Bernie Ball

For Curt Runger...

2009-08-28T15:50:00.002-04:00

Clemson is the most overrated school on the planet...if anyone wants to win some money find Curt Runger and make him a bet he will undoubtedly accept.

Let the Madness Begin...

2009-03-18T20:04:00.002-04:00

This year's March Madness will be one of the craziest in years past in my opinion. I do not think there is any team besides the 15 and 16 seeds that can't win a game.

Questions entering the tournament:

Can Pitt FINALLY make that deep run? Can Duke toughen up enough to get past the first weekend? How will Ty Lawson's absence affect the heels and for how long? Will Memphis use its snubbing of a 1 seed as motivation and make it to its 4th straight elite eight? How will Louisville play after its remarkable run through the Big East Tournament? Will Clemson play like the Clemson of last year in March? Which 10-14 seed will surprise people? Can the 40 minutes of hell really make a deep run through Marquette and Memphis? Will the Big East play well with all the pressure on the conference? Will the SEC win a first round game?

Best First Round Matchups:
-Eric Maynor vs. Darren Collison
-Dionte Christmas vs. James Harden
-Grevis Vasquez vs. Brian Randle
-Sherron Collins vs. Ben Woodside
-Jeff Teague vs. Cedric Jackson
-Tyrese Rice vs. Daniel Hackett
-John Brockman vs. Jarvis Varnado

Although I predict this could be a wacky tournament, I still feel like the big boys will be there in the end competing in the final four. I am taking off work tomorrow to watch the games. I hope I don't miss a minute of the competition as I will be competing with myself to stay awake and continue filling my body with gross bar food and cheap beer. Wish me luck and enjoy Day 1.

Tourney Time

2009-03-16T11:12:00.001-04:00

To find out all my thoughts on the way the brackets shaped out, please come back to Bernieball on the eve of the tournament. I will not give my predictions on winners specifically because I can't give away my picks as I will be in many pools, but I will breakdown certain matchups and what could arise.

Heading into the Second Season

2009-03-09T08:13:00.002-04:00

Simply put, this has been an awesome year for college basketball. It seems like every time a new team was ranked No. 1 they lost. However, there were some things that people expected that ended the way it should:

-North Carolina stumbled a little because of its defense, but ended up winning the ACC conference as everyone predicted.

-Memphis went undefeated in Conference USA and inevitably will earn a No. 1 or No. 2 seed going into March Madness. They also have the clear cut number 1 recruiting class in the nation after getting a commitment from big man Demarcus Cousins.

-Louisville won the Big East which might surprise a few, but Pitt and Uconn will still get the number 1 seeds in the tournament...how is that for some irony.

-Gonzaga went undefeated in the WCC and after a shaky mid-season start, got their act together and seem to be hitting their stride at the right time.

-Duke again seems like it is not tough enough to make a serious run, although inserting Elliot Williams into the starting lineup has made a very big impact.

-The Pac 10 and SEC were down this year without a clear dominant team. Both need to pick it up in recruiting or they will continue to struggle in post-season play.

I was very surprised at the teams that struggled during the second half of the year. These teams have loads of talent and just couldn't string anything together when they got deep into conference play.

-Notre Dame, Tennessee, Baylor, Georgetown and Texas. Only Texas and Tennessee will make the dance simply because of the conferences being down this season. Texas, however, did string some nice wins together in UCLA and Villanova. Mike Brey keeps coaching, but I am wondering when ND will cut its losses and try and find a proven winner.

The conference tournaments should be fun this week and I'm hoping to get out to the Big East tournament either Wednesday or Thursday night. Bubble teams are rooting hard for schools like Memphis, Gonzaga, Xavier and others to win so a random teams like Southern Miss, San Francisco and St. Joe's doesn't steal an automatic bid.

Let the fun begin.

2nd Half of the College Basketball Season

2009-03-05T17:57:00.003-05:00

Well folks, it has been a while and I am sure I have lost some of my loyal readers because of my lack of posts, but I assure you....I have been watching A LOT of college basketball.

I am making it my goal to give a final post before conference tournaments begin and then of course you will get ALL of my thoughts on how the brackets shaped out and who I think got snubbed as well as who shouldn't have gotten in.

First Half of the Season...

2009-01-14T16:54:00.003-05:00

Ahhh, the first half of the college basketball season is finally over and we are now into conference play. There are many things that stand out in my mind right now as I have watched HUNDREDS, yes, HUNDREDS of games throughout the first 2.5 months of the year.

North Carolina has the most talent in the country, period....however, THEY DO NOT DEFEND. They will not win the national championship if they continue to defend the way they are defending right now. Ty lawson and Wayne Ellington just can't stop penetration and has cost them two games....they are really missing Marcus Ginyard.

The Big East is by far the best conference as everyone has predicted and the depth in that conference is simply amazing. Syracuse, Pitt, Georgetown, Louisville, Notre Dame and Connecticut are all LEGITIMATE final four contenders with Villanova, Marquette and West Virginia as solid mid-level teams.

Stephen Curry has been all he has been talked up to be and so has Blake Griffin, but the surprise player in the country right now has to Jodie Meeks who just dropped 54 points on Tennessee while hitting 10/15 three's. Meeks is capable of taking Kentucky far in the tournament because Billy Gillespie teams always get better when March rolls around.

Memphis is not as good as last season which we already knew, but what we didn't know was who was going to play point guard and the Tigers have found their answer. Tyreke Evans has been phenomenal at the point and continues to make strides as the season gets older. Memphis beat Tulsa last night on an Antonio Anderson buzzer beater (the kid is straight clutch) and this was after shooting 11-25 from the free throw line (44%). How many teams would shoot 44% from the line and still win the basketball game? Not many is the answer.

Tennessee is really struggling right now and I LOVE EVERY MINUTE OF IT. Now maybe those Tennessee fans will quit thinking they are a top 10 team and just shut up and watch them derail. Bruce Pearl has loads of talent and is continually finding ways to get blown out on the road and at home. He is a poor man's John Calipari and will never make it as far. His organized chaos will not work in the NCAA tournament over a 4 game stretch. Teams are not going to turn the ball over 20 times 4 games in a row. You have to play defense if you want to win in March and this is something UT refuses to do and they will keep losing if this continues.

It should be a very exciting conference season and I will give a mid-conference update in 2-3 weeks. My pick to win the NCAA tournament is still the University of North Carolina, however, if they do not pick up their defense I will be completely wrong.

College Basketball is finally back

2008-11-28T21:43:00.002-05:00

I have really been slacking on my blog as of late, but that is due to me being ridiculously busy the last month or so...but no worries, I have seen a ton of college basketball games and I will share with everyone my thoughts after the first few weeks of the season.

North Carolina is by far and away the best team in college basketball and they might not lose a single game this year, but I don't think they should be allowed to with all the talent they have coming back. Still, the last image I have in my head from last year was seeing them losing 40-12 to Kansas and wondering how the hell they could let that happen, but we'll see if this year is any different. They have the most talent in the nation by a longshot, but who knows what team will show up in March...i'd bet um to win it all though as Vegas has them at 2/1 (the fewest odds ever given to a team entering the year).

The Big e\East is looking strong as ever. They are the best conference yet again and I hope all the ACC homers will not be idiots and try to argue with that.

Wake forest is this year's Purdue of 07-8. Very young, very tough and very talented. I think they can make a 2nd weekend run at the NCAA tournament, but ultimately they won't have enough experience to take the next step.

Conference USA is going to be stronger. UAB and UTEP are both playing really well early. I just watched UTEP go toe to toe with Wake Forest and the Miners could be a scary team come late February. UAB has played some tough competition early as well as they beat Arizona and Old Dominion, two very good wins to start the year. They also went basket for basket with Oklahoma who Fran Frischilla just called the best team in the nation.

The Pac 10 is going to be mediocre top to bottom. UCLA is not what they have been the last 3 years and Arizona, Washington, Washington State, Oregon and Stanford are all going to slightly above average. I like ASU to win the Pac 10 and get a pretty high seed for the tournament.

Duke is going to get over the hump this season. They have the talent, depth and leadership they have been lacking the past few seasons and I am excited for Elliot Williams to shine as a dukie.

Memphis is not going to be able to win games and not make free throws like last year. They had the talent to win games even if they were horrible from the line, but we don't have the offensive fire power we had last season. It could be a year of high's and low's but I still think this team has sweet sixteen, elite eight potential. It doesn't even matter because if Memphis brings in John Wall to go with Xavier Henry, Nolan Dennis, Darnell Dodson and Will Coleman, it'll be the best freshman class since CDR and co in 2005-2006.

My sleepers for this seasons are Wake Forest, Michigan and Oklahoma State. Those are three teams who I think are undervalued and will be a very tough team to beat come the end of conference season.

My All America team is as follows:

-Tyler Hansbrough, UNC

-Blake Griffin, Oklahoma

-Stephen Curry, Davidson

-Luke Harangody, Notre Dame

-Ty Rice, Boston College

My All Defensive Team:

-Antonio Anderson, Memphis

-Darren Collison, UCLA

-Jon Brockman, Washington

-Jordan Hill, Arizona

-Marcus Ginyard, UNC

All Freshman Team:

-Willie Warren, Oklahoma

-Samardo Samuels, Louisville

-Greg Monroe, Georgetown

-Tyreke Evans, Memphis

-Jrue Holliday, UCLA

All Underrated Team:

-Stefon Jackson, UTEP

-Alfred Aboya, UCLA

-Jeremy Hazell, Seton Hall

-Jack McClinton, Miami

-A.J. Abrams

Top 5 Impact Transfers:

-Kareem Cooper, Memphis to UTEP

-Trevon Willis, Memphis to UNLV

-Alex Legion, Kentucky to Illinois

-Chamberlin Oguchi, Oregon to Illinois State

-Reginald Delk, Mississippi State to Louisville

That's all for now, check for more updates in the coming weeks.

Life

2008-11-11T23:38:00.002-05:00

This will probably come as a shock to most who know me best, but sports are not the only thing in life worth writing/talking about, although this will probably be the last non-sports post I make. My grandfather recently died and he was my first close family member to pass away and I wasn't sure how I was going to take it. It's definitely one of the saddest things in the world to see your family in tears over someone that everyone was so close with and especially someone who was such a great man like my grandfather was.

He hasn't been the same since about the late 90's, but if there was one thing I can take from him it is this: he always made sure I knew life is not long at all and you shouldn't waste a day of it. He wanted us, his family, to know that he wouldn't be around forever and life will still go on. It just may have hit me at age 23, that maybe I have been taking some things for granted. You should wake up everyday with a smile on your face for the simple fact that you get to live to see another day. I definitely have not held up my end of the bargain with that one, but it is quickly going to change.

You never know what you might discover, who you could meet, what you could see in one of the thousands of days that you will spend on earth. My grandpa lived just shy of 30,000 days and if there was one person who didn't waste a day on this planet, it was him. He was a teacher, an author, a minor league pitcher, an historian, a WWII veteran, a father, a husband and most importantly one of the kindest individuals you will ever meet. So, for those of you who took the time to read this post, please remember that living is an incredible gift in and of itself.

Why all the Parity?

2008-10-02T09:27:00.003-04:00

Whether it's Clemson losing at home to Maryland or Wake Forest losing at home to Navy or Florida losing at home to Ole Miss or Georgia getting beat 31-0 in 30:00 minutes of football or a pathetic Michigan team coming back from 18 down to beat top 10 Wisconsin or USC getting beat 21-0 by Oregon State at half, the parady is just killing me.

