In his fourth year Coach Dan Hawkins promised the fans in Boulder ten wins. But two weeks into this season they are 0-2. The sting of defeat at the hands of Colorado State has become a very familiar sensation for the Buffalo's over the past years, but the blowout defeat to MAC opponent Toledo marks a new low for a program that used to matter. So does the rebuilding begin now with a new coach now? Or with a new coach after the season?
The fact that Colorado brought back enough talent to make a run in the Big 12 North made the Ten Win Promise farfetched, but not altogether impossible. And it might be that elusive Big 12 North run that keeps Hawkins in the captians chair for a few more weeks. Pre-season Nebraska and Kansas were ranked right at the upper end of the top 25, and after a convincing win over Illinois in the arch-rivalry Missourri joined them in the polls. After two weeks anyone can see that there is no room for Colorado to be in the ranks of those three powers.
The schedule Colorado must play in the Big 12 South is even more brutal and includes both Texas and Oklahoma State. In a rational mind those two games keep Colorado out of Big 12 North running alone. Thus, with no memories of national prominence and no chance of Big 12 success, the university should fire coach Hawkins. If only for recruiting reasons: so they do not have a lame duck head coach bringing in new players.
The honeymoon of Hawkins is over, years of having an invitation to a bad bowl game and pulling one or two upset victories over Big 12 powers are no more. The University of Colorado must make drastic changes in order to pull out of this tailspin, and to once again become a respected and ranked program.
Without a doubt the Colorado of old is gone, just like the Nebraska and Kansas State of old. Whether they are able to follow Nebraska's footsteps and build back up or continue to flounder like the current Kansas State program remains to be seen, but teither way the short term does not look good.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Terel Pryor Loves the Vick
"Not everybody is the perfect person in the world. Everyone does -- kills people, murders people, steals from you, steals from me. I just feel that people need to give him a chance."
Week Two Upsets and Best Game to Watch
Week two presents only one matchup between ranked teams, Ohio State and USC, but quite a few chances for unranked upsets.
Can Ohio State beat USC? Probably not, but if a Big Ten teams wants to beat the Trojans before the Rose Bowl now would be the time. Taking advantage of a freshman quarterback at home worked for the Buckeyes against Colt McCoy his freshmen year, and forcing Barkley into mistakes is definately the game plan.
It's seems a bit unthinkable but Syracuse might be able to give Penn State a game this week. Syracuse is a program excited for the new year, should have pulled out the Minnesotta game last week, and has a Duke point gaurd running QB. Penn State looked good against Akron. But who cares about looking good against akron.
LSU did not look good against Wahsington, failed to come together last year until the bowl game. Vanderbuilt exploded last week, had a breakout year in 2008 even though they could not live up the hype of top ten ranking, add the SEC rivalry angle and you have the formula for an upset.
Marshall always gives big name opponents troubles, perhaps they give Virginia Tech a game but after the nation got a glimpse of how good Virginia Tech is (even though they lost) I doubt the upset idea bears fruit.
Michigan is going to pull the upset and beat Notre Dame at the Big House if they keep Todd Forcier on the field and end the quarterback shuffling.
The best game this week is going to be Georgia Tech and Clemson, an early season ACC matchup on thursday night that will allow the eyes of the college football nation to get a good long look at the scary option attack of the yellow jackets.
Can Ohio State beat USC? Probably not, but if a Big Ten teams wants to beat the Trojans before the Rose Bowl now would be the time. Taking advantage of a freshman quarterback at home worked for the Buckeyes against Colt McCoy his freshmen year, and forcing Barkley into mistakes is definately the game plan.
It's seems a bit unthinkable but Syracuse might be able to give Penn State a game this week. Syracuse is a program excited for the new year, should have pulled out the Minnesotta game last week, and has a Duke point gaurd running QB. Penn State looked good against Akron. But who cares about looking good against akron.
LSU did not look good against Wahsington, failed to come together last year until the bowl game. Vanderbuilt exploded last week, had a breakout year in 2008 even though they could not live up the hype of top ten ranking, add the SEC rivalry angle and you have the formula for an upset.
