Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Ole Miss and Jeremiah Masoli denied by the NCAA
NCAA denies former Oregon QB and presumed current Ole Miss QB Jeremiah Masoli a waver to play immediately for the Rebels. Jeremiah was hoping to not have to sit out due to a semi-loop hole in the NCAA transfer rules. The NCAA will allow a student-athlete who has graduated undergrad to transfer and play immediately at a new school, if the new school offers a post grad degree program that was not offered by the school where the undergrad course work was done. Sense Jeremiah was kicked out of Oregon, he had to find a school that offered such a situation so that he could avoid the mandatory 1 year transfer sit-out rule, which explains how the American Samoan found his way to very land locked Oxford Mississippi. Either way, the NCAA has allegedly denied this waiver and has Nutt and company scrambling, very much like they were hoping to have Masoli do for them this year.
Monday, August 30, 2010
The based off of last year, derived from history, made to sell magazines, PRE-season top 25 list
As has become custom and surely soon to be emulated the country over, this list will be slowly released 5 -6 teams at a time until the #1 team is revealed. If you don't like any part of it, feel free to use your Google function and read one of the other 1200 top 25 lists out there.
#25 – Auburn – The Tigers are hell bent on reminding the nation that there is football in Alabama not played in Tuscaloosa. With Clemson as the only non-conference game of significance War Eagle will have to run the usual SEC gauntlet but will enjoy a 2 week break before trying to finish what they started last year; that being a beat down of the Crimson Tide. Watch out for Arky State in week one, rumor has it they play a little above their heads opening weekend at large Land Grant D-1 schools.
#24 – Texas A&M – Speaking of Arky State and land grant universities, that all sounds real familiar here. The Aggies should have ended with a better than 6-7 record last year. Loses at Colorado and a gift wrapping to Oklahoma State were inexcusable, but the country a$$ whipping in Manhattan was the peak of the bad. A&M either won handedly or bent over and took it quickly and often. Outside of the Thanksgiving night Jerrod Johnson coming out party, where he was clearly the best QB on the field, Texas A&M was either on the giving side or receiving side of very lopsided affairs. This is good and bad, good because when giving your offense can put up gaudy numbers, bad because when receiving your defense can give up gaudy numbers. Aggie fan knows this well. A switch to the 3-4 defensive scheme hopes to stir the echoes of the great Wrecking Crew Defenses of old. But something tells me John Roper, Aaron Wallace, Quentin Coryatt, Patrick Bates, Sam Adams, Kevin Smith, Aaron Glenn, William Thomas, Marcus Buckley, Keith Mitchell, Brandon Mitchell, Dat Nguyen etc aren’t walking through those doors anytime soon. Christine Michael is one of the best 4 RB’s in the conference, Jeff Fuller is one of the top 5 WR's in the country and will compliment the Aggies deepest and most talented wide receivering corp they've ever had in College Station, scoring wont be an issue, keeping the others from doing so might be.
#23 – West Virginia – Rich Rod who? One can think that Mountaineer fans are okay with losing this loser all the sudden. Although they are still having to deal with some of his past shenanigans, West Virginia will field the most experienced team in the Big East. Notables like speedster Noel Devine and a tough stingy defense that returns 9 starters will help ease the pressure on Sophomore QB Geno Smith. Smith played sparingly last year but missed the spring with a broken foot. Sources say he has the talent, but didn’t we all at one point? A huge late September trip to Baton Rouge could tell us a lot about this team all while providing third class entertainment, swamp trash v. hillbillies. Ultimate question, can they challenge Pitt for Big East supremacy? Don’t overlook back to back games at UConn and two weeks later Cincy at home.
#22 – Utah – The Utes have seemed to surpass their in-state missionary bound brethren to the tune of a PAC-10 invite, only to have BYU responsd by declaring their football independence. Regardless Utah has their eyes focused on the Horned Frogs of TCU and will get a crack at them in Nov. The Utah offense, especially the RB tandem will be leaned on heavily to carry the team due to the need of replenishment on the defense which was picked apart in the last NFL draft. First game against Pitt will tell a lot, but won’t break their season either way. Enjoy the BCS buster title while you got it, because when you start heading west for every game in the PAC-10, the Poinsettia Bowl might become more of a regular reality.
#21 – South Carolina – It’s hard to believe that quarterback guru Steve Spurrier hasn’t had a good one in 5 years at South Carolina. That’s what will need to change for the Gamecocks to rise up and challenge in the SEC East. Stephen Garcia, QB, can look like Ryan Mallet at times and just as quickly turn into Ryan Leaf (NFL Ryan Leaf). Consistency is a must and Spurrier will demand it out of the multi-year starter. An early Labor Day test against Southern Mississippi should be a good litmus test for what Cock fans can expect as they prepare for the rigors of the SEC schedule. The defense should be salty again, even with having to replace NFL bound Eric Norwood and prized recruit Marcus Lattimore should provide a good shot in the arm at the RB position. Here’s hoping they shake up the SEC hierarchy, it’s always fun having a Cock(y) ole ball coach pacing the sidelines. Plus it’s good on the visors to not meet the turf so often.