I'm not sure why all of a sudden these upsets are becoming the norm in the college football world, but it all started last season when teams ranked #1 or #2 lost to unranked teams SEVEN times. I happen to think it's because every week is the super bowl. You can't afford to lose and control your own destiny. I think its ironic that the fans love an underdog, but hate the BCS. The BCS, in my opinion, is what causes all of these upsets. The pressure is on every week to perform as good as the number next to your team name and god forbid if you don't, you lose hope in winning a national title. Pre-season rankings are just for the fans and shouldn't even come into play until week 7 or 8. They are strictly for the purpose of getting pre-season chatter going for the fans to talk about whose team is better and ranked higher.

USC could still be the best team in the country, but since they had one bad half of football, they are barely in the national title discussion anymore. The only thing USC should have to do since losing to Oregon State is get a lower seed than other teams (if we had a playoff). They shouldn't be considered out of the championship race. Should UNC have been left out of the chance to win a national title in basketball in 2005 when they opened with a loss to UC Santa Barbara? No.

The only thing the BCS does, that I am in favor of, is making each week so exciting knowing that you can't slip. To me, for my Missouri Tigers, it's very intense waking up every Saturday wondering if we're going to lose and take ourselves out of the race. If we get by, it's just another week that we are still at the top of the polls, controlling our own destiny. However, for my Missouri sqaud, as good as they are they have not been able to beat the two most successful programs in the Big 12, Texas and Okkahoma. They have always been the cream of the crop in the conference and when their athletes come to play it seems like Missouri's size and depth really shows.

I've been told by some die-hard, life-long Missouri fans that this team is "different." Well, we'll see how different they are starting this Saturday when Missouri tries to win in Lincoln for the first time in forever. Although Mizzou is a favorite their for the first time (which is different) they still have to run out of that tunnel and see all the red. Chase Daniel wasn't up to the challenge in Lincoln in 2006, but he must be on his A game if the Tigers want to get out of there with a win.

This game Saturday will go a long way of showing me how we are going to handle some adversity. We have not faced any this year and if something goes wrong in Nebraska, how will these "different" Tigers react? Only time will tell whether this high-powered offense, slightly above average defense and solid special teams can play with the big boys, the teams who are always up at the top, always getting the best recruits, always re-loading instead of re-building. Only time will tell.

Weeks 1 and 2

2008-09-09T13:01:00.002-04:00

Things that stand out in my mind after watching the first two weeks of college football:

-East Carolina is making Conference USA look better and better. The Pirates have been the story of the college football season thus far and really caught the country's attention after they destroyed West Virginia by three touchdowns. The Pirates are for real.

-The two most winninest programs in college football are very very bad. Michigan and Notre Dame face off this Saturday and will probably get the worst ratings of any game they've ever played. Michigan gets beat by Utah and then struggles against Miami (Oh) while Notre Dame scathes through their first game against SDSU who lost to D1-AA Cal Poly in week one. The Wolverines and the Irish are just plain boring to watch.

-The Big 12 is making a serious run at challenging the SEC as the best conference in 2008. The SEC still has the edge, but the Big 12 is closing the gap with the emergence of the Big 12 North.

-The ACC is AT-rocious (if you know me, you know why I typed it like that). Clemson, supposedly the best team in the conference looked pitaful against the Crimson Tide. I watched Georgia Tech beat Boston College this weekend and literally it was the worst game I may have ever seen. I have not seen more fumbles and confusion on a football field than what I saw Saturday...this conference is just plain miserable.

-This next month will start to weed out the good teams from the average teams. I like USC, Georgia, Florida and Missouri to emerge out of the pack as the four best teams in the land. I think that Ohio State, Oklahoma and LSU will all stumble once in the next 4 weeks.

Bernie Awards

2008-08-27T14:02:00.003-04:00

Great talents you’ve never heard of:
- Eugene Jarvis, RB Kent St.
- Dante Love, WR Ball St.
- Carlos Singleton, WR Memphis
- Chase Holbrook, QB New Mexico State
- Luke Lippincott, RB Nevada

Impact Freshman Right Away:
- Chris Rainey, RB Florida
- Julio Jones, WR Alabama
- A.J. Green, WR Georgia
- Terrelle Pryor, QB Ohio St.
- Darrel Scott, RB Colorado

Impact Transfers:
- Jevan Snead, QB Ole Miss
- Emmanuel Moody, RB Florida
- Arkelon Hall, QB Memphis
- Jerimy Finch, FS Indiana
- Walter Mendenhall, RB Illinois St (haha)

Closing out a Great Career:
- Chase Daniel, QB Missouri
- Pat White, QB West Virginia
- Jasper Brinkley, LB South Carolina
- James Davis, RB Clemson
- Arian Foster, RB Tennessee

On the Rise:
- Fresno State
- Ole Miss
- Missouri
- Pittsburgh
- Miami

Down Year Awaits:
- Hawaii
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Texas
- Arkansas

Looking to Break Out of Slump:
- Colt McCoy, QB Texas
- John Parker Wilson, QB Alabam
- Brad Lester, Rb Auburn
- Jared Perry, WR Missouri
- Tyrell Sutton, RB Northwestern

Build on SOlid Freshman Year:
- Jeremy Maclin, WR Missouri
- Noel Devine, RB West Virginia
- Demarco Murray, RB Oklahoma
- LeSean McCoy, RB Pitt
- Knowshon Moreno, Rb Georgia

Underrated Coaches:
- Houston Nutt, Ole Miss
- Mark Dantoni, Michigan State
- Mike Riley, Oregon State
- Gary Pinkel, Missouri
- Rich Brooks, Kentucky

Overrated Coaches:
- Phil Fulmer, Tennessee
- Joe Tiller, Purdue
- Tommy Bowden, Clemson
- Kirki Ferentz, Iowa
- Bobby Bowden, Florida State

2nd Half Preview

2008-08-27T09:40:00.005-04:00

4. Big Ten: Four Teams in the top 25. Two BCS Bids last year. Very top heavy.

Michigan: If you want some proof that Michigan has changed a bit, look no further than the league’s preseason poll. For the first time in 13 years, Michigan was not chosen in the top 3. Rich Rodriguez comes to Michigan from West Virginia having completely resurrecting that program. He is going to need time though to get “his” players in this system as Lloyd Carr did not recruit spread offense skill players. Steven Threet looks to be the starter on opening day and with Kevin Grady’s off the field issues, Brandon Minor might start against the Utes in the home opener which Wolverine fans are hoping doesn’t end like last seasons App. State game. Like Joe Tiller, Rodriguez is trying to instill an offense into a conference that has been built off hard running and minimal packages. A win Sept. 13th @ Notre Dame is one of the bigger statement games that the Michigan will have played in a long time. I think Michigan will be a lot better than people expect them to be and this could allow them to creep up on some teams, but when you see those helmets it’s pretty hard to overlook the maize and blue.

#2 Ohio State: Surprise, surprise. The Buckeyes got blasted in the national title by another SEC school in 2007. 2008 looks pretty nice, however, for the Buckeyes who return 18 starters and add one of the best recruits in the nation, QB Terrelle Pryor. Jim Tressel and his ugly sweatervest might find himself coaching in the BCS title game again this season. The Buckeyes toughest test will be against USC September 13th in the biggest non-conference game of the season. After that, Ohio State’s toughest games are @ Wisconsin, @ Penn St. and @ Illinois. Michigan comes to the horseshoe to end the year as always. If the Buckeyes can get through their schedule with only one loss, look for them to make it back to the national championship and get crushed by another, more elite SEC team. Gosh, for some reason I just hate this damn University with almost as much passion as I do Kansas and Tennessee.

#22 Penn State: Joe Pa is still coaching so things in Happy Valley couldn't be better right? I think the Nittany Lions are going to fly under the radar in the Big Ten. Anthony Morelli wasn't exactly the reason why this team won nine games last year, so I don't think the QB situation will be as big of a problem as people expect. The D-line should be very good led by the pass rushing animal in Maurice Evans. There is a ton of experience, but it won't matter unless they can get solid play from the skill positions. The offensive line is as solid as anyone in the big ten so establishing the run shouldn't be too tough. PSU has Michigan and Illinois at home, but must go to Ohio State, Wisconsin and Purdue.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Find a consistent QB to open up the run, beat Oregon State on Sept. 6th and take care of the football on offense.

#20 Illinois: Rashard Mendenhall has made his way to Pittsburgh to play in the NFL, but there is still talent in place in Champaign. Juice Williams and super soph Arrelious Benn are dangerous players on the offensive side of the ball and Vontae Davis, Vernon's little brother heads up a very underrated defense (just ask Ohio State). The Fighitng Illini face a daunting schedule though as they take on Missouri in St. Louis, @ Penn State, @ Michigan St., @ Wisconsin and Ohio State at home. They need to win three of those five to have a fighting chance at a Big Ten title. The passing game needs to continue to progress as it was the key in 2007. Benn needs to assert himself and I have heard that Ron Zook might even use Benn in the backfield at some point this season.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Find Rashard's replacement, sure up the offensive line and get through a rough Big Ten schedule without dropping too many games.

Northwestern: Pat Fitzgerald has enough returning talent to expect a great season. Northwestern can always put up some points, but can they defend? QV C.J Bacher and RB Tyrell Sutton are the gems of this offensive unit and they should have one of the Big Ten’s best offenses in 2008. The defense suffered some key losses, but they only need to hold opponents under 30 points, which sometimes they couldn’t do last season. The offensive line did take some big hits so they’ll have to find some big ugly’s to protect CJ. The secondary has to be stronger with corners Deante Battle and Reggie Mcpherson. They should win their opener against Syracuse and then the Big Ten schedule comes not to far after. Defensive End Corey Wootton has NFL potential and he will be a key aspect in this teams success on the defensive side of the ball.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Keep Tyrell Sutton healthy, sure up the offensive line and show improvements on defense.

Michigan State: Mark Dantonio’s first season at Michigan State didn’t change what most Spartan fans usually see; a very talented State team that folds and fumbles in certain points during the year. However, after losing three straight they did go on the road to beat Purdue and Penn State at home and then took BC to the wire in the bowl game. Javon Ringer is one of the most underrated backs in the nation and he should be phenomenal this season for the green and white. QB Brian Hoyer had a very good year and looks to build on that in 08 opening against Cal. They must win games early because the end of the schedule has Ohio State, @ Michigan, Wisconsin, Purdue and @ Penn State. The Spartans were 10th in the league in punting and they’ll need very good field possession for as much running as they like to do. They were also 118th in punt returns so expect both of those to change.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Win early, get better in the special teams and avoid the typical Mich. St. slump.

Purdue: QB Curtis Painter is back and you know exactly what you are getting from him. He is going to sling it around and should have some run support from Kory Sheets and Jaycen Taylor. The defense will need time to replace some key players, but the offense should be able to give them time to get into a groove. Greg Orton will need to make some plays downfield for a Boilermaker team that is built off of the “long ball.” Something that will help them is dropping Wisconsin and Illinois off of the schedule. Danny Hope will take over the reins in Joe Tiller’s final season in West Lafayette. The defense is not in place to be remarkable this season, but Boilermaker fans have grown accustomed to this. The non-conference schedule has Oregon, an even better Central Michigan and a trip to South Bend to face Notre Dame. The offense needs to show that it can play against the best and not the lower level Big Ten teams and the MAC.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Find something that works on defense, play big against the big teams and send Joe Tiller out on a plus.

#13 Wisconsin: Besides Clemson, I think the Badgers have the best 1-2 punch at running back in America. P.J. Hill and Zach Smith lead a powerful rushing attack behind Kansas State QB Allan Evridge. Evridge is ready to hit the ground running and he will need to get off to a good start because the Badgers have a fairly tough non-conference schedule. They have an underrated Marshall team coming in Sept. 6th and then must travel to face BCS buster Fresno State. Here are the first seven games of the Big Ten season for Wisconsin: @ Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, @ Iowa, Illinois, @ Michigan State and @ Indiana. That's six bowl teams and a trip to Iowa City which is going to be tough to get through. The line needs to get back to being Wisconsin, meaning a big meaty front five that don’t have problems protecting the quarterback.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Protect Allan Evridge, make a name for themselves on defense and get through the first seven conference games 5-2 or better.

