Thursday on Examiner I posted four championship game previews. Yes, I am aware that the PAC 10 and Big East games are not your typical conference championship games, but I included them anyway because the conference's automatic berths are on the line! Today will see the rest of the conference championship previews posted throughout the day!
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Bobby Bowden officially retired on Tuesday. AP Photo
One of my favorite parts of writing for Examiner as the College Football Examiner is that I have met many new people in a short amount of time. Fortunately for me some of my fellow writers have some good sources and have allowed me to get a sneak peak of developments before they hit the major outlets, like ESPN, CBS Sports, or Yahoo! Sports.
This is how I got the early word on what would happen with Bobby Bowden down at Florida State. When Corey Dowlar (Florida State Examiner) sent me an instant message Monday morning asking "Want a tip?" I assumed he had some advice to improve my writing on the site. Then he delivered two words, to which I knew exactly what was the subject.
"He's done."
As the day unfolded I learned that the legendary college football coach would in fact be retiring. Naturally I was somewhat skeptical and hesitant to spread the news but once I gained some more confidence in the news I went and wrote up my own blurb.
Of course the previous day was a big day as well with the news of Notre Dame firing Charlie Weis breaking. One thing is for sure; it will be an interesting off season as coaches make their moves and new faces are introduced and familiar faces call home in new places.
As for Bowden, as one who has followed Penn Sate football and Joe Paterno for as long as I have, I can appreciate Bowden's impact on the sport of college football and what he has accomplished at Florida State. At times it felt as though Bowden may have been getting away with some things but if you look at his overall career it really is hard to argue that he has had a negative impact on the game.
A pair of national championships, a collection of ACC championships, Charlie Ward, wide right, wide right 2, and 14 consecutive top five finishes will all make up the most memorable images of Bowden's career. The way he was forced out is wrong but while the Bowden family may be upset with the actions they should know that Bowden will forever be a part of the game they love so dearly.
Bowden may be gone from the sidelines, but he will never be forgotten. This coming from a long time Paterno loyalist.
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Let's start by recapping what has happened lately as far as football related topics go with me...
New Examiner Role As you probably know I have been covering Penn State football for Examiner this season, in addition to Nittany White Out. It has been a fun experience and I am grateful to have met so many people through the new connections. I hope to continue with those working relationships in the future and without that I do not think I could have landed a new role on the Examiner site.
I am not working on a national level for Examiner, covering the entire world of college football. If you wish to help me out or check out what I have to say I encourage you to stop by my new page and subscribe via e-mail or RSS reader of your choice!
Even though the regular season is winding down there are a number of great ideas in the works for the bowl season and off-season! I will continue to share some links to my articles from time to time here.
Football Pool Struggles I had a particularly bad week in the football pool two weekends ago, scoring the lowest score of the year for people who actually play on a weekly basis. In addition I was knocked out of the suicide pool I was participating in when the Green Bay Packers dropped a game on the road against Tampa Bay. Ugh.
This past weekend I got out to a nice head start on the competition but the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals foiled me. I put big points on the Steelers, who lost, and not enough points on the Cardinals. I would have been in much better shape if the Cardinals had lost, so I was rooting for a wrong pick in that game.
In the process the margin between my running total and my dad continued to grow, which frustrates me immensely. To make matters worse, I am off to a bad start this week, laying eight points on the Carolina Panthers in the Thursday night game, which the Dolphins won. Ouch!
This week I think it is about time to get Stef to make the picks.
Ok, let's fast forward and get back up to date...
Shippensburg vs. California The D2 playoffs enter their second round this weekend and Shippensburg will host their second playoff game this decade. the game will be a rematch of the PSAC's State Game from a couple weeks ago as California returns to the scene of the crime, Seth Grove Stadium. I don't know how to read this game. Rematches are dangerous, and I still remember Ship beating West Chester in the final regular season game of 2004, only to lose two weeks later in the second round of the playoffs in Shippensburg.
Penn State @ Michigan State So much riding on this game, and I'm not talking about the clunky Land Grant Trophy. If you have been keeping up with me you know that I think the BCS is a real possibility for Penn State, but I also think Michigan State stuns the Nittany Lions today. Call it a bad gut feeling.
Eagles at Bears Who knows which Eagles team will show up this weekend? Is there another team with the ability to look like Super Bowl contenders one week and look like chumps another like the Eagles do? I still say that Donovan McNabb is a better quarterback than Jay Cutler though and have to think the Bears are done. Who knows.
Time to pick up the pace with my six pack of picks, which has been on a long hiatus!
Michigan State over Penn State
California over Shippensburg Temple over Kent State Giants over Falcons Texans over Titans Eagles over Bears
Maybe my Temple over Villanova prediction stumbled on the hideous turf of Lincoln Financial Field short of the end-zone, but my thoughts on the Boise State-Oregon game were spot on.
Before the Thursday night meeting between the two top 25 schools took place I tweeted the following...
Temple ruined my shot a a perfect season in predicting games. Temple was my first official pick of the season, and they let me down.
I knew I should have gone with my heart and picked Villanova but I tried reducing myself to logic and caved to the hype (if you can call it that) surrounding the Owls. Villanova took advantage of five Temple turnovers to shock the Owls last night at Lincoln Financial Field, winning on a last second field goal that was set up after Villanova intercepted Temple late in the game.
I really thought that Temple had enough athletes to beat the Wildcats, but now I am left wondering if I overestimated Temple or underestimated Villanova.
Regardless of how bad this makes Temple looks, it leaves me wondering, "This is supposed to be Penn State's toughest non-conference opponent?"
I was also finding myself questioning way this game was not aired on local television airwaves. Was it because somebody decided to schedule the game for the same night the Phillies were playing across the street? when the game was scheduled nobody would have known that the baseball game would feature a terrific pitching match-up between Pedro Martinez and Tim Lincecum.
