- I'm going to take Tampa over Dallas but this one should be close. The Cowboys have fallen off the wagon with injuries and suspensions. Tampa plays better with Garcia under center.
- Redskins over Lions. I'm not sure the Lions are going to win a game this year. Easy pick.
- Bills over Dolphins in a close one. Miami is tough and they don't make many mistakes. Buffalo doesn't make many mistakes either but they have more talent. Bills win on the talent factor.
- Patriots over Rams in a boring game in which the Patriots physically dominate but don't score many points.
- Chargers/Saints in London- This is a tough one because it's in London. I think the Chargers win because they are desperate and the Saints are pretty banged up.
- Jets over Chiefs in a low scoring but physical game. The Chiefs play decent defense but their offense is putrid.
- Eagles over Falcons. I can see the Eagles blowing this open if they show up. I've been impressed with the Falcons, but it's tough to win in Philly and the Eagles need a win badly in a tough NFC East.
- Raiders at Ravens- This game should be full of mistakes and turnovers. I give the Ravens the advantage since they are at home and they have a better defense.
- Panthers over Cardinals in a shootout. This should be a fun game. Boldin is back in the Cardinals lineup. Expect some fireworks...I'll take the Panthers.
- Jaguars over Browns. The Browns have shown some signs of life, but the Jags are too big and too physical. The Jags have no passing game but the Cleveland defense should get a healthy dose of Fred Taylor/Maurice Jones-Drew.
- Texans over Bengals. Easy pick, I can't see the Bengals winning another game this year.
- Steelers over Giants. The Blitzburgh defense will create too much havoc for the Giants offense. The Steelers offense will have to beat the Giants with Big Ben's arm. This should be a good game.
- 49ers over Seahawks in a laugher. Injuries have depleted what once was the class of the NFC West.
- Titans over Colts in a close one. Indy played awful last week, but they typically play well against AFC South opponents. The Titans however, are a poor matchup for the Colts...that puts the Titans over the edge.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Thoughts on Saturday...
-Tennessee played Bama tight in the first half...but when your offense is so horrible it's hard for any defense to stay motivated into the second half. Auburn has the same problem. This should be the final nail in the coffin for Fulmer.
-The two top ranked teams in the country are not the two best teams in the country. Florida and USC are the two best.
-Texas may be in trouble next week at Lubbock. The Horns defense will be the key because the Texas offense can definitely score on Tech's defense.
-I said that LSU's qb's would be the key to the game against Georgia and that turned out to be true. Jarrett Lee in particular throwing two picks that went for TD's ended up being the difference in a surprisingly high scoring game. I still think Georgia is a little overrated.
- I also said that if Penn St. forced Ohio St. to beat them with Terrelle Pryor's arm, the Buckeyes would be in trouble...I rest my case. I also said it would be low scoring. Beanie was held in check and Pryor's costly fumble in the 4th cost them the game. OSU's defense played well enough to win but Penn St. was damn near flawless on defense. The Nittany Lions in general did not make mistakes. Penn St. may be playing in the BCS Championship in January!
- Who is going to win the ACC? What about the Big East? I have no clue at this point! Virginia has made quite the turnaround and FSU is flying under the radar. Meanwhile all the Big East teams do is knock each other out of contention.
- BYU giving up 35 to UNLV? Not good if you expect to beat Utah this year! Where did TCU find it's offense? The night they faced BYU's defense! I believe the Mountain West is good enough of a conference that it should be included in the BCS. How is the ACC, Big East or Pac 10 better than the Mountain West at this point? I don't think any of the other mid-majors are at that level, but I do believe the Mountain West is.
-The two top ranked teams in the country are not the two best teams in the country. Florida and USC are the two best.
-Texas may be in trouble next week at Lubbock. The Horns defense will be the key because the Texas offense can definitely score on Tech's defense.
-I said that LSU's qb's would be the key to the game against Georgia and that turned out to be true. Jarrett Lee in particular throwing two picks that went for TD's ended up being the difference in a surprisingly high scoring game. I still think Georgia is a little overrated.
- I also said that if Penn St. forced Ohio St. to beat them with Terrelle Pryor's arm, the Buckeyes would be in trouble...I rest my case. I also said it would be low scoring. Beanie was held in check and Pryor's costly fumble in the 4th cost them the game. OSU's defense played well enough to win but Penn St. was damn near flawless on defense. The Nittany Lions in general did not make mistakes. Penn St. may be playing in the BCS Championship in January!
