The Spot

My Presential Platform, Yakov Smirnoff, and Other Thoughts

2012-02-10T07:21:00.001-08:00

Seeing all these ads and reading all these articles about running for President got me thinking about my Presidential Platform. Minus my “Liquidation of Idiots” Program and my invasion plans of Aruba, I needed something that would grab the people and rally them to my side. So, I came up with a new governmental department.

I would create a Department of Television, in which the government would subsidize certain shows if they were cancelled. As my Secretary of TV, Seamus would evaluate the current crop of cancelled shows and pick which ones would be saved. If chosen, the government would buy the ad time of the show from the network at an average cost of ad time for the highest rated shows at the time slot and genre, than sell that ad time to companies at a reduced cost (no political ads would be allowed). If the show becomes successful again, the government would reap the reward of higher ad revenue. Also, built in to all shows agreements with DVD, if the show was taken over by the government, the government would receive a portion of DVD and other medium revenues from the purchase.

Now, if this isn’t a winning idea, I don’t know what is. It also has the added benefit of possibly making the government money, instead of pissing it all away like they normally do. Of course, knowing politicians, they would probably find some way to screw it up. I mean, PBS is government subsidized and it’s pretty screwed up.

Speaking of PBS, you may remember a couple of years ago when I posted an open letter to BBC America lightly admonishing them for cancelling Ashes to Ashes after its first season even though the episodes from the second season were already produced and ready to go. Well, a while after that, BBC America threw up the second season, however refused to show the third and final season.

I had just about resigned myself to buying the complete series on DVD in region 2 when I noticed my local PBS station was running Ashes to Ashes. This is the same PBS station that is running seasons of MI-5 and Hustle never before shown in America. So, after re-watching the first two seasons, you could imagine my surprise when my onscreen TV guide started out “In the season 3 premiere…” Yeah, I went absolutely giddy. Seamus told me he hated me since he doesn’t have access to my PBS and my wife simply rolled her eyes and said “that’s nice dear”.

So, I watched the first episode last week and it’s just as good as I had hoped. Not only that, I guess 1983 was the year good music popped up because, while the first two season in 81 and 82 sucked music wise, 1983 rocked. We were given music by The Police and New Order (I still love “Blue Monday”). So, it seems like my local PBS has given the giant middle finger to BBC America. Considering PBS is showing multiple long running British show plus has the amazing Sherlock, it makes you wonder if BBC America has a purpose besides running Doctor Who, Top Gear, and anything with Gordon Ramsay.

Speaking of idiocy, I was recently in a graduate class and the professor asked the class if any of the companies we worked for had recently done anything to better help society or make a difference or some other hippie, tree hugging bullshit. So this girl raises her hand and regales us all with the tale about how her company did away with trash cans. No, she was being serious.

I guess in order to promote recycling; employees only have recycling bins at their desks in order to compel them to recycle stuff that can be recycled. If there is some actual trash that can’t be recycled, they need to walk to the kitchen and throw out the offending item. I cannot express how upset I would be if they tried to pull this bullshit at my work. I would use the recycling bin as my actual trash can. If that got people pissed, I would do the same exact thing, yet at the end of the day take it to the kitchen and dump the entire contents into the regular trash. This is absolutely ludicrous. I’m sorry if I’m to busying doing my job to make you feel better about yourself.

People who are all about being green piss me off. Listen, you think you’re saving the planet or whatever, fine, but don’t shove it down my throat. Even worse are the vegans. I mean, I get you love animals but man climbed to the top of the food chain for a reason. I don’t expect a shark or lion to give me the common courtesy of walking away if they’re hungry.

The worst part about vegans is the fact that they don’t eat dairy. Do those jackholes realize that if you don’t milk a cow it will suffer a great amount of pain before it dies? Think about the consequences of your actions.

Speaking of consequences of your actions, I finally went to see a doctor for a routine checkup and since it had been forever since I last saw a doctor, she decided to run tests which meant drawing blood. I hate needles. Anyway, I make my way over to the lab and wait my turn. I get called in and the nurse has me sit down. She starts talking to me in this thick Russian accent and she looks old enough to remember the Soviet era pretty well.

She asks me how my day is and I start complaining about having to get up early due to fire alarm testing in my building that morning. She starts going off on how that isn’t early and she has to get up earlier every morning. The worst part about it was I tuned her out but all I kept thinking was how she sounded like Yakov Smirnoff. I kept expecting her to say “In Soviet Russia, television watches you!”

The worst part was that I started to smile, but had to try and cover it up. The last thing you want is a woman with a needle thinking you’re not taking her seriously. Things don’t go well in those situations.

Trent's Touchdown: Six Week 10 College Football Games to Watch

2011-11-04T13:15:00.000-07:00

Week 10 is here and yet again I'm swamped with work and school. Therefore, you get what you got last week, a list and some pithy comments.

We all know the college football "Super Bowl" is this weekend, but I would keep an eye on the Texas A&M/Oklahoma game. A few weeks ago, it would have been a gimme to Oklahoma, but they have proven they can lose at home against a team with a good offense.

Kansas State could have a nasty surprise for Oklahoma State, thereby taking us one step closer to Boise State in the National Championship Game. Excuse me while I throw up at that thought.

I also think we finally see the wheels come flying off South Carolina. No Marcus Lattimore means they are relying completely on their defense. That won't work against Arkansas. Anyway, see you all next week, here's the Touchdown:

1) No. 1 LSU at No. 2 Alabama – 8:00 PM on CBS

2) No. 14 Kansas State at No. 3 Oklahoma State – 8:00 PM on ABC

3) No. 9 South Carolina at No. 7 Arkansas – 7:15 PM on ESPN

4) Texas A&M at No. 6 Oklahoma – 3:30 PM on ABC

5) Texas Tech at No. 21 Texas – 12:00 PM on FX

6) Purdue at No. 20 Wisconsin – 3:30 PM on ABC

Extra Point:

Blocked by a surprising aggressive special teams play.

Trent's Touchdown: Six Week 9 College Football Games to Watch

2011-10-28T14:12:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, I had an extremely busy week so I can only give the good games and not my normal rundown. I will say I was happy with the loss by Oklahoma last week as it helps out Clemson in their improbable run to the National Championship Game.

Keep an eye on the Clemson game, as they always have issues with Georgia Tech. I also think Michigan State keeps the pressure up. They aren't the same team that lost to Notre Dame earlier in the season.

Oh yeah, a big, fat middle finger to Bleacher Report. They keep screwing with my articles and never fix any of the errors they make. I would lace the rest of this with profanity, but I'm better than that. Oh wait, no I'm not. PISS OFF ASS CLOWNS! Anyway, on to the pseudo-Touchdown:

1) No. 9 Oklahoma at No. 8 Kansas State – 3:30 PM on ESPN

2) No. 11 Michigan State at No. 14 Nebraska – 12:00 on ESPN

3) No. 5 Clemson at Georgia Tech – 8:00 PM on ABC

4) No. 6 Stanford at USC – 8:00 PM on ABC

5) No. 15 Wisconsin at Ohio State – 8:00 PM on ESPN

6) No. 22 Georgia vs. Florida – 3:30 PM on CBS

Extra Point:

Lesson to all NFL and college quarterbacks. When you have only one play left, don't throw it out of bounds or to the underneath receiver and hope for another Music City Miracle. Throw it deep to the endzone and hope for the best. It worked for Michigan State.

Trent's Touchdown: Six Week 8 College Football Games to Watch

2011-10-21T13:11:00.000-07:00

Here we are at Week 8 of the college football season. Of course, that means that the first BCS standings came out last weekend, but we can get into that later. We have a large slate of conference matchups to look into to, so on to the Touchdown:

1) No. 6 Wisconsin at No. 16 Michigan State – 8:00 PM on ESPN

For all you Wisconsin fans out there, this game is the first time you can actually see if your team is any good. There is no better way to be tested than on the road, in conference, against a particularly nasty defense.

Wisconsin has been absolutely rolling this year, but you need to take their success with a grain of salt. They have played all but one game at home (neutral field against Northern Illinois) and the only quality opponent was an over-hyped Nebraska team that nearly lost at home to Ohio State.

The Badgers do have all the pieces needed that make a Championship team, but we just don’t know if they are actually that good. I’m a huge fan of Russell Wilson, but his numbers were never anywhere near this good when he was at North Carolina State.

Of course, part of his success has to be all the offensive weapons he has at his disposal. Nick Toon is one of the better receivers in the Big Ten and Montee Ball is the best running back in the conference. That will help out any quarterback, even Dayne Crist.

The Spartans, on the other hand, have had a few challenges this year, losing on the road to Notre Dame, but beating Ohio State in Columbus and defeating Michigan at home last week. What was most impressive was the fact that they made Denard Robinson look bad before knocking him out of the game.

The problem all year for Michigan State has been their offense. Kirk Cousins has been steady, but his success last year was due in part to the running game. The running game had been pretty bad for the Spartans before Edwin Baker blew up for 167 yards against Michigan. When the running game is clicking, Cousins can get comfortable and make the throws he needs.

Part of me wants to pick Wisconsin because of MSU’s offensive struggles and the Badgers stifling defense. However, that defense has not faced any real opponents. Michigan State narrowly edges out Wisconsin at home, probably in the last minute.

2) No. 25 Washington at No. 8 Stanford – 8:00 PM on ABC

Wait a minute; Stanford is actually playing a meaningful game before the November 12th showdown against Oregon? The post-Jake Locker Huskies are surprising a lot of people.

This game is actually hard to judge because Stanford hasn’t faced any competition and Washington has only faced Nebraska on the road (and got beaten). You can say that Stanford has an amazing run defense, but I don’t see guys like Juwan Thompson of Duke or Keola Antolin from Arizona lighting the world on fire.

The Stanford run defense will have its hands full with Chris Polk, one of the best running backs in the Pac-12. He is averaging just over 120 yards a game and helps keep the pressure off of Keith Price. Price has been flying under the radar, but he can easily get into a rhythm and will pick apart a defense if given time.

Everyone knows about Andrew Luck, so it seems like a waste to go over all he has going for him. The one thing that needs to be of concern to the Huskie defense is that he doesn’t turn the ball over (6 to 1 touchdown to interception ratio). If Washington wants to win, they need turnovers. Look for the Cardinals to let Stepfan Taylor run the ball so Washington can’t just play the pass.

I actually think it’ll be closer than the point spread thinks it’ll be. Washington can hang around and frustrate Stanford for most of the game, but I think Luck is just too much to handle. Stanford wins, but people will start to take Washington seriously.

3) No. 20 Auburn at No. 1 LSU – 3:30 on CBS

This game just got a heck of a lot more interesting after three players for LSU got suspended for allegedly testing positive for synthetic pot. Off the subject, but what exactly is synthetic pot and how does it differ from the real thing?

So, LSU is now without superstar Tyrann Mathieu, leading rusher Spencer Ware, and reverse defensive back Tharold Simon. This might be a huge issue if this game was against Alabama, but this is Auburn we are talking about.

I’m not trying to diss Auburn, but quarterback Clint Moseley is getting his first collegiate start against LSU. Ask Jacoby Brissett of Florida and Matt Simms of Tennessee how the experience worked out for them. Of course, those changes were due to injury, not ineptitude of the previous starting quarterback.

Moseley does have one saving grace in running back Michael Dyer. Dyer is one of the better running backs in the SEC and did reasonably well against LSU last year. However, last year the key playmaker was Cam Newton.

Offensively, LSU is going to do what it always does, which is slowly and steadily move the ball. The whole LSU philosophy is to slowly break down the other teams will to compete. Expect Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson to grind it out, play a field position game, and not make any stupid mistakes.

I’m actually surprised that the point spread of 21 is not higher. Auburn is going to make dumb mistakes and they are going to turn the ball over. LSU will capitalize on these mistakes. I don’t think LSU will blow them out, but I don’t think it’ll be as close at the score will suggest.

4) No. 4 Oklahoma State at Missouri – 12:00 PM on FX

I promise that this is going to be the last time that I try and sing the praises of Missouri. But when you’re talking about a tough road game for a highly ranked team, I have to write about it.

Oklahoma State has shown no signs of slowing down all year. Even when Brandon Weeden looked human last week against Texas, the team still scored a bunch of points and gained a bunch of yards. With the passing game faltering, the running game and special teams were able to step up to score points.

We also can’t overlook the Cowboys defense. They aren’t great, but they were able to control the Texas offense enough to give Oklahoma State the victory. You don’t always have to be the best, just good enough.

Missouri has multiple ways to test a defense, but they thrive at running the ball, behind running back Henry Posey and quarterback James Franklin. Franklin is also pretty good throwing the ball too, even if he has been throwing to the other team recently (3 of his 4 interceptions have been in the last two games.

Oklahoma State is going to need Weeden to get back to form in order to win at Missouri. That said, I think he does get back on track. However, Missouri has been able to keep their three losses this season close, including a ten point loss to Oklahoma in Norman. Expect another close one, but the Cowboys pull it out in the end.

5) North Carolina at No. 7 Clemson – 12:00 PM on ESPN

After a close call on the road against Maryland, Clemson gets to go home and face a tough North Carolina team. The last thing UNC needed was for wide receiver Dwight Jones to open his yap and motivate the Tigers.

For those of you who don’t know, when Jones was asked about who the best receiver in the ACC was, he said himself. He then went on to explain that Clemson star receiver Sammy Watkins is just a speedster while Jones has more technique and experience. Way to get off on the right foot.

While I like Watkins, I think we should hold off on the C.J. Spiller comparisons until at least his sophomore year. If he’s still taking kick-off returns the distance and pretty much carrying his team to victory, then we start tossing Spiller’s name around.

Everyone has been talking about the explosive offense of Clemson lead by Tajh Boyd, but Byrn Renner is probably the best quarterback in the ACC. His completion percentage and passer rating are the highest in the conference and he hasn’t thrown an interception in October. It also helps he has one of the better wide receivers in the ACC (the previously mentioned Jones) to throw to.

Renner’s big problem is that he doesn’t get enough time to throw the ball. The offensive line is suspect on pass protection and could be the issue for the Tar Heels’. If Clemson is able to shut down running back Giovanni Bernard, it could be a long game from Renner.

As far as Clemson is concerned, they need to work on the defensive issues from last week’s debacle in Maryland. They should be okay since Renner isn’t a running quarterback like C.J. Brown last week. The Tigers should be fine offensively with Boyd, Watkins, Andre Ellington and Dwayne Allen at their skill positions.

Clemson will be challenged by North Carolina, but I fully expect the Tigers to beat them, so long as they don’t look ahead to the showdown with Georgia Tech next week.

6) USC at Notre Dame – 7:30 on NBC

Remember the 2005 USC/Notre Dame matchup that featured Matt Leinhart and Brady Quinn? It ended up being one of the best college football games I’ve ever seen.

This year, we get Matt Barkley and Tommy Rees battling it out to see who can throw this game away. While the smart money is on Rees, never underestimate Matt Barkley’s ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Extra Point:

The first BCS standings of the year have come out and you know what that means. We get tons of articles debating and dissecting the standings. I really don’t have too much of an issue with it for right now. Yes, I think Clemson is a little undervalued and Wisconsin and Boise State are a little overrated, but it’s still early.

Right now, I think we can all agree that whichever two teams of the top four go undefeated deserve to play in the National Championship. While I may be a huge Clemson fan, I accept that an undefeated LSU and an undefeated Oklahoma State deserve to play in the National Championship over an undefeated Clemson.

The same goes for Boise State, Wisconsin, and Stanford. While they may not play in the toughest conferences, their out of conferences schedules are laughable. I’m not going to give Wisconsin, with out of conference foes UNLV and South Dakota, a place over LSU, with out of conference games against Oregon and West Virginia.

However, the rankings actually mean very little right now. We know that at least two of the top 4 will have one loss. We also know that college football is a whacky sport and anything and everything is possible. I could see any team in the top ten emerge to play in the National Championship Game and I wouldn’t be surprised.

It’ll get really fun if there are a bunch of one loss teams at the end of the season and see how that plays out. Even though we all like to complain, most of the time the BCS gets the top two teams correct. As much as I would love a playoff, we would then get into arguments about the teams on outside looking in. Of course, it’s not college football without controversy.

Trent's Touchdown: Six Week 7 College Football Games to Watch

2011-10-14T11:35:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Week 7. Now that I’ve finally gotten used to all the realignment talk and NCAA violations scuttlebutt I hear every day, I know have to be on the look-out for injury updates on players like LaMichael James and Tajh Boyd.

Not only that, but I was shocked by the announcement that Stephen Garcia got booted from South Carolina. Okay, not so much shocked as bewildered. We can talk about Garcia and his issues later. Now, on to the Touchdown:

1) No. 11 Michigan at No. 23 Michigan State – 12:00 PM on ESPN

I remember last year’s match-up between Michigan State and Michigan fondly. Everyone was hyping Denard Robinson, then the Spartans smacked him down and everyone realized that he wasn’t that great. The same sort of thing is happening this year.

No doubt about the fact that Robinson is a dynamic player. I like to think of him as a horribly inaccurate version of Clemson’s Tajh Boyd. Thankfully, Michigan doesn’t count on Robinson to have to throw the ball very often. He has only thrown the ball more than 20 times twice this season and has three interceptions in both games. Not good numbers.

However, running the ball, Robinson is one of the best. He is in the top 10 in the FBS in rushing yards per game. He is allusive and speedy. The key to beating Michigan is containing Robinson and making him throw the ball. That is easier said than done.

Michigan State was able to contain Robinson last year and ended up winning. The Spartans defense is just as tough this year as they were last year. It also helps that they are very good at stopping the run. They should get Robinson to turn the ball over; it is just capitalizing on those mistakes that will be the issue.

The Spartans offense hasn’t been that great this year. After a monster year last year, Kirk Cousins hasn’t been that great. He’s been bitten by the interception bug in the last few games, including two in the nail-biter against Ohio State two weeks ago.

The running game for Michigan State has also been woeful. Le’Veon Bell and Edwin Baker are both better running backs than their numbers suggest. To put it in perspective, Denard Robinson has nearly two hundred more rushing yards on twelve less carries than Bell and Baker combined.

Michigan State is going to want to grind this one out while Michigan is going to want to run all over the field. I think the Michigan State defense is too good to let Robinson control this game. It’ll be close as always, but the Spartans pull it out at home.

2) No. 18 Arizona State at No. 9 Oregon – 10:15 PM on ESPN

Arizona State looks like they have found a way to stop LaMichael James. They let Cal injure his elbow. While there is still doubt on whether James will play, there is no doubt Oregon is still the favorite in this one.

After the loss to LSU to start the season, we haven’t been hearing too much about the Ducks. They have just been going along and steady dismantling teams. With their big playmaker sidelined, look for Kenjon Baker and De’Anthony Thomas to get the ball more. Also, Darron Thomas is going to have to keep doing what he always does, lead the offense and move the ball.

Arizona State has a good offense that relies on the arm of Brock Osweiler. While is touchdown to interception ratio is nearly 2 for 1, he may not have to worry about that. Oregon has been having troubles creating turnovers. He does throw his interceptions in bunches, with all six coming in only three of ASU’s games.

There are only two real ways to beat Oregon. The first is to play a physical, defensive game. This was the type seen by Auburn and LSU. The second is to let it dissolve into a shoot-out and hope for the defense to step up once. The shoot-out strategy hasn’t been successful in the past, but could work this year with the weakened Oregon defense.

Arizona State does not have the ability to play either one of those styles. I like ASU, I think they will be in the Pac 12 Championship Game, but they don’t have the ability this year to hang with either Oregon or Stanford.

The only saving grace for the Sun Devils is that fact that James is probably out. That said, Oregon still have a lot of playmakers on offense. Couple that with the fact that the game is in Oregon and this game is starting to look bad for ASU. I don’t think ASU will get blown away, since Oregon will still be getting used to no LaMichael James. I think the Ducks win by two touchdowns.

3) No. 20 Baylor at No. 21 Texas A&M – 12:00 PM on FX

How do you come back from back-to-back second half gag-jobs against ranked opponents? Barely hold off a third straight second half gag-job on the road, that’s how. Aggie fans had to be a little leery during last weeks Texas Tech/Texas A&M game.

If you like lots and lots of offense and don’t want to be bogged down with pesky things like defense, then this is the game for you.

Baylor has one of the best quarterbacks in the nation in Robert Griffin III. His completion percentage is over 80 percent, he has 19 passing touchdowns compared to 1 interception, and he is a very good running quarterback.

Texas A&M, on the other hand, is led by the underrated Ryan Tannehill, who has had some issues keeping the ball out of opponent’s hands. Tannehill also has the ability to take off and gain yards with his feet. While his team did choke away two leads, he did take both Oklahoma State and Arkansas to the brink.

The problem with this game is the defense. Texas A&M has a woeful defense, probably the worst in the country. They give up too many yards at the worst possible times. They nearly folded completely against Texas Tech last week. When you are facing a quarterback like Griffin and you want to win, you need to be perfect.

This game will dissolve into a shoot-out quickly. You can expect both teams to move up and down the field with relative ease. However, I have to think that Baylor can make more plays down the stretch to pull this out.

4) No. 6 Oklahoma State at No. 22 Texas – 3:30 PM on ABC

Wait, the Texas Longhorns have to face a high octane offensive team from the state of Oklahoma? Didn’t this happen last week?

Anyone who saw the drubbing of Texas last weeks knows the team needs a little help. A good old fashion shoot-out might be just want the doctor ordered. The Longhorns have a good offense, but they are young and are going to make dumb mistakes against quality defenses, as we saw in the Red River Shootout.

The Achilles Heel of Oklahoma State is the defense. It gets overlooked because the Cowboys pour on the points against opponents. The defense gives up, on average, close to 28 points a game. Against a team like Oklahoma, with offensive and defensive balance, this is going to be a huge issue.

Texas, along with a young offensive, has a young and inexperienced defense. A veteran quarterback like Brandon Weeden should be able to pick apart the defense; much like Landry Jones did last week. What Texas needs to do is try and stop the aerial assault, either through tight coverage or a pass rush.

You are going to see a lot of points scored in this game. Texas is going to need a lot of help from its defense if it expects to stay in this game. I think the Cowboys win by at least two touchdowns.

5) No. 19 Virginia Tech at Wake Forest – 6:30 PM on ESPN3

Normally, I don’t like to write about or even think about Virginia Tech football. The main reason is they just play an ugly style of football. It’s effective, just not fun to watch. However, I’m here to pump the tires of the flavor of the week: Wake Forest.

Before we start anointing the Demon Deacons the next ACC Champion, let’s first remember that they lost to Syracuse and their victories have not been against quality opponents. Before Seminoles fans start screaming at me, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, FSU is a paper tiger.

Now, it’s not all bad for Wake Forest. They have one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the country in Tanner Price. Price doesn’t turn the ball over and can sling it all over the field. He could use a bit more help from his running game, but Josh Harris has been improving every week.

As for Virginia Tech, before we start saying that Logan Thomas has arrived, remember his career day last week was against Miami. He is still the same quarterback who looked absolutely pathetic against a still improving Clemson defense and on the road against East Carolina.

Thomas is going to have to be the man in this game for the Hokies to win, considering the Demon Deacons are one of the better teams against the run. David Wilson will still get a lot of carries and a fair number of yards, but Virginia Tech cannot count on him to win the game for them.

For Thomas to truly silence the critics, he is going to have to have a good game against Wake Forest. He will pale in comparison to Price, but he cannot simply give up like he did against Clemson. Wake Forest is going to just attack that Hokie defense, continuing to pass all game long hoping something will stick.

Virginia Tech has yet to have a quality road test this year. This will be a close one, but I think Wake Forest can squeeze out a victory at home.

6) Ohio State at No. 16 Illinois – 3:30 PM on ABC

Talk about two teams on different paths. Illinois is undefeated and looking to make serious waves in the Big Ten. Ohio State can’t get out of its own way. The Illini are bowl eligible while the Buckeyes are going to struggle to break .500. Not a fun time to be an Ohio State fan, but finally a reason to cheer as an Illinois fan.

Extra Point:

Last week I wrote about the feel good story of Russell Wilson. Today, I’ll tell you the tale of Stephen Garcia and wasted talent.

It’s not very often that a top 25 team and odds on favorite to win their division boots their starting senior quarterback off the team, but that is exactly what South Carolina did this week. According to sources, Garcia tested positive for marijuana and alcohol. While Garcia is over the age limit for alcohol, he stated he would not to drink as part of an agreement he made with the school following his fifth suspension.

Yes, you read that correct, fifth suspension. He has violated numerous “team rules”, with an incident involving girls in his hotel room after curfew before a bowl game and an incident involving a life skills and leadership seminar. Those were just the recent problems, he had run-ins with the police during his freshman year for public drunkenness, keying a professor’s car, and pulling a fire alarm.

The main problem with Garcia was that it just seemed like he didn’t give a crap about anything. He was given numerous opportunities to succeed and didn’t follow through. Plus, his play was always very erratic. You never knew if you were going to get the guy who beat defending champion Alabama in 2010 or the guy who completed less than 40 percent of his passes and had two interceptions against Auburn in 2011.

It was a running gag for me to mention week after week how bad Garcia was, even calling for his benching before the Auburn game. However, I figured he would be with the team all season. I just figured he was pulling a Jevan Snead, where he just fell to pieces in his final season. Turns out he just couldn’t leave his troubled past behind.

So, Gamecock fans now get to root for Connor Shaw, who so far has been able to stay out of trouble. As for Garcia, he gets to wonder where it all went wrong while trying out for teams in the Arena Football League and the United Football League. After all, he’s going to need beer money.

Trent's Touchdown: Six Week 6 College Football Games to Watch

2011-10-07T10:25:00.000-07:00

It’s Week 6 of the college football season. Another week, another round of conference realignment talk. Also, another round of suspensions at Ohio State, but we can talk more about that later. Now, on to the touchdown:

1) No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 12 Texas – 12:00 PM on ABC (at Dallas, TX)

Can we have a moment of silence for Garrett Gilbert’s career at the University of Texas? I guess it’s pretty sad when your high point is a four interception performance in the National Championship Game. May he have better luck at SMU or wherever he ends up.

Enough about that, it’s the Red River Shootout! Oklahoma is the overwhelming favorite, but the game will be tougher than it looks. While the rotating quarterback situation is normally a distraction, the two headed monster of Case McCoy and David Ash seem to work well for Texas.

The team has really started to click since the benching of Gilbert during the BYU game. You can expect Texas to attack the Oklahoma defense with a balanced run and pass attack. Defensively, the Longhorns are going to have to slow down the pass attack of Oklahoma and try and create turnovers.

The turnovers should be an issue. While everyone wants to slobber over Landry Jones’ ability to throw, people seem to turn a blind eye to his 2 to 1 touchdown to interception ratio. My suggestion would be to go off-script and use Dominique Whaley to soften up the Texas defense, than use Jones to pick apart a defense looking run first.

While I think that Texas is overrated at this point, I think they can pull this off. The simple fact of the matter is that Texas has really seemed to have rallied around McCoy and Ash. Texas is also on a whirlwind tour of beating up on teams they lost to last year. Plus, if college football has taught me anything, it is to never bet against a McCoy.

2) No. 15 Auburn at No. 10 Arkansas – 7:00 PM on ESPN

The fight for third place in the SEC West heats up! Normally, I wouldn’t put a third place game this high up, but when four teams in one division are in the top 15, you make special exceptions.

While I’m sure all the Auburn fans are celebrating after their team beat South Carolina last week, they shouldn’t break their arms patting the Auburn defense on the back. The Gamecock offense is centered solely on the running of Marcus Lattimore. The Arkansas offense is centered on the arm of Tyler Wilson.

Auburn has a horrible pass defense. Last game they were effective at stopping the pass, but that was against Stephen Garcia, who finally got benched for Connor Shaw. Look at the numbers that Tajh Boyd put up in the loss to Clemson. Tyler Wilson is expected to put up comparable numbers to Boyd.

You have to give Arkansas a lot of credit. They got beat up by Alabama two weeks ago and go down 35-17 at halftime to Texas A&M before storming back to beat the Aggies by 4. While the Arkansas defense has been serviceable, the offense is what really drives the team.

In order for Auburn to win, they are going to need to score early and often and never let up. They are going to need their defense to come up big and make key stops. That is do-able, if this was last year’s Auburn team. It’s not happening this year. Arkansas is going to try to light up Auburn and will, for the most part, succeed.

3) No. 17 Florida at No. 1 LSU – 3:30 PM on CBS

Les Miles recently said that he wants to get Jordan Jefferson more involved in the LSU offense. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing. While Jarrett Lee is not exactly Heisman material, he is an effective game manager for this LSU team. By game manager, I mean that he won’t win you any games and he’ll make mistakes, but not enough to have you lose to inferior teams.

This game was a heck of a lot more interesting before John Brantley went down with a leg injury during Florida’s big loss to Alabama last week. Now, the Florida offense is being lead by a freshman quarterback who trouble getting the snap last week. Basically, the Florida offense is going to be about running early and often.

I don’t completely discount the Gator’s ability to move the ball. Charlie Weis has shown the ability to dumb down his offense for a quarterback who is being called on to replace an injured starter (Tom Brady in 2001). However, Weis wasn’t game planning against the LSU defense.

LSU has one of the best defenses in the country. Their specialty is stopping the run. LSU is going to ride this defense for as long as they can. They will win or lose games based on just how well the defense does. The Tigers defense will try and shut down the Gators and give Jarrett Lee (or Jordan Jefferson) good field position when leading the offense.

Add in the fact that this game is being played at LSU and things do not shape up nicely for the Gators. While I don’t think LSU will do all that much offensively, their defense will handle Florida and win the game for the Tigers.

4) Missouri at No. 20 Kansas State – 3:30 PM on ABC

It kind of says something about your team if you’re ranked and playing an unranked opponent at home and the unranked opponent is actually favored to win. Seriously though, the only reason Kansas State is ranked is because they had to be ranked, after beating an overvalued Baylor team.

I wrote a few weeks ago about how Missouri was one of the best two loss teams in the country. Offensively, they have a very potent running attack no matter who is carrying the ball. Not to take anything away from Henry Josey, but if it wasn’t for injuries he wouldn’t be getting the carries he’s getting. James Franklin is one of the more underrated dual-threat quarterbacks in the country, who can light it up on the ground and through the air.

Kansas State is going to try and lean on its defense, like it did against Baylor and Miami. They gave up a lot of yards to those two teams before making big stops late. The Wildcats are going to need luck on their side to stop Missouri.

Kansas State cannot afford to try and match Missouri offensively. I like Collin Klein as much as the next guy, but his passing numbers are nowhere near as good as they have to be. His main skill is running with the ball but he’ll need to throw to win this game.

Missouri has a lot of things going for them at this point. A win against Kansas State will keep them going in the right direction. I think the Tigers get by Kansas State by at least a touchdown.

5) No. 12 Michigan at Northwestern – 7:00 PM on Big Ten Network

I’m still not sure how Michigan is ranked so high. The only challenge they had was Notre Dame and if it wasn’t for poor defense and Tommy Rees, Michigan would have lost that game. Outside of Kansas State, is Michigan the most underwhelming top 25 team?

I never understood the allure of Denard Robinson. I want a Wolverines fan to rationally explain it to me. He is just a horrible passer. He has one skill set, which is running the ball. Don’t get me wrong, he is an exceptional runner, but that’s his whole game. It’s almost like Michigan runs the Wildcat offense on every snap.

As for Northwestern, Dan Persa is finally back from injury and ready to light the Big Ten on fire. There is a question about his ability to run the ball after his Achilles’ injury from last year, but he can still throw the ball. The main problem for Northwestern is the fact that their back-up quarterback is their leading rusher. They need Persa to be able to run the ball so their offense can click.