Was it because the Eagles were playing their most hyped and discussed final pre-season game in franchise history? Again, who would have known Michael Vick would be the headliner when the Mayor's Cup was announced.
Somebody in the Philadelphia market (I'm looking at you Comcast) should have set up a television crew. Temple supposedly aired the game on their website but that is not good enough. For as much as this game was being marketed it should have been on TV.
Did you see this play? Neither did I. Sure, in theory I could have purchased a ticket. But that's not the issue.
The Phillies were on Comcast Sportsnet, and the Eagles were on 6ABC. Why could Comcast Network (I still call it CN8) pick up the game?
In the end it is the college football junkie like me who loses out on not being able to see a city rivalry play out to the final seconds. If it wasn't aired, did it really happen?
Only four times since 1980 has the preseason pick for national champion pulled through in the end. Oklahoma did it in 1985, Florida State in 1993 and again in 1999, and USC in 2004.
Penn State defied the odds, so to speak, in 1982 when they were picked to finish #8, and again in 1986 when they were predicted to finish at #6.
Only three teams have entered the season unranked and won the national championship. Clemson did that in 1981, Miami did it in 1983 and BYU followed the next year in 1984.
No team has ever started at #22 and finished as national champion. Penn State will be the first to ever do that in 2008.
LSU won the BCS "National" Championship. Appalachian State won the FCS National Championship. Valdosta State won the division two national championship. And University of Wisconsin - Whitewater won the division three national championship.
Seeing as everybody seems to have a different opinion on a national champion on the grand stage that is the Football Bowl Subdivision, ruined by the Bowl Championship Series computers and after witnessing LSU become the first ever two loss BCS champion I figured I'd throw my argument in there as well.
So today, I officially proclaim that the University of Kansas is the first annual Ramblings National Champion!
With a record of 12-1 and capping off the best season in Kansas' history with a victory in the Orange Bowl, I proudly announce Kansas to be national title worthy in this crazy season of college football.
Why Kansas? Well, why not? The "national champion" LSU Tigers had two losses this season. Kansas only had one! ONE! Kansas had a good story all year and was clearly disrespected all season because of their schedule. Of course, had Oklahoma or Texas gone 12-1 with Kansas' record those schools would have been lauded and tauted as national title contenders instead of pretenders, which Kansas was leveled too after losing to Missouri in the final week of the season before conference championships. Never mind the fact that Missouri was the best team in the Big XII conference (I hear you Boomer Sooners, calm down).
Kansas was fortunate enough to still be invited to the Orange Bowl where they dismantled the favored Virginia Tech Hokies. Today they can crown themselves as national champions. It may not be as rewarding (no cash involved, that's for sure), or as prestigious (you won't hear about this on ESPN or Sports Illustrated), but I feel recognition should be given to the team who exhibits the character and sportsmanship that a national title winner should exhibit.
Congratulations Kansas! Your certificate is in the mail.
This one comes a little earlier than the usual Friday posting, so pardon me while I mess with your regular Ramblings reading schedule! The Christmas holiday is shifting some things around for me so I figured I should get this out before the weekend starts, especially with the return of the college football picks with bowl games starting tonight!
So here is Kevin's Six Pack of Picks for the Weekend - Egg Nog Bowl Edition!
New Orleans Saints over Philadelphia Eagles Carolina Panthers over Dallas Cowboys Cleveland Browns over Cincinnati Bengals Utah over Navy (San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia ...whew!...Bowl) Memphis over Florida Atlantic (Up Up Down Down Left Right R + L Carriers New Orleans Bowl) Cincinatti over Southern Miss (Papajohns.com Bowl...because they couldn't just call it the Papajohns Bowl).
Last week I continued to leap towards the finish line with another abysmal week, although improved over the previous week, with a 2-4 record, putting my season long total at 62-36. C'mon Kevin, finish strong!
In other football picking news, I am currently 58 points behind my dad in his office pool for the year. While I am not mathematically eliminated, for all intents and purposes, I am not going to beat him this year. I don't remember the totals from last year but I imagine I closed the gap some on him this year. I did win as many times as him though this year with two weeks to go. I am also participating in a couple Bowl Game pick em contests; one with Sports Radio 950AM (click the button to check it out) and the other through ESPN's site. Through ESPN I am taking part in the Black Shoe Diaries pool, as well as the groups "pennsylvania people only" and taking my shot in the biggest pool titled ESPNU College Football Insider.
Here are my picks as they appear on ESPN's pools;
Click to enlarge
I'm playing big points against the Big Ten, with USC as my 32 point game against Illinois (Rose Bowl) and Florida over Michigan (Capital One Bowl). My somewhat surprising pick is 20 points on the Buckeyes against LSU in the BCS "Championship". The more I think about it the more I'm starting to think that Jim Tressel isn't going to be as unprepared as he was last year. Much was made about the speed factor between Ohio State and Florida. I witnessed a huge difference in coaching in addition to that and I feel that is often overlooked. By no means am I rooting for the Buckeyes, but I am starting to feel they will win...much to my chagrin.
Penn State is my eleven point game after I dropped it twice while filling it out. I don't think they will lose but I can't put many more points on Anthony Morelli and the offensive play calling. No offense (heh, get it? It's a play on words of course). I figure Dan Connor and Sean Lee are what kept PSU from being my 6 point game.
Alabama and Colorado is my one point game. Who knows what Alabama or Colorado teams will show up. I figure only Buffalo and Crimson Tide fans will be using a lot of points on that one.
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Now that we are in the downtime between regular season and bowl mania I thought it would be a good opportunity to look back on this crazy football season. In my eyes this was one of the mostunpredictable football seasons I have ever seen. While my Nittany Lions somehow seemed to be the only team who couldn't reach one of the top two spots in the polls this year, there were many story lines throughout the nation. With upset after upset, overtime after overtime, Heisman candidate after Heisman candidate, #1 after #1 and #2 after #2, there was never a shortage of conversation.