- Who is going to win the ACC? What about the Big East? I have no clue at this point! Virginia has made quite the turnaround and FSU is flying under the radar. Meanwhile all the Big East teams do is knock each other out of contention.
- BYU giving up 35 to UNLV? Not good if you expect to beat Utah this year! Where did TCU find it's offense? The night they faced BYU's defense! I believe the Mountain West is good enough of a conference that it should be included in the BCS. How is the ACC, Big East or Pac 10 better than the Mountain West at this point? I don't think any of the other mid-majors are at that level, but I do believe the Mountain West is.
Saturday preview
Some good games afoot today! Here's what I think is gonna happen!
- USC is on upset alert today at Arizona. The Wildcats are very similar to Oregon St. They can beat USC...If the Trojans don't show up. I don't think that is gonna happen. USC big!
- Texas needs to treat Okie St. just like they're playing the Sooners or Mizzou. If they come out flat, look out! I think Texas wins, but it could be closer than the experts think.
- Ohio St./Penn St.- the key to this game will be whether or not Penn St. can make the Buckeyes offense one dimensional. If they shut down the running game and force Pryor to beat them with his arm, the Buckeyes are in trouble. Now, with that being said, Penn St. has not faced a team this good yet. OSU on the other hand, has already seen USC. Ohio St. wins in a close, relatively low scoring game.
- Bama/Rocky Top- Forget about it...the Tide roll, but it will be closer than the experts think. The Vol defense is better than people think, but Bama's defense will completely shut down Tennessee's anemic offense. One interesting note...Eric Berry will play some offense today...
- LSU/UGA- I think the Bayou Bengals win today because 1.) It's at Death Valley- it is so tough to beat LSU at home! 2.) LSU's defense has come alive the last couple of weeks and Georgia is overrated offensively. Another key will be the play of LSU's qb's- Jarrett Lee and Andrew Hatch. If they play mistake free, LSU will win.
- Texas Tech/Kansas- Forget about it...Tech beats a slightly overrated KU squad.
- USC is on upset alert today at Arizona. The Wildcats are very similar to Oregon St. They can beat USC...If the Trojans don't show up. I don't think that is gonna happen. USC big!
- Texas needs to treat Okie St. just like they're playing the Sooners or Mizzou. If they come out flat, look out! I think Texas wins, but it could be closer than the experts think.
- Ohio St./Penn St.- the key to this game will be whether or not Penn St. can make the Buckeyes offense one dimensional. If they shut down the running game and force Pryor to beat them with his arm, the Buckeyes are in trouble. Now, with that being said, Penn St. has not faced a team this good yet. OSU on the other hand, has already seen USC. Ohio St. wins in a close, relatively low scoring game.
- Bama/Rocky Top- Forget about it...the Tide roll, but it will be closer than the experts think. The Vol defense is better than people think, but Bama's defense will completely shut down Tennessee's anemic offense. One interesting note...Eric Berry will play some offense today...
- LSU/UGA- I think the Bayou Bengals win today because 1.) It's at Death Valley- it is so tough to beat LSU at home! 2.) LSU's defense has come alive the last couple of weeks and Georgia is overrated offensively. Another key will be the play of LSU's qb's- Jarrett Lee and Andrew Hatch. If they play mistake free, LSU will win.
- Texas Tech/Kansas- Forget about it...Tech beats a slightly overrated KU squad.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Ugly Broncos!
Wow! What a disaster Monday night! Turnovers have been killing the Broncos all season. The defense is absolutely atrocious! The only good news that has come out of the game is Cutler's finger injury doesn't appear to be too serious. However, Champ is out 4-6 weeks and Boss is out for the season (his career MO)...not what the defense needed. Injuries have also plagued the offense...Stokely, Sheffler, Royal, Selvin and now Cutler's finger. At this point, the Broncos should be grateful they are in the pathetic AFC West where every team is having the same injury and off-field problems.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Thoughts on Saturday games
- I had predicted Michigan St. to upset Ohio St. Boy was I wrong! My prediction of course was dependent on Michigan St. actually showing up! The Buckeyes got some early turnovers and capitalized on them with a short field...next thing you know it's 28-0. The Buckeyes seem to be getting into a groove...the game with JoePa next week should be a good one!
