The Tigers of the University of Auburn outlasted the Ducks of the University of Oregon to win the BCS Championship last night in Glendale, Arizona. The final score was a measly 22-19, considering the ridiculous productivity of both offenses during the regular season. All in all, the game was a defensive battle and for those who are not football junkies like Bronco Chase, the only exciting part was at the end. Indeed, the last 3 minutes or so were as much fun to watch as anything that has happened this season. There was a beautiful two point conversion, an almost tackle that led to a 37 yard back-breaking run, and a game winning field goal. Yet again the SEC wins the title. This is their 5th in a row and as we found out yesterday, we will never hear the end of it from SEC d-bag elitist Mark May.
As I mentioned, both of these teams had been lighting up the scoreboard all season long. Yet last night, we had a TCU/Wisconsin like final score. What happened? Auburn had a rough-ish night and Oregon's offense was stifled by Nick Fairley and company. Check out the yardage totals, they seem highly unlikely:
Auburn: 519 (265 passing, 254 rushing)
Oregon: 449 (374 passing, 75 rushing)
LaMichael James got stoned repeatedly. The Tigers did a great job shutting him down. Darron Thomas had a career night for yards and completions (27). As you can see, the yards didn't mean much. It did seem like Auburn's were at least a little more important. The biggest part was trying to keep the other team's offense off the field, and that meant eating up the clock and methodically moving down the field. Auburn just happened to do a better job at it than Oregon.
The best play of the night came from Auburn's freshman running back Michael Dyer. With 2 minutes to go, he broke through the line for what appeared to be a casual 6 or 7 yard gain. But Duck tackler Eddie Pleasant didn't finish the play. Dyer rolled over the top of Pleasant and raced down the sideline deep into Oregon territory and ended up with a 37 yard gain. Dyer's run set up the game winning field goal that sent the Tigers back to Alabama victorious.
The Ducks were held to under 100 yards rushing for the first time since September 4, 2009. Guess who they played that night. I'll give you a clue, the field that they played on was blue turf...
Here's the deal. I did not have a dog in the fight. I stated adamantly that I would be reluctantly cheering for the Ducks because anybody who plays the SEC is going to get that courtesy from me. Yet, during the course of the game, I found myself pulling for Auburn. I guess my hate for the Oregon Ducks is seeded even deeper than I had originally presumed. That's not a bad thing. I was just surprised and a little bit upset with myself. Sometimes you can't explain emotions that come out in the heat of the moment, but they are indeed your true feelings. Still, I got sick to my stomach every time ESPN showed a close up of Cam Newton's cheating face. I felt similar when Chip Kelley's arrogant crater-marked face was on my TV screen.
That leads me to this; Congratulations to the Oregon Ducks who will be named the National Champions retroactively after Auburn gets the title taken away from them due to NCAA violations. It sucks to be a cheater. But of course, the excuses are plentiful from Oregon. Read this article on ESPN. I will quote my favorite part.
'(Darron) Thomas felt it was Ducks miscues that hurt them more than what Auburn did: "I don't think Auburn stopped us from winning the game. We stopped ourselves."'
You keep telling yourself that. So here we are, everybody outside of a portion of the state of Alabama feeling let down, cheated, and unhappy with the results of the college football season. Life goes on, but not in the South when football is involved. Let's let si.com's Stewart Mandel take care of this one for us. The title is "SEC's run of titles obscures its dark side." That speaks for itself. I'm done talking about this for now.
With the victory last night, I went 5-0 in picking the BCS Bowl Games. Here are the final numbers for year:
Bowl totals: 23-12
Season total: 88-29
A great season, if I do say so myself. As far as I know, what I started this football season will continue next year. For now, it's Bronco Basketball season. I will have plenty on that. I am also preparing my all-bowl team. It will included the best players from each position that participated in the bowl season. Check back in for that. Until then, go Broncos!
Showing posts with label SEC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SEC. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Weekend Picks, 4th Edition (6th Weekend of the Season)
Here we go again! I definitely think that this weekend has some better games and match ups than last week had. The most exciting of which should be Hawai'i at Fresno State. The most intriguing will be Utah State at Louisiana Tech. On the other side of things, New Mexico plays at New Mexico State in what will for sure be a complete snooze fest of teams that refuse to play anything close to competitive football. The best part of the weekend, in my humble opinion, is that Idaho has a bye. So I don't have to look at their ugly golden "I" logo as I upload it into the post. Anyway, let's get to it and see what we have on the docket!
Saturday, October 9 at 2 PM
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The Aggies took it to an underwhelming BYU team last weekend and dominated every aspect of the game. This is what we expected from Utah State from the beginning. Diondre Borel looks like he is hitting his stride just in time to start conference play. Utah State's offensive and defensive numbers are still middle of the pack nationally, but they seem to be picking up momentum and could push for some upper-tier stats come season end. On the other hand, Louisiana Tech is even worse when it comes to offensive and defensive output, and without question are having a down year. It looks like the Bulldogs have settled with Colby Cameron as their starting quarterback (for now) and he is way behind the yardage pace compared to most quarterbacks nationally. On the other side of the ball, the Bulldogs cannot stop anybody. In fact they are saved from being in last place in the WAC thanks to an even worse New Mexico State team. However, LA Tech does play tough at home. I hate picking Utah State to lose because of the performance they put on last Friday...Nope. Sorry, I can't do it.