Feel free to debate this list as you please, as I am sure with the season the way it was there is a lot of room for suggestions and debates as to which game was most exciting or compelling.
10. Delaware 59, Navy 52 - While this game may not have had the magnitude of an SECmatch up, this game was one of the more exciting games of the season. This game was not for the fans of a good defensive game though as the host Navy Midshipmen and visiting Delaware Blue Hens combined for 111 points and 1,087 yards of offense. Delaware struck first and Navy scored the next 14 points in the first quarter. In the second quarter the squads alternated touchdowns with Delaware scoring 21 points and the game was tied at 28 at halftime.
The second half was just about as crazy with both teams scoring 17 points in the fourth quarter, but thanks to a pair of touchdown passes from Delaware quarterback Joe Flacco in the third quarter Delaware was able to pull out a hard fought, back and forth game and have the momentum at the end of the game to secure the upset victory on the road. It was the year of the upset after all. Delaware would continue their season, they may appear later on this list as well, and this Friday they will be playing Appalachian State for the national championship on the division 1AA level. A week after this game Navy would go on the road...
9. Navy 46, Notre Dame 44 (3OT) - Let us put aside all criticisms of the Notre Dame football program, its players and of course their coach. Notre Dame was in the thick of their worst season ever, we all know that. Navy was coming off a home upset to Delaware. All of that meant nothing on this day though as Navy snapped an unthinkable 43 game losing streak to the Fighting Irish. Just think about that; forty-three years! With all of that history and heavy metaphorical monkeys on the backs of the Midshipmen, this game had the nerve to go into triple overtime? You have to be kidding me! Of course, Notre Dame should have won this game, but thanks to a bonehead decision by Charlie Weis (see clip below), Navy was able to take the game into overtime.
The game went into a third overtime and Notre Dame was unable to convert for a touchdown on fourth down, sending Navy fans everywhere around the world in a frenzy that was long overdue. If Navy's loss to Delaware was a low point of the season, surely beating Notre Dame was the high point (although if you ask Navy fans they might still consider beating Army the true high point). Meanwhile, the Irish fans were left shakin', not stirred...
8. Trinity University 28, Millsaps 24 - You've seen it. If not, you're missing perhaps one of the best plays in college football history.
If you think this game makes this list just for this play, you are only half right. This game was legitimately a Top Ten worthy game. I try to take a lot of things into consideration. One of the reasons this game was great was because it had a lot riding on it as well. Two Top 25 teams battling it out for the SCAC lead scoring 25 points in the fourth quarter in hopes of increasing the odds of making the playoffs. You and I may not know much about these teams but this game makes the top ten list for sure.
7. Navy 74, North Texas 62 - Nope, it's not a basketball game folks. It is the highest scoring game on the top level of college football. Navy involved in three of the top ten games of the season already? You bet. Again, Navy doesn't like playing a game that defensive enthusiasts would enjoy, but that's ok. I enjoy watching a game like this when it is not for a championship or anything. This was just one in a hand full of high scoring football games that would make you think you were looking at a basketball score sheet.
6. Chadron State 76, Abilene Christian 74 (3OT) - To me, any playoff game that goes into overtime should be worthy of this list. This game is no exception. As my list counts down you may think that I hate defense. I promise you that is far from the truth, it just happens that offenses have been stealing the show so far. Take this game for example.
This Division 2 football game is now the highest scoring college football game in history, except for the Georgia Tech 222-0 ripping of Cumberland back in 1916 (before official NCAA records were kept). Playoff intensity is nice but what about a big come from behind victory? This is what that game was. Chadron trailed 35-14 at halftime, and 49-20 at the start of the fourth quarter. The Chadron State Eagles put together 36 points in the fourth quarter, including 17 in the final five minutes to force overtime, tied at 56-56. I can't imagine what that must have been like. Well I can, but I have never seen it. Chadron State quarterback Joe McLain somersaulted into the end-zone (see the above picture) to give Chadron their first lead of the game, and in doing so gave the Eagles the triple overtime victory, advancing them to the next round of the playoffs.
5. Oregon 24, USC 17 - Once upon a time USC was the unquestioned #1 team in the land. Then Stanford came along and squashed that idea, dropping USC to #9. While USC was being knocked off of the undefeated perch there were PAC 10 teams waiting to take the next step, and Oregon was the first to get a crack at it. The PAC-10 is more known for their offenses but defense was the key to this game as Oregon was able to force two interceptions on a USC backup quarterback and seal a victory that would launch Oregon to the newest sweethearts of pollsters. Dennis Dixon is a phenomenal athlete and he really is what made his team go. Dixon busted open a 76 yard run for a touchdown to compliment his steady passing attack. Oregon would climb to the coveted, yet dangerous, top two spot in the BCS rankings with the victory. Unfortunately for the Ducks, that was the high point of this season as an injury to Dixon would later remove him from the lineup, as well as the offensive juice to put together key drives.
Ironically, USC would recover from this loss and the Stanford loss to regain the PAC 10 title. Crazy!
4. Kentucky 43, LSU 37 (3OT) - Those of you who know me know that I am a Penn State fan. This does not mean I am a fan of the Big Ten. I have no problem saying that the SEC is the best conference in college football. How it took me this long to reach an SEC match up in the Top Ten list is mind boggling. The SEC was chock full of action this year but this may be one of the most memorable of the season. LSU entered the game as the number one team in the land. Kentucky was building their own momentum. Kentucky was actually coming off of a loss to Steve Spurrier's South Carolina Gamecocks, but quarterback Andre' Woodson was beginning to receive his own national spotlight, as rival Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm was dropping off the radar. Kentucky pulled off yet another upset in the crazy 2007 season, this time dropping #1 LSU in triple overtime. LSU did all of their scoring in the 2nd and 3rd quarters (except overtime) while Kentucky was steady the entire game, scoring a touchdown in each of the first three quarters, and two field goals in the final quarter. In overtime each team exchanged scores but LSU was stopped on their final play, failing to tie the game.