- I'm now officially a believer in Texas. Most of Mizzou's 31 were garbage points. The Horns are hot right now. Colt McCoy has become the poster child Heisman candidate. We had to figure Mizzou's non-defense would be a factor at some point...
- Wisconsin has now lost 4 in a row...ouch
- I don't believe there is a single team in either the Big East or the ACC who deserves to play in a BCS bowl this year. They are all mediocre. I think the BCS should replace them with Utah, TCU, Boise St or even BYU. Any of those teams would be better than an ACC or Big East team.
- LSU finally put it together last night in the second half against South Carolina. The defense played lights out and the offense was just good enough to get the win.
- Tennessee is not as good as the 34-3 score against Miss St. indicates. They have a good matchup next week with Bama...speaking of which
- Bama almost blew that game with Ole Miss. Never sleep on Houston Nutt! He will beat you! Bama had jumped out to a good lead and then fell asleep at the wheel. Ole Miss had a chance at the end. In fact the only thing that kept Ole Miss from driving down the field and winning was their lack of a consistent passing game...the achilles heal of Houston Nutt teams.
- Two games I'm obviously looking forward to next week...Ohio St./Penn St. and Tennessee/Alabama. Vols/Tide used to be called "Third Saturday in October" but they always play in the fourth Saturday in October now...go figure. Bud and I agree that this game will be closer than the experts think. I also think Ohio St. is going to beat JoePa.
- I'm now officially a believer in Texas. Most of Mizzou's 31 were garbage points. The Horns are hot right now. Colt McCoy has become the poster child Heisman candidate. We had to figure Mizzou's non-defense would be a factor at some point...
- Wisconsin has now lost 4 in a row...ouch
- I don't believe there is a single team in either the Big East or the ACC who deserves to play in a BCS bowl this year. They are all mediocre. I think the BCS should replace them with Utah, TCU, Boise St or even BYU. Any of those teams would be better than an ACC or Big East team.
- LSU finally put it together last night in the second half against South Carolina. The defense played lights out and the offense was just good enough to get the win.
- Tennessee is not as good as the 34-3 score against Miss St. indicates. They have a good matchup next week with Bama...speaking of which
- Bama almost blew that game with Ole Miss. Never sleep on Houston Nutt! He will beat you! Bama had jumped out to a good lead and then fell asleep at the wheel. Ole Miss had a chance at the end. In fact the only thing that kept Ole Miss from driving down the field and winning was their lack of a consistent passing game...the achilles heal of Houston Nutt teams.
- Two games I'm obviously looking forward to next week...Ohio St./Penn St. and Tennessee/Alabama. Vols/Tide used to be called "Third Saturday in October" but they always play in the fourth Saturday in October now...go figure. Bud and I agree that this game will be closer than the experts think. I also think Ohio St. is going to beat JoePa.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
BYWHOOOO?
I didn't get to see the debacle in Ft. Worth but the score gave me a pretty good idea that the Cougars got their collective asses handed to 'em by some Horny Toads...EEEERRRRR Horned Frogs! Some of Brigham Young's faithful were even speculating on a BCS Championship bid! No Divine Intervention tonight Saints! God must be a Texan afterall, just ask the Dallas Cowboys!
There is still hope for the Cougars to get in, but the chances are pretty slim. Boise St., Utah and now TCU have an advantage. Boise and Utah are still undefeated and TCU's only loss was to Oklahoma. BYU would need each of these teams to falter, but not too much for the sake of strength of schedule. They would also need the BCS conference teams to tear each other apart. I don't see it happening at this point, but as a consolation, they can still win the Mountain West and play in the Vegas Bowl again for the upteenth year in a row. Viva Las Vegas baby!!!
There is still hope for the Cougars to get in, but the chances are pretty slim. Boise St., Utah and now TCU have an advantage. Boise and Utah are still undefeated and TCU's only loss was to Oklahoma. BYU would need each of these teams to falter, but not too much for the sake of strength of schedule. They would also need the BCS conference teams to tear each other apart. I don't see it happening at this point, but as a consolation, they can still win the Mountain West and play in the Vegas Bowl again for the upteenth year in a row. Viva Las Vegas baby!!!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
College coaches on the hot seat
The culture in college coaching has become somewhat similar to coaching in the NFL in that coaches can be fired at the drop of a hat. Winning is everything in college just as much as it is in the pros. Is it fair to the student athletes? It's such a big business that AD's are under constant pressure from fans and boosters with deep pockets to maintain a winning program. Add that to the changing demographics in college football and the increasingly competitive recruiting world and you have hot bed of ripe with strife! Here are some coaches on the hot seat right now:
Ty Willingham- Washington- This guy is always on the hot seat! He had the same problems at Notre Dame. The Huskies haven't won a game yet, Jake Locker is hurt and there doesn't seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel. He's probably out at the end of the year.