Prediction: Aggies 28, Bulldogs 24
Saturday, October 9 at 6 PM
at
It is an understatement to say that the status of Division-1 football in the state of New Mexico is nothing short of sliver-under-the-nail-because-of-scraping-the-bottom-of-the-barrel-so-hard horrible. The Lobos are 0-5 and the Aggies are 0-4. The difference is New Mexico can actually score some points every now and then. Last week they lost at home to UTEP 38 to 20. Then again, they rank almost dead last in every offensive and defensive category. QB Tarean Austin plays as ugly as his name is. The Aggies are no better as far as stats and numbers go, but they are giving up less points per game (46 to 52.6). My head is spinning just thinking about how bad I want to avoid watching this contest! Tanner Rust will be the starting QB due to a Matt Christian shoulder injury he sustained against Boise State last week. New Mexico State is favored by 3 points, and I have no idea how they decided that or who to choose as the winner. I think I will go with the home team as the WAC takes another decisive victory over the Mountain West (laughs out loud as he types)!
Prediction: Aggies 24, Lobos 17
Saturday, October 9 at 10 PM
at
Fresno State comes off a disappointing win over FBS neighbor Cal Poly. They still got the "W," but it was not as dominating as it should have been. We'll call it a hangover from the physically tough loss at Ole' Miss the weekend before. Looking at their numbers this year, I can't help but think of how the Bulldogs are constantly winning, putting up great stats, and always making it close to the top of the college football world, but they can't quite push themselves up. Maybe the move to the Mountain West will help. At the same time the Rainbow Warriors blow my mind. They put up gaudy offensive numbers year in and year out, but with the exception of the 2007 season, cannot do diddly squat on defense. Pizza delivery boy turned quarterback Bryant Moniz threw for 532 yards and 4 touchdowns last week, which is good, but it was especially important because the defense gave up 21 points to a crappy Louisiana Tech offensive unit. Mind sufficiently blown. It will not be as easy for Moniz this week against a respectable Bulldog secondary. Fresno State is favored by 11.5 in this one. It should be a little bit closer than that.
Prediction: Bulldogs 45, Rainbow Warriors 38
Saturday, October 9 at 8:30 PM
at
"Like a lamb to the slaughter..." That is how the Spartans have to be feeling right now. After blowing a 13-0 lead at halftime last week at home to FBS mainstay UC Davis and losing 14-13, they have to be completely demoralized. As they travel to Reno, their eyes must be wide and filled with the poisonous dread of their impending doom. Remember the good ol' days when San Jose State was a pretty formidable opponent, especially at home? That was back when Dick Tomey was the head coach and not making peoples' ears bleed from having to listen to him on the WAC Sports Network. They rank dead last in points scored per game at 9.8. The Wolfpack are rolling as QB Colin "Bird Leg" Kaepernick is thrust into national recognition. There is even a story on him on si.com. It's actually pretty cool. Check it out. Anyway, this will be nothing short of a bloodbath. Enough said.
Prediction: Wolfpack 52, Spartans 14
The moment you have all been patiently been waiting for!!!!!
Saturday, October 9 at 6 PM
at
I must admit that I do not know very much about Toledo. Boise State doesn't either as this will be the first meeting between the two schools. They don't even really recruit the same kids. Here is what I have gathered about the Rockets; they are 3-0 on the road, but 0-2 at home. Their most impressive win was at Purdue, a Big 10 team (winning on the road against a BCS school is a difficult thing to do, regardless of how bad said BCS is perceived to be. Ask Fresno State how the Ole' Miss game went for them). However, last week they lost 20-15 to Wyoming at home. They have a freak athlete at wide receiver named Eric Page, who was a freshman All-American last season and is on pace to score a lot of touchdowns this year. They also have a tackling machine at linebacker named Archie Donald. Actually, he also has 2 interceptions to go along with the 52 tackles that he has amounted so far. Their mascot is the Rockets. That is it. According to si.com, they score an average of 21 points a game and give up 23.6. I can say that the Toledo rockets are not the New Mew Mexico State Aggies. What I mean is they will put up a fight a lot more than NMSU did. QB Austin Dantin had been the starter but was benched last week against Wyoming for freshman Terrance Owens. Either way expect the Rockets to find ways to get the ball into the hands of play maker Eric Page. The Broncos will not be able to rush the ball as easily as last week with Donald lurking behind the defensive line. Like normal, expect them to set up the run with the pass, run it a bunch, and then go deep off of some play action looks. They will however, find their wide receivers open plenty of times in Toledo's 103rd ranked pass defense. Boise State will need to force some turnovers and capitalize off of them in order to win in the way that they are expected to. I am looking for/hoping that interceptions become plentiful for the Broncos. As long as Coach Pete continues to prepare himself and his players the same way he always does, this should be a convincing victory for Boise State.