LSU somehow would go on to clinch the SEC championship and be awarded a slot in the BCS championship game despite having two losses.
#3. Oklahoma 41, Missouri 31 - Before the Big 12 championship game, there was the regular season match up. Missouri was rolling along in their season and Oklahoma was fresh off of their impressive Red River Shootout victory over rival Texas the week before. Missouri was unable to hold on to a fourth quarter lead as Oklahoma put together 18 fourth quarter points to turn a deficit into a ten point victory that would propel Oklahoma back into the national title picture. A couple weeks earlier Oklahoma had lost to Colorado.
Many feel that Missouri would have won if their best running back played and some believe that Missouri handed Oklahoma the game, but in the end you have to do things on your own no matter what. Oklahoma did that at home and held on. The two teams would later have a rematch in the Big 12 championship game, a game in which Oklahoma never let the game get away form them as they clinched the Big 12 title and earned a chance at the national championship, but they instead will play in the Fiesta Bowl against West Virginia.
#2. Arkansas, LSU (3OT) - Hi. Remember LSU? They lost in triple overtime to Kentucky earlier in the season. Well to top that one off they decided to do it one more time, but this time add even more drama to the game.
Instead of just being the #1 team, this time they were the #1 team in a trophy rivalry game. Oh, and a loss could officially eliminate them from BCS national title contention. I know, looking back on that now it seems kind of silly.
Arkansas has a really good running back, one who I thought should have won the Heisman trophy but whatever, in Darren McFadden. This game brought out the best in him. McFadden rushed for 206 yards, three touchdowns, and threw for one touchdown for 24 yards. LSU responded well just about every time but once again could not pull through in the third overtime. After each team scored touchdowns in the first two overtimes, Arkansas scored in the third overtime and converted the required two point conversion. When LSU scored a touchdown, Matt Flynn's pass was intercepted to clinch the game for the Razorbacks and seemingly dismantle LSU's title hopes.
But LSU knew by this time that patience would be a virtue. Much like THE Ohio State I suppose.
And now the number one game of the 2007 season. It should be of little surprise to anyone by now I believe...
#1. Appalachian State 34, Michigan 32- Words can not describe what makes this game so great. Upset of the century? Surprisingly, a lot of people didn't quite feel that way. People were quick to criticize Michigan coach Lloyd Carr and the coaching philosophy. People were also quick to compliment Appalachian State by saying that this wasn't a regular 1-AA team. But the fact was Michigan came into the season as the overwhelming favorite to win the Big Ten and make a run at the BCS championship. Throw out the last two games of last year is what Michigan fans wanted to do; this was their year. Chad Henne was back along with Mike Hart and Mario Manningham. Seniors all over and revenge on their mind. Ohio State was home at the end of the season. Perhaps the Wolverines were looking past not only Appalachian State, but everybody on their schedule towards Ohio State. Appalachian State....really? Make no mistake about it, this was the upset of the year. We didn't know back then in early September what kind of season was about to unfold, but this was definitely the best way to get it all started.
What makes this the number one game of the year is this; everybodyaround the nation was into it. Scores were being announced all over the country and fans of all schools were cheering, except for the folks in Ann Arbor of course. Teams from the 1AA level had beaten 1A opponents before of course, but Michigan was #5 coming into the season. After the potential game winning field goal was blocked, Michigan fell out of the polls, while some voters clamored for the right to place Appalachian State in the AP Top 25. The game was monumental.
I remember being on the road and listening to the Penn State-Florida International game on the radio when Steve Jones informed me that Appalachian State was leading at halftime. Huh? Interesting, I thought. I knew Michigan would get their act together and put the game away in the second half. I still can not believe I was wrong.
The score makes the game look closer than it really was too as Appalachian State was all over Michigan all day. The spread attack and speed of Appalachian State was just too much for the bigger and slower Michigan defense.
Appalachian State will play for the national championship this Friday against Delaware. Has any team ever played two teams with essentially the same uniforms to begin and end their season? Or how about Michigan? Has any team ever lost to two national championship teams in the same season (Ohio State plays for the BCS championship against LSU)?
Well there you have it folks, my comprehensive, yet brief, Top Ten College Football Games of 2007. With some bowls coming up I do hope that we see some good games to ring in the new year. As we approach the Alamo Bowl I'll be sure to share my thoughts on Penn State's chances (heads up, I am feeling a victory for Joe Pa) and perhaps we will look at the big bowl games and the most intriguing match-ups (hello Fiesta Bowl). In the meantime please, once again, feel free to leave your comments on this list. Did I miss a game? Do you feel a game should ranked higher (or lower)? What was your favorite game of 2007? I look forward to reading your comments.
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Sorry for being late with these, but if I get them in before games start it's legit! So just a quick post this week!
Philadelphia Eagles over New York Giants Tampa Bay Buccaneers over Houston Texans New England Patriots over Pittsburgh Steelers #4 Southern Illinois over #13 Delaware #7 California (PA) over #8 Valdosta State #1 Grand Valley State over #5 Northwest Missouri
Dan Connor, linebacker from Penn State, came up with what many would call an upset last night as he was awarded the Chuck Bedenarik Award for top defensive player in college football. Many believed that Glenn Dorsey, defensive lineman from LSU, was a cinch for the award and James Laurinaitis, linebacker from Ohio State and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year this season, was a possible second choice. Always seemingly overlooked are the Penn State linebackers though by many in the media, as I felt the case for Connor was.
After Connor received the award I let out a big yell of "YEAH!", to which Stef had instructed me to calm down immediately for fear of disturbing our neighbors. I couldn't help it because I was so proud that a Penn State linebacker received the recognition he deserved. Plus the stumped look on the face of Laurinaitis was cool too.
So, when exactly do they rename the Chuck Bednarik Award in honor of Penn State?