Indiana: QB Kellen Lewis back, the offense should continue to improve as long as the line, which has four returning starters, gives him time to work. He had his off the field issues this past off-season, but is ready to have a solid junior campaign. PK Austin Starr is the best player on this team and if it ever gets down to the clutch, IU has the edge over just about anybody in the kicking game. The Hoosiers also have no Ohio State and Michigan for the second straight season (which has plenty to do with them winning six games last year). James Hardy is gone and Indiana is lucky to get a player like that once every four or five years. Indiana loves to blitz, but lost some talent on the corners which may hold them back some this fall. I like the Hoosiers to challenge for another bowl birth this season, but if they have any injuries whatsoever, it becomes very unlikely.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Ride Kellen Lewis, stay injury free and thank god they don’t have to play Ohio State or Michigan.

Iowa: Due to them being the most boring team to watch in the country and the rape incident that occurred in Iowa City involving Iowa players I will not give them a preview. I hope they lose every game.

Minnesota: Ok, so the Golden Gophers lost to Florida Atlantic, North Dakota State and every Big Ten game on the schedule, but were they really that bad? Yes, but they were very very young to Tim Brewster’s credit. He gave the freshman some very meaningful experience and the QB/WR combination of Adam Weber and Eric Decker really started pickup towards the end of the season. This year, the schedule won't be an excuse with a non-conference schedule against Northern Illinois, Bowling Green, Montana State and Florida Atlantic. Minnesota needs to work on defense and has to find one thing that they do well and try and use it to their advantage as much as possible.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Improve from 07, find a defense that fits the system and continue to surround Adam Weber with talent.

Conference Champion: Ohio State Overachieve: Mich St. Underachieve: Purdue

5. Big East: Three ranked teams. Tons of sleepers. Good talent on every single team minus Syracuse.

#8 West Virginia: Bill Stewart gave WV fans something to smile about heading into the off-season with the massacre of Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl last season. The big thing Stewart will need to prove is that he can recruit players like Rich Rod could. The Mountaineers should win the Big East even with Steve Slaton vamping to the NFL. In steps super Soph. Noel Devine who is just as dangerous as Slaton in the backfield. Pat White will be protected by a veteran O line that dominated Oklahoma in the trenches on January 2nd. The defense does have to replace seven starters so WV may have to put up some points to win games. Morgantown is excited for this new era of Mountaineer football. I have heard rumors that Pat White will also spend sometime at wide receiver with the lack of experience West Virginia will have in that position.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Win the games they should, find a playmaking receiver and beat Auburn to prove to the country you are for real.

#19 South Florida: The Bulls only lost one starter on an offense that tallied more than 400 yards a game last season. Matt Grothe had the Bulls at #2 in the country last year, but that dream ended and South Florida got trounced by a depleted Oregon team in the Sun Bowl. George Selvie is the best defensive end in the nation and he comes back to anchor a defense that should have just enough talent to challenge for the Big East. The non-conference slate has UT-Martin, UCF, Kansas, @ FIU and @ Nc State. The Bulls are very good in warm weather, but when they step out of their elements, they don’t seem to fare as well (losses @ Cincinnati and @ Uconn). The Bulls have a great up and coming coach in Jim Leavitt and as long as he is roaming the sidelines, I think South Florida is in a very good position to compete for a league championship ever year.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Find other playmakers on defense, create turnovers and stay poised down the stretch of the season.

#25 Pittsburgh: LeSean McCoy LeSean McCoy LeSean McCoy. He is the reason why the expectations are very high in Pittsburgh this season. He is one of the best running backs in the nation and had as good of a freshman season as you can hope to have. Beating West Virginia gave Panther fans hope that this team has a real shot to be legit in 2008 behind a great defense and a Heisman candidate at running back. Four of the seven losses last year were by four points or loss. McCoy can’t do it all though so Pat Bostick needs to be able to throw it consistently and not turn the ball over. If he can’t get the job done, JUCO transfers Greg Cross and Robb Houser might be called upon to step in jump-start this offense when teams are putting eight in the box to stop LeSean. The Panthers have not been bowling in a long time and I think they will go as far as McCoy and Wannstedt can take them.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Find a consistent QB, keep the offensive line healthy and protect home field against Louisville, Rutgers and West Virginia.

Rutgers: Even with the departure of Ray Rice, Rutgers still has a slew of talent on the offensive side of the ball including QB Mike Teel and WR Kenny Britt. The defense is lead by FS Courtney Greene who gave up the NFL for one more season of Big East football. He will play along side eight returning starters on a defense that finished the year ranked 17th in the nation. The offensive line did lose three starters so Greg Schiano’s biggest test will be to find a running game that can get yards on first down. Mike Teel must be able to be the leader and captain of this football team. He has not had a lot of pressure on him with Rice in the backfield, but he will have to embrace that roll this season. The special teams was pretty bad as well last season finishing 117th in the country, so that could continue to be a major problem unless Schiano found a gem in Fall camp. They have games @ Pitt, @ West Virginia and @ South Florida so the schedule looks to be pretty brutal as well.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Find a Ray Rice replacement, Mike Teel gaining confidence and stealing a game or two on the road in conference play.

Cincinnati: Brian Kelly took over a program that Mark Dantoni was trying to build and he has gone above and beyond. Ben Mauk doesn’t look like he is going to get his wish of one more year of eligibility, so the Bearcats will have to move forward. Cincinnati has a very good defense which could keep them in a load of games this season. CB Mike Mickens returned for his senior year and he should be able to fill some of the void that Cincy lost due to graduation. Three starters on the offensive line are gone, but they still have players at the skilled positions. This could be a down year compared to last season, but rebuilding is a process that every school has to go through at some point. The bearcats have to go to West Virginia, and Uconn and have the rest of the tough teams from the Big East at home.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Find Ben Mauk’s replacement, build on another great defensive year and win some road game because the home schedule is tough.

UCONN: The defense was awesome in 2007 and the offense was as average as it gets. They do return everyone on the offensive side of the ball so it almost has to improve with a year under their belt. The non-conference is terrible as they play Hofstra, Temple Virginia, Baylor and North Carolina. The Huskies must do the things they did well last season if they want to succeed again. They did not turn the ball over, played great defense and took advantage of almost every opportunity. If Uconn has any aspirations of being a legitimate Big East contender, they have to start recruiting speed on the offensive side of the ball because they can’t expect the defense to bail them out as many times as they did in 2007.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Improving on offense, continuing to dominate on defense and win all the non-conference games.

Syracuse: This team is just straight bad and Greg Robinson should be fired immediately after the season.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: It really won’t matter either way.

Louisville: Steve Kraghtorpe had a disappointing season in Louisville, but he did finish 6-6. He was hit hard when Louisville lost four of their six games by very small margins. Then running attack should be among the best in the Big East this season, however, Brian Brohm and Harry Douglas have both moved on to the NFL. The defense was absolutely atrocious last year and they will need to improve on the pass rush if they want to contend this season. Hunter Cantwell takes over for Brohm and he is thought of very highly with his size and big arm. Cantwell does have the advantage of having a very good offensive line to protect him, so hopefully injuries won’t get the best of him. The schedule has games @ Pitt and @ Rutgers while WV, Cincinnati, Uconn and South Florida all come to Pape Johns Stadium.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Give Cantwell confidence, develop a pass rush on defense and protect home field against in conference foes.

Conference Champion: West Virginia Overachieve: Pitt Underacheive: Cincy

6. ACC: Worst Major Conference. Three ranked teams. Only deserves one liners.

#9 Clemson: Best 1-2 punch rushing attack in the country with C.J. Spiller and James Davis. Big first game against Alabama and will go as far as the offensive line takes them.

#17 Virginia Tech: Sean Glennon wills start and Beamer wants to redshirt Tyrod Taylor. We’ll see how he handles that.

#23 Wake Forest: Riley Skinner leads another underrated Demon Deacon squad. Will contend for an ACC title.

Florida State: Once they get all the starters back, they should be better than people expect. Is this Bobby’s last year???

Boston College: New QB, new expectations and a new era begins for the Eagles.

Georgia Tech: Will the Triple Option work in the ACC? Defense should still be legit.

Duke: Finally a good coach in David Cutcliffe, but will it make a difference with the lack of talent?

NC State: Big opener against South Carolina. Still a few years away from being back to true form.

Miami: Graig Cooper should take this very young, talented team far. Randy Shannon on the way up at the U.

Maryland: Great receiver, could be the most underrated team in the conference.

North Carolina: Butch Davis has this team confident and I expect them to win 7-8 games.

Virginia: Will get beat bad by USC and experience a true “rebuilding” year this seasom.

Conference Champion: Clemson Overachieve: UNC Underachieve: B.C.

Unforseen Unfortunate Happenings

2008-08-25T09:20:00.001-04:00

To my fellow and loyal blog readers, my internet was not being helpful this weekend and it has caused me to get behind on my 2nd half preview. Therefore, I will make it available Wednesday A.M. I'm sorry for this unexpected post, but I have no choice. I know most of you think I store all this information in my head somewhere, but I do need internet to help me with some things. See you again on Wednesday ladies and gentlemen.

1st Half College Football Preview

2008-08-20T18:09:00.003-04:00

We are a mere seven days from the start of the college football season. Every year around this time I am to the point where I am begging for something that is not baseball. Thank God the Olympics were on this summer for a few weeks. I would be the happiest guy in the world watching Temple play Duke, that’s how excited I am to see some pig skin. And so on that note, I will give my extensive college football preview. I will break the preview up into two different posts because it is too long to post it all into one. Today I feature the SEC, Big 12 and Pac 10 (the three best conferences in my opinion). Monday I will preview the Big East, ACC and Big 10.

1. SEC: Four teams in the top 10. Six ranked overall. Last two National Titles.
Eastern Division
# 5 Florida Gators: The Gators didn’t finish the year on a positive note by losing to the struggling Michigan Wolverines, but I’m not sure they would have let Lloyd go out on a loss. To be honest, the season changed when Georgia beat them in Jacksonville. As classless and retarded as it was, the Bulldogs touchdown team celebration worked to perfection as they beat the Gators for just the 3rd time since 1996 (the Gators first national title). Tim Tebow was sensational last season as he was the first sophomore to ever win the Heisman Trophy. He did, however, take quite a beating in the brutal SEC, but have no fear Emmanuel Moody is here from So. Cal. Tebow will not be asked to run as much this season which should help the Gators down the stretch. The key games for this Florida team are Sept 20th @Tennessee, November 1st against Georgia, and November 29th @ FSU. I don’t see Florida having trouble with anyone else on the schedule. With the additions of Chris Rainey, Emmanuel Moody and a good amount of the defense back, look for Florida to be in the hunt again for a national championship.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Keeping Tebow healthy, getting Percy Harvin 10-15 touches a game as well as getting Chris Rainey effectively, getting solid play from the defensive backs and winning in Neyland Stadium on September 20th.

#1 Georgia Bulldogs: Mark Richt will have his most talented team since he has been at Georgia and with lots of talent comes lots of expectations. The Bulldogs finished the year as strong as anyone last season and a 41-10 thumping of Hawaii pretty much guaranteed the Bulldogs would be the #1 team to start the year. The bulldogs have the toughest schedule in America, so if they do win it all, they will be well deserving, that’s for sure. Georgia has two tough road games in September as they play @ South Carolina and @ Arizona State. The Dogs then face Alabama and Tennessee at home followed by games @ LSU and Florida in Jacksonville. Oh and then they have to make the trip to Jordan-Hare to take on the Auburn Tigers towards the end of the season. This schedule just doesn’t give any room to make mistakes. Matt Stafford and Knowshon Moreno will be called upon to lead this team to Miami and they are two of the best players in the country. Moreno is quite possibly the best running back in the land as a true sophomore and Stafford has shown improvement every year he has been at Georgia. The pro scouts think this kid has all the tools to be a great QB in the NFL someday. We will see how the Dogs handle the biggest expectations they have seen since Herschel Walker.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Keeping a level head, fighting injuries through a brutal schedule and getting consistent play from the offensive line.

