College Game Picks 12/5

The Big Four

#2 Alabama vs #1 Florida
The epic matchup that we've been anticipating for about 2 months is finally here! But if you come into the game thinking that the game will be taken over by the offensive stars by either team such as 'Bama running back Mark Ingram or Florida's media darling Tim Tebow, you're going to be disappointed. This is going to be a defensive struggle by the two best teams points per game wise in the country. I think the winner of this game will be the team that forces a big play on defense or special teams. Mark Ingram will play for Alabama despite the hip flexor but I expect the bulk of the carries to go to freshman sensation Trent Richardson as was the case in the 2nd half last week at Auburn. At the end of the day, I think it's going to be the same story as last year. Both teams are pretty evenly matched except at the most important position. Tim Tebow is arguably the best college quarterback of all time. Greg McElroy isn't the best quarterback in the SEC West. McElroy is forced into a key mistake or two and the Gator defense shuts down the Crimson Tide offense late and Florida wins 19-13 and goes to the national championship game.

#22 Nebraska vs #3 Texas
Nebraska's only chance to upset the heavily favored Longhorns is to hold Texas under 20 points. If the Huskers' two dominant defensive tackles, Ndamukong Suh and Jared Crick, can shut down the run early, Texas can be prone to abandoning the ground attack almost completely. At that point, Nebraska must not allow Colt McCoy to go absolutely nuts and keep him in check. If they can do that, Big Red can keep Texas' offense in check. I actually think Nebraska's defense will keep Texas' offense in check, but I also think that Texas' defense is better than anything they've seen all year. Texas scores a TD late to put it out of reach and the Longhorns win 24-9.

#5 Cincinnati at #15 Pittsburgh
With all the talk going towards the SEC title game, this game has fallen a bit under the radar. This is probably the first time that a December Top-15 matchup for a conference title that involved an undefeated team that could possibly reach the national title game with a win and an upset has gone under the radar. Both teams boast excellent offenses with Cincinnati relying on what I consider the best passing game in America behind NFL prospects, QB Tony Pike and WR's Mardy Gilyard and DJ Woods. Pitt uses a more balanced attack behind freshman sensation RB Dion Lewis and vastly improved veteran QB Bill Stull. Pittsburgh leads the country in sacks behind DE Greg Romeus but Cincinnati's quick strike passing attack will help to nullify that outstanding pass rush. Cincinnati wins at Pitt, 45-37, and becomes the biggest Nebraska Cornhusker fans in the world.

Clemson vs. #10 Georgia Tech
It's like I've already seen this game. Oh wait, I have. Tech defeated Clemson 30-27 on a Thursday night in Atlanta early in the season after having to rally late despite a 24-0 first half lead. Clemson is a much better team now than they were then. Redshirt freshman quarterback Kyle Parker had a 47% completion percentage over the first 4 games of the season for the Tigers but has had close to a 60% completion percentage and a 14-6 TD-INT ratio since. CJ Spiller has played in a somewhat limited role the past 2 weeks(he still had an 88 yard kickoff return TD last week) due to a turf toe but should be healthier and return to the form that got him into Heisman contention. One aspect of this game that has gone unlooked is that this is essentially going to be a Clemson home game in Tampa and I think that that will be the difference as Clemson fans scream "Yabo Dabo Doo" in a 34-27 win en route to the Tigers first ACC title since 1991.

Upset Pick of the Week
East Carolina over #21 Houston

College Football Game Picks 11/26-11/27

The Big Three

#2 Alabama at Auburn

Ah, the Iron Bowl. All the publicity goes to Ohio State-Michigan, Notre Dame-USC, and the Red River Shootout and some of that is deservedly so but I don't think any other rivalry in college football can match the hate that these two teams have for each other. Consider this. Tommy Tubberville beat Alabama 7 straight years and had a fantastic coaching career at Auburn but last year, he had ONE down year and he lost to 'Bama and for the first time in 8 years and he got the boot. If Auburn is to have any chance at pulling what would be a major upset, they can't afford to fall behind early. If they fall behind, 'Bama will be able to shorten the game by being able to expose Auburn's 88th ranked rush defense with Heisman candidate Mark Ingram. I think War Eagle will be able to score early because their inventive offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn will have had an extra week to come up with a gameplan to probe that stingy Crimson Tide defense. However, at the end of the day, I don't think that War Eagle will be able to stop Alabama's great running backs, the aforementioned Mark Ingram and the freshman sensation Trent Richardson, and the Crimson Tide roll 27-20.



#8 Pittsburgh at West Virginia

Two years ago, West Virginia was one win away from reaching the national championship game. They only needed to beat their rival Pitt who had no chance at a bowl game. Pitt upset the Mountaineers in Morgantown and ruined their chances at a title. This year, the script has been flipped. Pitt's traveling to play a West Virginia team that they're clearly better than in a game that they must win to make next week's home date versus Cincinnati a de facto Big East championship game. And I think this time, it will be Pittsburgh that falls victim to the big upset. I don't think that West Virginia will be able to stop Pitt's potent offense led by QB Bill Stull, WR Jonathan Baldwin, and freshman sensation RB Dion Lewis but I think that the Mountaineer's unique 3-3-5 scheme will be able to slow down Pitt enough to let West Virginia's potent offense outscore them. QB Jarrett Brown and RB Noel Devine will each make many big plays and West Virginia wins the Backyard Brawl 45-37.



#12 Oklahoma State at Oklahoma

We're used to the script of the Bedlam game. One team needs to win to help solidify a BCS berth and the other team just wants to win for bragging rights and a better bowl game. However, we're used to having Oklahoma being the one in contention for a BCS game, not OK State. And despite the fact that OK State's the one that is ranked and OU just got blown out in Lubbock to Texas Tech, the Sooners are 9 point favorites. Someone knows something that we don't know. The Pokes aren't sure as to whether or not star QB Zac Robinson will play and if he doesn't, I can't see them winning in Norman. With Robinson, though, they have an excellent offense that has great balance between Robinson and the 2 headed running attack of RB's Keith Toston and Kendall Hunter. Unfortunately for Cowboys fans, I don't think that Oklahoma State will be able to penetrate the stout Sooner defense enough to beat the Sooners. QB Landry Jones is a different quarterback at home(18 TDs 4 INTs) than he is on the road(5 TDs 9 INTs) and he will direct the Oklahoma offense to score many points against a mediocre Oklahoma State defense. The Sooners win the Bedlam game, 38-24.



Quick Picks

Florida State 20 at #1 Florida 38-I'd like the 'Noles chances a hell of a lot more if QB Christian Ponder was healthy, but without him the Gators will take advantage of Florida State's porous defense and their freshman QB EJ Manuel.

#22 Utah 24 at #18 BYU 28-The Cougars win the Holy War behind QB Max Hall and RB Harvey Unga who will go out winners on Senior Day.

#19 Miami(Fl) 34 at South Florida 23-South Florida continues its annual late season slide and Miami QB Jacory Harris has a big day for the 'Canes.

#23 North Carolina 23 at NC State 12-The Heels defense clamps down on Wolfpack QB Russell Wilson and North Carolina completes the Triangle sweep.

#18 Clemson 31 at South Carolina 18-South Carolina is in the triple digits as far as ranking in terms of sacks allowed and Clemson is one of the best in the country at getting to the QB. Gamecock QB Stephen Garcia gets many dirt stains and Tiger RB CJ Spiller boosts his Heisman resume.

Georgia at #7 Georgia Tech-The Wreck rambles over the Dawgs for the 2nd straight year on the strength of their running game behind QB Josh Nesbitt and RB Jonathan Dwyer. Joe Cox will be abused by Yellow Jacket DE Derrick Morgan.

Upset Picks

Arkansas over #17 LSU

Arizona State over Arizona

Notre Dame over Stanford

Kentucky over Tennessee

UTEP over Marshall

Hawaii over Navy

College Football Conference Power Rankings

I base my conference power rankings off these factors:
1.) Quality Depth-How many GOOD teams does the conference have?
2.) Quality Strength-How do their best teams stack up with the best teams from the other conferences?
3.) Overall Depth-How many teams do they have that are at least mediocre?

With all that said, let's get to it.
1.) ACC-What?!?!?!The ACC is the best football conference in America? The answer is: in 2009, absolutely yes! The ACC has the most teams in the current Top 25 with 5(Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Miami(Fl), and North Carolina). They are strong at the top with 3 top 15 teams which is tied with the Big Ten for the most in the country. They also have good depth with 7 bowl teams which is only trumped by the Big 12 and SEC. Even their bad teams have won big nonconference games. NC State(1-6 in the ACC)handed #9 Pitt their only loss. Wake Forest(2-5 in the ACC)beat Stanford, who drummed Oregon and USC this year. Florida State(4-4 in the ACC)beat the living snot out of #19 BYU in Provo.
2.) Pac-10-The Pac-10 only trails the ACC with 4 teams in the Top 25. The Pac-10 would also argue that they should have a 5th ranked team as Stanford dropped out of the polls after losing to ranked Cal this past weekend, despite hammering #9 Oregon and #20 USC in consecutive weeks previously. The Pac-10 boasts good depth with 7 bowl teams, which is tied with the ACC for 3rd most of any conference. The Pac-10 is very similar in its resume to the ACC in its argument to be the best conference in the land. However, there are 2 reasons why I give the ACC the edge. The ACC is stronger at the very top with 2 or 3 top 15 teams based on what poll you're looking at while the Pac-10 has just one top 15 team in both polls. Also, ACC bottom dweller Wake Forest defeated Stanford, one of the best in the Pac-10.
3.) SEC-Most would argue that the SEC deserves to be number 1. However, those people base their opinion based more off of reputation more than what's actually happening on the field. Reputation has even earned the SEC a 4th ranked team that doesn't deserve to be ranked. The team that I'm talking about is the LSU Tigers. LSU is ranked #17 despite not having any top 25 wins. The Bayou Bengals' best two wins have come at UGA(with the help of the referees who were later suspended for poor officiating)who is mediocre at best and at home against Auburn who is just slightly better than mediocre. They barely beat Louisiana Tech at home(in fact, they trailed at halftime)and this team just doesn't deserve to be ranked. So the way I see it, the SEC has 3 ranked teams(Florida, Alabama, and Ole Miss). And that lack of quality depth is the reason why the conference with the teams ranked #1 and #2 and the conference that has the most bowl eligible teams(9) of any conference is the only the 3rd best conference in America.
4.) Big Ten-The Big Ten(though Big Eleven would be more accurate)is once again solid, but not good enough to be the best. It has 3 ranked teams(Ohio State, Iowa, Penn State)that are all in the top 15. It also has 7 bowl eligible teams. Their resume puts them in at 4th in the conference rankings which isn't bad at all but still isn't the best.
5.) Big 12-The Big 12 has the team that I consider the best in the country in the Texas Longhorns, along with another top 15 team in Oklahoma State. However, those are the only 2 ranked teams in the conference and in fact, the only win against a ranked opponent for the conference this season was when the Longhorns clobbered the Cowboys in Stillwater. The Big 12 also has Nebraska whose defense, led by darkhorse Heisman candidate DT Ndamukong Suh and fellow DT Jared Crick(who had 5 sacks in one game!), has allowed more than 17 points just once this season. This conference has 8 bowl teams(2nd only to the SEC) and the best team in the country, but lack of quality depth relegates the Big 12 to the 5th spot in the rankings.
6.) Big East-Obviously, this isn't a fair comparison as the Big East has a mere 8 teams which is 2 fewer than any other conference(isn't it ironic that the conference with by far the most teams in basketball has by far the least in football?)but the Big East is going to finish with the fewest bowl teams of any BCS conference(6). The Big East does have 2 ranked teams(Cincinnati and Pittsburgh) and in fact, both teams are in the top 10 but the conference lacks quality depth and depth overall which is why they're number six.
7.) Mountain West
8.) Conference-USA
9.) MAC
10.) WAC
11.) Sun Belt