I'm just going to make this short and sweet. While I am blogging here on Blogspot I'll still keep my running total going on my WordPress blog, right here until the end of the season.
And while not going to extreme detail about my picks this week, I'll try to get a more in depth preview for next weekend. Seeing as it is a big weekend in an unpredictable football season, I picking only college games plus the Philadelphia Eagles game.
#12 Hawaii over Washington to clinch a spot in a BCS game. #1 Missouri over #9 Oklahoma to silence the critics in the Big 12 championship. #6 Virginia Tech over #11 Boston College for revenge form an earlier loss. #7 LSU over #14 Tennessee because they're peeved. #2 West Virginia over Pittsburgh to clinch a shot at the championship. Philadelphia Eagles over Seattle Seahawks because everybody loves AJ Feeley.
I don't really see any upsets happening this weekend, much to the chagrin of the Buckeyes of Ohio State.
BONUS D2 PLAYOFF PICK! #7 California (Pennsylvania) over #12 Shepherd in the Northeast Region Championship game.
Am I obsessed with football? Possibly. The funny thing is I never regarded it as my favorite sport. That would be baseball. Oddly enough though, football consumes me like no other sport. I watch the Phillies and pay attention to other games in baseball. I do not play in any fantasy leagues, I never know when the draft is, and I'll casually watch the playoffs, unless the Phillies somehow make it in. Football is a different story.
This season I find myself in a pair of fantasy football leagues in addition to two separate football pools and a suicide pool. I have been to more football games this season than I have baseball. I make my football picks every week. I get more into football, but I still think baseball is my favorite sport.
I'm not exactly sure anymore. Am I fooling myself into thinking baseball is still my favorite sport? Am I holding on to sentimental reasons for liking baseball more? I have always said I love the fact that you can sit back, relax, and enjoy a baseball game. Football is a lot more stressful and on the edge, clearly. Perhaps it is my laid back style that prefers baseball to football.
Check back for status updates on my baseball vs. football love affair as the month goes (read: as the Phillies playoff door slams shut).
Let's talk football though. I will be away at the shore this weekend in Wildwood, New Jersey for Irish Weekend so I am getting my picks out there today. And because of that, let's pick a Thursday night game, shall we?
The Miami Hurricanes take on #20 Texas A&M tonight in the Orange Bowl. The Hurricanes are obviously on somewhat of a rebuilding level. So is Notre Dame but Charlie Weis won't admit it. But then again, Charlie Weis won't admit a lot of things. Miami enters the ESPN match up at 2-1 after beating cross town rival Florida International. Miami needed a fluff opponent after getting licked by Oklahoma 51-13 the week before. I believe that Miami, as young and inexperienced as they may be, is very capable of knocking off Texas A&M tonight. The ACC is hoping that Miami can do it though, because their conference is in desperate need of a quality win. With their neighbors the SEC soaking up all the buzz lately the ACC is way behind. In fact the Big East, the conference that was supposed to be left for dead after the ACC raided the top teams, has blown past the ACC in many people's views. I'm still a little reserved on the hype of the Big East, but I support the notion that they are better than the ACC op to bottom. The Aggies have a great rushing offense and they could wear down the Hurricanes as the game drags on. Add to that the fact that A&M has all the momentum going for them in this series, winning the last game 70-14 in 1944, and Texas A&M is the obvious pick. Miami will keep it close though. Besides, Miami is caught in a trap game between Florida International and Duke.
The game that has clearly been soaking up my nervous sweat since the week began is the Penn State-Michigan game. The last time Penn State beat Michigan, I was in high school. They should have a couple games since then but that should be another story. But it is the harsh memories of blown games, calls, and lack of talent that cause me to think that the #10 Nittany Lions are about to drop in the rankings while unranked Michigan is about to make believers out of the media again. Mike Hart scares me.
SCARES ME!
This Penn State defense is really good. Don't discredit them for the teams they have played (Florida International, Buffalo and the worst team in college football, Notre Dame). This defense has talent. What scares me though is the fact that they haven't really been tested. Buffalo put up 24 on them, but that doesn't really concern me either since 21 of those points were 4th quarter scores. Everything should be going Penn State's way heading into this game. But everything should have been going Penn State's way in 1997 (L 8-34), 1999 (L 27-31), 2002 (L 24-27), and 2005 (L 25-27). Penn State has the defense. Michigan has the injured started QB. Penn State has the top ten ranking. Michigan has washed away national title dreams (Let's be honest, all they had before App. State were dreams anyway). Part of me wishes Notre Dame was better so we could maybe better assess both Michigan and Penn State. Both teams destroyed the Irish, leaving us really nothing to determine what kind of teams we have going into this weekend.
My heart says Penn State. Then again, it always says Penn State. At the start of the week I knew Michigan would win this game. But today, Thursday, I'm starting to believe a little more in Joe Paterno's squad. Maybe it's blind faith, maybe it's the fact that all losing streaks have to end at some point, or maybe it's just from reading these two very well put together blogs - MGoBlog, a great Michigan blog, and Run Up the Score!, the Penn State equivalent. While I may be thinking that Penn State is very capable of winning the game against the Wolverines on Saturday, I am not 100% ready to say a poor offensive showing, a bewildered Anthony Morelli, a pair of Austin Scott fumbles, or a lackluster receiving performance won't show up. The defense will play well. Mike Hart will get his yards, and he'll probably notch 100 yards. The key will be making sure he gets those 100 yards in small doses throughout the game. If he gets his 100th yard in the 4th quarter, Penn State wins. If he gets 100th yard early in the third, Michigan wins.
Hate to say it, but I'm picking Michigan. I'll probably pick Michiagn every time until Penn State pulls one out. If ever there was a year to do so, THIS IS THE YEAR!