#20 – Georgia – It’s hard to imagine a guy with a 77% winning percentage over 9 years could be even remotely close to the hot seat. But it’s also hard to think while Mark Richt was accumulating wins his conference foes would have 5 combined BCS National Championships. It is what it is. UGA is replacing the quarterback, but has two quality options, including highly touted incoming freshmen Aaron Murray in the mix. They will also trot out AJ Green, WR, arguably one of the top 5 WR’s in the country, even in the run first minded SEC. One game to keep an eye on is a non-conference trip to Colorado in early October. Georgia is a superior team, but they would be neither the first nor the last team with more talent to go up in the altitude at Boulder and come away with a head scratching loss. Some off the field issues are going to cloud the next few weeks, regardless Coach Richt needs to continue to win and get the best of Florida at that cocktail get together this year. At least the AD at the beginning of the summer took some of the heat off, to the tune that here at the end of the summer he is no longer AD. Cross-hairs back on Richt.
#19 – Georgia Tech – The smarter more urban cousin of the #20 ranked Georgia team lands at the 19 spot. The rambling wreck from Georgia Tech will continue to run the double-slot option and with an experienced and savvy guy like QB Josh Nesbitt at the helm, the immediate future looks bright. The defending ACC champions and BCS Orange bowl runner-ups (nice way of saying loser) will have to find a way to replace RB Jonathan Dwyer who was drafted last year. For the option to work efficiently it is imperative to have no fewer than two threats, Nesbitt has already been proven as one, so finding a second to compliment him is a must. Now the other side of the ball is a toss-up. In is former NFL and most recently UVA head man, Al Groh as the defensive coordinator. Groh will implement the 3-4 defensive scheme and with some crafty work could have the Jackets contending for the ACC and BCS bowl game again this season.
#18 – LSU – The bayou Bengals are a real question mark this year. Yes they have the talent, yes they have the conference, yes they have the out of conference schedule, yes they have the home field advantage, yes they have the tradition, but unfortunately for them yes they still have Les Miles. There might not be a warmer seat in the country than the one that Lil Les finds himself perched on and it’s only getting warmer. The tiger faithful are split, half love him and half hate him. Both for good reason, he did bring home a national championship, don’t mind the constant second guessing; from who’s players they were to a 2 loss team playing for the BCS championship. He also has repeatedly puts his players in bad situations, see Ole Miss last year, and has had some odd if not completely confusing things to say over the past 4-5 years. The play of QB Jordan Jefferson was great at times, but down right Jarrett Lee like at times as well. They will field a very talented group of WR’s and defensive secondary, but is that enough to overcome the dreaded Les-factor? An early season date with North Carolina and then a home affair with West Virginia could give the tigers the confidence they need to face and challenge for the talented SEC West.
#17 – North Carolina – Butch Davis was supposed to turn a basketball crazed school into a semi-interested football school. He was having some success, recruiting well and winning more games, then what seems to be half of the team decided rules didn’t apply to them and we all await word from the NCAA as to what the punishment is going to be. Things along tobacco road are very much up in the air as of print time. A tough but momentum building first game against LSU could or could not have done wonders, depending on who plays, for this team. Red-shirt freshmen QB, Ryan Renner should take the reins either from day one or at some point early in the year and could provide that spark to get over the hump. The defense is stout, but depending on what the NCAA has to say, this unit could be decimated for some huge games (LSU, Georgia Tech and Rutgers). All things being the same the Tar Heels are a top 20 team, so that’s were they will stay.
#16 – Pittsburgh - They have seen the promise land, just haven’t been able to physically get there. The Panthers had the Big East title in their paws the past few years late into the season only to have it ripped away from lesser, on paper, opponents. Can Wannstedt get this fixed? They have recruited well and field an experienced group starting with record book re-writing RB Dion Lewis, he had close to 1,800 yards last season. Expect Big East foes to pay a bit more attention to him this year. If other teams do in fact commit too much to stop the run, the Panthers can make them pay with their deep and talented WR’s. Starting with All-Conference wide-out Jonathan Baldwin, he along with a fellow 6’5” wide receiver Mike Shanahan should be a formidable duo. The defense should not miss a step even with the departure of both DE’s. The unit led the nation in sacks last year and looks to build on experience.