Football on Thanksgiving

Ah, Thanksgiving. The food, the family, and of course, the football! Sounds awesome doesn't it? There's just a few tiny problems with this. One, I can't stand turkey because whenever I eat it, I just want to be eating chicken and the truth is, turkey is just dry, nasty chicken(there's a reason there's "Kentucky Fried Chicken" and not a "Tennessee Fried Turkey"). I don't like my family, and while not everyone hates their family, there's almost always at least one member of your family that you don't really like or is just plain annoying. Well, at least there's great football...NOPE! If the NFL and Roger Goodell would do it right, Thanksgiving day could be to the NFL what New Year's Day is to college football. Right now, we're stuck with the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys every year with one additional night game on the NFL Network being added very recently. Why do the Lions and Cowboys get the Thanksgiving games every year? Because the Lions started it and the Cowboys were the only ones that would do it 30 years ago. But in today's game, should that really matter? Why is it that they get to have the exposure every year? Why must we be subjected to bad football? The Lions have always sucked, so why must we be exposed to their futility? They flat out don't deserve to play on Thanksgiving. And the Cowboys are good, so what does the NFL do? They ruin the game and force us to watch the Oakland Raiders. Why Roger Goodell? Why?!?!?!The NFL is really missing out on a fantastic opportunity to make Thanksgiving to the NFL what New Year's Day is to college football. Give us the best games of the week and some of the best games of the year. Don't give us 3 crap games such as Packers-Lions, Raiders-Cowboys, and Giants-Broncos. The NFL is giving us bologna when it should be giving us filet. Give us a 3 game stretch of Bears-Vikings, Steelers-Ravens, and Patriots-Saints. Take the last game off of NFL Network and put it on NBC so more people watch it. Roger Goodell, the ball is in your court. Fix this problem now!

College Game Picks 11/21

The Big Three
#9 Ohio State @ Michigan
I don't care that Ohio State's already clinched a spot in the Rose Bowl. I don't care that Michigan is following up last year's 3-9 record with a 5-5 record this year. This game matters. It's Ohio State and Michigan in the Big House. It matters. Ohio State is clearly the better team but don't count out the Wolverines in this one. I think that they'll give the Buckeyes all that they can handle but at the end of the day, Ohio State is just too good. Terrelle Pryor is playing well as of late and should continue to make plays against RichRod's porous defense. Tate Forcier better get used to DE Cameron Heyward because he'll be in the backfield an awful lot on Saturday. The Buckeyes win 34-21.

#10 LSU @ Ole Miss
Ole Miss has been playing very well as of late and most of the credit has gone to RB/WR/Playmaker Dexter McCluster and rightfully so. The Rebels really don't have any true gamebreakers outside of Rebel DMC and they've finally begun to feed him the ball(15 touches, all rushes, for 87 yds 0 TDs vs South Carolina in a 16-10 loss; 29 touches, 25 rushes, for 324 yds 4 TDs vs Tennessee in a 42-17 win). Rebel DMC with run all over the Bayou Bengals who struggled last week against Louisiana Tech. Ole Miss makes the Tigers geaux home losers, 33-20.

#11 Oregon at Arizona
Raise your hand if you predicted that the biggest game in the Pac-10 this season would be played in Tuscon. Don't get too excited though, Wildcats fans. Oregon is just flat out better than Arizona. The Wildcats do boast an excellent QB, sophomore Nick Foles, and an excellent RB, Nic Grigsby but the Ducks boast a better QB, senior dual-threat Jeremiah Masoli, and a better RB, LaMichael James. Oregon and Arizona both have fantastic TE's but as the theme has been, Oregon's Ed Dickson is better than Arizona's Rob Gronokowski. Both teams field solid, if unspectacular defenses, so I don't expect that to be the difference. Oregon averages 36.1 points per game and Arizona averages 30.4 points per game so I'll predict Oregon wins 36-30.

Quick Picks
#14 Stanford 45 California 17-Cal's been exposed against good teams, losing by a total of 72-6 in consecutive blowout losses against Oregon and USC.
#3 Texas 38 Kansas 35-All the talk about Mangino getting the can, the players will play their hearts out for him but it will fall short.
#16 Wisconsin 34 Northwestern 21-Wisconsin's power running game will wear Northwestern down.
#23 Clemson 38 Virginia 6-Clemson blows away Virginia en route to their first ACC Title Game.
Nebraska 22 Kansas State 10-Big 12 leading rusher Daniel Thomas won't be able to get past Nebraska's DT's Ndamukong Suh and Jared Crick and K-State doesn't go to a bowl
North Carolina 23 Boston College 15-UNC's defense has been fantastic during their 3 game win streak that includes wins against Miami, rival Duke, and at Virginia Tech
Notre Dame 38 Connecticut 33-Notre Dame's won the most close games in the country and UConn's lost the most close games in the country. I'll follow that formula.

Upset Picks
Michigan State over #14 Penn State-Sparty's D behind LB Greg Jones shuts down Penn State's running game
Ole Miss over #8 LSU-See reasons stated above
Indiana over Purdue-Indiana's lost the most close games in the Big Ten this season. They finally get one in the one that really matters in the Hoosier State
Arizona State over UCLA-Arizona State has the best defense in the Pac-10 and UCLA has one of the worst offenses in the Pac-10. Arizona State wins a game that will look like a baseball score.
Texas Tech over Oklahoma-Red Raiders get revenge from last year's drubbing at the hands of the Sooners in Lubbock with their always potent air attack.

NFL Playoff Predictions

Wild Card Round
AFC
4 Patriots over 5 Steelers
3 Bengals over 6 Texans
NFC
5 Giants over 4 Cardinals
3 Cowboys over 6 Falcons

Divisional Round
AFC
4 Patriots over 1 Colts
2 Chargers over 3 Bengals
NFC
5 Giants over 1 Saints
2 Vikings over 3 Cowboys

Championship Round
2 Chargers over 4 Patriots
2 Vikings over 5 Giants

Super Bowl
Chargers over Vikings

2nd Half NFL Predictions Team by Team AFC

AFC East





New England Patriots: 6-3 1st Place AFC East; End of the Year: 12-4 1st Place AFC East

The Pats are back. The offense is finally back in sync which means one thing for the rest of the NFL: Look out! The defense is slightly above average and makes plays when they need to. They've lost twice on the road against two defenses that were playing out of their minds at the time that they played them back when the offense wasn't quite back in full sync after Tom Brady's return from the devastating knee injury. Looking at their schedule, they could very realistically not lose a game the rest of the year. However, I don't think that'll be the case as the NFL is just so difficult that I imagine they'll drop one somewhere down the road.


Key Games: Nov. 30 @New Orleans, Dec. 6 @Miami, Dec. 27 Jacksonville







Miami Dolphins: 4-5 T-2nd Place AFC East; End of the Year: 7-9 2nd Place AFC East

It looks like Miami should've made the switch to Chad Henne before the season started and not have waited for Chad Pennington to make his seemingly biannual trip to the IR. The 'Fins started out 0-3, but have gone 4-2 since Chad Henne became the starting quarterback. He's helped them develop more of a passing threat than when Old Chad was the starter. As was the case last year, the Dolphins are one of the most physical teams in the league and their ability to run the ball keeps them in every game. Now they have the quarterback going forward to win some of the games they couldn't with Chad Pennington as the starter. While I think this is going to be one of the contending teams in the NFL going forward, the Dolphins schedule going forward is just too brutal for me to see them making the type of run needed to make a playoff run.



Key Games: Nov. 19 @Carolina, Dec. 6 New England, Dec. 13 @Jacksonville, Dec. 27 Houston







New York Jets: 4-5 T-2nd Place AFC East; End of the Year: 4-12 4th Place AFC East

It's amazing how quickly things can change in the NFL. 3 weeks in, the J-E-T-S Jets were 3-0 and coming off of two huge wins against New England and Tennessee with their suffocating defense. Rookie Mark Sanchez was the best quarterback for the Jets since Broadway Joe and Rex Ryan was Coach of the Year. Now Gang Green is 4-5, Mark Sanchez has clearly hit a wall and the defense is just slightly above average and doesn't have nearly the same swagger as it once did. Looking at the way their schedule sets up, I don't think that they get another win this year and Rex Ryan is going to learn that the New York media isn't as kind when you aren't winning.