#18 Tennessee Volunteers: Well, the Erik Ainge era has finally come to an end. He may have been one of the most under-appreciated quarterbacks in Tennessee history. Jonathan Crompton has been waiting to get his shot at the starting job and now he has his chance. He has played pretty well when called upon, so I’m not sure Vol fans have much to worry about especially with Arian Foster back at tailback. The Tennessee secondary is by far and away the strong point of this team and Fat Phil is hoping that they can carry them a long way. They are deep at running back as usual so injuries shouldn’t play a key role in this team’s success, but the Vols have a pretty tough first six games to start the year. The Vols head to Los Angeles to play UCLA in the opener and may have gotten a bit lucky since the Bruins will be starting their 3rd string QB in that game, Redshirt Junior Kevin Craft due to injuries to Ben Olsen and Patrick Cowan. Tennessee then heads home for a game against lowly UAB before playing Florida, @ Auburn and @ Georgia. The final six aren’t as daunting of a task and I think if the Vols can get through the first six at 4-2 or 5-1, they will set themselves up nicely for a chance to get back to Atlanta for the SEC championship. This year might show everyone just how good or bad of a coach Phil Fulmer really is at this point.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Consistent QB play, giving Arian Foster 20 carries a game and getting back to real Tennessee football with new offensive coordinator Dave Clausen.

South Carolina Gamecocks: On October 19th last season, the Gamecocks were 6-1, ranked 6th in the country and acting as if they were prepared for a title run and then a month later they were 6-6. It’s time for Steve Spurrier to show that he can still coach some football. South Carolina absolutely collapsed the second half of the season and the pressure is mounting for Spurrier. SC must take care of the ball better this season as they gave the ball away 28 times and only came up with 21 turnovers. They finished 101st in the nation in turnover margin last season. The Gamecocks do return 10 starters on defense and should be a little better on offense as they replaced guys with solid talent. The final two games of the year, South Carolina plays @ Florida and @ Clemson which means they must get off to a good start. They get Georgia, Tennessee and LSU all at home. QB Chris Smelley has to be better if the Gamecocks are going to make some noise in the SEC East. .

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Turnover Margin, Consistent play from the linebackers and getting off to a good start.

Kentucky Wildcats: The Andre Woodson era is over, but Wildcat fans can feel good about the steps the program has taken. This is going to be Joker Phillips team after this season and he was a key reason why the Wildcat offense played so well last year. RB Tony Dixon is back along with eight starters on defense and both kickers as well. Kentucky struggled at the end of the year as well. The Wildcats dropped four of their remaining five regular season games and the Florida State cheating incident helped them mightily in the music city bowl. The schedule looks pretty tough with road games @ Louisville, @ Florida, @ Miss. State, @ Tennessee and @ Alabama. They are going to need great play from their line if they have a chance at making it to a bowl game this season.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Consistent line play, Stealing a road game somewhere and keeping the game simple for the new QB.

Vanderbilt Commodores: The quarterback situation is pretty solid with Mackenzi Adams and Chris Nickson who will give defense fits. Believe it or not the defense finished 16th in the nation last year and was very good against the pass specifically. Cornerback D.J. Moore returns as well as the rest of the secondary. Vanderbilt might have lost their only chance to get to a bowl game the last two years and now is rebuilding with five new starters on the offensive line and of course Earl Bennett is making money in the NFL this season. Good luck to Vanderbilt throwing the ball this season with basically no one to catch the ball. It is painful trying to watch Vanderbilt get over the hump every year and it may take another 3-4 years before they have a realistic chance of playing in a bowl game.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Find a play-making receiver, get lots of interceptions and pray as much as they can.

Western Division:
#7 LSU Tigers: LSU now has two national titles in five years. What’s not to be excited about now? Les Miles has brought in another stellar recruiting class to go with some pretty good talent that was left over, minus Ryan Perrilloux. LSU’s defense should still be phenomenal, but their quarterback situation has to be worrying Tiger fans just a little bit. Can a former Harvard JV QB really play in the SEC? Appalachian State will give them quite the challenge in the first game of the season and then from there it gets a bit tricky. LSU has tough road games @ Florida, @ South Carolina and @ Auburn relatively early in the schedule. With arguably the fastest player in the country in Trindon Holliday, the Tigers need to get better in the return game. Tyson Jackson should be the defensive leader and hopefully (unlike Glen Dorsey) he can stay healthy for the majority of the season.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Running backs and Wide receivers helping out the QB as much as possible, defensive scoring and special teams play.

#10 Auburn Tigers: The Tigers were young last year, but that didn’t stop them from having an above average season. Cody Burns now steps in to be the leader for Auburn and they have eight starters returning on offense. Brad Lester should give the Tigers a big rushing attack if he can stay on the field for all the games. Lester had some off field issues last season and Tuberville is hoping that all that mess is done with. They have a very likeable schedule with some huge games at home. Southern Miss, LSU, Georgia and Tennessee all come to Jordan-Hare Stadium this fall. Auburn will have to travel to Tuscaloosa and Morgantown for road games against Alabama and West Virginia. I like this Auburn team to challenge in the West as long as the inexperience doesn’t hurt them down the stretch. Auburn is instilling a new spread offense so LSU might creep up on them early if the Tigers have not had enough time to adjust to the new offense.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Staying focused week to week, defending home field and keeping the QB healthy.

Ole Miss: The Brent Schaeffer/Seth Adams era is finally over and Jevan Snead is ready to finally play some division 1 football. The Texas transfer had a terrific spring and looks to be one of the best newcomers this year in the SEC. Injuries to the defensive line which is considered this team’s strong point could hurt the Rebels through the first 3-4 games of the season. Ole Miss didn’t win a game last year in the conference, but I fully expect them to be the most improved team in the SEC this season. They have a tough home opener against Memphis, but Houston Nutt should have them ready for the upcoming season. Oxford is more than happy to have Nutt after three lackluster seasons under Coach O (the former USC assistant). They have a tough road game early at Wake Forest along with conference road games @ Florida, @ Alabama, @ Arkansas and @ LSU. If somehow they can go 6-6 or 7-5, Rebel fans have to consider that a plus. Dexter McCluster is looking to have a great year after an injury-prone sophomore campaign. This team should be much more competitive this season with Coach O leaving behind a ton of talent. They are hoping UCLA transfer Jeremy McGee can step in for BenJarvus Green-Ellis at the running back position. We will see how Houston Nutt’s squad performs in his first season, but nothing can be much worse than the last three years.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Defensive line must dominate, Jevan Snead must be a leader and the running game must be consistent.

Mississippi State: Wesley Carroll wasn’t the most consistent quarterback last year, but he was good enough to give Mississippi State their first bowl win since anyone can remember. State had a solid 8-5 season which included a big road win over Auburn, a comeback against Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl and a Liberty Bowl victory over Conference USA Champion Central Florida. The schedule looks pretty nice as the Bulldogs get Vanderbilt and Kentucky from the East, both at home, along with at Louisiana Tech, SE Louisiana, Middle Tennessee, and at Ole Miss. In other words, the slate is in place to go back to another bowl. The running backs are great in Starkville, but they still have nobody to make plays downfield which means they will rely on the defense to keep them in games yet again. Anthony Dixon has shown flashes of greatness at the tailback position, but has been inconsistent at times. This team will go as far as the defense takes them.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Taking care of the ball, defensive pressure on the quarterback, the improvement of Wesley Carroll and the leadership of Anthony Dixon.

#24 Alabama: I hope $5 million was worth going 7-6. The Crimson Tide are another team from this conference that just couldn’t tally any wins together late in the year and lost for the sixth straight time to the Auburn Tigers. Nine starters return on offense and six starters return on defense. Then, add the best recruiting class in America and things are looking good for the future of Alabama football. They have a HUGE opener in the Georgia Dome against Clemson to start the year and we should get a quick feel for just how good freshman sensation Julio Jones will be right from the bat. The schedule gets rough late as the Tide has to go to Tennessee and LSU, but does get in-state rival Auburn at home to end the year as always. The western division is up for grabs and I wouldn’t be surprised if Alabama was in the thick of things at the end of the season. John Parker Wilson is looking to have a great senior year and make a statement about his career as a Crimson Tide. He’ll need help from a slew of freshman wide receivers if the Tide is going to put some points on the board this season.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Playmaking at the WR position, showing up to play in the first game of the year and sustaining confidence on the road.

Arkansas: Houston Nutt is out and Bobby Petrino is in. Most Razorback fans were happy when they heard who the new coach would be, but all that might go away after the Hogs season this year. Arkansas loses the best running back tandem in school history in Darren Mcfadden and Felix Jones. Casey Dick is back at quarterback and he should get to sling it around this year with the new offense that Petrino loves to run. This team should get better and better as the season goes on, but I wouldn’t expect a .500 football team in Fayetteville this year. Before mid-October, the Hogs have to go to Texas, Auburn and Kentucky and then host Alabama and Florida. Oh yeah, then they get to host LSU to end the year. Think they will remember the game from last season? Ryan Mallett lost his appeal and he will not be eligible until the 2009-2010 season. The Hogs are going to need to rely on pure energy to get an advantage over anyone this year. Look for the Razorbacks to struggle early, but get better with experience as the season continues.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Much like Vanderbilt, pray. Consistent play for Casey Dick and protect the home field advantage for whatever Arkansas stadium they choose to play in on that given Saturday.

Conference Champion: Florida Overachieve: Ole Miss Underachieve: LSU

2. Big 12: Five Teams ranked in the top 15. Two BCS bowl bids last year. Best QB’s in America top to bottom.
North Division:
#6 Missouri: The Tigers are coming off of one of the best years in school history. Missouri only lost to one team last season, but it kept them from playing in a BCS bowl and more notably, the National Title game. Chase Daniel returns as the teams leader at QB as well as a dynamite receiving core led by sophomore sensation Jeremy Maclin who set a record as a freshman for most all purpose yards in a single season. The schedule includes contests against Illinois as the opener as well as @ Texas, @ Nebraska and of course Kansas to finish the season. The Tigers return 10 guys on defense including All-American safety William Moore. Mizzou has a good shot to make it back to the Big 12 title game as long as everyone stays healthy, specifically Chase Coffman who kind of had an injury ridden Junior season. There has never been this much buzz entering a football season in Columbia, so we will have to see how these Tigers handle the big expectation.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: A solid running attack, stealing a game on the road either @ Texas or @ Nebraska and staying healthy on offense.

#14 Kansas: Much like Missouri, the Jayhawks had themselves quite a season. Despite playing just one Division 1A opponent it seems like, KU somehow found themselves playing in the Orange Bowl against an overrated Virginia Tech team. Well, now Kansas will have to prove it wasn’t a fluke because they pick up Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Texas from the South. Aqib Talib is gone on defense as well as starting tailback Brandon McAnderson so they will need to fill some shoes on both sides of the ball. I only see there Jayhawks winning eight games or so and right back where they belong in the college football world a few years from now (completely non-existent). Todd Reesing will have to lead this team as much as possible without the same offensive fire power they had last year.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Withstand a regular schedule, find a solid running game and don’t look ahead to the beating they will get from Missouri (for the third straight year).