Prediction: Broncos 45, Rockets 12
Overall record: 18-5
Bonus pick:
Saturday, October 9 at 1:30 PM
at
I won't say much other than this is a trap game for Alabama. After a physical contest against Florida last week, the Crimson Tide is at its most vulnerable and has to travel to Columbia to take on a ranked Gamecock squad. I know that Alabama looks unbeatable, but the SEC is tough week in and week out. I do not think that they will play as well as they have been so far this season, and South Carolina will hope to take advantage of that. If the Gamecocks play the game of their lives, capitalize off of Crimson Tide mistakes, and don't make any of their own, they can win this game. I feel like I'm going out on a limb here a little bit, but the circumstances are right for the top ranked team to take a dive.
Upset Special!
Prediction: Gamecocks 21, Crimson Tide 17
That is it for this week! Make sure you come back tomorrow and see who I choose as my Weekly Player to Watch!
Saturday, October 9 at 2 PM
at
The Aggies took it to an underwhelming BYU team last weekend and dominated every aspect of the game. This is what we expected from Utah State from the beginning. Diondre Borel looks like he is hitting his stride just in time to start conference play. Utah State's offensive and defensive numbers are still middle of the pack nationally, but they seem to be picking up momentum and could push for some upper-tier stats come season end. On the other hand, Louisiana Tech is even worse when it comes to offensive and defensive output, and without question are having a down year. It looks like the Bulldogs have settled with Colby Cameron as their starting quarterback (for now) and he is way behind the yardage pace compared to most quarterbacks nationally. On the other side of the ball, the Bulldogs cannot stop anybody. In fact they are saved from being in last place in the WAC thanks to an even worse New Mexico State team. However, LA Tech does play tough at home. I hate picking Utah State to lose because of the performance they put on last Friday...Nope. Sorry, I can't do it.
Prediction: Aggies 28, Bulldogs 24
Saturday, October 9 at 6 PM
at
It is an understatement to say that the status of Division-1 football in the state of New Mexico is nothing short of sliver-under-the-nail-because-of-scraping-the-bottom-of-the-barrel-so-hard horrible. The Lobos are 0-5 and the Aggies are 0-4. The difference is New Mexico can actually score some points every now and then. Last week they lost at home to UTEP 38 to 20. Then again, they rank almost dead last in every offensive and defensive category. QB Tarean Austin plays as ugly as his name is. The Aggies are no better as far as stats and numbers go, but they are giving up less points per game (46 to 52.6). My head is spinning just thinking about how bad I want to avoid watching this contest! Tanner Rust will be the starting QB due to a Matt Christian shoulder injury he sustained against Boise State last week. New Mexico State is favored by 3 points, and I have no idea how they decided that or who to choose as the winner. I think I will go with the home team as the WAC takes another decisive victory over the Mountain West (laughs out loud as he types)!
Prediction: Aggies 24, Lobos 17
Saturday, October 9 at 10 PM
at
Fresno State comes off a disappointing win over FBS neighbor Cal Poly. They still got the "W," but it was not as dominating as it should have been. We'll call it a hangover from the physically tough loss at Ole' Miss the weekend before. Looking at their numbers this year, I can't help but think of how the Bulldogs are constantly winning, putting up great stats, and always making it close to the top of the college football world, but they can't quite push themselves up. Maybe the move to the Mountain West will help. At the same time the Rainbow Warriors blow my mind. They put up gaudy offensive numbers year in and year out, but with the exception of the 2007 season, cannot do diddly squat on defense. Pizza delivery boy turned quarterback Bryant Moniz threw for 532 yards and 4 touchdowns last week, which is good, but it was especially important because the defense gave up 21 points to a crappy Louisiana Tech offensive unit. Mind sufficiently blown. It will not be as easy for Moniz this week against a respectable Bulldog secondary. Fresno State is favored by 11.5 in this one. It should be a little bit closer than that.
Prediction: Bulldogs 45, Rainbow Warriors 38
Saturday, October 9 at 8:30 PM
at
"Like a lamb to the slaughter..." That is how the Spartans have to be feeling right now. After blowing a 13-0 lead at halftime last week at home to FBS mainstay UC Davis and losing 14-13, they have to be completely demoralized. As they travel to Reno, their eyes must be wide and filled with the poisonous dread of their impending doom. Remember the good ol' days when San Jose State was a pretty formidable opponent, especially at home? That was back when Dick Tomey was the head coach and not making peoples' ears bleed from having to listen to him on the WAC Sports Network. They rank dead last in points scored per game at 9.8. The Wolfpack are rolling as QB Colin "Bird Leg" Kaepernick is thrust into national recognition. There is even a story on him on si.com. It's actually pretty cool. Check it out. Anyway, this will be nothing short of a bloodbath. Enough said.