Marshall always gives big name opponents troubles, perhaps they give Virginia Tech a game but after the nation got a glimpse of how good Virginia Tech is (even though they lost) I doubt the upset idea bears fruit.
Michigan is going to pull the upset and beat Notre Dame at the Big House if they keep Todd Forcier on the field and end the quarterback shuffling.
The best game this week is going to be Georgia Tech and Clemson, an early season ACC matchup on thursday night that will allow the eyes of the college football nation to get a good long look at the scary option attack of the yellow jackets.
Fantasy Football Preseason Power Rankings
1. The Headskins.
2. Pink Highlighters
3. Tai-Pan
4. Et Tu Fav-re?
5. Hurricane Ditka
6. Hurrican Scrambles
7. Smegmites
8. Saving Face
9. MeLlamoKeanue
10. $ Texas
11. The Jackson Four
12. The Pen-15 Mightier
2. Pink Highlighters
3. Tai-Pan
4. Et Tu Fav-re?
5. Hurricane Ditka
6. Hurrican Scrambles
7. Smegmites
8. Saving Face
9. MeLlamoKeanue
10. $ Texas
11. The Jackson Four
12. The Pen-15 Mightier
Sunday, September 6, 2009
The Big 12 V. The SEC; Week 1
The debate over who is the best conference in the nation begins again, and luckily for college football fans and the sake of the debate the opening week featured a top-tier matchup of the two superpower conferences.
#13 Georgia (5th in SEC) was handled quite efficiently by #9 Oklahoma State (3rd in the Big 12). Oklahoma State's Defense answered alot of questions for the Big 12, and the Cowboy's offense was able to overcome an excellent Georgia Defense with big plays.
Despite the head-to-head win this week belongs to the SEC. A huge win for Alabama over a Virginia Tech team that looked superb, and the blow BYU handed to Oklahoma and Sam Bradford in particular undoubtedly tips the scales in favor of the SEC.
The premier teams for the two leagues, Texas and Florida, showcased their claims to the nations top two spots by destroying lesser opponents. Until these teams, (if these teams) play each other in the National Championship game, Florida has to be given the edge as the defending National Champions.
Win: SEC.
The next-best teams, still college football elites, could not have put themselves in different situations. Alabama made a stronger BCS case than any other team in the nation by defeating future ACC champion Virginia Tech. The Sooner's lost to a skilled and ranked BYU team and almost as importantly lost Sam Bradford for an unforseen amount of time.
Win: SEC
The third best teams for each conference: Oklahoma State for the Big 12 and LSU for the SEC (the debate between LSU and Ole Miss is for a different article) is the only clear win for the Big 12. We all know what the Cowboys did, but a late start time for LSU left them out off the prime time picture. A close win over last year's worst team in the BCS was probably not as bad as it seems on paper. A new coach and a new year inspired Washington to give LSU everything the Tigers could handle, still images of last year's crumbling still danced before every LSU fan's eyes.
Win: Big 12
Nebraska handled Florida Atlantic, Ole Miss eventually took control of Memphis and posted a blowout on the scoresheet. Although I don't believe Mississippi should be ranked anywhere near their top ten spot, they are most likely a better team than Nebraska from everything we know at this point.
Win: SEC
Georgia lost to Oklahoma State, but the story would have been very different if their opponent was Kansas. Kansas is underrated and calls plays like they are BCS buster in a BCS conference, and towards the end of the season could be very dangerous, but as with Nebraska they still have to prove they are better than their SEC counterpart on the field.
Win: SEC.
The non-ranked others: I'm not sure if anyone will believe me but the Big 12 has the upper hand in depth. Texas Tech and Missouri are still very good teams though losing team leaders to the NFL. Baylor could be the best team in the nation that nobody knows, and because of Baylor's ever improving play the Big 12 South will still be the best sub-conference in the nation. A&M continues to pull in enough recruits to make itself dangerous should the team ever come together. The Big 12 north, however, is not deep. Colorado has not turned the corner, Kansas State's decline from power seems un-reversible at this point and Iowa State is doomed to the depths of the Big 12 locker.