A lot of people will talk about the highly ranked Michigan defense. Again, I’m not exactly sure why. Their opponents this year have been Western Michigan, Notre Dame, Eastern Michigan, San Diego State, and Minnesota. That’s not exactly a murderer’s row. Plus, all these games have been at home, a distinct advantage.

In this year’s Big Ten, Michigan is a good team. That just doesn’t translate to actually being a good team against the rest of the country. Northwestern finally got their leader and quarterback back last week and lost on defensive lapses during the final two minutes. I think Northwestern pulls off the upset at home.

6) Ohio State at No. 7 Nebraska – 8:00 PM on ABC

This was supposed to be the game in which Ohio State got back Dan Herron and DeVier Posey. Looks like the NCAA had different ideas. It’s going to be a long month of October for the Buckeyes. Is it wrong that I’m smiling about that?

Extra Point:

I may have had a little fun with Ohio State, but what the heck is going on in Columbus? DeVier Posey and Dan Herron, who just finished a five game suspension for “Tattoo-Gate”, are getting at least one more game tacked on for receiving too much money for too little work for summer jobs.

But fear not, Athletic Director Gene Smith said that there wasn’t a “systemic” problem with Ohio State. He then proceeded to throw everyone but himself and the University under the bus. Is there anyone besides Smith who believes there isn’t a “systemic” problem at Ohio State?

According to Smith, this was about individual failures. Which I might have believed if it had happened to one or two players. However, this has been multiple players with multiple violations that lead to one of the better coaches in college football to have to resign in disgrace. This is an Ohio State failure.

Listen, the issue here is the sense of entitlement these kids feel. Ohio is a severely depressing place, so of course if there are players who make the population as a whole feel just a little bit better about their situation, those players are going to be looked upon as better than everyone else and given special treatment.

Ohio State has done nothing to try and dissuade them of this belief. This was evident after the tattoo incident came to light before the Sugar Bowl last year. Instead of suspending the players involved, the University allowed Tressel to let them play and serve their suspension for the first five games of the following year.

This was a joke, considering Ohio State’s only competition would have been Michigan State during that five game stretch. Basically the school was sending the message that you’ll get suspended if you do something bad, but not for any relevant games.

The University needed to come down hard on these players since they broke the rules, instead of giving them a slap on the wrists. Ohio State felt it was better to win the Sugar Bowl than to enforce the rules. In a cruel bit of karmic payback, Ohio State ended up vacating that Sugar Bowl victory, along with all the other games in the 2010 season. There is no one to blame but themselves.

Trent's Touchdown: Six Week 5 College Football Games to Watch

2011-09-30T12:24:00.000-07:00

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.

The Three Best Two Loss Teams in College Football

2011-09-27T11:44:00.000-07:00

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.

Trent's Touchdown: Six Week 4 College Football Games to Watch

2011-09-23T13:07:00.000-07:00

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.

College Football Realignment: 2011 Edition

2011-09-20T08:41:00.000-07:00

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.

Trent's Touchdown: Six Week 3 College Football Games to Watch

2011-09-16T08:09:00.000-07:00

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.

Clemson Tigers Football: Three Games in Hell

2011-09-14T11:43:00.000-07:00

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.

Trent's Touchdown: Six Week 2 College Football Games to Watch

2011-09-09T19:53:00.000-07:00

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.

The Craziness of Notre Dame Football: 2005-2011

2011-09-07T10:44:00.000-07:00

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.

Trent's Touchdown: Six Week 1 College Football Games to Watch

2011-09-02T07:36:00.000-07:00

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.

The Great Debate: Should College Football Athletes Be Paid?

2011-08-30T13:15:00.000-07:00

Ever since the unpleasantness in Miami exploded, the big debate in college football has been “should athletes get paid”. Most analysts use the term “stipend”, but it is essentially paying kids to play football. There are even coaches like Steve Spurrier coming out and offering to pay athletes out of his salary. So, is this a good idea? I’ll take a look at both sides of the debate.

Argument for Paying College Football Athletes:

With the recent issues at Ohio State and Miami coming to light, it seems like now is the best time to visit the issue of paying football athletes at stipend to cover expenses. A large number of these athletes come from inner city areas where money is tight and times are tough. By providing players with some money, it lowers the chance that the player or their extended family will take money from other outside sources (agents, boosters, etc).

Since athletes would be less apt to take money, it lowers the cost to the NCAA to investigate these issues. The NCAA could then turn around and use that money to pay off commentators to stop saying the word “playoff”. But seriously, fewer investigations would lead to less off-field distractions for team. It would also mean fewer abrupt firings of ADs and coaches, as well as fewer suspensions for athletes.

While most detractors would hide behind the “they get an education” defense, top tier players almost always leave college early before finishing their degree. The main reason is money. They want to be able to start providing for their family and are tired of living like a pauper even though they are stars. By paying a stipend, athletes may be more willing to stay an extra year to complete their education and have a marketable skill that doesn’t include throwing a ball.

The NCAA and colleges make billions from college football. It seems only fair that the athletes get a small piece of the pie. Players should be able to go out with friends or companions without having to worry about being able to pay for the experience. A player should be able to go to McDonald’s if they want to grab a quick bite to eat. It is easy for resentment to grow if the college is making money on an athlete’s hard work while the athlete in question can’t even buy a Big Mac.

Argument against Paying College Football Athletes:

With the recent issues at Ohio State and Miami, now, more than ever, it is important for the NCAA to stick to their guns and reinforce the rules that college athletes are not to be paid for their services. Life is about rules and regulations and the sooner kids in their late teens learn this, the better.

The argument that by giving athletes some money will deter them from taking more money is flimsy. If a town has a problem with murder, the town doesn’t say “well, murder is still illegal, but you can beat the crap out of someone and be fine.” No, you draw the line in the sand. If it gets crossed, you call down the thunder; you don’t redraw the line further back.

I would postulate that NCAA investigations would be tougher, more expensive, and more time consuming if athletes were paid than if not. Right now, a college athlete walking down the street with gold chains jumping into his new car is going peak some interest and lead to tough questions. If athletes start getting paid, then instead of stammering, they can say that they saved up their stipend money to buy the chains and car. Then it becomes a game of follow the money.

While not trying to hide behind the “they get an education” defense, education is not cheap. The average undergraduate tuition and fees for Ohio State University for 2011-2012 is $19,926 for Ohio residents and $34,974 for out of state residents (with the disclaimer that students should expect a 5 to 10 percent increase yearly). So, that means that for 4 year, and out of state student would pay around $150,739 (figuring a 5 percent annual increase).

That means that an 18 year old athlete would be given $150,000 worth of services for in exchange for his services on the football field. Seems like a fair deal when you consider he has a four year audition for the NFL while classmates graduating are faced with a tough job market and the specter of college loan payments.

I think the biggest argument against paying college athletes is the logistical nightmare it creates for the NCAA and the furor it will create from the schools. In order to be fair, all colleges have to pay all players the same amount of money. Meaning the redshirt freshman punter gets the same as the star quarterback. Not only that, but the third string running back at Baylor has to be paid the same as the starting wide receiver at USC. You need to sit each and every college down and figure out a price that works for all of them; otherwise it just becomes a lower level professional league with teams trying to outbid each other.

Now, if by some miracle, every college agreed upon a price to pay each college football athlete, and this was instituted, then a whole other fight would begin. College basketball, baseball, and hockey players would be demand equal treatment. It would then trickle down to sports like lacrosse, swimming, and any other sport you can think of. Plus, let’s not forget the inevitable Title IX lawsuit that would come with women’s sports demanding equal treatment as well. It would be an absolute disaster.

Conclusion:

Both sides have valid arguments. Personally, I feel that the NCAA will stand pat and come down hard on all offenders. They have a monopoly on amateur football and they know it. They are going to make rules that benefit the most number of people. Cutting checks to every student athlete does not benefit the most number of people. So, while this was a fun debate, it’s all moot since the NCAA isn’t going to reward offenders.

Seven Things You Need to Know for the 2011 College Football Season

2011-08-25T13:36:00.000-07:00

The college football season is nearly upon us and I, for one, couldn’t be happier. Since I was a Boy Scout in my younger days, I believe in the credo “Be Prepared”. As such, I have prepared a list of the top seven things you need to know for the upcoming season. Let the fun begin.

1) Rules are NOT meant to be broken

I don’t think I have ever seen an off-season like this one. It seems like every program is being investigated or sanctioned in one way or another. You have teams vacating wins, vacating championships, firing coaches, firing ADs, facing post-season bans, facing scholarship loses, and even one team (Miami) facing the “death penalty”.

As much as I hate to give ESPN credit for anything, that 30 for 30 on SMU showed the stark realities of what the “death penalty” means to a college football program. That said, the NCAA needs to take a hard line here. They need to show that rule breaking of any kind will not be tolerated and will be dealt with extreme prejudice.

The time to talk about stipends or payments for players can be dealt with later. The culture of corruption needs to be dealt with now.

2) Andrew Luck and then everyone else

I was listening to a radio interview with Todd McShay the other day. I don’t think there is any talent assessor that I respect more than McShay (Mel Kiper Jr. and Mel Kiper Jr’s hair are a close 2 and 3). He spent a good chuck of the interview extolling the virtues of Andrew Luck.

Anyone who watched college football last year knows the kid is the real deal. He’s durable, has a strong, accurate arm, and is a good leader. The Heisman Trophy is his to lose. There is no one else in college football right now who is at his talent level.

I do question how the loss of his coach and the increased pressure will effect his game. Did Harbaugh build a system for his quarterback or is Luck really that talented? Will the season long pressure of being “the man” weigh on him? Time will tell, but I think he’ll be just fine.

3) The Top 5: parity or pathetic

Let’s take a look at the Top 5 in the Preseason USA Today Coaches Poll. In order, Oklahoma, Alabama, Oregon, LSU, and Florida State. I thought it was a joke at first. Then, after I thought about it, it sort of made sense. The reason I thought it was a joke is because there is no clear cut dominant team here.

Any water carrier for any of those five teams knows that they have flaws. I don’t trust the quarterbacks of any of those teams. The only team that is moderately balanced is Oklahoma. Alabama and LSU will rely on defense, Oregon will rely on offense, and FSU will rely on luck.

I think this is more of a statement that there is parity in college football now. I don’t think there will be two teams that make it though the season undefeated. It is going to come down to who is the best one loss team. And of course, that leads to my favorite subject: bashing the BCS.

4) Conference realignment rocks

I’ll be the first to admit I was a little skittish about conference realignment. Keeping track of all the moves and potential moves is dizzying at times. All you need to know is that the Pac 10 is now the Pac 12, the Big 10 has twelve teams, and the Big 12 has ten teams.

We finally get Pac 12 and Big 10 Championship Games. Finally we will get a definitive champion for two of the tougher conferences in college football. I was getting tired of having to watch Oklahoma or Texas beat up on whatever cream puff the Big 12 North put into the Big 12 Championship Game.

Next year, TCU will be moving to the Big East, which will give them a springboard to an automatic BCS Bowl without having to go undefeated. Though, on a talent level, it almost seems like a step down.

Also, the SEC seems to be looking to poach Big 12 and ACC teams to make some sort of super-conference. I love the suspense and intrigue. Also, makes for fun speculation.

5) Era of BCS busters TCU and Boise State not quite over

Now, I’m not saying that Boise State or TCU will run the table and end up in a BCS Bowl. Truth be told I don’t think either team will do it this year. However, both are still dangerous and need to be taken seriously. TCU has the easier schedule, but have to go to Boise State late in the year. Plus, TCU will be breaking in a new quarterback to replace Andy Dalton.

Boise State, on the other hand, goes on the road and opens up against an unrated Georgia team. That game and the aforementioned showdown with TCU will not be easy. Boise State is the better team with a lot of returning starters (including Kellen Moore), but TCU will still be dangerous. Don’t sleep on either of these teams.

6) We don’t have Christian Ponder to kick around anymore.

One of the things I’ve enjoyed over the last couple of seasons was everyone trying to sell me on Christian Ponder. You knew the season was close when you got the obligatory “This is his year!” article. Yet, every time I watched him play, I came away thinking everyone was crazy. He had all the skills, he just wasn’t that good.

So, now that Ponder is gone, the “experts” need a new quarterback to tout as being great but is actually just mediocre. This leads me back to the McShay interview I mentioned earlier. After playing cheerleader for Luck, he was asked who else was good, beside Luck. He named Matt Barkley and Landry Jones.

After I picked myself up off the floor from laughing so hard, I realized he was serious. I know for a fact both of these quarterbacks will be pushed on us as type tier quarterbacks. While Barkley has made improves from his freshman year, he still lacks the ability to lead his team. As for Jones, he throws bad interceptions at bad times and pads his stats against lousy teams.

Of course, there is also the possibility we will get a few weeks of hype on E.J. Manuel and Denard Robinson. Both are poor man versions of Tyrod Taylor (and that’s not a compliment).

Now to the most controversial portion, which are my top 5 quarterbacks (after Andrew Luck). In only the order I remember them in: Dayne Crist (Notre Dame), Kellen Moore (Boise State), Nick Foles (Arizona), Kirk Cousins (Michigan State), and Zack Collaros (Cincinnati). I’d take these five over Jones or Barkley any day.

7) Remember one thing: anything is possible

If college football has taught me anything, it’s that you need to expect the unexpected because anything can happen. My advice is to just sit back and enjoy. It’s going to be a great season.

The Killing Season Finale Failure

2011-06-21T12:36:00.000-07:00

Now, I hate Bill Simmons. I have for years. Hell, in 2008, I wrote an article in which I called him a “self-aggrandizing ass clown”. I still stand by those words; however, he occasionally makes good points. His article on the season finale of The Killing is a perfect example. It pretty much took the wind out of my sails on the literary smack-down I was going to lay on the episode. I will try and keep my points brief now.

The finale was a kick in the nuts (or for you ladies, a punch in the baby maker). I made a lot of excuses for this show over the past few episodes. I should have been put on payroll as a show apologist (you know, like all those people who still fawn all over Glee). When it started, I loved the three interwoven stories. They all compelled me, made me not upset when they moved from one story to the next. Then, it started to drag, where the only storyline I wanted to see was the police storyline, but only if I didn’t have to deal with Linden’s family issues.

I think I gave up during the episode “Missing”. It was hard to justify the episode at all. It was 45 minutes of Linden and Holder trying to track down her idiot kid. Um, don’t you have a murder to solve? The show finally dissolved to the point where I was only watching for the identity of the killer and any scene with Holder. That guy cracked me up. Plus, he was the only character I actually cared about. I got sucked into his storyline and nearly cheering for him when Linden pretty much anointed him a good detective. Then, the skullduggery started.

I actually liked the second to last episode, with Linden in Richmond’s home office, seeing her email continually pop up, and then Richmond shows up at the door. Classic stuff that made me want to watch the finale right then and there. However, I knew at that point that he didn’t do it. It was too easy. While watching the finale and seeing the noose tighten around Richmond, I kept thinking to myself that this is a very anti-climatic finale. With ten minutes left, I figured one of two things was going to happen. Either Richmond was the killer and the story would be lame or we wouldn’t know who the killer was and enrage the fan base. At this point, the lame ending would have been better.

I hated the fact that Holder’s betrayal came out of left field. I mean, with most major plot twists, you can look back and be like “how did I miss that?!” With this, you were thinking “huh?” After Holder’s confession of being a former addict and every sketchy thing being explained, there was no indication he wasn’t straight. Let me say that again, there was NO INDICATION HE WASN’T STRAIGHT! So, the only thing I know now is that Linden and Richmond didn’t kill Rosie. After that, it’s a crap shoot. Hell, thanks to the closing scene, we don’t even know if Richmond will survive; consider the writers had Belko rip off Jack Ruby. It’s like the writers were stuck with how to end it and were watching the History Channel, and then an idea struck.

Oh yeah, one more thing. Shame on the writers for having Mitch leave her husband and kids. That makes absolutely no sense. Did they even accurately explain why she did it? Or at least give us a reasonable explanation? I know the thought is that she needs to fulfill her dreams and that everyone gets on without her, but are you serious! Her sister is playing mom for a few weeks until she gets past the crippling depression. Sis is a stopgap, not a replacement. You think the family might need their mother? Of course, Mitch is the whole reason her husband is in jail, but that’s beside the point.

You know, that sad thing about all this was that Seamus and I were talking about the possibilities of a second season. I didn’t think it would work because it would capture the characters that helped make this season good. You couldn’t have an election as a backdrop. You couldn’t rely on the budding friendship/partnership of Holder and Linden. You couldn’t rely on Michelle Forbes being Michelle Forbes. They would need to reinvent the wheel. Well, now they don’t have to.

Instead, they are going to beat a dead horse and drag out this storyline for another season. I would have been apprehensive about reinventing the wheel, but would have come in with an open mind. Now, I’m going to be going into season 2 already pissed off and that’s not what you want. Nothing good can come from this and there really isn't any way to salvage it.

Winners and Losers of the Stanley Cup Finals

2011-06-16T10:11:00.000-07:00

Oh man, the Bruins won the Stanley Cup last night. Like most of the city of Boston, I watched most of it (missed maybe the last 5 minutes of the 1st period due to class). Instead of writing about last night’s game and trying to flush out “Luongo choked” in a full article, I figured I would break down the winners and losers of the Stanley Cup finals. Canucks fans beware; I am a Bruins fan and a bit of a homer. You have been warned.

Winner: Tim Thomas

What can be said about Tim Thomas that hasn’t already been said? It’s like he threw on the Superman cape before every game. He single-handedly kept the Bruins in every game by making some inhuman saves. He had the Conn Smythe sown up by the end of game 5, whether the Bruins won the cup or not. Remember, this was a guy who was being questioned about his style by most after game 2 and by one mentally deficient goalie after game 5. This is a big middle finger to all who questioned him.

Loser: Roberto Luongo

You know it’s bad that even after winning a gold medal; your fan base is still scared that you’ll fold like a lawn chair. Oh, did he fold. Did you see the look in his eyes after the goals that got scored on him (and there were a lot of opportunities)? He looked lost. Plus, he questioned Thomas’ style after game 5. Seriously? You allow 14 goals in 5 games and have the stones to question a guy who has given up 6 goals in the same period?

Winner: Nathan Horton - the symbol

As a symbol, Nathan Horton will forever be associated with this Stanley Cup. He is the Dave Roberts of the Boston Bruins. He shows up in the locker room after game 4, travels to Vancouver on game 7, even dressed and skated with the team after they won the cup. He was a rallying point, not just for the team but the fans. What happened to him made it very easy to root against Vancouver.

Loser: Nathan Horton – the player

Now, as a player, you have to feel for Horton. He was the lynch pin of the team through the playoffs. He scored the game winners in the game 7’s against Montreal and Tampa Bay. If the Bruins needed a goal, you have a feeling it would be Horton that came through. Due to the injury, he won’t be remembered for that.

Winner: Mark Recchi

At 43, he gets to go out on top. Now, he was questioned about his ability to get it done throughout the playoffs, but seemed to intensify during the first two games of the Finals. However, the 3 goals and 4 assists in the Finals were key, even getting an assist in game 7. He was a leader in that clubhouse and definitely what they needed for these playoffs.

Losers: the Sedin twins

Has a set of Swedish twins ever disappointed more than the Sedin twins? All Bruins fans heard about prior to the series was how great the Sedin twins were. Where the hell were they? Chara and Seidenberg made them a non-factor. It wasn’t just that. They had no heart. They took punches, didn’t fight back, and didn’t get backed up by any of their teammates. It’s just plain sad.

Winners: Kevin Bieksa and Raffi Torres

They were the only Canucks who seemed to be trying out there and the only Canucks who I actually feared after it was a foregone conclusion that the Sedin twins and Kesler decided to turn invisible. Bieksa was always scrapping and looked like he would wreck you if you tried anything stupid. Torres seemed to want to try and jump start the offense every time he was on the ice. They both get thumbs up from me.

Losers: Alex Burrows, Maxim Lapierre, and Aaron Rome

Three guys who can never, EVER, walk the streets of Boston without armed guards. Absolute punks of the highest order. Burrows is an idiot for biting Bergeron. Lapierre is a tool for taunting about the bite. And Rome! Don’t even get me started on Rome. It’s bad enough he severely injured someone on a blatantly obvious illegal hit, but they he opens his pie hole and says that he didn’t deserve to be suspended and the hit was borderline illegal. Ugh, I’m fighting the urge to lay down expletives right now.

Winners: Duck Boat operators in Boston

A Championship in Boston means one thing! A rolling rally! Put the whole team on duck boats, roll them through the city with the Cup, and bask in the glory. Basically it’s an excuse for people to start drinking before noon. As if you need a reason!

Loser: Boston Mayor Tom Menino

The doughy, semi-literate mayor of the city of Boston put the kybosh on a Bruins viewing party at the Garden last night. I guess he thought we were all from Vancouver or something (more on that later). He also asked bars in the area to stop serving alcohol by the second quarter and black out the windows so people couldn’t see inside. What is this, communist Russia! Although it will be funny to hear him struggle with players names. Every time he speaks, he battles to the English language…and loses.

Losers: The City of Vancouver

So, I was watching the postgame last night and they showed a shot of Vancouver. A car was flipped over and on fire. I thought all Canadians were laid back and chill with funny accents and good beer. Little did I know about the sleeping beast that lies below. I’m kinda scared to go there in August now. I’m not letting anyone know I’m from Boston, I’ll tell you that much. Stay classy Vancouver, stay classy.

Smallville Through the Ages

2011-05-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

With the series finale of Smallville appearing tonight, I figured I would shake off my writer’s block and run down the good, the bad, and the ugly of 10 seasons of this show. This is dedicated to Seamus, who is positively giddy about tonight and I know I’ll receive at least 3 texts from him about it.

Best Episode – "Absolute Justice" (season 9, episode 11)

Written by the genius that is Geoff Johns, this two hour epic seems less like a TV show and more like a movie. Not only do we get the Justice Society, we get the Helm of Nabu, Checkmate, and actually storyline for Tess, and probably one of the best throw-downs in all of Smallville that happens in Watchtower. If that wasn’t enough, John Jones gets his powers back. It’s just an all around great episode that makes you see what Smallville could have been.

Worst Episode – "Stiletto" (season 8, episode 19)

This is the episode that nearly made me stop watching Smallville after 8 seasons. It was like a teenage boy’s best idea on how to get Erica Durance to dress in black leather. Anyway, the lame storyline was the fact that Lois fought off some muggers with her heel and felt that she should become a superhero. If that wasn’t bad enough, we still got Davis Bloom crying in a basement.

Most Campy Episode – "Spell" (season 4, episode 8)

There was a lot of camp in season 4, especially with the fact that Lana was being possessed by a 17th century French witch with a surprising grasp of the English language. It goes over the top with this episode. While Lana gets possessed, she helps two of her witch friends inhabit the bodies of Lois and Chloe. Hilarity ensures. I’m laughing just thinking about this.

Best Season – Season 4

This was a tough call, but there were so many good things that happened in this season. We had the previously mentioned witch possession of Lana (brought to its absolute apex with the fight between Clark and the witch Lana inside a Chinese temple), the beginnings of the Fortress of Solitude, Chloe finally learning Clark’s secret, Jensen Ackles, Lucy Lane, Alicia Baker, Lifehouse playing the Smallville Prom, and most importantly, the introduction of Lois Lane.

Worst Season – Season 8

This is the season that nearly killed Smallville. Let’s look at the bad. You had Jimmy’s marriage to Chloe, Doomsday, the most anti-climatic fight scene between Clark and Doomsday, Jimmy’s death (not because he’s dead, but because the real Jimmy Olsen was some 10 year old punk), the return of Lana, and any and every moment of Super Lana. The only bright spot was the episode “Legion”, again, written by the genius that is Geoff Johns.

Best Season Finale – "Covenant" (season 3)

Season 3 ended on such a high note. Kara from Krypton appears and tries to get Clark to accept is destiny. Clark also testifies against Lionel Luthor and he gets sent to jail and Lana finally answers all our prayers and leaves town (she comes back at the beginning of season 4 dammit). It all comes to a head in the end, as we see Lionel getting his head shaved in prison, while Lex is poisoned, Chloe and her dad go into a FBI safe house that explodes after they enter, and Clark gets pulled into the inter-dimensional gateway in the Kawatche Caves by Jor-El.

Worst Season Finale – "Arctic" (season 7)

The crapfest that was Season 7 finally ends with Lex going to the Arctic to find out about the mysterious Traveler and I don’t remember much after that since I drank bleach to try and forget it.

Best Villain – Lionel Luthor

Lionel always had something going on. Even when he was good, you still wondered when he would do something truly evil. The man was unstoppable. Just an evil guy that did the things that needed to be done. The best was he never really apologized for it. It was sort of an “I am who I am” sort of feel about him. And if he did apologize, he didn’t really mean it.

Worst Villain – Doomsday

One, he was defeated pretty easily. Two, his alter-ego was seen crying in a shower naked. Thanks to this, I can’t watch the American version of Being Human. You really don’t need to know anything more.

So, ten seasons have passed. There have been highs and lows. Overall, it was a fun series to watch but it has reached the point where it needs to go. It has provided countless hours of entertainment to me and the legion of geeks out there. So, I know I’ll miss it, but I’m glad that it’s going (if that makes sense, at least any more sense than anything else I’ve written).

Trent's Touchdown: Six Week 8 College Football Games to Watch

2010-10-22T10:03:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Week 8 of the college football season. Just so you know I didn’t go absent last week because I was ashamed of my glowing review of Alabama, right before they imploded. It was because it was Grad School Application Time. With one school behind me, I can focus on the Touchdown this week. A good thing too, since the BCS standings made their first appearance of the season. We’ll get to that later, but first, on to the Touchdown:

1) No. 6 LSU at No. 4 Auburn – 3:30 on CBS

How does the old saying go? “It’s better to be lucky than good.” Seriously, I think luck is the only way both of these teams are still undefeated. If it wasn’t for a freshman kicker from Clemson, Stephen Garcia’s inability to hold on to the ball, and Ryan Mallett’s injury, Auburn could very well be 4-3.

As for LSU, well, they really should have lost to UNC, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Florida. Luck is the only reasonable explanation for those wins. Let’s put it this way, I would never expect any team, be it college, high school, or Pop Warner to be 7-0 with Jordan Jefferson prominently involved in the offense.

Les Miles in either a freaking genius (I refuse to call him the Mad Hatter) or he sacrificed small woodland creatures to some dark overlord, because I do not understand how LSU is winning games. The two headed monster of Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee are the scariest QB duo ever…if you’re a LSU fan.

The LSU game plan will be pretty simple. Run the ball on offense, control the ball and slow the tempo, pray they don’t need their QB’s to win it, and contain the Auburn rushing attack. That’s easier said than done.

I’m so close to buying into Auburn, but then I remember that I’ve seen them play, and it’s not that pretty. Their offensive game plan seems to be “let Cam Newton win it.” The kid isn’t Tim Tebow, yet everyone wants to act like he is. Auburn’s problem was highlighted in the Arkansas game. If a team has a fun and gun, freewheeling offense, Auburn is in trouble. Mallett wouldn’t have made the same mistakes that Wilson did, and Auburn would have most likely lost the shoot-out.

LSU always finds a way to win, even against the odds and conventional wisdom. However, on the road against a hyped up Auburn team? That is too much for even Les Miles to overcome.

2) No. 13 Wisconsin at No. 15 Iowa – 3:30 on ABC

Every year, some conference I don’t particularly care for pops up and makes me love every game. This year, it’s the Big Ten. I was waiting for a team to dismantle Ohio State, but figured I’d have to wait until the Iowa game. Thankfully, along came the Badgers.

Wisconsin is a very intriguing team. They are very balanced offensively with a great offensive line. Wisconsin uses the run to open up the passing game, which they did to great effect against Ohio State. The defense will need to stay solid for Wisconsin to have a chance to win this.

Iowa has one of the best defenses in the country, even though they had a tough time stopping the run against Michigan last week. The problem is that even if Iowa stops the run, Wisconsin QB Scott Tolzien can beat you with his arm. As for offense, Iowa has the best QB in the Big Ten in Ricky Stanzi, but still run the ball at least half the time, keeping defenses honest.

The main advantage Iowa has here is they are playing at home. I think the game is close throughout, but Iowa comes away with a close victory.

3) No. 1 Oklahoma at No. 11 Missouri – 8:00 on ABC

I could use this whole article ripping apart the fact that Oklahoma is number 1, but why would I waste my time when the Oklahoma defense will put up a pitiful performance against some team and get waxed. I’m just not sure this is the game.

Oklahoma has had a tough time against nearly every time they faced. This makes you wonder what’s happening in Norman. We can’t really pin all of Oklahoma’s troubles on the defense. We can pin most of the problems on the defense. Being honest, the defense is going to be the thing that brings Oklahoma down, because the offense is not built to get into a shoot-out.

Having no defense is fine if you’re a team like Arkansas, that is all about throwing the ball around and if you have a strong-armed QB. The problem is the Oklahoma has always been a defensive minded football team that created turnovers and win the field position battle, making it easier for the offense to run up the score. They don’t have that anymore, so Oklahoma is a house of cards waiting to topple over.

Missouri is really a team that came out of nowhere, considering they really haven’t played anyone. They are hard to judge since you really can’t judge a team that plays McNeese State. Even with the paltry schedule, we do know they have a great defense. They get after the QB in a big way. Offensively, expect QB Blaine Garrett to air it out early and often.

The game rests on the shoulders of DeMarco Murray. If he can establish the run game for Oklahoma and do DeMarco Murray type things, then the Missouri defense is effectively neutralized. However, if Missouri stops him, then Landry Jones needs to be able to step up and make things happen. That is not Jones’ strong suit. The Missouri defense contains Murray and beats Oklahoma.

4) No. 16 Nebraska at No. 14 Oklahoma State – 3:30 on ABC

That sad thing about last week was that I had actually bought into Nebraska. I was very nearly on the bandwagon. That was before they put up that stink job against Texas and once again proved that college football is a wacky sport.

The problem Nebraska faces is the fact they have an amazing defense, but they need the offense to stay on the field and score. Taylor Martinez finally got a taste of a Big 12 defense, when he got cuffed around by Texas. When you can’t run and receivers start dropping passes, it’s easy to get frustrated. You have to wonder if Martinez will be affected from his last game or if he can leave it in the past.

Oklahoma State is on the other end of the spectrum. They’re offense is dynamic, with only Oregon ahead of them in most major offensive categories. They use their offense to cover for the fact that their defense is not really that good. Oklahoma State gives up way to many yards to sketchy teams but it gets overlooked because of guys like Brandon Weeden, Justin Blackmon, and Kendall Hunter.

Nebraska is built to beat a team like Oklahoma State. The Nebraska defense should be able to moderately contain the OSU offense while Martinez and the Nebraska offense should be able to take advantage of the porous OSU defense. Nebraska wins on the road.

5) Washington at No. 18 Arizona – 10:15 on ESPN

I guess if Nick Foles was going to get injured for Arizona, now would be the best time. The schedule right now isn’t too daunting, but you can’t sleep on Washington.

While Locker isn’t the second coming of Peyton Manning, he is still one of the better QB’s in the nation, even after the debacle early in the season against Nebraska. Washington lives and dies by Locker, so if they want to win, Locker is going to be the guy to get it done for them. One the other side of the ball, the Washington defense is suspect. They give up too many yards and too many points, yet they have beaten both Oregon State and USC this season.

