The Shootout at the Alamo

I thought we could be back in the 1800's on Thursday night, but we were not, it was 2011 and it was Washington vs. Baylor.  This by far has been the funnest bowl game of the season thus far.  Baylor wins 67-56.  This game had all kinds of things: 1397 combined total yards, 17 total touchdowns, 200 yard rusher, 190+ yard reciever,  a heisman trophy winner, a qb that showed up out of nowhere and put his name on the map, and much more stuff.  This was almost like watching NCAA football on Playstation, as it was an offensive shootout.  RG3 was good, but Price for Washington was better.  By far the most exciting  of the bowl season and I can't wait to see Price next year.

1aa semis

This time last week I was headed to Statesboro for a quarter final game.  This week I am not so lucky and do not get a trip to Fargo ND, although I have been there before and had a decent time.  The Eagle offense fly's high into the Fargo Dome after putting up 35 points last week,  360 yars rushing , 476 total yards of offenst and quite frankly looking unstoppable at times against the Maine Black Bears.  The Eagle offense is lead by Jaybo Shaw and Dominique Swope, but have other explosive players such as J.J. Wilcox who will do damage as well. On the other hand, the Bison of North Dakota State looked pretty good as well, blanking Lehigh 24-0.  The Bison look to have a pretty explosive type of offense to led by qb  Brock Jenson who accounted for all 3 touchdown's least week, 1 in the air and 2 on the ground.  It looks like to me that it is going to be a very offensive game and whomever's defense can get a stop or 2 might be the winner.  Look for lots of fireworks today in the Fargo Dome as the Eagles take on the Bison for a chance to play in Frisco

The top half of the bracket

Here we go soemthing you have all waited for: The top half of the bracket in the BCS Championship

1)LSU
16)UGA
LSU wins the first one walking away and made it look easy down the stretch.  I hear all the time from UGA people well "if we catch 2  or 3 balls its a different game at half time" BLAH BLAH BLAH.  I believe in that game that Claiborne the outstanding corner not named Mathieu had 2 drops and an int for a touchdown.  So this is like comparing apples and oranges. In very game, you change a few plays and things would be different.  OVerall, LSU has the better team and they move on in ths rematch. I alittle closer this time 31-17

8)KANSAS ST
9)SOUTH CAROLINA
I think SC will win here.  The SEC is just to tough and Kansas State has struggled agaisnt good defenses this year.  OU is probably the toughest D they faced all year and they got there doors blown off 58-17. Yes SC is without Lattimore the stud Sophmore back, but Conner Shaw is a pretty decent qb, you are thworing the ball to Jeffery, who is a STUD, and your defense is only giving up 18.8 points a game which is 13th in the nation.  I smell trouble for the boys from Manahatten.  SOUTH CAROLINA wins 31-21

12)BAYLOR
5)OREGON
RG3 comes off his heisman trophey locked and loaded here to make a run deep into the playoffs.  The only bad thing here is the run into an ORegon team that is really good and can win a shootout.  Thomas and James prove to be too much for RG3 and OREGON wins a wild one 51-45.

13)MICHIGAN
4)STANFORD
The last 2 years Stanford has had trouble with the spread attack of Oregon and has lost.  Michigan brings this same type style to the table with a qb in Robinson who is good.  The only thing is, he is not as good as Thomas and they do not have a back like James.  With this being said, Luck and the Cardinals fly high here and roll over Michigan 35-17.

1aa playoffs

The first Saturday since September where there has not been a ton of college football games, I decide to go to one.  My Alma Mata Georgia Southern is in the 1aa playoffs and hosted the Maine Black Bears.  This was quite the game, GSU wins 35-23.  The Eagles run a variation of the triple option that Ga. Tech does and they do it quite successful.  The eagles compiled 476 yards of total Offense, 360 of it was on the ground and had a whopping 42:24 seconds of TOP on the way to the win.  Yes they have a well oiled offense or so you would think.  The Eagles committed 12 penalties for 93 yards which is not good.  but they over came that and pulled out a win.  They ow travel to Fargo ND to face North Dakota State for the semi's.

BCS Playoff

Thier are many people out there that complain that the BCS needs a playoff system.  How would this playoff system work and at could come with some parameters such as: how many teams, how many rounds, would he first round be conference championship games, plus many other questions.  Without any of these things involved, I have put together a 16 team bracket based on the final BCS standings.  I will further break down each match up and give predictions on each game in the days ahead.
Top half
1)LSU
16) Georgia

8)Kansas St
9)South Carolina

5)Oregon
12)Baylor

13)Michigan
4)Stanford

BOTTOM HALF:
3)Oklahoma St.
14)OKlahoma

6)Arkansas
11)Virginia Tech

7)Boise St.
10)Wisconsin

15)Clemson
2)Alabama

These could be some pretty intesrting matchups and potential matchups as well.  Check back over the next week plus to see who I have advancing.

4 weeks to go in the NFL season

Here are some tidbits throughout the league:

1) Tim Tebow mania has reached the NFL in full force, and who can blame it.  He is 6-1 as a starter.

2)Rodgers, Brees, and Brady are still the BEST 3 qbs in the league.....

3) The AFC west is dreadful......

4) The P Manning injury just proves how important he is to the Colts.

5) Dallas, NYG, and Atlanta have to be the 3 most up and down teams in the league.

Playoff teams:
AFC:
EAST:  PATS
NORTH:  BALT
SOUTH: TEXANS
WEST: BRONCOS
WILDCARD: JETS, PITT
I like Pitts schedule better than Baltimore, as they play Cleveland twice, however Balt swept the Steelers therefor I give the edge to Baltimore winning the division.

NFC:
EAST: GIANTS
NORTH: PACKERS
SOUTH: SAINTS
WEST: 49ERS
WILDCARD: FALCONS COWBOYS
I Give the the GIants the edge over Dallas, just based on how the GIants played against Green Bay over the weekend.  THe BEars and Lions are both right there but have issues.  THe BEars with out Cutler and Forte and the Lions are with out Suh for another week which hurts.

The New TOp 10

So here it is on Tuesday instead of monday.

1)LSU:  They end up running away with the SEC Championship, although UGA held it close for the first half.

2)ALABAMA: Even though they did not play in the SEC CHampionship they are the 2nd best team in the naiton.

3)OKLAHOMA ST: They blow out Oklahoma and win the Big 12.  But still the 1 loss to Iowa State in Ames hurts them and they do not get the #2 ranking and a chance to show down with LSU for the Ship.

4)STANFORD: Move sup with VT getting thir doors blown off.

5) ARKANSAS:  Moves up here as well.

6) OREGON: Wins the Pac 12.

7)BOISE STATE:  Blanks New Mexico and wins the WAC.

8) WISCONSIN: WIns a shoot out with Michigan St and wins the first ever Big 10 Championship game.

9)SOUTH CAROLINA: a win away from playing LSU in the SEC Championship game finishes at 9.

10)KANSAS STATE: The WIldcats crack the top 10 coming in at 10.

Championship Saturday

Ok here is a quick rundown of the rest of the action today.  Sorry Pac 12, you got no love yesterday as I knew Oregon would blow the doors off of UCLA and although not as quite as bad as I thought, 35 17 at half time and a final of 49-31, that is not too good in a Championship game.  If USC would have been eligeible to go, then this would have bee  a barn burner and been on the map def.

Sorry Mac, no teams in the top 25 = no love.........

Big 12:  Oklahoma at OK State:  I have Oklahoma winning this, yes I know Broyles is gone and so is Whaley, which is OU's top wr and rb respectively. But, that does not matter, Oklahoma has the better Defense. The better defense will slow down that high octane offense of OKS just enough to come out on top.  OKS has no D, you want proof: Kansas State hangs 45 on the scoreboard and Iowa State puts up 568 Total Yards on them, that is enough right there to tell me the better Defense wins here and that belongs to OU.

Conference USA:  Southern Miss vs.  Houston:  2 words: CASE KEENUM  THe Cougars roll easily here.

ACC:  Clemson vs. Virginia Tech:  Clemson beats VT in Lane stadium on an early Saturday in October and are riding sky high with hopes of going to New Orleans. They then fall at Georgia Tech, At NC State and at South Carolina,which is not good and hopes vanished of playing for NC.  Conversly, after the loss VT reels off 7 wins in a row and look to be hot coming in.  Led by rb Wilson, Tech is rolling right now.  That is why I am going with the Hokies to win and will be squeezing oranges at the end of the game.

Big 10:  MSU vs. Wisconsin:  If this rematch is anything like game 1, then it will be a very fun game to watch.  You had everything in game one, Turnovers, trick plays, hailmary's, and just one exciting play after another.  Michigan St ripped the hearts out of the Badgers with a last second Hailmary to win the game last time these teams met.  I do not think it will come down to that this time. As I think, Russell Wilson and Montee Ball out play Kirk Cousins and L. Bell.  Wisconsin gets revenge and will be smelling roses Saturday night.

BONUS GAME:  in round 2 of the 1AA playoffs #3 Georgia Southern hosts ODU:  After rushing for 300+ yards and putting up 21 points against Bama, the Eagles will soar at home today.  Hopefully, setting up a matchup next week against the hated team from Boone NC App St.

19

What you might ask is the significance of 19 on Championship weekend?  LSU has 19 more turnovers than thier opponents. Yes that is right they are a + 19, they have given the ball up 8 times and taken it away 27.  WOW is right, as that is a huge number.  If Georgia wants any shot of beating the Tigers than they must win this turnover battle, not by just 1 they need it by 2 or 3, and they have to turn the turnovers into points.  My gut instinct is although Murray has been playing well that LSU defense is just to much and the Tigers win by 10, but its alot closer than people think.  With Murray, Crowell, and Co coming back next year, I think Georgia is a year away from really making noise.