Naturally there are always teams in the SEC that come from unranked positions to prove how deep the conference is. Tennessee and Lane Kiffin are a match made in heaven and after week one have put themselves back into the discussion of the SEC east. Kentucky, South Carolina, Auburn, Vanderbuilt and Arkansas could show something down the stretch, but that remains to be seen.
The Week 2 Conference Heirarchies:
Big 12 SEC
Texas Florida
Oklahoma State Alabama
Oklahoma LSU
Nebraska Ole Miss
Kansas Georgia
Missouri Tennessee
Texas Tech Auburn
Baylor Vanderbuilt
Texas A&M South Carolina
Kansas State Kentucky
Colorado Arkansas
Iowa State Mississippi State
#13 Georgia (5th in SEC) was handled quite efficiently by #9 Oklahoma State (3rd in the Big 12). Oklahoma State's Defense answered alot of questions for the Big 12, and the Cowboy's offense was able to overcome an excellent Georgia Defense with big plays.
Despite the head-to-head win this week belongs to the SEC. A huge win for Alabama over a Virginia Tech team that looked superb, and the blow BYU handed to Oklahoma and Sam Bradford in particular undoubtedly tips the scales in favor of the SEC.
The premier teams for the two leagues, Texas and Florida, showcased their claims to the nations top two spots by destroying lesser opponents. Until these teams, (if these teams) play each other in the National Championship game, Florida has to be given the edge as the defending National Champions.
Win: SEC.
The next-best teams, still college football elites, could not have put themselves in different situations. Alabama made a stronger BCS case than any other team in the nation by defeating future ACC champion Virginia Tech. The Sooner's lost to a skilled and ranked BYU team and almost as importantly lost Sam Bradford for an unforseen amount of time.
Win: SEC
The third best teams for each conference: Oklahoma State for the Big 12 and LSU for the SEC (the debate between LSU and Ole Miss is for a different article) is the only clear win for the Big 12. We all know what the Cowboys did, but a late start time for LSU left them out off the prime time picture. A close win over last year's worst team in the BCS was probably not as bad as it seems on paper. A new coach and a new year inspired Washington to give LSU everything the Tigers could handle, still images of last year's crumbling still danced before every LSU fan's eyes.
Win: Big 12
Nebraska handled Florida Atlantic, Ole Miss eventually took control of Memphis and posted a blowout on the scoresheet. Although I don't believe Mississippi should be ranked anywhere near their top ten spot, they are most likely a better team than Nebraska from everything we know at this point.
Win: SEC
Georgia lost to Oklahoma State, but the story would have been very different if their opponent was Kansas. Kansas is underrated and calls plays like they are BCS buster in a BCS conference, and towards the end of the season could be very dangerous, but as with Nebraska they still have to prove they are better than their SEC counterpart on the field.
Win: SEC.
The non-ranked others: I'm not sure if anyone will believe me but the Big 12 has the upper hand in depth. Texas Tech and Missouri are still very good teams though losing team leaders to the NFL. Baylor could be the best team in the nation that nobody knows, and because of Baylor's ever improving play the Big 12 South will still be the best sub-conference in the nation. A&M continues to pull in enough recruits to make itself dangerous should the team ever come together. The Big 12 north, however, is not deep. Colorado has not turned the corner, Kansas State's decline from power seems un-reversible at this point and Iowa State is doomed to the depths of the Big 12 locker.
Naturally there are always teams in the SEC that come from unranked positions to prove how deep the conference is. Tennessee and Lane Kiffin are a match made in heaven and after week one have put themselves back into the discussion of the SEC east. Kentucky, South Carolina, Auburn, Vanderbuilt and Arkansas could show something down the stretch, but that remains to be seen.