Offensively, Arizona will have some issues moving the ball with Foles out. Expect Grigsby and Antolin to run the ball to take the pressure off of back-up QB Matt Scott. Arizona has a highly ranked defense, but they have yield points when faced with good teams. Arizona is going to need the defense to contain Locker if they hope to win.

Washington seems to know how to win close games this year. Expect a close one in the desert and expect Locker and Washington to pull the dramatic upset.

6) Georgia Tech at Clemson – 3:30 on ABC

For all you Clemson fans out there (and I’m one of them), aren’t you wondering how Clemson is going to blow this matchup against Georgia Tech? You know it’s going to be close and you know Clemson is going to find a way to lose it. So, botched field goal? Late interception by Parker? Fumble by Ellington? The possibilities are endless.

Extra Point:

Well, the first BCS ranking came out last Sunday. As aghast as I was that Oklahoma was number 1, Kirk Herbstreit calmly explained to me on Sunday night why this wasn’t the biggest travesty since Veronica Mars got cancelled. It’s still early and, as Ohio State and Alabama proved; we’re a long way from done.

However, looking at the rankings, I’m once again drawn to the same question I had earlier in the year. Does a one loss Alabama deserve to be ranked higher or lower than an undefeated TCU or Boise State? Let’s look at this all scientific like.

If you are going to argue in favor of Alabama, the conversation begins and ends with strength of schedule. The Alabama schedule is a freaking mine-field, with games against Penn State, Arkansas, Florida, South Carolina, LSU, Miss State, and Auburn. If Alabama makes it through that with one loss, that deserves something.

For TCU, they have Oregon State and Utah. No, seriously, that’s it. I’m not sure if that’s worse or better than the Boise State duo of Oregon State and Virginia Tech. You really can’t fault either team for being in conferences that aren’t that tough, but that doesn’t mean you can reward them either. Last year, Cincinnati, Boise State, and TCU all showed us that schedule strength counts.

Of course, this conversation means nothing if two of the group of Oklahoma, Oregon, Auburn, LSU, and Michigan State win out (with Missouri getting an outside shot). No way the BCS polls have TCU or Boise State ahead of any of those teams if they are undefeated. However, with the BCS, you learn to expect the unexpected.

Trent's Touchdown: Six Week 6 College Football Games to Watch

2010-10-08T11:44:00.000-07:00

We’re really at Week 6 already! I’m on edge right now. We are long overdue for something weird to happen. That’s what college football is all about, the weird and unexplained, sort of like the popularity of Jersey Shore. If Alabama lost, now that would qualify, but that isn’t happening any time soon. More on that later, but now, on to the Touchdown.

1) No. 1 Alabama at No. 19 South Carolina – 3:30 on CBS

You know, watching the Alabama/Florida game last weekend, I have to thank God CBS had the intellect to hire Tracy Wolfson as their sideline reporter. If not for her, we might not have the Richardson/Ingram nickname of “Fast and Furious”. Thanks for that contribution Tracy!

Anyway, I’ve asked the question before and I’ll ask it again, is there any defense that can stop the Alabama offense? To be generous, I’ll say Nebraska, and that’s it. Minus my shot at Wolfson, Richardson and Ingram are the most dynamic backfield duo since James Davis and C.J. Spiller.

After you get past the running game, you have to deal with Greg McElroy, who hasn’t lost a game as starting QB since junior high (or so CBS kept telling me, over and over and over again). He has been a tad shaky at times, but he has Ingram to fall back on if he gets in trouble. Just ask Arkansas.

South Carolina finally came back down to earth against Auburn. Not only that, Spurrier once again screwed with a QB’s head by pulling Stephen Garcia for the underwhelming Connor Shaw. Garcia is back for this game, but may be a bit shaken, given he can’t seem to hang on to the ball.

Garcia is going to need to have the game of his life to beat the tough Alabama defense and outscore the Alabama offense. Not going to happen, not by a long shot. As always, ROLL TIDE.

2) No. 17 Michigan State at No. 18 Michigan – 3:30 on ABC

I’m starting to get real tired of all this Denard Robinson talk. He hasn’t faced a quality defense all season long. You know, there is a quality QB for Michigan State that no one seems to be talking about.

I would love to make the blanket statement that Kirk Cousins is the best QB in the Big Ten, but that honor really goes to Ricky Stanzi (I refuse to even acknowledge Terrelle Pryor in this conversation). Cousins is one of those QB’s who makes smart plays, doesn’t really hurt you, and knows how to manage a game. Yeah, he throws too many interceptions, but it hasn’t come back to haunt him yet.

Along with Cousins arm, the MSU offense has a dynamic running attack, with both Bell and Baker racking up yards on the ground (both averaging just over 7 yards a carry). MSU is a well balanced offensive team with a solid defense that can cause teams fits.

In case you’ve been living under a rock, Michigan has some guy at QB who likes to run the ball. I’ll give Robinson credit, he’s good, but I want to see him pull off runs against Iowa and Ohio State before I crown him the next Vince Young. A win here would help sell me on the whole Shoelaces Robinson era.

This game will come down to defense. Michigan’s defense is poor. They give up way too many points and hope that Robinson will bail them out. That’s fine against the UConn’s and Bowling Green’s of the world, but not in Big 10 conference play. Michigan State pulls off the shocker in Ann Arbor.

3) No. 12 LSU at No. 14 Florida – 7:30 on ESPN

How is LSU still unbeaten? I’m not talking about the last second thriller against Tennessee last week. That was the right call. I mean, I’ve seen LSU play. They are not good. They are the worst Top 25 team in the country, and that includes Miami!

For everyone who thought that Florida would beat Alabama last week, hang your head in shame. If you hadn’t seen Florida play this year, I can see where you went wrong. Florida uses its pure athletic talent to beat teams. Brantley is getting more comfortable with the offense, but he has problems with good defenses. He’ll rely on the weapons around him to move the ball.

LSU has some issues at QB (and that’s putting it mildly). Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee will be splitting time at QB. That’s like trying to decide whether to drink spoiled milk or eat rancid meat. The results will be the same, so it’s all about the journey.

The Jefferson/Lee double-headed monster gets to go up again the best secondary in the SEC. Gee, I wonder how this is going to work out? LSU is going to have to rely on its defense to keep them in this game and hope to fluster Brantley enough to get him to turn the ball over. Florida wins big at home.

4) No. 23 Florida State at No. 13 Miami – 8:00 on ABC

Are you ready for a top of the line ACC rivalry game? While on the surface I might say I’m ready to catch up on Fringe on DVR, this game has potential. I’m not saying the ACC has potential, I’m saying that this match-up will prove close and interesting.

Let’s break this down for you. Neither team is really that good, but they are the class of the ACC. Both QB’s are sketchy, but I trust Christian Ponder more than Jacory Harris (that’s not saying much). FSU has a better running attack, but Miami does a pretty good job stopping the run.

The question you need to ask is, do you trust the FSU defense more than the Miami offense? Jacory Harris has the ability to make amazing plays one down, then completely idiotic plays the next. If you look at last week, Clemson wins that game if they had a competent receiver who Parker could throw to, because Harris kept letting Clemson hang around.

This game comes down to the last second and FSU comes away with the victory.

5) No. 11 Arkansas vs. Texas A&M – 3:30 on ABC (in Arlington, TX)

If you’re a fan of offense, this is your game. This is going to be like that Stanford/Oregon game, lots of points and very little defense.

Not to denigrate Arkansas, but the only reason you’re watching them if for Ryan Mallett. The kid has a cannon arm and isn’t afraid to throw the ball all over the field. They might run the ball to mix things up, but the scoring for Arkansas rests on Mallett’s shoulders.

Texas A&M has one of the best offenses in the country. They would be even better if Jerrod Johnson would learn not to complete so many passes to the other team. Seriously, he has 8 interceptions in the last 2 games. That’s not a stat you want to see from your starting QB.

Expect a few more interceptions from Johnson as Arkansas beats up Texas A&M. It might be close if Johnson only throws to his players.

6) San Jose State at No. 21 Nevada – 10:30 on ESPNU

The main talking point in Boise this week is that the WAC has another ranked team, so maybe the Boise State schedule isn’t as easy as everyone complains about. Well, think again. Nevada is riding the same wave as BSU. I think my old high school team could finish third in this conference.

Extra Point:

I think the main question everyone has right now is “can Alabama be beat?” The answer is yes. However, you have to let me combine teams to do it. Alabama has amazing players on both sides of the ball. They score when the need to and can stop just about any teams offensive schemes.

Alabama is coming to the end of, arguably, the toughest three game stretch in college football this year. The only game they have had a problem with was Arkansas, and the defense stepped up when needed and Ingram carried the offense. The Florida game last weekend was utter humiliation.

The remaining schedule isn’t sunshine and roses, with games at South Carolina, at Tennessee, at LSU, and home against Auburn. Can anyone honestly say that they think any of those teams can beat Alabama? Not only will Alabama win, but I don’t think any of those teams are coming within a touchdown.

So, who can beat them? As I said, let me combine teams and I think I have it. Give me the offensive team of Oregon and the defense of Nebraska and I think we have a winner. Neither of these teams can beat Alabama as is. Nebraska doesn’t have the offense and Oregon doesn’t have the defense. However, Oregon has the offensive firepower to run with any team in the country. Nebraska has the defensive might to give most any offense fits. Put them together and we have a great game.

Right now, if you had me pick my dream National Championship Game, it would be Oregon/Alabama. The only reason is that give me the best opportunity for a good game. If you look at the other top 5 teams, can you say the same thing? Ohio State is a paper tiger, ready to be ripped to shreds by half the teams in the SEC. Boise State and TCU, while good stories, wouldn’t stand much of a chance. No team is as well balanced on both sides of the ball as Alabama, but Oregon has the ability to score at anytime from anywhere and would at least bring out the best in the tide. Until something weird happens, it’s ROLL TIDE all year long.

Trent's Touchdown - Week 5

2010-10-01T10:38:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Week 5, where conference foes face off to determine early season conference dominance. Repeat that in your head with Chris Fowler’s voice and you just might have the opening to College Gameday. Does anyone want to read my poorly constructed preview of my Extra Point on transfers or do you want to get on to my breakdown of the games? That’s what I thought. Here’s the Touchdown:

1) No. 9 Stanford at No. 4 Oregon – 8:00 on ABC

With the sanctions imposed on USC, the Pac 10 is a three team race, and this game will put one of the three in the driver’s seat. Of course, I’m going to try and get through this without making a “Mighty Ducks” reference (yet I fail miserably every time I watch Fringe).

Prior to conference play, Oregon had been beating up on teams pretty handily (we’ll forget about that 1st half against Tennessee). They have a very good defense, led by the running of LaMichael James. Defensively, they have been shutting down everybody and giving their offense plenty of time to rack up points. However, they were sloppy last week against Arizona State. They gave up too many points in the first half and the offense couldn’t get going. Oregon cannot afford defense lapses against Stanford or wasted opportunities on offense.

Stanford, on the other hand, has handled all opponents. Those include the UCLA team that beat Texas and a tough Notre Dame team (both games on the road). The high scoring Cardinal offense is led by Andrew Luck, who has been as good as you can get early on. The unheralded defense of Stanford has been able to handle all offenses they have faced with ease.

Basically, these are two high scoring offenses and two stingy defenses. Oregon has a nasty habit of being a bit lazy in the first half of games, almost wanting to play with a degree of difficulty. In order to win, they need to come out fast and not let up. Oregon, and whatever hideous jersey they break out for this game, will win, but it will be close. Remember, Ducks fly together (darn, so close).

2) No. 7 Florida at No. 1 Alabama – 8:00 on CBS

My thoughts on this game kind of parallel the Red River Shootout, you know, if Texas could have beaten UCLA. Anyway, before I start, I want to say that I like Florida, so Gator fans shouldn’t get too upset.

Five weeks into the season and Florida still lacks an identity. From week to week, you’re never really sure about the Gators. You know that the speed and athleticism of Florida will win games against lesser opponents, even if their QB is a little shaky and they lack that swagger of the Tebow era. They are a good team, but they aren’t last year’s Gators.

Alabama finally faced a challenge last week. I thought this was shocking because I never thought Arkansas was that good. I always thought Mallett could never be consistent enough to lead his team to a victory over a clearly superior team. The problem Arkansas had was they couldn’t contain the offense of Alabama all game long.

That will be the story of most games Alabama is in. The offense can be contained by a very good defense, but really can’t be stopped. They are too good at all aspects of offense to really be shut down. Plus, the defense is stingy enough to even let a lackluster performance by McElroy doom Alabama.

Florida will not be able to use their athleticism to beat Alabama, because the Tide have just as much on their side of the ball, if not more. This year isn’t the Gators year. ROLL TIDE! That never gets old (unless you’re an Auburn fan).

3) No. 22 Penn State at No. 17 Iowa – 8:05 on ESPN

The story of Penn State and Iowa is pretty much the same early in the season. Both teams beat up on lesser opponents before getting smacked down by the only quality opponent they faced. This should be fun.

Let me sum up the Penn State offense in as few words as possible. Those words are “Evan Royster”. PSU is going to lean on him early and often. Against less skilled teams, that just might work. They are going to need Royster too, since Bolden is downright terrifying….if you’re a PSU fan. PSU will also lean on their defense to stop Iowa and try and grind out the game.

Iowa can not only pass the ball effectively, but can run it too. Iowa learned from the Arizona game not to make stupid mistakes early and put yourself in an unwinnable situation, no matter how good you are. They also have one of the best defenses in the Big 10 and can handle one dimensional teams like Penn State. Iowa will focus on shutting down Royster and make Bolden throw the ball to win the game.

If you’re looking for a game with stellar defense and are not a PSU fan, this game is the one for you. Moderately low scoring affair, but Iowa wins by two touchdowns.

4) No. 21 Texas vs. No. 8 Oklahoma - 3:30 on ABC (in Dallas, TX)

The Red River Shootout at number 4?!?! Well, if Texas didn’t douse their drawers against UCLA, this would probably be number 1, but alas, here we are. Of course, the one year I can actually watch this game it doesn’t seem all that exciting.

Anyone who has seen Texas play, or at least seen highlights, knew that it was only a matter of time before they lost a game, and badly. I thought it would be against Texas Tech, and many others thought it would probably be Oklahoma. Not many thought it would be against UCLA.

Little seems to be going right for Texas coming into this game. The loss to UCLA was not a fluke. The Longhorn’s vaunted defense gave up 264 yards rushing. The Bruin’s only attempted 8 passes for 27 yards. Of course, the offense didn’t help with 4 first half turnovers. Anything that could go wrong did go wrong for Texas. Don’t expect these problems to magically disappear this week.

Speaking of problems, Oklahoma has its own problems on defense. They have the worst defense in the Big 12 in yards against. Every game has been close except FSU (who we have established isn’t that good). Seriously, they beat Air Force, Utah State, and Cincinnati by a combined 12 points. That’s not exactly a murderer’s row of teams.

Picking a winner for this game is like trying to figure out which team isn’t going to screw up the most. I personally think the Oklahoma wins it, because Lord knows Texas can’t take advantage of the inept Oklahoma defense.

5) No. 11 Wisconsin at No. 24 Michigan State – 3:30 on ABC

Not to disparage either one of these teams, but this right here is the battle for third place in the Big 10. Neither one of these teams are getting by Iowa or Ohio State (no matter how much I think OSU is overrated).

This game is weird since both teams are pretty evenly matched. Both have good, Big 10 quality QB’s, though I think the edge goes to Tolzien at Wisconsin. I’ll give the edge to Michigan State at RB, as I think their collection is slightly better than Wisconsin. Both have fairly good defensive teams.

If you look at schedule, both faced challenges against underrated, quality teams (Arizona State for Wisconsin and Notre Dame for Michigan State). So, how do you competently choose a winner in this game without flipping a coin?

Michigan State is playing at home, so they have the crowd. Plus, MSU coach Mark Dantonio will be in the coach’s box, taking his first steps to regaining the reins of the team. If that doesn’t fire up a team, I don’t know what will. MSU wins it for their coach, but it’s a close one.

6) Notre Dame at Boston College – 8:00 on ABC

HOLY WAR! If you live in the Boston area, welcome to the prime time game on ABC. Since my internet access at home is not available, I’m left hoping ESPN2 carries the Oregon/Stanford game, or else I’m stuck watching BC try and get out of its way and ND trying to blow the game in the last few minutes. Fun times!

Extra Point:

I was watching the Boise State/Oregon State game last week and glancing at the score-line along the bottom of the screen and noticed the ASU/Oregon score. It then gave me the stats for ASU QB S.Threet. That name sounded so familiar and I just couldn’t place it. I used my iPhone to look it up and realized that he used to be the starting QB for Michigan before he transferred to ASU due to the Rich Rodriguez hiring.

It made me start thinking about all the notable transfers of late, especially among QBs. When did this become common place? I remember when Brock Berlin transferred from Florida to Miami and it was huge. You couldn’t watch a Miami game without someone mentioning it. If you really look at it, I guess it makes sense. There are a number of reasons it happens.

The first is coaching change. Either the new coach has a different system than you play in or the coach who recruited you left and you want to leave too. Both of these happened to Threet, who started at Georgia Tech, then to Michigan, before landing at ASU. Ryan Mallett is another big name that left Michigan after Rodriguez signed on.

The second would be playing time. Robert Marve transferred from Miami to Purdue looking for playing time, which worked out before he got injured. Mitch Mustain left Arkansas after being replaced as starter by the horrible Casey Dick and went to USC. He still rides the pines, watching Matt Barkley throw touchdown passes. I remember when Clemson fans got scared that C.J. Spiller was going to transfer to Florida because he was playing second fiddle to James Davis. Those were bad times.

The third reason would be when you get booted from the team. Cameron Newton was back-up to Tim Tebow before he bought a stolen laptop and was looking for a new place to play, finally ending up at Auburn. Jeremiah Masoli got the boot from Oregon after robbery and drug possession charges were brought against him. He is currently taking snaps for Ole Miss.

So, are all the transfers a good thing or bad thing for college football? With coaching changes, it makes sense. If they system changes on a kid, he should be able to transfer someplace where his skills will be of more use. Playing time is sort of a gray area. Kids should know that they will have to compete for their position. The entitlement these kids feel sometimes doesn’t jive with the real world. As for getting booted off the team, this country has a long history of embracing rehabilitation of our athletes.

For the most part, transfers are a good thing for the sport as long as it doesn’t get taken too far. I don’t want Bob Stoops to be able to call up some freshman QB at Florida and ask him if he wants to play for Oklahoma. On the other hand, I don’t want a player like Robert Marve handcuffed like he was by Miami when he decided that Miami wasn’t right for him. I guess the point is that it’s good for these kids to have an out, but they should think long and hard before actually committing somewhere.

Trent's Touchdown - Week 4

2010-09-24T10:09:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Week 4 of the college football season, or as I like to call it, the “Thinning of the Herd” week. For some reason, ABC didn’t want to use that title. Anyway, we will finally get rid of some of the hangers on and also-rans this week. Anyone else notice how the ACC is surprisingly absent and the Big East has one mention? More on that later, let’s get to the Touchdown:

1) No. 24 Oregon State at No. 3 Boise State – 8:00 on ABC

This may be the number 1 game on the Touchdown, but I’m dreading this one. Not because I actually have a rooting interest, but because Boise State fans are lining up to point to this game and say “see, BSU doesn’t have an easy schedule, it’s the Beavers!!!”

If you don’t know about Boise State yet, well, then you don’t know anything about college football. They have an extremely pass happy offense led by Kellen Moore. The thing I like about Moore is that he’s willing to throw to anyone. He also has a fairly competent running attack, which means defenses can’t just defend against the pass.

On the Oregon State side, they are going to run the ball with Jacquizz Rodgers until he passes out, and even then they will probably try and hand off to him. The problem OSU faces it that their young QB is still getting used to the offense and he is facing a very good defense. This does not signal good times.

Oregon State has a horrid defense, giving up way to many yards to a lackluster Louisville team last week. OSU needs to hope that Moore and the rest of the offense get taken out by some bad clams the night before the game to pull this one off. BSU rolls and I develop an eye twitch anytime someone gives me crap about ragging on the Broncos creampuff schedule.

2) No. 1 Alabama at No. 10 Arkansas – 3:30 on CBS

I can’t be the only one that thinks the Arkansas being ranked number 10 is more a result of the fact that there is nowhere else to really put them than the fact that they are that good, right? Right?

Alabama is….well, they’re Alabama. They are loaded on both sides of the ball. Greg McElroy is a very good QB who can spread the ball around and make smart throws. Mark Ingram is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and the best RB in the country. In my opinion, they have the best defense in the country. They are a juggernaut right now and only the most balanced team can keep it close with them.

Arkansas, on the other hand, will pass and pass and pass until the cows come home. Of course, if my QB was Ryan Mallett, I would do the same thing. They are a sound defensive team that can run with a good bulk of the SEC teams. On paper, this seems like it would be a fun matchup to watch.

Even last week, I would have picked this game to be close. Then, I watched the Arkansas/Georgia game. That was a stinker. Georgia shouldn’t have even been in that game, yet they came very close to winning it. Arkansas is just not that good of a team.

Tide rolls, big. If you happen to live in a state in which gambling on sporting events is legal, take Alabama and the points and laugh all the way to the bank. Its games like this that make me wish I was still a degenerate gambler.

3) No. 12 South Carolina at No. 17 Auburn – 7:45 on ESPN

These are two teams where I find it hard to believe that they are ranked so high, but I just can’t muster up the vitriol to argue about it. The sad thing is that South Carolina will probably end up winning the SEC East.

Auburn is in a sticky situation right now. They may have been flying under the radar before, but last weeks game against Clemson showed everyone that they are a very beatable team; they just need a team competent enough to do it. Cam Newton is a good QB, but not as great as everyone wants to believe. He can put up gaudy numbers, but can’t take over a game. Essentially, he’s Tyrod Taylor. The Auburn defense is average, but seems to make stops against Clemson when needed.

South Carolina is a little schizophrenic. They easily outplay Georgia, but let a team like Furman hang around. SC definitely suffers from a little ADD, since the offense really couldn’t get anything going against Furman last week. The SC defense is going to be the key. If they control and contain Newton, it’s going to be a long day for Auburn.

I think Spurrier whips SC into shape, they concentrate on this game and pull out a victory and they climb even higher in the polls, making me once again wonder how they got so high.

4) No. 22 West Virginia at No. 15 LSU – 9:00 on ESPN2

Let me ask Mountaineer fans and Tiger fans a question. Do you feel confident about your teams ability to actually do anything this season? Yeah, I thought not.

I said it in first week and I’ll say it again today, Jordan Jefferson is not viable option at QB if you want a top tier program. Basically, LSU is going to run the ball until WVU stops them. Considering WVU has a good run defense, that might happen sooner than LSU wants. This means that to win Jefferson is going to have to step up and make plays. That’s not a very comfortable role for Jefferson to play.

As for WVU, you would think they have everything in their favor. They have one of the best QB’s in the Big East (that’s not saying much) and one of the more dynamic running backs in the country. They also have a very good defense. However, they got taken to OT by Marshall. Yes, 0-3 Marshall. It’s like WVU doesn’t want to win sometimes.

WVU has a very good chance at winning the Big East, but have you seen the Big East? Winning the Big East is not exactly something to brag about. LSU wins this with defense and makes me hope this is the last week I have to write about a Big East team, unless I’m mocking them.

5) No. 16 Stanford at Notre Dame – 3:30 on NBC

Notre Dame fans must be going crazy. I mean, this year’s ND team is making me have flashbacks to last year’s ND team, with last minute losses. Just once the luck of the Irish needs to pop up, right?

Notre Dame has the same old song and dance. Good QB, good offense, and poor defense. Does ND have issues recruiting defensive stars or does the defensive coaching just suck? Dayne Crist seems to be doing everything to throw that team on his back and get a victory. That ND defense needs to step up though, especially this week against Stanford.

Stanford has one of the more exciting offenses in the country led by one of the more underrated QB’s in the country. Andrew Luck has been forced to become the man this year after Toby Gerhart graduated last year and he has been cruising. Plus, the Stanford defense has been downright nasty, especially against the pass.

Expect a Stanford win, but also expect Notre Dame to keep to keep it close just to terrorize the fan base.

6) No. 8 Oklahoma at Cincinnati – 6:00 on ESPN2

Last year, this game would have been epic, with Tony Pike against a potentially healthy Sam Bradford. Instead, we get Landry Jones against Zach Collaros. Plus, Cincinnati is going nowhere this year. It’s like the college football Gods are laughing at us.

Extra Point:

I’d like to say that the ACC and Big East are having down years, but this has become a recurring theme. I knew the ACC was in trouble when everyone was touting FSU as the team to beat. What has FSU done in the past couple of years but dwell in mediocrity? And don’t even get me started about how Christian Ponder reminds me of Drew Weatherford.

The problem is that the ACC is so pathetic that FSU might actually be the team to beat. Look how Virginia Tech imploded on themselves. I knew Tyrod Taylor wasn’t a good QB, but this is getting ridiculous. I just know that some random team, like North Carolina State, is going to back-door their way into the ACC Championship Game, kind of like how Clemson did last year.

As much as I want to not throw up, I need to bring up the Big East. Last year, the Big East was moderately entertaining, with Cincinnati, Pitt, and WVU all battling it out for the Big East crown. You knew the winner was going to get shellacked in a BCS Bowl Game, but it was fun pretending they had a shot.

This year, WVU will probably limp to the championship with a couple of conference losses and end up 2 touchdown underdogs to someone like Texas. You put a mid-tier major conference team in the Big East, like Michigan or Auburn, and they run the table.

I guess my whole point here is why are we giving teams and the ACC and Big East a free pass when it comes to strength of schedule and strength of conference when everyone, including me, is giving Boise State (and to a lesser extent TCU) a hard time about those things? We should give them all a tough time about strength of conference.

The reason teams in the ACC and the Big East are getting in the rankings is the elitist attitude we all have toward those teams. While teams like Virginia Tech have to prove that they are not that good (thank you James Madison), Boise State has to prove that they are that good. On one hand, we make excuses for teams in the ACC, but on the other hand are quick to dismiss teams like Boise State and TCU. It just doesn’t seem right, but I guess that’s just the nature of the beast.

Trent's Touchdown - Week 3

2010-09-16T12:51:00.000-07:00

Here we are at Week 3 of the college football season and the stories around the nation sound more like an old episode of Law & Order instead of a sport played by college kids. Whether players are breaking the law or breaking NCAA rules, there seems to be some sort of issue here. More on this later, now, let’s get to the Touchdown:

1) No. 8 Nebraska at Washington – 3:30 on ABC

I haven’t had a chance this year to write about my man-love for Jake Locker. Thank God for this non-conference game.

Nebraska has probably one of the best defenses in college football. They know how to hit, know how to intercept the ball, and know how to pressure the QB. Last year, they made the best QB’s in the Big 12 look nothing better than ordinary. The offense of Nebraska is centered on running the ball and pass when you have to. If they are facing a defense that is good against the run, they will be in trouble. That would put their freshman QB in passing situations and that doesn’t equal sunshine and puppies.

Washington, on the other hand, is all about the offense. Locker is, arguably, the best QB in college football right now. It’s not just his throwing ability or running ability, but his ability to read defenses. Against Syracuse, he used quick slants to counter the pass rush which lead to the win. While Nebraska has a tough defense, Locker should be able to make adjustments to counter whatever it is they do.

Washington pulls the upset and I try and get my hands on a Heisman ballot to vote for my man Jake.

2) Clemson at No. 16 Auburn – 7:00 on ESPN

Yeah, yeah, I know I only picked this game so high because I’m a huge Clemson fan. So sue me.

Clemson comes into this game after two wins against marshmallow teams trying to find an identity. While Kyle Parker may be a star, he is still a freshman QB with a MLB contract in his back pocket and no named stars around him. He doesn’t have Jacoby Ford or CJ Spiller to fall back on anymore. Expect the Tigers to attack with the running game of Ellington and Harper and give Parker short 3rd down distances. The Clemson defense, on the other hand, needs to stop Cam Newton from doing his thing.

Cam Newton’s thing, is leading the Auburn offense, both through the air and on the ground. The Auburn offense is a bit streaky though and relies on the tough defense for long stretches of time to keep them in games. We could easily be talking about a 1-1 Auburn team if that defense didn’t come up huge time and again against Mississippi State last week.

Expect Clemson to keep it interesting for the whole game, but Auburn’s defense comes up with the stops they need to keep the victory.

3) No. 9 Iowa at No. 24 Arizona – 10:30 on ESPN

Looks like Iowa fans may finally be able to put away the defibrillator. I think the Heart Attack Kids from last year are long gone.

Iowa is more well-rounded this year than last year. Last year, it was all about the defense controlling the game and letting Ricky Stanzi control the offense flow of the game. It’s slightly different this year. The defense is still top notch, but Stanzi has flourished and is now an underrated QB who can hurt you through the air if you pay too much attention to the Iowa running attack.

Arizona’s offense is squarely centered on Nick Foles’ pass happy attitude. Running the ball will be next to impossible against the Iowa defense, so expect Foles to air it out early and often. The Arizona defense, which is very underrated, may be able to keep the clamps on Iowa. The Arizona defense is going to have to be near perfect to give the Wildcats a shot at winning this game.

Defense keeps this game close, but Iowa wins it with offensive balance.

4) No. 6 Texas at Texas Tech – 8:00 on ABC

Before this game, I might queue up “Rock ‘n Roll Train” by AC/DC on my iPod and try a relive the epic Texas/Texas Tech clash of two years ago. Too bad Colt McCoy is in the NFL and Graham Harrell is working the drive thru at McDonalds.

I feel weird about this, but I’m predicting the same thing I did two years ago, Texas Tech wins it. Before you all flip out at me, I’ll explain.

Texas Tech is led by senior gunslinger Taylor Potts, probably the best QB in the Big 12. The running game is mostly for show, so expect Potts to air it out all night long. The frenzied crowd in Lubbock will get the defense going. Plus, Tommy Tuberville has brought a new attitude to Texas Tech, while keeping the high powered offensive schemes.

Texas, on the other hand, is in the middle of growing pains. Texas QB Garrett Gilbert gets his first taste of a hostile Big 12 environment. He’s been average so far this season and relied way too much on the running game. If the running attack gets contained, Texas will be in trouble. While the Texas defense is good, there are holes that Potts should be able to exploit.

It’ll be close, but Potts leads the Red Raiders to a slim victory (man, I hate picking against Mack Brown).

5) No. 10 Florida at Tennessee – 3:30 on CBS

Hey, we’re that “Florida just isn’t that good” bandwagon, because I want to jump on. The SEC East may actually be interesting this year.

Florida has problems. If it’s not their QB being a little overwhelmed, it’s one of their WR’s getting arrested for stalking. Since John Brantley is still getting used to the offense, Florida relies on the running attack to take the pressure off. They need Brantley to get up to speed fast, as the stretch of tough games is coming up. This should be good seasoning for him.

Tennessee has a fairly well balanced offensive attack, but does the same as Florida, using the running game to take the pressure off their inexperienced QB. The Tennessee defense is pretty surprising too, keeping the high powered Oregon offense in check for the first half of last week’s game. The problem with Tennessee is they are young and inexperienced and they get frustrated easy. They absolutely buckled against Oregon last week in the second half.

Florida is just too good and too athletic to lose to a Tennessee team that has trouble closing. All you Florida haters are going to have to wait for the Alabama game for the Gators to get shellacked.

6) No. 18 USC at Minnesota – 3:30 on ESPN

Who’s more pathetic, USC for barely scrapping by Virginia or Minnesota for losing to South Dakota? Plus, USC just had a past star player (what was his name again?) return his Heisman Trophy. I have to say USC. If you’re a Minnesota fan, you’ve come to expect low expectations.

