You come here because I've got the picks that click! Rack em:
Western Illinois at Wisconsin
New Hampshire at Northwestern
Both teams open their home seasons against D-IAA opponents after hitting the road to fight the good fight against the MAC. Neither game is worthy of mention. This is not Colorado Buffalo Big XII North football. This is the Big Ten, where we roll up our D-IAA opponents and smoke them. Blowouts both.
Central Michigan at Michigan
Michigan fans want to know: is seven days enough time to teach the receivers to catch and the offensive line to block? Not that it really matters against Central -- they're interested because of the road game against Notre Dame next weekend. Based on the improvement of those two units, expect a score like Michigan 28-49, Central Michigan 0-7.
Illinois at Rutgers
A battle of the unbeatens, this clash will be epic. Both teams are starting to gain a foothold in their conferences, Rutgers moreso than Illinois. The State University of New Jersey, battle-tested in a triumph over ACC foe North Carolina, will come out on top as the Illini are still in prissy D-IAA mode. Rutgers 28, Illinois 20
Eastern Michigan at Michigan State
John L. Smith did not have the troops ready to play last week. With thousands of upset critics watching his every move, the team will play to its potential this week. Michigan State 56, Eastern Michigan 24
Miami (OH) at Purdue
35 points to Indiana State? Joe Tiller has really lost his edge. I don't know anything else about this matchup and I'm tired of writing filler so Purdue 31, Miami 28
Iowa at Syracuse
Not a trap game, since Syracuse sucks. Iowa wins easily. Iowa 38, Syracuse 6
Indiana at Ball State
Read that again: Indiana at Ball State. Now that's just pathetic. Indiana 35, Ball State 10
Minnesota at Cal
Now here's an intriguing matchup. Cal couldn't get anything going offensively against Tennessee last weekend, but that's because Tennessee's coach believes in playing defense. Glen Mason doesn't, and Glen Mason's team won't. It's a shootout and the home team wins. Cal 52, Minnesota 41
Penn State at Notre Dame
History! Pageantry! The old senile "coach" vs. the fat genius! This game has it all. The questions that need to be answered are mostly on Penn State's side of the ball: do they have a running game? Can Morelli play effectively against a non-MAC team? Will the defense rattle Brady Quinn sufficiently? You know, I think they will. Look for PSU to blitz early and often, and for Quinn to fail to get into a rhythm. But due to the Lions' lackluster offense, this one will be tight till the end. Call it Penn State 13, Notre Dame 9.
Ohio State at Texas
This is the big one! I'm not going to miss a minute of it, and I suspect most of you aren't either. It's silly that Texas just happened to be voted up to #2 right in time for this game, and I'd be just as excited to see this one if neither team was #1. With the arrest and subsequent suspension of a couple Texas defenders, the door is open for Ted Ginn Jr. to run wild. Cheating liar Jim Tressel had Troy Smith on a very short leash last week; expect him to blow up on Texas. However, Texas is one of the very best teams in the game, returning boatloads of talent from the national title team. Still, in the end, their compromised defense and their freshman quarterback will cost them the game. In the biggest game of the year so far, Ohio State 33, Texas 27
Technorati tags: wisconsin badgers, college football, university of wisconsin, UW-Madison, Big Ten
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Blogs worthy of your attention
These will go into the sidebar pretty soon:
* TalkHawkeye
* SpartanBlog
* Big Ten Country
* Wisconsin Sports Rant
* TalkHawkeye
* SpartanBlog
* Big Ten Country
* Wisconsin Sports Rant
Carnival of College Football I - Introducing CFB Bloggers and Their Writing
Welcome, one and all, to the Carnival of College Football! If you're still not familiar with the concept, maybe the entries themselves will help clear things up. With no further ado:
What happens when your archrivals take off their shirts, sing "Total Eclipse of the Heart," and post it on the interwebs? Matt of BevoSports wants you to know! This post put that site "on the map."
Todd Sponsler presents PennLive.com: 50-Yard Lion Blog posted at 50-Yard Lion Blog, saying, "I am an ophthalmologist by day, a blogger by night, and a Penn State football fan 24/7. I try to write insightful, sometimes inciteful, commentary regarding PSU football. It's not easy since I can't even write legible prescriptions. This entry is a parody song based on Meatloaf's "You took the words right out of my mouth" as a way of venting frustration from last year's only loss."
It seems only fitting to put this post by DP right after Todd's; the team that bested PSU last year was Michigan, and in his acerbic fashion the chief of Michigan Against the World says, "This post was from my blog's infancy. At the time, it was meant to be satire- completely ripping other teams/fans/etc., but I've transitioned into a more serious tone, because I think it's just better reading. This post is still my favorite, because if there's one thing I like, it's railing on the insane online Penn State fan. WE OWN!!! PENN STATE!!!"
I'm partial to the blog Cute Sports, mainly because Nicole is a Badger fan. She introduces herself like so: "The name comes from a column I wrote for my collge paper and it's the best I could think of when I got started. The blog covers a wide gamut of sports in the state of Wisconsin, with a smattering of soccer and some state of Louisiana coverage as well. I live in Milwaukee, but spent 6 years in New Orleans. There's a dearth of coverage on Wisconsin sports. I try to fill that void and provide a new (sarcastic) take on things. I think being female gives me a unique view of the sports world, but I also hope that you don't read my posts and automatically think 'this is written by a chick.' This is my post on the Capital One Bowl, and from that same day, a post about the irrelevance of bowls.
analysis
If you're not reading Sunday Morning Quarterback yet, you're not taking your role as a college football blogger seriously. The SMQ shares his weekly features: a Friday preview and Sunday Morning Recap ... in depth as usual.
Cool Hand Mike explains the passion for college football in Alabama for us poor Northern folk in My Home State. Check out the rest of his blog, too.
Nestor at Bruins Nation tells us that while the 60 minutes on the field counted the most for UCLA, what happened after the game should not be ignored.
Straight Bangin' analyzes Michigan-Vanderbilt and expects to offer more like that during the season at Schembechler Hall.
View from Rocky Top shows you what happens when a fan of a perennial powerhouse endures a season that ends without a bowl appearance in the post Catastrophic Change and the Season of Which We Do Not Speak, at, of course, View from Rocky Top.
deep thoughts
Mike Miller lets us know his tiebreaker scheme in neutral games in My allegiances in college football posted at Talk Hawkeyes, saying, "This post is about how I determine who to root for in each football game."
Jeffie Husker weaves together topics as disparate as the Jungian theory of synchronicity and the XFL in The Luck Effect posted at Double Extra Point. This one really does qualify as deep thought!
My submission enters the realm of the stupid: I try to get inside a recruit's head. Good luck with that!
Maize N Brew knows something is amiss in the Big Ten: almost all the schools have incorrect mascots! Except Minnesota ... turns out they really ARE gophers. Read more at Maize N Brew.
All the world's a stage at Trials in the Falcon Nation. Here, orangeandbrown presents the BG-UT game in 23 acts.
Adam presents PITCH RIGHT: Does the Window Even Exist? posted at Pitch Right, saying, "A collaborative effort with Brian from The House that Rock Built, I can say that this was the first (and perhaps last) quality post I ever made." It's all about sitting on the bad side of a 42-year drought.
Steven presents The Anagrammed NC State Football Preview posted at Section Six, saying, "I generated anagrams for a bunch of players on the NC State two-deep and then constructed a mini-preview around the results." Entertaining, but requires extensive knowledge of the NC State roster!
irresponsible speculation
Mark Hasty presents PARDON THE BIGTENTERRUPTION posted at The Bemusement Park, saying, "Pickin' On The Big Ten (POTBT) has been around in one form or another since 1999. While the attitude is always lighthearted, the picks are serious. This particular submission is a takeoff on Pardon The Interruption, the popular ESPN argument show. Previous editions of POTBT have presented the week's predictions in the form of a presidential debate, '80s hair-metal classics, TV Guide listings, and "The Jim Rome Show." What will this year bring? Stay tuned. I can only promise you no haiku. Ever."
rankings
Rocky Top Talk presents The Animated BCS Race: Week One posted at Rocky Top Talk. This is a really cool idea and I'll be checking it out week by week now. This is the sort of thing the Carnival is good for -- you might miss these gems if they're not brought to your attention!
rants
Not really a rant, but AgRyan04 takes us back to his 2003 road trip to Nebraska at his blog Texas A&M & Baseball In No Particular Order. It's never fun to drive through three gigantic states just to witness your team's demise, but Ryan sums the whole thing up nicely.