Prediction: Wolfpack 52, Spartans 14
The moment you have all been patiently been waiting for!!!!!
Saturday, October 9 at 6 PM
at
I must admit that I do not know very much about Toledo. Boise State doesn't either as this will be the first meeting between the two schools. They don't even really recruit the same kids. Here is what I have gathered about the Rockets; they are 3-0 on the road, but 0-2 at home. Their most impressive win was at Purdue, a Big 10 team (winning on the road against a BCS school is a difficult thing to do, regardless of how bad said BCS is perceived to be. Ask Fresno State how the Ole' Miss game went for them). However, last week they lost 20-15 to Wyoming at home. They have a freak athlete at wide receiver named Eric Page, who was a freshman All-American last season and is on pace to score a lot of touchdowns this year. They also have a tackling machine at linebacker named Archie Donald. Actually, he also has 2 interceptions to go along with the 52 tackles that he has amounted so far. Their mascot is the Rockets. That is it. According to si.com, they score an average of 21 points a game and give up 23.6. I can say that the Toledo rockets are not the New Mew Mexico State Aggies. What I mean is they will put up a fight a lot more than NMSU did. QB Austin Dantin had been the starter but was benched last week against Wyoming for freshman Terrance Owens. Either way expect the Rockets to find ways to get the ball into the hands of play maker Eric Page. The Broncos will not be able to rush the ball as easily as last week with Donald lurking behind the defensive line. Like normal, expect them to set up the run with the pass, run it a bunch, and then go deep off of some play action looks. They will however, find their wide receivers open plenty of times in Toledo's 103rd ranked pass defense. Boise State will need to force some turnovers and capitalize off of them in order to win in the way that they are expected to. I am looking for/hoping that interceptions become plentiful for the Broncos. As long as Coach Pete continues to prepare himself and his players the same way he always does, this should be a convincing victory for Boise State.
Prediction: Broncos 45, Rockets 12
Overall record: 18-5
Bonus pick:
Saturday, October 9 at 1:30 PM
at
I won't say much other than this is a trap game for Alabama. After a physical contest against Florida last week, the Crimson Tide is at its most vulnerable and has to travel to Columbia to take on a ranked Gamecock squad. I know that Alabama looks unbeatable, but the SEC is tough week in and week out. I do not think that they will play as well as they have been so far this season, and South Carolina will hope to take advantage of that. If the Gamecocks play the game of their lives, capitalize off of Crimson Tide mistakes, and don't make any of their own, they can win this game. I feel like I'm going out on a limb here a little bit, but the circumstances are right for the top ranked team to take a dive.
Upset Special!
Prediction: Gamecocks 21, Crimson Tide 17
That is it for this week! Make sure you come back tomorrow and see who I choose as my Weekly Player to Watch!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Weekend Picks, 2nd Edition (Week 4 of the season)
Here we are again for this weekend’s edition of: Weekend Picks! (I know, kind of redundant.) Saturday night is when all WAC games go down, so you only need to pay attention to the times (there will be no days listed, just kickoff times. Oh yeah, all times listed below are Mountain Time. Adjust according to what part of the nation you live in).
4:30 PM, Fresno State Bulldogs at Ole’ Miss Rebels.
This is a huge game for Pat Hill and his squad. Fresno State has started off really well this season at 2-0, including a severe beating of Cincinnati at home in week one and an impressive road win at WAC foe Utah State last week. Quarterback Ryan Colburn has had a stellar start in their two wins and their rushing game has been on par to form a complete offensive threat. Also, defensive tackle Chris Carter spends a lot of time in the opposing backfield, mauling whoever has the ball. In other words, the Bulldog defense is not too shabby in its own right. For Ole’ Miss, the Rebels, led by police record wielding former Oregon Duck QB Jeremiah Masoli, have been nothing short of underwhelming. They lost at home to FCS opponent Jacksonville State. It was a very ugly loss. Then won at Tulane, but followed it up with a loss to SEC bottom dweller Vanderbilt, also at home. There is not a lot to cheer for in Oxford. Still, the Bulldogs playing on the road at an SEC school will be as difficult as it gets for Fresno State this season. Because they are at home, Ole’ Miss has the advantage.
Prediction: Rebels 32, Bulldogs 28
2 PM, Idaho Vandals at Colorado State Rams.
Robb Akey and Co. followed up an embarrassing performance at Nebraska with a complete domination of the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels 30-7. The Vandal defense decided to take control while the offense continued to put up decent numbers. However, Idaho’s offensive line still has some work to do to improve their protection of QB Nathan Enderle. The size and desire is there, but the experience has not arrived quite yet. The Rams are 0-3, scoring only 19 total points while giving up 106. Yikes. There has been nothing impressive to talk about for Colorado State. They even lost at Miami of Ohio. The Vandals are not that good of a team, but they still should be too much for the Rams.