Extra Point:

Last week, while watching the first half of the Oregon/Tennessee game, I was starting to think my statement of “it’s the system, not the QB”, in regards to the Oregon/Masoli issue, was going to make me look as bad as all those times I picked Clemson to beat Georgia Tech. It started me wondering if Oregon fans, if Oregon lost, would think that what happened to Masoli was too harsh.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not supporting Masoli or any other rule breaker, but at what point to we stop supporting a player? It’s easy when a player pulls a Will Cordero and beats his wife. However, I become a fan of Najeh Davenport when I heard he got arrested for….improper use of a laundry basket. So, how many Duck fans were willing to cut ties with Masoli when he got nabbed for burglary and drug possession charges?

I think Georgia fans have a legitimate gripe about A.J. Green’s four game suspension for selling a jersey to a person classified as an agent. He probably got a couple of bucks, it’s not like he got a Cadillac. But again, it’s all about degrees. Where does the line get drawn?

You definitely need a zero tolerance policy or you’re setting a dangerous precedent. If schools don’t treat every infraction the same, they are opening themselves up for accusations of bias, not just on the basis of star power, but on race as well.

The recent Reggie Bush debacle has started to get people thinking about the college system as a whole. Do college athletes deserve a cut of the millions of dollars everyone makes on them? Does the college owe them any more than an education and a three year audition for the NFL? These are questions that need to be answered if schools want to find a way to curb the rash of abuses by players on the field.

Trent's Touchdown - Week 2

2010-09-10T06:33:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Week 2 or, as ABC is calling it, “Monster Saturday” in college football. Remember when teams like Alabama would schedule teams like Slippery Rock for their non-conference games? Those days are now gone, but more on that later. Now, on to the Touchdown.

1) No. 12 Miami at No. 2 Ohio State – 3:40 on ESPN

When I look at this game, both teams have the same issue. It’s an issue the fan bases and the casual observer may have missed in all the hoopla. Neither team has a solid QB that you can count on.

For Ohio State, everyone is pointing to the fact that Terrelle Pryor put up gaudy numbers in the blowout victory against Marshall last week. Guess what, it was against Marshall! It’s not like he was lighting up Alabama.

For Miami, Jacoby Harris needs to be mentioned in the Heisman race because he threw three touchdown passes in the first 19 minutes against Florida A&M. If he does this against Ohio State, I’ll sit up and pay attention.

Both QB’s are at the points in their college careers where they are suppose to be coming into their own and living up to the hype, yet they have done nothing to prove it. So, let’s toss the offensive numbers out the window on this one and focus on what really matters.

Defense will win this game. So, who has the better defense? Again, since the competition was so pitiful last week, we need to go with what we know. We know that Ohio State always has a high-end defense and Miami will have issues stopping some of the more high powered teams in the ACC. Defensive edge goes to Ohio State, and Ohio State will win this game.

2) No. 17 Florida State at No. 10 Oklahoma – 3:30 on ABC

Sadly, I could pretty much cut and paste what I wrote about the Miami/Ohio State game in here, and just change some names. The only reason I don’t is because that would be lazy of me and because Oklahoma almost blew it against Utah State. Yes, Utah State.

Oklahoma actually has a very good team. The weak link is Landry Jones and I think everyone realizes that. Expect Oklahoma to run DeMarco Murray early and often and try and create some time for Jones to throw to Ryan Broyles. On defense, they need to tighten up but still create turnovers.

Last week, FSU had no problems raking up points on Samford. It’s hard to evaluate a team after they rolled over a team I’m sure me and 10 friends could score on. FSU imposed their will and did everything they wanted to do offensively. That is not something they can do to Oklahoma.

I’m not sold on FSU. I don’t think Christian Ponder is that good of a leader. Plus, the game is in Oklahoma. Oklahoma doesn’t lose at home. I go with Oklahoma, but expect another late game interception to ice it for the Sooners.

3) No. 18 Penn State at No. 1 Alabama – 7:00 on ESPN

This game got a lot more interesting when we learned that Mark Ingram was probably going to sit out while still recovering from knee surgery. Couple that with the suspension for Marcell Dareus and we have ourselves a game. Well, in the words of Lee Corso, not so fast my friend.

Penn State is going to have issues. The Penn State offense is going to live and die by the run. They have a freshman QB starting his second college game in one of the harshest environments in college football against the best team in the country. I think it’s safe to say Evan Royster is going to be running the ball a lot.

Penn State will need their defense to step up, but Alabama has one of the more steady QB’s in the country and a trio of running backs who can pick up the slack for Ingram. Alabama’s defense is going to absolutely punish Royster, forcing PSU into throwing on third down and Robert Bolden is going to get rattled.

I think PSU keeps it interesting early due to defense, but Alabama will put it away sometime in the third quarter. ROLL TIDE!

4) No. 7 Oregon at Tennessee – 7:00 on ESPN2

Am I the only one who thinks that last week’s thrashing of New Mexico by Oregon was Chip Kelly’s big old middle finger to Jeremiah Masoli? I mean, it was the ultimate “it’s the system, not the player” statement a coach can make. He even did it with LaMichael James serving a one game suspension.

Oregon, as proven, has no problems moving the ball offensively. Anything Oregon wanted to do, they did. Their backup running back scored 5 touchdowns. Their punt returner ran back 2 punts for touchdowns. Their QB makes Duck fans say “Jeremiah Who?” It was all good fun if you were a Ducks fan.

Tennessee, as well, was able to beat up on lesser talent, but did so more with defense, scoring a defense touchdown and recording a safety. Offensively, they lost their best receiver to a broken bone in his hand and the number two receiver is slowed by an ankle injury. You know what that means? Freshman trying to catch passes. Good times. But hey, if you’re a Tennessee fan, you have one bright spot. Jonathan Crompton graduated, so he can’t hurt you anymore.

Anyway, expect Oregon to attempt to demolish Tennessee, if only to prove they don’t need Masoli and can win convincingly on the road.

5) No. 22 Georgia at No. 24 South Carolina – 12:00 on ESPN2

This is one of those games that could easily slip through the cracks if you aren’t paying attention. In years past, this game was to decide who would finish second to Florida in the SEC East. I still think that, but without Tebow, its possible Florida could lose focus and slip.

When it comes to Georgia, I think Coach Mark Richt said it best. To paraphrase, he basically said that he was going to get all excited his offense, led by a freshman QB, rolled all over Louisiana-Lafayette. At lease someone has some perspective. Georgia is getting a lot of players back from suspension (except A.J. Green) so this will be the first game where they all get to gel around the new QB.

South Carolina has a talented defense, but finally has what looks to be a high powered offense. As a Clemson fan, these guys scare me. While they have eligibility issues on the offensive line, they have an underrated QB and dynamic, but young, position players.

Except South Carolina to try and control the tempo of the game and try and rack up points early and often. I think Georgia has the talent to win, but I don’t think they will win. South Carolina wins it, but it’s close.

6) Michigan at Notre Dame – 3:30 on NBC

I may rag on both of these teams a lot (ND more than Michigan), but this one will actually be fun. Young teams and fans can get excited about. I’m not expecting anything this year from either of them, but they will both be fun to watch this year. Seriously, one QB has the nickname “Shoelace” because he plays football with his shoelaces untied and the other has a name that makes me think he’s going to be joining the cast of Gossip Girl. Good times.

Extra Point:

The first two weeks of this season have been jam packed with really good non-conference games. There used to be a time when the first few weeks of the college football season were a dead zone, where it was almost an extra hard practice game instead of a real matchup. This has all changed now.

Teams are starting to realize that a strong non-conference schedule is nearly essential to making a run at a National Championship. Thanks to the BCS, strength of schedule does have a very real weight in rankings, both computer and human. A team is going to be looked on more favorably if they beat Virginia Tech than if you beat The Citadel and the team is in the Big Ten.

The drawback is obviously that not only do teams have tougher opponents, but they are facing them when most vulnerable, at the beginning of the season. In the beginning of season, teams are lack the cohesion and unity that comes with multiple games together. Sometimes, this is the first real action a player has seen in the college game. It falls on the coaches to keep the errors to a minimum and truly gives a picture of how good a team really is.

I think a prime example is Virginia Tech last week. They looked absolutely abysmal in the first quarter and the last 2 minutes of last week’s showdown with Boise State. If this game gets played in the middle of the year, I think the results would probably be different. However, Boise State proved to be the better teams since they kept their errors to a minimum and won the game.

I, for one, love the new tougher schedules. It means better games for me to watch. It also means I don’t have to find interesting things to write about when I put a Texas/Jacksonville State game at number 3 on the Touchdown.

Trent's Touchdown - Week 1

2010-09-02T11:54:00.000-07:00

Labor Day weekend means the start of good things. You get the start of the Vermont State Fair, you start seeing Sam Adams Octoberfest hit the shelves, and you get the start of the college football season. With the start of the season, you also get the start of the Touchdown. With the start of the Touchdown, you get bashing of Oklahoma, Ohio State, and the BCS system as a whole, but more on that later. Now, on to the Touchdown (all games on Saturday unless otherwise noted).

1) No. 3 Boise State vs. No. 10 Virginia Tech – 8:00 on ESPN on 9/6 (in Landover, MD)

Seeing the hype around Boise State is amazing. They are to college football what Gonzaga was to college basketball multiplied by 100 since every game matters in college football. However, before we start touting Boise State, we need to remember that their schedule is cream puff, with the only real challenges coming from VT and Oregon State, so if they go undefeated, it’s not some sort of miracle.

Most of the reason for the hype is the fact that Boise State is returning all but one starter from last year and the offense is completely intact. Kellen Moore was one of the best QB’s in the country last year and looks to pick up where he left off. The defense for Boise State is also very sound, as they lead the WAC in points allowed last year.

For Virginia Tech, well, all is not as rosy. VT lost seven starters on a defense that is going to be tasked with stopping one of the best offenses in the country. Beamer Ball has always been focused around defense and special teams, so I’m not going to worry too much about this. The question mark is on offense. I still don’t trust Tyrod Taylor. He reminds me too much of Terrelle Pryor, and that’s not a compliment. VT will try and soften up the Boise State defense with healthy doses of the run, then go to the air when they start anticipating the run.

VT’s problem is they can’t get into a shoot-out, since they can’t win that way, they don’t have the offense for that. They need to slow down the game and grind it out. Last year, Boise State showed they could stop high powered offenses (TCU) and find ways to win close games (again, TCU). I think Boise State wins this, and the hype just gets bigger.

2) No. 24 Oregon State vs. No. 6 TCU – 7:45 on ESPN (in Arlington, TX)

So, TCU is finally getting a little respect in the rankings. Don’t expect any respect from me, though, as this is the only game against a ranked opponent. If you are a non BCS conference water carrier, you better be rooting for Boise State, because TCU isn’t the ticket to the National Championship.

Anyway, the TCU game plan this year is a lot like last year, put up an offensive barrage and hope the defense comes up with one or two stops. If TCU has any problems, it’ll be on defense, as they lost most of their best defensive players from last year. On offense, they may have lost their leading rusher, but QB Andy Dalton is the key. Expect him to put up gaudy numbers both passing and rushing all year long.

As for Oregon State, they need to break in a new QB, so expect to hear the name Jacquizz Rodgers a lot. They have a good chuck of players coming back on both sides of the ball, so you might see them take a run at the Pac 10 championship. The problem is that this is pretty much the same team that underperformed against ranked teams, beat up on teams they should beat, and somehow wormed their way into position to with the Pac 10, only to douse their drawers against Oregon.

All that said, as much as I don’t buy into the TCU hype, I think they can outscore Oregon State to win this one. I don’t see a defensive struggle in this one.

3) No. 21 LSU vs. No. 18 North Carolina – 8:00 on ESPN (in Atlanta, GA)

You know, this game was a lot more interesting before the UNC issues surfaced. Basically, some star UNC players are being investigated for academic misconduct and improper contact with agents.

It’s kind of hard to give a run down on UNC if I don’t know who’s playing, but I’ll give it a try. Offensively, you can expect UNC to run the ball, since Ryan Houston and Shaun Draughn should play and are effective at moving the ball. As WR Greg Little may not play, QB T.J. Yates will have to rely on a pair of sophomore receivers as his primary targets. UNC is a sound defense team, returning nine starters, but uncertainty of who will be eligible makes pinning down their strengths tough.

LSU, on the other hand, pretty much knows what’s going on, but that’s not necessarily a good thing. They know they are going to have spotty, inconsistent offense and will need their defense to bail them out all year long. As you can probably tell, I’m not a fan of QB Jordan Jefferson. I do not trust him to lead a premier team in the SEC. That said, Jefferson has all the tools around him to run a successful offense, but it’s up to him to step up and prove he’s capable.

Due to issues surrounding UNC, I think that LSU pulls it off, but does it with defense.

4) No. 14 USC at Hawaii – 11:00 on ESPN on 9/2

The most talked about team in the off-season was USC, and none of the talk was good. It was learned that Reggie Bush received improper benefits, they got slapped with a two-year bowl ban, and they got saddled with Lane Kiffin as a coach. If that’s not a whirlwind of crap, I don’t know what is.

Since USC won’t be going to a bowl this year, they are playing for pride. Pride, you know, that thing they didn’t play with last year. Matt Barkley comes back as QB, which makes me wonder why the Aaron Corp era hasn’t begun yet. Let’s just cut the crap and ask the question we all want an answer to. If you are USC fan, are you excited about anything at all this season? The first person who answers “Matt Barkley’s hair” gets slapped.

The problem with Hawaii is the same problem any one year wonder team has a few years later, everyone remembers the name and expects something worthwhile. Here’s a tip, you’re not going to see anything worthwhile unless you’re rooting for the opponent. Sorry Hawaii fans. Actually, I expect a better Hawaii team this year, considering their starting QB had a year of on the job training last season and still finished a respectable 6-7. Expect bowl eligibility this year!

As for this game, USC will pretty much waltz to victory, with everyone saying “See, Barkley really is good this year.” I know I’ll get the last laugh once the Pac 10 schedule starts up.

5) Miami (OH) at No. 4 Florida – 12:00 on ESPN

Is it me, or does it seem strange that Florida is starting a season without Tim Tebow? I’m actually looking forward to seeing how Florida does with John Brantley at QB. Thankfully for Brantley, he gets an opponent like Miami (OH) to ease his way into the season.

It’s a good thing for Florida too, since they are still transitioning for lost stars to the Draft and injuries to starters on both sides of the ball. Inconsistency may plague Florida early and they’ll need some of their big name freshman recruits to step up and live up to the hype. This first game will be a good practice to get some real game experience.

You should get to see a lot of Florida players in this game, as I expect them to get up big in a hurry. See this game as the first step in the post Tim Tebow era.

6) Purdue at Notre Dame – 3:30 on NBC

Good old Notre Dame. I had a lot of fun last year picking on them. This game should be actually entertaining, with veteran QB Robert Marve (transfer from Miami) leading Purdue against Notre Dame and new coach Brian Kelly. If that doesn’t get you going, Notre Dame QB Dayne Crist has a name that sounds like a character from TV show about vampires, so you can probably talk your girlfriend or wife into watching.

Extra Point:

The other day at work, a co-worker of mine told me that he wanted to see Boise State beat Virginia Tech and go undefeated and win the National Championship. His reasoning, it would blow up the BCS system and force a playoff.

His point was that if Boise State won it all, it would irk the major teams in the country, seeing Boise State roll over unranked opponents all year and slide past whoever they face in the National Championship Game. Is an undefeated Boise State better than a two loss Alabama team? In the BCS setting, we wouldn’t see that match-up, so we wouldn’t know. This would prompt the major college teams to call for a playoff, so a team like Boise State would have to prove their worth, and not just slip past one high ranked opponent who they favorably match up against.

My counter-argument was that a Boise State National Championship would validate all the BCS water carriers. Proponents of the BCS have always stated that the system does not discriminate against non-BCS affiliated schools. A BCS Championship for one of those teams would a major win for BCS lovers. Plus, it would have the added benefit of getting Congress off their backs. I believe that a Boise State Championship would strengthen the BCS, not kill it.

Of course, Boise State still needs to go out on the field and prove that they can do it. Will they go undefeated or will they be crushed by their own expectations? I’ve seen strange things happen during a college football season, but Boise State in the National Championship Game would probably top them all.

Johnny Damon: Villain or Businessman?

2010-08-25T08:21:00.000-07:00

Well, the Johnny Damon saga has ended here in Boston. He is staying with the Tigers. I, for one, am glad. Not for the fact that he’s staying with Detroit, but for the fact that I don’t need to hear about it anymore. The absolute foolishness of “Red Sox Nation” is absolutely staggering; it sometimes makes me ashamed to be a Red Sox fan. Let’s look at this step by step, shall we?

First, you had the announcement of the possible trade (or waiver claim as the case may be). You had the requisite shock and awe by the fan base. This, of course, it not to be confused with the giddiness of Yankee fans by the whiff of desperation they detected coming from Boston with this announcement. Red Sox fans truly didn’t know what to think. They had spent the last 5 seasons tearing him down for his supposed betrayal and were now close to having him rejoin the team. It’s a sticky situation.

During the 48 hour period in which Damon had been mulling over his options, Red Sox fans we’re trying to reconcile their feelings. I heard a few people say that he would be “just what the Sox are looking for.” So maybe he wasn’t the traitorous scumbag everyone was making him out to be, maybe he was the sparkplug for another pennant run. “Red Sox Nation” was close to lining up to buy their Damon jerseys and planning a Duck Boat parade through downtown that would mess with my commute.

Finally, word came out that Damon would not be coming to Boston. It was like someone took away Keith Olbermann’s meds, with amount of inane vitriol that spewed forth. He was once again the traitor he always was. The fans started thanking God, since he would have been horrible for this team. All was now right with the world.

Seriously? The swing from hatred, to rationalization, back to hatred in this 48 hour period was truly astounding. I never understood the hatred. His move to the Yankees was not done as a middle finger to Red Sox fans. It was done for the money!

I can’t believe how many people took that as a personal affront. It’s not like he came over to your house, punched your mom in the face, took a crap on your bed, and poured sugar in your gas tank on the way out of town. He went to a competitor who was offering more money for his services. If you leave your job for another job at a competing company for more money, are you a villainous traitor who deserves to rot in hell for all eternity? No!

Baseball is a business. Like any right minded employee, Damon wanted to earn the maximum amount of money his skill set would bring. I cannot fault the guy for that. We need to stop treating our favorite teams as members of the family and realize that it is a game played by a group of guys who are only playing there because that is where they could receive the most amount of money. Treating it as anything else just leads to heartbreak. Well, for me, it leads to a headache, since I need to hear a person make stupid, idiotic comments about how Player X is villainous monster who likes to drink the blood of children because he decided to play for other team.

The Fringe Finale: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

2010-05-21T09:19:00.000-07:00

So last night was the finale of the best show on TV that is returning next year. Seriously, I’m calling it now. Fringe is the worthy successor of Lost. Long live the new king. The Duchess and I double-dipped on the two part finale last night and I’m going to bullet point out the good, the bad, and the ugly (mostly because I’m too lazy to write out a full review).

The Good:

- Broyles’ getting pissed: Over the last two seasons, we’ve always been able to rely on one thing, that Agent Broyles will stay calm, cool, and collected. The only time I actually remember him showing emotion was when he kissed Nina Sharp and when he was drinking with Peter when they thought Olivia was dead. But holy shit, when he thought Massive Dynamic was behind the device that would kill Peter and bring down destruction on the universe, he brought down the thunder. His screaming match with Nina was utter greatness.

- “I have thought of a hundred reasons... why you should come back. To--to fight the shapeshifters, to take care of Walter, to--to save the world. But in the end... you have to come back. Because you belong with me.”: This is the quote from Olivia just before she and Peter kissed. After this whole will they/won’t they bullshit from the Castle finale, it’s good to see a show actually give us characters who actually act like they are in the real world. Plus, this is the moment most Fringe fans have been waiting to happen for 2 years and it was magnificently pulled off.

- Sally Clark’s fuck you moment: I may have had my issues with the other Cortexiphan kids in this episode, but when Sally looked down at her dead lover and then down the barrel of the gun that shot the bullet, she went full on fire-starter and laid waste to the area. Too bad the douchebag lived.

- William Bell doing stuff: As much as I loved last year’s finale, the big reveal of Leonard Nimoy as William Bell was kind of a let down because he was old and feeble and didn’t do anything. However, in this episode, he’s running around, shooting guns, and ultimately sacrificing himself so the trio can get back to there own universe. Well played Nimoy, well played.

- Olivia vs. Olivia: Find me one person who watched this episode and saw the Olivia/Olivia conversation and fight scene and didn’t think it was a complete win. From the spare key moment to the hair coloring, I was thoroughly enthralled. It was good to see them both disarm, and then beat the shit out of each other. I want to see these two go for round 2 sometime in season 3.

The Bad:

- The alternate reality differences: Don’t get me wrong, I love the alternate reality. I revel in the small differences (like Olivia’s hair color). But won’t I don’t understand is that you have these major differences (like Zeppelin’s and weaponry and Red Lantern and electronic ID cards) but the small stuff is the same. Remember the episode that explained how Peter was taken by Walter in the alternate reality? Well, Peter had the same room, in the same house, had the same parents, was the same age, and had the same disease that the real Peter had. Seriously? We have Richard Nixon on a coin and I’m supposed to believe that little details are the same? In this episode, it was Olivia and Charlie being partners in the government agency with Broyles as their boss, among other things.

- Alter-Olivia crossing over: I like the twist, but I would have liked it better if it wasn’t cliché and plain as day from the moment she and Broyles got the call from the Walternate. This is really on the one thing that ruins the episode for me. I like big, shocking moments, but don’t telegraph it. This isn’t Smallville dammit.

- The technological disparity: My issue here isn’t between the two worlds, but only in the alternate reality. Basically, they have all this tech that is so advanced, yet their only weapon against holes in the universe to amber? Are you serious? And their one solution is to kill Peter buy using some massive machine. Well, were the hell did the machine come from? If they built it so only Peter could use it, but not have them build another power source for someone else?

- Talking about the episode: I started talking to Seamus this morning about the episode and I was having issues properly explaining the alternates vs. the normals. It gets confusing and gives me a headache when I’m referring to Alter-Olivia and real Olivia and the normal universe and the alternate universe. We need names for this stuff. I think the government should work on this rather than other ways to raise my taxes.

The Ugly:

- The Death of James Heath: Let’s just say that good ole James doesn’t make it over to the alternate reality in a recognizable form. Ugh. At least I didn’t have to deal with him being annoying anymore.

So, all in all I really enjoyed it. There were some moments that weren’t great, but they were outweighed by the awesomeness of other moments. Bring on season 3!

Teabag This!

2010-04-15T08:19:00.000-07:00

Forgive me while I shed this blog’s non-political stance for one time and make a semi-political statement. If you come here for sports, TV information, and other related entertainment, know that this is a one time thing and I will return with more of my ramblings in the near future.

On this Tax Day, I would feel remiss if I did not mention that yesterday in Boston the Tea Party and Sarah Palin made an appearance. Thousands attended the rally and it spoke to a large cross-section of the community. You would be hard pressed to find any right-thinking American who did not believe we were over-taxed and that the Government is being reckless with our tax dollars. As a good idea spirals into a movement, we are slowly becoming aware of the fact that vitriol and hate will be used to dismiss and diminish any enemy of Big Government.

I’m going to lay off the media and focus on the liberal on the street. The one who reads Daily Kos, sees MSNBC as “middle of the road”, and refers to Pat Leahy as “my personal hero”. I’ve come to expect a certain level of intolerance from this person. I know that all arguments will begin with insults that hit below the belt and just keep going from there. It’s probably the reason I say out of political discussions, the fact that you cannot reason with the unreasonable. The one insult I heard multiple times yesterday is the one I cannot stand – “tea-bagger”.

This insult just irks me. I see two main problems with it. One, if you are a liberal using this term, you are already starting out with an insult. The only people who will listen to you at this point are the people who already agree with you. Conservatives and independents are going to be turned off to your message as you cannot form a cohesive message without descending into vulgarity. You need to swing people to your point of view, not cackle to a bunch of like-minded individuals.

Two, by using the term, you are also degrading one of the seminal moments in our nation’s history. Are the men who boarded those three ships in Boston Harbor in 1773 also “tea-baggers”? How about Mohandas Gandhi who invoked the Boston Tea Party in his fight against salt tax? Is he a “tea-bagger”?

If the Tea Party is so disagreeable to you, why not agree against the main points of the Tea Party movement? Argue against lower taxes, smaller government, and less government spending. The name calling only makes you sound bitter and angry.

Dane Cook, Fringe, and Other Thoughts

2010-04-14T10:43:00.000-07:00

It’s been way too long, I know. Hopefully, some random thoughts will make up for it.

I was rewatching Jim Gaffigan’s Hot Pockets bit on YouTube the other day and wondered if anyone has ever had a heart attack while watching a comedian and laughing hard? Maybe even hyperventilated or pulled a muscle? Imagine the cred a comedian would get if this happened. The government would probably have to put up warning signs or something. Thankfully, Dane Cook would never have to worry about that.

Speaking of Cook, have we all finally come to the consensus that Dane Cook is not funny? How about that fact that he has no redeeming qualities whatsoever? My basic thought is that he wants to be an iconoclast, but really just comes off as a douche bag on speed. I remember everyone saying how funny he was then I watched one of his specials. I just thought he was loud and annoying.

Of course, Cook is your stereotypical Boston tool. It seems like they are all over the place. Seriously, when the Jersey Shore spinoff Wicked Summer hits MTV, you’ll see what I mean. You think it’s just coincidence that the spin-off takes place in Boston? Expect lots of Red Sox hats, horrible accents, and goof-bags thinking they are the best thing since sliced bread.

Speaking of the best thing since sliced bread, I still have yet to figure out if my favorite show on TV is Fringe or FlashForward. I cannot include Lost because Lost is not a TV show, it’s an experience. I mean, that Richard Alpert episode was probably one of the best hours of TV I have ever seen. Back to the Fringe/FlashForward debate, it just makes my brain hurt when I think about it and they are on back-to-back. You put Lost on at 10 PM on Thursday and I guarantee my head would explode.

Speaking of experiences, I recently read this article. Does it make me a bastard to laugh about a fight between a guy and his quadruple amputee girlfriend? This is seriously the funniest thing I’ve read in a long time. I was talking to my buddy D.B. about it and we have an amazing idea. We want to stage this fight. This would be the main event, with two undercards. One would be Jose Canceso against a Kangaroo and the second would be Mike Tyson against a swarm of bees. So, if anyone knows how to contact Canceso and Tyson and knows someone who has a well-trained swarm of bees and a kangaroo, get in touch with me. And before you start thinking I’m some kind of monster, can you honesty say that you wouldn’t watch this? Yeah, I thought so.

Winter Olympics Week 1 Recap

2010-02-19T12:28:00.000-08:00

The first week of the Winter Olympics has been pretty fun, as long as you weren’t part of the crew that worked on the Opening Ceremony. It had everything you would want in a first week. You had prime athlete’s elevating their game to win medals, also-rans wilting under the pressure, questionable judging, and lots of lost sleep. So, let’s do a little run-down of the first full week of the Winter Games.

Snowboarding:

I’m getting this out of the way first. Shaun White deserved the gold medal he won. No question in my mind. The tricks, the air, the technical ability were all much better than everyone else. However, I have a problem with the judging.

For every boarder, the judges were knocking off points for the smallest little things, but when it came to White, they became simpering fan-girls who could only see him through rose colored glasses. I think White could have fallen and they still would have scored him in the 40’s.

As for the snowboard cross, only one thing disappointed me about the Lindsey Jacobellis debacle. I didn’t get to see it live. I like to make fun of people’s failures in real-time. It’s more fun that way. Thankfully, since she imploded, I don’t have to see her anymore. Seriously, have you seen that girl? She looks like a guy in a bad platinum blonde wig most of the time.

Luge:

While it was tragic that the luger from Georgia died on a test run, I was getting tired of NBC beating the story into the ground. Every time they would head out to the track, they would tell us once again that a luger had died.

What was even worse was when Bob Costas told us that they would not show the clip of his death. I mean, we had all seen it by then. I had seen it earlier that day on NBC Nightly News. Doing this was like drinking a 12 pack of beer and then saying you’re not going to drink that night. The cat’s already out of the bag on this one.

On a lighter note, I still giggle every time I see a clip of doubles luge. Yes, I have the mentality of a 3rd grader.

Skiing:

Did you know that Lindsey Vonn has an injury? I guess her leg is injured or something. You would think they would bring this up.

Watching the skiing coverage is like watching an episode of House. They continually brought up the Vonn injury, like her leg is going to fall off at any minute. Based on the coverage, it seems like it would be noteworthy if she was healthy.

Anyway, I’ll be rooting for Julia Mancuso. Her child like enthusiasm warms my heart and I always like the underdog. Plus, I think she’s the only one that hasn’t nearly wiped out on the course.

Figure Skating:

Earlier when I was thinking about it, I was glad that, so far, the figure skating has been without controversy. I mean, the gold medals have been awarded to the best performers. Then Elvis Stojko rained on my parade.

Elvis Stojko, former Olympic skater who was better left on the trash heap of Olympic history, wrote an article today basically saying that Plushenko was robbed and figure skating was dead. Obviously, Elvis was watching something completely different than the rest of us.

Evan Lysacek absolutely killed on Thursday night. He was pretty much flawless in his routine. He didn’t throw a quad jump, but he did pair together his jumps well and did them throughout the routine.

Plushenko, on the other hand, looked like a wounded duck through most of his jumps (somehow landing them cleanly though). He did throw in two quads, to his credit. His footwork, minus what Stojko says, was pretty basic. We had plenty of time to study it, too, since Plushenko didn’t throw a jump at all in the last minute of his routine.

See, I listened to Dick Button and concentrated on Plushenko’s feet and not his crazy arm movements that make it look like he’s doing something. While Stojko was probably distracted by something shiny, he missed the fact that a 10 year old could have pulled off Plushenko’s movements.

Stojko needs to remember that figure skating isn’t just about who can make the biggest jump, but who can consistently hit all the elements. NBC was more than happy to point out (thank you Scott Hamilton) that Lysacek’s jump combos nearly had that same difficulty level, points wise, as Plushenko’s quads.

Anyway, enough picking on a guy who couldn’t quite get it done in the Olympics. At least there was no controversy in the pair’s figure skating this year.

Curling:

I was watching curling the other day and the Duchess walks in and sits down. She looks to grab the remote to change the channel and suddenly becomes enthralled by the action. Before you know it, she’s screaming at the USA Captain because she can’t make a simple hit.

I think she’s searching online for places we can go curling. Once again I’m shown I picked the perfect wife.

Why I Love The Olympics

2010-02-11T17:02:00.000-08:00

There are a few things I look forward to in this world. New Doctor Who episodes, the release of the Sam Adams Oktoberfest, the start of the college football season, and the Olympics. The Olympics are two weeks of pure enjoyment for the sports fan inside me. There are so many reasons it grabs my enjoyment.

First and foremost is the patriotism that flows forth during the Olympics. I can forget things I'm not thrilled with, like the horrible economy and our idiot President. For two weeks, it's all USA, USA, USA! I may not know who these people are but I'm pulling for them to beat up on opponents from places like Finland. I may have to bust out a mini American flag and wave it around from my couch.

Then, we get to the part that it's two straight weeks of great sports. Normally, if it's not football, baseball, or soccer, it can pretty much be The Jay Leno Show, because I'm not watching it. Maybe it’s the drama, but all of a sudden, I think the Nordic Combined is the best sport known to man.