Ohio State Football

Ohio State football over the last 15 months has been a wild ride to say the lease. They have the scandal of selling memorabilia for both money and tattoos,  they lose Pryor who was at the time, a Heisman frontrunner and the Buckeye's starting QB, as well as several other players 5 or 6 to be exact plus there HC Jim Tressel gets fired.  They Bring in Luke Fickell and he goes 6-6  and loses to Michigan.  Everyone thinks Ohio State is in a down spin and Buckeye nation is in an uproar.  Just when you think you have hit rock bottom in the black hole if your a Buckeye fan, along comes Urban Meyer and everything is better instantly.

I have heard and read this on many facebook pages and twitter posts, that Meyer is a liar  he wanted to spend more time with his family and his health was not going so well.  I have news for you my friends the Big 10 where Ohio St plays its ball is no SEC where Meyer was at at Florida.  The prep work that goes into every SEC game is outstanding, I would guess 15-18 hours a day, of watching film, putting together a game plan etc.  This might include sleeping some nights on the couch in the office and not seeing your family.... you talking about going up every week against a Alabama, or an LSU, Georgia, etc, those caliber teams do not exist in the Big 10.  So with him moving to the Big 10, you are looking at a regular 8-10 hour day and then home to see the family.  Does this make a big difference HECK yes it does.  He can get 8 hours of sleep and good home cooked meals, as opposed to 4 hours of sleep on a couch and fast food.

Also, Meyer brings his spread option attack from Florida to Ohio St.  What does this mean, you remember seeing him win to National Titles against Big 10 teams, because they were slow in over matched.  Well he brings that same offense to Ohio St where he will out run and gun everyone in the Big 10.  Meyer is about to put Ohio St back on the map whether you like it or not.....

Top 10 for 11/28

1)LSU: Continues to prove why they are the #1 team in the nation.  I got to see a quick 10 minutes of this game in the Minneapolis airport Friday and they had just scored to make it 14-7 Arkansas.  By the time I land in South Dakota, the route is on and there is no question they will be in Atlanta to face GA.

2)ALABAMA:  After a disappointing iron bowl last year, there was no disappointment this year, as Alabama ROLLS over Auburn and makes  a big statement as to why they should be in the National Title game....

3)VIRGINIA TECH:  They beat hated rival Virginia and wrap up at shot to play in the ACC Championship game.  They get a rematch with Clemson and it should be a great game.

4)OKLAHOMA STATE:  Had a bye and sets up a showdown with hated rival Oklahoma on Saturday.

5)STANFORD: They beat Notre Dame and now wait and see where they might go for a bowl game.  THe loss to Oregon has kept them out of the 1st ever Pac 12 Championship game.

6)ARKANSAS:  They go up early on LSU by 14 points but just can't hang on to the win.  THey finish the regular season with 2 losses, ALABAMA and LSU.  Not a bad season for Arkansas.

7) BOISE STATE:  Take care of Wyoming and now just wait and see if they get invited to a BCS bowl.

8) HOUSTON:  The cougars and Keenum just keep rolling.  They blow out Tulsa 48-16 and will go play for the COnfernce USA title.

9) OREGON: Beats Oregon st in there rival game and set up a match up with UCLA for the Pac 12 Championship.

10) OKLAHOMA: OU does something bitter rival OSU could not do last week, and that is beat Iowa State.  This sets up a showdown on Saturday with before mentioned OSU, can the Sooners keep the Cowboys out of the National Championship talks?

Thanksgiving and football

First, I want to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and I hope you get to spend it with loved ones.  There are so many things I am thankful for, I am not going to even start to name them all.  Just know, the list is very loooooooonnnnng!!!!!!
Now for Football: this is the first time in a long time I can remember that all 3 games on THanksgiving have alot of meaning to them.
1st Green Bay @ Detroit:  The Lions need a win here badly to stay in the hunt for a playoff spot.  This is also a big game for them, as it counts as a divisonal game, as well as, a conference game.  Which coming down to the wire could be big espcially if everyones conference records so similar.  On the other hand,  Aaron Rodgers have not lost since last regular season and continue to be on fire.  They are on a quest to run the table and be PERFECT for the season.  The only other team to do that was Tom Brady and the Pats.

2nd: Miami @ Dallas:  This looks to be on the surface not a big game, as the Dolphins are just 3-7.  But, Dallas is 6-4 and right in the middle of the playoff race in the NFC.  If they want to make the playoffs or even better win the NFC East, then they need to beat teams that they should beat, and Miami falls into this category.

3rd: San Francisco @ Baltimore:  This is the battle of the brothers.  Jim and the 49ers come in with the better record at 9-1 and all but have wrapped up the NFC West.  They are now working towards that #2 seed and earning a first round bye in the playoffs.  John on the other hand, is 7-3 and comes in fighting to win the AFC north with the Steelers.  Even if they do not win the north, I think theya re a pretty safe bet for a wild card, but this is a huge game for both!!!!!

Top 10 for 11/21

1)LSU: They take down Ole Miss very easily and set up a showdown with Arkansas on Friday. 

2)ALABAMA: They beat Ga Southern, but give up 21 points and 302 rushing yards.  Congrats to GSU for being the only team in the nation to put those #s up against the vaunted BAMA D!!!!!

3)ARKANSAS:  They dismiss Mississippi St and set up a showdown in Baton Rouge with LSU>  Friday is going to be crazy!!!!!

4)VIRGINIA TECH:  They escape against UNC beating them by 3, but with all the others in front of them jump to #4. I slide them up in front of Stnaford who is at # 6, because I have seen them first hand and know how tough they are, I have also seen UNC and know they are a good team as well.

5)OKLAHOMA STATE:  They go down to Iowa State in Ames in Double OT by a touch.  Weeden had 4 pics that did not help.

6)STANFORD:  In game after game, they could have had a let down and let Cal beat them.  However, they pull off a close one and win by a fg.  This win keeps Luck in the talk for the Heisman.

7) BOISE STATE:  Boise is right back climbing up the later again, thanks to a few teams in front of them losing. They Broncos are right there in that BCS bowl game talk again.

8) HOUSTON:  Case Keenum, my midseason AA qb as quitely led the Cougars up the ranks.  They are finally in my top 10 after knocking on the doors for a few weeks.

9) OREGON:  They lose to USC at home.  After beating Stanford they were sky high and talking about the BCS NC, not so fast my friend in the words of Lee Corso. 

10) OKLAHOMA:  Another team thinking they could compete for a BCS NC, but lose to a tough Baylor team.  All they can hope for now is to beat OSU and go to a BCS bowl.

Bama This weekend

I have a disclaimer first:  All my Georgia Southern people are going to hate me for this, but sometimes the truth before the storm hurts.  WIth this being said, for you GSU people who think you are going to roll into T TOWN this weekend and beat Alabama you are terriable mistaken.  Yes you run the Triple O, you have Jaybo Shaw as your quarterback, and he is very good at the reads and what he does.  But, he in his 2 years at GSU and year at Tech before this, he has not faced the speed or fire power on Defense that Alabama brings to the table.  They have speed everywhere on the field and BIG sexy names like Hightower, Johnson and Upshaw at the Linebackers that will read the Opition and eat it alive.  If it happened to get to the outside you have names like Kirkpatrick at corner and HARD hitting, lay the lumber, I am going to knock the poop out of you Barron at safety waiting in the wings.  So as much as I like my alama mata, there is just no way this works and I have not even looked at the offense for Bama.  Which brings me to the BEST back in all of d 1 football, Trent Richardson.  This guy could easily rush for 200+ yards and 3 or 4 scores against the Eagle D.  When he gets tired oh you have Lacey on the bench wanting some action. Lacey is equally impressive and could have a big day.  You then have Maze on the outside and the names just keep going and going.  Look for Bama's youth to get a good bit of action in this game as the Tide ROLL over Southern 42-7.

Top 10 Week of 11/14

1)LSU: They contiue to roll.  They did not have a let down game after the huge win last week vs. BAMA.  Yes they played Western Kentucky and there should not have been a problem, but you never know.

2)OKLAHOMA STATE:  Some thought that Texas Tech might give them some trouble, not so fast they put a 66 spot on the board and win easily.

3)ALABAMA: They beat  a Miss St team 24-7, some might think they came out flat, but remember back to a Thursday night early in September they played LSU very tough and was ranked in the top 25.  Bama did what they needed to do and that's put a W on the board.

4)OREGON: Look who is back in the top 5 after an early season loss to LSU.  Oregon beat a very good Stanford team Saturday night to get back up into the top 5.

5)ARKANSAS:  They contiue to win beating Tennessee 49-7.  They are setting up 1 heck of a showdown Thanksgiving weekend with LSU.

6)OKLAHOMA:  Some may think I have them to low, but I dont think so.  ORegon and Arkansas are really good. Besides, they had there bye week so they sit at 6. up 2 spots last week.

7)CLEMSON:  Just 2 weeks after a loss to Ga. Tech, Clemson finds themselves back in the top 7 after kicking a fg to beat Wake.  They have clinched the Atlantic division and will play for the ACC CHampionship/

8)STANFORD: They fall from 3 to 8 after getting drilled by Oregon on Saturday night.  This loss potentially takes them out of National Championship talks.

9) VIRGINIA TECH:  They get into a shootout in Atlanta on Thursday night and come out with a victory.  This was a very exciting game and they bascially sealed up the Coastal division in th ACC setting up a rematch with Clemson in the ACC Championship game.

10)BOISE STATE:  Poor Boise loses to TCU and the talks of National Championship are gone.

