1. Oklahoma - watched them for the first time...SCARY good, athletic and fast in every position
2. 'Bama - they were up 31-0 at HALFTIME, against the #3 team in the country ON THE ROAD...need I say more?
3. Missouri - Moves up for not losing/playing...still have looked real good.
4. LSU - obviously good, but after watching auburn's anemic offense again, should we be concerned they scored 21 against them?
5. Texas - most underrated team so far this year...McCoy deserves Heisman attention after this week.
6. Penn State - Despite that they have to play Wisc AND OSU on the road, I still see them taking the Big 10.
7. BYU - similar fortune of Missouri...it was a good week to not play! if they beat TCU and UofU on the road and go 12-0, which BCS bowl do you put them in?
8 Texas Tech - next week at KSU will be the first real game so far for TT and let us see what they are really made of.
9. USF - creamed a decent NCST team...best game of the year for them so far.
10. Utah - they're undefeated and did what Wisc (who was ranked #11 last week) couldn't do...win in Ann Arbor
11. BSU - Broncos cheering hard for utes or cougars to slip up, win at OU impressive
12. OKSt - they're offense is scary good, and they just KILLED a Troy team that stuck with the Buckeyes a couple weeks ago
13. Tulsa - similar to OKSt, putting up gaudy numbers and I believe better than the other undefeated teams that actually made top 25.
Notice anything about the rankings...these teams are ALL undefeated. I thought they deserve a little praise. NO ONE can claim "well our conferences are so much better...blah...blah...blah" because with the exception of Georgia, USC, UF and Wisc were ALL playing bottom dwellers of their respective conferences and should have won! I'm sure some of them will work their way back in here, but this weekend was SHOCKING.
Problems I see with losses -
USC - COACHING. Pete Carroll obviously cannot keep his guys focused for the "little guys". I see this as a flaw in his approach with his players. EVERY year they give up a game like this. Twice to OSU, once to UCLA and Stanford. This team is the most TALENTED (except maybe OU) in the country, and has NO excuse to lose to OSU. NONE!
UF - I've been waiting for them all year. I think it's a little unfair because I thought, coming in, that they were the team to beat, and they have looked asleep out there. Tebow has been average at best and their offense has serious issues. If they don't right the ship quickly they'll lose to LSU and Georgia.
Georgia - Ultimate dissappointment. After all they hype, the blackout, the trash-talking, etc, etc, they came out and LAID AN EGG. They looked AWFUL. Actually I should rephrase that statement...Alabama made them look awful. Shows the importance of the big guys up front...you can have all the "skill" players you want, but if you don't have the skills up front you're toast.
Wisconsin - Probably the most shocking loss. Up by 19 against a team that barely beat Miami (OH) and got killed by a bad ND team, and they let Michigan score 27 unanswered points to win the game?!?!?! Now that OSU is playing MUCH better with Pryor, they'll lose at least to them and PSU...good bye badgers!
Anyways, as a Cougar fan it was PERFECT. The only thing that could have been better is TCU beating OU and then OU winning the Big-12 and us beating TCU on the road, legitmizing that we are better than the entire big-12 and giving us a shot at the NC game. Now I believe that to be impossible, but when you can move up 4 spots (in the USA today poll) without even putting on the pads...that's a pretty good day!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Lucky 13 Week 4
1. USC - only they can move themselves from this spot
2. Oklahoma - diddo
3. LSU - move here for beating a tough Auburn team on the road
4. Georgia - Mostly dominated ASU, great road win
5. Florida - It's always nice to win on the road but LSU's and UG's roadies were more impressive
6. Missouri - sloppy win against inferior opponent...next 3 opponents have ZERO losses combined up to this point.
7. Texas - Looking sharp...should be undefeated when they play OK in a few weeks
8. 'Bama - Overwhelmed poor Ark team...dark horse in SEC?
9. BYU - 103-0 last two games! D forced 6 TO's and scored 14 points! Starters rested last 20 minutes again.
10. Penn State - I'm convinced...best Big 10 team, have to play UW and OSU on road though
11. Wisc - look what not playing can do to you!
12. TT - Continue to thrash inferior opponents, I don't think we'll know exactly who they are until they play KU, OK and TX in a 4 week period.