I can honestly say that outside of the Olympics, I don't watch curling. Hell, I go out of my way to actively avoid it. However, just today requested a day off of work to watch the US/Russia women's curling match (2/19, 12 noon, USA Network). Plus, I need to know how heavy the curling stone is and how big this sport is in Canada.

I think one of my favorite parts is NBC. I mean, besides Chuck, I don't even think about watching NBC. I even cringe when I want to watch a Notre Dame game or a Sunday Night NFL Game, because the sports on the network must be directed by a drunken monkey. However, they know how to put on the Olympics.

The one thing that makes NBC great is Bob Costas. Yes, Bob is past his prime and can't quiet catch up to the fastball anymore but his interviews are top notch. He blows the door off the creepiness factor when he interviews attractive female athletes. When the three USA fencers swept the medals in Beijing, I think I saw one of the top TV moments of all time. I felt the need to take a shower after watching it. I can't wait for Lindsey Vonn to win a medal. It's going to be great.

Last, but not least, is the drama. NBC always amps up the sap to make you root for some Bulgarian alpine skier who's sister lost her foot in a thrasher accident but still works 60 hours a week to support his dream. It makes you want to root for the guy, even if he has no chance of bring home the gold.

To balance this out, there is always some punk who thinks they are entitled to a medal when the Olympic Gods smack them down (to my utter pleasure). In 2006, during the final run of the Women's Snowboard Cross, American Lindsey Jacobellis was coasting her way to a gold medal when on the second to last jump, she decided to showboat and pull a method grab, only to completely douche the landing and wipe out. This allowed the woman behind her to easily coast past her as Jacobellis was floundering like a fish out of water trying to get up. Jacobellis finally got and finished in second.

We all learned an important lesson, after we finished laughing. Don't screw with the God's of fate. Play the sport with pride and integrity and you can be remembered for all time as an Olympic champion. If you become egotistical and showboat, you can end up like Jacobellis and be a laughing stock. That is why the Olympics are great; they are mostly played with pride and integrity. Well, unless you're a client of BALCO, but that's a different story.

New and Premiering in 2010

2010-01-10T17:53:00.000-08:00

Well, the first non-college football entry in ages is a yearly tradition. That's right, the annual New and Premiering entry. As a side note, Lost will not be on this list, mostly because this final season will not be TV show, but an event. With no BSG or Lost to choose from, the number one will be tough to pick. Anyway, enough about my inability to create a simple list and let's get to the countdown.

5) Southland - 1/12 on TNT at 10PM

This is more of a F You to NBC than my wanting to actually watch this show. I normally stay away from your average cop drama, if only to stave off becoming my parents for another year. However, I've heard nothing but good things about this show.

Critical acclaim is something that NBC seems to shy away from, considering they canned it even before it got to premiere and gave the 10PM time slot EVERY NIGHT to Jay Leno. If I had time, effort, and an actual following, I would have lead a campaign to ensure that Southland actually beat Leno in the ratings. It would be a noble goal.

4) Leverage - 1/13 on TNT at 10PM

This American version of Hustle probably would have been higher except for the fact that they replaced Gina Bellman's Sophie with Jeri Ryan's Tara. That's like replacing Sam Adams with Budweiser, sure, it's still beer, but which would you prefer? Thankfully, it's only a temporary switch while Bellman spits out a kid.

This pretty much going to follow the same formula as all the proceeding shows. Someone gets hosed by a company, businessman, politician, or local crime lord. Said victim gets in contact with Nate and his band of do-gooders and they take care of it, getting the victim back his money and turning a tidy profit. It's a winner of a formula and they should keep riding it. Don't fall into the trap of thinking you need to bog us down with plot or overall story arcs, that's not your bread and butter.

3) Human Target - 1/17 on FOX at 8PM

You know what? Screw all the "comic book background" on this. I have two reasons to watch this. One, it has the trifecta of guns, ass-kicking, and humor. Two, ever since Keen Eddie, I will support anything with Mark Valley in it (plus, high marks for his marriage to Anna Torv).

After seeing the first commercial for this show, I knew I wanted to watch it. Not only was he throwing himself in front of bullets meant for Tricia Helfer, but he looked like he was possessed with some sort of death wish. Just your classic "I don't give a shit" attitude. I can't wait.

2) Caprica - 1/22 on Syfy at 9PM

How can anything be bad that has Eric Stoltz in it? If they made a "Pulp Fiction" sequel that featured his drug dealer character, I would be first in line to watch. Anyway, this is the much anticipated Battlestar Galactica prequel that shows us the beginnings of the Cylons (which makes no sense, since they have been around for thousands of years, but I'm sure they'll explain that).

When I went to visit Seamus last year for SBSA 2009 (I'll explain later), he popped in the pilot for Caprica, since Syfy was nice enough to release the pilot on DVD back in June. I enjoyed it, it was good. A little cerebral, but overall a good watch. It definitely needed some time to mature, but it has a lot of potential.

1) 24 - 1/17 on FOX at 9PM

Jack Bauer is back again to save us from terrorist who want to do us harm. God knows our President won't do it. This time, Jack and the newly minted CTU are taking up in New York, if only because it makes more since than Los Angeles.

The last time we saw Jack, he was dying from a deadly pathogen that was to be released by an evil Jon Voight (being almost as evil as Coach Bud Kilmer from "Varsity Blues"). Obviously, the experimental treatment worked and Jack is right as rain. I give a thumbs up to the return of Agent Renee Walker, Jack's potential love interest and lump of clay which he can mold into a female version of himself. I give a big old thumbs down to Jack's new partner, the excruciating Freddie Prinze Jr. The only role he was ever good in was his role as the idiot brother in "House of Yes" and that's because he got to play to this strengths, as an idiot.

Even Freddie can't dull my enthusiasm for the new season. However, my enthusiasm will dull quickly if they keep recycling the "mole in CTU" storyline. It was classic with Nina Myers (because we all thought Tony was the bad guy). After seven seasons, it just gets old. I would forgive the rehash of this if you gave me a half hour in some episode where we see the terrorist doing there thing and we get the split screen of Jack on the crapper with the New York Times. Seriously, everybody poops.

Trent's Touchdown - Week 14

2009-12-03T03:38:00.000-08:00

Championship Week is upon us once again. It seemed like just yesterday when my wife was complaining about the start of the season. Man, how time flies when there are upsets, shakeups, and dark horses all over the place. To paraphrase the great philosopher Mr. T, let’s cut out the jibber jabber and get on with the Touchdown.

1) The SEC Championship Game – No. 1 Florida vs. No. 2 Alabama – 4:00 on CBS in Atlanta.

This one is pretty simple to figure out. The winner goes to the National Championship Game and the loser gets an at-large bid to a BCS Bowl, sort of like last year. Both of these teams have so much in common, you have to figure this one is going to be epic. Hopefully, we won’t be disappointed.

Florida has one of the best college football players and leaders of all time in Tim Tebow. You can’t say enough about the guy. Look for him to try and find lanes and opening against the tough Alabama defense. The difference from last year is while the Florida defense gave them the edge a year ago, this year they are the anchor for the team. Say what you want about the offense, but they have looked flat and beatable since Tebow’s concussion. The defense for Florida has been the one winning their games.

Alabama has one of the best running backs in Mark Ingram leading their offensive attack. Plus, when Greg McElroy is confident, he is one of the better game managers around. Like Florida, the defense of Alabama is the key. They need to be able to contain Tebow and the Florida option attack. Florida has so many ways to make you pay, you need to stay at home, don’t over pursue, and for Heaven’s sake, don’t let anyone get behind you.

These two teams slug it out for the entire game, but Florida finally proves that they are human and Alabama punches their ticket to the National Championship Game.

2) No. 16 Oregon State at No. 7 Oregon – 9:00 on ESPN on 12/3

Civil War baby! The winner goes to the Rose Bowl and the loser cries over broken dreams. I’m just glad that no matter what the outcome, I won’t be seeing USC at the Rose Bowl this year. I got tired of seeing the likes of Booty, Sanchez, or Bush every year. It sounds like a bad porno.

This is pretty much a tale of two different teams. Oregon got all the hype. The bad kind for the Boise State debacle at the beginning of the year, then the good kind for the utter beat down of USC. However, they lost to Stanford and got taken to the wall by Arizona before pulling it out in OT.

For Oregon, it’s all about the run. You know its going to be run, run, run, play-action pass. The problem is that you have to respect the run, because both James and Masoli are dangerous with the ball. You need to be able to trust your defensive backs to hold the receivers in check.

Oregon State got to fly under the radar this year. It was always about USC, or Oregon, or Stanford, never about the Beavers. I don’t give a crap about Canfield’s passing numbers; the offense begins and ends with Jacquizz Rodgers. If Rodgers can get good blocking and make people miss, it’s going to be long night for Duck fans.

However, I think Oregon plays the way we all know they can and squeezes out a win to go to the Rose Bowl

3) No. 5 Cincinnati at No. 15 Pittsburgh – 12:00 on ABC

Let’s just dub this one the Big East Championship Game. The winner gets a BCS Bowl berth and if you listen close enough, you can hear the whispers of a National Championship Game. However, in all likelihood, the winner goes to the Orange Bowl with the loser going to some bowl most of us have never heard of.

After Pitt lost to West Virginia last week, the game lost a little luster, but should still be a good game. Pitt favors a more balanced offensive attack, more than willing to beat you through the air or on the ground. Pitt will most likely try and establish dominance with running back Dion Lewis, to try and take advantage of Cincy’s weak rush defense. Once committed to stopping the rush, Bill Stull will attack through the air.

Cincy on the other hand is all about the pass. They have a capable running attack, but they use the passing game to soften up defenses and the run as more of a slap in the face once they’ve beaten you into submission. On the other side of the ball, the Cincy defense have been complete porous, making the last few games shootouts. While I normally advise against it, I think Cincy needs to make this a shootout to win.

I think this will be a fun game to watch with plenty of points being scored. Cincy gets the ball last and drives down the field for the win and we get a month worth of articles on how we need a playoff system in college football.

4) The Big 12 Championship Game – No. 3 Texas vs. No. 22 Nebraska – 8:00 on ABC in Arlington, Texas.

Either ABC and ESPN are completely trying to shill for this game or Nebraska really does match up well against Texas. Let’s take a look at this one to see if Texas makes it into the National Championship Game or we get to see the BCS thrown into complete disarray.

I agree with the commentators on one point, Nebraska has the defense to harass Colt McCoy and make his life hell. They have one of the best defenses in the country for a reason, they know how to keep you out of the end zone. The problem they have is offensively. They don’t have a guy who can bust the game wide open, like Jerrod Johnson did last week against Texas for Texas A&M.

The Texas defense will have the ability to stop the methodical offense of Nebraska. This will give Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley plenty of time to find one or two openings in the Nebraska defense. In the end, Texas walks away the victor and makes it unnecessary to spend all day Sunday making calculations as to who will be in the National Championship Game.

5) The ACC Championship Game – No. 10 Georgia Tech vs. Clemson – 8:00 on ESPN in Tampa.

Coming into last week, I didn’t think Clemson would have any issues with Georgia Tech. Then, the South Carolina game happened and it gave me pause. The pause turned to outright bewilderment when GT lost to Georgia. Definitely not the way you want to head into your conference championship game.

I want to get two names out of the way early. C.J. Spiller and Jonathan Dwyer. There, I said it. The Georgia Tech offense is sort of like the poor man’s Oregon offense. They have a great option offense and can beat you about a hundred different ways with the run. The issue is that Josh Nesbitt can’t throw and isn’t trusted to throw.

For Clemson, C.J. Spiller seems to overshadow a moderately good passing attack lead by the freshman Kyle Parker. The speedster Jacoby Ford may be his main target, but he can spread the ball around when he has time. My only problem with Spiller is he seems to disappear at times.

Defense will play the difference maker in this one. Clemson needs to stop the option and GT needs to pressure Parker. If they both can do that, we get another nail-biter that has become commonplace in this series. However, this time, Clemson comes out on top.

6) Arizona at No. 18 USC – 3:30 on ABC

Question: If USC and Oklahoma both finish the season out of the top 25, does the world come to an end? God I hope not. Don’t blame me; I always thought Mustain should be the USC starting quarterback.

Extra Point:

7) I’m going to use the last extra point of the regular season for a quick shout-out to the only game next week. The Army-Navy Game next Saturday at 2:30 on CBS. These teams may not have a single future NFL player on them, but they will all serve a higher purpose in our Armed Forces. So, to them I say thank you for the future defense of our country. I’ll see you all real soon for the Bowl previews and my post-season awards.

Trent's Touchdown - Week 12

2009-11-20T13:28:00.000-08:00

With births to conference championship games and outright claims to the top spots in other conferences on the line, Week 12 looks like a winner. So, let’s skip the preamble and get right to the games.

1) No. 10 Ohio State at Michigan – 12:00 on ABC

While this one looks like a cakewalk for Ohio State, this one gives me pause. As much as I hate it when people say that records don’t matter in rivalry games, this one transcends the records. Both have something to play for, just one is more important than the other.

Ohio State is playing for the outright championship of the Big Ten and, more importantly, respect. Yes, they are going to the Rose Bowl, but no one thinks they can beat any Pac-10 team. They are a team being carried by their defense. Every Buckeye fan out there, while not admitting it, just hopes that Terrelle Pryor doesn’t do anything stupid when he has his hands on the ball. I mean, look at the series they played in the OT win against Iowa, three straight dives into the heart of the line. Yes, Tressel really trusts Pryor.

Michigan is playing to get out of the cellar of the Big Ten and, most probably, for Rich Rodriguez’s job. After starting 4-0, they have gotten smacked around by all comers, wining only one of their last seven games. I like Tate Forcier and I like the enthusiasm of the team, but Michigan still makes dumb mistakes. I think Rodriguez really needs to take the training wheel’s off here and just let Forcier air it out. They have nothing to lose.

Michigan has played well at home all year, so they can keep it close. I just think the Ohio State defense is too good for Michigan. Ohio State wins this one, while I get deluged with “Ohio State is for real” stories before they douse their drawers against Oregon in the Rose Bowl.

2) No. 11 Oregon at Arizona – 8:00 on ABC

Speaking of Oregon, they get to take one more step to securing the Pac-10. Personally, I like Stanford, but the Duchess like Oregon. As any married man knows, the secret to a successful marriage is to always listen to your wife.

Anyhow, the Oregon offense is pretty simple to figure out. It’s run, run, run, and then beat you with the play action pass. It’s just a question of stopping it. I don’t know why they bothered to reinstate LeGarrette Blount, since LaMichael James is one of the better running backs in the nation. Look for the Ducks to keep doing what they do.

Arizona is in a very good spot. They win out and they go to the Rose Bowl. However, they need to stay consistent on offense, something they couldn’t do against Cal last week. The problem is there is a big question mark at running back, as Nic Grigsby has a bit of a shoulder problem.

While Arizona is undefeated at home, they really haven’t had any quality wins (minus Stanford). Oregon knows how to get up for the big games and they know just how important this one is. I think they go into Arizona and win it, but Arizona sticks around for most of the game.

3) No. 25 California at No. 17 Stanford – 7:30 on Versus

Talk about two teams on two different sides of the spectrum. Cal has absolutely no quality wins, while Stanford slapped around USC and Oregon in back to back weeks. God I love Stanford right now.

The blue-collar Stanford Cardinals are showing they are not a team to be taken lightly. They also know how to go for the kill when they have the shot, going for a two-point conversion up 27 in the fourth quarter against USC. Andrew Luck keeps plugging along, knowing the offense doesn’t rest on his shoulders. All he needs to do is get the ball to Toby Gerhart and he is all set. They have a competent defense that doesn’t get lit up, so they are all good.

Cal is one team I don’t understand. They can’t beat a good team, yet they keep getting into the top 25. Their best player is on the sideline after nearly killing himself trying to get into the end zone. We’ll be lucky if we Jahvid Best before the opening game next year. Shane Vereen is an admirable back up, but he isn’t Best. Pardon the pun, but Best is Cal’s best shot at winning.

Stanford wins this one, by doing what they always do. I don’t even think Cal keeps it close, but it’s worth watching just to see Stanford dismantle another team and keep their hopes of a Pac-10 Championship alive.

4) Virginia at No. 23 Clemson – 3:30 on ABC

I’ll admit it; this is pure and utter homerism (even if I’ve never been to South Carolina or know anyone who has been there). This is the game every Clemson fan has been waiting for since 1991. Well, technically, that would be in 2 weeks against Georgia Tech, but they need to beat Virginia first.

Let’s forget about the Virginia offense completely. They can’t move the ball against a high school team, and Clemson is one of the better defenses in the country, leading the nation in interceptions. This game hinges on the ability of C.J. Spiller making plays and giving Kyle Parker piece of mind that the game isn’t on his shoulders. Throw in a big play by Jacoby Ford and you pretty much have yourself a victory.

It’ll be fun to watch for about two and a half quarters, which is usually where Clemson decides they’ve had enough and decide to just win it and be done with it.

5) No. 8 LSU at Mississippi – 3:30 on CBS

Remember when everyone (including me) was saying how Jevan Sneed was for real? That was 14 interceptions ago. However, out of the limelight, Ole Miss has been able to put together a fairly good record.

If I was a LSU fan, I wouldn’t be sure if I was more scared of Jefferson or Lee starting at quarterback. Listen, I could go into some spiel about how LSU needs to work the run, but it’s all a lie. This game will come down to the LSU defense stopping Dexter McCluster. If they do that, they put the game in Sneed’s hands and as scary as that sounded at the beginning of the season, it would make me downright giddy now.

LSU wins this, but the game is ugly in the fact that it turns into a defensive struggle. LSU just needs to pray that if Lee does start, that he doesn’t make too many mistakes.

6) Harvard at Yale – 12:00 on Versus

Come on people, this is The Game. The Game! Basically, it’s an excuse for the alumni of two Ivy League schools to drink all weekend, but that’s a whole different story.

Extra Point:

7) Let me throw in my two cents about the Mark Mangino debacle at Kansas. I want to preface this by saying that we don’t know all the evidence and I don’t want to come off like an idiot like Obama and the whole Gates incident. Also, I’ve always liked Kansas because of their underdog status.

That being said, if this is true, this is the weirdest thing I’ve heard in a while, but not completely shocking. With the amount of control coaches have over players in college football, something like this was bound to happen. If this was one or two players, you can write it off as sour grapes, but this is a whole host of players with similar stories.

This doesn’t just affect Mangino though. This will affect his assistant coaches and coordinators, not to mention the legacy of Bill Snyder at Kansas State. There is a fine line between hard-nosed disciplinarian and out of control behavior. No matter the outcome, Mangino is toxic after this. No team is going to touch him. If he did cross the line, let’s hope he learned his lesson.

Trent's Touchdown - Week 11

2009-11-13T09:39:00.000-08:00

I think I just realized last weekend that we are getting to the end of the season. This has been one wacky season so far, and it’s only going to get wackier. There are three teams right now vying for the rights to upset the BCS apple cart and it brings nothing but enjoyment for those of us who love college football, but more on that later. Now, on to the Touchdown.

1) No. 25 West Virginia at No. 5 Cincinnati – 8:00 on ESPN2 (Friday)

The devil is getting fitted for ice skates, because Cincinnati is in the top spot of this week’s Touchdown. Cincinnati is looking to make a case for the BCS National Championship Game, but they need to get out to the Big East unscathed. The first of two big tests is against WVU.

Cincy has the problem that Oklahoma fans wish they had, a back-up quarterback just as good as the starter. After gunslinger Tony Pike went down with injury, Zach Collaros stepped in and the Cincy offense didn’t miss a step. They are one of the most prolific offenses in the country and run a no huddle, spread offense. As of now, Collaros is getting the start, but Pike should see some time as he is still not 100%.

On the other side of the ball, WVU isn’t as lucky with the injuries. Both superstar running back Noel Devine and quarterback Jarrett Brown went down with injuries in last week’s game and it’s still questionable on what role, if any, both will play. WVU needs a good defensive effort against the high-powered Cincy offense. Unfortunately, the WVU pass defense is a little sketchy (that’s a nice way of saying they’ll get lit up like a Christmas tree).

Cincy won’t miss a beat and pull away with this one. They have a knack for keeping games closer than they should be, so expect WVU to hang around for a while.

2) No. 10 Iowa at No. 11 Ohio State – 3:30 on ABC

You know, if Ricky Stanzi hadn’t gotten injured and if Iowa had beaten Northwestern, this game would have been a lot more interesting. Anyway, welcome to the Big Ten Championship Game.

Iowa had been playing with fire all season, needing to come back in all but one game this season. However, they were able to toughen up on defense, get good plays on special teams, and lean heavily on Stanzi at critical times and pull out wins. However, with Stanzi out, the load falls on freshman James Vandenberg. After seeing him in the second half of the Northwestern game, he looked more like Landry Jones than Zach Collaros. Not good if you are an Iowa fan.

Ohio State, on the other hand, seems to have found their rhythm. Offensively, they have gotten more consistent play out of Pryor, which the Buckeyes need to win. However, this team will win or lose based on the defense. Everyone knows that the Buckeye offense isn’t going to blow the doors off anyone, so the defense is going to shoulder the load.

If Stanzi were in, even if they lost to Northwestern, I would have picked Iowa. Unfortunately, Vandenberg is an unknown quantity facing a very good Ohio State defense. Iowa goes down early but won’t be able to pull off the comeback.

3) No. 16 Utah at No. 4 TCU – 7:30 on CBS College Sports Network

You want to see the first non-BCS conference team to reach the National Championship Game, scour your TV Guide for the listing on this one. However, let’s not give this one to TCU just yet.

TCU has actually beaten some relatively good opponents, winning road games against Clemson, Air Force, and BYU. Now they get to beat an untested Utah team who has only lost to Oregon. TCU has a vaunted running game, in which any number of players can get their hands on the ball and make an opposing defense look foolish. However, they are a well-balanced offense that can hurt you through the air when needed.

Utah, conversely, has been having troubles of late moving the ball and even switched up quarterbacks to help things along. Look for running back Eddie Wide to carry the load for the Utes, trying to establish a running game to take the pressure off the quarterback.

I think TCU takes this one and more and more people start whispering about this BCS buster.

4) Stanford at No. 9 USC – 3:30 on Fox Sports

Part of me wants to watch this game just so I can try and figure out how the hell Stanford beat a surging Oregon team last week. As for USC, Pete Carroll can pull a happier version of Michael Corleone quote “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.”

If last week was any indication, USC is going to have issues with Stanford. USC barely put away a struggling Arizona State team and were lucky to get the win. I think we all know where the struggles originate. I hate to keep picking on Matt Barkley, but he is having issues running an offense that has one of the best running backs in the Pac-10 and the best wide receiver in the Pac-10. The defense is this team’s saving grace and they have issues containing good offenses.

Stanford has one of the best offenses in the Pac 10. Andrew Luck is everything that Carroll hoped Barkley would be when he decided to start a freshman at quarterback. He brings an enthusiasm and leadership to the Stanford offense. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have the Pac-10’s best running back helping you out. Toby Gerhart absolutely embarrassed the Oregon defense last week.

USC ends their home winning streak against the team they last lost to at home. Stanford will win and finally knock USC out of the Pac 10 race. Of course, it’s USC, so talent alone will keep the game close.

5) No. 1 Florida at South Carolina – 3:30 on CBS

If you are a degenerate gambler, you look at the line on this one (Florida +18) and say “let’s rock and roll.” I mean, Florida is the number 1 team in the country and South Carolina is fading fast. But let’s not notch a win for Florida just yet.

Let’s be straight about one thing, Florida has been having issues on the offensive side of the ball. This is not the same Florida team from last year that could move the ball at will and Tebow has been looking decidedly human lately. The reason they keep winning is because they don’t make too many mistakes on offense and they have a very good defense. That should be enough to get them through most games.

It should be enough to get them through this game as well. As much as I moderately like Stephen Garcia, I don’t think he can carry his team past the Florida defense. Florida will win, but South Carolina has a knack for keeping it close.

6) Notre Dame at No. 12 Pittsburgh – 8:00 on ABC

I just want to watch this just to see when the defense of Notre Dame will mess up, costing them the game. I think it’ll happen sometime in the early 4th quarter, but that’s really just wishful thinking.

Extra Point:

What are the chances of seeing Cincinnati, TCU, or Boise State (if they all stay undefeated) in the National Championship Game? This isn’t a new twist on my rant a few weeks ago about a playoff system. I’m just really curious on the possibilities.

First, you would need two of the top three to lose. Well, we know for a fact that Alabama or Florida will have one loss. There is a possibility that it could happen, but is that enough. Let’s say, for the sake of argument that Alabama loses a close game on the road to Auburn, but then beats up on Florida in the SEC Championship Game. Does that guarantee that the one of the undefeated teams takes the place of Alabama?

Do the voters and computers give Cincy, TCU, and Boise State credit for going undefeated, even though their schedules were not as tough as that of Alabama? Even if one of them does get to the number 2 spot, which one is it? They all have their arguments to make.

I think clearly it would be Cincy, which would have quality wins over WVU at home and Pitt on the road. Plus, they are in a BCS conference (seriously, the Big East is a BCS conference). I think that the BCS is just hoping for all three teams to lose to make it simple. I mean, Cincy could lose to Pitt and/or WVU. TCU could lose to Utah. The Boise State team bus could get struck by lightning. All are possibilities. Then again, it wouldn’t be a college football season without some controversy.

Trent's Field Goal - Week 10

2009-11-06T10:05:00.000-08:00

While it looks like the Pac-10 was decided last week, the SEC, Big 10, and ACC all have games that will heavily impact their conference outcomes. Just so you know, I’m refusing to put Iowa on this week’s list. They will keep it close, just enough to draw you in, before they let hellfire rain down on Northwestern to make the end no where near as exciting as the beginning.

As an aside, due to graduate school application time, this week’s Touchdown gets downgraded to a Field Goal. Hey, we can’t get six every time.

1) No. 9 LSU at No. 3 Alabama – 3:30 on CBS

If you’re not excited about this game, you need to check yourself into the morgue, because your heart has stopped beating. This top 10 showdown will pretty much decide the winner of the SEC West. Not only that, it has National Championship implications.

While everyone will tell you that the defense is the key here, I’m going to go a different route. This game hinges on the running game of both teams. In my mind, Mark Ingram is the best running back in the country. The kid is a force to be reckoned with and has run past, over, and through all comers. If he can gain positive yards against the LSU defense, that takes pressure off Greg McElroy so he can do his thing and pass the ball down the field.

For LSU, Charles Scott needs to have a good game. Jordan Jefferson may be getting better with each game, but this isn’t the Tulane defense he’s facing. Scott needs to be able to establish a consistent running attack, which will allow Jefferson to use play action and his natural scrambling ability to attack the Alabama defense.

That all said, these are two of the best defenses in the nation. It’s a distinct possibility that both Scott and Ingram will have tough games. The question you have ask yourself then is which quarterback to you trust to exploit any possible mistake made by the opposing defense, Jefferson or McElroy?

Yeah, that’s what I thought. That is why I’m picking Alabama to win, but it’ll be close and low scoring.

2) No. 16 Ohio State at No. 11 Penn State – 3:30 on ABC

If you had told me at the beginning of the season that this game would decide the Big Ten, I would have agreed whole-heartedly. Too bad Iowa controls what happens in the Big Ten. These two could be playing for number 2.

When you really look at Ohio State, you start to understand their problems (even if the pollsters don’t). They are always going to have the great defense, which will keep them in every game. The problem is their whole offense revolves around the quarterback. That’s not bad thing if you have a good quarterback. Too bad Ohio State has Terrelle Pryor. If you contain Pryor and don’t over-pursue, you can win.

Penn State, on the other hand, has a more balanced attack led by Daryll Clark. Clark is the type of quarterback Pryor wishes he was. He leaves the running to Evan Royster, one of the better running backs in the Big Ten. Like Ohio State, they have a very good defense that keeps them in most games and can bail out the offense when needed. Clark and the offense just don’t need it as much as Ohio State.

That, coupled with the fact that the game is at Penn State, is the reason the Nittany Lions win this game. It’ll stay close because of the two good defenses, but Clark will lead a drive late to seal the deal.

3) Florida State at Clemson – 7:45 on ESPN

With no Tommy Bowden, this isn’t the annual Bowden Bowl anymore, but there are still plenty of reasons to be excited about this ACC match-up. While FSU would need some help, Clemson is in the driver’s seat on the road to the ACC Championship Game.

In past years when Clemson has been in this situation, they always found ways to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. However, it seems to be a whole new atmosphere in Clemson, where anything is possible. Who knew a head coach and offensive coordinator coming to blows would spark a team to a string of victories?

I’m going to write the most obvious statement in the history of my columns and say that game depends on what C.J. Spiller does. He needs to be the triple threat that he is more than capable of being. While I said earlier that Ingram is the best running back in the country, Spiller is the best all around player in the country. Clemson will need consistent play out of the freshman quarterback Kyle Parker. He needs to have a higher completion percentage that his season average and needs to keep possession of the ball.

FSU has been a weird team all year. Let’s look at it. They lose a close one to Miami, go down to the wire against Jacksonville State, then blow the doors off of BYU, before losing three straight. However, they are on a two game conference win streak, but only one both games by 3 points each.

FSU’s only shot at winning this is to defensively key on Spiller. They need to make sure they know where Spiller is at all times and swarm to him. They need to let Parker beat them with his arm. Unfortunately, Jacoby Ford will blow by one-on-one coverage and Parker can hit him with the deep ball. If Spiller is contained, it’ll stay close, but Clemson will pull it out in the end.

Trent's Touchdown - Week 9

2009-10-30T08:03:00.000-07:00

Well, I’m rest and back from Puerto Rico and ready to run down this week’s games. Thankfully the Duchess was tired after our trip to Old San Juan so I got to watch the ends of the Alabama/Tennessee and Miami/Clemson games. Even when I go away, the games stay crazy. Hopefully, it’ll be just as exciting this weekend. Anyway, on to the Touchdown.

1) No. 5 USC at No. 10 Oregon – 8:00 on ABC

Unless something weird happens (which is a distinct possibility) this game will decide the Pac-10 champion. If you told me after week 1 that this game would be this big, I would tell you that maybe it’s time to stop sniffing glue.

Oregon has been completely locked in since the infamous Boise State game. Jeremiah Masoli leads the high powered Oregon offense and is suffering no ill effects of the knee injury that sidelined him two weeks ago. The USC defense, which has struggled as of late, will have issues trying to contain Masoli.

On the other side, USC has looked a little shaky all season, with the loss to Washington and the narrow victory against Notre Dame. Freshman QB Matt Barkley makes dumb mistakes, which is going to cause headaches against a ball-hawking Oregon defense. Expect to see USC try and establish the run to try and ease Barkley into the game.

I cannot, in good conscience, pick USC in this one. All signs point to an Oregon win. Oregon is good on both sides of the ball and USC can go long stretches without looking like a patented USC team. I think the home crowd leads Oregon to victory, but the USC defense finally steps up and makes it close.

2) No. 3 Texas at No. 14 Oklahoma State – 8:00 on ABC

I’m not sure if this is going to be one of those Texas games where they blow the doors off the opponent or where they struggle before sealing the deal late and you chastise yourself for every worrying about the outcome.

I like Texas. They are a flawed team, but no one seems to know how to exploit it. The flaw is really Colt McCoy. God love the kid, but he can get lazy and unfocused at times. That interception near the end against Oklahoma was horrible. The sad thing was that I saw it coming from a mile away (as did the DB). Thankfully for him, he has a great defense saving his hide.