Whew!! Enough to read?! That's it for this week, but we'll be back next Thursday, right here at Wisconsin Badger Sports. Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of College Football using our carnival submission form.
Past posts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
Technorati tags:
carnival of college football, blog carnival, wisconsin badgers.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
My final post about Western Illinois
The Badgers beat Bowling Green soundly. They are not looking ahead to San Diego State. They are talented, smart, and tough. They're going to beat Western Illinois on Saturday. End of story.
Oh, sure. It's all over the papers. This D-IAA team isn't to be taken lightly. Upsets happen! The Leathernecks are pumped up and they'll be ready to go on Saturday!
Yeah, we know. But UW is no Duke. It's not New Mexico, nor is it Colorado. Wisconsin is NOT going to lose. This game's going to be a slaughter.
If your need for WIU news has not been slaked, go read about how excited the Leathernecks are, or get your update from their student paper (registration required, annoyingly ... just use flyertalk@flyertalk.com for your email address). For a historical perspective, see how WIU has begged for Wisconsin's table scraps.
If you want to read something that will actually be relevant following Saturday's bloodbath, check out Jeff Potrykus's take on the emerging running back situation in Madison.
Prediction: Wisconsin 49, Western Illinois 3
Oh, sure. It's all over the papers. This D-IAA team isn't to be taken lightly. Upsets happen! The Leathernecks are pumped up and they'll be ready to go on Saturday!
Yeah, we know. But UW is no Duke. It's not New Mexico, nor is it Colorado. Wisconsin is NOT going to lose. This game's going to be a slaughter.
If your need for WIU news has not been slaked, go read about how excited the Leathernecks are, or get your update from their student paper (registration required, annoyingly ... just use flyertalk@flyertalk.com for your email address). For a historical perspective, see how WIU has begged for Wisconsin's table scraps.
If you want to read something that will actually be relevant following Saturday's bloodbath, check out Jeff Potrykus's take on the emerging running back situation in Madison.
Prediction: Wisconsin 49, Western Illinois 3
Blogpoll Roundtable V2.2
1. What team best met your overall expectations of them in their opener?
That would be Louisville, a team best known for running up the score against nobodies in order to rev up the hype engine. As usual, the Cardinals got off to a quick start, scoring no fewer than 14 points in any one quarter, punching their in-state rival Kentucky in the mouth, and taking home the Governor's Cup. But even if they hadn't lost Michael Bush, this would be same-old, same-old Petrino-era Cardinal football. Throw, rush, take no prisoners, put up 600 yards and 5 dozen points. The only surprise was that they appear to have neutralized Kentucky's running game.
2. What team jumped off the map and surprised you the most? (Bonus points to anyone who can make an argument for someone besides Tennessee.)
Montana State, for definitely.
If you want teams that can only wind up winning a mythical national title instead of a real one determined by a playoff, I have to go with Tennessee. Second place would go to Pitt, which beat Virginia 38-13. However, I have to admit that I had no idea how UVA was "supposed to be" this year, so maybe it's not all that surprising that the Panthers took them down by a 25-point margin. (Well, it's a surprise in that Wannstedt got a win that looks impressive on paper, I suppose.)
Scanning the results from Week 1, I don't see any other surprises that go in the positive direction. I'm surprised that Rutgers handled UNC so well. I'm surprised that South Carolina didn't blow out Mississippi State. I'm surprised that Arizona State-Northern Arizona was close going into the fourth quarter. I'm surprised that Alabama made Hawaii look like they're capable of playing defense. I'm surprised that Michigan State's point total against Idaho was closer to two dozen than twenty dozen. And I'm shocked that Notre Dame won and still slipped in the polls.
3. What team best moved themselves into a position to surprisingly contend for a national title?
I think I'll go with West Virginia for this one. Sure, they only played Marshall, but their running back (Slaton) led the nation in rushing last week, which might be an indicator that the Mountaineers will be able to hang with teams from legitimate conferences and ride their talent -- not their schedule -- to a perfect season. Erstwhile Heisman hopeful Michael Bush of Louisville, the team rumored to be WVU's only real competition in the Big East, broke his leg, further helping West Virginia in its quest for a second consecutive BCS berth.
That would be Louisville, a team best known for running up the score against nobodies in order to rev up the hype engine. As usual, the Cardinals got off to a quick start, scoring no fewer than 14 points in any one quarter, punching their in-state rival Kentucky in the mouth, and taking home the Governor's Cup. But even if they hadn't lost Michael Bush, this would be same-old, same-old Petrino-era Cardinal football. Throw, rush, take no prisoners, put up 600 yards and 5 dozen points. The only surprise was that they appear to have neutralized Kentucky's running game.
2. What team jumped off the map and surprised you the most? (Bonus points to anyone who can make an argument for someone besides Tennessee.)
Montana State, for definitely.
If you want teams that can only wind up winning a mythical national title instead of a real one determined by a playoff, I have to go with Tennessee. Second place would go to Pitt, which beat Virginia 38-13. However, I have to admit that I had no idea how UVA was "supposed to be" this year, so maybe it's not all that surprising that the Panthers took them down by a 25-point margin. (Well, it's a surprise in that Wannstedt got a win that looks impressive on paper, I suppose.)
Scanning the results from Week 1, I don't see any other surprises that go in the positive direction. I'm surprised that Rutgers handled UNC so well. I'm surprised that South Carolina didn't blow out Mississippi State. I'm surprised that Arizona State-Northern Arizona was close going into the fourth quarter. I'm surprised that Alabama made Hawaii look like they're capable of playing defense. I'm surprised that Michigan State's point total against Idaho was closer to two dozen than twenty dozen. And I'm shocked that Notre Dame won and still slipped in the polls.
3. What team best moved themselves into a position to surprisingly contend for a national title?
I think I'll go with West Virginia for this one. Sure, they only played Marshall, but their running back (Slaton) led the nation in rushing last week, which might be an indicator that the Mountaineers will be able to hang with teams from legitimate conferences and ride their talent -- not their schedule -- to a perfect season. Erstwhile Heisman hopeful Michael Bush of Louisville, the team rumored to be WVU's only real competition in the Big East, broke his leg, further helping West Virginia in its quest for a second consecutive BCS berth.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Blogpoll Week 2: Official ballot
Rationale for all changes here.
| Rank | Team | Delta |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio State |  2 |
| 2 | Southern Cal | 3 |
| 3 | Auburn |  2 |
| 4 | Louisiana State | 2 |
| 5 | Texas | 1 |
| 6 | West Virginia | 1 |
| 7 | Iowa | 2 |
| 8 | Georgia | 3 |
| 9 | Florida State | 3 |
| 10 | Notre Dame | 4 |
| 11 | Miami (Florida) | 3 |
| 12 | Penn State | 2 |
| 13 | Nebraska | 3 |
| 14 | Michigan | 3 |
| 15 | Louisville | -- |
| 16 | Oklahoma | 6 |
| 17 | Florida | 3 |
| 18 | Tennessee | 6 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | 3 |
| 20 | Georgia Tech | 3 |
| 21 | Arizona State | 8 |
| 22 | Cal | 4 |
| 23 | Clemson | 3 |
| 24 | Oregon | 2 |
| 25 | Virginia Tech | 1 |
Dropped Out: Michigan State (#19), Arkansas (#21), South Carolina (#25).
Carnival of College Football - Week 1 - Submissions Due 9/6, 8 pm
As I said before, I have started up the Carnival of College Football. It's time to put out a call for submissions.