Sorry

Sorry guys, I coach JuCo wrestling and traveled this weekend and was unable to post Friday and today.  I will post some good stuff.  On another note, Matt Long a first year college wrestler wrestled his first college win.  He went 1-2 and did some good stuff and also recognized some area's that need work.  We will hit hard on Monday.  Until then, I will have something good tomorrow.

VT GT Showdown

Tonight is a big game for more than one reason. 1) It is the battle of the Tech's who will have bragging rights to say they are the best Tech in the ACC. 2) It is a top 21 showdown as VT is #10 and GT is #21. 3) This is by far the most important one: Whoever wins this game will more than likely win the Coastal Division and land itsself in the ACC CHampionship game on Dec 3.

The Matchup: This matchup is very intersting as Virginia Tech has the 2nd leading rusher in the nation  David Wilson, but Tech with the dynamic triple option offense is raned # 2 in rushing offense averging 328 yards a game.  A few more tidbits about the game the Hokie offense  comes in ranked 39th in the nation with 427.7 yars a game while the jacket offense comes in 474.6 16th in the nation.  Another intersting fact is in all 7 of GT's win's they have scored at least 21 points, so the Jacket O is a high octane point producing machine when it gets going.  This Hokie D might have something to say about this as they have been stingy all year only allowing 86.3 yars on the ground and giving up only 15.4 points a game. Something will have to give either the Hokie D or the Tech Offense.  I think this will be a thriller in what looks to be a very cool night in Atlanta.

My 1st Trip to T TOWN

YES!!!!!! I did go to Tusculoosa for LSU ALABAMA and man what a great expereince I had.  No, I did not have a ticket when I walked up, but I did get in.  The crowd outside the stadium was buzzing and there were people everywhere.  This unlike any other venue I have been to thus far had tshirt vendors  set up outside the stadium. 
How did I get in? I happened upon a student ticket which was very cool and the student sectioned opened 2 hours before game time.  So, I got into the stadium about 5:15ish or so and then the wait was on.  I guess I am a football nerd because I always find warms up very intersting, to see what the different teams do.  LSU was warming up on our end so I got to see first hand Lee and Jefferson throwing all there routes.  It was well worth the wait  as this turned out to be one terrifc football game.  If you are into scoring then this game was not for you.  It was a battle between the 2 best Defense's in the nation and there was alot of hitting involved. Beyond the the hitting involved in this game, the speed and athletic abilites by both teams was just unbielvable and you will see many of these guys playing on Sundays  In the end LSU comes out on top which made for a rather upset and somber stadium as it empted.  But nonetheless the trip to T TOWN will live as one of my best college football experiences EVER!!!!!!

A side bar about the loudness of the stadium, they showed the decibel meter almost every play.  Although, it would START at 105 106 it did not stay there for long and quickly rose to 110+ and many times it hit 114.  The crowd noise was out of control and made for a very LOUD night all night.

Top 10 for week of 11/7

1)LSU: What can I say, these guys won an EPIC battle between the 2 BEST teams in the nation.  There really is nothing that can describe how big the win was Saturday night other than they won and it was HUGE.

2)OKSTATE:  They get into a shootout with Kansas State and prevail.  Weeden and Blackmon are tough.

3)STANFORD:  I thought might be a bit of a let down here after the 3ot win vs USC and then looking ahead to Oregon next week, but there was not.  Luck and the Cardinals roll past the Beavers and set up a showdown with Oregon on Saturday.

4)ALABAMA:  How can you drop them below Boise after an OT loss to #1 LSU.  You can't.  That is why they are at 4.  TTown lived up to its billing and then some.  I will talk all about this game and my experiecne at the game tomorrow.

5)BOISE ST:   They roll over UNLV and stay undefeated.  They just keep winning ball games which is all you can ask them to do.

6)OREGON: The ducks stay at 6 after defeating Washington Saturday in Pullman. James looks to be back to his old self racking up 156 yards on the ground with a touch.  Will they have the magic to do what they did last year and beat Stanford.  We will find out Saturday and what should be a great ball game.

7)ARKANSAS:  Did what they needed to and defeated South Carolina at home.  With this win, I feel as though this elminates SC from the east and UGA WILL find its way into the SEC Championship game.  it was 24-14 at the half so it was close, but Arkansas pulls away in the 2nd half and wins it easily going away.  This should set up a show down with #1 LSU over the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend.

8)OKLAHOMA:  I do not know how much more juice these guys have.  They lose there top rb last week and now Broyles the top wr is gone for the year.  They still ahvea  tough D, but are loosing parts on Offense fast.

9)CLEMSON: Moves up a spot with the result of a BYE

10)VIRGINIA TECH: After losing to Clemson the Hokies have bounced back, although they had a bit of scare in a close game vs Duke on Satruday nonetheless, they escaped and set up a showdown with Ga. Tech on Thursday.  This should be an exciting game.

The Day after

Today has been a rough day on me.  What a wild game last night, I will give my complete wrap up of that game and experience on Tuesday.  I have been watching some NFL today. Somethings I have seen today.
1) Aaron Rodgers is just superman right now WOW!!!!!! GB has so many weapons on O!!!!
2) JULIO JULIO JULIO!!!!!!! WOW that guy when healthy is good!
3) Eli Manning is the best qb nobody talks about.
4) Andy Dalton is and will be better than CAM>
5)J E T S JETS JETS JETS D showed up today and kept them in the playoff race.
This is a quick 5 things I saw.
I am getting ready for Baltimore PITT, I have PITT winning this revenge game.....

FOOTBALL SATURDAY

SO I do not have much time but wanted to say this.  I am off to T TOWN for the game of the year  YOu will get a full report about my trip.  I have not given a predicition yet, here it is BAMA 14-LSU 10  Very very Defensive game.  The difference will be T RICH who is just a monster!!!!!!

The other game this weekend

I know the biggst game of the weekend is LSU BAMA and that is all I have talked about this week.  But, there is another game that is equally important.  South Carolina Arkansas.  I feel this is the last "real" test for SC.  Yes they still have Florida left in the SEC, but Florida is not very good if you can stop Rainey and Demps, which I feel they can dobecause of there  front 4.  I feel its going to be a loooong day next weekend for Florida as it has been most of the season.  Speaking of SC defense it ranks 3rd in the SEC behind Bama and LSU, so these guys are really good. This sets up really well for SC as, Arkansas has struggled barely scrapping by the last 2 weekends.  But Arkansas has a really explosive offense and are 20th in tha nation in scoring at 36.9.  The air attack is equally impressive avg 334.5 yards a game which is 9th best in the ntaion. They have not skipped a beat with Wilson this year as opposed to Mallet last year.  So this is a little back drop about the game now if SC wins I feel they win next week and will end up playing the winner of the LSU Bama gamein Atlanta.  However, all the UGA fans should be rooting for Arkansas.  Why you ask? Well, if Arkansas wins, then SC has 2 losses and I feel UGA beats Auburn next weekend, which then would prople them to Atlanta.  So this is a huge game for the SEC east.

Defensive side of the ball

We talked offense yesterday lets talk Defense, because we all know the old saying "offense wins games but DEFENSE wins championships"  Both D's are extremely good and very fast.  LSU's might be a little faster, but I think Bama might be a tad more physical.

Defensive Line: LSU They were able to slow down the high powered Duck attack at the beginning of the year controlling the line of scrimmage and get a good push up the middle.  They have not allowed much since then coming up with big play after big play when needed.  Alabama is lacking the big name on the line that they have had in the past aka MT. CODY but still pretty good.  If LSU wants to win this game the DLINE has to continue to play well and force a fumble or 2 out of Richardson.

Linebackers: ALABAMA  I do not think this is close with the depth that Bama has Courtney Upshaw D'onta Hightower, Nico Johnson these all should be household names by now.  They are all over the field and make big stop after big stop.  LSU's guys are good, but when you can go his deep with upperclassman and have seen just about everything, it is hard to argue against this depth.

Defensive Backs: TIE  how can this be easy IT IS!!!!!!  LSU has the top corner in the nation in Mathieu and Bama has the top safety in the nation in Barron.  When something like this occurs I can only think of 1 thing to do and that is call it a tie.  Although, I did here this stat yesterday which was really intersting to me: On pass plays of 15+against the LSU defense  they (LSU) have more INTs 6 than completions 5.  This to me is a big boy stat but not enough to convince me that LSU dbs are any stronger than Bamas, therefor it is a tie still.

Offense of side of the ball

So I broke down yesterday who I thought had the advantage in each particular matchup. Well, today I am going to tell you why I chose what I chose.

Quaterback: LSU  Coming into the season there was much to do over the LSU qb situation.  Jordan Jefferson was suspended for the first games leaving Jarrett Lee to be the main guy.  There were lots of questions surrounding Lee, who just 2 years ago was named the starter but struggled, will he struggle again, how is he going to run the offense, what will the offense look like.  Well,  LSU starts 8-0 scoring 39.3 points a game, that is 13th in the nation, that is pretty darn good.  Lee has lived up to and exceeded expectations this year.  On the other hand, the Crimson Tide had a qb battle for themselves.  But, Aj MaCarron put that to rest early.  He has been good this year completeing 67 % of his passes piling up 1164 in yards while throwing 10tds and just 3 int.  He has won 2 tough games as well @ Penn st and home vs. Arkansas, but has not faced a Defense as good as this LSU D.  I am giving the edge to Lee because he is a Sr. and has big game experience.

Running Back: ALABAMA I believe Trent Richardson is the best back in college football.  If those are my thoughts than it is hard to take anyone but Alabama here.  He has the numbers to prove it rushing for 989 yards in 17 tds.  This back up is pretty strong in Eddie Lacey who has 465 yards and 5 tds.  That is 1400+ yards and 22 tds from your ground game, that is really impressive and hard to beat.  However LSU has a 2 headed monster here of Ware and and Ford who have combined 953 yards an 10 touches.  These would be top numbers and just about any other game they play, but not this one.  LSU is strong on the ground but not as strong as Alabama, that is why Bama has the advantage on the ground.