Nebraska: Nebraska proved they could put up some points last season (73 against Kansas State), but they also proved they could give them up (more than 70 to KU). The Bill Callahan era has ended and most people will tell you it was a complete and utter failure. The Huskers confidence was shot last season when Missouri trounced them 41-6 in front of a national TV audience as they got lit up for more than 600 yards. Now Bo Pelini steps in and will try his best to bring back the tradition of the black-shirts. Marlon Lucky is sure to get a ton of carries this year and Joe Ganz will sling it around as much as the old school Pelini will let him. I wouldn’t expect the Huskers to be a dominant team this season, but certainly within the next 3-5 years I fully expect Nebraska to be back to “Nebraska.”

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Get Lucky 20 carries a game, solid play at the cornerback position and adjusting well to Pelini’s new system on both sides of the ball.

Colorado: Dan Hawkins improved the Buffs from the 2-10 campaign in 2006 to a 6-7 overall record with an Independence Bowl birth against Alabama. Colorado’s best offensive player from last season, Hugh Charles, has graduated and in steps true freshman sensation Darrell Scott. The kid from Oxnard, California was the most complete running back in the class in my opinion. He is a power back with great vision and cuts on a dime. Colorado is now looking to challenge in the North, but they are still 2-3 years from that goal in my opinion. The schedule is rough as it includes trips to Florida State, Missouri and Kansas with a home schedule that includes West Virginia and Texas. The Buffs certainly have the right coach in Dan Hawkins, but he will need another couple of recruiting classes before the Buffaloes become a serious threat in the Big 12.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Improvement from Cody Hawkins, stellar play from Darrell Scott and protecting their home field if they have hopes of another bowl game.

Kansas State: After going 7-6 in his first season, Ron Prince was excited about his 2007 team which got off to a 4-2 start, but then suddenly faded late and lost their final four games to end the year 5-7. Looking to get back on track, QB Josh Freeman must step up his game this season. Concerns in Manhattan are building with the rise of Missouri and Kansas in the Big 12 North. Leon Patton will need to make the most of his carries this year because the defense wasn’t that spectacular last season. The schedule proves to be pretty tricky with road games @ Louisville, @ Texas A&M, @ Missouri and @ Kansas. This squad might struggle through their 2008 season, but much like Colorado and Nebraska I fully expect Kansas State to be a competitive unit within the next few years, but I am not sure this team is ready to take the next step right now.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Freeman and Patton must take care of the ball, has to win the games they should win and get more consistent play from the defensive backs.

Iowa State: The Cyclones were downright bad in Gene Chizik’s first season in Ames, but at least they never quit playing hard. They started out 1-8 before beating Kansas State and Colorado in consecutive weeks. The Cyclones did beat rival Iowa and had a bit of confidence heading into the 2008 season. QB Austen Arnaud and RB Alexander Robinson will need to pick up most of the slack for the offense this season along with WR Marquis Hamilton. All have little experience under their belt, but will need to step in and contribute right away. The schedule isn’t too daunting, however, but this team may still lack the talent to get 5 or 6 wins. Everyone in Ames just needs to be patient because I do believe Chizik is going to be a very good head coach for the Cyclones when he gets some talent in there.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Keep building confidence under Chizik, improve on last season and find a QB for the future.

South Division:
#4 Oklahoma: Bob Stoops has pat himself on the back for recruiting Sam Bradford because he was sensational in his freshman year. The Sooners were terrific last season and won the Big 12 championship after defeating Missouri (for the 2nd time) in the Big 12 title. Who knows where they were in the Fiesta Bowl though as West Virginia marched up and down the field in one of the most surprising results of the 07-08 bowl season. The schedule is in their favor as all three of the ranked teams they play they will get in Norman. Demarco Murray will step in as the starting running back and could have a breakout season after a solid freshman year. The defense should be as stout as always and I like this team to get back to the Big 12 title game with no more than one loss under their belt. This team is a dark horse to win the national championship in my opinion as long as they stay healthy.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Avoid the sophomore slumps, stay inspired and beat Texas in the Red River shootout.

#11 Texas: The longhorns start out with an intriguing home opener against the Florida Atlantic Owls. They are led by Rusty Smith who can throw it all over the field so Texas better not take them lightly. From there, we know the big game is against Oklahoma. Since the departure of Vince Young, the Sooners have dominated this series. They get Missouri at home but must go to Texas Tech and Kansas at the end of the year. Colt Mccoy had a sophomore slump and is looking to get back on track. Mack Brown will not have as much talent in Austin this season, but it just means he is going to have to coach even harder. I think the corners must be better than 2008 or the problems will continue on defense. So, to help matters, Mack Brown went out and hired Will Muschamp as the new defensive coordinator. Jamal Charles won’t be in the backfield anymore so it will be vital for the offensive line to open up holes for whoever Brown decides to give the nod to at running back.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Get past the home opener in blowout fashion to build confidence, step up the defensive secondary and get the freshman Colt Mccoy back to playing his A game.

#12 Texas Tech: There is no team in the country who has an offense like Texas Tech. Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree absolutely toyed with teams last season and look to make even more noise this year. The Red Raiders are improving on defense and that is a scary thought for opponents. Aaron Crawford, the Ridgeway High School product, looks to be the starting tailback and will hopefully be able to establish the run to open up the passing game a little more (as if it needed it). The Red Raiders have a significant portion of their games at home, but they have to go to Norman to end the season. I fully expect them to challenge for the Big 12 South title and give Oklahoma and Texas everything they’ve got. This offense could put up record numbers this season and Graham Harrell might get a shot at the pros if he can prove that he is anything but a “system quarterback.” The expectations are big in Lubbock, bigger than they may have ever been, so like many others we will see how they handle it.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Scoring 40 plus points, getting Crabtree the ball as much as possible, establishing a running game and getting better play from the linebackers.

Oklahoma State: Mike Gundy fired up his troops last season with his rant in the press conference, but that didn’t help a defense which couldn’t get pressure on the quarterback or stop the pass whatsoever. Zac Robinson was named the QB in September and he set single season records at Ok State for total offense and rushing by a quarterback. RB Kendall Hunter and WR Dez Bryant are going to be scary for opposing teams and if the defense gets any better this team could be a Big 12 sleeper next season. They have a big road opener at Washington State and will try and get revenge on Troy as they have to come to Stillwater this season for a rematch of last year’s contest. The Cowboys do have to travel to Missouri, Texas and Texas Tech which will make it hard to compete for a Big 12 South division title, but if they can steal one or two on the road, look out for the Cowboys.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Sharpen up the defensive line, getting through a brutal toad schedule injury free and putting up tons of points to give themselves a chance.

Baylor: Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers. That is what did the Baylor Bears in last season along with have minimal talent. The non-conference is pretty tough this year as Baylor hosts Wake Forest and Washington State before conference play even gets started. They get Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas A&M all at home with road games @ Texas and Texas Tech. Enter ex Houston coach Art Briles who will get the next shot at reviving this program. He is a respected coach who won a lot of games in Conference USA. The offense is going to take a while to get going, but the defense is young with some decent talent and can hopefully keep this team in some ball games this year, but I do not expect Baylor to win more than three games much like last season.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Pray, pray and lots more praying.

Texas A&M: The Aggies said bye bye to Dennis Franchione and welcome in former Green Bay Packers coach Mike Sherman who recently announced Stephen Mcgee would be his starter. Mike Goodson will be the starting tailback and Jorvorskie Lane will be playing the position he should have been playing in the first place, fullback. The problem for the Aggies will be the depth on the offensive and defensive line. Miami will be the big challenge for A&M before they open up conference play @ Oklahoma State. They get Oklahoma and Texas Tech at home. This team needs to capitalize this season on a favorable schedule and solid talent on the offensive side of the ball. How will Sherman adjust to the college game in his first year in College Station? How many cheeseburgers will Jorvorskie consume in one sitting. Those answers will surely come this season.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Keep feeding Jorvorskie, linebackers must play strong and offense needs to put up a ton of points.

Conference Champion: Missouri Overachieve: Texas A&M Underachieve: KU

3. Pac 10: Three teams in the top 25. Top heavy conference. SEC wanna-be’s.

#3 USC: Well, when Pete Carroll isn’t being the worst cheater in the world, he is putting together a pretty solid football team AGAIN. It seems as if Mark Sanchez won the QB battle, but his injury in fall camp seems to help Mustain’s chances of starting the season. Joe Mcknight and C.J. Gable are two of the nine running backs that USC has to choose from and Mcknight is sure to have more of a Reggie Bush like role. Carroll will try and get Mcknight as many touches as possible. USC will undoubtedly win its seventh straight Pac 10 title simply because there is such a huge gap between them and the rest of the conference. The Trojans schedule has a big non-conference game as Ohio State comes to the Coliseum on the 13th of September. Nothing much to say about this team except they are going to be very good and in the hunt for the national title once again.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Sanchez playing within himself, beating Ohio State and avoiding a Stanford-like letdown in 2008.

#21 Oregon: The Ducks chances at a BCS title got screwed up last year when Dennis Dixon went down and was injured for the rest of the season. They lost their final three league games and then pounded South Florida in the Sun Bowl as a consolation. Justin Roper will most likely take over at QB and Mike Bellotti is hoping he wasn’t just a one game wonder. He will most likely determine whether Oregon will be able to compete in the Pac 10 and be a perennial powerhouse as they were last season before Dixon went down. This team proved it could score points, but can it defend against anyone??? The Ducks go to Purdue and then welcome Ian Johnson and Boise State to Eugene for a fun out of conference affair. The schedule is pretty tough though with games @ USC, @ Arizona State and @ Cal. This team may shock some people in how well they play with a totally new offense.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Consistent QB play from Roper, starting out hot and finishing strong.

Oregon State: The Beavers strung together nine wins last season and nobody probably knew about it. They rebounded from an ugly start which included a blowout loss to Cincinnati and went 7-1 down the stretch including a win over Oregon in Eugene. Yvenson Bernard is gone, but Sammi Straughter is back after an injury plagued year last season. QB Sean Canfield must develop into the player the Beavers thought he was going to be coming out of high school or this team will struggle mightily. They have a tough non-conference road test in Happy Valley against Penn State. The Beavers do get USC, Cal and Oregon all at home in Corvallis. This season could be determined on a bunch of swing games including @ Washington, @ Utah and @ UCLA. Oregon State needs to show poise down the stretch as they did in the 07 season.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Find a replacement for Yvenson Bernard, steal a road game somewhere and finish strong like last season.

#15 Arizona State: Rudy Carpenter and Dennis Erickson’s high flying offense is back and they will be tested early against the #1 in the nation, Georgia. Many felt like ASU, much like KU was stellar because of an awful schedule and this year, nobody can use that argument. The Sun Devils go to Cal, USC and Oregon State. Arizona State’s big problem last year was they couldn’t protect Rudy Carpenter. Carpenter spent too much time running horizontally and couldn’t stay comfortable in the pocket at all. They need to sure the line up before the Bulldogs come into town because that defensive line isn’t going to feel sorry for them one bit. Erickson has been great everywhere he has been and I expect the Sun Devils to have a pretty good season if the offensive line can play a bit better than it did last season.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: consistent play in the trenches, withstanding a brutal schedule and continuing with the same momentum they had coming off last season.

Arizona: The Wildcats played inspired defense and created 26 turnovers last year and allowed less than 20 points a game. Yes, that’s right everyone…the Arizona Wildcats. The offensive line needs to create more holes for the backs, but with the schedule they have on the road, it may not matter. Arizona has games @ Cal, Oregon State, USC and Arizona State. The non-conference isn’t that bad with exception of the one game @ Provo to take on BYU who is a BCS buster this year. The key game is going to be Washington State as they face Cal before and then Oregon State and USC after. If they go 0-4 in that stretch the Wildcats may see a familiar record for themselves at the end of the year. Giving up 31 sacks in 2007 didn’t help matters on offense, so Mike Stoops must do something to help QB Willie Tuitama in the pocket.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Protect Willie, beat Washington State and get turnovers like they did in 2007.