Key Games: Nov. 22 @New England, Dec. 3 @Buffalo, Dec. 27 @Indy





Buffalo Bills: 3-6 4th Place AFC East; End of the Year: 5-11 3rd Place AFC East

There is going to be lots of change in western New York this offseason. QB Trent Edwards hasn't made the type of progress that you would like to see if you're Ralph Wilson and the same can be said about head coach Dick Jauron. Of course, not all the problems on offense can be attributed to Edwards as this team is extremely young on the offensive line and the line has struggled as you might expect. But he still does not look like the type of quarterback that you'd want to build your franchise around going forward. And the fact that the team is in the exact same place as it was when Jauron got here 4 years ago can be put on Jauron. On a positive note, it looks like rookie safety Jairus Byrd is the real deal as he's gotten an INT in 5 straight games and is tied for the league lead.


Key Games: None







AFC South





Indianapolis Colts: 9-0 1st Place AFC South; End of the Year: 14-2 1st Place AFC South

There's not a whole lot that can be said here that hasn't been said about the Colts in the past 8 years or so. Peyton Manning is amazing and is carrying the team. The defense isn't great but makes plays when it needs to and has the best pair of pass rushing bookends in the league with Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis. And Bob Sanders is out for the year. Same old story with the Colts. The only difference is that Marvin Harrison and Tony Dungy are gone.


Key Games: Nov. 22 @Baltimore, Nov. 29 @Houston, Dec. 13 Denver, Dec. 17 @Jacksonville





Jacksonville Jaguars: 5-4 T-2nd Place AFC South; End of the Year: 10-6 T-2nd Place AFC South


These aren't the Jaguars in the mold that we've come to know them. These Jags are built on offense, not defense. This team is built on Maurice Jones-Drew pounding the rock 20-25 times a game and David Garrard throwing for big numbers(he's a top 10 fantasty qb for the 2nd straight year for those who weren't aware). Do I think this team is really as good as I think that their record will be at the end of the year? No. But the fact is that they have the type of schedule that they should win 5 of their last 7 games. This team reminds me a lot of the 2007 Browns that went 10-6 behind Pro Bowl quarterback Derek Anderson(yes, Derek Anderson was a Pro Bowl quarterback)(No, I'm not kidding!)(Seriously, I'm not kidding!).


Key Games: Nov. 29 @San Francisco, Dec. 6 Houston, Dec. 13 Miami, Jan. 3 @Cleveland





Houston Texans: 5-4 T-2nd Place AFC South; End of the Year: 10-6 T-2nd Place AFC South

Could this finally be the year the Texans break through and make it to the playoffs? This is clearly the best team they've ever had but at times it seems like the same old Texans. At Arizona, down 21-0, Houston comes back to tie the game and has the ball. Matt Schaub throws a pick six. They show resiliancy and drive the ball to the Arizona 1 yard line. They get stuffed. At Indy, they got absolutely dominated in the first half. They came back and actually had a 43 yard field goal to tie the game. Kris Brown missed it as time expired and Houston loses again. At what point does this team's resiliancy either come through and help them win? At some point I have to imagine that this team's gonna stop believing that they can win if they can't pull those type of games out. I think they learn to win and they have the type of schedule that sets up nicely for a playoff run.


Key Games: Nov. 23 Tennessee, Nov. 29 Indy, Dec. 6 @Jacksonville, Jan. 3 New England





Tennessee: 3-6 4th Place AFC South; End of the Year: 7-9 4th Place AFC South

It's too late for a playoff run this year but this is the type of team that can ruin someone else's season. Chris Johnson is the best running back in the league right now and I don't think that can be argued. Vince Young doesn't kill the stat sheet but he's a winner. The secondary has begun to play better after being absolutely awful in the earlier stages of the year and the rest of the defense is good. Unfortunately, this is going to be a team that's theme of the year will be too little too late after losing their first 6.


Key Games: None



AFC North



Cincinnati Bengals: 7-2 1st Place AFC North; End of the Year: 12-4 1st Place AFC North

Think about this: If not for a miracle play and what some consider the worst call of the year, the Bengals would be tied with the Colts for having the best record in the AFC. This team is for real. They swept Pittsburgh and Baltimore, widely considered the two favorites in that division. They have an agressive, attacking style defense to go along with an offense built around a power running game behind Cedric Benson along with Bernard Scott and now Larry Johnson to compliment him. Carson Palmer has returned to form as has the ever quirky but also ever talented Chad Ochocinco. We need to start talking about this team as a legitimate Super Bowl contender. If they can take advantage of the schedule that they have down the stretch, this is a team that can earn a first round bye.



Key Games: Nov. 29 Cleveland, Dec. 13 @Minnesota, Dec. 20 @San Diego





Pittsburgh Steelers: 6-3 2nd Place AFC North; End of the Year: 11-5 2nd Place AFC North

This team isn't going to win the division. The Cincinnati Bengals are but let's not get crazy. This is still clearly one of the main contenders to win the Super Bowl. And it should be noted that the last time the Bengals won the division, 2005, Pittsburgh went into Cincinnati and won a playoff game en route to a magical run to a Super Bowl title. This team has found a running game behind Rashard Mendenhall and Big Ben has never been better in part because he's never had a better receiving corp. Santonio Holmes, Hines Ward, and now Mike Wallace are all dangerous wide receivers and Heath Miller is one of the better tight ends in the league. The defense is still very stout behind Dick LeBeau especially now that Troy Polamalu is back. They don't have an insanely difficult schedule the rest of the way but they should drop one before they more than likely rest all of their starters in what should be a meaningless game at Miami in Week 17.



Key Games: Nov. 29 @Baltimore, Dec. 10 @Cleveland, Dec. 20 Green Bay, Dec. 27 Baltimore





Baltimore Ravens: 4-4 3rd Place AFC North; End of the Year: 7-9 3rd Place AFC North

These aren't the Ravens that we've come to know and love. These Ravens aren't built on defense and power running. These Ravens are built off of the strong arm of Joe Flacco and the playmaking ability of Ray Rice. Last year, they were the most run oriented team in the NFL and this year they are the 9th most pass oriented team in the league. That's part of what's wrong with the defense. They aren't burning enough clock and the D is getting tired. Also, the defense clearly misses departed defensive coordinator Rex Ryan because they simply aren't the same defense. Ray Lewis still talks a big game but he hasn't really played a big game this year other than on a key tackle on 4th and 2 at San Diego. They aren't getting the same type of pressure as they did last year and it shows(they are allowing 4 more points a game than they did last year). The schedule down the stretch is brutal and I expect the team that played in the AFC championship game last year to have a losing season.



Key Games: Nov. 22 Indy, Nov. 29 Pittsburgh, Dec. 7 @Green Bay, Dec. 27 @Pittsburgh





Cleveland Browns: 1-7 4th Place AFC North; End of the Year: 2-14 4th Place AFC North

The Browns are awful. I'll take the same approach as I did with all of the horrible teams in the NFL. Josh Cribbs is the best special teamer in the NFL. Shaun Rogers is one of the best kick blockers in the league.



Key Games: None





AFC West





Denver Broncos: 6-3 T-1st Place AFC West; End of the Year: 9-7 2nd Place AFC West

I can't say that I'm surprised that the Broncos' defense has fallen back to earth. It simply was playing way too far over it's head to continue to play as fantastic as it had. However, to see the defense fall this hard has been a surprise. The same defense that was literally impregnable in the 2nd half of games for the first 6 weeks of the season now has allowed 58 2nd half points over the past 3 games. I still believe that Josh McDaniels made a huge mistake when he traded away Jay Cutler for Kyle Orton and draft picks. Orton has been solid, but Jay Cutler is a playmaker and can stretch the field. Now, Orton's going to be out with next week's HUGE game against the Chargers. All of that and a difficult schedule down the stretch and that leads me to believe that the team that started 6-0 will end up watching the playoffs on TV.



Key Games: Nov. 22 San Diego, Nov. 26 Giants, Dec. 13 @Indy





San Diego Chargers: 6-3 T-1st Place AFC West; End of the Year: 12-4 1st Place AFC West

This team is finally beginning to turn it on. LT is showing shades of the LT of old, Shawne Merriman looks like he has finally returned to full health, and Vincent Jackson has emerged as a legitimate top 15 wide receiver. There's a reason that this team is considered one of the most talented in the league and they are beginning to show it. Once center Nick Hardwick returns to the lineup, the offense is only going to get that much better. The schedule down the stretch is not brutal by any means and could make their game on December 20th against Cincinnati extremely crucial towards determining which team gets a first round bye in the AFC playoffs.



Key Games: Nov. 22 @Denver, Dec. 13 @Dallas, Dec. 20 Cincinnati





Kansas City Chiefs: 2-7 T-3rd Place AFC West; 3-13 T-3rd Place AFC West

I'll be taking the same approach that I took with all the awful teams. Jamaal Charles had a nice game against the Raiders so it looks like the combination of Charles and Kolby Smith forms a solid backfield.



Key Games: None





Oakland Raiders: 2-7 T-3rd Place AFC West; 3-13 T-3rd Place AFC West

The Raiders have an excellent backfield with Michael Bush, Darren McFadden, and Justin Fargas. They also have the best corner in the league with Nnamdi Asomuagh.



Key Games: None





AFC Playoff Predicted Standings:

Division Winners

1. Indianapolis Colts(14-2)

2. San Diego Chargers(12-4)

3. Cincinnati Bengals(12-4)

4. New England Patriots(12-4)

Wild Cards

5. Pittsburgh Steelers(11-5)

6. Houston Texans(10-6)*

Just Out

7. Jacksonville Jaguars(10-6)

8. Denver Broncos(9-7)

*Texans reach playoffs based off of tiebreaker

College Football Picks 11/13-11/14

#25 West Virginia at #5 Cincinnati
QB Zach Collaros is going to get the start for Cincinnati, although Tony Pike is expected to get some playing time against the Mountaineers. Collaros gives the Bearcats' offense another dimension with his ability to run the ball but don't mistake him to be a running quarterback. In fact, if he had the appropriate number of attempts, Collaros would be leading the country in pass efficiency by a wide margin. That trend should continue against a West Virginia pass defense ranked 60th in the country. Noel Devine and Jarrett Brown should help the Mountaineers keep it close for a little while but I expect Cincinnati to win this game handily 45-28.

#16 Utah at #4TCU
I think this is the week that Utah is finally exposed as the biggest fraud in America. They've gotten this far in the season with just 1 loss because they've only played two teams with winning records, Oregon and Air Force. They're playing a freshman QB and while Jordan Wynn is going to be a very good quarterback for the Utes, he's not going to perform well against DE Jerry Hughes and the rest of TCU's top 5 defense. TCU is the most complete team in the country and will show it on Satuday night as they house Utah 41-10.