Wide Reciever/Tight End: ALABAMA  I said this at first because of Maze who is outstanding , but after looking deeper into the numbers, I dont think Bama as as much as an advantage as I first thought.  Maze and Hanks are tough 57 rec 712 yards and only 2 touch downs compared to LSU's top 2  Randle and Beckman who have 60 rec and 972 yards and 9 touches. Yes LSU has bigger numbers here, but take a look at the offenses.  LSU has more big play potential from the wr and Bama is more of a possession game after T RICH gains 6 or 7 yards. So I give the advantage to Bama, but both teams are highly skilled at this position.

Offensive Line: TIE You might ask how can this be one line has to be better than the other. Go look at my October 19th midseason AA blog, I have Jones from Bama on it and I have Blackwell from LSU on it.  SO 2 of my top 5 lineman come from these to schools, pretty darn good.  Both lines hold up well and exicute like the coaches want them to.  This is why it is a tie, when you are that good at what you do than the O LINE needs credit and what better credit than to say its a tie.

WRAP UP:  So on Offense I would give the advantage to Bama but not by much and mainly because they have the best back in nation Trent Richardson.
Check in tomorrow to see who has the advantage on Defense.

The biggest game of the year

In honor of the BIGGEST college football game of the season, I am going to break down each position for you and tell you who i think has an advantage.  Today is a tease as I will tell you who has the advantage and actually start my breakdown tomorrow.



Quaterback:  LSU
Runningback: ALABAMA but this is a whole lot closer than you may think, in fact I have Bama by ust mere % points greater than LSU here.
Wide reciver/TightEnds: ALABAMA
Offensive Line: TIE
Defensive Line: LSU
Linebackers: ALABAMA
Defensive Backs: TIE
Head Coaching: ALABAMA.... this is a coin flip, botha re great coaches I heppen to be a Belicheck guy and Saban coached under Belicheck.  Miles is 1 heck of a coach as well.

So here is what I have, I will go over OFfense tomorrow and why I gave advantages and Defense on Thursday!!!!!

Week of October 31 top 10

1)LSU: They had a bye week and get ready for the showdown with Alabama.

2)ALABAMA: They had a bye week and get ready for the showdown with LSU

3)OKLAHOMA ST:  They had what thought was going to be a showdown with the high octane offense of Baylor led by RG3.  However, Baylor failed to show up in the 1st getting blanked, while Ok St did show up and put 35 points on the board in the process.  Randle was huge for them rushing for 152 yards and 4 scores. Not to be out done by the  Blackmon.  He had 13 rec for 172 yrds and 2 Touches.  This offesne is just too strong for everyone right now.  They have there bye this week.

4)STANFORD:  They flirted with death this weekend as Luck throws a pick 6 with 4 minutes left and USC goes up by a touch.  But cool, calm, and collective, Luck leads the Cardinals down the field to tie it up.  The game goes to triple ot but the Cardinals come out on top keeping both National Championship hopes alive as well as Heisman hopes alive.

5)BOISE ST:  They had bye weel and has UNLV next.

6) OREGON:  The Ducks escape with a victory but not before having some grumblings in Eugene. Starter David Thomas gets pulled in the 3rd quarter Bryan Bennett.  Skip Kellythinks Bennett gives the Ducks the best chance to win right now, but to Thomas's credit he did sit out last week's game with an injury.  On another note, LaMichael James returns after a dislocated elbow keeps him out for a 2 games.  He rushes only for 53 yards, but the Ducks roll anyway. They travel to Washington next week, with hopes of staying in the talks for the National Championship.

7)ARKANSAS: Arkansas struggles to beat Vandy as they trailed by 14 in the first half.  But they bounce back in the 4th quarter outscoring Vandy 11-0 to win the game.  This looks to be scary for Arkansas as they face a pretty good D in South Carolina next week at home.

8)OKLAHOMA:  Oklahoma bounces back very nicely with a smashing win over previously unbeaten Kansas State 58-17. Landy Jones has a HUGE day throwing for a school record 505 yards, he also threw 5 tds.  It was close at half time with OU up 23-17, but OU comes out in the 2nd half and outscores KState 35-0 and puts the wraps on the game.  OU still think it has an outside shot of a National Championship game bid but will need some help.  They have the Aggies of Texas AM up next.

9) SOUTH CAROLINA:  South Carolina is 7-1 and I can't believe it.  They are not very good and with Latimore out even worse on Offense.  They however just keep scrapping and finding ways to win.  There front 4 is one of the best in the nation and helps keem them in games.  They have a very tough road game Saturday as they travel to high flying Arkansas.

10)CLEMSON:  Yes they got beat by Georgia Tech and really did not look too good playing Saturdaynight as well.  I thought this was a trap game for them against a very good 2 loss Tech team.  Do they drop out of the top 10 not in my poll, as they edge out Nebraska by 1 point to stay at 10.  They are off next week, so they will have to sit around an extra week with a bad taste in there mouth.  So look out Wake Forrest on November 12th, as you have a very angry Tiger team to play.

Top 5 games for today

1) Florida #22 Georgia: This is the number 1 game if you ask me.  The World Largest Outdoor Cocktail party is always a crazy time.  Both teams are coming off bye weeks and should be healthy now, or at least healthier than they were 2 weeks ago.  Florida needs this win to basically salvage a very rough October, which included beat downs vs Bama and LSU and a loss to Auburn.  Georgia needs this win to ultimate win the East.  Yes that is right I said it to win the East.  If they win here, there emotions are high they win out including beating Auburn, while SC goes to Arkansas next week and WILL LOSE!!!!!! SO it is Salvage vs SEC EAST.

2) #5 Clemson Georgia Tech:  Just 3 short weeks ago this looked to be the premier game in the ACC.  Both teams were undefeated and riding high, but Tech hits a speed bump losing at UVA and Miami, while Clemson keeps rolling.  Clemson already has a strangle hold on the Atlantic but can all but wrap it up with a win at Tech.  Tech needs this win to get back on track and also to hope to have a shot at getting to Charlotte.  Taj Boyd and freshman phenom Sammy Watkins vs Tevin Washington and the Triple O

3) #6 Stanford Southern Cal: The reason this is on my radar very simple: Andrew Luck vs Matt Barkley.  There numbers are very similar Luck 1888 yards and 20tds vs Barkley 2006 yards and 19tds.  Luck will be the top pick of this years draft and the jury is still out on Barkley, he could be a stud or he could be a bust.  This battle of California might help Barkley land on the 1st round map.

4) #9 Oklahoma #8 Kansas State: Oklahoma comes in after a loss at home vs Texas Tech.  This HAS to be a bonce back win for Oklahoma if they want a chance in the conversation of National Championship.  Kansas State has been sneaky all year sneaking up the rankings and wins to 7-0 record.  They have wins over Miami and a Baylor team led by RG3.  Since K state has been so sneaky this year, I will give you a player to watch  Rb Klein has 670 yards rushing and 14 tds

5) #1 Georgia Southern #5 App State: Being a GSU grad I had to put this matchup in at #5.  This game has just too much history over the last few years.  The thing that is scary about this game is it will be raining. cold, and could have an inch + of snow in Boone which does not boad well for the Eagles, who depend on the Triple O and alot of cutting action.  This might help App St slow this machine down that has been scoring monster points all year Will the Eagles continue to soar high or will the Mountaineers clip the wings of the #1 Eagles?

Game 7

We have a game 7 in the World Series tonight.  I think "if" games are the most exciting games to attend, whether its a game 3 of a best of 3, game 5 best of a best of 5 or game 7 of a best of 7.  I was at game 5 in Atlanta in 03 when Kerry Wood DOMINATED the Braves and put Atlanta out.  I believe that was the whole Steve Bartman year if I am not mistaken.  I was also at game 3 in Atlanta 09 to see Alabama beat Georgia Tech in the regional's.  IF game's are do or die.
MY take on tonight: It will be a slug fest.  I don't think either team has much pitching left, especially after last night.  I would say I give the edge to St. Louis because of Carpenter, but he has made 1 start his entire career on 3 days rest, that was in the Phillies series earlier this post season and he got ROCKED!!!!! So, that advantage gets washed away.  I think it comes down to Napoli vs. Craig and Freese.  These 3guys have been clutch during the postseason and hopefully will DO IT BIG tonight.  It should be fun.  My prediction: I want to STL because they are at home and they came back last night, but I have to stick with my initial pick and say Texas.
Fun Fact for the day:  STL is the ONLY team in World Series history to score runs in the bottom of the 8th,9th,10th, and 11th.

Top 5 Defensive players at each position

I gave my top 5 on offense yesterday today is the defensive side of the ball.