The Week 2 Conference Heirarchies:
Big 12 SEC
Texas Florida
Oklahoma State Alabama
Oklahoma LSU
Nebraska Ole Miss
Kansas Georgia
Missouri Tennessee
Texas Tech Auburn
Baylor Vanderbuilt
Texas A&M South Carolina
Kansas State Kentucky
Colorado Arkansas
Iowa State Mississippi State
Cash For Clunkers to Blame for OU loss?
"We have been so busy filling out the government paperwork that even the (Oklahoma Sooner's) football players actually had to come in and work overtime." The assistant manager of sales from Big Red Sports in Norman, Oklahoma asked to rename nameless, but was able to shed some light on the puzzling situation of the OU football team.
"After Rhett Bomar and J.D. Quinn were kicked off the team uppper management decided to make players work for the $18,000/month paychecks. Up until the Economic Recovery Plan the players were able to fill up their time with mindless tasks and still look over the playbooks between helping customers. But lately they have had to put practice in the background as our auto sales have absolutley overwhelmed us."
New reports now claim that Jermaine Greshman injured his knee when he slipped in the break room on a puddle of coffee cream. Sam Bradford had also reported a sore shoulder before the BYU game and claimed it was due to the hours upon hours of filling out government forms.
It is widely believed among full time emplyees of Big Red Sports Auto Sales that Coach Stoops would call, using a different alias each time, and demand that the players be released so the team could practice stopping statue of liberty 2-point conversions attempts.
With or without Bradford on the field the OU offense was sluggish and hardly showcased last years prowless. But, now that car sales have leveled out, the big qustion is whether or not OU's offense will be able to recover and get back on track in time to salvage the 2009 season.
All is not lost in Norman, with the BCS's emphasis on down-the-stretch football perhaps the Sooners still have a chance to make a BCS bowl, or even the National Championship game. It is important to realize that this team has a very real chance to take the next step and achieve what recent teams have failed to do.
Losing five consecutive BCS bowls (LSU, USC, Boise St., West Virginia and Florida) coupled with dropping three of the last four Red River Shootouts/Rivalries against archrival Texas have decreased Stoop's nickname from "Big Game Bob" to "Medium Game Bob" to "Iowa State game Bob."
In the future fans can expect Oklahoma to stop scheduling BCS buster teams such as TCU and BYU as the season opener in the future, and to use a less strenuous profession to funnel money from boosters to players.
"After Rhett Bomar and J.D. Quinn were kicked off the team uppper management decided to make players work for the $18,000/month paychecks. Up until the Economic Recovery Plan the players were able to fill up their time with mindless tasks and still look over the playbooks between helping customers. But lately they have had to put practice in the background as our auto sales have absolutley overwhelmed us."
New reports now claim that Jermaine Greshman injured his knee when he slipped in the break room on a puddle of coffee cream. Sam Bradford had also reported a sore shoulder before the BYU game and claimed it was due to the hours upon hours of filling out government forms.
It is widely believed among full time emplyees of Big Red Sports Auto Sales that Coach Stoops would call, using a different alias each time, and demand that the players be released so the team could practice stopping statue of liberty 2-point conversions attempts.
With or without Bradford on the field the OU offense was sluggish and hardly showcased last years prowless. But, now that car sales have leveled out, the big qustion is whether or not OU's offense will be able to recover and get back on track in time to salvage the 2009 season.
All is not lost in Norman, with the BCS's emphasis on down-the-stretch football perhaps the Sooners still have a chance to make a BCS bowl, or even the National Championship game. It is important to realize that this team has a very real chance to take the next step and achieve what recent teams have failed to do.
Losing five consecutive BCS bowls (LSU, USC, Boise St., West Virginia and Florida) coupled with dropping three of the last four Red River Shootouts/Rivalries against archrival Texas have decreased Stoop's nickname from "Big Game Bob" to "Medium Game Bob" to "Iowa State game Bob."