#15 Iowa at #10 Ohio State
Iowa is going to feel the loss of QB Ricky Stanzi big time in the Horshoe against the Buckeyes. He wasn't great, but he was extremely clutch and made big plays when he needed to. Terrelle Pryor played well last week as Ohio State got the win in Happy Valley but Iowa's defense is better than Penn State's. The Hawkeye defense will have to score if Iowa plans to win this game and I think that they will. I think that Iowa's defense plays out of their minds and shuts down the Ohio State offense and returns a turnover for a TD. However, I don't think that the Hawkeye offense will do anything either. This game will be tied at 10 at the end of regulation and the Buckeyes will score a touchdown in OT to win 16-13.

Stanford at #11 USC
Stanford sure looked good last week in beating the same Oregon team that throttled USC the week prior. And USC sure looked unimpressive in barely escaping Tempe with a 14-9 victory over 4-5 Arizona State. That means Stanford's gonna go down to Pasadena and beat the Trojans, right? Wrong. Stanford beat Oregon at home, where the Cardinal are 5-0. However, despite how impressive John Harbaugh's team has been at home, they haven't been good on the road going 1-3 so far. It's going to be 1-4 after this weekend. Stanford will give USC everything they can handle and more but the Trojans will pull this one out late 38-35.

Quick Picks
#1 Florida 23 South Carolina 12
#2 Alabama 20 Mississippi State 6
#3 Texas 41 Baylor 17
#6 Boise State 45 Idaho 14
#7 Georgia Tech 38 Duke 20
#13 Oregon 27 Arizona State 17
#17 Arizona 28 California 14
#19 Oklahoma State 42 Texas Tech 38
North Carolina 24 #12 Miami(Fl) 20
Clemson 38 NC State 24

Upset Picks
Notre Dame over #12 Pittsburgh
Michigan over #20 Wisconsin
Illinois over Northwestern
Colorado over Iowa State
East Carolina over Tulsa

2nd Half NFL Predictions Team by Team NFC

We've reached the halfway point in the NFL season and this is where teams either make a run to the playoffs or coaches make a run to the hot seat. I'm going to tell you what I think will happen.



NFC East


Dallas Cowboys: 6-2 1st Place NFC East; End of the Year: 12-4 1st Place NFC East
The Cowboys have a very favorable schedule down the stretch and have been the best team in the NFL since losing at Denver. They flattened escaped Kansas City in OT, flattened Atlanta 37-21 and Seattle 38-17, and most recently beat a good Eagles team at the Linc. Tony Romo is playing as well as he has every played and their running game continues to be one of the best in the league with the 3 headed attack of Marion Barber, Tashard Choice, and Felix Jones. Miles Austin's development has been a key part in their current run as has their continually stout pass rush led by DE/LB Demarcus Ware.
Key Games: @Green Bay Nov. 15, @Giants Dec. 6, San Diego Dec. 13, @New Orleans Dec. 19


Philadelphia Eagles: 5-3 2nd Place NFC East; End of the Year: 8-8 3rd Place NFC East
Philadelphia has just a brutal schedule down the stretch. The only gimme game they have is Nov. 29th at home against the Redskins and Philly has proven that they can drop gimme games(see 13-9 loss at Oakland). Not to mention that all division games are dangerous. Every other team they play is still currently in playoff contention and they have 5 games left against teams with winning records(4 on the road!). I don't love this team because they rely way too much on the big play to score points and can't seem to produce methodical drives down the field.
Key Games: @Chicago Nov. 22, @Atlanta Dec. 6, @Giants Dec. 13, @Dallas Jan. 3


New York Giants: 5-4 3rd Place NFC East; End of the Year: 10-6 2nd Place NFC East
The Giants started hot, going 5-0 right out of the gate but they've now dropped 4 straight and have looked terrible at times in doing so. The BYE week couldn't have come at a more perfect time for the G-Men and I think that they'll use it to re-establish the physical style that they've become known for and to help Eli Manning rest that bum ankle that he's been playing on. If he can't get healthy, the Giants will be in major trouble. Their 2nd half schedule isn't easy by any means. They have a similar schedule to the Eagles, however I like there's much better because they get most of their difficult games at home.
Key Games: Atlanta Nov. 22, Dec. 6 Dallas, Dec. 13 Philadelphia, Dec. 27 Carolina,


Washington Redskins: 2-6 4th Place NFC East; End of the Year: 3-13 4th Place NFC East
This has been an ugly season in the nation's capital for the 'Skins and Jim Zorn. He's going to be fired at the end of the year and there's no way around that. They have a monstrous 2nd half schedule and quite frankly, I'm not even sure why I picked them to get one more win this season because their easiest game(@Oakland) is on the road. They have a good defense but that offense is just anemic and one of the worst that I've ever seen. Because of that defense, I think that they'll shock a division opponent(*cough*Philadelphia*cough*) and ruin their season for the Redskins' lone 2nd half win.
Key Games: This only applies to teams with remote playoff chances.

NFC South

New Orleans Saints: 8-0 1st Place NFC South; End of the Year: 14-2 1st Place NFC South
The Saints are good. I mean really good. Everything has seemed to go right for them this year in their run towards an undefeated start. Their offense has become balanced with a 3 headed running attack(Pierre Thomas, Mike Bell, Reggie Bush) and their defense is forcing turnovers and scoring(7 TDs, 2 more than the Browns offense). Looking at their schedule, they have a legitimate shot at an undefeated season but I don't think that they'll get it. One of these weeks, they're going to have a bad week or simply get outplayed. My prediction: They will continue to be undefeated until Week 15 where they will lose at home against the Dallas Cowboys for their first loss and then they will drop a meaningless game in Week 17 at Carolina. that could mean everything for the Panthers
Key Games: Nov. 30 New England, Dec. 13 @Atlanta, Dec. 19 Dallas, Jan. 3 @Carolina

Atlanta Falcons: 5-3 2nd Place NFC South; End of the Year: 9-7 2nd Place NFC South
Matt Ryan has seemed to hit a bit of a sophomore slump. Last year, he threw just 11 picks as a rookie and this year, he has already thrown 10. The good news for the Dirty Birds is that Michael Turner has really turned it on over the past two weeks(38 carries for 317 yards!) and was the main reason why the Falcons snapped a 2 game losing streak last week against the Redskins. He's going to need to play a big role in the offense going forward if Atlanta is to expect to make the playoffs because that defense has become very suspect(22nd in the NFL). They have a difficult but manageable schedule down the stretch.
Key Games: Nov. 15 @Carolina, Nov. 22 @Giants, Dec. 6 Philadelphia, Dec. 13 New Orleans

Carolina Panthers: 3-5 3rd Place NFC South; End of the Year: 8-8 3rd Place NFC South
Carolina should be 5-3 or at least 4-4 but they've blown 3 games that they should've won(@Atlanta, @Dallas, Buffalo). Their loss at home against Buffalo, in particular(a game that they absolutely dominated the Bills), will continue to sting if they miss the playoffs by a small margin. They've played well as of late, re-establishing the dominant running game that they produced last year with DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart to go with a defense that has played very well this year. That defense, however, took a huge blow when they lost Thomas Davis for the year last week in New Orleans. Davis had developed into the best weakside linebacker in the league to combine with Mike linebacker Jon Beason for arguably the best linebacking corp. in the NFL. The main reason that they're 3-5 has been turnovers. They are -9 in turnover differential which is the worst in the NFC(13 of their league leading 24 giveaways have been Jake Delhomme interceptions). They have a difficult schedule down the stretch, but if they can put it together, this is one of the most talented teams in the league and they could make a run.
Key Games: Nov. 15 Atlanta, Nov. 19 Miami, Dec. 20 Minnesota, Dec. 27 @Giants

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 1-7 4th Place NFC South; End of the Year: 2-14 4th Place NFC South
The Bucs are awful. They got their first win of the season last year against Green Bay and Josh Freeman looked good in the process, but let's not kid ourselves. This team has one win for a reason. They have a difficult schedule going forward and I only see one more win for this team(Dec. 13 vs. Jets) going forward. But there is good news Bucs fans. The NFL Draft is only 6 months away and you should have the #1 overall pick!
Key Games: None

NFC North

Minnesota Vikings: 7-1 1st Place NFC North; End of the Year: 13-3 1st Place NFC North
Brad Childress looks like a genius right about now after convincing Brett Favre to come back and play for the Vikings. Favre has played fantastically this season throwing 16 TDs to just 3 INTs. Combine that with a 68% completion percentage and some late game heroics http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgxSzxIxPrY&feature=related. That play still gives me chills whenever I see it! This season just feels special from a distance and would be a punch in the gut of Packers' fans(my dad included) if Favre is able to win a Super Bowl this season with Minnesota. Their schedule isn't overly difficult down the stretch and sets up nicely for the Vikings to possibly get home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.
Key Games: Nov. 29 Chicago, Dec. 6 @Arizona, Dec. 28 @Chicago, Jan. 3 Giants

Green Bay Packers: 4-4 2nd Place NFC North; End of the Year: 7-9 2nd Place NFC North
The Packers O-line is the worst in the NFL. It is just absolutely awful. The Vikings have gotten 14 of their 31 sacks against the Pack. Jared Allen has 7.5 of his sacks against Green Bay. In fact, the two biggest individual sack performances of the season have come against Green Bay(5 for Cincy's Antwon Odom and 4.5 for Jared Allen). Pressure has been a problem for Green Bay's defense as well. The switch to Dom Capers' 3-4 hasn't helped create the type of pressure that was anticipated(just 13 sacks this season which is 28th in the league). They're 4-4 but it's a very suspect 4-4. 3 of their wins have come against Cleveland, Detroit, and St. Louis who are arguably the 3 worst teams in the league(they lost to the other team in that category of awful, Tampa Bay). The other win the Pack possess was an escape at home against a mediocre Bears team. The difficult part of the schedule was loaded up in the 2nd half of the year and I can't see this team making the playoffs.
Key Games: Nov. 15 Dallas, Nov. 22 San Francisco, Dec. 7 Baltimore, Dec. 13 @Chicago