Interior Lineman NT/DT: Haloti Ngata
                                       Ndamujong Suh
                                       Vince Wilfork
                                        BJ Raji
                                        Cullen Jenkins
Suh is nasty and quickly becoming one of the best DLineman in football period.  However, he is not on the level of Ngata just yet.  Ngata not only plugs the middle and  is an excellent run stopper. Furthermore, he demands a double team which then opens up Ray Lewis and other guys on blitzes. 
Exterior Lineman DE: Jared Allen
                                  Dwight Freeney
                                 Julius Peppers
                                 Robert Mathis
                                 Osi Umenyiora
There is something about the mullet man that is just so tough.  Mr. Allen is a high motor and just gets to the QB relentlessly.  The Vikings have not been doing too good this year but Allen has 11.5 sacks. WOW!!!!  Freeney and Mathis are still very strong in Indy, and freeney's spin move is still one of the best moves in football.
ILB/MLB: Ray Lewis
                 Brian Urlacher
                 James Farrior
                 Patrick Willis
                 Curtis Loften
This was really hard, as there are alot of really good ILB out there.  RAY RAY and Urlacher continue to be the best in the NFL, although Farrior is nipping on the heels and WIllis is very very good.  The surprising name on this list is Curtis Loften, he is tackling machine and can go sideline to sideline.  HE is quickly making a name for him self.
OLB: Demarcus Ware
          Clay Matthews
          Lance Briggs
           Terrell Suggs
           Lamar Woodley
The OLB is a very tricky position.  On one hand they are asked to cover TE and sometimes slot WRS.  On the other hand they are asked to put there hand in the dirt and rush the passer.  D. Ware and C Matthews are absloute monsters at this.  Ware can cause havoc from wherever he lines up and Matthews, just ask Matt Ryan about Matthews in the playoff game last year.  I think he lived in Atlantas backfield.  Briggs is solid and compliments Urlacher in Chicago just fine.
CB: Darrelle Revis
       Nnamdi Asomugh
       Asante Samuel
       Charles Woodson
       Champ Bailey
I have 2 wiley vets on this list in Woodson and Bailey.  They may not be as quick as they were a few years ago, but this guys are still super tough and can lock down anyone.
Safety: Ed Reed
           Troy Polamalu
          Antonie Bethea
           Morgan Burnett
           Kenny Phillips
The first 2 guys are head and shuolders above everyone in the league.  Dont get me wrong Bethea and company are good but Reed and Polamalu are REALLY good.  On top of that, both have a great deal of toughness. If either are no on the feild there teams respecively suffer.

Top 5 players per Offensive position

QBS: Tom Brady
         Aaron Rodgers
         Drew Brees
         Ben Roethlisberger
         Phillip Rivers
The top 3 are a no brainer, they are the BEST in football.  Why Brady first, he truely is the best in the league. If you look at what he has to work with Wes Welker and a bunch of TEs and RBS and underneath guys.  The one year he had the blg play guy Randy Moss he broke all kind of records.  Dont get me wrong Rodgers and Brees are really good, but look at the weapons, Jennings, Finley, Driver etc; for NO: Sproles, Moore, Colston, etc.  Brady has done alot more with alot less talent, still NE is up there every year.

RBS: Adrian Peterson
         Michael Turner
        Matt Forte
        Maurice Jones-Drew
        Darren McFadden
No Question AP is the best back in the league.  He has been a little quite this year, but still leads the league in ruching.  Michael Turner is 2, some people might find this shocking, I will throw this out there for you: THe Atlanta Falcons 23-2 when he rushes for more than a 100 yards.  Need anymore proof why he is my number 2, feed the big guy and you will win.  MJD might be alittle high, because the Jags are horriable this year but he is still an elite back.  Forte and Run DMC speak for themselves, 2 very explosive versatile backs.

WRS: Calvin Johnson
           Wes Welker
           Larry Fitzgerald
           Andre Johnson
           Greg Jennings
Megatron as he is known throughout the league now/CJ has estblished himself as the premier WR in the league.  It helps to have a good qb thorwing to you just ask Fitz, who is still number 3 but has not been the same since Warner retired.  Andre Johnson has been hurt half the season but is still a threat and very good when healthy.  Jennings is a monster and it helps out that he has Rodgers throwng to him.  So now that brings us to our #2 guy Wes Welker, why is he so high?  He has Tom Brady throwing to him, he is a system guy?  Sometimes Wr isnt about being flashy and scoring touchdowns and being the center of attention , ie TO and OchoCinco, sometimes its about bringing your hardhat and lunch box and going out and just DO THINGS.  This is exactly what Welker does, he isnt showy or flashy, but he is really good.  He leads the league in Rec, 2nd and yards gained and touchdowns.  This is why he is number 2 on my list.

TES: Jason Witten
        Jermichael Finley
        Tony Gonzalez
        Jimmy Graham
        Rob Gronkowski
The top 3 will be there as long as they play.  Witten is a safety net for Romo Finley is a big physical guy that can line up on the outside at wr if need be and Tony G, might just be the best Tight End to ever play the game.  We have 2 newcomers that have come on to the scence like HEADBUSTERS.  Both Graham and Gronkowski have become favorite targets in the redzone with 5tds each.  When you have Brees and Brady throwing to you, you are just going to be better. Look for these 2 to continue to improve as both are very young.

OTS: Jake Long
         Matt Light
         Michael Oher
         Joe Thomas
         Jason peters

OGS: Steve Hutchinson
          Logan Mankins
          David Diehl
          Kyle Kosier
          Kris Dielman

 OCS: Nick Mangold
           Jeff Saturday
           Maurice Pouncey
           Matt Birk
           Todd McClure
 It takes alot to jump out of the radio as an offensive lineman but this 15 guys have.  I am sure you have heard of some of them and some of them you have not, but these are pretty darn good!

Top 10 For Monday Oct 24

WOW so some crazy things happened over the weekend.  Lets take a look at how the losses of Wisconsin and Oklahom affect the top 10.

1)LSU: No change, LSU rolls over Aubrun setting up a showdown on November 5th in T TOWN.
2)ALABAMA:  They roll as well, nothing new. THey start off a little shakey but put 31 unanswered on the board.  November 5th will be an absolute WAR!!!!!!
3)OKLAHOMA STATE: They roll past Mizzu.  Weeden throws for 3 touchs and Randle rushes for 3.  This seems like a pretty balanced offenseive attack against Mizzu.  IT was close at half time 24-17 but OkSt just proved to be too much in the 2nd half.  THey are sitting in the driver seat right now for was was formely known as the Big 12.
4) BOISE STATE:  A close encounter with wac oppoenent Air Force.  Moore and boys survive to win 37-26.  THey just keep moving along and putting Ws on the board.  Could they actually get into the national Championship game.  They first have to win out, so we will see.
5)STANFORD:  I can finally put Luck in my top 5.  This guy has been a stud all season and is just on a roll lately.  They hang 65 on the board against #25 Washington at home.  THey have a showdown looming with  Oregon in a few eeks that will be a great game.
6)CLEMSON: AFter just narrowly esacping Maryland last week Clemson bounces back with a nice win against UNC>  Although it wasnt easy, being 24-17 at the half Clemson way, Clemson comes out and hangs 35 spot on the board in the 3rd quarter, to put this away.  I actually got to sit down and watch alittle bit of this.  All the Sammy Watkins hype is for real, he is very good.....  They travel to snake bitten Georgia Tech for a Saturday night game which could potentially be a trap game for them.
8)OREGON: They just keep rolling.  AFter the week 1 debacle in Dallas, Oregon with or without L.James keeps rolling putting up 45 against new comer Colorado.  The depth a running back is good and Chip Kelly's system seems to be ok with whatever rb you plug in.
9)ARKANSAS:  Arkansas has a bit of a scare going down 17-0 in the Grove at Ole Miss, but comes back strong and wins 29-24.  Arkansas started shakey on offense putting in there first 3 possesions, but come on strong in there last 9 scoring 29 points and only punting once.  Dennis Johnson had a nice day on the ground rushing for 160 and a touch and Joe Admas 4 recs for 124 to help lead Arkansas over Ole Miss.
10)OKLAHOMA:  After a 94 minute lightning delay the Sooners finally get on the field to play the Red Raiders of Texas Tech.  Oklahoma probably wishes they would have stayed at home, as they seemed to play catch up all game.  Landry Jones has a huge night throwing for 412 yards and 5 touches, but it wasnt enough as the fall short.  Youtube Skip Blayelss's first take rant if you really want to know about this game.

Big Saturday Night

So usually I post my top 3 NFL games to watch today, however with all the happenings Saturday night I thought I would talk about the HUGE Saturday night that happened.  1st. Oklahoma goes down to Texas Tech after about a 90 minute lightning delay.  Did this have anything to do with the loss, i would like to hope not, but I have a feeling it does.  Oklahoma St will move up to 3 in the polls thanks to the Sooners losing.
Now on to the bigger things. 1st Wisconsin in there first real road test in East Lansing loses on a last second Hail Mary.  It was crazy, entially ruled no touchdown on the field, but upon further review in the booth it was ruled a touchdown and Sparty comes out on top.  Some may think this is unfair, but it is within the rules and lets look at 4 crucial possesions for the Badgers in the 1st half. Up 14-0 with a chance to put the game away early in the 2nd quarter Wisconsin goes INT, Safety, Blocked FG, Blocked Punt and Michigan State turns those 4 mishaps into 23 points.  IF you can somehow control that blunder than you probably have a better shot of winning and do not dig your self  into that deep of a hole.
3rd thing to talk about is the EPCI performance from Albert Pujols in game 3 of the World Series.  He goes 5 for 6 6 Rbis and more importantly 3 Homeruns.  This ties him with Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson for 3 homeruns in a single World Series game.  That is pretty good company to be in if you ask me.  We will see if Texas pitches to him anymore in this series!!!

Top Game today

I usually post my top 5 games to watch for Saturday, and I could.
#22 GT @ Miami: bounce back game for Miami
Tenn @ #2 Bama: The old school rivalary
#20 Auburn @ #1 LSU: last 7 games LSU has won 4 Auburn has won 3 and avg margain of victory is 6 points
#25 Washington @ #8 Stanford: Luck's first real challenge this week
Game 3 of the World Series, pivitol game to go up 2-1 in the series.