Mike Stoops- Arizona- I don't get this one. He has turned this dead program into a respectable one. You can't sleep on this team. They can beat you! Recruiting has got to be a little difficult in Tucson. Besides, I don't know who they would replace him with?
Joe Glenn- Wyoming- Glenn came in with high expectations and they just haven't materialized. I heard so much about what a great coach he is when he was first hired. There hasn't been any steady improvement.
Kirk Ferentz- Iowa- Ditto for Ferentz. Iowa has been pretty competitive at times. They played in the Rose Bowl against USC a few years ago. I can't imagine anyone wanting to play in Iowa City though. Must be tough to recruit there. He has also had disciplinary problems with players.
Tommy Tuberville- Auburn- All this guy does is beat Alabama every year, go undefeated in the SEC a few years ago, produce great defenses and recruits well. Yet, he's on the hot seat again. Granted, he hasn't been able to produce a decent offense since the days of Jason Campbell, Cadillac Williams, and Ronnie Brown, but give the guy a break! He knows how to win. So he picked the wrong Spread offense "guru". Give him time to hire another offensive coordinator.
Phil Fulmer- Tennessee- He only seems to produce good teams when he has David Cutcliffe as his offensive coordinator. Recruiting, once his strength, has been in decline for years. This is a sinking ship that he won't be able to save. Time for a change.
Tommy Bowden- Clemson- Oh wait...so long underachiever!
Al Groh- Virginia- Wow...what a drop off from last year. Is it enough for the hot seat? I'm not sure, but word is he's on sitting on it.
Greg Robinson- Syracuse- I can't believe he hasn't been fired yet! This program has hit rock bottom. I guarantee he's out at the end of the year!
Dave Wannestedt- Pittsburgh- His teams never live up to expectations. They were considered a serious Big East contender this year. He recruits well, but they just can't seem to put together a consistent team.
Ty Willingham- Washington- This guy is always on the hot seat! He had the same problems at Notre Dame. The Huskies haven't won a game yet, Jake Locker is hurt and there doesn't seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel. He's probably out at the end of the year.
Mike Stoops- Arizona- I don't get this one. He has turned this dead program into a respectable one. You can't sleep on this team. They can beat you! Recruiting has got to be a little difficult in Tucson. Besides, I don't know who they would replace him with?
Joe Glenn- Wyoming- Glenn came in with high expectations and they just haven't materialized. I heard so much about what a great coach he is when he was first hired. There hasn't been any steady improvement.
Kirk Ferentz- Iowa- Ditto for Ferentz. Iowa has been pretty competitive at times. They played in the Rose Bowl against USC a few years ago. I can't imagine anyone wanting to play in Iowa City though. Must be tough to recruit there. He has also had disciplinary problems with players.
Tommy Tuberville- Auburn- All this guy does is beat Alabama every year, go undefeated in the SEC a few years ago, produce great defenses and recruits well. Yet, he's on the hot seat again. Granted, he hasn't been able to produce a decent offense since the days of Jason Campbell, Cadillac Williams, and Ronnie Brown, but give the guy a break! He knows how to win. So he picked the wrong Spread offense "guru". Give him time to hire another offensive coordinator.
Phil Fulmer- Tennessee- He only seems to produce good teams when he has David Cutcliffe as his offensive coordinator. Recruiting, once his strength, has been in decline for years. This is a sinking ship that he won't be able to save. Time for a change.
Tommy Bowden- Clemson- Oh wait...so long underachiever!
Al Groh- Virginia- Wow...what a drop off from last year. Is it enough for the hot seat? I'm not sure, but word is he's on sitting on it.
Greg Robinson- Syracuse- I can't believe he hasn't been fired yet! This program has hit rock bottom. I guarantee he's out at the end of the year!
Dave Wannestedt- Pittsburgh- His teams never live up to expectations. They were considered a serious Big East contender this year. He recruits well, but they just can't seem to put together a consistent team.
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