This week's theme is The Kickoff: Introduce Yourself and Your Writing. Just spend a couple minutes combing through your archives and submit your best or your favorite entry. It could be your funniest entry, your most philosophical, the one that "put you on the map" in the college football blogosphere. Maybe you coined a neologism. Maybe you posted something that everyone wanted to copy. Maybe your material was ripped off by Colin Cowherd. Who knows? Impress us. Crack us up. Make us think. But most of all, make us read your blog. Make us add you to our bookmarks or our newsreader. With Blogpollers alone, over 150 new posts pop up each day. Make us sit up and pay attention with the link you submit.
We ain't found shit!
The first entry has been in the tank for a while and more are coming in. First guy to the party gets a special mention; check out how a certain Iowa Hawkeyes fan chooses which teams to support each week.
One more thing I want to touch on quickly; we already have a BlogPoll roundtable, so we already do a pretty good job of bouncing ideas off one another. If you know of a college football blogger who doesn't vote in the BlogPoll, please let him/her know about this Carnival.
Submissions go here or can be emailed to badgertracker@gmail.com ... and have fun!
This week's theme is The Kickoff: Introduce Yourself and Your Writing. Just spend a couple minutes combing through your archives and submit your best or your favorite entry. It could be your funniest entry, your most philosophical, the one that "put you on the map" in the college football blogosphere. Maybe you coined a neologism. Maybe you posted something that everyone wanted to copy. Maybe your material was ripped off by Colin Cowherd. Who knows? Impress us. Crack us up. Make us think. But most of all, make us read your blog. Make us add you to our bookmarks or our newsreader. With Blogpollers alone, over 150 new posts pop up each day. Make us sit up and pay attention with the link you submit.
We ain't found shit!
The first entry has been in the tank for a while and more are coming in. First guy to the party gets a special mention; check out how a certain Iowa Hawkeyes fan chooses which teams to support each week.
One more thing I want to touch on quickly; we already have a BlogPoll roundtable, so we already do a pretty good job of bouncing ideas off one another. If you know of a college football blogger who doesn't vote in the BlogPoll, please let him/her know about this Carnival.
Submissions go here or can be emailed to badgertracker@gmail.com ... and have fun!
Things to read today:
Capsules of every Big Ten game at the Baseball Savant
Responses to Bruce Ciskie's roundtable questions as they come in. And if you missed them, Bruce's liveblog of the game, review of the offense, and review of the defense.
OMG RIVALRY: football from an Iowa fan's perspective at TalkHawkeyes.com
Fun facts about Western Illinois-Wisconsin at the Leathernecks' official site
Responses to Bruce Ciskie's roundtable questions as they come in. And if you missed them, Bruce's liveblog of the game, review of the offense, and review of the defense.
OMG RIVALRY: football from an Iowa fan's perspective at TalkHawkeyes.com
Fun facts about Western Illinois-Wisconsin at the Leathernecks' official site
Brief review: Wisconsin 35, Bowling Green 14
The Big Picture: We've got a team that's a little more complete than many of us might have assumed. Every unit had its successes and deficiencies, but the successes won out on Saturday.
On offense, it appears that Wisconsin has not one but three legitimate running backs. P.J. Hill looks to be That Man this year, the heir apparent to Brian Calhoun (although he is, of course, not at all the type of back that Calhoun was). He and Dywon Rowan are battering rams and gained a lot of their yards by running to the left side where Joe Thomas cleared the way (most of the time), but both backs also did their share of trampling hapless Falcons throughout the day. Stocco looked good, putting the ball where it belonged, save the moment of hennebriation that led to an interception in the end zone. However, while the ball flew with purpose to its intended destination, the hands of the receivers were rarely there to catch it; Stocco, being a smart quarterback will no doubt adjust appropriately. Travis Beckum, de novo tight end, appears to be the go-to guy for now, despite the fact that everyone who talks about him emphasizes the fact that he has a lot of work to do. Still, the playcalls were ~80/20 run/pass, which is great if you can get away with it ... but I don't think that's likely in Big Ten season.
Defensively, we saw Jekyll and Hyde (much as I hate making that stupid reference, it's so appropriate so often). To know this, all one needs to do is look at the Falcons' drive chart:
* 10 plays, 80 yards, touchdown
* 4 plays, 5 yards, punt
* 5 plays, 8 yards, punt
* 5 plays, 15 yards, punt
* 3 plays, -2 yards, punt
* 3 plays, 4 yards, punt
* 16 plays, 79 yards, touchdown
* 16 plays, 59 yards, turnover on downs
* 3 plays, 6 yards, punt
6 punts, 3 sustained drives. Not a bad ratio, but still, this was Bowling Green. Granted, one of those drives was kept alive by an ingeniously executed fake punt, and the other resulted in no points, but again: this was Bowling Green. Even without athletic, dual-threat quarterback issues, the Badgers still have a lot of work to do. 219 yards is too many to give up on the ground to a MAC team, especially when the D-line was supposed to be a strength. Jonathon Casillas and Mark Zalewski played great games, and the longest passing play given up was 18 yards, although that may have more to do with the fact that the run was always there if Freddie Barnes wanted it.
Special teams were as good as it gets, with the only blemish being that fake punt (which was relatively harmless in the end). Casillas blocked a punt that went for seven, and Ken DeBauche's two punts went for an average of 47.5 yards -- with no returns. Hopefully this underrated phase of the game will be one where the Badgers will excel.
Free advice for Bowling Green: keep that suspended quarterback on the bench. If Wisconsin had a tough time with him, how do you think he's going to look against Central Michigan or Akron?
On offense, it appears that Wisconsin has not one but three legitimate running backs. P.J. Hill looks to be That Man this year, the heir apparent to Brian Calhoun (although he is, of course, not at all the type of back that Calhoun was). He and Dywon Rowan are battering rams and gained a lot of their yards by running to the left side where Joe Thomas cleared the way (most of the time), but both backs also did their share of trampling hapless Falcons throughout the day. Stocco looked good, putting the ball where it belonged, save the moment of hennebriation that led to an interception in the end zone. However, while the ball flew with purpose to its intended destination, the hands of the receivers were rarely there to catch it; Stocco, being a smart quarterback will no doubt adjust appropriately. Travis Beckum, de novo tight end, appears to be the go-to guy for now, despite the fact that everyone who talks about him emphasizes the fact that he has a lot of work to do. Still, the playcalls were ~80/20 run/pass, which is great if you can get away with it ... but I don't think that's likely in Big Ten season.
Defensively, we saw Jekyll and Hyde (much as I hate making that stupid reference, it's so appropriate so often). To know this, all one needs to do is look at the Falcons' drive chart:
* 10 plays, 80 yards, touchdown
* 4 plays, 5 yards, punt
* 5 plays, 8 yards, punt
* 5 plays, 15 yards, punt
* 3 plays, -2 yards, punt
* 3 plays, 4 yards, punt
* 16 plays, 79 yards, touchdown
* 16 plays, 59 yards, turnover on downs
* 3 plays, 6 yards, punt
6 punts, 3 sustained drives. Not a bad ratio, but still, this was Bowling Green. Granted, one of those drives was kept alive by an ingeniously executed fake punt, and the other resulted in no points, but again: this was Bowling Green. Even without athletic, dual-threat quarterback issues, the Badgers still have a lot of work to do. 219 yards is too many to give up on the ground to a MAC team, especially when the D-line was supposed to be a strength. Jonathon Casillas and Mark Zalewski played great games, and the longest passing play given up was 18 yards, although that may have more to do with the fact that the run was always there if Freddie Barnes wanted it.
Special teams were as good as it gets, with the only blemish being that fake punt (which was relatively harmless in the end). Casillas blocked a punt that went for seven, and Ken DeBauche's two punts went for an average of 47.5 yards -- with no returns. Hopefully this underrated phase of the game will be one where the Badgers will excel.
Free advice for Bowling Green: keep that suspended quarterback on the bench. If Wisconsin had a tough time with him, how do you think he's going to look against Central Michigan or Akron?