I could go on and on about these games but in my mind there is only 1 game that needs to be watched and is HUGE.  That would be
#6 Wisconsin @ #16 Michigan St: Wisconsin has 6 wins this year, 5 of them have been at home in Madison.  The only road win as @ Northern Illinois, whoop te do!!!!! If Wisconsin wants a shot at the National Championship they HAVE to win today.  A loss and they would elimante themselves from the talks.  Sure teams 1 loss teams in the past has played, heck even a 2 loss team has gotten in before, but with the teams left out there undefeated it is very unlikely that if they lose today than they will have a chance. Russell Wilson has taken the Badger offense to a whole new level.  Wiisconsin has always been tough on the ground but with WIlson, they now have an air attack to go with it.  Furthermore, he is a dual threat quaterback that can tuck it down and run when the pocket breaks down. If you need numbers about how vaunted this Badger attack has been they are Total yards 523.2 ranks 8th in the nation, rushing yards 257.5 ranks 7th, passing a little less daunting at 276.0 33rd in the nation, points scored 50.2 1st in the nation.  These Badgers have been on a roll and just destroying everyone.
 ON the other hand Sparty hasnt been so bad them selves.  They do have the one slip up against Notre Dame in week 3 but other than that they ahve been tough, wins @ Ohio St and a HUGE win against hated rival Michigan last week.  Some might say, this could be hang over Saturday for them after the big  win last weekend vs Michigan, but I think they come to play and give Wisconsin a game, College Gameday is there and this place is rocking early.  Michgian St has been the exact opposite of Wisconsin, decent offense but gangbusters on Defense allowing just 10.8 points and 186 total yards, just ask Robinson and Michigan about them last yweek, VERY TOUGH!!!!!  What it comes down to Wisconsin O vs Mich St D.  Should be a fun matchup to watch!!!!!!!

Gordon IMs

Congrats to Captain D. Lee and his SQUAD who features the top wr in our league by the nickname of FITZ, yes that is right like Larry Fitz.  He has the dreads and leaping ability like Fitz, he just hasnt been noticed yet by the right people.  They go undefeated and only give 12 points thoough the season.  Congrats and GOOD LUCK at the state tournament.

Mid Season Defense All American Team

I gve my Offense yesterday with a surprise or 2. Here is my Defense:
DE: Whitney Mercilus     Illinois
DT: Brett Roy                 Nevada
DT: Aaron Donald          Pittsburgh
DE: Andre Branch          Clemson
LB: Dont'a Hightower     Alabama
LB: Sean Spence            Miami
LB: Jarvis Jones             Georgia
CB: Tyrann Mathieu       LSU
CB: David Amerson       NC State
S: Mark Barron              Alabama
S: Baccari Rambo          Georgia

My Midseason All American team on Offense

Here are my Midseason offensive stars.  Check out tomorrows blog to see who made my defensive list.

QB: Case Keenum        Houston
RB: Trent Richardson    Alabama
RB: La Michael James   Oregon
WR: Justin Blackmon    Oklahoma St
WR: Kendal Wright       Baylor
WR: Ryan Broyles         Oklahoma
TE: Dwayne Allen         Clemson
C: David Molk              Michigan
OG: Will Blackwell       LSU
OG: Umoregie Uzzi       Georgia Tech
OT: Barrett Jones         Alabama
OT: Nate Potter           Boise St

Trade Deadline

The trade deadline is here for the NFL, it ends today at 4pm.  In baseball and basketball, there are usually a fury of moves being made.  Some big names move in baseball do the expireing contracts or the NBA team load up on players trying to get into the playoffs.  Very seldom does a blockbuster trade or a big name get traded in the NFL.  Well folks, today it happened, and who did it? none other than the Oakland Raiders.  AFter Jason Campbell brakes his collarbone in Sunday's game the Raiders are looking for a qb.  Kyle Bollar is there back up, ehhh not bad for  a backup but obviously not what the Oakland front office wanted.  Who do they go get?  They go get Carson Palmer, who refused to play for Cinncy this year.  He has been a Pro Bowler in the past and has been working out in the Bay Area.  Cincy in return gets a 1st round pick this spring and a conditional 1st round pick next spring.  Who wins, it is hard to say. Common Sense says Cincy won with the 2 first round picks, but if Palmer is able to get Oakland over the hump and into the playoffs than it would look to be a win win for everyone.

My Top 10 for the week of Oct 17

This has become a little bit of tradition for me to state my top 10 after the weekend so here it is:

1) LSU:  They manhandle Tennessee in knoxville and made it look easy.  IF S. Ware is not on you map yet he needs to be, he is turning into a tough rb. Tyrann Mathieu got overshadowed last year by Pereston, but this kid might be the best CB in the nation, and guess what, he is only a Sophmore!!!!
2)ALABAMA: The defense is an NFL caliber D and it has not allowed a 2nd half touchdown since August. On offense I have just 2 wrods for TRENT RICHARDSON, or as I have started calling him T RICH = BEAST MONSTER, insert your adjective here to describe him.
3) OKLAHOMA:  They struggled a bit vs Kansas, but managed to pull out a win.  Boomer Sooner is looking pretty good and the show down with OKS at the end of the year is looking to be a good one.
4) WISCONSIN:  They roll over Indiana and look to be the class of the Big 10.  They ahve there first real road test of the season visiting East Lansing and fired up Sparty who comes off a big win vs Michigan.
5) OKLAHOMA STATE:  I usually dont do this if the team in front of them wins, but with Oklahoma State impressive win @ Texas I had to.  Weeden and Blackmon are very tough.  They just keep rolling.
6) BOISE STATE:  They just keep on winning Kellen Moore is a great qb and I look for Boise to keep on rolling in the next few weeks.
7) STANFORD: 2 words right here ANDREW LUCK:  Enough said, that offense continues to ROLL putting up 44 at Washington St.
8) OREGON:  Another time where I usually do not pull a team up for not losing, but I had to.  Oregon looked very good Saturday night with out James.  They put up 41 with what could be a preview of the Pac 12 Championship game.
9) CLEMSON:  They ESCAPE with a win at Maryland coming from behind and outscoring the Terps 21-7 in the 4th quarter.  Maryland controlled the game early, but could not put 4 quarters together against a very good Clemson team.
10) Arkansas:  Had there bye week and in my eyes still the # 3 team in the SEC, behind the 2 best teams in the nation.

3 NFL Games to watch

Carolina @ Atlanta:  SOme people may think why is putting this game up as a mjust see, both teams are not very good etc.  Well, Carolina almost beats the Saints last weekend at home.  Cam Newton is on the verge of putting it all together and they have been competetive on all their games so far.  The Faclons are very tough at home and needs the win within the division, they can not fall to 2-4 and expect to make the playoffs.

Dallas @ New England:  Tony Romo has turned to the latest gun slinger.  Much like Favre Romo is feast or famine.  The Pats are locked and loaded and are a high offensive machine.  Can Romo sling it out with Brady, or do the Pats roll here and give the Cowboy fans more headaches this week.

Phila @ Washingon:  The dream team has not been so dreamy so far this year.  The Eagles by far have not lived up to expectations.  But this can all turn today with a win at Washington and will help get them back into the mix in the NFC EAST.  Washington has been really good so far this year and was a pick to make the playoffs as a wild card.  In order for them to keep rolling towards the playoffs, than they need to pick up a win today.  a HUGE divsional game in the NFC EAST!!!!!

My Top 5 games to see today Oct 15th

Here are my top 5 games to watch this week. 
#6 Oklahoma St @ 22 Texas
Can Texas bounce back after the debacle in the Red River Shootout.  It is going to take alot for them to slow down Oklahoma. OKSU offense is much more potant than OU and OU's is pretty darn good. OSU hung a 56 on the board in the 1st half, the 1 HALF, scoring 35 and 21 in the 1st and 2nd quarter respectifully. WOW!!!!  Weeden and Blackmon are just 2 names in this offesne to watch out for.  If Texas wants to have a chance, they better get HUGE gams from McCoy and Shipley, yes they are the little brothers  of Colt and Jordan.

#11 Michigan @ #23 Michigan St
The battle for the Paul Bunyon Trophy is going to be a big one today.  Denard Robinson has help gotten Michigan off to a fast start and some people are talking Heisman trophy in Ann Arbor.  He is helping lead Michigan to 2nd higest offense in the Big 10 avg 457.5 and avg 120 yards a game rushing.  The only thing wrong with this Mich St is leading the nation  in Defense 173.4 yrds and rush defense 64 yrds a game.  Something has to give.
# 18 Arizona St @ # 9 Oregon
With no L. James for Oregon this turns into a matchup between Osweiler vs. Thomas.  Osweiler has thrown for 1677 and 13 tds which are prety good numbers  Thomas does not have quite the yardage numbers only having 1040 but does have 15 td.  Thomas is responsible for in the spread O that Oregon runs to get them into the right play at the line of scrimmage  This should be a good game.
#20 Baylor @ # 21 Texas A&M
This will be RG3 show.  A&M blows a lead earlier in the year to Oklahoma St and a prolific passing attack.  The Bears are the only team in the nation who avg 300 yrs passing and 200 yrds rushing.  Yikes this is a dc nightmare.  Another thing that is not going well for the AGgies is they have a FBS worst 347.6 against the passing  game.  I look for baylor to win going away.
Florida @ #24 Auburn
This is huge for Florida.  This is their 3rd tough game in 5 weeks, with UGA still on teh schedule in 2 weeks.  They can not lose 3 in a row in the SEC and expect to win the East, which as crazy as this sounds they still have a shot.  On another note, Auburn has an SEC loss with Arkansas last week and cant lose another one with LSU and Alabama still left on the schedule. I believe it comes down to Rainey & Demps (Florida) vs Dyer(Auburn) which backfield can run the ball effectively and have the bigger day.  Which ever team does than you can count on that team winning.