Prediction: Vandals 35, Rams 21
4 PM, Nevada Wolfpack at BYU Cougars.
Nevada completely dismantled a good Cal team last week in every aspect of the game. Colin “Bird Leg” Kaepernick showed why he is one of the top running quarterbacks in the nation, even if his rocket arm leaves something to be desired. The defense harassed Golden Bear QB Kevin Riley all night. He looked really uncomfortable and played terribly. Do not expect that to change in the slightest bit. BYU has been on a roller coaster since beating Washington on opening weekend (it turns out the Huskies still suck, though). They got swamped at Air Force and then played the Florida State Seminoles tough for 3 quarters. It would appear that the Cougars will be sticking with freshman phenom QB Jake Heaps as the starter, seeing as how co-starter Riley Nelson is out for the season with a shoulder injury. Besides, the two-quarterback system wasn’t working very well for them anyway. This may be exactly what the Wolfpack wants them to do. Heaps may have a really long evening ahead of him with Dantay Moch coming off the edge delivering as many snot-bubblers as he can. The way to neutralize Moch is by hitting running back JJ Di Luigi (probably the Cougars' best weapon) with short screens. As a BSU fan, an undefeated Nevada Wolfpack team would be fantastic for the strength of schedule talk, and they would also be ranked when the showdown in Reno takes place. Nevada is a 2 ½ point favorite. BYU will be very tough at home, and the game will be well played on both sides. If it was being played in Reno, I would go with Nevada. But since it’s in Provo…I needed an upset special, and this is the closest game I could find to fit the criteria. I had a hard time picking it. Do I believe BYU can beat Nevada? I don't know. Just don't get angry if I'm right.
UPSET SPECIAL:
Prediction: Cougars 38, Wolfpack 35
5 PM, New Mexico State Aggies at Kansas Jayhawks.
As we all know, the Aggies are one of the worst teams in the nation. They really do suck. They lost at home to a poor San Diego State team and then got crushed on the road at UTEP. It does, however, seem like New Mexico State is at least scoring some points every now and then. Unfortunately, they have not been consistent with Matt Christian under center. Speaking of roller coasters, how about the Kansas Jayhawks?! They only scored 3 points in a home loss to FCS school North Dakota State (WTF!!!!????!? Seriously?!?!?!?!?!), beat a ranked Georgia Tech Yellowjacket team 28-25, and ultimately lost on the road to Southern Mississippi 31-16. As schizophrenic as Kansas has been, they should handle the Aggies at home pretty easily.
Prediction: Jayhawks 28, Aggies 10
5 PM, Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles at Louisiana Tech Bulldogs.
This is a hard game to predict. The Bulldogs kicked off the season with a road victory over a really bad Grambling team 20-6. Then they proceeded to lose two straight against Texas A & M and Navy. The offensive numbers have not been impressive for QB’s Colby Cameron and Ross Jenkins (both have started games, Cameron in the last two). Maybe then need to switch back to Jenkins to win. Who knows? A banged up Phillip Livas has been less than stellar, as he was supposed to be the star of the team. Southern Miss has been playing very well. After a tough opening road loss at South Carolina, the Golden Eagles have taken two straight (the exact opposite of LA. Tech). QB Austin Davis gets the job done very well and has some weapons to hand off and pass to. The Bulldogs usually play well at home, but with a new coach and a lack of confidence, the upper-tier mid-major should win on the road.
Prediction: Golden Eagles 35, Bulldogs 24
6 PM, San Jose State Spartans at Utah Utes.
We could possibly dub this game “the battle of the mid-majors.” But since the Spartans play like a FCS or a division 2 school, that would not be accurate. A better one may be “the slaughter in Salt Lake.” San Jose State is 1-2, getting stomped on the road by two ranked BCS schools and then barely beating FCS school Southern Utah last week at home 16-11. QB Jordan La Secla (his name sounds like it belongs to a kicker) has been decent, but has few weapons to utilize. The Utes are 3-0 and ranked 13th in the nation in the AP and media polls. Did I mention they are hosting the Spartans at Rice-Eccles Stadium for this game? Even with starting quarterback Jordan Wynn questionable with a hand injury, back up Terrence Cain will own San Jose State. They are way to good and the game will be a rout.
Prediction, Utes 55, Spartans 16
6 PM, Utah State Aggies at San Diego State Aztecs.
As mentioned last week, Utah State has itself a second year coach and they are well on their way to becoming a respectable, winning program. Last week’s setback against Fresno State shows that they still have a lot of work to do, even after nearly upsetting ranked Oklahoma on the road the week before. On the bright side, QB Diondre Borel is making defenses look silly week in and week out. As a dual threat leader, the Aggies are averaging a middle-of-the-pack 28.7 points a game, which is a considerable step up from previous years. As a matter of fact, Utah State ranks in the middle of all FBS schools in total defense and offense. Like I said, they are getting better. What the Aggies are to the WAC, the Aztecs are to the Mountain West, which is a bottom level team that is slowly improving. In fact, San Diego State is racking up the yardage at 511.3 per game, good for 9th nationwide. They rank in the top third in all other general categories. QB Ryan Lindley is doing a great job of distributing the ball and making plays, and that is why they are currently sitting with a winning record at 2-1. As much as I would like to see Utah State pick up the road win and score one more for the WAC over the MWC, I don’t see it happening.