In the future fans can expect Oklahoma to stop scheduling BCS buster teams such as TCU and BYU as the season opener in the future, and to use a less strenuous profession to funnel money from boosters to players.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Day 1: Hating the Big Ten
The storied teams representing the Great Lake states begin their quest for college football domination today, with all eleven Big Ten teams in action. So far eight teams have completed their games, and the Big Ten has tallied eight wins. Let's take a more in depth look at the games:
Starting with the traditional week 1 blowouts:
Michigan beat interstate rival Western Michigan and won their season opener. They didn't use to be rivals, but after a 3-9 season Michigan fans decided that energy used to get ready for Penn State and Ohio State games would be more usefull if directed to a set of new, less skilled rivals from the MAC.
Northwestern looked solid while toppling FCS Towson 47-17. The Wildcats took care of bussiness and looked every bit the perennial bowl losers that they are working so hard to become.
Penn State had a great defensive showing against a FBS MAC opponent Akron. The big question this year is will Penn State replace Ohio State as the class of the Big Ten, after today's performance it looks a bit more likely that Penn State will earn the right to be humiliated by USC in the Rose Bowl.
Michigan State dominated Wyoming State, and will probably be at the head of the Big 10's second tier, doomed to lose to an SEC team at the end of an overhyped season.
Purdue did blow out MAC opponent Toledo, but showcased a defense that will keep the program in the cellar of the big ten, the lowest, smelliest and darkest cellar of all.
The close misses:
Ohio State almost loses to Navy at home, not a good sign when USC comes knocking soon. What OSU should keep in mind is that they still get to play a Big Ten regular schedule.
Minnesota pulls out a tough win in overtime against the allied forces of Duke and Syracuse, SYRACUSE. That's not good.
Iowa, the lone team from the Big Ten to win a bowl game last year, pulls out a come from behind, Disney type win over the powerfull FCS North Iowa Kurt Warners. A lost would have made my day, but a performance that poor still makes me smile.
Indiana almost losing to Eastern Kentucky suprises nobody, these guys suck.
THE LOSSES!
Once again Illinois proves that when you think they are a good team; you are a moron. The defense of Illinois let Missourri's quarterback do his best Chase Daniels impression. No td's on offense. No hope in Champaigne.
I will also assume that Wisconsin loses to Northern Illinois. Go Huskies.
Starting with the traditional week 1 blowouts:
Michigan beat interstate rival Western Michigan and won their season opener. They didn't use to be rivals, but after a 3-9 season Michigan fans decided that energy used to get ready for Penn State and Ohio State games would be more usefull if directed to a set of new, less skilled rivals from the MAC.
Northwestern looked solid while toppling FCS Towson 47-17. The Wildcats took care of bussiness and looked every bit the perennial bowl losers that they are working so hard to become.
Penn State had a great defensive showing against a FBS MAC opponent Akron. The big question this year is will Penn State replace Ohio State as the class of the Big Ten, after today's performance it looks a bit more likely that Penn State will earn the right to be humiliated by USC in the Rose Bowl.
Michigan State dominated Wyoming State, and will probably be at the head of the Big 10's second tier, doomed to lose to an SEC team at the end of an overhyped season.
Purdue did blow out MAC opponent Toledo, but showcased a defense that will keep the program in the cellar of the big ten, the lowest, smelliest and darkest cellar of all.
The close misses:
Ohio State almost loses to Navy at home, not a good sign when USC comes knocking soon. What OSU should keep in mind is that they still get to play a Big Ten regular schedule.
Minnesota pulls out a tough win in overtime against the allied forces of Duke and Syracuse, SYRACUSE. That's not good.
Iowa, the lone team from the Big Ten to win a bowl game last year, pulls out a come from behind, Disney type win over the powerfull FCS North Iowa Kurt Warners. A lost would have made my day, but a performance that poor still makes me smile.
Indiana almost losing to Eastern Kentucky suprises nobody, these guys suck.
THE LOSSES!
Once again Illinois proves that when you think they are a good team; you are a moron. The defense of Illinois let Missourri's quarterback do his best Chase Daniels impression. No td's on offense. No hope in Champaigne.
I will also assume that Wisconsin loses to Northern Illinois. Go Huskies.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