BONUS GAME:  Furman @ Georgia Southern.
I had to do this being a graduate from GSU and this being a hated rival.  Georgia SOuthern is leading the FCS in rushing and is the #1 team in the land.  The "purple pansies" called by all the true blue fans are coming to a hostile Paulson stadium and I think it will not be pretty.  Statesboro is on fire and will make it very tough for the guys from Furman.   GSU stays #1 iwht a win vs the hated rivals.

Ship it

Go ahead and ship the World Series trophy to Texas.  These guys are on fire right now.  Nelson Cruz = 4 hrs in 4 games, 1 included a walk off grandslam Monday night, the first of its kind, and the 2nd, a 3 run bomb in extras last night to put game 4 on ice.  This is 1 player, I haven't mention the rest of the hitters that are very tough: Hamilton, Young, Kinsler, Andrus, Beltre etc.  They are loaded from top to bottom.  Also, when you have 4 top relievers that you can give the ball to starting in the 6th that will SHUT the other team down, that is very tough.  National league side is a toss up with MIL and STL, but as far as the Ship goes, Go ahead and ship it to Texas, NOONE is stopping this train right now!!!!!

Best team in the NFL

Last week, I posted about the best team in the nation and that was Alabama  This week I thought I would give you the best NFL team.  It is not the Pats, although I love the B&B connection, Brady and Belichick, they do not play any defense and in order to win a playoff game you have to play defense.  The WHO DAT nation is going to be disappointed as well.  I have the Saints as my #2 team.  Yes they have Drew Brees and he is unreal.  They also have a ton of weapons and continue to get better each week, Colston, Moore,Henderson, Ingram, Sproles, etc.  But they also have 1 loss on the season.  Which is a great lead in to my # 1 team in the NFL.  Yes, you guessed it:  The GREEN BAY PACKERS.  They have been on a tear dating back to last season where they won their last 2 regular season games,4 playoff games, and their first 6 games this year.  If my math is correct that is 12 in a row.  Aaron Rodgers is as good as anyone in the league, trust me, I was in the Ga Dome when he clipped the Falcons wings last year and roasted them.  It was not pretty to say the least.  Then you look at his weapons, Jennings, Finley, Jones, Driver, Cobb, Starks, Grant  and Nelson WOW that is alot of weapons,  So, if you play them you better be ready for a shootout.  Now lets take a look at the other side of the ball.  The first name that jumps of the page Clay Matthews who has turned into an absolute beast, with 13.5 sacks last year.  You also have Aj Hawk, who plays sideline to sideline and lets not forget about the anchor in the middle of the DLine Raji out of Boston College.  I think he is underrated but very tough.  on the back end you have Superbowl MVP Charles Woodson.  WOW these guys are loaded on both sides of the ball and are rolling quitnice right now.

Just another Monday in sports

I first thought that my blog post today would be about the best team in the NFL, since I posted about the best team in college football last week.  But then something happened, this little thing called playoff baseball and Monday Night football happened and had some intersting things happen, so I switched gears and will save my NFL best team for another day.
1) TCU will join the Big 12 instead of the Big East.
2) The NBA cancels the first 2 weeks of the season.
3)  After a rain out on Sunday game 2 of the ALCS was played today. WOW what a crazy game that was.  Nelson Cruz hits 2 bombs, 1 that included the first EVER walk off Grandslam in the bottom of the 11th. WOW!!!!!!!  Texas 2-0 in the series.
4) STL ties the series at 1 apiece after a huge game from Pujols.  He goes 4-5 with a hr, double, 5 rbis, and 3 runs scored.  If this guy gets hot watch out STL could be in the World Series.
5) Last but not least let's not forget about Monday night Football.  PEOPLE if you did not know before last night the Lions are for REAL!!!!!!  They might have the best D-Line in the league, watching the game last night in the 4th quarter, it seemed like every other play Mke T said "Cutler goes down again" and anything that sounds simliar to that....  Also, lets look at this:  They have Stafford, Best, and C. Johnson.  Does this look familiar, it does to me.  When the Rams were so good in the early 00's Bulgar/Warner, Faulk, Holt or Indy Manning, James, and Harrison.  The only bad news for Det. is they play in the same division as the Packers.  But Det will be in the playoffs looking to make some noise.

Top 10 Week of Oct 10

There is no real change in this week's top 10 as all 10 teams won or had a bye this week.

1) LSU: They dismantle Florida and hang 40 on the board.They score touch downs on their 1st 2 possesions, keep that crowd rocking, and put Florida away early.  LSU keeps on rolling.
2) ALABAMA:  They start off slow vs Vandy, only putting 14 points up by half time.  But in typical lunchpail fashion by the end of the game it is ugly.  The Tide ROLL once again.
3) OKLAHOMA:  Could they have been moved up to number 2 this week after an absolute trouncing of Texas YES, but did they nope, because I think Texas was at 11 based on their name and were al hype.  Texas should have never been that high EVER!!!!!!  Good win for OU but just not that big of a win over a very young horn team.
4) WISCONSIN:  Had their bye week and look to move foward in the weeks to come.
5) BOISE ST:  Hangs 57 on the board Friday night vs Fresno St.  This is barely enough to keep them ahead of a very talented  OKSU team, but that gap is razor thin.
6) OKLAHOMA STATE:  The Cowboys keep rolling after the scare with A&M.  They put 70 on the board against a Kansas team that has now allowed 70 twice this year, not good if your a Jayhawk football fan.
7) CLEMSON:  Gets a win over Boston College, but the more important news from this game: Tajh Boyd So qb that has help lead them to this 6-0 start left Saturdays game with a hip injury.  If he is out this could prove vital moving foward for the Tigers.
8) STANFORD: Another Saturday in northern CA, another win for the mighty Cardinals led by the best player in college football Andrew Luck.  Stanford just keep moving right along and it still baffles me that they are only 8.
9) OREGON:  The ducks win Friday night at home vs CAL, but suffer a brutal injury with L. James going down.  They have to cart him off the field in an air cast and he could be done for the year, which I hope not because he is very fun to watch.  But his loss leaves a huge hole in that offense.
10) ARKANSAS:  This is your 3rd best team in SEC hands down behind LSU and ALABAMA. They were on the losing end of a high scoring affair last year vs Auburn, but not this year.  The Hogs roll at home and make it look easy!

3 NFL Games to watch

1) NYJ @ NE Pats:  These 2 teams hate each other.  NE is 3-1 and the Jets are 2-2.  I would say this is more or less do or die for the Jets.  The Jets do not want to fall to 3 losses in the AFC.  The Pats could go 4-1.  Brady has been a machine  this year and looks to have a big day vs the Jets D.  Can the Jets  run and gun with the Pats and pull out a win?

2) GB @ Atlanta:  This is a rematch of the 2nd round playoff game last year, where the Pack came into the Dome and blew the doors off of the Dome.  GB scored 2 times going into the half and pretty much sent a rocking Dome to utter silence.  Rodgers has too many weapons to count and looks to move their record to 5-0.  The Falcons added Julio Jones through the draft knowing they needed more fire power.  Can the addition of Jones help put the Falcons over the top against the Pack.

3) Chi @ Det:  The Lions are off to a very fast start and look to keep it up against the Bears.  Peppers, Urlacher, Briggs, and Company look to shut down the likes of Stafford, Best, and Johnson.  This will be no easy feat as there has been no answer for Johnson just yet.  Can the Bears slow down Stafford and Co? We shall see?

10 Things I took away from today in college football

1) Florida State is not as good as we thought at the beginning of the season, they lose to Wake Forrest and suffer their 3rd loss of the season.
2) Moving forward, the injury to Taj Boyd at Clemson could be crucial.  Although, with the collapse of FSU, I think Clemson still wins the Atlantic easily.
3) Georgia Tech's defense played the best it has all season today and actually WON the game today, not that high powered Triple O offense that we have come accustomed to.
4) OK State puts 70 on the board, that is one high powered O!
5) Oklahoma might be as good as advertised.  They thump  Texas and make it look easy.  Jones and co scored a ton and that D scored 3 times as well.
6) Texas on the other hand, should never have been ranked as high as 11.They are a big name have been good recently.  However, this year they are very young and inexperienced.  They are a year or 2 away.
7) Will Mischamp coached at Valdosta State.
8) Taylor  Martinez and Rex Burkhead can take over a game and I think they will get rematch in the Big 10 Championship game vs Wisconsin.
9) Georgia will win the East.  They looked tough tonight against Tennessee and have Florida and Auburn left on the schedule.  Yes, South Carolina holds the tie break, but they are to wishy washy and plays Florida, Tennessee and Arkansas.  SC has the tougher schedule down the stretch.
10) Georgia Southern gets a big win today at home and welcomes Furman into the pretty littlest stadium in America next weekend.

My 5 must see games for Sat Oct. 8th

1) Florida @ LSU 3:30 CBS:  Your are probably thinking why?  Brantley is hurt.  LSU at home is going to kill them.  Yes LSU will win walking away very easily.  But, this is the first common opponent of BAMA and LSU.  So, I want to see what kind of numbers can Florida post against that vaunted LSU D.  We saw them last week vs Bama and it wasn't good.  Will it be any better today, we will soon see.

2) Auburn @ Arkansas 7 ESPN: This is a big game, because the winner will likely finish 3rd in the West behind LSU and ALabama.  Auburn still has a shot to win the west but has to go to LSU but catches BAMA at home so.......  Arkansas already  has 1 SEC loss and cant afford another one.  Can Ark stop the Auburn running game that last week handed the ball to Dyer 40+ times.... We will soon see.

3) Miami @ VT 3:30 ABC:  VT gets a struggling Miami team at home.  I think  this is huge coming off a loss at home vs. Clemson.  VT still controls its own destiny in the Coastal divison still having to play GT.  They can not afford to have 2 losses.  For Mia, it is almost a salvage game for their season.  Which will happen, salvage or stay in for a chance to win the Coastal?