Washington: Jake Locker had an awesome freshman year and gives the Husky fans something to smile about for the next three years. He is a bigger, better Marques Tuiasosopo. Ty Willingham’s job is secure for now as long as Washington keeps competing. If they can create more turnovers than they did last season, they have a shot at knocking off some good teams. Well, the schedule doesn’t lend a helping hand. To get past being average, the Huskies also need to get some skill position players in the key positions to help out Locker and Rankin. Washington has a rough non-conference schedule with BYU and Oklahoma in Seattle in consecutive weeks. Notre Dame also comes to Husky stadium along with Arizona State. The college students must be licking their chops at the teams they get to watch this season, but the bad thing is that Washington might not win that many of them. I don’t think the schedule allows them to be very good, but Ty Willingham always has some surprises for the people.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: protecting Locker, protecting home field as much as possible and taking momentum into the 2009 season.

Washington State: Once the Cougars beat San Diego St. and Idaho it was all downhill from there. They started 0-4 in 2007 and never really recovered in the Pac 10. The one bright spot was beating Washington in the Apple Cup in a thrilling game, especially the fourth quarter. The Cougars will need to find a QB to fill the shoes of Alex Brink who was the only QB in the history of Wazzu football to beat Washington three times in his career. Paul Wulff, who is a former player has been hired as the new coach for the Cougars and he was nothing but brilliant at Eastern Washington. He will be installing a spread offense that will take time to get used to and recruit players for. Much like Washington, I think the Cougars will struggle this season. Oklahoma State, Cal, Oregon, USC and Washington all come to Pullman. They also randomly play a road game @ Baylor in a battle of the worst.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Find a QB to replace Brink, start off 4-0 before Oregon comes to town and have fun at their bowl game against Hawaii the last game of the season.

California: It was definitely a tale of two seasons for the Bears. They started out a hot 5-0 and then suddenly Cal stumbled down the stretch going 1-6. They finished seventh in the Pac 10 and everyone has to think the tragic home loss to Oregon State was the backbreaker. Nate Longshore was out and an inexperienced QB forgot to get out of bounds and the clock ran out along with Oregon State’s whole football team. Lavell Hawkins and DeSean Jackson are gone so the Bears are going to have to find some other players to put points on the board. They have a tough test early with Michigan State coming into town followed by two interesting road games @ Washington St and @ Maryland. Jeff Tedford is now starting to feel his first bit of adversity and might be sitting on a semi-hot seat if Cal plays like it did at the end of the year last season.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Staying focused for the full 12 games, beating teams they should and coming out strong against the Spartans.

UCLA: Rick Neuheisel got off to a terrible start and the season hasn’t even started. He lost his top two quarterbacks in Ben Olsen and Patrick Cowan and has named Redshirt Junior Kevin Craft the starter against Tennessee in the home opener. UCLA has some good teams coming to the Rose Bowl this year in Arizona State and USC along with Tennessee. There is very little to say about this team until they get on the field because of the lack of knowledge most people have for what Neuheisel is going to do this season. We are just going to have to wait and see.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Get Ben Olsen healthy, defense must be as stout as last year and must do as good a job as they can until Olsen gets back.

Stanford: Jim Harbough got his first signature win last season with an upset over USC in a game where Stanford was 41 point dogs. In my eyes, it was an even bigger upset than Appalachian State over Michigan because at least App. State has shown they can play with the best of them. Stanford is hoping to be a competitive team week-in and week-out. Last season was something of a first step for the Cardinal, but they need to continue the recruiting efforts and finding solid athletes at the skilled positions. Harbough was a very good coach at USD, so what do they have to lose but to give him time? This program is much like Vanderbilt that has to battle academics in the recruiting process, but I commend them in their efforts last season.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: I know I’ve said it, but its true…a whole lot of praying.

Conference Champion: USC Overachieve: UCLA Underachieve: Oregon

Summer Olympics 2008

2008-08-15T11:15:00.002-04:00

Well, there isn't even a need for an intro because we all know what we think about when we see the words "Summer Olympics 2008." Michael Phelps is just an absolute warrior. How a man eats 10,000 calories a day and can look like he does is beyond me. He swims his very hardest to gain a gold medal and then has had to do it all over again less than one hour later in some cases. I really never used to think that you could call a swimmer one of the best athletes in the world, but after watching him do what he has, how can you not???

And of course to top it all off, he is a great human being. He is one of the most selfless people you will ever meet according to his swimming coach. You better believe he is a MICHIGAN MAN, which explains it all. He has 2 more races to go to try and grab 8 gold medals which would pass Mark Spitz as the most all time and I wouldn't bet against him if I got the best odds in the world, because he is going to get it done. He rarely shows emotion when he is swimming individually, but we saw the real Michael Phelps in the relay against France where Lezak had one of the greatest 50 meter swims on the last lap in Olympic history. Phelps' face and emotion said it all. Even the calm, cool and collected Michael Phelps couldn't keep a straight face for that one. I had never been a big swimming fan or had any interest in watching it until I saw Michael Phelps. He is just as comparable to Lebron, Tiger and Peyton Manning. Those players make you want to watch the games because of how great they play their sport. Even Carmelo Anothony went to watch him swim because he just couldn't believe the hype this guy was getting. Maybe Phelps can return the favor and watch the USA basketball team known as "The Redeem Team," chase gold as well.

USA's Men's Basketball team has shown that they can play any style of basketball. They can run, they can play a halfcourt game against a zone and they can dunk all over you. Some may have been worried with only 3 true big guys on the team in Dwight Howard, Carlos Boozer and the slim Chris Bosh, but it hasn't troubled them yet. Lets be honest with ourselves, there is no team on this planet that should be able to beat a team with Lebron and Kobe on the floor at the same time. Not to mention, they have the three best PG's in the NBA in Jason Kidd, Chris Paul and Deron Williams (ok, maybe Steve Nash is up there somewhere too). Dwayne Wade has been ok with taking the 6th man role and it shows since he is leading the team in scoring at almost 20 ppg. This team is on a mission to take back what is rightfully theirs, the sport of basketball.

Greece got a glimpse of just how determined they are after the American's beat the Greeks by 23 points after the Greece got the best of them in the 2006 World Championships. Spain is next for the U.S., who feature Pau Gasol and Jose Calderon from the NBA. They are the defending World Champions right now after taking the championship in 2006. The U.S. is learning how to win playing by FIBA rules. One of the key rules in FIBA is that once the ball hits the rim, it is live. There is no cylinder rule or waiting for the ball to come away before you can grab it. In international play you can snatch the ball away from the goal once it hits the rim and comes off. Lebron showed that he will take full advantage of that by doing it in one of the exhibition games.

USA leads China in the medal race, 45-41. China has more gold medals (26-14). But one thing is for sure, the U.S. should be assured to have atleast three more gold medals with Phelps swimming twice more and the U.S. basketball team hoping to accomplish what everyone knows they can.

STAY TUNED FOR MY PRE-SEASON COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW COMING NEXT WEEK...

Summer LOVE

2008-07-18T09:22:00.003-04:00

Kevin Love has owned the summer league and given Timberwolve fans a reason to smile in the off-season. Love is averaging 20 and 15 which are better numbers than he was averaging at UCLA. I realize he is going up against the likes of Chris Ellis (no-namer from Wake Forest) and Josh Davis (Wyoming product), but still, he is owning the paint in every single game he plays. When the Grizzlies drafted him, I was ecstatic. How could you not think Love was going to be an awesome NBA player? He has a great shot, quick on his feet for his size and is an absolute monster on the glass... not a beast like Richard "Joey" Dorsey, but a monster nontheless. I'm not saying I didn't like the trade for Mayo because he has been nothing short of terrific as well, but I am old school and I would rather have a solid big guy than a great shooting guard.

Jared Bayless has also been incredible in the summer league. He is getting to the line atleast 15 times a game and is averaging 28 points a game, along with 5 rebounds. Yes, I think this was a very good step-up for the Blazers rather than struggle across the finish line again with Jarret Jack. Bayless is a threat to put the ball in the basket every time he touches the ball and the tandom of him, Brandon Roy and Greg Oden is going to be something to watch for years to come. The Blazers and Timerbwolves, in my opinion, will be the two most improved teams in the NBA next season. I hope that the O.J. Mayo trade pans out for both, although it was very hard saying bye to Mike Miller because he has been nothing short of a class act since he came to Memphis six years ago. He was very sad to leave even though he was never given a real team around him to try and make a legitimate playoff run. All he has to show for it are three first round exits with not one playoff victory, hardly something to brag about.

I'll be honest, I look forward to waking up and seeing box scores from the NBA summer league every single morning just to look at the random ex-college players that are STILL trying to make it to the league. My favorite random has to be Lorenzo Mata-Real. That guy is just so bad at basketball, yet some summer team allowed him to play when he has absolutely 0% chance of making the team. When is Aaron Miles (the former gayhawk pg) going to realize he really can't shoot which gives him no chance of making a team? Gotta hand it to him though, he is in this league every year and never gives up. How about Frank Williams, the former Illini product who was a stellar college player but could never cut it in the NBA...oh yes, he is still showing up in Vegas for summer ball. And oh yeah, the Ronnel and Donnel twins from UAB who pulled off that miracle victory against Kentucky in the tournament are both kickin it in Vegas as well.

Overall, I think I am more excited for the coming year in the NBA more than any other season. There are so many good rookies and the game is starting to be taken over by these 19-20 year old kids. So many questions to be answered next season. How will Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley fare in their rookie season? Will Greg Oden pan out to be the player he was projected to be? Will the Grizzlies actually win 35-40 games this season? Will the Celtics still be as dominant without their glue guy in James Posey? With the Clippers and Warriors simply trading players, will it actually benefit either team? Is Elton Brand going to redefine his career in Philadelphia? Is Antoine Walker going to jackup shots for the Grizzlies, or finally call a quits and hang up the shoes? How will Andrew Bynum fit in with the Lakers and Gasol? Is Marc Gasol going to be a decent contributor? And lastly, will the Boston Celtics continue to allow the son of Eddie House to roam the sideline's during the game and almost get killed four or five different times? All these questions have me excited for the 2008-2009 NBA season and it should have you excited as well!

Three More Tigers Make It To The League

2008-07-01T13:32:00.003-04:00

We all knew Derrick Rose was going to be the number 1 pick going into the 2008 NBA Draft, but nobody could have expected what happened to CDR and Joey. Dorsey ends up getting picked before CDR at 33 and after being excited to play alongside Greg Oden, he was shipped to Houston. CDR was on a plane during the draft because he would "be too nervous" to watch the draft. Well, he soon found out he was picked at #40 to the New Jersey Nets. This had to be one of the biggest surprises in the draft overall.

After watching team after team pass up on him, I just kept thinking to myself that CDR has always thrived when people have doubted him and now he is going to have to do it all over again. How does someone like Walter Sharpe (someone with problems off the court) get taken before a first team all american who absolutely thrives in the spotlight? Either way, everyone has to prove themselves in the NBA at one time or another and now CDR and Joey Dorsey will have their opportunity. I think that CDR has a very good chance of coming off the bench as a 7th man to play behind Vince Carter or alongside him depending on what lineup Lawrence Frank wants to play. It is unusual for a team to keep three rookies, however, the Nets are in total rebuilding mode so CDR will be given a fair chance to earn his spot.

Joey should fit in pretty nicely with a Western Conference team in Houston that was trying to get bigger inside. As we all know, the Western Conference is filled with tremendous big guys and having a defense specialist as Joey calls himself, is always nice to have. He will probably come off the bench with Carl Landry and they will spell Scola and Yao inside. His presence in the middle and ability to run the floor is going to be a good asset to the Rockets. They are happy to have him and he is happy to be there. Now he just needs to make sure he stays out of trouble.