Prediction: Aztecs 35, Aggies 24
9:30 PM, Charleston Southern Buccaneers at Hawai’I Rainbow Warriors.
As is customary with just about every Hawai’I team since the dawn of time, the Rainbow Warriors are putting up ridiculous offensive numbers, but can’t stop anybody on defense to save their lives. Hawai’I lost an epic battle at home against USC on opening night, but then traveled to Westpoint, NY (some 5,000 miles or so) and notched a big win. Then the high, oxygen-lacking air in Boulder, CO did them in for their second loss. QB Bryant Moniz is chucking the ball all over the yard, mainly to WR Greg Salas, and the Rainbow Warriors are scoring, boasting a 26.7 points per game average. Too bad they are giving up 36 a game at the same time. However, their opponent, the CSU Buccaneers are a FCS school that will travel almost that same distance from the East Coast to Hawai’i. At 2-1, I won’t say much about them, other than they play in a league against such football powerhouses as Stony Brook, Liberty, Gardner-Webb, and the Virginia Military Academy. Yeah.
Prediction: Rainbow Warriors 42, Buccaneers 21
6 PM, ABC, Oregon State Beavers at Boise State Broncos.
Here it is folks, and it should be a dandy. Boise State comes off a complete smack down of the Wyoming Cowboys, flying high and ready for more. Kellen Moore looked good, but not great. The rushing onslaught of Doug Martin, DJ Harper, and Jeremy Avery looks as terrifying for opponents as any other running back group in the country. It also helps that the offensive line is opening up holes large enough for Jaba the Hut to carry the ball through (I must mention fullback Dan Paul, who is as good as a lead blocker as there is). If Austin Pettis can stay on the field (i.e. no flipping into the end zone after a beautiful flea flicker pass from Moore, for which he subsequently gets benched), then the offense should do everything it wants to and there will not be any sort of a letdown. I will say this; the Oregon State Beavers are not the Wyoming Cowboys. What I mean is that with Jacquizz Rodgers in the backfield, the Broncos will not be able to hold them to -22 yards rushing. At the same time, Boise State needs to come up big in stopping Quizz and make sophomore QB Ryan Katz one-dimensional. The problem with making Katz throw is Jacquizz’s brother James is as dangerous and explosive as little bro is. So pick your poison. Speaking of Katz, he has struggled completing passes, with a percentage of just over 47 (compare that to just over 63% for Kellen Moore). He has not, however, thrown an interception this year and has 4 touchdowns. The numbers aren’t that great thus far, but remember, the Beavers opened up against TCU, and that Horned Frog defense will slap you in the face, hard. As the Beavers are ranked 24th in the AP poll, this will be a stiff test for the Broncos. Their defense is in the lower 2/3 of all FBS schools, but is lead by a man-yeti known as Stephen Paea. He will clog up the middle and will be a huge obstacle for the Broncos running game to get through, or around, or over. The Beavers sure are getting ready, as they painted their practice field blue (the purpose of doing so is still unknown). This year’ Boise State team is good enough to win the Pac 10, and I think they could beat Oregon State at home or on the road. The Beavers will come into Bronco Stadium and will have so much to deal with and fight against; they won’t stand much of a chance. Broncos win big and keep their dreams alive for one more week.
Prediction: Broncos 41, Beavers 20
Alright, let me know what you think of my picks. I will have a re-cap of the weekend's action either Sunday or Monday, including how I did with my selections. Also, as mentioned, I will be at Bronco Stadium on Saturday to cheer on the Broncos. It is going to be a crazy scene and I will post pictures as soon as I can. Finally, check back in tomorrow for my Weekly PTW. It will be a lot of fun!
4:30 PM, Fresno State Bulldogs at Ole’ Miss Rebels.
This is a huge game for Pat Hill and his squad. Fresno State has started off really well this season at 2-0, including a severe beating of Cincinnati at home in week one and an impressive road win at WAC foe Utah State last week. Quarterback Ryan Colburn has had a stellar start in their two wins and their rushing game has been on par to form a complete offensive threat. Also, defensive tackle Chris Carter spends a lot of time in the opposing backfield, mauling whoever has the ball. In other words, the Bulldog defense is not too shabby in its own right. For Ole’ Miss, the Rebels, led by police record wielding former Oregon Duck QB Jeremiah Masoli, have been nothing short of underwhelming. They lost at home to FCS opponent Jacksonville State. It was a very ugly loss. Then won at Tulane, but followed it up with a loss to SEC bottom dweller Vanderbilt, also at home. There is not a lot to cheer for in Oxford. Still, the Bulldogs playing on the road at an SEC school will be as difficult as it gets for Fresno State this season. Because they are at home, Ole’ Miss has the advantage.