Sunday, September 03, 2006
BlogPoll Ballot: Week 2
Preliminary edition, with final shuffling pending the result of the Cadillac Escalade Thug Bowl presented by Alize. Kept on top for your commenting pleasure; tell me where I've gone wrong!
UPDATE: updated
UPDATE 2: submitted
1 Ohio State (3)
Masterful ... this squad is tough
2 Southern Cal (5)
So, Booty's for real
3 Auburn (1)
Good game for them, but a slow start
4 Louisiana State (2)
Was traveling during their game. Suspect it didn't tell much with ULL as an opponent. Help?
5 Texas (4)
McCoy appears to be the real ... uh, deal
6 West Virginia (7)
Sophomore slump for Slayton? Looks like a big negatory on that
7 Iowa (9)
Ascending somewhat by default
8 Georgia (11)
Had em too low before
9 Florida State (12)
See note above
10 Notre Dame (6)
1-0, soon to be 1-2. Mark it down.
11 Miami (Florida) (8)
Herbstreit's national champs take a dump on national TV
12 Penn State (14)
Impressive debut from Morelli
13 Nebraska (16)
Won big against crappy opponent
14 Michigan (17)
Wows for Hart and the defense ... one trick play from pitching a shutout
15 Louisville (15)
Big point total shows they'll still be scoring, but with Bush out get ready for the Attack of the Five-Receiver Sets
16 Oklahoma (10)
Peterson is excellent, but a game against UAB should not go down to the wire.
17 Florida (20)
Southern Miss hung with them for a while. Reasons for concern are there.
18 Tennessee (24)
Dominant performance, big bump for them
19 Wisconsin (22)
For details, please see the rest of this blog
20 Georgia Tech (23)
Gritty. They'll win a few against the big boys. Stop whining about the calls, though; the refs didn't screw you
21 Arizona State (13)
Was wrong about these guys.
22 Cal (18)
Was right about these guys!! Give it up for BT! (And Corso was dead wrong)
23 Clemson (UR)
Played a D-IA doormat. Didn't see the game. Need help placing them please!
24 Oregon (UR)
Won a conference game big. Didn't see the game. Need help placing them please!
25 Virginia Tech (UR)
Last team in. Still don't believe in them. Help?
Other possible inclusions: Texas Tech (not nearly as trigger-happy as they usually are ... bad sign?), Alabama (only won by 8 against Hawaii on the mainland, though ... not a good sign); TCU (Baylor hung with them all game ... bad); Northern Illinois (thoroughly spanked, but Garrett Wolfe could lead them past half the Big Ten teams right now); UCLA; Minnesota.
OUT Michigan State (19)
Struggled with IDAHO!??!
OUT Arkansas (21)
Blown out ... of the rankings!
OUT South Carolina (25)
One TD on a gadget play. Pathetic. Defense was stingy though
UPDATE: updated
UPDATE 2: submitted
1 Ohio State (3)
Masterful ... this squad is tough
2 Southern Cal (5)
So, Booty's for real
3 Auburn (1)
Good game for them, but a slow start
4 Louisiana State (2)
Was traveling during their game. Suspect it didn't tell much with ULL as an opponent. Help?
5 Texas (4)
McCoy appears to be the real ... uh, deal
6 West Virginia (7)
Sophomore slump for Slayton? Looks like a big negatory on that
7 Iowa (9)
Ascending somewhat by default
8 Georgia (11)
Had em too low before
9 Florida State (12)
See note above
10 Notre Dame (6)
1-0, soon to be 1-2. Mark it down.
11 Miami (Florida) (8)
Herbstreit's national champs take a dump on national TV
12 Penn State (14)
Impressive debut from Morelli
13 Nebraska (16)
Won big against crappy opponent
14 Michigan (17)
Wows for Hart and the defense ... one trick play from pitching a shutout
15 Louisville (15)
Big point total shows they'll still be scoring, but with Bush out get ready for the Attack of the Five-Receiver Sets
16 Oklahoma (10)
Peterson is excellent, but a game against UAB should not go down to the wire.
17 Florida (20)
Southern Miss hung with them for a while. Reasons for concern are there.
18 Tennessee (24)
Dominant performance, big bump for them
19 Wisconsin (22)
For details, please see the rest of this blog
20 Georgia Tech (23)
Gritty. They'll win a few against the big boys. Stop whining about the calls, though; the refs didn't screw you
21 Arizona State (13)
Was wrong about these guys.
22 Cal (18)
Was right about these guys!! Give it up for BT! (And Corso was dead wrong)
23 Clemson (UR)
Played a D-IA doormat. Didn't see the game. Need help placing them please!
24 Oregon (UR)
Won a conference game big. Didn't see the game. Need help placing them please!
25 Virginia Tech (UR)
Last team in. Still don't believe in them. Help?
Other possible inclusions: Texas Tech (not nearly as trigger-happy as they usually are ... bad sign?), Alabama (only won by 8 against Hawaii on the mainland, though ... not a good sign); TCU (Baylor hung with them all game ... bad); Northern Illinois (thoroughly spanked, but Garrett Wolfe could lead them past half the Big Ten teams right now); UCLA; Minnesota.
OUT Michigan State (19)
Struggled with IDAHO!??!
OUT Arkansas (21)
Blown out ... of the rankings!
OUT South Carolina (25)
One TD on a gadget play. Pathetic. Defense was stingy though
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Friday, September 01, 2006
Getting to know the Bowling Green Falcons
It's time! Kickoff is in juuuuuuust under 30 hours. I can't focus here at the office. FOOTBALL!!! So here's what you need to know about Bowling Green:
The School
A public school with an enrollment of 20,000, Bowling Green State has been around for a shade under a century. In that time, they've managed to shake the foundations of higher education, establishing the nation's first Popular Culture Department, which resides in a house purchased from a Montgomery Ward catalog. Somehow, this remains the nation's only Popular Culture Department, as most schools haven't yet bought into the notion that watching four years of "The Facts of Life" doesn't actually, you know, educate you.
Fittingly, it seems that BGSU's big-deal alumni work in the entertainment industry. Notable among them are the guy who played Dorf and the T-1000.
Are you sure you want to go for it on 4th and 2 from your own 40?
History of the Series
Bowling Green and UW have clashed twice before. Both games were in Madison, and both were won by the Badgers. Last year's tilt got the year off to a bang, with the teams trading touchdowns and shredding turf. By afternoon's end, 98 points had been scored; 56 belonged to the Badgers. Wisconsin finished the season 10-3, vastly exceeding expectations; the Falcons only managed to go 6-5 despite their offensive weaponry.
The other matchup came in 1992, when Wisconsin (which would go 5-6) whipped Bowling Green (which would go 10-2 with a bowl win) by three touchdowns. The 39 points the Badgers scored that day would be the most they'd put up all season.
The Offense
Slated to be, how you say, not so good. They return three offensive linemen and a couple of receivers, but that is it. Fortunately, the guys they bring back on the line are solid performers (center Lichtensteiger and right guard Markray were all-MAC selections last season), which should provide some running lanes for junior tailback Dan Macon and some protection for quarterback Anthony Turner, a sophomore. Whether these guys are up to the task of keeping their backs off of the turf against Wisconsin's monstrous defensive unit remains to be seen, especially in their first games as starters in what could be considered a road game.
The Defense
Was not good last year, will not be good this year. They gave up over 30 points five times, 44 or more four times (including an inexplicable 45 to Western Michigan). To their credit, they also had five games where they allowed 14 points or fewer ... but the only competent opponent that suffered this fate was Miami of Ohio; the other four teams combined to go 6-38 on the season (and 4 of those wins belonged to the Ohio Bobcats).
They return five starters from last season, and all they can do is hope that the guys who came back have improved and the guys who left are being replaced by people who know how to stop the run.
The Prediction
Given the genuinely green character of most of the UW offense and the hiccups that are inevitable when a new coach takes over, the Falcons aren't destined for the walloping of a lifetime. However, they won't come close to winning this game. Last night we saw MAC schools assert themselves a couple times -- Central Michigan was a boneheaded playcall from potentially tying Boston College, and Toledo couldn't punch in a two-point conversion, costing them the game against Iowa State in triple overtime -- but the Badgers are better than that. They'll go into Cleveland, score a couple times early, then put the game away late in the third or early in the fourth quarter. Wisconsin 28, Bowling Green 3.