Chicago Bears: 4-5 3rd Place NFC North; End of the Year: 6-10 3rd Place NFC North
The Bears have been struggling lately, losing 4 out of their last 5 games since the BYE week. Their one win over that stretch: the Cleveland Browns. Let's look closely at those 4 losses: 21-14 @Atlanta(Not a bad loss, but they turned the ball over in the red zone constantly), 45-10 @Cincinnati, 41-21 Arizona, 10-6 @San Francisco(5 Jay Cutler INTs in a game that they needed). Over this 1-4 stretch, Jay Cutler has thrown 6 TDs and 12 INTs and 3 of those TDs came in garbage time against the Cardinals. The Bears are self-imploding. The only reason that I see 2 more wins for this team is because they have games left against the Rams and Lions.
Key Games: Nov. 22 Philadelphia, Nov. 29 @Minnesota, Dec. 13 Green Bay, Dec. 28 Minnesota

Detroit Lions: 1-7 4th Place NFC North; End of the Year: 2-14 4th Place NFC North
I've always been told that if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. So I'll just tell you the nice things about Detroit. The Lions won't repeat their 0-16 performance. They get to play Cleveland at home on Nov. 22 so they should get another win. They have Calvin Johnson. Matt Stafford looks like he might be good if he can cut down on all those INTs(Damnit, I said something not nice! Sorry, it slipped out).
Key Games: None

NFC West

Arizona Cardinals: 5-3 1st Place NFC West; End of the Year: 12-4 1st Place NFC West
The defending NFC champions have looked very good this year, especially on the road where they are 4-0. That bodes well for them going forward because they're going to have to win on the road if they plan to make repeat appearance in the Super Bowl. The offense continues score a lot of points despite not producing many big plays like they have in previous seasons. However, their continued lack of a running game(31st in the league) could come back to bite them in the butt although it didn't seem to last year in the playoffs. They have a very favorable schedule down the stretch and I think that they tear it up and go 7-1 over their last 8 games.
Key Games: Dec. 6 Minnesota, Dec. 14 @San Francisco

San Francisco: 4-5 2nd Place NFC West; End of the Year: 7-9 2nd Place NFC West
The 49ers seemed to turn the corner under 1st year coach Mike Singletary(he was their interim coach last year) with a 3-0 start that included an opening weekend win at Arizona. They were on pace to go 4-0 but lost in the last second on the miracle TD pass from Brett Favre to Greg Lewis. That seemed to derail the Niners as that loss snowballed into 5 straight losses athat really killed their playoff chances. Going forward, they have a decent schedule that could be used to propel San Francisco to 9-7 and playoff contention. However, I don't think that the 49ers are good enough to take advantage of the schedule and they end up 7-9.
Key Games: Nov. 22 @Green Bay, Dec. 14 Arizona, Dec. 20 @Philadelphia

Seattle Seahawks: 3-5 3rd Place NFC West; End of the Year: 6-10 3rd Place NFC West
Injuries have just decimated this team. Walter Jones and Matt Hasselbeck have shown throughout the past 2 seasons that they simply can't be relied on going forward. I think that Seattle needs to just blow up the whole operation and start anew. I think they have some good pieces to build a defense around in Lofa Tatupu, Aaron Curry, Deon Grant, and Lawrence Jackson and the right coach in place with Jim Mora Jr. This team is just too old and it's really shown this year.
Key Games: Nov. 15 @Arizona, Dec. 6 San Francisco, Dec. 27 @Green Bay

St. Louis Rams: 1-7 4th Place NFC West; End of the Year: 1-15 4th Place NFC West
I'll take the same approach that I did with the Lions and tell you all the good things about this team. Steven Jackson is a monster.
Key Games: None


Projected NFC Playoff Teams
Division Winners
1. New Orleans(14-2)
2. Minnesota(13-3)
3. Dallas(12-4)
4. Arizona(12-4)
Wild Cards
5. New York Giants(10-6)
6. Atlanta (9-7)
Just Out
Philadelphia(8-8)
Carolina(8-8)

Final Four Predictions

Obviously, making Final Four predictions in the preseason is a little silly because of all it entails. In making that prediction, you're predicting that the tournament field sets up favorably for your 4 predicted Final Four participants. However, I will be one of the many making the silly prediction. I think that the Final Four will be Kansas, Villanova, Michigan State, and Texas. Obviously, that seems too easy as I'm picking 2 teams that made it last year along with the consensus favorite Kansas Jayhawks. And I'm also going to pick Michigan State to win the 2010 National Championship. Why? Because they're the hungriest. They are mad after last years national title game demolition against Carolina. And because Tom Izzo is the 2nd best coach in America behind Roy Williams and 'Ol Roy's squad is a little too young to win it all for my liking this year. As I said in a previous post, Kansas SHOULD win the National Championship by most accounts, but Michigan State will cut down the nets.

Best Places for Larry Johnson

Pittsburgh-Would fit in nicely to complement budding star Rashard Mendenhall as Willie Parker has been injury ridden. They have the type of locker room that would be able to handle his baggage.
Green Bay-The Packers' running game has been so awful that they've looked to Ahman Green for help. While that's mostly due to the O-line, it's also due to the fact that they have weak running backs. Larry Johnson trying to resurrect his career might be a nice fit for the Pack.
New England-The type of locker room that could handle his baggage and he would be similar to Corey Dillon. The Patriots love to take talented players with a little baggage and give them a home(see Randy Moss, Rodney Harrison, and the aforementioned Corey Dillon)
New York Jets-The Jets could use some depth at RB since Leon Washington went out for the year. They have enough veteran leadership to be able to handle his baggage. Consider it a big longshot since they already have a good backfield with Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene but considering how much they run, bringing in another player to help absorb some of the hits might be a smart idea.
San Francisco-Mike Singletary loves an I-formation power running game and reclaimation projects. Enter Larry Johnson. Part of the reason for Johnson's decline in production is the removal of an I-formation running game. He is exponentially better when running behind a fullback. Like the Jets, the 49ers have a good backfield with Frank Gore and Glenn Coffee, but with all the running that they like to do, another player to take some of the pounding would be smart.

College Basketball Season Preview

Alright, I know I'm a little late on this one as college basketball started on Monday night but we still haven't seen any marquee matchups so it might as well be preseason.

Top 25
This is what I think the best 25 teams in the country will be at the END of the season.
1. Kansas-Easily the best team in the country led by 2008 title game hero Sherron Collins and Tyshawn Taylor in the backcourt and Cole Aldrich in the frontcourt. Freshman Xavier Henry is going to be a superstar and a lottery pick and other top recruit CJ Henry will have an instant impact as well. This team reminds me of last year's North Carolina team in how they're everyone's favorite to win it all. While I don't think this team is as good as UNC was last year, this is clearly the best combination of talent and experience in the country and they should cut the down the nets in Indianapolis for the 2nd time in 3 years.
2. North Carolina-The defending national champions lost 4 starters from last years team who were all drafted to go to the NBA(3 in the first round) but they are still loaded, especially in the low post. Forward Ed Davis is the best power forward in the country, 7 footer Tyler Zeller is going to get drafted, and Deon Thompson provides some veteran stability. Marcus Ginyard and Will Graves return after being out for most of the season due to injury and suspension, respectively, to provide veteran leadership to a very young but extremely talented backcourt. Sophomore Larry Drew II takes over the point for the now Denver Nugget Ty Lawson. Splitting time with him will be talented freshman Dexter Strickland and also getting time at guard will be freshman Leslie McDonald. 6' 10'' string bean freshman small forward John Henson is going to be a flat out superstar along while the Wear twins, freshmen David and Travis will contribute this season as well. In 2006, after their last national title, UNC lost their top 7 and still beat Duke at Cameron Indoor and received a 3 seed in the NCAA tournament. This team is exponentially better than that team and they have the best coach in the country, Roy Williams. They may be young but will grow up fast so don't be surprised to see the Tar Heels in Indianapolis or even cutting down the nets once again.
3. Villanova-Jay Wright's team returns almost everyone from last year's Final Four team save forward Dante Cunningham. 6' 10'' freshman Mouphtaou Yarou should alleviate the loss of Cunningham and 'Nova returns the best backcourt in the country led by Elite Eight hero Scottie Reynolds, Corey Fisher, and Corey Stokes. Everyone says "guards win in March" and while I think you also need a strong low post presence to win a title(find me a team in the last 25 years that's won a title without a great player down low), elite guards can help you reach the Final Four as Reynolds did last year. Expect to see the boys from Philly contend for a repeat appearance in the Final Four but don't expect to see them cutting down the nets unless Yarou can become a force down low.
4. Michigan State-Tom Izzo showed everyone last year why he is the best coach in the country other than Roy Williams in getting Michigan State back to the Final Four for 4th time this decade. The Spartans return Big Ten player of the year Kalin Lucas to go along with Chris Allen and Durell Summers to create a formidable backcourt. Raymar Morgan and Delvon Roe form a solid frontcourt but the loss of C Goran Suton will be felt. Michigan State has a lot of experience, which combined with the talent they have creates a national title contender. I think Kansas is better but Tom Izzo should get his 6th Final Four appearance this season.
5. Texas-The Longhorns return all major contributors from last year's squad and add freshman wing player Jordan Hamilton and Florida transfer Jai Lucas who will play a big role in helping replace star shooting guard AJ Abrams. The man who ultimately will replace him though will be monster recruit Avery Bradley. They have one of the best centers in the country in Dexter Pittman who teams up with PF Gary Johnson to form maybe the best frontcourt in the country. Lucas and Hamilton along with star wingman Damion James and guard Justin Mason help create a very strong backcourt to go along with the strong frontcourt. The question for me, though, is how much better has Texas really gotten from last season. The Longhorns struggled against good opponents last year, with their only really good wins coming at home against Villanova and UCLA in December(and UCLA wasn't that great of a win)and at home against an Oklahoma team playing without Blake Griffin. That resulted in them only getting a 7 seed in the tournament and not making it to the second weekend. This team is loaded and if they put it all together could make a run at the national title, but I just don't feel it with this team. Texas will contend for a Final Four appearance.
6. Kentucky-Maybe the most talented team in the country with freshmen PG John Wall and C Demarcus Cousins teaming up with PF Patrick Patterson. Experience will be the issue but the Wildcats should grow up quickly and be the best team in the SEC behind new coach John Calipari and be in the mix for a 1 or 2 seed.
7. Duke-Kyle Singler is a fantastic player but will be forced to play some in the backcourt due to the fact that the Dukies only have 2 true guards. That will definitely hold them back but they are still Duke and Mike Kryzewski is still their coach so they will be in contention for an ACC title and a high tournament seed.
8. West Virginia-Freshman sensation Devin Ebanks returns for an ever improving team under Bob Huggins, who has recruited well. They will fight hard with Villanova for the Big East title and for a good NCAA Tournament seed.
9. Butler-This mid-major is for real. Guards Shelvin Mack and Willie Veasley form a solid backcourt to team up with a good frontcourt led by Gordon Hayward and Matt Howard. This team's resume won't be good enough to get a high seed but they are one of the best in the entire country.
10. Purdue-Robbie Hummel will win Big Ten POY and they have a lot of solid players to combine with Hummel to create the strongest Boilermaker squad in years. While they lack the talent to go to the Final Four, this team should be in the mix for a Big Ten title and a high tournament seed.
11. Tennessee
12. Washington
13. Mississippi State(this hinges on the eligibility of Renardo Sidney)
14. Ohio State
15. UConn
16. Oklahoma
17. Georgetown
18. Clemson
19. Georgia Tech
20. Minnesota
21. California
22. Michigan
23. Maryland
24. Dayton
25. Missouri