Don’t laugh at this next statement, but Oklahoma State is a better team without Dez Bryant. I said don’t laugh! His suspension forces Zac Robinson to step up and make plays without his binky. He now has to spread the ball around, making it tough for defenses to key in on any one receiver. Of course, it makes it easier for defenses to stop the run, but that’s not the point.

I think Texas lets the game stay interesting for a little bit, then kicks it into that other gear and takes Oklahoma State behind the woodshed.

3) No. 1 Florida vs. Georgia (in Jacksonville) – 3:30 on CBS

The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party is back for this year’s edition. Yet another reason for people to take a week off and get drunk. Like you need an excuse.

Florida has been having some trouble of late, ever since Tebow came back from the concussion. His passing efficiency has gone down while his interceptions have gone up. If it hadn’t been for Demps and timely plays by the defense, they might be in trouble.

Georgia, on the other hand, has floundered against good teams. While Joe Cox is a good game manager, he isn’t Matt Stafford, and that is what they need. They are coming off a bye week that was preceded by a win against a JV team (Vandy). Plus, the defense for Georgia is horrible, and that’s an understatement. This may be what Tebow needs to get back on track.

I think Florida needs a loss to get them back into the swing of things, much like last year. However, this isn’t the game they lose. It will stay close if Tebow decides to be the quarterback he’s been the last few weeks, instead of the one of the last few years.

4) No. 19 Miami at Wake Forest – 3:30 on ABC

Give me one second to gloat. Both of these teams lost to Clemson. That puts a smile on my face. While both teams need a lot of help to reach the ACC Championship Game, I think this one could be interesting.

Miami will be without four players for this game, most importantly leading rusher Javarris James. The fate of the Miami offense now rests on the unsteady shoulders of Jacory Harris. I’m not saying Harris is bad; I just don’t want to have to trust him. The one thing Miami has going for them right now is the defense, and that’s not a good thing.

Wake Forest has lost two straight, both on the road against Clemson and Navy. The reason for the two losses is solely because Riley Skinner couldn’t get it done. If you have a pass oriented offense, you sort of need your quarterback to produce. Skinner needs to break out to give Wake a chance.

I think Skinner does break out of the rut and keeps Wake Forest close, but Miami pulls it out in the end.

5) No. 22 South Carolina at Tennessee – 7:45 on ESPN

While this game may not be pretty, it should be close. Both teams are coming off close games, with SC barely getting by Vandy at home and Tennessee’s devastating loss to Alabama (two blocked field goals!).

Tennessee actually has a very competent offense, led by the surprising Jonathan Crompton. In year’s past, I would have made a joke about Crompton’s abilities, but he is actually doing quite well this year. The team is balanced out by a very good defense that is led by one of the best safety’s in the country, Eric Berry.

South Carolina hasn’t been flashy, but they’ve been winning and that’s the important thing. Stephen Garcia, like his Tennessee counterpart, is also quite competent at running the SC offense. He won’t wow you, but he won’t kill you either. They also have one of the best pass defenses in the league, which will be more than willing to frustrate Crompton.

South Carolina seems to have problems on the road and I think those problems will continue this week. Tennessee won’t have to worry about blocked field goals and pull out a close one.

6) No. 8 Cincinnati at Syracuse – 12:00 on ESPNU

Come on; watch the undefeated team that no one is talking about. They could easily backdoor their way into the National Championship Game, so jump on the bandwagon now.

Extra Point:

7) Seven. Count them up. There are seven undefeated teams out there right now, each one with a rightful claim that if they can win out they deserve to be in the National Championship Game. Now, you, me, and Dupree all know that if everyone wins out, the winner of the SEC Championship Game and Texas will be playing in that game. But is it right?

Minus the Big East apple polishers, I think we can all agree that a one loss Alabama team is better than an undefeated Cincinnati team (and I like Cincinnati!). However, doesn’t Cincinnati deserve to be in the discussion? Do they get sidelined because of the perceived weakness of the Big East?

For the sake of argument, let’s say we end the season with the undefeated teams of Texas, Alabama, Iowa, and Cincinnati. Why do we have to sideline Iowa and Cincinnati? Are they being dismissed not because of their conference, but because of who they are?

We always seem to reward one loss teams like USC, but are more than willing to discount undefeated teams like Iowa and Cincinnati. How does USC get ranked than 3 undefeated teams, one of them being in a BCS conference? This is the same USC team that doused their drawers against a Washington team that was winless last year.

Here’s the thing, if we end up with multiple undefeated teams, the dreaded P word is going to start popping up again. However, without a playoff, there is no clear way to decide which team is more deserving than others. Hell, most of the computer polls have Iowa as the number 1 team in the country.

The BCS is good at one thing, creating controversy. I think it would be almost fairer to have all the coaches of the teams with an argument to have a big rock, paper, scissors tournament to see which two teams play in the National Championship Game. Of course, Pete Carroll looks like the kind of guy who thinks nothing beats rock, but that’s a whole other discussion.

Trent's Touchdown - Week 7

2009-10-16T08:36:00.000-07:00

If there was anything strange about last weekend’s games, it was the fact that there was no major upset. Yet, we got a nice little shake-up in the polls, but more on this later. This week we actually get a slate of games at all times that look fun to watch, unlike last week’s snooze-fest. They can’t all be winners. Anyway, on to the Touchdown.

1) No. 20 Oklahoma vs. No. 3 Texas (in Dallas) – 12:00 on ABC

The one game everyone has been waiting to watch since both Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy decided to come back for another year. Last year on my Honeymoon, I won some nice scratch beating on Texas, but this year I’m not in a place with legalized sports gambling or have that much confidence in Texas.

Last year, Texas was a flawed team but had big play capability when it was needed. The problem this year is they almost want to win with a degree of difficulty. It’s almost like McCoy needs a reason to get into that game.

Texas/Colorado should have been a cakewalk but it drew me in because it was so close. McCoy didn’t seem to get into the game until he realized his team was trailing then decided to light it up. You know, that’s fine against Colorado or Texas Tech, but you can’t pull that crap against Oklahoma.

As much as I don’t like Oklahoma, I have to say they are a scary good team that lost two road games against two underrated teams. While Bradford is still coming back from injury, they will need to rely on their defense, one of the best in the country. If McCoy gets off to another slow start, Oklahoma will make him pay.

The problem that Oklahoma has is that Mack Brown will have whipped his team up into a frenzy by the time this one starts. Texas won’t start slow and they will have their eyes firmly set on their opponent. Texas wins, but as always, it’s entertaining and close.

2) No. 6 USC at No. 25 Notre Dame – 3:30 on NBC

I may have made a joke last week about Notre Dame vs. the Bye week, but this game has real potential. This is probably the first time I’ve been truly excited about this rivalry since the Brady Quinn/Matt Leinhart duel where Bush pushed Leinhart into the end zone at the end to win if for USC.

Notre Dame has been weird this year. I mean, they are 4-1, but if you watched any of their games, they could easily be 5-0 or 1-4, as they’ve shown signs of either being a top-flight program or last years putrid mess…all in the same game. Jimmy Clausen is finally showing signs of why he was a high ranked prospect coming out of high school. The problem, as always, is the defense. While they will get the lucky pick in key places, they are not exactly consistent.

As for USC, their stumble against Washington is the only blemish on their record (which includes the thriller in Columbus). There defense is one of the best in the nation and a team needs to take their shots when they have the chance. What I’m going to say here is going to make many USC fans scream, if only for the fact that they know I’m right. The Achilles’ heal of USC is the offense.

Don’t get me wrong, I think Williams is one of the best receivers in the country and McKnight is scary when he’s carrying the ball. I don’t trust Matt Barkley, I just don’t. He starts off too slow, he make freshmen mistakes, and he’s too cookie cutter for me.

In a shocker, Notre Dame wins this game. They win it like they always do, by falling ass backwards into a game clinching interception during a USC drive that could give them the victory.

3) No. 4 Virginia Tech at No. 19 Georgia Tech – 6:00 on ESPN2

Well, this is the last hurdle between Virginia Tech and the Orange Bowl, because no other team in the ACC has the ability to challenge Virginia Tech in the slightest way. I’ve really come around on VT.

Georgia Tech was a lot of people’s trendy pick to end VT’s dominance of the Coastal Division, with good reason. The triple option offense that turned people’s heads last year was back and still had the run threat of Jonathan Dwyer. However, as Clemson and Miami proved, if you can take away the run, the offense sputters with Josh Nesbitt at the helm.

If there is any defense that can stifle the GT running game, it is VT. The VT defense is fast and nasty. And once the ball is in the offense’s hands, VT and Tyrod Taylor know how to find the end zone. The GT defense won’t be able to keep up with Taylor or the Hokie running game.

Georgia Tech isn’t the type of team to give up, so they won’t pack it in while VT is kicking their teeth down their throats. I expect this one to be will in hand soon after halftime.

4) No. 22 South Carolina at No. 2 Alabama – 7:45 on ESPN

Everything tells me this is going to be a blowout. Everything I’ve seen from both of these teams tells me that Alabama should have this won by the time the coin flip ends. However, if watch college football all these years has taught me anything, it’s that anything can happen in the whacky SEC.

The defense for both Alabama and South Carolina are disgustingly good. They both made Jevan Snead look unfit to play QB for a Pop Warner team. They both capitalize on mistakes and can stop both the run and pass. This game won’t come down to the defense.

It comes down to the offense. Greg McElroy is a better game manager for Alabama. Plus, to be honest, Mark Ingram is a freak of nature at running back. I think the only defense that has a chance of stopping him would be the Florida defense. Alabama will use him to pound it down the throats of the SC defense and then open it up for the play action pass.

South Carolina will keep it close for a time, but in the end, Alabama wins and makes it look a lot easier than it actually was. I will say this now; I think Alabama is the only team that can go undefeated.

5) Texas Tech at No. 15 Nebraska – 3:30 on ABC

Even a year later, I still have a soft spot for the magical run by Texas Tech, you know, before the wheels came flying off against Oklahoma and Ole Miss. This game is definitely going to be interesting.

The main problem Nebraska will face on Saturday is moving the ball. They need to get a consistent and methodically performance from their offense. It will keep the high powered Tech offense off the field, gain confidence for Zac Lee, and will let Nebraska set the tempo of the game. Nebraska has the best defense in the Big 12, so expect them to actually stop the Tech offense every once in a while.

However, that is easier said than done, as Tech is near the best in the country in most every team offensive category. It looks as if Steven Sheffield will start at QB as Taylor Potts may be unavailable due to a concussion. Don’t worry Tech fans, Sheffield proved last week that he can throw it all over the field just like Potts.

To win, Nebraska is going to need to shut down the Tech offense more times than I think possible. Nebraska can’t let this thing become a shoot-out, because you can’t out-duel the Red Raiders. Texas Tech goes into Lincoln and pulls out the victory, but its close.

6) UAB at Mississippi – 7:00 on ESPN360

I put the over/under on the number of interceptions thrown by Jevan Snead in this game at 3, while Mel Kiper decides that maybe he doesn’t need video of Snead for NFL draft coverage this year.

Extra Point:

7) If I wanted to, I could make the extra point a scathing review of the horrible poll system every week. However, I try and minimize it to a few times a year. Welcome to the first installment this year.

Now, I like Alabama, I truly do. I think they are a better team than Texas. However, since Texas has been ranked ahead of Alabama all year and since both teams won on Saturday, shouldn’t that mean the status quo is in effect? Have we gone back to the days when teams have to get style points to wow the pollsters?

Listen, I was as shocked as everyone that Texas had issues with Colorado, but they still won the game. Did Texas need to utterly humiliate Colorado to stay at number 2? How many points would they have had to win by to keep their position in the polls? Do we start using the point spread as a barometer? Seriously, that’s only relevant to degenerate gamblers as it is a by-product of the gambling community.

Are we going to hit a point where Texas is blowing out Baylor, but Mack Brown keeps McCoy out there because the pollsters don’t feel that’s enough? When are pollsters going to wake up and realize that the win is the most important thing, not how you got there or in what style you did it?

That all said, Alabama definitely belongs at number 2. Roll Tide!!!

As a programming note, there will be no Touchdown next week. I’ll be in Puerto Rico for a wedding.

Trent's Touchdown - Week 6

2009-10-09T05:38:00.000-07:00

Unlike past weeks, there were no major upsets last weekend. Color me shocked, as I figure Boise State would be residing in the number 4 spot right about now. Of course, we come into a weekend that would have looked great around week 2, but seems to have lost some of its luster now. More on this later. Now, on to the Touchdown.

1) No. 1 Florida at No. 4 LSU – 8:00 on CBS

You know, two weeks ago I would have figured this would have been a laugher, complete with Les Miles curling up in the fetal position at midfield for every Florida fans enjoyment. Oh the changes we’ve seen in those two weeks.

Most important was the shot to the head that Tebow took in the Kentucky game, leaving him questionable for this game. This means that John Brantley and his college career of 58 pass attempts might get to lead the defending National Champions into one of the harshest opposing stadiums in college football.

I think there is something else important at play here. With all the upsets of week 4, LSU catapulted to 4th and everyone promptly dismissed them (myself included). We figured the pretenders would be vanquished by Georgia and all would be right with the world (minus Boise State moving to the number 4 spot). However, LSU proved themselves worthy of the spot, by beating Georgia.

Even if Tebow starts, he won’t be at 100% and probably won’t be carrying the ball as much. With that, this game comes down to the team that can stop the run. Both teams have very good defenses, yet LSU relies on their defense to keep games close for their anemic offense.

Florida only needs a few chances and their run game can with this for them. I think they beat LSU but it’s going to be a lot closer than anyone will be comfortable with.

2) No. 3 Alabama at No. 20 Mississippi – 3:30 on CBS

The two teams are going in two opposite directions. Alabama is the best team not from Florida or Texas and have been beating every opponent silly. Ole Miss, on the other hand, lost to South Carolina and had issues against Vandy. Bama is not the team you want to face when you are having issues.

Over the last two games, we’ve learned by Mack Brown picked Colt McCoy over Jevan Snead. Against South Carolina, he couldn’t complete a pass. Against Vandy, he completed them, just to the other team. Ole Miss is a dangerous team because they have one of the best defenses in the nation. If the offense starts to click again, you better watch out.

Alabama just seems like a team willing to crush everyone in their path. They can beat you by running and passing the ball on offense. The defense is pure Saban, nasty and smart. Teams can’t sit back and wait for the Alabama defense to make a mistake.

If Jevan Snead gets back on track, this game could be very good. If his struggles continue, it’ll be a long game for Ole Miss. Unfortunately for Ole Miss fans, you can’t work out your problems against a team like Alabama. Alabama wins it. Roll Tide!

3) Michigan at No. 12 Iowa – 8:05 on ABC

Just when I jump on the Michigan bandwagon, they lose. Granted, I pretty much predicted they would lose, but that’s not the point. You know what this means? It means that if you are a LSU fan, you should be making hotel reservations in Pasadena.

This game really is a toss-up. Michigan has a really good, but young team. Nearly every game has been close, which either means they have trouble putting away teams or really are a middle of the road team making the best with what they have. Forcier is an extremely talented QB who has a great future in front of him.

Iowa needs to keep doing what they have been doing, which is play strong defense and serviceable offense. Stanzi needs to keep the ball out of the hands of the Michigan secondary. While a team like Arkansas State can’t capitalize on those mistakes, Michigan can.

In a close game, the Iowa home field crowd, experience, and coaching will make this a win for Iowa.

4) No. 13 Oregon at UCLA – 3:30 on ABC

I asked the Duchess which game I should put at number 4 and she said “Ducks”, so here we go. Actually, it’s a pretty good pick for someone’s whose college football knowledge comes exclusively from reading the Touchdown.

After Oregon’s disastrous opening game that would have sent lesser teams into a tail spin, they’ve ripped off 4 straight victories and are suddenly the team to beat in the Pac 10. The only question for this game is if Jeremiah Masoli will be able to play, after his knee injury against the practice squad….er, I mean, Washington State.

UCLA has been impressive so far this season, but are hoping to bounce back after last week’s loss to Stanford. They are going to need all hands on deck, so they better be praying to whatever deity to get back safety Rahim Moore, who suffered a concussion last week. He will help immensely in trying to slow down the Oregon passing attack.

However, with UCLA’s inability to move the ball through the air, it makes them pretty one dimensional. Like most good teams, Oregon can stop one dimensional teams. Oregon wins it and showcases why they are the best in the Pac 10.

5) Boston College at No. 5 Virginia Tech – 12:00 on ESPN360

I didn’t expect to be writing about this game, so it either means there is a lack of good games this week or BC is a little surprising. Seriously, the highlight of my day normally involves me giving crap to some BC fan. It’s not hard when you work in Boston.

Anyway, after the loss to Clemson, BC has been able to won back-to-back conference games, but they seem to have found some offensive rhythm. Competent QB play was the only thing holding them back from being a force to be reckoned with. If you add that in with the solid running game, BC should have no issues with moving the ball.

Virginia Tech, as always, is good on both sides of the ball. I have to say I’m most surprised at the offense, with Tyrod Taylor actually showing the ability to move the ball through the air. I just don’t understand this team. They beat up on Miami, but have issues putting away Duke.

I think the same thing happens here. BC sticks around for the whole game, but VT finally puts them away late to win it.

6) Notre Dame vs. the Bye Week

As per usual, ND makes some critical errors and bone-head plays, but somehow pulls this one out in the end.

Extra Point:

7) Once again, we visit one of my least favorite weeks in the college football season. It’s the “we’ll give you one or two interesting games, but the rest are crap” week. Unfortunately, the Duchess can spot these weekends and it becomes a shopping weekend.

The problem is that other then the LSU/Florida tilt, there is no real game I want to watch. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll watch what’s on and probably enjoy myself, but there isn’t any game that gets me excited. A cursory glance at next week and there are about 4 games I’m excited about.

I do admit that not every weekend can have classic match-ups. However, when you sandwich this in between week 5 (with the Georgia/LSU, Miami/Oklahoma, and USC/Cal games) and week 7 (RED RIVER SHOOTOUT), it gets tough to get excited about Oregon/UCLA. Don’t worry though, I will.

Trent's Touchdown - Week 5

2009-10-01T18:16:00.000-07:00

Another week, another handful of upsets and shake-ups in the polls. If I were a team in the top 10 and facing a marshmallow opponent, I would be very scared (I’m looking at you Cincinnati). While the football fan in me loves this, there are drawbacks, but more on this later. Now, on to the Touchdown.

1) No. 8 Oklahoma at No. 17 Miami – 8:00 on ABC

When the season started, I thought this game might be slightly interesting, with an up and coming Miami team facing a massively overrated Oklahoma team. Of course, all that was before the Sam Bradford injury, Oklahoma’s loss to BYU, and Miami running rough shod over the ACC also-rans before losing to Virginia Tech.

While Oklahoma fans are wetting themselves over blowout wins against powerhouses Tulsa and Idaho State, I don’t think you should start looking forward to the Red River Shootout in two weeks. I’ll say what I said a couple of weeks ago, Miami has the ability to key in on what you do best and eliminate it.

The problem last week is that as much as I don’t like Virginia Tech, they are pretty well balanced offensively and can survive by letting their defense and special teams win games for them. What Miami needs to do is key on Oklahoma’s running game, and put the game in the hands the QB.

The problem OU has is at the QB position. Landry Jones hasn’t really faced any tough competition. I think my old high school team would have put up a better fight than Idaho State. Can the freshman actually put together a good game against a good defense? I say no. After a tough game, Miami pulls it out, but barely.

2) No. 7 USC at No. 24 California – 8:00 on ABC

This is like the scheduling Gods are making up for what looked like a snoozer last week in prime time. Two good games that I have the misfortune of not being able to switch between,

This game really comes down to overcoming a loss. USC did it last week with a moderately impressive bounce back against Washington State. USC coming though against a relatively weak opponent is one thing, but Cal needs to come back from an absolute embarrassment handed to them by a team that pretty much threw in the towel after week 2.

Let’s be frank for a minute. USC is doing anything this year. They might be able to pull out the Pac 10 championship, but they aren’t going to be in the hunt for the National Championship. They need to rely on Joe McKnight and the defense.

For Cal, all you need to do is contain Jahvid Best and you’re all set. Oregon did it and made Cal look like a Pop Warner team. The problem is that USC and Cal will probably be 1-2 in the Pac-10. Pac-10 teams this year either have no talent (Washington St), need a year before they are ready (Washington), or have no discipline (Oregon).

As for this game, USC wins and does it with defense, though everyone will fall all over themselves to tell us how well Matt Barkley did.

3) No. 4 LSU at No. 18 Georgia – 3:30 on CBS

Tell me I’m not the only one who thinks that LSU is only 4th for lack of any other team they could put there. They barely escaped with road wins against Washington and Mississippi State. While I may be Washington water carrier, I know they are a limited team that is in a rebuilding year and Mississippi State is Mississippi State.

Georgia has gotten a bit of an unfair rap, but they tried to slug it out with a Big 12 team. You can’t get into a shootout with a high-flying Big 12 team. You need to let your speedy defense contain the offense while you play your game. I thought everyone learned this after Ole Miss dismantled Texas Tech and Florida beat up on Oklahoma last year.

LSU has been getting lucky on the road against opponents they should beat. While I may not like Georgia all that much, they are too good of a team to let LSU push them around. However, like most SEC match-ups between the middle of the pack teams, this one should be close, but Georgia wins it.

4) No. 22 Michigan at Michigan State – 12:00 on Big Ten Network

Laugh all you want, but Michigan State is 16 points away from being 4-0. While Michigan is 4-0, all their games have been played at home. Add into that the fact that super freshman Tate Forcier is coming off an injury; this could be an interesting game.

Michigan State needs to do the one thing they have failed to do all year, stop the passing game. Even if they do that, then they have to contend with the Michigan running game. While MSU is more than willing to let this dissolve into a shoot-out, they just don’t have the horses to win it by doing that.

MSU has one shot at this. They need to rattle Forcier early and they need to keep the crowd in it. This young Michigan team may get rattled by a hostile crowd and could buckle under the pressure MSU will surely try and put them under. I think Michigan pulls it off, but they probably let MSU hang around longer than they should.

5) No. 9 Ohio State at Indiana – 7:00 on Big Ten Network

I think Indiana is a lot better than people give them credit for, while Ohio State is overrated. Seriously, OSU gets Illinois last week and Terrelle Pryor looks like he would have trouble leading a high school team. Add on to that what Indiana did against Michigan on the road last week.

Indiana could have packed it in at any time and no one would have said a word about it. But they kept in the game and kept battling back and gave a big scare to the Wolverines. Beating OSU is fairly easy. Well, easy to plan, not exactly easy to implement.

Put the game in Pryor’s hands. Make him pass the ball. If Indiana can do that, they will be fine. Offensively, Indiana needs to play their game, take the shots when they come, and don’t do anything stupid. They beat Ohio State in yet another upset.

6) No. 21 Mississippi at Vanderbilt – 7:00 on ESPN U

I love how last week everyone was falling all over themselves praising Ole Miss and this week people are saying they need to look out for Vandy. Oh, the fickle winds of fate. Here’s a tip, if you have a talented team in the hands of Houston Nutt, you’re screwed.

Extra Point:

7) I’m taking the flip side of the coin and say this parity thing in college football is no good. How about we spread the upsets throughout the season instead of bludgeoning us about the head with them early in the season. If I were an Alabama fan, I would be wondering when McElroy’s knee was going to blow out.

The one thing about this parity thing that sucks is that I have to deal with these severely flawed teams moving into the top 5 or top 10. LSU is ranked 4th just because they are lucky enough not to have lost yet. Virginia Tech is ranked 6th and are the highest ranked 1 loss team. Seriously? I need some ACC team to wax VT so I don’t have to actively avoid the Orange Bowl again this year.

I think my main problem is that I have to deal with Oklahoma and Ohio State being back in the mix. I always feel like both teams are extremely overrated and become cannon fodder in the National Championship Game for whatever SEC school decides to win the conference. I just need to hope that Texas dispatches Oklahoma in a few weeks. I also need to stop using the Extra Point to rant against Oklahoma and Ohio State. Even if it is so much fun.

Trent's Touchdown - Week 3

2009-09-17T10:28:00.000-07:00

This may sound strange, but the freshman quarterback’s out there definitely showed some poise and resilience in Week 2. With Kyle Parker nearly leading Clemson back while on the road in Georgia Tech to both Matt Barkley and Tate Forcier leading their teams back in 4th quarter rallies to win, these freshmen are making an impact. Makes you wonder why upperclassmen can’t get it done. But more on this later. Now, on to the Touchdown.

1) Tennessee at No. 1 Florida – 3:30 on CBS

Everything in me tells me this is going to be a blow-out, but for some reason I can’t buy into it. For one thing, you have Lane Kiffin’s remarks about beating Florida and Urban Meyer’s recruiting practices. The last thing you want to do is give Florida any bulletin board material.

For a second thing, the Tennessee quarterback is Jonathan Crompton. I would say I don’t trust him, but that pretty much goes without saying seeing as he is the Tennessee QB. Maybe Vols fans can help me here, but I can’t remember a Tennessee QB that was ever trustworthy.

But if you look past all the pesky facts, you have to think this will be a hard fought game. Tennessee has the whole “nobody believes in us” thing going for them. Plus, minus the diarrhea of the mouth, Kiffin is a good coach. Add on to that that Florida has pretty much had extended practice the last two games, this could equal something exciting. The defending champs will win, but expect some interesting stuff.

2) No. 14 Georgia Tech at No. 20 Miami – 7:30 on ESPN on Sept 17

Am I the only one who thinks that it’s unfair that you have three good teams in the ACC Coastal Division vying for the title while the winner of the Atlantic Division will be whoever messes up the least? Okay, just wanted to make sure.

I, for one, am a little shocked that Miami has started their turnaround this early. They will have problems with well-rounded teams, but they are good at keying to the run and shutting it down.

GT loves to run the ball. I nearly spit out my beer when I saw Nesbitt’s passing numbers against Clemson last week. I seriously thought the folks in the stat’s area at ESPN were making a joke. Plus, GT seems to lack the ability to finish off teams. That Clemson game should have been over by the half.

Miami will need to spread the ball on offense and limit dumb mistakes. If they key on the GT running game, they should be able to stop it. Expect it to stay close, but Miami will pull away with this one to give them a leg up on the rest of the ACC.

3) No. 19 Nebraska at No. 13 Virginia Tech – 3:30 on ABC

Man, if I keep putting ACC teams on this list, people might actually think it’s a good conference. However, you need to give VT credit for the non-conference schedule.

However, this game comes down to defense. You have the really good defense of VT and the “could be good in the future” defense of Nebraska. Nebraska really needs to be able to stop the run on the first few series and they should be good, thanks to the need of Tyrod Taylor to prove to people that he can throw.

On offense, Nebraska needs to be able to have a balanced attack, but willing to attack via the air at will when the VT defense steps up and stops the run. The good thing for Nebraska is that VT has an offensive style consistent with the middle of the road teams in their own division, so they should be used to it. They win, but it’s nowhere near as close as the score will indicate.

4) No. 3 USC at Washington – 3:30 on ABC

Yeah, yeah, I know what you’re thinking, but I think this has the possibility to be the best game on Saturday. Of course, it could be another USC blow-out. But, let’s break this thing down.

USC proved during the OSU game that they can stop the run but still have some issues stopping an inconsistent QB. Jake Locker is not Terrelle Pryor. If fact, the two should never be mentioned in the same sentence, as it insults Locker. Locker also has one of the top-flight offensive geniuses in his corner in Steve Sarkisian.

USC has a question mark at QB. Matt Barkley took a nasty hit in the OSU game and has a sore shoulder. Aaron Corp is looking to take his place if needed. This is a two pronged issue for USC. You can have either a less than 100% Barkley going for you or Corp, who may try to do too many things to prove he should be the starter.

Washington is making leaps and bounds in the defensive area and could disrupt a USC offense that is still trying to find its rhythm. Put a gun to my head, and I’ll take USC. Sit with me on Saturday and I’ll be rooting for Washington.

5) Florida State at No. 7 BYU – 7:00 on local channels

Mad props go to BYU as well for their non-conference schedule. They want to be taken seriously and FSU and Oklahoma will make people see them in a whole new light

This is really a tale of two programs. BYU is surging. Max Hall and the BYU offense is making people sit up and take notice. They have a defense that is able to keep good offenses in check and won’t make stupid mistakes. Even if the did, Hall is more than capable to win a shoot-out.

FSU on the other hand is looking pretty lame. The loss to the youthful Miami is one thing, but the near loss to Jacksonville State was just sad. I was embarrassed just watching it. Christian Ponder reminds me a lot of Drew Weatherford, good arm and good stats, but will fold like a lawn chair when the going gets tough.

BYU wins and wins big. They get more publicity and FSU starts to fade even earlier than normal and people being the “Does Bowden still have it?” discussion sometime during the 2nd quarter blowout loss to Georgia Tech.

6) Texas Tech at No. 2 Texas – 8:00 on ABC

I’m going to start listening to AC/DC’s “Rock and Roll Train” on a continuous loop starting sometime on Friday. When I start watching the game, I’m going to squint and pretend I see Harrell and Crabtree. I will also pretend that Texas is the same flawed team they were last year as they blow-out Texas Tech and I start debating whether to watch Eureka or Supernatural on my DVR.

Extra Point:

7) Sometime during Matt Barkley’s drive against OSU last week, I started wondering why freshmen QB’s were given the helm of some teams. Teams like USC have no problem recruiting, but they have three guys right now who could start and they would have no problems. Plus, they have top flight QB’s like Mitch Mustain transferring there from relatively safe spots like Arkansas (of course, if I got replaced by Casey Dick, I would leave too). Normally, you transfer to lesser schools (see Jevan Snead), not into fierce competition. Mustain’s idiocy got me thinking.

I say we petition the NCAA to let Mitch Mustain transfer again to Ohio State and not only not lose another year of eligibility, but let him start next week for them. OSU has a good team with a horrid QB. Mustain is not going to do anything but ride the pines for the rest of his time at USC. This is win-win for everyone. Plus, I might stop hating OSU. Okay, I probably won’t, but it’s worth a shot.

Trent's Touchdown - Week 2

2009-09-10T11:57:00.000-07:00

So, we’re already one week in and the wacky world of college football is back in full swing. Not only did one of the elite teams of college football lose to a team from the Mountain West, but the reigning Heisman trophy winner is out for a couple of weeks due to a shoulder injury. Of course, let’s forget for a moment I called that (the loss, not the injury). But more on this later, let’s get to the Touchdown:

1) No. 3 USC at No. 8 Ohio State – 8:00 on ABC

As if there was any doubt that this would be the number 1 game of the week. Anyone who actually has any thought that Ohio State can beat USC needs to watch the last week’s games. You can make a case when a less talented team beats a more talented team that it was a case of match-ups. You can’t make that case in the Ohio State/Navy game.

USC is built to thrash any and all comers, even though I don’t think they can make it though the season unscathed. They are able to compete with any team irrespective of conference.

With Ohio State, they are built to play in the Big Ten and that’s it. They cannot match up with the top tier teams of the elite conferences. There main problem is Terrelle Pryor. He is a poor man’s version of Tyrod Taylor, and I don’t want Taylor leading my team into a big showdown, so I would be downright scared with Pryor at the helm.

If this thing is close after one quarter, I’ll be shocked. Let’s just hope it kills the chances of Ohio State to play in the National Championship Game, because I don’t need to see their flaws on display to the SEC team dujour.