Look for:
* Stocco to start, and play well
* Most of the running backs to share the duty, with Lance Smith excelling
* Xavier Harris to pull in a couple nice catches
* The offensive line to protect Stocco well
* Ikegwonu, Langford, and the safeties to be damn shaky
* Everyone else on defense to crunch the poor little Falcons
In other Big Ten action:
Northwestern and Minnesota have already unceremoniously torn their overmatched opponents asunder, so that leaves us with eight games to talk about:
Vanderbilt at Michigan: SEC power Vanderbilt visits the Big House, home of LLLLLoyd Carr and the Underachievers. Still, UM wins by four touchdowns. Michigan 38, Vanderbilt 10
Idaho at Michigan State: If you watch this on TV, make sure to count how many meaningless ways they try to work in John L. Smith's connections to both schools. Also, keep an ear out for the phrase "hot seat." MSU 60, Idaho 13
Montana at Iowa
Indiana State at Purdue
Eastern Illinois at Illinois
These games are all embarrassments. They will not be close. They should not have been scheduled.
Akron at Penn State: It'll be interesting to see how Anthony Morelli performs in his debut as starter, and although it'll be too early to really draw any conclusions, we might get an indicator of whether the stable of sophomores is super or slumping. Penn State 24, Akron 10
Northern Illinois at Ohio State: Won't be as close as people are making it out to be. OSU 38, NIU 17
Western Michigan at Indiana: Don't let the fact that this is Indiana mislead you; there will be no MAC upset today. IU 27, WMU 15
The School
A public school with an enrollment of 20,000, Bowling Green State has been around for a shade under a century. In that time, they've managed to shake the foundations of higher education, establishing the nation's first Popular Culture Department, which resides in a house purchased from a Montgomery Ward catalog. Somehow, this remains the nation's only Popular Culture Department, as most schools haven't yet bought into the notion that watching four years of "The Facts of Life" doesn't actually, you know, educate you.
Fittingly, it seems that BGSU's big-deal alumni work in the entertainment industry. Notable among them are the guy who played Dorf and the T-1000.
Are you sure you want to go for it on 4th and 2 from your own 40?
History of the Series
Bowling Green and UW have clashed twice before. Both games were in Madison, and both were won by the Badgers. Last year's tilt got the year off to a bang, with the teams trading touchdowns and shredding turf. By afternoon's end, 98 points had been scored; 56 belonged to the Badgers. Wisconsin finished the season 10-3, vastly exceeding expectations; the Falcons only managed to go 6-5 despite their offensive weaponry.
The other matchup came in 1992, when Wisconsin (which would go 5-6) whipped Bowling Green (which would go 10-2 with a bowl win) by three touchdowns. The 39 points the Badgers scored that day would be the most they'd put up all season.
The Offense
Slated to be, how you say, not so good. They return three offensive linemen and a couple of receivers, but that is it. Fortunately, the guys they bring back on the line are solid performers (center Lichtensteiger and right guard Markray were all-MAC selections last season), which should provide some running lanes for junior tailback Dan Macon and some protection for quarterback Anthony Turner, a sophomore. Whether these guys are up to the task of keeping their backs off of the turf against Wisconsin's monstrous defensive unit remains to be seen, especially in their first games as starters in what could be considered a road game.
The Defense
Was not good last year, will not be good this year. They gave up over 30 points five times, 44 or more four times (including an inexplicable 45 to Western Michigan). To their credit, they also had five games where they allowed 14 points or fewer ... but the only competent opponent that suffered this fate was Miami of Ohio; the other four teams combined to go 6-38 on the season (and 4 of those wins belonged to the Ohio Bobcats).
They return five starters from last season, and all they can do is hope that the guys who came back have improved and the guys who left are being replaced by people who know how to stop the run.
The Prediction
Given the genuinely green character of most of the UW offense and the hiccups that are inevitable when a new coach takes over, the Falcons aren't destined for the walloping of a lifetime. However, they won't come close to winning this game. Last night we saw MAC schools assert themselves a couple times -- Central Michigan was a boneheaded playcall from potentially tying Boston College, and Toledo couldn't punch in a two-point conversion, costing them the game against Iowa State in triple overtime -- but the Badgers are better than that. They'll go into Cleveland, score a couple times early, then put the game away late in the third or early in the fourth quarter. Wisconsin 28, Bowling Green 3.
Look for:
* Stocco to start, and play well
* Most of the running backs to share the duty, with Lance Smith excelling
* Xavier Harris to pull in a couple nice catches
* The offensive line to protect Stocco well
* Ikegwonu, Langford, and the safeties to be damn shaky
* Everyone else on defense to crunch the poor little Falcons
In other Big Ten action:
Northwestern and Minnesota have already unceremoniously torn their overmatched opponents asunder, so that leaves us with eight games to talk about:
Vanderbilt at Michigan: SEC power Vanderbilt visits the Big House, home of LLLLLoyd Carr and the Underachievers. Still, UM wins by four touchdowns. Michigan 38, Vanderbilt 10
Idaho at Michigan State: If you watch this on TV, make sure to count how many meaningless ways they try to work in John L. Smith's connections to both schools. Also, keep an ear out for the phrase "hot seat." MSU 60, Idaho 13
Montana at Iowa
Indiana State at Purdue
Eastern Illinois at Illinois
These games are all embarrassments. They will not be close. They should not have been scheduled.
Akron at Penn State: It'll be interesting to see how Anthony Morelli performs in his debut as starter, and although it'll be too early to really draw any conclusions, we might get an indicator of whether the stable of sophomores is super or slumping. Penn State 24, Akron 10
Northern Illinois at Ohio State: Won't be as close as people are making it out to be. OSU 38, NIU 17
Western Michigan at Indiana: Don't let the fact that this is Indiana mislead you; there will be no MAC upset today. IU 27, WMU 15
Things to do with my BlogPoll entry:
* Demote Arizona State (fairly substantially, 4+ spots)
* Consider dropping South Carolina (strongly; they're to be kept if no other team impresses)
* Do not even think about voting for Iowa State or Boston College
* Consider dropping South Carolina (strongly; they're to be kept if no other team impresses)
* Do not even think about voting for Iowa State or Boston College
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Nebraska: Home of the Bugeaters
At the University of Nebraska (the school that brought you 29-Year-Old Sex Offender Tries Out For Spirit Squad), the new HuskerVision screen seems to be acting as a magnet for insects. The big question: are Husker fans ready to once again be known as Bugeaters?
Pay close attention to this quote as well:
They learn em good in Linc'n.
(Helmet tip: Wizard of Odds)
Pay close attention to this quote as well:
"There's like a billion bugs," said Scott Bennett, a senior English major at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
They learn em good in Linc'n.
(Helmet tip: Wizard of Odds)
Jamal Cooper's suspension lifted
It came out about two hours ago that Jamal Cooper will be available to play against Bowling Green. This should shore up the defensive line significantly as long as Cooper's ACL holds up. Unfortunately, this unit was one least in need of improvement, but any upgrade is an upgrade I'll take.
My gut tells me that this is not a sacrifice of principles on the part of Bielema. Cooper appears to have put himself in a hole, but has dug his way out of it. If he slides again, or if every player winds up getting an eleventh hour pardon after having been suspended, I'll start to question Bielema's ethics. But this seems on the up-and-up to me.
My gut tells me that this is not a sacrifice of principles on the part of Bielema. Cooper appears to have put himself in a hole, but has dug his way out of it. If he slides again, or if every player winds up getting an eleventh hour pardon after having been suspended, I'll start to question Bielema's ethics. But this seems on the up-and-up to me.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Everyone's on notice!
Here's who's on notice if you cheer for Alabama! Or Syracuse! Or Michigan! Or Florida! Or NC State! Or Florida State! Or (rolling eyes) Bowling Green! Or Wisconsin:
Note to Charlie Weis: you're on a whole mess o' notice, it would seem.