13. Auburn - proved me wrong...they can score! Should have won that game though, especially since it was at home. (might be only time a team returns to the Lucky 13 after losing!)
LSU/Auburn lived up to the hype...Great game in all aspects. Gotta give huge props to Lee for performing well on the road in a big game like that. LSU looks very well balanced. Should we be concerned that Auburn scored 21 points on them? Time will tell.
Missouri had the steepest fall. This might be unfair, and frankly I still think they could beat almost anyone...but when you have Buffalo at home you need to have a bigger lead than just 12 points going into the 4th quarter.
Really the top 10 are almost all interchangeable. I could see any one of those teams beating the other, and I wouldn't be surprised at all. Trying to pick and order these 13 teams proves how exciting an 8 or 16 team playoff would be.
2. Oklahoma - diddo
3. LSU - move here for beating a tough Auburn team on the road
4. Georgia - Mostly dominated ASU, great road win
5. Florida - It's always nice to win on the road but LSU's and UG's roadies were more impressive
6. Missouri - sloppy win against inferior opponent...next 3 opponents have ZERO losses combined up to this point.
7. Texas - Looking sharp...should be undefeated when they play OK in a few weeks
8. 'Bama - Overwhelmed poor Ark team...dark horse in SEC?
9. BYU - 103-0 last two games! D forced 6 TO's and scored 14 points! Starters rested last 20 minutes again.
10. Penn State - I'm convinced...best Big 10 team, have to play UW and OSU on road though
11. Wisc - look what not playing can do to you!
12. TT - Continue to thrash inferior opponents, I don't think we'll know exactly who they are until they play KU, OK and TX in a 4 week period.
13. Auburn - proved me wrong...they can score! Should have won that game though, especially since it was at home. (might be only time a team returns to the Lucky 13 after losing!)
LSU/Auburn lived up to the hype...Great game in all aspects. Gotta give huge props to Lee for performing well on the road in a big game like that. LSU looks very well balanced. Should we be concerned that Auburn scored 21 points on them? Time will tell.
Missouri had the steepest fall. This might be unfair, and frankly I still think they could beat almost anyone...but when you have Buffalo at home you need to have a bigger lead than just 12 points going into the 4th quarter.
Really the top 10 are almost all interchangeable. I could see any one of those teams beating the other, and I wouldn't be surprised at all. Trying to pick and order these 13 teams proves how exciting an 8 or 16 team playoff would be.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Perfect weekend for BYU
Since I obviously have a huge interest in BYU making a BCS bowl...this will become a weekly post. There are some obvious things that could happen like BYU winning 59-0 every week, the MWC going undefeated in inter-conference play, and every team ranked ahead of them losing. Because these are "givens" we will not mention those kinds of games, unless they have special merit (like the Ark, Bama game).
BYU's PERFECT week would like this...
1. Colorado beating WVU - already happened! makes ECU's win look worse, and there is no way a two-loss WVU gets in ahead of an undefeated BYU team
2. Georgia loses to ASU - makes UNLV's win even more amazing, reestablishes the Pac-10 as legitmate which further makes last weekend's MWC dominance even better. It also brings all the SEC people back down to earth and helps them realized they don't deserve 8 BCS bids!
3. Tennessee beats Florida - This would make BYU's 59-0 win over UCLA look like 159-0. If UT can knock of the #4 team in the country, and they also lost to UCLA, who got SPANKED by BYU...that would be awesome.
4. ND loses to MSU - ND has only beaten lowly SDSU and pathetic Michigan and people are already starting to talk about them because they are "2"-0. ND going 10-2 is bad news for Cougar fans.
5. NCST beats ECU - This is a losable game for ECU. It's on the road, NCST isn't that bad, and the loss would automatically eliminate them from any BCS talk.
6. Arkansas beats 'Bama - obviously any team ranked higher than BYU losing is good, but this is a winnable game for the Razorbacks, and it would move BYU into the top 10.
7. BYU beating Wyoming 59-0!
8. Air Force barely loses to Utah - you don't want Utah to blow them out because it makes the MWC look like 3 teams and "everyone else". Air Force is getting some votes and a close game with a good UT team should keep votes coming, while the win still moves UT up in the ranks.
