ranking.
With the BCS, you have to be the top 2 to have your shot at the National Championship. Of course, if you give the fans a playoff, I don’t think they’ll care if the first two weeks is the equivalent of pre-season. I know I wouldn’t.
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