(Originally via EDSBS)
Put 'em on notice!
Note to Charlie Weis: you're on a whole mess o' notice, it would seem.
(Originally via EDSBS)
Put 'em on notice!
In which we attempt to read between the lines
Cornerback recruit Jamathan Lyle is gone, and from what his mother says, he's probably not coming back. And the problem ain't homesickness. So what's going on? Let's have a look:
Uh oh. Is Bielema creating an environment of hostility with his recruits?
Eight ball says ... no. This one doesn't look like it's on Bielema. Why? Unless he's the type of guy to pick on just one person, he must be running a program where nobody feels "safe and resepcted." But that doesn't seem to be the case. None of the other recruits have defected.
One possible problem is:
Aha. Could it be that one of these departing coaches waved playing time in front of Mr. Lyle's nose, but when he came to fall camp, there was a special shirt waiting for him? Some sort of red shirt? Maybe?
I'd be very surprised to find out that this argument is about anything other than playing time. I have a feeling that "respect" is parentspeak for "immediate, protracted swaths of playing time."
In other news, my boneheaded analysis is likely to be the basis for radical changes to the 2007 Badger team's coaching staff. Here's why:
PAUL CHRYST DOES NOT CALL FOR ENOUGH FLEA FLICKERS!!!! THIS IS WISCONSIN'S KEY TO SUCCESS!!!! ALSO WOULD IT KILL DAVE DOEREN TO RECRUIT SOME SOUTHERN SPEED!!!!
Bielema also appears to be committed to keeping in-state talent in state. An interesting line in the notes about Brad Thorson and his circuitous journey to Madison (snubbed by UW during the recruiting phase, committed to Minnesota, met with Bielema, decommitted from Minnesota, committed to Wisconsin):
Straight up. We'll never let another John Navarre escape our Badger clutches!
Finally, a couple notes on Bowling Green: they stink and they don't have any good players. Bafflingly, the Toledo Blade simultaneously insists that BGSU's strength will be the veterans in the trenches and that BGSU's freshmen may be their forte. Oookay.
[S]he took exception to a comment by UW coach Bret Bielema Monday that, "(Jamathan) is welcome to return at any time. The ball's in his court as far as when that'll happen."
Brenda Lyle feels strongly otherwise, which prompted her to contact a reporter to provide her side of the story.
Uh oh. Is Bielema creating an environment of hostility with his recruits?
While Brenda Lyle would not rule out her son returning, if her issues are addressed, she added: "From a mother's point of view, I'm not going to allow my son to be any place where I don't feel he's going to be safe (and) respected."
Eight ball says ... no. This one doesn't look like it's on Bielema. Why? Unless he's the type of guy to pick on just one person, he must be running a program where nobody feels "safe and resepcted." But that doesn't seem to be the case. None of the other recruits have defected.
One possible problem is:
[Lyle] was recruited by former quarterbacks coach Jeff Horton and former defensive backs coach Ron Lee, who were not retained by Bielema
Aha. Could it be that one of these departing coaches waved playing time in front of Mr. Lyle's nose, but when he came to fall camp, there was a special shirt waiting for him? Some sort of red shirt? Maybe?
I'd be very surprised to find out that this argument is about anything other than playing time. I have a feeling that "respect" is parentspeak for "immediate, protracted swaths of playing time."
In other news, my boneheaded analysis is likely to be the basis for radical changes to the 2007 Badger team's coaching staff. Here's why:
Bielema even did Google searches of coaching mistakes and how those coaches were critiqued after games, trying to learn from those experiences.
PAUL CHRYST DOES NOT CALL FOR ENOUGH FLEA FLICKERS!!!! THIS IS WISCONSIN'S KEY TO SUCCESS!!!! ALSO WOULD IT KILL DAVE DOEREN TO RECRUIT SOME SOUTHERN SPEED!!!!
Bielema also appears to be committed to keeping in-state talent in state. An interesting line in the notes about Brad Thorson and his circuitous journey to Madison (snubbed by UW during the recruiting phase, committed to Minnesota, met with Bielema, decommitted from Minnesota, committed to Wisconsin):
"The first thing he did said so much about who he is and what kind of program he runs," Thorson explained. "He came in and said: 'Whether or not you accept the offer that I'm going to extend to you is beside the point. What's important is that I want to apologize for the state, for the university and for my coaching staff for overlooking an in-state player and for not giving you a fair chance to even look at our program.'"
Straight up. We'll never let another John Navarre escape our Badger clutches!
Finally, a couple notes on Bowling Green: they stink and they don't have any good players. Bafflingly, the Toledo Blade simultaneously insists that BGSU's strength will be the veterans in the trenches and that BGSU's freshmen may be their forte. Oookay.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Introducing the Carnival of College Football
It's been interesting to watch the world of blogging evolve. From the Geocities and Tripod, to the Drudge Report getting the President of the United States in trouble, to the launch of Blogger, the creation of Xanga, and the conquest of the internet by MySpace, blogs have, in their short history, been a lot of things to a lot of people. To some, they've been the source of news and opinion that the mainstream media wouldn't address. To others, they've been irresponsible rumor mills, muckrakers working for free but without the oversight of an editor -- or a conscience. But most of all, they've represented the true realization of First Amendment rights for thousands and thousands of Americans (and, of course, people the world over ... but who aren't governed by a Bill of Rights, per se). Erstwhile journalist A. J. Liebling famously quipped that "freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one." Well, now any schmuck who can dial into the vast series of tubes that is the Internets has one. And buddy, you'd better watch it.
One of the innovations that bloggers have created for themselves is the Blog Carnival. With a carnival, one blogger is chosen out of the whole universe of bloggers who covers a certain area of subject matter to compile an extensive post with numerous links to various bloggers' opinions on that topic. Hundreds of carnivals exist and are updated at regular intervals: the Catholic Carnival collects thoughts about Catholicism; the Carnival of Comedy brings you TEH FUNNY; and the Carnival of Frugality is of interest to complete and total tightasses.
I was surprised to see that there is no Carnival of College Football. But there is now. Factum est!
A carnival is a great thing. It exposes your work to those who might not otherwise see it. It gives you a chance to evaluate your posts and decide what you did well. It spreads traffic around to numerous posters, allowing you to develop a following. And if you wind up hosting a carnival, it drives a LOT of traffic your way for at least a week.
So, let's give it a go! Although I'll be publicizing this idea on the BlogPoll, this venture is completely independent of that; this way, more people can participate. I'm going to make submissions due on Wednesday, just like BlogPoll votes, because let's face it; (1) most of us can only memorize one deadline anyway, and (2) every true college football fan starts getting really antsy in earnest for the weekend on Thursday, what with ESPN broadcasting a weekly Thursday night tilt and the rest of the slate not far behind.
So, the first Carnival of College Football will be hosted here on Wednesday night, September 6 (or early on Thursday 9/7). Let's see if the idea takes (I'm confident that it will) and let's enjoy the discussion!
UPDATE: The ever astute Brian points out that I have failed to include my email address. Indeed, it's on this blog somewhere (in my Blogger profile) but it needs to be more clearly displayed. Anyhoo, that address is badgertracker@gmail.com, so send your brilliance to that address. If you have no brilliance to speak of, I do need to improve the size of my genitals (seriously, ask anyone I've cornered after half a dozen Jagerbombs) so feel free to send along any offers of mir@c1e pi11s you might have come across.
One of the innovations that bloggers have created for themselves is the Blog Carnival. With a carnival, one blogger is chosen out of the whole universe of bloggers who covers a certain area of subject matter to compile an extensive post with numerous links to various bloggers' opinions on that topic. Hundreds of carnivals exist and are updated at regular intervals: the Catholic Carnival collects thoughts about Catholicism; the Carnival of Comedy brings you TEH FUNNY; and the Carnival of Frugality is of interest to complete and total tightasses.
I was surprised to see that there is no Carnival of College Football. But there is now. Factum est!