Prediction: Rebels 32, Bulldogs 28
2 PM, Idaho Vandals at Colorado State Rams.
Robb Akey and Co. followed up an embarrassing performance at Nebraska with a complete domination of the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels 30-7. The Vandal defense decided to take control while the offense continued to put up decent numbers. However, Idaho’s offensive line still has some work to do to improve their protection of QB Nathan Enderle. The size and desire is there, but the experience has not arrived quite yet. The Rams are 0-3, scoring only 19 total points while giving up 106. Yikes. There has been nothing impressive to talk about for Colorado State. They even lost at Miami of Ohio. The Vandals are not that good of a team, but they still should be too much for the Rams.
Prediction: Vandals 35, Rams 21
4 PM, Nevada Wolfpack at BYU Cougars.
Nevada completely dismantled a good Cal team last week in every aspect of the game. Colin “Bird Leg” Kaepernick showed why he is one of the top running quarterbacks in the nation, even if his rocket arm leaves something to be desired. The defense harassed Golden Bear QB Kevin Riley all night. He looked really uncomfortable and played terribly. Do not expect that to change in the slightest bit. BYU has been on a roller coaster since beating Washington on opening weekend (it turns out the Huskies still suck, though). They got swamped at Air Force and then played the Florida State Seminoles tough for 3 quarters. It would appear that the Cougars will be sticking with freshman phenom QB Jake Heaps as the starter, seeing as how co-starter Riley Nelson is out for the season with a shoulder injury. Besides, the two-quarterback system wasn’t working very well for them anyway. This may be exactly what the Wolfpack wants them to do. Heaps may have a really long evening ahead of him with Dantay Moch coming off the edge delivering as many snot-bubblers as he can. The way to neutralize Moch is by hitting running back JJ Di Luigi (probably the Cougars' best weapon) with short screens. As a BSU fan, an undefeated Nevada Wolfpack team would be fantastic for the strength of schedule talk, and they would also be ranked when the showdown in Reno takes place. Nevada is a 2 ½ point favorite. BYU will be very tough at home, and the game will be well played on both sides. If it was being played in Reno, I would go with Nevada. But since it’s in Provo…I needed an upset special, and this is the closest game I could find to fit the criteria. I had a hard time picking it. Do I believe BYU can beat Nevada? I don't know. Just don't get angry if I'm right.
UPSET SPECIAL:
Prediction: Cougars 38, Wolfpack 35
5 PM, New Mexico State Aggies at Kansas Jayhawks.
As we all know, the Aggies are one of the worst teams in the nation. They really do suck. They lost at home to a poor San Diego State team and then got crushed on the road at UTEP. It does, however, seem like New Mexico State is at least scoring some points every now and then. Unfortunately, they have not been consistent with Matt Christian under center. Speaking of roller coasters, how about the Kansas Jayhawks?! They only scored 3 points in a home loss to FCS school North Dakota State (WTF!!!!????!? Seriously?!?!?!?!?!), beat a ranked Georgia Tech Yellowjacket team 28-25, and ultimately lost on the road to Southern Mississippi 31-16. As schizophrenic as Kansas has been, they should handle the Aggies at home pretty easily.
Prediction: Jayhawks 28, Aggies 10
5 PM, Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles at Louisiana Tech Bulldogs.
This is a hard game to predict. The Bulldogs kicked off the season with a road victory over a really bad Grambling team 20-6. Then they proceeded to lose two straight against Texas A & M and Navy. The offensive numbers have not been impressive for QB’s Colby Cameron and Ross Jenkins (both have started games, Cameron in the last two). Maybe then need to switch back to Jenkins to win. Who knows? A banged up Phillip Livas has been less than stellar, as he was supposed to be the star of the team. Southern Miss has been playing very well. After a tough opening road loss at South Carolina, the Golden Eagles have taken two straight (the exact opposite of LA. Tech). QB Austin Davis gets the job done very well and has some weapons to hand off and pass to. The Bulldogs usually play well at home, but with a new coach and a lack of confidence, the upper-tier mid-major should win on the road.
Prediction: Golden Eagles 35, Bulldogs 24
6 PM, San Jose State Spartans at Utah Utes.
We could possibly dub this game “the battle of the mid-majors.” But since the Spartans play like a FCS or a division 2 school, that would not be accurate. A better one may be “the slaughter in Salt Lake.” San Jose State is 1-2, getting stomped on the road by two ranked BCS schools and then barely beating FCS school Southern Utah last week at home 16-11. QB Jordan La Secla (his name sounds like it belongs to a kicker) has been decent, but has few weapons to utilize. The Utes are 3-0 and ranked 13th in the nation in the AP and media polls. Did I mention they are hosting the Spartans at Rice-Eccles Stadium for this game? Even with starting quarterback Jordan Wynn questionable with a hand injury, back up Terrence Cain will own San Jose State. They are way to good and the game will be a rout.