9. UNC beats VaTech - along the same lines as the first point...this solidifies the fact that both VaTech and WVU were way overrated, and ECU's wins were not all that great. I think UNC will beat them and move into the top 25 after this weekend.
I think Auburn is way overrated and whether they win or lose, if 'Bama lost as well BYU would jump to #9 in the coaches poll! Crazy...
I can see all these happening except #3 and #6. It truly would be "magic" if all 9 of these games came out like this...let's all hope they do.
BYU's PERFECT week would like this...
1. Colorado beating WVU - already happened! makes ECU's win look worse, and there is no way a two-loss WVU gets in ahead of an undefeated BYU team
2. Georgia loses to ASU - makes UNLV's win even more amazing, reestablishes the Pac-10 as legitmate which further makes last weekend's MWC dominance even better. It also brings all the SEC people back down to earth and helps them realized they don't deserve 8 BCS bids!
3. Tennessee beats Florida - This would make BYU's 59-0 win over UCLA look like 159-0. If UT can knock of the #4 team in the country, and they also lost to UCLA, who got SPANKED by BYU...that would be awesome.
4. ND loses to MSU - ND has only beaten lowly SDSU and pathetic Michigan and people are already starting to talk about them because they are "2"-0. ND going 10-2 is bad news for Cougar fans.
5. NCST beats ECU - This is a losable game for ECU. It's on the road, NCST isn't that bad, and the loss would automatically eliminate them from any BCS talk.
6. Arkansas beats 'Bama - obviously any team ranked higher than BYU losing is good, but this is a winnable game for the Razorbacks, and it would move BYU into the top 10.
7. BYU beating Wyoming 59-0!
8. Air Force barely loses to Utah - you don't want Utah to blow them out because it makes the MWC look like 3 teams and "everyone else". Air Force is getting some votes and a close game with a good UT team should keep votes coming, while the win still moves UT up in the ranks.
9. UNC beats VaTech - along the same lines as the first point...this solidifies the fact that both VaTech and WVU were way overrated, and ECU's wins were not all that great. I think UNC will beat them and move into the top 25 after this weekend.
I think Auburn is way overrated and whether they win or lose, if 'Bama lost as well BYU would jump to #9 in the coaches poll! Crazy...
I can see all these happening except #3 and #6. It truly would be "magic" if all 9 of these games came out like this...let's all hope they do.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Lucky 13 (week 3)
1. USC - looks like they'll run the table again
2. Oklahoma - made UW look awful, sharp on both sides
3. Missouri - offensive juggernaut, daniels should be leading Heisman
4. Florida - talented, upcoming schedule should show what they're made of
5. Georgia - slips because of struggle against SC, Knowshon is a freak
6. LSU - not getting much attention, looks dominate so far
7. Texas - when you're #7 and THIRD in your conference, that's tough!
8. Wisconsin - great win on the road against a good Fresno St. team
9. BYU - biggest statement game of the year so far...max hall 4 heisman
10. USF - offensively scary...can they carry momentum against subpar Big East?
11. Alabama - next two games...roadies against Ark and Georgia!
12. Texas Tech - we should let TT, BYU, USF and Missouri play a "final four"!
13. East Carolina - slips after barely beating Tulane
Well...HOLY CRAP BYU!!! Who saw that coming? They got exactly what they needed: a big statement game that showed they can not just compete with the "big boys" but DOMINATE them. Awesome win...I don't think I've ever seen a game dominated by one team, by so much, in every possible category. If you like BYU it was a joy.
And in general it was a great day for the MWC. They went 4-0 against the Pac-10 including the biggest upset so far this year (in my opinion) UNLV beating ASU! That was a big statement, and should help BYU come BCS rankings. The MWC really is better than people realize.
I've always felt Auburn is overrated every year. They're D is always good, but you have to score points. They drop out after squeeking by Miss St. 3-2!!!! All but TWO MLB games had at least 5 runs...pathetic. No way you stay in top 13 if you're dependent on ONE field goal to win the game.