A carnival is a great thing. It exposes your work to those who might not otherwise see it. It gives you a chance to evaluate your posts and decide what you did well. It spreads traffic around to numerous posters, allowing you to develop a following. And if you wind up hosting a carnival, it drives a LOT of traffic your way for at least a week.
So, let's give it a go! Although I'll be publicizing this idea on the BlogPoll, this venture is completely independent of that; this way, more people can participate. I'm going to make submissions due on Wednesday, just like BlogPoll votes, because let's face it; (1) most of us can only memorize one deadline anyway, and (2) every true college football fan starts getting really antsy in earnest for the weekend on Thursday, what with ESPN broadcasting a weekly Thursday night tilt and the rest of the slate not far behind.
So, the first Carnival of College Football will be hosted here on Wednesday night, September 6 (or early on Thursday 9/7). Let's see if the idea takes (I'm confident that it will) and let's enjoy the discussion!
UPDATE: The ever astute Brian points out that I have failed to include my email address. Indeed, it's on this blog somewhere (in my Blogger profile) but it needs to be more clearly displayed. Anyhoo, that address is badgertracker@gmail.com, so send your brilliance to that address. If you have no brilliance to speak of, I do need to improve the size of my genitals (seriously, ask anyone I've cornered after half a dozen Jagerbombs) so feel free to send along any offers of mir@c1e pi11s you might have come across.
Justify my thug - preseason picks
Since we, the blogpollers, have until Wednesday morning to submit our final ballots, we actually get to think about how we're voting. And, best of all, we can interact with other voters and the nonvoters who read our sites and have our opinions swayed, not relying on anecdotal evidence for our opinions but on people who actually paid attention to games we didn't watch! It's pretty brilliant.
Anyway, I'm hoping to become a little more disciplined in what I post here and when. One of the things I really want to do is to make sure that my Blogpoll ballot indicates what I think about the current week's rankings, with my readers' opinions taken into account. As such, I intend to post my weekly ballot some time on Monday, surf the college blogosphere on Monday and Tuesday to get other opinions while reading the comments here and any emails I might receive, and submit a polished ballot to the poll at large on Wednesday. Of course, the part of this equation that's missing is YOU. So, be sure to come around and tell me what I'm doing wrong! And right, if that's your thing.
So, here's the reasoning behind my preseason poll. Hope you like it.
1. Auburn
2. LSU
It's a universal truth that the SEC is the most irritating conference in football. Heavy on the football and light on the college, it's the conference that made cheating famous. With only Vanderbilt and, to an extent, Florida to prop up its academic reputation, this is a conference that lacks class and that I loathe like no other. But most of all, I just can't stand their SOUTHERN SPEED!!! Every December and January, the SEC is supposed to tear apart the plodding brontosauri of the Big Ten teams who come down south to play the unhealthy number of bowl matchups that the two conferences share. And every year, the two conferences seem to go .500 in these bowls. Last year, Florida's SOUTHERN SPEED beat Iowa. But the hapless Badgers, the sacrificial victims for those viciously speedy Auburn Tigers, somehow pulled out a two-touchdown victory, taking a knee at the Auburn 3 with the clock running down. Nothing ever changes. In 2004, Iowa beat LSU. Minnesota beat Alabama. The Badgers, as I remember it, didn't play in a bowl game.
But you get the point. It has been empirically proven in the past that the SEC is the most irritating conference in the land (data not shown) and this year college football is bound to annoy me. We have a new coach, a shaky secondary, and a brilliant quarterback -- who will be running for his life as his inexperienced offensive line breaks down in front of him and his inexperienced wide receivers can't shake their defenders.
So, there's your #1 and #2 teams: at the top because I'm destined to be personally picked on by the college football deities.
3. Ohio State
My real number one pick, the Big Ten's token SEC team returns Troy Smith, Ted Ginn, and a bunch of other well-compensated neanderthals. Are you concerned about their defense? Don't be; Diamond Jim Tressel will plug in the best linebacking corps and secondary that money can buy. The Buckeyes will average 30 points a game and will stomp opposing offenses with a better-than-advertised defense.
4. Texas
Everyone seems to like Texas, and I guess I don't have much trouble buying that. Their QB will not be Vince Young, which is unfortunate for them, but they return a lot of talented dudes and they're flush with recruits from the most football-heavy state in the union. They'll be in the conversation late into November.
5. Southern Cal
See my note on Texas, replace quarterback and Vince Young with your choice of positions and Matt Leinart/Reggie Bush/LenDale White, refrigerate two hours, serve with fresh guacamole.
6. Notre Dame
I really hate having them this high, but they're the best of the non-contenders. It will be enjoyable to demote them when consecutive losses to Georgia Tech, Michigan, Michigan State, and Penn State cause Charlie Weis to wake up in a pool of his own ambergris.
7. West Virginia
In the interest of not having to repeat "I really hate having them this high," just prepend that statement to every team's summary until we get down to, say, #12. I would like to note that this high ranking does not reflect the fact that the Mountaineers' schedule is easier than an Ole Miss cheerleader (or the diction of her admissions essay). Rather, it stems from the absolute embarrassment that West Virginia put on Georgia during the 2006 Sugar Bowl. (The careful reader will note that this pretty much invalidates my pick of Auburn as a #1 team, but work with me). Their superstar tandem of White and Slaton will punish numerous subpar Big East defenses, and might just trounce some real teams before the season's over, too.
8. Miami (Florida)
Going out on a limb here and invoking the law of averages. After their 40-3 loss at the hands of LSU, the 'Canes will redeem themselves. This is possibly the flimsiest logic you'll see in this whole past. Possibly.
9. Iowa
Maybe it's my Badger bias, but I will not be calling Kirk Ferentz a genius, nor will I be calling Drew Tate a superstar. They just don't deserve those appellations. However, they do return a solid team, and they will challenge for the Big Ten crown.
10. Oklahoma
Losing Rhett Bomar is not as big a deal as it seems. The fact that he was able to throw ten picks and only ten touchdown passes and still the Sooners wound up with a 7-4 season and a bowl win over Oregon should tell you all you need to know about just how much of a placeholder QB this guy was. They won't do much worse than him, and they might actually make great strides without him there.
11. Georgia
They got smoked by WVU, but they almost won the game. After finding themselves in a 28-0 hole, the Dawgs lost by a mere three points. Joe Tereshinski III should be a fine leader, although no team ever wants to lose a Shockley.
12. Florida State
They're always pretty good, right?
13. Arizona State
My PAC-10 sleeper. Probably should be ranked lower given the fact that the the inmates may be running the asylum. Their defense will just plain suck, but their offense will light up everyone they face. I expect them to outscore almost everyone they face.
14. Penn State
This pick comes down to two questions: how good is Morelli, and will there be a sophomore slump? If the answers are "pretty darn good" and "not much of one, anyway," look out Big Ten.
15. Louisville
Brohm and Bush are impressive, no doubt. And Bobby Petrino is a sharp guy. But do you think they'd win head-to-head against Penn State? Or USC? Or LSU? If you answered "yes" to any of those questions, you need to take a week and just leave Kentucky, since the fumes from a certain baseball bat factory might be compromising your neurological health.
16. Nebraska
Last year's march toward adequacy will continue, and the giant that is Nebraska will awaken. Soon enough, everyone will be really annoyed with them again.
17. Michigan
Raise your hand if you honestly expect them to stay down. (OK, that's enough, you can put your hand down Enlightened Spartan. We see you.)
18. Cal
Moving solidly into guessing territory here. I know nothing of the Golden Bears except what others tell me.
19. Michigan State
If you keep saying, "This Will Be the Year!" every year, eventually you'll be right. Well, Spartan fans, This Will Be the Year! They'll rely on a PAC-10 caliber defense and JUCO transfers aplenty, but Drew Stanton will be the spark that ignites the dyn-o-mite Spartan offense. I am going to watch as many Spartan games as I can this year because I just love John L. Smith. I especially love that he's not my team's coach.
20. Florida
The Legend will not be satisfied with this low ranking. I expect them to climb. NB however that Chris Leak sucks.