Derrick Rose is going to be the center-fold of a historic franchise that is looking to build around the young point guard from Memphis. Rose is going to be a top 5 PG in the league for the next 10 plus years. What Paxson is going to do with his roster full of guards should be interesting and might shock some people with who he decides to keep and let go. I don't see any way that the Bulls do not make the playoffs with Rose in the lineup. He is a born winner and is going to make that team better whether he is scoring or not. He is one of those players that effects the game just by being on the floor.

CDR will wear #8. Joey will wear #15 and Derrick will wear #1. I wish all three of these former Tigers the best and there is no doubt in my mind they will all be successful.

Side Note: Xavier Henry, the #2 player in the 2009 class, has narrowed his college choices down to four.....MEMPHIS, Kansas, Ucla and Texas.

Tennessee Vols Basketball: A Tradition Since 2005

2008-06-23T11:47:00.003-04:00

Since there is nothing to write about until college football, I am going to write about something that has been on my mind for a while now. I sometimes like to get on other teams websites and read their message boards to see how they view their program and what not. I have recently been reading some UT basketball message boards and it makes me realize one thing...Tennessee basketball fans might not have as big of a brain as other human beings.

So, for all you Tennessee fans reading this post, let me explain something to you in clear fashion, black and white writing. The men's basketball program is overshadowed by the women's team. That is the most embarrassing thing you could possibly have. The men's team has yet to advance to the elite eight ONE time in the last CENTURY...and for all you UT people, a century is 100 years. Don't try and explain to people you are the up and coming program until you actually make some noise in March. Noone cares that you won the SEC in a year that Vandy, Georgia, Arkansas, Miss. St and Kentucky all lost in either the first or second round of the tournament. So, as I told all my UT friends all year that the SEC is down and is a piece of shit basketball conference (atleast in 07-08), you tried to argue with me and look what happened...not one single contender. ALL PRETENDERS.

Yes, I do know that you beat Memphis this year and the year before that...but as I recall, you don't want to peak in January and February and then bow out in early March....you want to make a deep run in March and show your true colors. Well, we learned what Tennessee's true colors were. Memphis was your Super Bowl and you needed Wayne Chism banks and Jajuan Smith prayers to beat the best team in the country. Congratulations, you have won nothing. You still have no meaningful banners in your building that starts with "Men's". You can't say you did anything noteworthy this year. You can't say you deserved to be ranked No.1, as we saw 48 hours later.

As a Memphis fan, of course I was upset when UT beat us. It always sucks losing to your arch rival. But, if I have learned anything over the last 3 months its this...I'll lose to Tennessee every year if it means we go to a Final Four and they are sitting on their couch watching us in late March.

You don't win anything for beating an opponent in February, you win something for beating them in March. I know this might be new to you Vol fans because you have never experienced a true NCAA tournament run, but noone in their right mind considers Tennessee to be a basketball powerhouse as I've seen people writing on this message board. Sure, people think you are an up and coming program, but that's only because you only used to win 15 games a season. Their is one player in the NBA who played for the University of Tennessee: C.J. Watson and I bet you couldn't tell me who he plays for without looking it up. Tennessee fans have absolutely no room to talk. You can talk shit to Memphis fans all you want, but in the end...a true program would rather have Final Four banners than a box score in February that shows you beat your rival. You are not the premiere basketball program in the state. You are not a basketball school (some might be wondering if you are even a football school anymore). Your women's basketball team carries your athletic program.

I'll admit, Memphis football is something of the same sort. We had 3 years of glory too. We were ranked. We had one of the best running backs to ever play the college game. We were re-building too. We made three bowls in 4 years after never playing in one. We beat Tennessee in 1996 and it was our Super Bowl, but I'm sure Tennessee fans would have rather played in a big-time bowl and lost to Memphis than beat Memphis and not play in a New Year's bowl game. Just like I realized I don't care if we lose to Tennessee (ok, I do a little) as long as we are the ones playing in late March for the ultimate goal of a season, a National Title. Yeah, we choked. We lost the chance of a lifetime, but I have been able to start dealing with it a little easier because I do believe we will be back. But, you can't say, "haha you choked," because WE were there, YOU were not. You were sitting around smoking weed on your couches (atleast Ramar and Duke were). You know as well as we do, you'd rather have lost to us and played for a title, so don't kid yourselves. You choked your season away. You tapped out very early in the SEC tournament and then got embarrassed by a Louisville team that was dunking all over you. We may have choked for 2 minutes, but you choked for 2 weeks. You could have lost to American, should have lost to Butler and then everyone saw why/how against Louisville. Memphis, however, beat the Pac 10 champs, the SEC West Champs, co-big 12 Champs and a 27-9 Michigan St. team.

I'm just so sick of reading their message board about how great they are and how they somehow think their season was a successful one just because of one game in February that meant nothing but a simple check mark in the win column for one and a check mark in the loss column for the other. There was no consequence for losing and no rewards for winning, unless you want to count being called No. 1 for less than 3 days. Quit kidding yourself. Tennessee was overrated and it showed in the most important month of the season.

Bottom line is: I wish Tennessee fans would quit talking and acting like they have a top 10 program. They have not even made it past the sweet sixteen for crying outloud! EVER! That should give them reason enough to be quiet. Keep priding yourself on beating someone in February while we keep making elite eight's and final fours and championship games....I'll take that all night, all day. "Good ole Rockytop, never past the sweet sixteeeeeeeeeeeeen!"

17 and Oh So Sweet

2008-06-18T13:37:00.003-04:00

Well, let me first start out by saying I got this series completely wrong, ok? Now all my friends who have been nagging me can finally be quiet. I'm sorry I couldn't predict Leon Powe single handedly winning game 2 for the Celtics. I'm sorry I couldn't predict the Lakers blowing a 35-14 first quarter lead in game 4 which ultimately changed the series, but what I am most sorry about is the faith I had in the Los Angeles Lakers to play defense.

Not only did Boston win its 17th title, and not only did they do it against their arch rivals, but they beat the living piss out of them. The Celtics defense was nothing short of phenominal. They made Kobe Bryant so confused on the court that not only was he missing shots, but he was turning the ball over as well. The C's bench was tremendous whether it was Powe, House, Posey, P.J. Brown or yes, even Big Baby Glen Davis. They hit key shots, grabbed timely rebounds and made key defensive stops. After Game 5, Kobe was asked by a reporter, "Do you think we saw enough in the Lakers for people to believe they can go into Boston and win game 6?" Kobe smiled and said, "No, probably not." Well, there was no probably about it...we didn't Kobe. What we did see was your inability to lead this Lakers team. There was no leadership on the floor for them whatsoever.

Boston proved me wrong. I'll admit it. I did not think that the Celtics could find a way to stop Kobe Bryant, but they did. Kobe, in my opinion did not seem like he wanted this title as bad as the other one's he played. His facial expressions never changed throughout the entire game 6. It was almost like he was just waiting to lose the game so he could go back to LA and have a fun summer before leaving for Beijing. Whatever the reason, the Celtics proved they were the best team in the NBA this season. They have won a an NBA Franchise record 17 NBA titles which is 3rd most all time in any sport behind the New York Yankees and the Montreal Canadians. Now we can all go take a nap until the Olympics start because nothing will be on t.v. until then.

Coaching, The Bench and Defense

2008-06-13T08:45:00.002-04:00

Ok, so I checked my cell phone around 9:35ish to see what the score of the game was and it said 35-14 Lakers at the end of one. My initial thought was, "Wow, how the hell do the Celtics give up 35 and only score 14??? It was all part of Doc Rivers' plan to not only win the game, but break a record while doing it. The Celtics came back from an 18 point halftime deficit, bigger than anyone in NBA Finals history since the shot clock era. The comeback was due to three things: coaching, bench play and defense.

Coaching: Doc Rivers vs. Phil Jackson. I know that I am going to take Jackson over Rivers 9 out of 10 times. Well ladies and gentlemen, we were all "witnesses" of the one time where Phil was outcoached by Doc. Its hard to question a guy with 9 championship rings, but every great coach makes a mistake every now and then (Ex. John Calipari on April 7th, 2008). Doc Rivers saw the exact same thing the whole world did. He saw LA trapping the post, whether it be Perkins, Garnett or Powe, every single time they touched the ball. This forced them to kick it out to Rondo (his man usually left to double) and he is not someone you want taking the bulk of your shots. So, Rivers decided to yank him and "Perk" and throw in Eddie House and James Posey. LA continued to double, only this time House and Posey made them pay. This forced LA to quit doubling the post and allowed KG to have one on one battles with Pau and it worked to perfection. For Jackson, he decided to go with Sasha "point shaving" Vujacic instead of Lamar Odom who finally looked like himself last night. Odom was playing brilliantly and Vujacic wasn't only shooting poorly, but Ray Allen was toying with him on offense as well. Odom was 8 for 11 and Phil decided not to go with him late in the game. This coaching battle was clearly won by Doc Rivers and maybe people will start taking him seriously now.

Bench Play: Well, I don't want to toot my own horn, but I will...toot toot. I said the key to this series was going to be the bench and who stepped up when it mattered the most. Game 4 was a perfect example of that. For the Celtics, with Perkins and Rondo struggling, Rivers needed help from his bench and so he decided to go with the youthful Eddie House (not the egghead) and James Posey (to have another shooter on the floor). House and Posey both scored in double digits with 11 and 18 respectively and were a combined 6 of 10 from the three point line. The biggest shots were when Posey hit a fall away three pointer from the corner to cut the lead to one and then two possessions later House hit a 20 ft. jumper to give the C's there first lead of the night. The Lakers bench was god-awful. Vujacic, Farmar, Ariza, Walton and Turiaf were a combined 5 for 21 from the field and neither scored more than 6 points. Sasha was lights out in Game 3 but wasn't ready to play last night on both ends of the floor. He constantly got beat on defense and just couldn't get into a rythmn on offense. Kobe needed help last night as he was struggling as well, but he didn't get it.

Defense: The Celtics played the best defense I have ever witnessed in an NBA game in the new "offense controlled" era. They may prove again that defense wins championships. They held the Lakers to 33 points in THE ENTIRE SECOND HALF (less than they scored in first quarter). They didn't let Kobe get into the lane as he said in the press conference, "I saw two, three bodies around me the whole game." Pau missing dunks, Vujacic missing three's and Farmar going 1 for 6 did the Lakers in. Pierce told Doc he wanted to guard Kobe because he wasn't in foul trouble and that may have been the point where the Celtics took it to another level. Either way, they earned this victory on the defensive end and getting out in transition which would not have been possible without the D.

I am really at a loss for words when watching Vujacic defend Ray Allen on that last possession. He seemed to just stop in the middle of the play. I'm not sure how he could have expected help because it was clearly an isolation play and he knew nobody from his team was going to be in the paint. With the NBA refs allegations swirling around the league, the last thing anyone wants to hear is a player shaving points, but if you take a look at that play, something sure looks fishy to me. If anyone has any idea what Sasha may have been thinking on that play, please please please, let me know. No doubt the Celtics earned Game 4 and the Lakers now have to overcome something that has never been done before, coming back from 3-1 in the NBA finals. I will say, if I had one player to choose from to lead that comeback, it would be Kobe Bryant. He said it best when asked how you win three straight, "You just have to win Sunday and then move on to the next game." If anyone thinks this theory is bullshit, just go ask the Boston Red Sox.