2. Oklahoma - made UW look awful, sharp on both sides
3. Missouri - offensive juggernaut, daniels should be leading Heisman
4. Florida - talented, upcoming schedule should show what they're made of
5. Georgia - slips because of struggle against SC, Knowshon is a freak
6. LSU - not getting much attention, looks dominate so far
7. Texas - when you're #7 and THIRD in your conference, that's tough!
8. Wisconsin - great win on the road against a good Fresno St. team
9. BYU - biggest statement game of the year so far...max hall 4 heisman
10. USF - offensively scary...can they carry momentum against subpar Big East?
11. Alabama - next two games...roadies against Ark and Georgia!
12. Texas Tech - we should let TT, BYU, USF and Missouri play a "final four"!
13. East Carolina - slips after barely beating Tulane
Well...HOLY CRAP BYU!!! Who saw that coming? They got exactly what they needed: a big statement game that showed they can not just compete with the "big boys" but DOMINATE them. Awesome win...I don't think I've ever seen a game dominated by one team, by so much, in every possible category. If you like BYU it was a joy.
And in general it was a great day for the MWC. They went 4-0 against the Pac-10 including the biggest upset so far this year (in my opinion) UNLV beating ASU! That was a big statement, and should help BYU come BCS rankings. The MWC really is better than people realize.
I've always felt Auburn is overrated every year. They're D is always good, but you have to score points. They drop out after squeeking by Miss St. 3-2!!!! All but TWO MLB games had at least 5 runs...pathetic. No way you stay in top 13 if you're dependent on ONE field goal to win the game.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Lucky 13 (week 2)
well this is way late...but before saturday comes...
1. USC - most dominate looking team so far
2. Georgia - not too far behind...Knowshon's hop was unreal!
3. Florida - I expected a bigger win against the U in the swamp, Tebow hasn't wowed me yet
4. Oklahoma - destroyed a decent Cinci team...look out UW
5. Missouri - Daniels looks as good as anyone in the country
6. Ohio State - Will drop further pending Wells' status
7. Texas - Looking good...no real competition yet though
8. Auburn - The Spurs of college football...monotonously beat almost anyone
9. LSU - Hope Ike doesn't effect them to harshly!
10. East Carolina - best two wins of any team so far
11. ASU - They would have lost that Stanford game last year...good beatdown
12. Oregon - Fast and powerful on both sides...look out Purdue!
13. BYU - Deserves to be here, should have beat UW by 20, need to beat UCLA bad
After UNC's drubbing of Rutgers, I'm torn in my evaluations of Fresno State. Is Rutgers that bad? If so, UNC should be ranked ahead of Fresno State...are they that good? Two days ago I would have put $100 on FS to beat Wisconsin...now I'm not so sure.
In order for Kansas to get in here they need to beat USF this weekend...I'm still not sold on them.
1. USC - most dominate looking team so far
2. Georgia - not too far behind...Knowshon's hop was unreal!
3. Florida - I expected a bigger win against the U in the swamp, Tebow hasn't wowed me yet
4. Oklahoma - destroyed a decent Cinci team...look out UW
5. Missouri - Daniels looks as good as anyone in the country
6. Ohio State - Will drop further pending Wells' status
7. Texas - Looking good...no real competition yet though
8. Auburn - The Spurs of college football...monotonously beat almost anyone
9. LSU - Hope Ike doesn't effect them to harshly!
10. East Carolina - best two wins of any team so far
11. ASU - They would have lost that Stanford game last year...good beatdown
12. Oregon - Fast and powerful on both sides...look out Purdue!
13. BYU - Deserves to be here, should have beat UW by 20, need to beat UCLA bad
After UNC's drubbing of Rutgers, I'm torn in my evaluations of Fresno State. Is Rutgers that bad? If so, UNC should be ranked ahead of Fresno State...are they that good? Two days ago I would have put $100 on FS to beat Wisconsin...now I'm not so sure.
In order for Kansas to get in here they need to beat USF this weekend...I'm still not sold on them.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
NBA pre-pre-season picks 2
Well, glad to see the guys at ESPN finally catch up with my predictions! :) I do have a few changes after 2 months...