Whew. all of that Penn State-Michigan talk wore me out. But I still have a few more games to pick! As you know I always pick the Shippensburg game of the week to pay homage to all of my fans in Red Raider Nation. They let me down last week with their second half collapse against Kutztown, and I'm going to have to punish them this week for it. The #20 West Chester University Golden Rams are heading to the Cumberland Valley and I see nothing that tells me the Rams won't pick up their third win of the season while in town. The school and town of Shippensburg are actually taking a page out of the Phillies' playbook and promoting their own "Paint the Town Red" hype. How did that turn out for the Phills? They started the season out 0-3. That wraps up the college games, so let's head to the NFL for a brief look.
Will the Eagles really go 0-3? I don't think so. The Detroit Lions come to Philly with a 2-0 record and something they call a group of "wide receivers". Apparently these wide receivers have the ability to catch footballs thrown their way after they create separation from their defenders. This something we once saw in Philadelphia when the ogre known as Terrell Owens was wearing green. I usually back Donovan McNabb to all the haters, but right now he needs to get healthy. He is clearly not helping the team at this moment in time! The defense has been playing well though, much better than people expected. I don't see this Eagles team going 0-3. I just don't. Maybe 1-4, but not 0-3. Eagles beat the Lions.
My favorite NFL quarterback, Matt Schaub, had a nice article about him written in this week's Sports Illustrated. HE may not have been on the cover, but his 2-0 start is starting to grab some eyes around the league. You think the Indianapolis Colts have realized they are tied at the top of the NFC South with the Texans? After Sunday, Schaub will start leading the Texans to a wild card berth. Colts will win this one, but Schaub will pass for 476 yards, five touchdowns, and run for two more. And the other darling quarterback, Tony Romo, is going to have a very frustrating night in Chicago as the Bears rough him up. Final score; Bears 52, Cowboys -10.
So here's the Week Four Recap for Kevin's Six Pack of Picks for the Weekend...
Philadelphia Eagles (0-2) over Detroit Lions (2-0) Indianapolis Colts (2-0) over Houston Texans (2-0) Chicago Bears (1-1) over Dallas Cowboys (2-0) Michigan (1-2) over #10 Penn State (3-0) #20 West Chester (2-1) over Shippensburg (0-3) #20 Texas A&M (3-0) over Miami (2-1)
I'll throw in my suicide pool pick too, just for kicks; Baltimore Ravens (home vs. Arizona Cardinals). I have already used Jacksonville (week two) and Dallas (week one)
This is a tough slate on hand. I hope I can turn around my downward slide. Week one I was 6-0. Week two I was 5-1. Week three I was 4-2. As if I wasn't nervous enough...
I always figured if I were a football player I would be a kicker. Trust me, I'd be most suited for that position if I worked at it.
So the first weekend of full football action is all but two Monday night NFL games away from being complete. For the first week since the beginning of January we had a full slate of college and pro football. If you were like me you even took in some high school action.
That's right, I was an NFL game away from the Triple Dip. Friday night Stef and I went out to Owen J. Roberts High School to meet up with our friends Mike and Heather, as well as Erica. Mike and Heather work with the West Chester East High School marching band, and Erica helps out with the OJR band. Yep, band nerds are always friends with fellow band nerds; what can I say. If you're reading this chances are you are or once were considered a "band nerd".
Anyway, East lost the game against OJR, unable to hold a 14-6 lead in the final minute of the fourth quarter, and losing 20-13 in the overtime session. East is not supposed to be very good this year but I felt like I witnessed a fun high school football game anyway. From there it was out to State College, Pennsylvania.
Penn State was all about revenge on Notre Dame after the 2006 clash left the Nittany Lions leaving South Bend without very much luck in a 41-17 drubbing. But Penn State was dominant on defense, not yielding an opposing offensive touchdown for the second straight week to start the season. Penn State would welcome the "phenom" freshman Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame's much-hyped starting quarterback, and it was obvious that a couple things happened;
Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis skimmed down the playbook, relying largely on the familiar half back screen pass and dump passes to the outside that killed the Eagles in the 2005 Super Bowl.
Clausen was getting frustrated and bewildered
Anthony Morelli needs to aplay a lot better, but...
...Penn State's defense is very capable of winning a lot of games by themselves.
The atmosphere from section WAU was great, although not quite Ohio State great. That could be expected though, as Notre Dame is not nearly the quality opponent Ohio State was. Still, even after the interception returned for a touchdown put Notre Dame up 7-0 early, the fans were in the game the whole time and the first ever stadium wide White Out was a success. Notre Dame fans were easy to pick out.
I would have uploaded the pictures I took form both days to my Flickr account, but I left my camera dock at my parents' house, and for some reason this computer does not recognize my SD card, so until I get my dock back I am unable to do so.
The Eagles atrted their season yesterday, and yesterday was a great day to sit on the futon and veg out in front of the tv watching football (we didn't get home from State College until 4:30am). Unfortuneately, the Eagles lost the season opener to the Packers in dissappointing fashion. Special teams, a unit that used to be the most solid on the team a few years back, was atrocious and literally muffed a shot at victory for the Eagles. McNabb had a number of poor passes that were low or deflected, and I felt Briwn Westbrook was underused, but Andy Reid's coaching career has a losing record on opening day, so I am not one of those fans who is ready to jump all over the team or coaches, as I'm sure a number of Philadelphia fans are. Sure, they ruined my second straight perfect week in my picks, but it's a long season anyway.
On a side note, I am in strong contention to win two separate football pools this week, although one doesn't award a monetary prize. So tonight, go Ravens and 49ers!
Here is a quick recap of how I did last week in my season opener;
#17 Penn State over Florida International CORRECT! #8 Shepherd over Shippensburg CORRECT! Connecticut over Duke CORRECT! Georgia Tech over Notre Dame CORRECT! #12 California over #15 Tennessee CORRECT! #1 USC over Idaho CORRECT!