What the Colts Should Do With Bob Sanders

Colts all-pro safety Bob Sanders will be out for the remainder of the season. At the start of next season, he will have played in only 47 out of 96 possible games since being drafted out of Iowa. For those who thought he was too small for the NFL, you were right. His body(5' 8'' 206 lbs.) simply can't handle his physical style. When he's healthy, he's arguably the best safety in the NFL along with Troy Polomalu and Ed Reed. The problem is that he isn't healthy enough. Indianapolis needs to draft a safety next April in one of the early rounds to be the viable long term option that Bob Sanders simply isn't. Bill Polian, the Colts GM, will have 3 options as to what to do with Sanders himself:
1. Trade him before the draft next year-This would be a smart decision if he wanted to have any chance at the two top safeties in the draft this year, Tennessee's Eric Berry(the Ed Reed clone) and USC's Taylor Mays(the Steve Atwater clone), because the Colts' record will be too good for either of them to be available anywhere near where they're drafting. This is the choice I would make and I would attempt to package Sanders with the Colts' first round pick to get into the top ten to snag Berry or Mays.
2. Keep him for the next year or two and use him to mentor the safety they draft-This option would be the most desirable in my opinion but also the most difficult to pull off. While they would have to form some other sort of package to get into the top ten to pluck Berry or Mays, this would be the most beneficial for both the long term and short term. This would give Berry/Mays time to develop(and while still probably giving them the ability to get their feet wet due to Bob Sanders' lack of ability to stay healthy) while still keeping Sanders available during the Colt's window of opportunity to win another Super Bowl with Peyton Manning in his prime.
3. Keep him and hope that he can stay healthy-This would be the most high risk/high reward option. However, it would also be the dumbest option because Bob Sanders has shown nothing that would make anyone believe that he can stay healthy enough to be a legitimate long term option. However, if the move did work out, it would allow the Colts to use their high draft picks on players that can bring immediate impact for their quest to claim another Super Bowl title during their fictitious "window of opportunity".

Game Picks 11/7

#9 LSU at #3 Alabama
I've said it before and I'll say it again: LSU has been the most overrated team in the country over the past two years. They finished the regular season last year at 7-5 and yet were still ranked up until two weeks before the season ended. This year, their best win came in Athens against a mediocre-at-best Georgia team and that only happened because of a BS celebration penalty on UGA receiver AJ Green. In their only game against a good opponent this year, LSU got demolished at home against Florida, 13-3, and it wasn't even that close. Alabama's defense is better than Florida's and unlike that game, this one's not in Baton Rouge. 'Bama's defense will dominate LSU's weak offense and while the Tide's offense won't roll(pun intended), it will make enough plays behind Heisman candidate, RB Mark Ingram, and they will beat LSU 23-3.

#15 Ohio State at #11 Penn State
Terrelle Pryor returns to western Pennsylvania where he grew up and was a high school star. Last year the Nittany Lions forced a key 4th quarter Terrelle Pryor fumble that led to a game winning touchdown that kept Penn State undefeated. This game will be a defensive struggle as it features two of the stoutest D's in the country against two quarterbacks that have struggled in games against good defenses. The difference for these two talented QB's will be the their receiving corps and I believe that Pryor has a better one than Clark with Small, Posey, Sanzanbacher, and Carter. I think the Buckeye's defense will force a couple turnovers off of Daryll Clark and Terrelle Pryor will make enough plays to his including some with his legs to be the difference in a 15-10 Ohio State win.

QUICK PICKS
Clemson 28 Florida State 20
Oregon 26 Stanford 18
North Carolina 27 Duke 13
#22 Notre Dame 45 Navy 20
#24 Oklahoma 20 Nebraska 6
#5 Cincinnati 38 Connecticut 17
#1 Florida 41 Vanderbilt 10
#12 USC 27 Arizona State 14
#13 Houston 50 Tulsa 42
#10 Georgia Tech 28 Wake Forest 17

UPSET PICKS
Oregon State over #20 California
Maryland over NC State
Washington over UCLA
Hawaii over Utah State
Iowa State over Oklahoma State
Colorado over Texas A&M

College Game Picks 10/30-10/31

#21 West Virginia at South Florida
This is the underrated great game of the weekend. A win for the Mountaineers puts them squarely in the mix for the Big East crown while a win while a loss for the Bulls could relegate USF to the St Petersburg Bowl for a 2nd straight year. South Florida's defense has mostly shut down West Virginia's offense the past few years(0 rushing TD's for WVU in the past two meetings)and now the Mountaineers don't have Pat White. The Bulls still have DE George Selvie who's a flat out monster and will help shut down the West Virginia offense in a 17-13 South Florida win.

Georgia vs #1 Florida in Jacksonville
By all accounts, Florida should wipe Georgia off the field much like they did last year(won 49-10). They are better at every single position except wide receiver and kicker and are better coached for the most part. However, Georgia has too much talent to be as bad as they've been and they've had 2 weeks to prepare against a Florida team that has been lackluster as of late in games against Arkansas and Mississippi State. This is UGA's Super Bowl(they have a picture of Urban Meyer calling a timeout in the waning seconds of last year's game to rub it in) and their chance to get back into contention for a New Year's Day bowl game. I am going to call for the Dawgs to win in a game that no one is picking them 23-20. However, I still give Florida a great chance to get to Pasadena for the BCS Title game even if they drop this one.

#3 Texas at #14 Oklahoma State
This has been such an odd series since Mack Brown arrived in Austin. In most of their meetings, Oklahoma State has accumulated huge double digit leads only to squander them and lose by double digits(Mack Brown is 11-0 against the Pokes). This is the biggest home game in Oklahoma State history. A win for the Cowboys puts them in the drivers seat for a spot in the Big 12 Championship game and a good shot at reaching the national championship game. I think the Pokes will come out firing and take a lead into halftime behind underrated QB Zac Robinson and All-American RB Kendall Hunter. However, I think they will feel the loss of WR Dez Bryant(damn you NCAA!) and struggle to make plays in the 2nd half against an elite Texas' defense led by All-American candidates safety Earl Thomas and defensive end/linebacker Sergio Kindle. Colt McCoy will have a huge game and get into the pole position for the Heisman as the Longhorns win 38-23.

#5 USC at #10 Oregon
This is the biggest game of the weekend and the host for College Gameday. Whoever wins this game will be squarely in the mix for a spot in the BCS Title Game and have pole position for the Pac-10 crown. The Ducks have been the best team in the Pac-10 since getting dominated in their first game at Boise State. Their defense has been particularly impressive in wins against Cal, UCLA, and Washington despite the loss of some of their best defensive players(such as CB Walter Thurmond). Matching the impressiveness of their defense has been their offense behind QB Jeremiah Masoli who has been on fire lately. USC's defense has been lit up in consecutive games at Notre Dame and against Oregon State(49 points allowed in the past 5 quarters) but the Trojans have won both games because their offense has gotten it going behind freshman QB Matt Barkley and the thunder and lightning combo of RB's Allen Bradford and Joe Mcknight. I think the crowd in Autzen Stadium(have been recorded as the loudest in all of sports)will play a factor and that the overachieving Ducks' defense is just a little better than USC's is right now and that will be the difference in a high scoring affair. Oregon, on Halloween Night, beats USC 38-34.

Upset Picks of the Week
South Florida over #21 West Virginia
Georgia over #1 Florida
#10 Oregon over #5 USC
Mississippi State over Kentucky
Arizona State over California
Arkansas State over Louisville

Pedro Will Still Be Calling the Yankees His Daddy After Tonight

I expect the Yankee offense to come back and look like the American League's best lineup once again. Pedro will look shaky in the cold weather of the Bronx. However, I also see AJ Burnett to be par for the course this postseason by having one very rocky inning and 5 or 6 great innings against this Philly lineup that was the best in the National League. At the end of the day, the difference in tonight's Game 2 will be the bullpens. Mariano Rivera, Phil Hughes, and company will shut the door on Fightin' Phils and I expect the Yankees to win in the bottom of the ninth as they have so many times this year.(I hope Alex Rodriguez hits a HR so we can hear the best home run call in baseball right now "An A-Bomb, From A-Rod!")

You Thought I Was Kidding?