Prediction, Utes 55, Spartans 16
6 PM, Utah State Aggies at San Diego State Aztecs.
As mentioned last week, Utah State has itself a second year coach and they are well on their way to becoming a respectable, winning program. Last week’s setback against Fresno State shows that they still have a lot of work to do, even after nearly upsetting ranked Oklahoma on the road the week before. On the bright side, QB Diondre Borel is making defenses look silly week in and week out. As a dual threat leader, the Aggies are averaging a middle-of-the-pack 28.7 points a game, which is a considerable step up from previous years. As a matter of fact, Utah State ranks in the middle of all FBS schools in total defense and offense. Like I said, they are getting better. What the Aggies are to the WAC, the Aztecs are to the Mountain West, which is a bottom level team that is slowly improving. In fact, San Diego State is racking up the yardage at 511.3 per game, good for 9th nationwide. They rank in the top third in all other general categories. QB Ryan Lindley is doing a great job of distributing the ball and making plays, and that is why they are currently sitting with a winning record at 2-1. As much as I would like to see Utah State pick up the road win and score one more for the WAC over the MWC, I don’t see it happening.
Prediction: Aztecs 35, Aggies 24
9:30 PM, Charleston Southern Buccaneers at Hawai’I Rainbow Warriors.
As is customary with just about every Hawai’I team since the dawn of time, the Rainbow Warriors are putting up ridiculous offensive numbers, but can’t stop anybody on defense to save their lives. Hawai’I lost an epic battle at home against USC on opening night, but then traveled to Westpoint, NY (some 5,000 miles or so) and notched a big win. Then the high, oxygen-lacking air in Boulder, CO did them in for their second loss. QB Bryant Moniz is chucking the ball all over the yard, mainly to WR Greg Salas, and the Rainbow Warriors are scoring, boasting a 26.7 points per game average. Too bad they are giving up 36 a game at the same time. However, their opponent, the CSU Buccaneers are a FCS school that will travel almost that same distance from the East Coast to Hawai’i. At 2-1, I won’t say much about them, other than they play in a league against such football powerhouses as Stony Brook, Liberty, Gardner-Webb, and the Virginia Military Academy. Yeah.
Prediction: Rainbow Warriors 42, Buccaneers 21
6 PM, ABC, Oregon State Beavers at Boise State Broncos.
Here it is folks, and it should be a dandy. Boise State comes off a complete smack down of the Wyoming Cowboys, flying high and ready for more. Kellen Moore looked good, but not great. The rushing onslaught of Doug Martin, DJ Harper, and Jeremy Avery looks as terrifying for opponents as any other running back group in the country. It also helps that the offensive line is opening up holes large enough for Jaba the Hut to carry the ball through (I must mention fullback Dan Paul, who is as good as a lead blocker as there is). If Austin Pettis can stay on the field (i.e. no flipping into the end zone after a beautiful flea flicker pass from Moore, for which he subsequently gets benched), then the offense should do everything it wants to and there will not be any sort of a letdown. I will say this; the Oregon State Beavers are not the Wyoming Cowboys. What I mean is that with Jacquizz Rodgers in the backfield, the Broncos will not be able to hold them to -22 yards rushing. At the same time, Boise State needs to come up big in stopping Quizz and make sophomore QB Ryan Katz one-dimensional. The problem with making Katz throw is Jacquizz’s brother James is as dangerous and explosive as little bro is. So pick your poison. Speaking of Katz, he has struggled completing passes, with a percentage of just over 47 (compare that to just over 63% for Kellen Moore). He has not, however, thrown an interception this year and has 4 touchdowns. The numbers aren’t that great thus far, but remember, the Beavers opened up against TCU, and that Horned Frog defense will slap you in the face, hard. As the Beavers are ranked 24th in the AP poll, this will be a stiff test for the Broncos. Their defense is in the lower 2/3 of all FBS schools, but is lead by a man-yeti known as Stephen Paea. He will clog up the middle and will be a huge obstacle for the Broncos running game to get through, or around, or over. The Beavers sure are getting ready, as they painted their practice field blue (the purpose of doing so is still unknown). This year’ Boise State team is good enough to win the Pac 10, and I think they could beat Oregon State at home or on the road. The Beavers will come into Bronco Stadium and will have so much to deal with and fight against; they won’t stand much of a chance. Broncos win big and keep their dreams alive for one more week.
Prediction: Broncos 41, Beavers 20
Alright, let me know what you think of my picks. I will have a re-cap of the weekend's action either Sunday or Monday, including how I did with my selections. Also, as mentioned, I will be at Bronco Stadium on Saturday to cheer on the Broncos. It is going to be a crazy scene and I will post pictures as soon as I can. Finally, check back in tomorrow for my Weekly PTW. It will be a lot of fun!
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