4) Oklahoma @ Texas Noon ABC: Oklahoma already has 1 big win week 3 @ FSU.  Can Landry Jones and weapons come to Dallas with the same type intensisty and do the same thing to Texas.  On the other hand, it is hard to believe that Texas is sitting at #11.  This is the quitest a Texas team has been in 4 or 5 years.  Can Texas make splash with a big win and introduce themselves on the National Scene this year.

 5) Ohio St @ Nebraska 8pm ABC:  With all the off season problems Ohio State, they have been under the microscope and have not been very large.  On the other hand Nebraska got walloped last week when they visited Madison.  Both teams have 1 Big 10 loss already, they do not need 2.  Oh St still has dates with Mich and Wisc.  Nebraska can still win the LEgends side and play in the CHampionship game, the loser is probably done for the season while the winner still has a shot!

MLB Playoffs

I had to post something about the playoffs, although I have not paid much attention to them. 2 reasons, the Braves or Red Sox are not in them and it is football season.  I do know this: The Yankees and Rays are elimanted.  The BIG TIME AL East is done and has nothing to show for the season.  I think it is a let down for the Yankees and there fans.  But, that is sports and they will be ok.  I think the Rangers Tigers series is going to be a good one.  Espically since Detroit gets to throw Verlander in game 1. Although, I am sure J HAM and the Rangers will be ready for Verlander and the Tigers.  ON the other hand the NL has a pair of game 5s today.  Carpenter Halladay should be a war and the BRewers come home to try and finish the D BAcks off.  Should be a great Friday of tv before college football Saturday takes over.

NC State

So my latest trip was to Raliegh on Saturday October 1st for Ga. Tech and NC State.  I had an absolute blast.  NC. State is an amzing place to watch a football game.  Sure, there was only 55,811 in attendence,  but after talking to several NC State fans, this crowd was rocking.  One thing I noticed about NC State is the stadium had a fair like atmosphere.  I do not mean this in a bad way, I actually thought it was really cool.  What I mean by the fair like atmosphere , is most stadiums are enclosed and have, for a lack of a better term, rooms in which they sell vendors and souviners from.  At State, it was all open, and you had tables that were set up for the souveniers and people set up in the middle selling cokes and food.
  If you like cowboy boots in dresses than you will love this place, as everywhere I turned I saw cowboy boots, and some mighty fine cowboy boots at this. WOW!!

As for the game, 45-35 does not do justice to the game. NC. State did not get a few questionable PI calls on the first drive and punt the ball.  Tech marches down the field and scores, they actually score on there first 3 possesions of the first half and go up 21-0.  NC. State scores late in the 1st half to cut the lead to 21-7 and if not for a holding call, which I think was bogus, it would have been 28-7 Tech, with the ball coming out at the half.  However it was 21-7 and the offense that looked so good in the first half came out spitting and sputtering.  This alowed NC. State to cut it to 21-14.  but in typical Paul Johnson fashion, tech scores 21 points in 1:44 to put it away early in the 4th quarter, making it 42-14.  Although things got alittle shakey late with NCS scoring to touches in the final minute to cut it to 45-35, I would say it was too little too late.  With Tech winning 45-35.  Ga. Tech moves to 5-0 with a really good chance to make back to the ACC Championship game in Char.  But before they can do this, they have to get past Maryland, Vir, Mia, Clem, VT, Duke and UGA.  No easy task at that.

Best team in the nation

Although my top 10 say's differently, with LSU being #1 and Alabama #2, I think the best team in the ntaion is Alabama.  LSU, I would say is a remotely close 2nd, but both teams are head and shoulder's above the rest of the nation.  The only other team I would put in the same zipcode as these teams is Wisconsin but they are still far behind. 

Some might argue LSU has the played the tougher schedule and shuold be #1 and the best team.  They have played a tougher schedule and there defense is arguably just as good if not better than Alabama's, but I think they just have more depth on Defense.  Alabama has the tougher D, and nobody really jumps off the page and grabs my attention on offense for LSU.

Alabama on the other hand, has played a less tough schedule, bu I still say it is pretty tough.  Any time you go to Penn State and win, says something; they beat a very high power offensive Arkansas team, and they just dismantled a Florida team with alot of speed.  I was in the Swamp 3 weeks ago for the UF UT game, and was impressed with Demps and Rainey's speed, well they had 15 yards of rushing for the game. oops, someone forgot to tell Bama's D that these guys were world class sprinters and it was going to be a long day for them.
Speaking Alabama's D, I see them as really good and a bunch of lunch pail guys.  Yes the have names like Barron and Hightower, but they play very well as a group.  They do not have the big names like an Ed Reed or Ray Lewis to write home about.  Are Barron and Hightower good, yes but they are surronded by great guys and not one single guy gets all the credit.  The best thing I like about them and this is why I call them lunch pail guys, is they just go out and execute the game plan, nothing showy or flashy, the occasional bone jarring hit, but that is in every game, they show up play hard for 60 minutes and go home.  They might give up the big play to s art the game, but once they know what you are doing Coach Saban is THE BEST in the nation at making adjustments and they just smother you to death the rest of the game.
This is just the Defense let me get to offense now.  The question coming into the season was AJ McCarron, what will he do, will he be good enough.  Well, he is doing everything they have asked of him.  This is pretty easy when you have Trent Richardson, which by the way, had 181 yards on the ground and 27 through the air and 2 tds Saturday night in the swamp, and Eddie Lacy in the back field;  Your offensive line is really good and just pushed , Florida's D line off the ball by 5 yards it seemed like every play.  You have a receiving threat like Maze, which I noticed last year when I was in Baton Rouge, and thought that this kid is good, but gets no pub due to Julio. 
With weapons like this on offense and a suffocating Defense led by Barron and Hightower, it is a no brainer to me that Alabama is the best team in the nation.

NFL 1/4 way done

Here is what I know about the NFL 1/4 of the way through the schedule:
1) Rodgers, Brady, Brees are the best 3 QBS in the league.
2) Calvin Johnson is the best WR in the league.
3) Tampa's front 4 is very good.
4) If the Falcons want to make the playoffs they have to stop throwing the ball 40+ times a game and give the ball to M. Turner.
5) Indy is not doomed.  Painter is showing promise, he is not P Manning, but he is better than Collins.
6) The "dream team" in Philadelphia has laid an egg so far.
7) BUffalo is about to lay an egg after starting 3-1. there schedule is BRUTAL:  Phila at home, @NYG, BYE, NYJ, @DAL, very tough next 4 games
8) NE is all offense and no D
9) E. Manning is the best qb in the league no one talks about.
10) Houston will win the south, now that Britt of Tenn is done for the year.
11) Kansas City is missing Charlie Weiss badly.
12) Tony Romo has the same gunslinger mentailty that Favre did.
13) I do not know what to think about the Jets, but they may be in trouble.
14) DIVISON WINNERS: AFC: Pats, Ravens, Texans, Chargers NFC: NYG, Packers, Saints, 49ers.
15) WILD CARDS: AFC: Titans, Steelers NFC: Lions, Redskins

Top 10

So here is my top 10 after the weekend:
1)LSU:  3 tough road games early and a big win vs. Kentucky.  Florida comes to Death Vally Saturday night.  I think the the Tigers go Gator hunting.
2)Alabama: They are just too good.  They have not had quite the schedule LSU has had, but wins  At Penn St and Florida and home vs a very high power Arkansas offense,  this show down on November 5th with LSU looks to be the game of the year.
3-tied) Oklahoma:  They have been hovering around the top 3 all year long.  They do have a win at FSU, which at the time looked to be HUGE but now a 2 loss FSU team, ehh still a good win, but I want to see if they can keep it up moving foward.  They have a show down with Texas Saturday that will show us alot about this team.
3-tied) Wisconsin:  Russel Wilson adds a new dynamic to the Badger offense that they have never had, run/pass threat with those big hogmollys up front is HUGE!!!!!  They dismantled a very good Nebraska team Saturday night and look to be the class of the Big 10.
5) Boise St:  Yeah Yeah some people think they play in the WAC and do not play anyone blah blah blah.  They beat a Georgia team in the Ga Dome, which was bascially a home game for Ga.  Kellen Moore just keeps doing his thing and Boise out there on the smurf turf  and they keep winning.
6) Oklahoma St: They had a bye week so nothing changes with them.  They come back 2 weeks ago at College Station so they are very tough.  Blackman at wr is the real deal.
7) Clemson: a BRUUUUUUTAL stretch of wins they are coming off of, wins at home vs Auburn and FSU and to go on the road and win in Blacksburg for the first time since 89, Clemson is the best team in the ACC.
8) Stanford:  It doesnt make sense to have them all the way down at 8, but this is where they fall.  Andrew Luck is a STUD and if they keep taking care of business they will move up in the weeks to come.
9) Oregon:  After a debacle in week 1 vs LSU all they have done is win in impressive fashion.  They might be the best 1 loss team in the nation.
10) Arkansas: Nice bounce back win vs a ranked opponent in Texas A&M.  However the schedule does not get easier with a matcup vs # 15 Auburn this weekend.  but for now I like Arkansas just above Texas for 10.

The Quest

Here is my first ever blog:  During the college football season last year I read a book by Clay Travis Dixieland Delight.  This book is about  Clay traveling to all 12 SEC stadiums and telling about his experience.  I read it and enjoyed it tremendously.  SO I started thinking, why not make an ultimate quest in the next 20 years:  Visit all 120 D1a college football stadiums.  SO I started last year and will have little tid bits from each of my experiences from last year, as well as, the travels from this year.  I will also put blogs up about just sports in general and my opinions of what is going on; some you will like some you want.  But I hope you enjoy the detail and the indepthness of the blog.