That would be a record of 6-0 heading into an exciting week two. With the start of the NFL season tonight in Indianapolis and the Eagles getting started on Sunday, along with a couple high profile games in the college football world, this week proves to be a tough slate to pick.
But I must.
Seeing as tonight the defending Super Bowl champion Colts open up the season against last year's feel good story, and a lot of people's trendy NFC pick for this season, the New Orleans Saints, I feel I must pick this game. And it will be tough. Tough because the Colts have a lot of new faces on their team. I still question whether the defense righted themselves at the end of last season or if they will be the same old Colts; all offense, no defense in the regular season. I have never been a Peyton Manning, or any Manning, fan for a long time but have come to respect his performance in the regular season, especially at home. I was initially thinking the Saints would go in, un-rattled by the Colts' home environment. After all, they play in a dome as well and have probably the most efficient quarterback in their conference, Drew Brees. Reggie Bush is the center of attention for the Saints these days, as he should be, but the Saints defense is nothing special and that bodes well for the Colts. I think what we'll see in this game is two of the most efficient and precise, and patient quarterbacks picking apart the opposing defense.
The offenses are two different styles too. The Colts are more of a bland, pass the ball up field style while they are implementing a running attack with Joseph Addai coming into his own. The Saints are more flashy with Reggie Bush being able to do what Brian Westbrook and LaDainian Tomlinson do for their teams. I have questions though about aspects of their team that nobody else seems to point out. Will Marques Colston be as prominent this year now that defenses know who he is? Will Deuce McCallister stay healthy?
This is a case where I am picking the home team. I think the Colts will be able to out duel the Saints.
Have you seen the commercial for the game?
Now you have.
On the college side of the football spectrum, we are entering week two. I have thought for the past couple seasons that week two is the true start of the season. There are generally more games that are attractive than opening weekend featuring the higher profile schools. Look at these match-ups;
#14 Penn State vs. Notre Dame # 5 Oklahoma vs. Miami #2 LSU vs. #9 Virginia Tech Michigan vs. Oregon #7 Texas vs. #19 TCU #1 Appalachian State vs. Lenoir-Rhyne
Those are some great match-ups indeed. The reason we get better games in week two is because these big programs tend to schedule a tune up opponent (Florida International, Western Kentucky, Appalachian State...oh, wait) so they can get some game action against opposing players and thus refine their skills before they take on the next opponent, who will likely help them out later in the season with the polls. Now, as we saw in Ann Arbor, nothing is guaranteed. This is why Michigan's national title dream is done. I feel for the Michigan fans who will have to fight and claw their way back towards the top and they will have nothing to combat the constant Appalachian State critics. This season will be a lost cause for the Wolverines, because they won't beat Wisconsin anyway, and they could lose to Notre Dame, Penn State, Ohio State....or even, Oregon? I am very tempted to take the Ducks in the game but my gut tells me that Michigan, at home, will come out and show that they are better than what they did last week. Still though, the Pac-10 is continuing to demonstrate their dominance over the Big Ten and Oregon is a team that could beat the Wolverines again. If Michigan had won last week I would have taken Oregon this week. But this game, to me, is too risky to pick so I'm staying away form it all together. Go Ducks!
How about that for a Sports Illustrated cover jinx? Also, on the USC cover, one of their running backs that was on the cover trasferred to Florida just hours after the issue came out! Kudos Sports Illustrated!
I am clearly picking Penn State to throttle Notre Dame and I expect a a polar opposite result of the meeting last year when Notre Dame ran up the score on Penn State. Let's look at the game, Why wouldn't you pick Penn State in this one?
Penn State is a 17 point favorite
Penn State's defense was a beast last week, although against Florida International. PSU's defense was good last year and despite the weak opposition against FIU, there is still something to be said for -3 net rushing yards for FIU, 117 passing yards yielded, six forced fumbles (five recovered), FIU going 1-15 on 3rd down, no red zone scores, and seven sacks. It's not a fluke and it's not just FIU's level of play. This defense is hungry.
Notre Dame will start freshman Jimmy Clausen. Clausen may be all he is hyped to be down the road but...
...there will be a sold out Beaver Stadium making noise he has never heard before. When Beaver Stadium is rocking it is one of the toughest places to play in college football. Just ask Ohio State.
Not only will there be an overflow crowd on hand for the much anticipated game, over 90% of them are out to do whatever they can to get revenge for last season's atrocity in South Bend, where the Irish put a hurting on the Nittany Lions. Charlie Weis decided to run up the score as well when he put in a fake punt run when he already had a comfortable lead. You don't think Joe Paterno remembers that? Paterno has a history of making sure his team gets redemption the following season. Go back to 1997 when Paterno's #4 Nittany Lions lost 49-14 in East Lansing. The following season Penn State won 51-28. Do you think that's a coincidence? I do not.
Penn State wins this game easy. I'll be there so I'll get some photos up and a recap of the day at hand sometime Sunday or Monday. I don't know if I'll get around to it on Sunday though because the Philadelphia Eagles get their season started that afternoon at 1pm. Now that the Phillies blew yet another game I am ready to go into a full football mindset. Well, I guess 85% football, 15% baseball until the Phills are officially eliminated.
So enough babble, here are my picks for this week.
Kevin's Six Pack of Picks for the Weekend - Week 2 Philadelphia Eagles over Green Bay Packers Indianapolis Colts over New Orleans Saints Pittsburgh Steelers over Cleveland Browns #14 Penn State over Notre Dame Liberty over Shippensburg #2 LSU over #9 Virginia Tech
Do you smell that? That is the smell of the football field with the freshly painted yard lines. The teams are ready to go and so am I. College football is back this weekend! Yes, I know, there were a handful of division two games over the past week and there were a handful of games last night, but this weekend is the true start of the season as there are hundreds of games on hand.
If you frequently check my AIM profile during football season you are aware of my Six Pack of Picks in which I pick the winners of the Eagles, Penn State and Shippensburg games when applicable as well as any other significant games on a national scale to round out my six pack. This year will be no different.