2) Clemson at No. 15 Georgia Tech – 7:30 on ESPN on 9/10

After last week’s dismal performance by the ACC, I almost dropped this game down the list. However, this is an early, critical ACC match-up. With the FSU loss on Monday, a win could give Clemson an early 1 game lead over their division foes. Standing in their way is Georgia Tech.

Georgia Tech’s bread and butter is their running attack, led by star running back Jonathan Dwyer. They also employ the scary triple option, which gives teams fits. Clemson’s saving grace is that they have a very good run defense.

Clemson comes in with star running back C.J. Spiller, who is also extremely dangerous on kick returns. GT needs to try and stop Spiller and put the ball in the hands of freshman QB Kyle Parker. While Parker played well in the Middle Tennessee State game, his completion percentage was low and it is unclear on how the new kid will react under pressure situations. I think GT wins, but Clemson keeps it close, losing yet another heartbreaker.

3) No. 18 Notre Dame at Michigan – 3:30 on ABC

I didn’t think ND would make it out of the number 6 spot all year long. However, after last week’s skillful performance, I have to give them props. Last week gave ND fans hope that Jimmy Clausen has turned a corner and will become the QB that everyone was excited about when he arrived as a freshman.

This week will be the first real test for Clausen against a fairly competent team in a very hostile environment. While I don’t think Michigan will win the Big Ten, they will be able to compete and live to play the spoiler, while giving their young QB experience.

I really don’t think that Michigan can run with ND. They might be able to keep it close through a half, but adrenaline will only get you so far. Michigan needs a full game of consistent play; I just think they are too young to do it against a team like ND.

4) South Carolina at No. 21 Georgia – 7:00 on ESPN2

This was kind of a weird one for me to pick. On one hand, it is a classic, early season SEC throw down. On the other, both teams stunk up the joint last week. However, since this game is usually a close, hard fought game, it gets the nod.

Last week, both teams played well defensively, but looked lost on offense, something fans might find strange. However, both teams are still trying to find their offensive rhythm using two QB’s with limited game experience. It is basically going to come down to the team that makes the least amount of errors on offense.

I have to think it’s Georgia, because they are at home and I think they can beat some of the lower echelon team’s in the SEC. If you saw the NC State/South Carolina game, I think SC counts as that right now.

5) No. 9 BYU at Tulane – 3:30 on ESPN2

What’s that smell in the air? Oh yeah, it’s the smell of a trap game. Listen, I don’t care about all the talk, I really don’t think BYU is taking Tulane seriously.

And you know, that’s alright. Good teams can get away with that. However, great teams never deal with it. They just came off a stunning victory against Oklahoma and have their first home game against FSU next week; it is easy to overlook Tulane.

Unfortunately for Tulane, unless they poison Max Hall, they really don’t have a chance in this one. There offense is pitiful, and the BYU defense mixed schemes and pressured an overwhelmed Oklahoma offense all game last week. I think this one is over early.

6) Idaho State at No. 13 Oklahoma – 7:00 on local channels

This one is for all the Oklahoma fans who want to torture themselves. See that guy out there who looks like he’s going to pee his pants? That’s your quarterback for the next couple of weeks. Enjoy.

Extra Point:

7) Even without the BYU upset and the Bradford injury, week 1 was wacky. However, are you really shocked by anything that happens in college football now? I mean, when I woke up and found out that Blount pulled a Ron Artest after the Boise State/Oregon game, I wasn’t shocked by it, but tried to figure out how many games he would get suspended for.

When Jimmy Clausen decided to channel Brady Quinn’s Notre Dame ghost, I didn’t really bat an eyelash. The ACC proves (yet again) that they are an inferior conference, I felt more justified than anything. But this just proves it, that anything that can happen, will happen. We just have to sit back and enjoy the ride.

Trent's Touchdown - Week 1

2009-09-03T09:06:00.000-07:00

Oh man, it’s the best time of the year not associated with a bearded fat man. That’s right; it’s the beginning of college football season. I’m not sure what I’m more excited about, the fact that I get college football every Saturday until December or that I just found out that someone uploaded the second season of Ashes to Ashes to YouTube (take that BBC America). More on my giddy enthusiasm later. Now, on to the Touchdown.

1) No. 5 Alabama vs. No. 7 Virginia Tech – 8:00 on ABC in Atlanta

Oh man, this game is causing this Clemson fan to have flashbacks to last years opener in which Alabama demolished the Tigers in route to a BCS bowl. I think if you look at this, you’ll have pretty much that same result as last year.

Even though Bama has a new QB in Greg McElroy, there defense is coming back with eight starters, and that will be the key for them all year. Now, VT will have the same starting QB they had last year, but Tyrod Taylor isn’t exactly Steady Eddie. Plus, they lost their running back to an ACL tear and get a redshirt freshman in the backfield. Good times….if you’re the Bama defense. I seriously think Bama takes this with ease.

2) No. 13 Georgia at No. 9 Oklahoma State – 3:30 on ABC

I’m a little excited about this game, because I get to see one of the reasons I changed my opinion about the Big 12, Oklahoma State. Yes, expect me to carry the Cowboy’s water all season long in the Touchdown.

Oklahoma State comes in with one of the most explosive offenses in the country with QB Zac Robinson, RB Kendall Hunter, and WR Dez Bryant. Expect them to light up the scoreboard. On the flip side, I would expect Georgia to play steady ball feeding the ball to their RB’s and trying to stretch the field with AJ Green.

The Cowboy’s problem is the same as every Big 12 team with a good offense. They face a good defense and they buckle like a belt (see Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech from last year). I think Georgia can keep it close, but the Oklahoma State offense will carry the day.

3) No. 16 Oregon at No. 14 Boise State – 10:15 on ESPN on 9/3

You know its college football time when you see blue turf. This is a rematch of last year’s opening game between the two, in which Boise State beat Oregon on their home field. It’s for that reason that Oregon is fired up for this one.

Oregon’s starting QB, Jeremiah Masoli, was very effective last year but was inconsequential in last year’s game when he was knocked out of the game by a late hit and he’s looking for a little payback. Although the Duck’s lost their starting running back to the NFL, the back-up did gain 1,000 yards and is ready to carry the load.

Boise State, on the other hand, had one of the top scoring defenses in the country last year and hasn’t lost a regular season game at home since 2001. Oregon will be the team that ends that streak.

4) No. 20 BYU vs. No. 3 Oklahoma - 7:00 on ESPN in Arlington, TX

Two of the best QB’s in the country get to face off against one another as Max Hall leads the BYU Cougars against Sam Bradford and Oklahoma. As we all know, Oklahoma went on to lose, again, to an SEC opponent in the National Championship Game (they are like Ohio State at this point). I have to try and steer clear of my “Why Oklahoma Sucks” rant.

I think BYU has this one. Now, before you start laughing hysterically, I actually have a good reason for this. While BYU is mega-talented, they have nothing to play for. They want nothing more to take it to Oklahoma and prove they deserve some acclaim. Oklahoma, on the other hand, has to try and avenge the loss from last year and shake the “Ohio State” label that I slapped them with.

Florida was nice enough to write the “How To Beat Oklahoma” handbook last year. Tip Number 1; harass the hell out of Sam Bradford. With four new starters on the offensive line, I expect this will easier than last year. BYU will need to hit early and often when they have the ball and try and disrupt Bradford, which I think they can do. Okay, you can start to laugh now.

5) No. 11 LSU at Washington – 10:30 on ESPN

Normally this game wouldn’t do anything for me, but I love the QB in this game. If you think I’m talking about Jordan Jefferson, just stop reading now. I’m a big time Jake Locker fan.

We should get to see Locker air it out with new coach and former USC offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian at the helm. I have a strong suspicion that Washington will do better this year than their winless effort last year. However, that is not to say they will beat LSU.

LSU, even with shaky QB play, should take this handily against the poor defense of Washington. There is only so much Locker can do, and while I think they will win some good games this year, this isn’t one of them.

6) Miami at No. 18 Florida State – 8:00 on ESPN on 9/7

Remember when this game used to have National Championship implications for both teams? Remember when we would all eagerly anticipate this game? Now, they are just fighting for the middle of the ACC standings.

Extra Point:

7) While I’m all excited about the return of college football, my wife is on the other end of the spectrum. Her reaction when I mentioned it last week: “oh great, I lose my husband for every Saturday for the next 4 months.” It’s just been so long dealing with prima donna professional athletes, performance enhancing drugs, and contract holdouts that I just want something a little more pure in my sports. Thankfully, we have college football. Yes, it has its flaws, but there is just something about it that makes me feel that this is what sports are all about. Especially when Ohio State and Oklahoma lose.

Addendum to Yesterday

2009-08-26T09:54:00.000-07:00

Because I’m a lazy, forgetful bitch, I totally forgot one of the points I was going to make in my last entry, so I’m making it now. So, consider this an addendum to yesterday’s entry.

I’ve noticed recently that Sci-Fi Channel (or Syfy or whatever the hell they are calling themselves this week) has a major hard-on over Nikola Tesla. For those too lazy to click on the Wikipedia link, Tesla was Serbian investor and mechanical and electrical engineer. The reason we have electricity is mostly because of his work. He is also regarded as the inventor of the radio. So, he’s pretty high class, yet not so well known.

Anyway, three current Syfy shows future Tesla or his inventions in some way. First, let’s look at Eureka. Of course you would expect a town full of scientists and eggheads to bow down to anything scientific. So, the town’s high school is named Tesla, and their school mascot is the Coils. Cute.

Then, we move to Sanctuary. In this show, Tesla portrays a former colleague of Helen Magnus and one of his scientific experiments turned him into a vampire. He also pretty much becomes the bad guy at the end of the season. So, not such a positive portrayal.

Lastly, we come to the new Syfy show Warehouse 13. Not only did Tesla help design the actual warehouse, but his inventions are still used by the team. We get the Tesla Gun, which, while horribly temperamental, shoots electrical energy to incapacitate the victim and wipe their short-term memory. Think of it like a low-end taser.

Now, I get the fact that Syfy needs to ground itself in science in order to give us plausible fiction, but why is it always Tesla? Why can’t you give us some other crackpot scientist? I don’t have anything against Tesla, I just want some variety. Of course, I wonder why they are even trying to be plausible. I mean, they didn’t do that in the Syfy movie "Yeti" and I still shudder when I think about that piece of crap.

Tampons, Robin Hood, and Other Thoughts

2009-08-25T06:57:00.000-07:00

I was watching the Red Sox/Yankees tussle on Saturday on FOX (because I like to torture myself with horrid commentary) and I heard one of the most inane things ever uttered that didn’t come from the mouth of Tim McCarver. Ken Rosenthal, reporting from some deep, dark area of Fenway, said that it would be a good thing for the Sox to add Billy Wagner because he would be a left handed compliment to Hideki Okajima.

I actually had to rewind to make sure I heard that correctly. That would have been a perfectly normal statement to make if Okajima wasn’t a lefty. Unfortunately for Rosenthal, he is a lefty. Saying this is like saying you need to add Kim Kardashian to the cast of The Ghost Whisper because you need a busty, brunette compliment to Jennifer Love Hewitt. Hey Rosenthal, hand the mic to someone who does their homework.

Another highlight was when McCarver was droning on about some old time baseball story that he likes to bore us with. It wasn’t the story itself, but more the reaction of the Duchess. When telling the story, the camera focused on center field, which had a huge sign for Stop & Shop on it, which is the official grocery store of the Boston Red Sox.

If you live in New England, the Boston Red Sox have an official everything, and those places advertise the fact (i.e. Jordan’s is the official furniture store of the Boston Red Sox). I think the Duchess finally snapped, because all of a sudden she’s like “Can you tell me what the official tampon is of the Boston Red Sox, because I want to buy that?” Its times like this that make me realize why I married her.

Now, I’ve been pretty amped about this summer’s string of good shows. My DVR has been running pretty much every night. However, I finally had an ad make me sit up and take notice. Yes, come September, BBC America is bringing us the third season of Robin Hood. Before you scoff, it’s actually a good show. Not only that, they took a huge chance by killing off Maid Marian at the end of the second season. I personally want to see how they balance Robin’s moral compass with his overall burning desire to kill Gisborne.

Frankly, if I was Robin, I would have put in arrow in the chest of the Sherriff by the second episode and Gisborne not very long after. Of course, you don’t have much of a show after that, but I’ve never really been a big picture sort of guy.

David Ortiz, Steroids, and Red Sox Nation

2009-07-31T06:31:00.001-07:00

When I was six years old growing up in the wilds of Vermont, I knew three basic truths about the world I lived in. One, that Scooby Doo would always foil the plans of some evil do-er. Two, that my Atari was my most prized possession. Three, that the Red Sox were always good and, conversely, that the Yankees were always evil. Then I grew up and became more jaded and apathetic.

While I am still a Red Sox fan, I can’t get up the shock and outrage about the David Ortiz PED revelation. Not because I’m some boot-licking homer, but because I kind of expected it. The problem was that there was no real Barry Bonds-esque change where you were like “well, he’s definitely on something”. Every number, every thing he did could be attributed to some non-chemical explanation.

The problem is that you can play the guessing game with everyone. My buddy D.B. (a Yankee fan) and I went back and forth yesterday on whom we thought on the 2004 Red Sox was also on the juice. I ended it when I told him that the whole team could have tested positive and I wouldn’t be surprised, but also that they could all be clean and I would have the same reaction. Everyone is suspect. The clean players are going to have live with the fact that there will be people who think they cheated and the dirty players are going to have live with the fact that they are cheaters.

The only good part of this whole thing is the idiocy displayed by the pink-hatted members of “Red Sox Nation”. They are backtracking so fast, it is downright hilarious. They were so fast to demonize the Yankees when A-Rod, Giambi, or Pettitte made a list, but now have to play defense.

The most common excuse is that “everyone did it”. The attempt here is to quash any notion that the titles in 2004 and 2007 are in some way “tainted”. But are they? Without comprehensive testing of all players, on all team, for all substances, no teams championships are tainted, be it the Yankees, the Red Sox, or anyone else. This was my contention when Yankees’ players were being named and it’s my contention now.

The most ludicrous (and I still laugh when I hear it) is the “somebody slipped him something” defense. It goes hand in hand with the “bad batch defense”. Basically, either somebody slipped something into a drink of his or he got a sketchy batch of Andro or some supplement from GNC. The point being that this would exonerate Big Papi while still being able to demonize the Yankees. It’s a pathetic excuse.

You need to put it into the realm of possibility that the easiest answer is probably the right one. He saw his career on the razors edge and needed something, anything to keep it alive. He talked to a “trainer”, got his hands on some performance enhancing substance, and took it to save his career. Is it really that far out of the realm of possibility?

So here’s a note to all the apologists. Just stop. He did it and got caught. You can still root for him and this doesn’t change what happened in 2004 and 2007. You just can’t demonize anyone else who got caught. You can’t cackle with glee the next time someone like Clemens or A-Rod gets caught. You have to sit there, take it, and keep your mouth shut. You know, its times like this that it’s fun to be a sane Red Sox fan.

Jabba the Hutt: Misunderstood Hero

2009-07-23T12:09:00.000-07:00

I was watching Return of the Jedi last week (well, only the first 30 minutes) and I realized the Jabba the Hutt was getting a raw deal. One the surface of it, he is the vile gangster that they portray him as. I mean, he has Han in carbonite, Leia in that slave outfit, and wants to put Luke to death, but if you really dig into it, he’s just a misunderstood business-slug.

First off, Hutt’s are your stereotypical gangsters/criminal masterminds (there are more stereotypes in Star Wars than in Harry Potter) and Jabba is portrayed as such. However, you have to look at where he was. He wasn’t in some Core World or even a planet that has some natural resources; he was in the desert world of Tatooine.

Tatooine is a backwater planet that the Empire and Old Republic don’t even bother with, leaving it as a lawless wasteland. Jabba pretty much installs himself as local warlord and pretty much everyone is happy. I mean, you have moisture farming and pod-racing and the surge that is the Sand People is pretty much contained (as long as you don’t do something stupid).

Now, Jabba needs some cash inflow, so he does some things that people in more civilized cultures would consider crimes. The biggest would probably be the smuggling of spice, but maybe he was handling it like the Godfather and the Heads of the Five Families handed the drug trade. It was there and needed to be dealt with, so why not profit from it but run it like a business and keep it away from schools and kids. I mean, there are going to be losers out there who want to get high, let them kill themselves, they are a drag on society anyway.

So anyway, Jabba needs to hire smugglers to get the stuff where it needs to go and hires Han Solo. Solo sees an Imperial cruiser, gets skittish, dumps his cargo and bolts. The problem is that Jabba needs his money or the cargo. All Solo has is a Wookie. So Solo bolts and takes off. Now, Jabba’s a nice guy, but he needs to make an example out of Solo, so other smugglers don’t walk all over him. Jabba outsources the job to some bounty hunters and goes back to making sure Tatooine enjoys high employment and relative safety.

Now, Vader catches Solo first and encases him in carbonite. Jabba had nothing to do with this. When Boba Fett delivers Solo to Jabba, he’s in a quandary. He can either unfreeze him and kill him (I mean, the guy did run) or keep him in carbonite. Keeping him alive and in carbonite makes him lasting example and gives Jabba the out so he doesn’t need to kill him.

Then, Leia comes in, disguised as a bounty hunter and tries to break Solo out. She doesn’t even try and negotiate, just comes in, unfreezes him, and tries to sneak him out. Now Jabba needs to make an example of her. So, instead of killing her, she just makes a dancing girl out of her.

Then we come to Luke. That brash asshole using force to get past Jabba’s guards and a mind trick on his major domo to get an audience with Jabba. Then, he tries to use the same mind trick on Jabba to get Solo and his friends. No bargaining, just demands. Then he pulls a gun on him. Jabba does the only thing he can; he hits the trap door that will drop Luke into the rancor’s pit. It was either that or he gets a blaster hole in his gut. Luke ends up killing the rancor and I bet those things aren’t cheap.

At this point, Jabba has had enough. He’s got a business to run. So, he gathers up Luke, Solo, and Chewy and decides to take them out to the Dune Sea and kill them. He gives them a chance to bargain for their lives, but they decide on insults and more demands (“Free us or die”, yeah real productive). Of course we know what happens, Luke and his terrorist buddies escape, but not before killing scores of people (including Jabba), destroying private property, and descending Tatooine into lawless chaos.

Jabba was just doing what he needed to do to survive and run a successful business. He’s got to deal with people coming in and making demands, trying to steal from him, and trying to kill him. This was an out and out hit job orchestrated by Luke Skywalker and his little cadre of ne’er-do-wells. He never wanted to “bargain for Solo’s life”, but wanted to kill Jabba and take what he wanted. He’s no better than the Emperor.

Luke’s little vendetta caused a lot of people jobs. I mean, I don’t know what “dancing girl” pays, but its better than living on the streets, turning tricks in the alleys of Mos Eisley’s or stripping at Anchorhead’s local “gentleman’s clubs”. If you’re a kid growing up on Tatooine and your only discernable skill is “hired thug”, you always had a job waiting for you at Jabba’s Palace. Well, not anymore. Thanks to Luke, the unemployment rate was due to skyrocket on Tatooine.

The Apocalypse, The Half-Blood Prince, and Other Thoughts

2009-07-20T09:18:00.000-07:00

I’m horrible at writing all of a sudden, but I’ll throw out some random thoughts and might have more stuff later in the week. This is what happens when you work for a living. Damn job.

On Friday, I packed up the Duchess and jetting out of the Boston area as fast as possible to head for the country, in order to avoid the impending Apocalypse. The signs were unmistakable. One, the Disney Channel was crossing over their three most successful shows into a 90 minute tween-a-thon (The Wizards of Waverly Place, The Suite Life on Deck, and Hannah Montana). It must have been like one of those commercials you see on that channel where Disney wrangles all their cattle, er, I mean talent, to tell us that the youth of this country should be egotistical and believe that they can save the planet. Whatever.

I tell this to the Duchess and she laughs at me, thinking I’ve finally snapped and gone crazy (too late). Then the second sign hits and we find out the Jonas Brothers are in concert in Boston that night. She then starts to think I’m on to something and grudgingly agrees to leave town.

So, I’m in the wilds of Vermont when the third sign hit. We’re watching the Conan O’Brien and his “musical” guest is Demi Lovato and she’s debuting her new song. At this point, I’m gathering canned goods and looking to build a bomb shelter. Thankfully, we lived to see another day in which tween stars may finally trigger the mass extinction of the human race.

While in Vermont, the only form of entertainment that wouldn’t lead to Cirrhosis of the liver was the old school Nintendo system. I wake up on Saturday, glad to still be alive, and find the Duchess playing Super Mario Brothers 3. Not only that, but she had cut her hand by playing too aggressively and gripping the controller with too much pressure. It’s times like this that make me realize I’m lucky to have married her.

While driving back to Mass the other day, I needed a little pick-me-up so I went to Dunkin Donuts and got an Iced Tea. I seriously think that they lace their drinks with something. I mean, their Iced Tea isn’t that great, yet I run to D & D whenever I can like a junkie trying to get a fix. The same happened with their lemonade coolata’s a couple of years ago. Anyway, I order and I’m on the highway before I realize that I didn’t get Iced Tea, but some sort of bastardized Ice Tea/Coffee/Lemon mix. Now, I hate coffee and this was pretty much of the more disgusting things I’ve ever tasted. Yet, I kept drinking it. It was like my brain was trying to convince me that the taste wasn’t that bad. See, it was laced with something. Screw the tobacco companies; I want D & D investigated.

Programming note, the Torchwood mini-series "Children of Earth" premieres tonight on BBC America and runs every night until the conclusion on Friday. While I’ve noted that BBC America has been running some absolute filth recently, this will definitely be stand out.

Speaking of stand out, the new Harry Potter movie debuted this weekend, and based on the numbers, I think everyone but me was at a theatre to watch it. Now, I’ve been a little skittish about watching this and not just because a Harry all hopped up on love potions makes out with Ginny (if you really look at it, that is the most plausible explanation). The book was horrible, but as the Duchess pointed out, the make the good books into bad movies (Goblet of Fire) and the bad books into good movies (Order of the Phoenix).

Now, if you think about it, this makes sense. I mean, the worst part of the Order of the Phoenix book was the Harry was a whiny little pussy. They moved away from that aspect and gave us some action (sort of). One of the main things I hated about Half Blood Prince was the characterization issues. I mean, when did Hermione turn into an empty-headed, boy-crazed, self-absorbed brat who turned her back on her best friend when he needed her most? Seriously, she wasn’t Lavender Brown. Also, Harry is coming off a 12 month span where Voldermort is resurrected, Cedric and Sirius die, and he learns of the prophecy and he only seems to be paranoid about Malfoy and thinking about jumping Ginny. Shouldn’t he have taken the bull by the horns here and started some serious training? I mean, how is a school boy going to beat a dark wizard with 50 years of magical experience on him? A disarming jinx? Oh, wait, I’m sorry, forget I said anything.

1st Annual Trent Lane Season Finales Award Spectacular

2009-06-24T11:44:00.000-07:00

Oh man, it’s been forever since I’ve written, and I blame my job. I mean, I don’t want to blame my laziness as it is one of my better qualities and I don’t want to blame my exposure to the dreaded writer’s block. My job will be my scapegoat, I mean; I blame it on everything else.

Anyway, I have wanted to write this entry for a while, but needed to wait until after last weekend as I went to visit Seamus in the 4th Circle of Hell (also known as upstate NY). The reason was because I was going to watch a season finale at his pad and this whole entry is dedicated to the season finales that just aired. So, without further adieu, I present the 1st Annual (only if I remember in the following years) Trent Lane Season Finales Award Spectacular. Unfortunately, I can’t afford a host or get a network to air it, so deal with reading it.

Award: The Finale That Is On Another Plain of Existence When Compared To All Other Shows.

Winner: Lost – “The Incident”

Why: Well, gee, let me think about that one. Not only was the whole season just kick ass, but the finale just blew it all away….literally. We get to meet the mysterious Jacob, learn a little bit about him and learn how Locke actually came back to life, yet creates so many questions it makes my head hurt.

I think my favorite part was when Miles actually asked the question I’ve been asking since this whole “let’s blow up the island” idea was hatched. That being “what if the bomb blowing up causes the incident?” When Juliet ended up at the bottom of the hole with the unexploded bomb, she hit it and the screen went white, I was left speechless for a full 5 minutes just trying to wrap my head around everything that happened. Good times.

Award: The “Are You Bloody Serious?” Award For Most Ludicrous Season Finale.

Winner: House – “Both Sides Now” & Bones – “The End is the Beginning” (Tie)

Why: Well, let’s deal with House first. Now, the show had been struggling with mediocrity all season…and losing. It pretty much hit the breaking point when Kutner committed suicide for no reason. In the episode prior, House asks Cuddy to help him because he is hallucinating (remember this word, it’ll appear again soon) and he feels he needs to detox from his addiction to Vicidin. At the end, they sleep together. Anyway, to make a long story short, we find out that the whole thing has been one big hallucination and House never slept with Cuddy and she never helped him detox. So, he checks himself into a psych ward.

This probably wouldn’t have been so bad if they hadn’t ripped themselves off from a few seasons ago when House was shot by a disgruntled patient. You know, the show has a simple premise – Sherlock Holmes with a stethoscope. You don’t need to sway from that. It just pisses me off that this show has gone completely in the toilet over the past couple of seasons.

Now, on to Bones. Throughout the season, Booth has been having hallucinations (again, that word) and at the end of the episode prior, he finally gets taken to the hospital and they find a brain tumor and he gets operated on. We open up the season finale with Bones jumping into bed with Booth (in the worst kept secret in TV show finale history). We learn very quickly that this isn’t the same show we remember, as Booth and Bones are married and run a nightclub. First rule of the alternate reality episode, you have to clue in the viewer no later than 30 minutes in or we get confused.

Skip to the end and we see Bones typing the story out on her laptop while sitting by Booth’s bed. He wakes up, says he had a strange dream, and asks Bones who she is. I wanted to throw my TV out the window at this point. Not only did it completely rip off House, but they producers lied to the viewers when they said that Bones and Booth would actually sleep together and it wouldn’t be a dream. It was just a crappy episode altogether that would have been better in the middle of the season, not at the end.

Award: The Best Finale That Doesn’t Involve Time Traveling, Mysterious Islands, Hydrogen Bombs, and ABC.

Winner: Fringe – “There’s More Than One of Everything”

Why: Holy Lord, I think J.J. Abrams is a genius. Overall, the episode didn’t really play out like a finale but more like another episode in the overall arc of the show. However, we finally get to meet the mysterious William Bell (played to perfection by Leonard Nimoy) and find out a little about how devoted a father Walter is.

While I think most everyone were blown away by the closing shot with Olivia looking out the window of one of the Twin Towers in New York in the alternate reality she past into, I was more blown away by the fact that Peter was not Walter’s actual son, but his son from an alternate reality. That the real Peter had died when he was a young boy was just shocking. This show proved it has the ability to go just about anywhere and this episode was the perfect example of that.

Award: Biggest One Hour Piece of Absolute Filth

Winner: Smallville – “Doomsday”

Why: The best part of Smallville in the past was always the season finale. No matter how torturous the season was, the finale always pulled it out of the fire. However this season, the finale just threw gas on the fire. I’m going to try and recount this without putting my fist through the computer monitor. I give myself a 50-50 chance.

Clark has finally come up with a way to defeat Doomsday. He’s going to separate the human from him and take on the beast (yeah, great plan). Anyway, he enlists Flash and Black Canary (not only looking female, but also like Black Canary) to steal Black Kryptonite. Anyway, long story short, they turn on Clark to Oliver, Chloe uses the Black Kryptonite to do the separation, Clark defeats Doomsday (in the lamest way possible) and Jimmy takes Chloe some place that overlooks the whole city that he bought her.

At this point, Jimmy has learned Clark’s secret and tells Chloe. She tells him that she was only with Davis to protect Clark. Well, the now human Davis hears this and kills Jimmy, who with his last breath kills Davis. Anyway, at the funeral, Chloe gives Jimmy’s little brother his camera, telling him that it belongs to him now, basically telling us that the little kid becomes the Jimmy Olsen we know, not the one who just died.

At this point, I was screaming obscenities at the television screen while Seamus was cackling like a man gone mad. Anyway, once I had calmed down, we get the end where Clark tells Chloe he needs to divest himself of all human entanglements because his morality and humanity got Jimmy killed. You know, you don’t need to do that, since Oliver is more than willing to get check his morality at the door and he gets to mack hot chicks while he’s at it. Clark is just too much of a pussy.

This whole episode just stunk to high heaven. I was embarrassed that I had it on my DVR. I was embarrassed that I wasted my time and watched it. I was embarrassed that I actually thought it might be good. I feel so unclean now; I need to take a shower.

Anyway, that concludes the awards show. Thank you all for coming. See you next year.

My Open Letter to BBC America

2009-05-26T13:16:00.000-07:00

A while back, I mentioned that one of the last bastions of good TV was BBC America. The British just seem to have a way to make television fun, exciting, and thought provoking. After the run of Life on Mars, I was getting excited about the possibility of the sequel, Ashes to Ashes, making its debut. BBC America did what it normally does, and waited for two full seasons to be released in Britain before bringing it over here, since American audiences are not used to the short season runs of British shows.

So, when it finally premiered on BBC America, the Duchess and I settled into watch. While a casual fan of Life on Mars, she is a devoted Anglophile, even living in Britain for about 4 months after her graduation from a prestigious institution of higher learning. While not as good as predecessor, this show was fun to watch (if only to remind us all that absolutely nothing good came out of the 80’s). The season 1 finale was probably the best of the bunch, finally revealing who that scary looking clown was that kept haunting Alex (much like the girl in the red dress that kept haunting Sam).

So, I settled in to watch the Season 2 premiere the next Saturday only to find an old episode of Torchwood on. Now, while I have nothing against Torchwood, it was a repeat and on instead of a new episode of Ashes to Ashes. Shock was my immediate reaction, as I had seen the new show on my future recordings list on my DVR. This was followed by a string of expletives that would have made a trucker blush. I immediately logged on to my computer and went to the home of where truth and information meet, the BBC America message boards. It was there that I found out that the show had been cancelled and the American viewer had no recourse.

So I did what any red-blooded American who is semi-literate and semi-drunk would do. I wrote a letter expressing my deep displeasure at their choice. Before I could find an envelope and a stamp, the Duchess interceded and got her hands on the letter. She made necessary changes to some of my phrasing and grammar, and then allowed me to send it off. For you now, is the original first draft of my letter:

Dear Ass-Hats of Programming,

What the hell kind of thoughts do you harbor in your drug-addled minds? I tuned into BBC America on Saturday night, looking forward to one of the few shows that didn’t involve horrible CGI, Gordon Ramsay, Top Gear, over-sexed mouth breathers, or morally-indefensible British public and what do you think I found? Horrible CGI, wrapped up in the package that is a repeat of Torchwood.

While I like Torchwood, I would like to watch a new episode of one of the few shows you present that doesn’t slowly diminish my will to live. Seriously, is a rerun of Torchwood better than a new episode of Ashes to Ashes? Did your mother’s free-base battery acid while she was pregnant with you?

Speaking of, what the hell is up with your programming as of late? I swear, if there was ever an episode of Top Gear, in which Gordon Ramsay and Graham Norton run down the sluts of Mistresses, you would probably run it on an unending loop. What happened when you rebranded the network so that a different genre was presented every night? Did it cause you to have to think? Was that too much trouble for you?

And why do you rerun the same shit all the time? Why not give us reruns of Gavin & Stacey, or Worst Week, or Touching Evil, or Wire in the Blood, or MI-5, or one of the multitude of good British programs? It’s like the guys from Top Gear have pictures of you fornicating with a goat, which you know would make the cows jealous. Either that or you’re actively trying to become the Head of Programming at FOX.