...about people not caring about basketball right now? Even Stan Van Gundy doesn't care as you can see by his reaction to being announced before his Orlando Magic opened up the season against the Philadelphia 76ers.
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/.a/6a00d83451c3cb69e20120a633f0a9970b-popup

My Thoughts on the Titans and Panthers Quarterback Situations

In case you didn't know, the Titans and Panthers stink. Two teams with bye weeks in the playoffs last year are now a combined 2-10. The Titans are 0-6 including a 59-0 drumming in New England in a game that wasn't even as close as that score would indicate. Both teams are comtemplating quarterback changes(though John Fox has named Jake Delhomme the starting quarterback for their game at Arizona on Sunday)for different reasons. In Tennessee, the Titans are bad in almost every phase of the game, so the blame shouldn't be placed all on Kerry Collins. However, they should bench him in favor of Vince Young. The Titans invested the #3 overall pick on Young and they need to see what they have in him. People seem to forget that he was the Offensive Rookie of the Year and has helped the Titans win. Tennessee has a 19-12 record in games that the man who was once called In-Vince-able has started. Some would argue that it's because the team is really good and that's right to an extent, but remember he came in as a rookie when the team was 0-3 and just awful and went 8-5 as the starter that year. He's proven that he can help them win and right now Kerry Collins(who's 36)hasn't done that. The Panthers are a different case than the Titans. They're actually good in most phases of the game except for quarterback. Jake Delhomme has had a great career in Carolina that has been very underappreciated but he's now cost them this season throwing for 13 ints and for just 4 td's(all to TE's Dante Rosario and Jeff King). He hasn't been able to hit Steve Smith deep this year fueling statements by Smith that he was "no longer an asset to the team". However, I agree with John Fox's decision to start Jake on Sunday at Arizona. Remember, the Cardinals were the team that this new horrible Jake Delhomme was unveiled against. Maybe, if he can excercise his demons against Arizona, he'll be able to right the ship and help lead the Panthers to a playoff and Super Bowl run(most likely the 2010 season though). My suggestion to Panthers offensive coordinator Jeff Davidson would be to run the two minute offense more frequently throughout the game and not just at the end of the half or when they fall behind because Jake has been great in the two minute drill this season. Now, if Jake struggles and throws 2 or 3 picks in the first half, then I think Fox might have to consider putting in Matt Moore in to see if he can give them a spark and see if maybe he has a future(remember that in 2007 Moore went 2-1 as a starter and played decently).

My Yankees-Phillies Prediction

This is an amazing stat. In 11 out of the last 12 World Series, the team that won Game 1 eventually came away victorious(the only exception to the rule was the 2002 Angels). I don't think that trend will continue. Tonight, I think the Phillies will win behind Cliff Lee, who has been almost unhittable this postseason(0.74 ERA in the playoffs), against his former Indian teammate CC Sabathia. However, I also believe that Yankees have a deeper starting rotation and a better bullpen headlined by the greatest closer of all time, Mariano Rivera. I don't trust Cole Hamels right now and obviously neither does Phillies manager Charlie Manuel because he's trotting out the 38-year old Pedro Martinez in Game 2. I'm going to call for the Yankees to pick up World Series title number 27 in 6 games.

2009-2010 NBA Season Preview

This has to be the most excited for an NBA season as I've been in a while. Too bad I won't start caring until February when football is over. Unfortunately, they start playing tomorrow night.
The Top Storylines entering the 2009-2010 season

1. How will the defending champion Lakers respond to Ron Artest's crazy personality?
Like nothing has changed. Ron-Ron realizes that this is his best shot to win a title and will be the perfect teammate this year. He will definitely be an upgrade over Trevor Ariza and offer much more offensive prowess than his predecessor at small forward. Will that be enough to beat the Spurs remains to be seen however.
2. Do the aging Spurs and Celtics have another run in them?
For this year, I believe they both do. Of course the X-Factor will be health. The Spurs and Celtics both suffered greatly from it last year with Manu Ginobli and Kevin Garnett both being out for the playoffs. The keys to these veteran teams making a run, however, lies in their young stars. Rajon Rondo went on a tear after KG went down averagin nearly a triple-double for Boston and newly acquired Richard Jefferson's ability to make explosive plays will be huge for San Antonio.
3. Can Portland and Denver continue the progress they made last year?
I don't think so. If you look at George Karl's record, his teams tend to take a step back after a really good year and I could see that happening with the Nuggets. I just don't see them getting as many breaks as they got last year. Nate McMillan was the perfect coach for Portland the last few years while they were in transition mode but I don't think he's a good coach for helping them take the next step. I actually expect the Blazers to improve but not as much as many others are predicting them to and unfortunately for them and the Nuggets, the West has improved more than they have.
4. How will Orlando respond to having the target on their backs for a change?
I think they will be just fine. If I'm an Orlando fan, I don't like losing Hedo Turkoglu one bit. The offense ran through him during the playoffs last year. When they needed a big shot, they gave the ball to Hedo. I also hate to lose Courtney Lee, who was beginning to look like a young Rip Hamilton. However, despite all that, I think that their roster actually got better with the additions of Vince Carter, Matt Barnes, Brandon Bass, and Ryan Anderson(who's a poor mans Hedo Turkoglu). Orlando must believe in the old adage "If you aren't getting better, you're getting worse" and they figured they had to make some changes to keep the Magic up(pun intended.
5. How will the addition of "The Big Aristotle" affect Lebron and the Cavs?
I think it will be a good addition. Health will obviously play a factor but if Cleveland's trainers can keep "The Big Shaqtus" healthy for the playoffs, he could play a big factor in helping to neutralize Dwight Howard in a potential playoff series. I'm not sure that it'll be enough to help Lebron reach the Finals and get his first title, but his addition should benefit the Lebrons.

Predicted Final Standings and Playoff Predictions
Eastern Conference
1. Boston
2. Cleveland
3. Orlando
4. Atlanta
5. Washington
6. Miami
7. Chicago
8. Charlotte
9. Detroit
10. New York
11. Philadelphia
12. Indiana
13. New Jersey
14. Toronto
15. Milwaukee

Boston over Charlotte, Cleveland over Chicago, Orlando over Miami, Washington over Atlanta
Boston over Washington in 5, Orlando over Cleveland in 6
Boston over Orlando in 7
Western Conference
1. LA Lakers
2. San Antonio
3. New Orleans
4. Utah
5. Dallas
6. Portland
7. Denver
8. LA Clippers
Lakers over Clippers, San Antonio over Denver, New Orleans over Portland, Dallas over Utah
Lakers over Dallas in 6, San Antonio over New Orleans in 6
San Antonio over Lakers in 7

NBA Finals
San Antonio over Boston in 6

The NBA...Where Not Caring Happens.

Here's how much bigger football is than any other sport in America. The NBA tips off tomorrow night with the most interesting storylines in the preseason of any that I can remember and you know what? Nobody cares. Absolutely nobody cares. LA, the home of the defending champion Lakers and possible playoff-bound Clippers? Nope, everyone's talking about USC's big game at Oregon for Pac-10 supremacy. That game's also the biggest thing on the docket for sports fans in Portland, where the Blazers return the best young nucleus of players in the league. Cleveland, the home of the league's most exciting player and the player with the biggest personality possibly ever in Lebron and Shaq? No way, Terrelle Pryor's struggles and how the Buckeyes are going to overcome them are the main topic of conversation. Well, they must be talking about Dwight Howard and the defending Eastern Conference Champs in Orlando. After all, the Bucs stink! The answer is once again, NO! The entire state of Florida is consumed with the Gators, 'Noles, and 'Canes. I think you get the point. Football is king in America and every other sport just plays second fiddle.