Dorsey Impresses at NBA Draft Workout

2008-06-11T15:21:00.005-04:00

Well, the word on the skreet is that Joey Dorsey had a very good workout with the Memphis Grizzlies. Dorsey worked out with Kevin "I got dunked on by CDR" Love, Javale "little conference" Mcgee and DeAndre "my hands are bigger than my face" Jordan. The Griz had them run baseline to baseline shooting elbow jumpers and while Kevin Love consistently hit shots, Dorsey wasn't too far behind. Dorsey's whole mindset throughout this NBA draft process has been trying to show everyone he has an offensive game that nobody thinks he has since he was not needed offensively in college at Memphis. Dorsey did knock down shots and played very well in the post.

On one 3 v 2 drill, Dorsey actually ended up dunking right in Kevin Love's face, only this time he didn't choose to point and laugh at him like he did in the final four. When being interviewed after the workout, Dorsey said he played video games with Russell Westbrook of UCLA and in one game Dorsey played as Memphis and Westbrook of UCLA. Dorsey said CDR dunked on Kevin Love in the game and he looked at Westbrook and said, "that was just like the final four game." Naturally, it sparked a laugh out of Westbrook. That is who Joey is though. He is just a kid who loves to play pranks, make jokes and laugh. Those are qualities that NBA coaches and scouts love about him. He is a very nice young man, but obviously nobody can deny his troubled past. He is doing exactly what he should be doing though which is forgetting the past and trying to find a way to brighten his future and show everyone his genuine side.

Grabbing Joey with the 28th pick would be a bold move for the Grizzlies, but I believe in the long-run it will be a beneficial one. He is going to grab rebounds, block shots and run the floor as good as anyone in the draft. No, he is never going to be a starter in the NBA unless something drastic changes with his game, but he is a great backup to come in the game and provide a spark. If the Griz take Love with the number five selection you are getting the most talented power forward in the draft, hands down. He can shoot the three, take people off the dribble and has every post move you could possibly think of. Love has a great work ethic and has already dropped upwards of 15 pounds since getting crushed in the final four. Dorsey and Love playing next to one another wouldn't sound so bad to me. Then again, what the hell do the Grizzlies have to lose? If they draft two big men, then they can shop around for some free agents or trade for another guard to compliment Rudy Gay. Corey Maggette would be my first choice, but odds are he will re-sign with the Clippers.

I will leave you with this...the most curious move in the past week has by far been the hiring of Vinny Del Negro to be the head coach of the Chicago Bulls. He has not lost one game in the NBA playoffs as a head coach, so I guess the Bulls figured they couldn't go wrong. I thought Del Negro was going to take up acting again after he had a cameo in one of my favorite movies, "Eddie," where he was shown talking to Avery Johnson on their way back to the locker room after beating the lowly Knicks. Yes, that was right after Eddie referred to Avery Johnson as a "little roach."

Go get um Del!

Reds Go With the Red-head

2008-06-09T14:18:00.004-04:00

It's not easy for Will Hudgens, and it never has been. Going to Ridgeway High School and playing football as an 8th grader, everyone has always expected something of Hudgens. He was one of the top quarterbacks in the state coming out of high school in 2004, but there was one thing a lot of people didn't know about Will.....he was an incredibly gifted baseball player as well.

Hudgens signed with the University of Memphis to play football during a very competative recruiting battle between Memphis and Ole Miss. Hudgens uncle played football for the University of Memphis back in the day and all of Will's family lived in Memphis along with all of his friends. So, he had a lot of pressure to come to the U of M and play for the tigers. After blowing out his knee, he had to red-shirt his entire freshman year and then came back ready to play the next season. Hudgens was called on to replace Patrick Byrne who broke his leg on the third snap from center in 2005. I remember watching the game at college at one of my buddies houses and seeing Will run onto the field for the first time, I couldn't have been more proud. So, how did he do on his first ever college football series in front of national television?....he was unbelievable. He went 3 for 3 for 53 yards including a 34 yard strike right down the center of the Ole Miss defense. The Tigers lost the game 10-6, but I was happy to see my best friend finally get his chance and play a pretty good game.

So, after seasons 2005, 2006 and another injury, Hudgens decided he was going to again take his talents to the baseball field. Will actually got called upon in a road game against Clemson (his first year on the mound) who was then ranked in the top 10 and he got the win! I remember him calling me ecstatic as can be. Hudgens told coach Tommy West he was going to play baseball again this spring and not participate in spring workouts with the football team and coach West allowed him to do what he wanted.

After an awful year for the Memphis baseball squad, Hudgens decided he was going to allow himself to be eligible for the 2008 baseball draft. He was taken in the 23rd round by the Cincinnati Reds and is going to play rookie ball in Billings, MT this summer. The Reds are going to get themselves a fierce competitor and one of the best athletes they have seen in a while. I look for Will to do big things and come out of the crapshoot that is minor league baseball, on top. Hudgens has had to face more adversity than anyone can imagine and I am proud to say he is one of my best friends and I am more excited for him than he will ever know. I guess I have to somewhat become a baseball fan now.

One Big Flop

2008-06-08T23:34:00.002-04:00

The Los Angeles Lakers simply did not show up in B-town with the exception of the final seven minutes of the fourth quarter in game 2. They got outmanned in every phase of the game. Pau Gasol (as predicted) couldn't hold KG's jockstrap in either of the two games. The bench was the key. Leon Powe, who has rarely seen the floor in these playoffs somehow emerged in game 2 and finished with a career playoff high 21 points. The Celtics defense has made it very tough for Kobe even though he has still gotten his points. These Lakers do not seem as confident as the one's who ran through the western conference playoffs.

With five games left in the series, and the Lakers backs against the wall, we will see what they are made of and if they are worthy of being called champions. Being wrong is tough to admit, so I am not going to....I still believe the Los Angeles Lakers will somehow win this series. If they can take all three in LA, I think Kobe HAS to have one solid road game left in him where he can will the Lakers to victory. If the Celtics bench continues to play like they are and KG continues to toy with Pau on offense, this series may end quicker than expected. These two games were one's that I am sure the Lakers want to forget, so we will see if they can put the two L's in the past and show up Tuesday night and for the sake of ratings, I'm sure the NBA does as well.

An Old Rivalry With A New Spark

2008-06-05T12:43:00.002-04:00

Well, it might not be as good as Magic vs. Bird, but it should be a very exciting NBA Finals with the two franchises with the most titles in NBA history. Last year we were hoping for a fantastic seven game series with Lebron vs. the Spurs, but instead we had to sit and watch as the Spurs played their usual boring basketball and swept James and his Cavaliers.

Most are hoping that this series is decided by the "Big 3" on both the Lakers and the Celtics. I happen to think that Kobe, Lamar and Pau are going to cancel out Pierce, Garnett and Ray Allen. I think the key to this series is going to be which bench steps it up and plays the way they can. If Sasha Vujacic and Jordan Farmar are in sync, the Lakers chances of winning are going to be very high. Luke Walton and Ronny Turiaf must give Pau and Lamar a chance to rest and go hard for 4-5 minutes at a time. For the C's its as simple as this...either Egghead Sam Cassell or Eddie House has to be able to run the team while Rondo is on the bench. Rondo has played well in his first playoff run, but the NBA finals is a whole different story. PJ Brown and James Posey have to make the Lakers earn it. They cannot allow Pau or Kobe (the two players they will most likely be guarding) to go on a run that kills all the momentum they might have gained when the big 3 need a breather. However, both Gasol and Bryant are excellent free throw shooters which is why it is going to be very difficult to stop them Here is what we know going into this series:

-Kobe is going to get his points. No matter how good the Celtics defense is, Bryant is still going to fill it up. If Bruce Bowen, who is the best defender in the NBA (and its not even close) could not shut him down, I don't think Pierce of James Posey will either.
-KG is going to absolutely dominate Pau Gasol on offense. Pau is too slow and not physical enough to bang with the Big Ticket and the Celtics need to exploit this mismatch as much as they can.
-Ray Allen is going to be inconsistent. He is not going to shoot lights out for however long this series goes. He started to find his touch against the Pistons, but he may have trouble getting his shot off over the long reach of Vladimir Radmanovic.
-Derek Fisher is going to hit some big shots when the Lakers need them most. That's simply what he does best.
-The Boston crowd is going to chant "Eddie Eddie Eddie," when Eddie House comes into the game.
-Rondo is going to be left open so fisher can stay down and help double on KG or Perkins when they get the ball in the post, so he has to be ready to shoot.
-There is a good chance Kobe Bryant could do what he did in Game 1 against the Spurs and that is sit and play the "trust my teammates" card in the first half and study the game to figure out how he wants to attack Boston in the second half.
-Kendrick Perkins is going to give the officials the look of, "How can you call that?" Kendrick Perkins does not foul anyone, just ask him.

Finally, my prediction for this series...

I want to believe this is going to go 6 or 7 games, but I just don't see it. I know the Los Angeles Lakers are far and away the best team in the NBA and they will prove it. With Odom, Bryant and Gasol still in their prime (and don't forget about Andrew Bynum), this team could definitely be a dynasty in the making. I think LA is going to steal one in Boston (my guess is game 1), and then sweep the Celtics in LA (remember it is 2-3-2, not 2-2-1-1-1). Lakers in 5, but hopefully there will be a little excitment along the way.

The Perfect Puzzle

2008-05-30T12:23:00.003-04:00

When you actually sit down and think about it, the Los Angeles Lakers have assembled the right pieces that seemed to be missing from the puzzle Jerry Buss was trying to put together ever since Shaq left for Miami.

Kobe Bryant is obviously a guy you try and build an NBA team, but there are certain players that just cannot fill that void for other teams. Example 1 would be Pau Gasol for the Memphis Grizzlies. As good as Pau is, he is not going to be someone you can build your team around. He is not a "1" player. Pau Gasol is a very good "2" player, not talking about the 2 position obviously, I am talking about him being the #2 option on a team, while players like Kobe, Lebron, Wade, Howard and Paul are clearly "1's."

Its like the Clippers trying to build their team around Elton Brand, it's just never going to work for the same reason. Brand is a very good player, an All-Star when he is on his A game, but he is never going to reach that "1" status every single night.

So, the Lakers were trying to get by with Kobe as the 1 option and Lamar Odom as the 2 and it clearly wasn't working out as Kobe demanded a trade. It's funny how one aquisition of a player can change everything, and make everything work so efficiently. Pau Gasol is finally getting to play the role he should play and he is making the most of his first real chance at a championship. Whether Griz fans like it or not, Pau Gasol is one of the best "2" options in the entire NBA. Last night Gasol had 12pts, 19 rebs and 5 assists. You really can't get any better than that out of your 2nd option. Nine of his rebounds were on the offensive end and that is part of the reason why Kobe took as many shots as he did, because Pau gave him the opportunity to keep shooting. And when Kobe is hitting on more than 50% of his shots, why not continue to give him the ball? Lamar Odom was then forced to take on the "3" role on the Lakers which he is DEFINITELY best suited for. Lamar Odom will give you close to a double double every night, but as the 2nd option, you can't expect 10 and 10, you need to expect somewhere along the line of 15-20 pts, which Odom cannot give you on a night to night basis like Gasol.

Then, you talk about the Lakers bench with young, fresh guards like Sasha Vujacic and Jordan Farmar. Two athletic, skilled forwards in Ronny Turiaf and Luke Walton and you have a very solid bench to give the starters a rest. And then, my favorite player on the Lakers is by far Derek Fisher. Kobe will be the first tell you, Fisher was the key off-season pickup for this squad. He understands the game better than any veteran point guard you could name. His shot is still downright consistent and he rarely makes bad decisions with the ball. He is also a very solid on-ball defender to go along with his veteran leadership that every championship team needs. Oh, and they still have Andrew Bynum, who was looking like an All-Star before he injured his knee. I think the Lakers should give him to the Grizzlies for putting the last piece of their puzzle into place.

The bottom line is that this puzzle could be in tact for a long time and we may be looking at another Laker dynasty...