West East
1. Lakers 1. Celtics
2. Hornets 2. 76'ers
3. Suns 3. Cavs
4. Jazz 4. Heat
5. Houston 5. Pistons
6. Spurs 6. Raptors
7. Blazers 7. Wizards
8. Mavs 8. Magic
So I couldn't keep with my surprise pick of Wizards missing the playoffs. Once Childress left Atlanta, I have them dropping out. Not that he's that good, but I don't see them as better than any of these teams. The Heat continue to rise, especially after D-Wade's dominate performance in the Olympics. He might just be the "smoothest" player ever.
Out West...this is tough, but the Lakers are the favorites, and then after that it's hard to get a definite order. I have the Suns up a few spots, for obviously biased reasons. However, I do feel they will do better than people think, and have extra motivation knowing this really is the LAST year they have a chance to do anything before Shaq leaves to become Sherriff, Grant Hill dies and Steve Nash lays down on the floor and can never get back up! Plus I like what they've done this off-season and they now have a GOOD backup PG, and energy dude and a 10-man rotation!!! I see the Spurs, aged and decrepit taking a dive, especially with Manu's injury. They'll still be tough in the playoffs, but are getting old. (Plus I want them to lose for once to the Suns in the playoffs! Notice the 3-6 matchup!) I want to move the Blazers and Mavs higher, but don't see who they'd replace. I think the wild card is Houston, I could see them as high as 2 or 3, or worst case (Yao, McGrady injuries, Artest issues) I could see them out of the playoffs...still not sure about them.
West East
1. Lakers 1. Celtics
2. Hornets 2. 76'ers
3. Suns 3. Cavs
4. Jazz 4. Heat
5. Houston 5. Pistons
6. Spurs 6. Raptors
7. Blazers 7. Wizards
8. Mavs 8. Magic
So I couldn't keep with my surprise pick of Wizards missing the playoffs. Once Childress left Atlanta, I have them dropping out. Not that he's that good, but I don't see them as better than any of these teams. The Heat continue to rise, especially after D-Wade's dominate performance in the Olympics. He might just be the "smoothest" player ever.
Out West...this is tough, but the Lakers are the favorites, and then after that it's hard to get a definite order. I have the Suns up a few spots, for obviously biased reasons. However, I do feel they will do better than people think, and have extra motivation knowing this really is the LAST year they have a chance to do anything before Shaq leaves to become Sherriff, Grant Hill dies and Steve Nash lays down on the floor and can never get back up! Plus I like what they've done this off-season and they now have a GOOD backup PG, and energy dude and a 10-man rotation!!! I see the Spurs, aged and decrepit taking a dive, especially with Manu's injury. They'll still be tough in the playoffs, but are getting old. (Plus I want them to lose for once to the Suns in the playoffs! Notice the 3-6 matchup!) I want to move the Blazers and Mavs higher, but don't see who they'd replace. I think the wild card is Houston, I could see them as high as 2 or 3, or worst case (Yao, McGrady injuries, Artest issues) I could see them out of the playoffs...still not sure about them.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Lucky 13 (week 1)
Well, there were some surprises (or not, if you read my comment under the Herbie awards mocking the Big-10) and some...not surprises for lack of a better term. USC looked unbeatable, OSU better be praying, and there are a few new faces in the top 25. Utah looked dominate against Michigan (how they ever started this season ranked is beyond me), UCLA was Jeckel/Hyde but won, and Fresno State looks legit. BTW...all the east coast people think that no one in the west can play football...it's really annoying, but when "Non-BCS" teams are rocking supposed contenders in other conferences and a ranked SEC team that should pounce on a "low-end" Pac-10 team gets beat...you know life isn't fair. Hopefully by the end of the season they'll get it right...the Pac-10 and MWC and even the WAC for that matter, are better than people give them credit for.
1. USC
2. Florida
3. Georgia
4. Oklahoma
5. OSU
6. Missouri
7. Texas
8. LSU
9. WVU
10. Auburn
11. BYU
12. Oregon
13. Alabama
PS updated NBA predictions coming soon...
1. USC
2. Florida
3. Georgia
4. Oklahoma
5. OSU
6. Missouri
7. Texas
8. LSU
9. WVU
10. Auburn
11. BYU
12. Oregon
13. Alabama
PS updated NBA predictions coming soon...
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