Except for this grand opening weekend. I'm picking them all.
What, all of the conference games? Which conference? How many conferences? Big Ten? Big East? PSAC?
No friends, I'm picking every single game in division one and two this weekend and you'll only get them here. I don't know if I'm going to be able to track them all so therefore I will only be counting the "Six Pack of Picks" in my season long tally. Honestly, I just don't feel like tracking down all of the scores and keeping count. If somebody wants to do it for me then by all means, let me know how I did!
Let's start with the Six Pack shall we? Penn State and Shippensbug get their seasons started while the Philadelphia Eagles have one more week until opening in Green Bay. Here it is, the first in the 2007 edition of "Kevin's Six Pack of Picks for the Weekend";
#17 Penn State over Florida International (Closer than PSU fans will want; Offense holds back in preparation for Notre Dame) #8 Shepherd over Shippensburg (Rams just too talented for young Red Raiders) Connecticut over Duke (would rather see the basketball game though) Georgia Tech over Notre Dame (Who will the Irish QB be? As the Rock says, "It doesn't matter!") #12 California over #15 Tennessee (Cal looks for statement in opener) #1 USC over Idaho (USC could play their third stringer and win by 40 probably)
And the rest....seriously!
Football Bowl Subdivision Navy over Temple (Only time Navy plays in Philadelphia because Philly isn't smart enough to do whatever it takes to keep the Army-Navy game in Philly every year apparently) #5 Michigan over Appalachian State #9 Virginia Tech over East Carolina #11 Ohio State over Youngstown State (I would love it if I'm wrong) Colorado over Colorado State Northwestern over Northeastern. Next up for Wildcats; Northnorthern Michigan State over UAB Miami (Fl) over Marshall #6 Florida over Western Kentucky (Welcome to FBS Western Kentucky) Air Force over South Carolina State Virginia over Wyoming #3 West Virginia over Western Michigan #7 Wisconsin over Washington State #14 UCLA over Stanford #20 Nebraska over Nevada Boston College over Wake Forest Memphis over Mississippi Illinois over Missouri Iowa over Northern Illinois Oregon over Houston Middle Tennessee State over Florida Atlantic Bringham Young over Arizona #22 TCU over Baylor Kentucky over Eastern Kentucky Maryland over Villanova (Again, I'd love to be wrong) North Carolina State over UCF North Carolina over James Madison Pittsburgh over Eastern Michigan #13 Georgia over Oklahoma State (Wouldn't be shocked if the Cowboys win though) #4 Texas over Arkansas State #8 Oklahoma over North Texas #21 Arkansas over Troy #25 Texas A&M over Montana State Ohio over Gardner-Webb (Who???) Vanderbilt over Richmond Akron over Army Central Michigan over Kansas Louisiana Tech over Central Arkansas Southern Miss over Tennessee-Martin South Carolina over Louisiana-Lafayette Toledo over Purdue South Florida over Elon Alabama over Western Carolina #18 Auburn over Kansas State Indiana over Indiana State Bowling Green over Minnesota Rice over Nichols State Arizona State over San Jose State Fresno State over Sacramento State New Mexico over UTEP #23 Hawaii over Northern Colorado Texas Tech over SMU (Monday) Clemson over #19 Florida State (Monday - FSU is overrated)
Football Championship Subdivision - games not already mentioned
St. Francis (Pa) over St. Peter's Massachusetts over Holy Cross Rhode Island over Fordham Iona over Delaware Valley Colgate over Albany Robert Morris over Dayton Virginia Military Institute over Lock Haven Arkansas-Pine Bluff over Mississippi Valley State Citadel over Charleston Southern Murray State over Huntingdon Southern University over Florida A&M UC Davis over Western Washington Montana over Southern Utah Bethune-Cookman over Jacksonville Monmouth over Maine Lafayette over Marist Bucknell over Duquesne Norfolk State over Virginia State Stony Brook over Georgetown North Carolina A&T over Winston-Salem Furman over Presbyterian Texas State over Cal Poly Grambling State over Alcorn State Austin Peay over Bethel Coastal Carolina over Delaware State Jackson State over Delta State Liberty over Tusculum Northwestern State over Henderson State Stephen F. Austin over Tarlton State (Because Stone Cold said so!) Alabama A&M over Tennessee State Wofford over Georgetown (Ky) Alabama State over Jacksonville State McNeese State over Portland State Texas Southern over Prairie View A&M North Carolina Central over Fayetteville State
Division Two - games not already mentioned
Fairmont State over Apprentice Southern Arkansas over Arkansas-Monticello Augustana over Concordia-St. Benedict over Livingstone Bloomsburg over C.W. Post Brevard over Shorter (what kind of name is that?) California (Pa) over Glenville State Central Oklahoma over Abilene Christian Chadron State over Wayne State (Ne) Tiffin over Clarion West Georgia over Clark Atlanta Colorado Mines over Washburn MSUMoorhead over Concordia Davidson over UNC-Pembroke Dixie State over Adams State West Chester over Edinboro Catawba over Elizabeth City Ferris State over Kentucky State Findlay over Charleston Hillsdale over Gannon Northern Michigan over Indianapolis Mesa State over Humboldt State Minnesota-Duluth over Bemidji State Missouri Western over Baker Morehouse over Fort Valley Nebraska-Omaha over Nebraska-Kearney New Mexico Highlands over Bacone Newberry over Chowan North Greenville over Virginia-Wise Northwood over Mercyhurst Panhandle State over Langston Pittsburg State over East Central Saginaw Valley over Ashland
There you have it folks! Every single game being played on or after Saturday. I threw in the Temple-Navy game which is Friday night just because I didn't want to leave Temple out. If you're a fan of a division 3 team or of an NAIA team I apologize for not including your slate of games not mentioned here. But how much coverage can I handle??? Perhaps another time!