Seriously, bring back Ashes to Ashes or I’m going to have to sludge my way through the den of pornography that is the internet and find some unwashed slug who lives in his mother’s basement who was kind enough to violate copy write laws (or whatever they have in England) and upload the episodes onto his website. Do you want me to do that?

Thank you and burn in Hell,

Trent Lane

Personally, I think this version is better.

The Good and The Bad of TV - Part 2

2009-04-29T11:19:00.000-07:00

Alright, I’m back and ready to give you part two of the good and the bad of TV this season. Check out Part 1 for a recap of what I’ve been through already.

Show Cancellations:

The Good: Knight Rider on NBC

The Skinny: First, I have to say I never even watched this piece of garbage, so I’m only going from what Seamus told me. Of course, he was one of twenty people who actually watched it (before he got so disgusted with it that he couldn’t watch it). Reboots, reimaginations, and sequels are tough to pull off. NBC should have learned this with the Bionic Woman reimagination, which had a boatload of potential before it got pissed away.

From what Seamus told me, the decided that plot wasn’t that important and hot chicks and fast cars was the way to go. No offense, but that route has failed so many times, its not even funny. It’s even worse when you take a show that many people remember and love from there childhood and slip that crap into it. The only good thing NBC did with this show was put it out of its misery.

The Bad: Pushing Daisies on ABC

The Skinny: This delightful and witty show was killed by the greedy writers. The writing was top notch, but the writers strike basically killed any momentum it had and by the time it premiered in September, the sheep that make up the TV viewing public forgot all about it. And yes, I still have anger issues over this.

This show had a lot of potential, a great cast, great writing, and was just plain fun to watch. Bryan Fuller has talked about bring the show to the big screen, but only after a comic book run. I’m all for continuing the run. Heroes fans should be jazzed that Fuller is going back to that show to help out the horrid writing that has plagued the show since the end of the first season. Personally, I think it’s too far gone to help.

Josh Schwartz:

The Good: Chuck on NBC

The Skinny: Schwartz has always had problems with second seasons (example: The OC). He tends to buy into the hype and either prolong a storyline or get away from what made the show good to being with, the characters (again, The OC). Thankfully, Chuck flew under the radar and didn’t fall into the trap.

The show is just plain fun to watch. It’s light, escapist fare. The characters have remained true to themselves and the storyline hasn’t gotten too convoluted (although the FULCRUM storyline is kinda tough to follow at times). It pulls in great guest stars and stays true to the formula that made it fun to watch. It’s a show on the bubble and I hope NBC brings it back, as it’s the only show worth watching on that network.

The Bad: Gossip Girl on The CW

The Skinny: Well, Schwartz may have escaped his OC disease with Chuck, but not with Gossip Girl. The first season was actually semi-worthwhile, but the second season isn’t even watchable. I get annoyed by the preview ads for it, let alone if I actually tried to sit through an hour long show.

I tried to watch the second season, I truly did. But after I watched the first episode of the season, I just deleted it off my DVR. It was characters acting out of character and just cringe-worthy writing and acting. Every time I see that pretty boy who plays Chuck Bass, I want to hurl something at my TV. Every time I hear about a Gossip Girl spin-off, I wonder what parents let their children watch. While Chuck will probably get cancelled, this piece of filth will probably stick around way too long.

Smallville:

The Good: The first half of the season, up to the Chloe/Jimmy Wedding

The Skinny: I think Seamus summed this up perfectly when he said “well, it’s not great, but it’s definitely better than the last few seasons.” The show had finally cut the dead weight (Kristen Kruek) and was running fast and lean. It was basically the Chloe/Clark/Lois show, with little bits of Jimmy and Oliver mixed in. They introduced the new bad guy (Doomsday) and the new Lex Luthor (Tess Mercer).

They kept the storylines simple, had Clark take yet another step towards his destiny, and started to introduce some sweet Clark/Lois moments. Plus, I think everyone can agree that more Oliver Queen equals a better show. They were starting to show flashes of what this show had been in its first few years. And I was enjoying it.

The Bad: The second half of the season, from the wedding on forward

The Skinny: The second I saw Kristen Kruek’s name in the guest star list (the exact second), I muttered “well, there goes the season”. It just becomes an utter train wreck at that moment. I laughed when she was introduced in her fight scene with Oliver in the factory that supposedly had Lex.

Then she got super powers, and got back together with Clark, and got infected with kryptonite and couldn’t go near him anymore. What the hell is this crap?!?! When they finally booted her off the show, I thought maybe the rest of the season could be salvaged. But like a bad fart, her presence just lingered. They came up with horrible storylines like Davis being taken in by the Luthor’s when he first came to Earth, or Chloe becoming Lois, or Tess engineers a plane crash so Clark will reveal his secret.

The worst one was the episode that aired just last week, entitled “Stiletto” in which Lois pretends to be a superhero. About 15 minutes in, I wanted to be impaled by one of her stilettos, so as to put me out of my misery. Even Seamus, the world’s biggest Smallville apologist, fell asleep about 20 minutes in.

This half of the season has only been saved by two things. One, the Legion episode and two, “this is Watchtower, signing on.” That’s it. That can’t save any show. Not even this one.

The Good and The Bad of TV - Part 1

2009-04-28T09:28:00.000-07:00

I know it’s been ages since I’ve updated, and for that, I’m a bad person. However, before we hit the stretch run to the end of the TV season, I want to run down the good and the bad we’ve seen so far.

First, a little RIP for Bea Arthur. Best known for Golden Girls, Maude, and celebrity roast jokes, she will be missed. Just imagine if Maude had been on during the time of idiot bloggers. The landmark abortion episode would have caused the web to explode. My take on it would have been that no matter what your views on abortion, the episode should not have aired. Not because of the fact it was about abortion, but for the fact that there is no way Bea Arthur gets pregnant at over 50 years old and looking like she did in that show. That’s all I’m saying.

Anyway, on to my rundown. Part 1 now and Part 2 tomorrow.

24 Plot Twists.

The Good: Tony Almeida being the good guy.

The Skinny: When we first jump into 24 this season, Tony is working with the terrorists while Jack is trying to bring him down. We then find out that Tony is actually working with Bill and Chloe to bring down rogue elements of the government. Far-fetched yes, but still good drama. Plus, Tony was always a good guy, even if it’s highly implausible that he survived that attack last season. If you want revenge for Michelle, go after Logan, not the US Government.

The Bad: Tony Almeida being the bad guy – redux

The Skinny: So, Tony goes to all this trouble helping Jack get the CIP device and warning him about the attack on the White House and taking out the Starkwood Compound only for us to find out he is actually working against the government and now had a canister of the nerve gas. Huh? If this was his goal, just keep the attack on the White House a secret or just lay low at the Compound instead of blowing it up. It just makes no sense he would go to all this trouble.

Series Finales:

The Good: Battlestar Galactica

The Skinny: Like I didn’t go into enough detail about this. I really liked it, it tied up things nicely, and it is aging extremely well…so far.

The Bad: Life on Mars – The US version

The Skinny: I’ve said before that the US version isn’t half bad if you lobotomize yourself to forget the British version. It was intriguing and kind of made you wonder how they were going to play it out. The best part of the British finale was that the easiest answer was the correct one, and Sam made his choice. The US version decided to go the exact opposite.

What we got was an actual literal playing out of the show title, as a space ship touched down on Mars, all played to an Elton John song (instead of David Bowie). They all wake up from their sleep pods and it was all a dream for Sam. Not only that, but Gene is his father. Are you frakking serious?

It’s like the writers took the Mission Space ride at Epcot one too many times. If they tried, they couldn’t have come up with a worse finale. I really don’t think I’ve seen a finale this horrid. I was watching with the Duchess and she turns to me after it’s over and was like “That sucked.” I think she was being nice. To paraphrase Bart Simpson, this both sucked and blew.

Mid-Season Series:

The Good: Castle on ABC

The Skinny: Detective writer Richard Castle needs to start a new book series and decides to base his new character off of NYPD Detective Kate Beckett. Wackiness ensues. I find this show entertaining and hope that ABC renews it (which means they won’t). Nathan Fillion is a freaking riot as Castle. There isn’t one character that annoys me either. The cops at the NYPD and Castle’s mother and daughter are separate, yet both make the story great. The best thing and an easy trap for every show, it doesn’t take itself too seriously, yet isn’t complete camp.

The Bad: The Unusuals on ABC

The Skinny: When you watch the ads for this, you think it’s going to be a quirky cop show, which is desperately what TV needs. I was also intrigued because Amber Tamblyn was getting a paycheck for doing something that didn’t involve Bible thumping or an overly dramatized plot about a well-travelled pair of jeans.

So, I watched the first two episodes and found myself struggling. Yesterday, I sat there looking at it in my DVR trying to talk myself into watching it. Instead, I watched the 1998 series premiere of Seven Days (I miss the old days when UPN would throw everything against the wall to see what stuck).

Unlike Castle, this show does take itself too seriously, while the ads make it seem campy. I don’t know how they did it, but they did. Plus, seeing as I don’t like this show, ABC will probably renew it over Castle. Sometimes I just hate TV.

See you all tomorrow.

Battlestar Galactica Finale Review - Part 2

2009-03-26T11:37:00.000-07:00

So, where were we when last we met? Oh yes, gunfight in the CIC while multiple nukes streaked toward the Cylon base and the Galactica. Let’s go from there.

BOOM! Multiple nuclear impacts on the Cylon base and it’s chaos. Cavil decides that he’s not going to be taken alive and eats a bullet. With the rest of the bad Cylons disposed of and the Cylon base exploding all around them, Adama feels now is a good time to pull out of the base and get out of there. Due to the damage to the ship from the explosion, Starbuck is the only one near the FTL. When asked where to jump to, Adama tells her to jump anywhere that isn’t where they are.

She is then struck by a notion. Earlier in the season, she had assigned numbers to the notes of the Cylon battle song, aka “All Along the Watchtower”. She then types those numbers into the FTL and hits enter. The Galactica then jumps to those coordinates and all is not well. It looks like that place will become their home, since the Galactica starts to buck and all but breaks apart. We are then treated with probably the best shot in the history of the show.

We pan from the Galactica to a surface that looks distinctly like the Moon and suddenly see, as plain as day, Earth. Or, in this case, our version of Earth. Holy shit, they found Earth!!!! Wait a minute; I thought Earth was a barren, post-apocalyptic wasteland. Well, you see, it seems as if the Earth they originally found was their original home planet, while this Earth is much like it, yet completely different. Thoroughly confused yet? Good.

Anyway, Adama sends a Raptor to the rendezvous point that “Admiral” Hoshi led the Colonial fleet and brought them back to this new and improved Earth, now free of nuclear waste. So, they land and survey the territory. Looks as if the people are extremely primitive, traveling in packs by foot with spears. Anyway, this is now home. And here endth the show. Wait, what do you mean there’s more? Oh crap, we still have 20 minutes left.

To wrap things up, the Centurions are cut loose to go wherever they want while Adama slaves the whole fleet to the Galactica and has Sam fly it all into the Sun. You see, Lee decides that technology is bad and they should live in the wide-open expanse of the land, and not be encumbered by massive cities and whatnot. They plan to move people to all corners of the Earth and populate the planet and breed prejudice against machines.

We catch up on some of the survivors. Tyrol is going to go to a cold, lonely island up north so he can be alone with himself. Helo (oh my God, he’s alive!) and Athena are walking (him with a cane) with Hera. Six and Baltar decide to go start a farm together.

We go down to the plains and see Adama and Roslin watching the wild life. Roslin looks like she’s going to die at any minute. I think Adama notices this too since he asks if she would like a closer look. He carries her into the Raptor and says goodbye to both Lee and Starbuck.

Starbuck then tells Lee that she will be leaving shortly too. He goes into some long rant about something or other and turns around and she’s disappeared (probably couldn’t take is babbling anymore). So, I’m still trying to figure out what she actually was. There are just too many possibilities. Of course, Ronald Moore said in an interview that he wasn’t sure either. I’m not sure if I should be pissed off about that or not.

In the Raptor, as they are flying over the wildlife, Roslin silently passes away. Adama pretty much loses it and slips his wedding ring onto her hand. At this point, myself and Seamus (some 300 miles away) both realize our respective living rooms are a tad dusty. Anyway, Adama finds a place to land and goes about to build the perfect log cabin that they had talked about on New Caprica.

We then close in on little Hera and the ground she is walking on. Then, we flash-forward 150,000 years and see writer/executive producer Ronald Moore reading a newspaper and here the news the a body of a girl was found in Africa and is about 150,000 years old, the oldest body ever found. Then the apparitions of Baltar and Six start to talk about how far mankind has come but yet look to be on the same path as previously (it’s all happened before, it’ll all happen again). They feel that man can still save itself, as they haven’t gone down the road yet. We close in on a TV screen in a store window that shows us all the great things being done with robots while we hear a more modern version of “All Along the Watchtower”. We then see them both walking together and blending into the crowd of people walking the streets. Fade to black.

I know that there are so many people who want to beat the crap out of this ending. In fact, if they had ended it with when they first landed on Earth and we found out it was our Earth, just thousands of years in the past; I would have been cool with that. The problem is the tacked on ending felt, well, tacked on.

It seemed like an unnecessary finish and wanted to tie the whole thing up in a neat little package. The best part of this show was the fact that it flew off in all directions and kept you guessing. The minute they saw Earth, I knew all was well and the journey had been about something. They had not only found home, but their second chance. A way to save humanity and not fall into the same trappings that destroyed them in the first place.

The very end with Baltar and Six was overkill as they shoved religion down our throats (but seriously, the show had religious overtones throughout). That said, I liked the fact that we saw just how mankind had evolved and that, while on the same road as others, we still have our freewill in all this. That, combined with a little luck, will mean we won’t befall the same fate as our “ancestors”.

One of the best moments in the whole series was when they found Earth. Moore suckered us all at the end of last season by giving us the barren wasteland of Earth. Shock and awe was pretty much my reaction. It all makes sense now. They were searching for their Earth and, in the end, found a new version of it. Sweet wrap-up to the series.

Seamus, while less than enthralled, enjoyed the finale. He thought the space battle was the best in the series. I will debate that it finishes second to the battle of Galactica and Pegasus against the Basestars above New Caprica in “Crossroads”. He thought the ending was crap and didn’t need to be there. Even invoked the finale of Star Trek Voyager to make his argument. The Duchess, on the other hand, felt the final moments were too preachy. Seriously, I can’t debate her on that.

Here’s the thing, the finale did what the show always did. He pushed the envelope, stayed true to itself, and caused a lot of people to start talking. That’s what the show was always about to me, and that’s why it was great. I think my major gripe was the fact that the show had to end and with such a thin plot point. You want to have a final Cylon/human showdown, I’m all for it, but it shouldn’t be over one little girl. So, I give it 4 out of 5 stars, and eagerly await Caprica and the TV movie The Plan.

Battlestar Galactica Finale Review - Part 1

2009-03-25T12:09:00.001-07:00

Man, it’s been a long time, but I needed to find something to write about. When the series finale of one of the best sci-fi shows ever gets aired, that’s a recipe for an entry. For those of you who have been living in a cave with your eyes shut and your fingers in your ears for the past few weeks, the finale of Battlestar Galactica aired last Friday and I’m going to run it down for you.

To start off, I wanted to see three things. I wanted to get an explanation as to why Baltar sees Six in his head, what the hell is up with Starbuck, and I wanted to see Daniel get unboxed by the Cylons and have it turn out to be Dirk Benedict. Well, two out of three ain’t bad.

So the show starts up where we left off, people picking sides on who is going to risk life and limb to rescue a little girl from a near impenetrable Cylon fortress. No offense, but are you seriously going to risk humanity for one Cylon/human hybrid? I guess the answer is yes since Adama promotes Hoshi to Admiral (seriously, Hoshi?!?!) and takes off. The plan is simple. Jump to the one spot that jumping is allowed and open fire. In order to survive past five minutes, Sam is going to use some weird Cylon trick to stop the guns from firing by confusing the hybrids or something. I was a little lost at that point.

So, the Galactica jumps in and all hell breaks loose. Point blank slugfest between the Galactica and the Cylon base. Raptors launch to the other side of the base to land and penetrate the base. After what seems like forever, Sam uses his mumbo-jumbo to silence the Cylon guns. Galactica launches its fighters and then rams the base, as yet another entry into the base to rescue Hera. This kid better shit gold or something for all the trouble they are going to.

Inside the Cylon base (I need a nickname for this thing, like Fortress Toaster or something), Boomer has finally snapped and has absconded with Hera, as a way to make up for kidnapping her, cracking her mom upside the head, banging her dad, nearly crippling Galactica, and handing Hera over for experimentation. Yeah, all is forgiven. Anyway, she finds the rescue team, hands the kid over, we get a cool flashback to Boomer’s early days as a pilot, and Athena riddles her with bullets.

Finally, the Cylons have had enough and start to storm the Galactica. Now, Baltar and Six are hunkered down in one of the corridors as some line defense against this eventuality, and we get to see the good doctor waving a gun around. While sitting there, we learn that Six also sees an apparition, except it’s of Baltar. Talk about freaky.

Anyway, the rescue crew brings Hera aboard and Helo immediately gets shot in the leg. He tells his wife to let him bleed out and protect their kid. Of course, she doesn’t listen and the kid just takes off. Once they figure out that Hera is gone, they fall back letting Helo to die, on the floor of the Galactica (or so we think).

Then, it what seems like destiny (since we’ve seen the Opera House dream enough times), Baltar and Six find the kid and take her to the CIC, while Athena and Roslin chase them down. This is the point that Cavil shows up and puts the gun to Hera’s head and wants to take her back.

The Final 5 (minus Sam who is catatonic in a pool of goo) make a deal. They get Hera back and they give the Cylons the secret to resurrection. In order to do this, Chief, Saul, Ellen, and Tory all need to dip their hands in the goo that Sam is in, since all five need to put the information together. Now here’s the thing, when doing this, you get to see into the mind of the other four.

Instead of getting some Cinemax After Dark by seeing the various misdeeds of Ellen, we get to see Tory killing the Chief’s wife. Oops. He doesn’t take it lightly and decides to strangle Tory. God bless him. However, this cuts off the download of resurrection to the Cylons and they get mildly annoyed.

Cavil does his best Admiral Ackbar impression by screaming “It’s a trap” and the gun fire starts up again in the CIC. It’s around this time that we remember the Raptor that got tagged earlier. Earlier, a raptor had been flying outside the Cylon base and had armed their nukes before something crashed through the windshield and killed them all. Well, gravity took hold and the pilots hand accidently hit the launch button and the nukes went streaking toward the base.

And just for fun, I’m ending this there. Why? Because I’m tired of typing and I don’t want this to be some massive entry. So tomorrow I’ll come back and fill you in on the end of the battle and what happens next. Plus, my own analysis, with guest quotes from Seamus and the Duchess. It’s fun for the whole family. Until tomorrow.

Random TV Thoughts

2009-03-05T11:07:00.000-08:00

Here are some random TV thoughts I’ve had over the past week.

1) Does ABC’s Wednesday night line-up have a fascination with the 1970’s? I mean, you have Life on Mars on at 10, and now the gang from Lost has finally stopped hopping through time….in the 1970’s. Wouldn’t the clothes, Carter, and Watergate make us all want to pretend the 70’s never happened?

2) Speaking of ABC, I give up already!!! You’ve beaten me down with enough ads for Castle that I’m willing the check it out but only if you stop running the ads. I mean, that’s how you got me into Life on Mars (not too bad, as long as you lobotomize yourself so you forget the British version). How about you start showing me ads for Cupid, because I want to see that.

3) The Duchess was randomly flipping through the channels this weekend and she came across some The Soup rip-off called The Dish on some obscure cable channel I can’t remember. After about a second, I busted out with “Holy Crap, that’s Topanga Lawrence!” With Cory Matthews showing up in Chuck and Rider Strong popping up in an episode of Bones, it seems like the kids from Boy Meets World are finally taking the world by storm. All we need is that kid who played Minkus to pop up in an episode of NCIS and all will be right with the world.

4) Speaking of Duchess related channel surfing, she came across the show 17 Kids and Counting, about a family that doesn’t believe in birth control or naming a kid without the letter J. Anyway, one of the kids was getting married to some skirt and they said that they were “saving themselves for marriage”. You know what, I was glad. I think more kids should at least wait until a long lasting committed relationship before jumping into bed. Then they dropped the bomb.

You see, they aren’t only waiting until they get married for sex, but also to kiss. No, seriously. These two kids haven’t even kissed one another. They feel it will be more meaningful if they wait until they are married. Huh? So, I turned to the Duchess and asked her how she would have felt if I told her I didn’t want to kiss her until after we were married. Sketchy, strange, and a little off-putting would have been her thoughts (and who could blame her). I’m still flabbergasted by this. I just can’t wrap my head around it.

5) Reaper premiered this week, well ahead of when they actually announced it would premiere. It’s like the Head of Programming at the CW used to work for FOX. Anyway, at the end of the episode, when the Devil is waiting for Sam to leave his job, he’s sitting there on his Trans-Am and “You’re the Best” by Joe Esposito is blaring from the stereo.

For those of you not “in the know”, that is the song that is playing during the All-Valley Karate Tournament montage in “Karate Kid”. Also, it’s a quintessential 80’s song. I was starting to get pumped, and then I remembered the part when Daniel beat Dutch. There is no way Dutch loses to Daniel. That completely ruined the movie.

Top 5 Most Inappropriate Strip Club Songs

2009-02-20T09:29:00.000-08:00

You know, I was listing to my iPod on the train this morning and a song popped up. The song is number 1 on this list and inspired me to write this entry. You’ll realize why once you get to it.

Anyway, the only criteria for the songs is that they needed to be released (or else “Sleep” by Stabbing Westward would have been number 1, think “Janine’s Got a Gun” without the gun), it needs to have a song that would actually be played at a strip club if it wasn’t for the inappropriate lyrics, and it needs to have been released in the last 17 years (random number, but needed it to fit number 2 on the list). Anyway, here we go:

5) "Never Again"

Artist: Nickelback

Random lyric: “He’s drunk again, it’s time to fight. Same old shit just on a different night. She grabs the gun, she’s had enough.”

Rant: You have to think that even a coked out DJ at some sleazy strip club would have enough sense not to play a song about domestic abuse. Most of these girls probably came from a home like this. Do you really want “Destiny” to breakdown while working the pole?

4) "Break Stuff"

Artist: Limp Bizket

Random lyric: “I pack a chainsaw. I’ll skin your ass raw. And if my day keeps going this way, I just might break your fucking face tonight.”

Rant: Think about it, do you really want some stripper to hear this Ode to Ass Kicking playing when some guy is letting his hands wander where they shouldn’t be? Some drunken businessman might end up with a stiletto heel lodged in his chest. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, but it’s just one more fluid that the poor janitor will have to clean up.

3) "Last Resort"

Artist: Papa Roach

Random lyric: “Don’t give a fuck if I cut my arm bleeding. Would it be wrong, would it be right, if I took my life tonight. Chances are that I might. Mutilation outta sight. And I’m contemplating suicide.”

Rant: Seriously, you want this song playing in a place where half the girls are probably on the ledge? I would think this job has the highest rate of cutters, if it wasn’t for the fact that it would be hard to conceal. Most of these girls probably want to kill themselves because no little girl dreams of growing up to be a stripper (unless your last name is Kardashian).

2) "Sex Type Thing"

Artist: Stone Temple Pilots

Random lyric: “I said “I wanna get next to you.” I said “I gotta get close to you.” You wouldn’t want me, have to hurt you too, hurt you too.”

Rant: Here’s a story for you. I used to go see this cover band play because a friend of mine knew the members. After the first few songs, the crowd really wasn’t into it. Then, they played this song and the crowd started dancing, singing, and have a generally good time. I turned to my friend and said “Nothing like a song about date rape to get a crowd going.”

1) "Prison Sex"

Artist: Tool

Random Lyric: “Won’t you come a bit closer, close enough so I can smell you. I need you to feel this. I need this to make me whole. There’s release in this sodomy.”

Rant: Nothing like a song about child abuse and sodomy to get into the mood. This gets number 1 mainly for the fact that I have a story that this was actually played in a strip club. Here’s the story.

My roommate Steinmetz and I were in our room, both doing work with music on in the background. Anyway, this song comes on and he starts giggling. I ask him what’s so funny and the following conversation takes place:

Steinmetz: Oh, I was in a strip club this summer and I heard this song.
Me: Seriously?
Steinmetz: Yup. I thought it was completely inappropriate, but no one else seemed to notice.
Me: What were you doing in a strip club? That’s not your scene.
Steinmetz: Oh, one of my old high school friends told me that this uppity bitch we went to school with worked there. I went to see her. I brought my yearbook. I was going to get her to sign it.
Me: Did you?
Steinmetz: No, it was her night off.
Me: Did you ever go back?
Steinmetz: No, that place was a little sketchy.
After a second:
Steinmetz: Wanna go now?

Sometimes I miss college.

Why Joss Whedon's "Dollhouse" Will Fail

2009-02-11T11:37:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago when I did my New and Premiering of 2009 entry, Seamus shot me an email, a little shocked that I had forgotten Dollhouse, the new show from Joss Whedon. As we are both Whedon fan-boys, he figured it would be near the top of the list. However my enthusiasm has been tempered by one fact alone: Dollhouse will fail.

The writing for this is on the wall. It really has nothing to do with the shuffling cast, or the massive rewrites, or even the basic premise. If I were to choose any of those, my case would be generic and reflect just about every other blog entry out there from the blurry eyed geeks who live in their mother’s basement. However, I will offer two main reasons why this show will go down in a brilliant blaze of infamy.

1) Look at the network

Far be it from me to bad mouth FOX, but…..wait a minute, I love bad mouthing FOX. FOX will screw this up. They screw up everything. If they want something to succeed, they give it the American Idol lead-in (House, Fringe, etc). If they want something to fail, they throw it one some random night, show episodes out of order, and move it around the schedule without telling anyone. Sometimes I think a retarded drunken monkey is the Head of Programming for FOX.

Anyway, Dollhouse has been given “the death slot”. Friday nights at 9PM. Yeah, they are really going to pull in the 18-35 demographic there. Not only that, but the lead-in is Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles. The last show that Terminator led-in is now in the trash heap along with all the other also-rans.

Also, have you seen the ads for the show? They are trying to pull off the pulp 50’s feel to the ads, basically highlighting the hot chicks with guns angle. While I give them credit for trying to attract the geeky dateless wonders out there, they were going to watch these two shows anyway. My personal preference would have been to either go with the “woman power” angle to attract female viewers or the “intellectual” angle, in order to attract the percentage of the population who feels the need to counterbalance all the For the Love of Ray J episodes they watched last week.

I don’t care what FOX has said about letting Friday night become a breeding ground for well-written scripted dramas (unlike all those poorly written “unscripted” dramas that pass for reality shows) and that ratings don’t matter. Let me disabuse you of this right now, ratings matter. FOX is trying to catch lightning in a bottle here. They know that sci-fi fans are gun shy when it comes to FOX and Friday nights, so they are putting out this cock and bull story about how ratings don’t matter so they can draw in a large audience. When the ratings remain low, FOX will burn all the fans who thought they were telling the truth.

2) Look at Whedon

Hey, I’m a big fan of Whedon, ever since the first season of Buffy. I watched all seven seasons, plus the five seasons of Angel, and the one season of Firefly. I even went to see the Serenity movie, dragging the Duchess along with me early enough in our relationship where are I could have easily scared her off with my geekiness. So, before we get into this, I needed you to know my bonafides so you don’t rip me to shreds.

Whedon has a tendency to be too cute, which turns average people off. Case in point is the Chinese during Firefly. The basic question was “why are they using Chinese phrases?” It took peoples attention from where it was needed, the plot.

The plot was good. It has all the classics. Civil War, rebels, whores, smuggling, and government black ops mumbo jumbo. You don’t need to confuse people by trying to be cute and showing us how “edgy” you can be. It was a distraction.

While the mindless Whedon fan-boy was like “oh, he’s such a genius” and spending 10 minutes dissecting the various meaning of each phrase, the average TV viewer was sitting there bewildered. If you’re going to confuse the TV public, do it in a good way like Lost.

So, as long as FOX really doesn’t care about ratings and Whedon doesn’t try to out-smart himself, this could very well be a hit. However, do you really expect both of those things to happen? Yeah, me neither. But it won’t stop me from watching.

Even I Make Mistakes

2009-02-05T12:00:00.000-08:00

As much as it pains me to admit, I have made certain errors in past entries. That is what this entry is all about, rectifying those errors. I could have covertly gone in and changed what I wanted, but that would just be unfair to everyone. And before you ask, no, I didn’t make any errors in my Indianapolis Sucks entry (bunch of inbred hicks). Anyway, here are the three errors that I am attempting to fix.

1) Of Deathly Hallows and Season Finales

If you remember this entry, I pretty much lambasted the fact that Ginny Weasley ended up with Harry Potter. In said rant, I listed 5 girls who would have been better suited for the young wizard. Upon further review, I would like to change the list slightly. No, I’m not putting the Red Headed strumpet on the list. She resides somewhere around number 12, snuggled neatly between Pansy Parkinson (only because it would piss off Rowling) and Katie Bell (Quidditch chicks rule). No, I’m tossing Cho Chang out of the top 5, because she annoys me and seems too needy.

So, I am in need of a new number 3. This is going to shock some of you, but I’m giving the nod to Nymphadora Tonks. Okay, let’s get past the fact that she’s both married and dead and look at it rationally. One, there was some definite flirtation going on between the two during Order of the Phoenix. Two, the age difference in negligible, seeing has Harry is more mature for his age and she is less mature for her age. Plus, if you even want to use this argument, you have to throw water on her whole Remus Lupin storyline, seeing has his age difference with her is about double the age difference between her and Harry. Also, her feelings for Lupin are a product of Rowling’s out and out character manipulation in Half-Blood Prince and her need to pair off everyone for the sake of pairing them off.

2) Sith Lords, Guest Spots, and Other Thoughts

In my last entry, I listed my top 5 favorite guest stars. I’m tossing John Heard out, if only because he’s the only real weak link in the whole list. However, I’ll give him honorable mention along with Eric Balfour (your man if you need a scumbag) and Alan Dale (your man if you need a strict patriarch). So, who takes Heard’s spot?

Why, Sonya Walger of course. You Lost fans will no doubt recognize the indomitable Penny Widmore, Desmond Hume’s paramour and daughter of the dastardly Charles Widmore (played by Alan Dale). She also had roles in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (as the wife of Sarah’s former boyfriend) and Sleeper Cell (as an FBI Agent who gets beheaded by terrorists). She’s top notch, as long as you forget she was in the US version of Coupling.

3) The New and Premiering of 2009

In this entry, I listed the top 5 new or premiering TV shows I was looking forward to in 2009 (obviously, I have a problem with lists). At number 1, I listed Lost, and this was a gross error.

Lost operates on a whole other plain of existence from every other TV show. You can’t even call it TV. The way people explain acid trips from the 60’s is how I feel after watching an hour of Lost. You get flash-forwards, flashbacks, strange lights, talking dead people, and too much Matthew Fox.

The episode “Jug-head” that was on last week, it didn’t have any of the Oceanic 6, and it was probably one of the best episodes ever. And I still don’t completely grasp what happened. It’s just amazing stuff.

As a conclusion, my buddy Seamus told me he watched last week’s Lost and Battlestar Galactica back to back. He said it was a horrible mistake. You think? I do have to give him credit though. If I did that, my brain probably would have exploded.