21. Arkansas
I don't read Phil Steele, but lots of Blogpollers do, and they ranked Arkansas. They fit in with my "SEC exists to irritate the living hell out of me" theme, too, so I'll run with it.
22. Wisconsin
Hey, look, someone ranked the Badgers!
23. Georgia Tech
24. Tennessee
25. South Carolina
Well, I ranked the Badgers, and I still have three spots to go. Since I utterly refuse to include mid-major teams that don't need to be ranked, I decided to go for some middling southern teams. Sorry Northern Illinois, Fresno State, and UTEP. (Actually, I think the inclusion of Georgia Tech was based on the glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, they'll have what it takes to beat the Irish. Either justification works, though.)
So, that's the list. Enjoy, use the comments box to hammer me, and expect massive seismic activity here next week, after the teams above actually, you know, play.
Anyway, I'm hoping to become a little more disciplined in what I post here and when. One of the things I really want to do is to make sure that my Blogpoll ballot indicates what I think about the current week's rankings, with my readers' opinions taken into account. As such, I intend to post my weekly ballot some time on Monday, surf the college blogosphere on Monday and Tuesday to get other opinions while reading the comments here and any emails I might receive, and submit a polished ballot to the poll at large on Wednesday. Of course, the part of this equation that's missing is YOU. So, be sure to come around and tell me what I'm doing wrong! And right, if that's your thing.
So, here's the reasoning behind my preseason poll. Hope you like it.
1. Auburn
2. LSU
It's a universal truth that the SEC is the most irritating conference in football. Heavy on the football and light on the college, it's the conference that made cheating famous. With only Vanderbilt and, to an extent, Florida to prop up its academic reputation, this is a conference that lacks class and that I loathe like no other. But most of all, I just can't stand their SOUTHERN SPEED!!! Every December and January, the SEC is supposed to tear apart the plodding brontosauri of the Big Ten teams who come down south to play the unhealthy number of bowl matchups that the two conferences share. And every year, the two conferences seem to go .500 in these bowls. Last year, Florida's SOUTHERN SPEED beat Iowa. But the hapless Badgers, the sacrificial victims for those viciously speedy Auburn Tigers, somehow pulled out a two-touchdown victory, taking a knee at the Auburn 3 with the clock running down. Nothing ever changes. In 2004, Iowa beat LSU. Minnesota beat Alabama. The Badgers, as I remember it, didn't play in a bowl game.
But you get the point. It has been empirically proven in the past that the SEC is the most irritating conference in the land (data not shown) and this year college football is bound to annoy me. We have a new coach, a shaky secondary, and a brilliant quarterback -- who will be running for his life as his inexperienced offensive line breaks down in front of him and his inexperienced wide receivers can't shake their defenders.
So, there's your #1 and #2 teams: at the top because I'm destined to be personally picked on by the college football deities.
3. Ohio State
My real number one pick, the Big Ten's token SEC team returns Troy Smith, Ted Ginn, and a bunch of other well-compensated neanderthals. Are you concerned about their defense? Don't be; Diamond Jim Tressel will plug in the best linebacking corps and secondary that money can buy. The Buckeyes will average 30 points a game and will stomp opposing offenses with a better-than-advertised defense.
4. Texas
Everyone seems to like Texas, and I guess I don't have much trouble buying that. Their QB will not be Vince Young, which is unfortunate for them, but they return a lot of talented dudes and they're flush with recruits from the most football-heavy state in the union. They'll be in the conversation late into November.
5. Southern Cal
See my note on Texas, replace quarterback and Vince Young with your choice of positions and Matt Leinart/Reggie Bush/LenDale White, refrigerate two hours, serve with fresh guacamole.
6. Notre Dame
I really hate having them this high, but they're the best of the non-contenders. It will be enjoyable to demote them when consecutive losses to Georgia Tech, Michigan, Michigan State, and Penn State cause Charlie Weis to wake up in a pool of his own ambergris.
7. West Virginia
In the interest of not having to repeat "I really hate having them this high," just prepend that statement to every team's summary until we get down to, say, #12. I would like to note that this high ranking does not reflect the fact that the Mountaineers' schedule is easier than an Ole Miss cheerleader (or the diction of her admissions essay). Rather, it stems from the absolute embarrassment that West Virginia put on Georgia during the 2006 Sugar Bowl. (The careful reader will note that this pretty much invalidates my pick of Auburn as a #1 team, but work with me). Their superstar tandem of White and Slaton will punish numerous subpar Big East defenses, and might just trounce some real teams before the season's over, too.
8. Miami (Florida)
Going out on a limb here and invoking the law of averages. After their 40-3 loss at the hands of LSU, the 'Canes will redeem themselves. This is possibly the flimsiest logic you'll see in this whole past. Possibly.
9. Iowa
Maybe it's my Badger bias, but I will not be calling Kirk Ferentz a genius, nor will I be calling Drew Tate a superstar. They just don't deserve those appellations. However, they do return a solid team, and they will challenge for the Big Ten crown.
10. Oklahoma
Losing Rhett Bomar is not as big a deal as it seems. The fact that he was able to throw ten picks and only ten touchdown passes and still the Sooners wound up with a 7-4 season and a bowl win over Oregon should tell you all you need to know about just how much of a placeholder QB this guy was. They won't do much worse than him, and they might actually make great strides without him there.
11. Georgia
They got smoked by WVU, but they almost won the game. After finding themselves in a 28-0 hole, the Dawgs lost by a mere three points. Joe Tereshinski III should be a fine leader, although no team ever wants to lose a Shockley.
12. Florida State
They're always pretty good, right?
13. Arizona State
My PAC-10 sleeper. Probably should be ranked lower given the fact that the the inmates may be running the asylum. Their defense will just plain suck, but their offense will light up everyone they face. I expect them to outscore almost everyone they face.
14. Penn State
This pick comes down to two questions: how good is Morelli, and will there be a sophomore slump? If the answers are "pretty darn good" and "not much of one, anyway," look out Big Ten.
15. Louisville
Brohm and Bush are impressive, no doubt. And Bobby Petrino is a sharp guy. But do you think they'd win head-to-head against Penn State? Or USC? Or LSU? If you answered "yes" to any of those questions, you need to take a week and just leave Kentucky, since the fumes from a certain baseball bat factory might be compromising your neurological health.
16. Nebraska
Last year's march toward adequacy will continue, and the giant that is Nebraska will awaken. Soon enough, everyone will be really annoyed with them again.
17. Michigan
Raise your hand if you honestly expect them to stay down. (OK, that's enough, you can put your hand down Enlightened Spartan. We see you.)
18. Cal
Moving solidly into guessing territory here. I know nothing of the Golden Bears except what others tell me.
19. Michigan State
If you keep saying, "This Will Be the Year!" every year, eventually you'll be right. Well, Spartan fans, This Will Be the Year! They'll rely on a PAC-10 caliber defense and JUCO transfers aplenty, but Drew Stanton will be the spark that ignites the dyn-o-mite Spartan offense. I am going to watch as many Spartan games as I can this year because I just love John L. Smith. I especially love that he's not my team's coach.
20. Florida
The Legend will not be satisfied with this low ranking. I expect them to climb. NB however that Chris Leak sucks.
21. Arkansas
I don't read Phil Steele, but lots of Blogpollers do, and they ranked Arkansas. They fit in with my "SEC exists to irritate the living hell out of me" theme, too, so I'll run with it.
22. Wisconsin
Hey, look, someone ranked the Badgers!
23. Georgia Tech
24. Tennessee
25. South Carolina
Well, I ranked the Badgers, and I still have three spots to go. Since I utterly refuse to include mid-major teams that don't need to be ranked, I decided to go for some middling southern teams. Sorry Northern Illinois, Fresno State, and UTEP. (Actually, I think the inclusion of Georgia Tech was based on the glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, they'll have what it takes to beat the Irish. Either justification works, though.)
So, that's the list. Enjoy, use the comments box to hammer me, and expect massive seismic activity here next week, after the teams above actually, you know, play.
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