My Top 25

1. Alabama-The Crimson Tide survived a scare, needing two Mt Cody blocked field goals in the 4th quarter to prevent Lane Kiffin and Tennessee from singing Rocky Top all night long but has still been clearly the most impressive team this year.
2. Florida-Urban Meyer's squad continues to be unimpressive but also continues to win and until they lose, they have to be in the top two due to the jewelry on their fingers.
3. Texas-Texas dominated Missouri on Saturday night as they did last year. A lack of a running game may ultimately be their downfall should they reach the title game but it should still be enough for the Longhorns to go undefeated the rest of the way.
4. Iowa-It just has the feel of a magical feeling for Kirk Farentz's team after beating Michigan State with a touchdown on the last play of the game and after overcoming 10-0 deficits at Penn State and Wisconsin, doesn't it?
5. Cincinnati-They moved down to 8 in the BCS rankings this week, despite thrashing Louisville 41-10 without starting QB Tony Pike. If they end up the only undefeated BCS conference team or one of only two undefeated BCS conference teams and don't make it the national championship game, something needs to be fixed immediately.
6. TCU-The Horned Frogs just keep getting it done and remain undefeated after throttling BYU on homecoming in Provo.
7. Boise State-After Boise State stomped Oregon, we questioned whether Boise was that good or if Oregon was that bad. The Ducks are now the best team in the Pac-10. Boise's just that good.
8. Oregon-The aforementioned Ducks absolutely demolished Washington in Seattle and have been rolling since losing to Boise State. They look like the best team in the Pac-10.
9. Georgia Tech-Some people questioned the decision to hire Paul Johnson because they weren't sure if his Triple Option attack would work. They were wrong. The offense that was so great running the ball last year added Anthony Allen who's been phenomenal so far.
10. USC-Freshman QB Matt Barkley has really come into his own the past two games against quality opponents in Notre Dame and Oregon State. However, if the Trojans are to be looked at as a championship contender, their defense is going to have to step it up big time. They allowed 27 second half points to Oregon State last week and 13 points in the 4th quarter against Notre Dame and almost allowed the Irish to come back and win.
11. Virginia Tech-Frank Beamer probably wishes he never has to travel to Atlanta ever again after suffering both losses this year there. Although, maybe it's because the teams he lost two(Alabama and Georgia Tech) were both Top Ten teams.
12. Penn State-Give JoePa credit. Penn State looked awful against Iowa and now has looked very impressive since by dominating Illinois, Minnesota, and Michigan. Although, maybe that's because the 3 aforementioned teams were mediocre. But for now, they're high in the rankings.
13. Miami(Fl)-I think people are taking too much out of their loss to Clemson. The Tigers are very talented and are finally putting it together. That was more Clemson good than Miami bad. The 'Canes still hold impressive wins at Florida State(who's better than their record) and against Georgia Tech and Oklahoma. And for those who don't remember, they absolutely crushed the Yellow Jackets.
14. Oklahoma State-The Cowboys have looked quite impressive even without RB Kendall Hunter and WR Dez Bryant. They'll probably have Hunter back for the Halloween showdown against Texas that should decide the Big 12 while it remains to be seen when and if Bryant will return after being suspended. If the Pokes beat the Longhorns, they shouldn't just be considered Big 12 title contenders, but national title contenders. Plus HC Mike Gundy is a man and he's 41!(They must be kicking themselves for dropping that one to Houston)
15. Pittsburgh-Pitt must be kicking themselves for letting that one in Raleigh against NC State slip(this is the same NC State that lost at home to Duke!). RB Dion Lewis is by far the best freshman in the country and QB Bill Stull has been fantastic with 16 TDs to just 4 picks.
16. Houston-The trend of teams that are kicking themselves for losses that make your head scratch continues with the one that started it all. Give the Cougars credit. After losing a ball breaker at UTEP, they responded by winning at a Mississippi State team that gave LSU and Florida all they could handle. QB Case Keenum should be a Heisman candidate.
17. Clemson-You must think I'm crazy for putting the Tigers here even though they have 3 losses. However, 2 of the losses(vs #6 TCU, @Maryland) can be directly attributed to the kicker missing field goals that he should make every time while the loss at #11 Georgia Tech can be partially attributed to having a huge 3rd down conversion called back due to a phantom holding call in a game where they went from trailing 24-0(after two TDs given up fake field goals, one of them being them trying a pooch punt return TD)to leading 27-24. All in all, that's 3 losses by a total of 10 points. They're finally putting it together with a 38-3 thrashing of a good Wake Forest team and a big 40-37 OT win at #9 Miami. Also, RB CJ Spiller should win the Heisman if they continue the winning.
18. South Carolina-I figured I should keep the two teams from the Palmetto State together. The Gamecocks have been impressive this year especially on defense. LB Eric Norwood is probably the most underrated player in the country of the past 4 years and has gotten better this year. He can stop the run, drop back in coverage, and even rush the passer. QB Stephen Garcia has been good at getting the ball to WR Alshon Jeffrey deep.
19. LSU-Count me as someone who believes the LSU has been the most overrated team the past two years. Last year, they were continually ranked in the Top 15 despite beating no one and still got a Chick-Fil-A bowl berth(which some argue then validated with their throttling of Georgia Tech, but that doesn't mean they deserved to be there). This year has been much of the same. LSU is ranked #9 in the BCS despite being just pretty good this year. They've had decent wins at Washington, at Georgia(in a game where the refs admittedly screwed the Dawgs over), and Saturday vs Auburn. However, I don't think 3 wins against mediocre teams should equal a top ten ranking. People need to stop basing everything off of the fact that they won the national championship two years ago. They've been the 6th or 7th best team in the SEC over the past two years and are only this high in the rankings because they haven't played enough good teams to lose yet and merit dropping any lower.
20. Notre Dame-I guess Charlie Weis figures must have high blood pressure already from being so grotesquely overweight because every game they've played this year, save Nevada, has come down to the wire with the Irish only being burned against USC(in a game where they fought back from being down 34-14 in the 4th quarter to almost tying it)and at the Big House against Michigan. QB Jimmy Clausen is a legitimate Heisman candidate and should lead the Fighting Irish to another BCS bowl that they don't deserve.
21. Arizona-The Wildcats from Tuscon should be 6-1 as opposed to 5-2(their second loss came at Washington in a game being called by Arizona fans as the Immaculate Interception). Their only other loss came at #4 Iowa. Mike Stoops' team finally has a balanced offense led by QB Nick Foles, TE Rob Gronkowski, and RB Nic Grigsby to go along with his always stout defense.
22. West Virginia-The Mountaineers offense may have lost QB Pat White(one of the 5 best college players of my lifetime)but they still remian explosive thanks to speedy RB Noel Devine who had the game winning 56-yard touchdown run against UConn on Saturday. QB Jarrett Brown has been solid in replacing White, however he was the reason for West Virginia's loss at Auburn with 5 turnovers(4 INTs)
23. Ohio State-QB Terrelle Pryor has not been very good this year. People have tried to claim that he proved everyone wrong this week against Minnesota after going 13-25 for 239 yards, 2 TD's and an INT. Call me crazy but I don't think he's back after having a 52% completion percentage and throwing two TDs on plays where the receivers had no one within 10 yards of them. Basically, I'm putting the Buckeyes here by default, because I don't believe any other team is worthy of a ranking this high and they're still extremely talented and could easily put it all together and win the Big Ten.
24. Wisconsin-The reason behind the Badgers' resurgance is no secret. They've finally begun to establish the run behind RB's John Clay and Zach Brown. QB Scott Tolzien has been able to make some plays this year, especially to TE Garrett Graham, to compliment that. Wisconsin is also playing solid defense.
25. Central Michigan-Well, we all know that Jake Locker is the Tim Tebow of the West and Tim Tebow is the Tim Tebow of the East(duh). Well, Dan LeFevour is the Tim Tebow of the Midwest. He's the only other QB besides Tebow to ever have 20 TD's passing and rushing in a season. Behind him, the Chippewas have a 7-1 record that includes a win at Michigan State with their only loss at #20 Arizona.

College Football Picks 10/24

#6 Iowa at Michigan State
This will be Iowa's 4th straight test. They've past their first 3 with a home victory over Michigan sandwiched in between big road wins at Penn State and Wisconsin. I think the Hawkeyes make it 4 for 4 in East Lansing against a better than their record says Spartan squad. Iowa's defense will cause at least 2 turnovers and will hold on to the ball themselves. Ricky Stanzi throws for 2 TDs and RB Adam Robinson will be a workhorse. 17-9 Hawkeyes.

#13 Penn State at Michigan
Penn State has been awful in Ann Arbor and I see that trend continuing today. They stomped Minnesota last week 20-0 but I think Rich Rodriguez team will wake up again. Tate Forcier's magic will return and he leads a late 4th quarter drive to give the Wolverines the victory 27-20.

#11 Oregon at Washington
Jeremiah Masoli will return at quarterback after being out in the Ducks' win at UCLA. Oregon's had a resurgance after being dominated by Boise State to begin the year. They've looked like the best team in the Pac-10 since then. However, the team that most people thought was and still think is the best team in the Pac-10, USC, has had one loss this year. That loss was in Seattle against the Huskies. Oregon hosts the Trojans in Eugene next week and I think it'll end being a meeting between two teams whose only losses have come at Washington as the Ducks will get caught looking ahead. QB Jake Locker helps his cause to be the number one overall pick in next years draft as the Huskies win a shootout 38-35.

#8 TCU at #16 BYU
This is the biggest matchup between non-BCS teams this year. It's so big that College Gameday is in Provo for the game. It'll actually be very hard to find for Directv customers(myself included)because it's on Vs. which Directv's too cheap to pay for. DE Jerry Hughes is the best pass-rusher in the nation and while I don't think he'll repeat the 4 sack(!!!!!) performance he had against the Cougars last year, he'll constantly be applying pressure on BYU QB Max Hall. QB Andy Dalton will make some plays to WR Jeremy Curley for the the Horned Frogs and TCU will get the huge road win and continue their path to the BCS 24-10.

Upsets of the Week
@Washington over #11 Oregon
@Michigan over #13 Penn State
@Virginia over #12 Georgia Tech
Clemson over @#10 Miami
Boston College over @Notre Dame

Game Predictions 10/17

USC at Notre Dame
In the upset of the day, I'm picking the Irish to play out of their minds and save Charlie Weis' job for now at least. Jimmy Clausen is clearly the best QB in this game(though Matt Barkley will be great but not for this game) and has some great weapons to get the ball to. Irish TE Kyle Rudolph, a Dallas Clark clone, is going to have a HUGE game and will be a household name following Saturday. I expect Notre Dame to get ahead early and force the Trojans to get out of their game plan and pass the ball to play catch up. Pete Carroll's squad will put up points, but Notre Dame will put up more. The Fighting Irish win 31-25.

Oklahoma vs Texas(at Cotton Bowl in Dallas)
This won't be the offensive explosion that we saw last year despite the fact that both Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy are back. Oklahoma's defense has been nasty, allowing just a hair more than 8 per game. The Longhorns defense ranks 4th in the nation led by DE/LB Sergio Kindle. This game will be low scoring entering the final quarter where I expect both offenses to find a rythm behind the top two Heisman vote getters last year. Colt McCoy and the 'Horns will score to win with less than a minute left and Texas wins the Red River Rivalry's last game at the Cotton Bowl 27-24.

South Florida vs Cincinnati Prediction

This is clearly the game of the year in the Big East pitting the conferences only two ranked teams against one another. Both have won big nonconference road games(@Oregon State for Cincy and @Florida State for USF) are dominant on one side of the ball. The Bearcat offense is third in the nation averaging 42 points a game led by future first round picks QB Tony Pike and WR Mardy Gilyard. If Pike keeps up this gaudy pace he's started the season with(66.7 completion percentage, 13-3 TD-INT ratio)and Cincinnati keeps winning, he'll plant himself smack dab in the middle of the Heisman race. The Bulls rank in the top 5 in scoring defense in the country surrendering a mere 9.4 ppg. South Florida will probably need a strong performance from DE George Selvie if they want to pull the upset. However, I think the real key to this game will be the performance of USF QB BJ Daniels. The redshirt freshman QB came was forced to start earlier than expected due to a season ending injury to longtime starter Matt Grothe and has done a solid job in his 3 starts since by being able to make plays with his legs in addition to his arm. If he doesn't turn the ball over and is able to convert some key third downs with his legs, then USF has a great shot to win. Thursday nights are where upsets happen and I don't see this Thursday night being any different. Cincinnati's national title hopes will all but vanish as will Tony Pike's Heisman campaign. USF wins it with a late field goal, 27-24.

Jets-Dolphins: A Preview of Things to Come

Last night was Chad Henne's coming out party. And Mark Sanchez already came out. I think that last night we witnessed the beginning of what will be the marquee AFC East matchup for the next 10 years. It appears that both teams have found franchise players at the two most important positions for long-term success in the NFL with left tackles D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Jake Long along with the aforementioned quarterbacks, Henne and Sanchez. Both teams have found very good personnel people with Bill Parcells running the show in South Beach and Mike Tannenbaum making the decisions in New York. Of course, the Patriots will always be good as long as they have the head coach-quarterback combo of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady but how many more seasons of high quality Brady can we expect? He turned 32 last August so maybe 5 and even that would be pushing it in my estimation because he doesn't seem like the kind of guy to keep going into his really late 30s and into his 40s ala Warren Moon and more recently Brett Favre. Last night's game wasn't just a great game with no relevance. We're gonna look back at it and point to that being the beginning of two future powers in the AFC East and the NFL.