#15 – Arkansas – It has been a long time since the Hogs have entered a fall sport season with so much hype, hope and wooo piiiiigg soooiiiee hysteria. It could all be for good reason or it could all be for not. A lot of this lies squarely on the cannon that sits in place of a right arm on QB Ryan Mallett. The super sized signal caller can and will whip the ball all over the field and the scary thing for opponents is that his WR’s are the best they’ve been in his tenure. Couple this with Bobby “packed and out of town” Petrino’s offensive wizardry and even Arky fans can do this math. Pig fans and players will know soon enough with early season conference tests against Georgia and Alabama, followed up with an old Southwest Conference showdown against Texas A&M at Jerry’s little do-hicky over in Arlington whether the hype and hysteria was worth crawling out of the trailer for. All the offense in the world though can’t win them all in the SEC; the Hogs D will need to step-up and try to pull their weight for the title hoping hogs to have a chance.
#25 – Auburn – The Tigers are hell bent on reminding the nation that there is football in Alabama not played in Tuscaloosa. With Clemson as the only non-conference game of significance War Eagle will have to run the usual SEC gauntlet but will enjoy a 2 week break before trying to finish what they started last year; that being a beat down of the Crimson Tide. Watch out for Arky State in week one, rumor has it they play a little above their heads opening weekend at large Land Grant D-1 schools.
#24 – Texas A&M – Speaking of Arky State and land grant universities, that all sounds real familiar here. The Aggies should have ended with a better than 6-7 record last year. Loses at Colorado and a gift wrapping to Oklahoma State were inexcusable, but the country a$$ whipping in Manhattan was the peak of the bad. A&M either won handedly or bent over and took it quickly and often. Outside of the Thanksgiving night Jerrod Johnson coming out party, where he was clearly the best QB on the field, Texas A&M was either on the giving side or receiving side of very lopsided affairs. This is good and bad, good because when giving your offense can put up gaudy numbers, bad because when receiving your defense can give up gaudy numbers. Aggie fan knows this well. A switch to the 3-4 defensive scheme hopes to stir the echoes of the great Wrecking Crew Defenses of old. But something tells me John Roper, Aaron Wallace, Quentin Coryatt, Patrick Bates, Sam Adams, Kevin Smith, Aaron Glenn, William Thomas, Marcus Buckley, Keith Mitchell, Brandon Mitchell, Dat Nguyen etc aren’t walking through those doors anytime soon. Christine Michael is one of the best 4 RB’s in the conference, Jeff Fuller is one of the top 5 WR's in the country and will compliment the Aggies deepest and most talented wide receivering corp they've ever had in College Station, scoring wont be an issue, keeping the others from doing so might be.
#23 – West Virginia – Rich Rod who? One can think that Mountaineer fans are okay with losing this loser all the sudden. Although they are still having to deal with some of his past shenanigans, West Virginia will field the most experienced team in the Big East. Notables like speedster Noel Devine and a tough stingy defense that returns 9 starters will help ease the pressure on Sophomore QB Geno Smith. Smith played sparingly last year but missed the spring with a broken foot. Sources say he has the talent, but didn’t we all at one point? A huge late September trip to Baton Rouge could tell us a lot about this team all while providing third class entertainment, swamp trash v. hillbillies. Ultimate question, can they challenge Pitt for Big East supremacy? Don’t overlook back to back games at UConn and two weeks later Cincy at home.
#22 – Utah – The Utes have seemed to surpass their in-state missionary bound brethren to the tune of a PAC-10 invite, only to have BYU responsd by declaring their football independence. Regardless Utah has their eyes focused on the Horned Frogs of TCU and will get a crack at them in Nov. The Utah offense, especially the RB tandem will be leaned on heavily to carry the team due to the need of replenishment on the defense which was picked apart in the last NFL draft. First game against Pitt will tell a lot, but won’t break their season either way. Enjoy the BCS buster title while you got it, because when you start heading west for every game in the PAC-10, the Poinsettia Bowl might become more of a regular reality.
#21 – South Carolina – It’s hard to believe that quarterback guru Steve Spurrier hasn’t had a good one in 5 years at South Carolina. That’s what will need to change for the Gamecocks to rise up and challenge in the SEC East. Stephen Garcia, QB, can look like Ryan Mallet at times and just as quickly turn into Ryan Leaf (NFL Ryan Leaf). Consistency is a must and Spurrier will demand it out of the multi-year starter. An early Labor Day test against Southern Mississippi should be a good litmus test for what Cock fans can expect as they prepare for the rigors of the SEC schedule. The defense should be salty again, even with having to replace NFL bound Eric Norwood and prized recruit Marcus Lattimore should provide a good shot in the arm at the RB position. Here’s hoping they shake up the SEC hierarchy, it’s always fun having a Cock(y) ole ball coach pacing the sidelines. Plus it’s good on the visors to not meet the turf so often.
#20 – Georgia – It’s hard to imagine a guy with a 77% winning percentage over 9 years could be even remotely close to the hot seat. But it’s also hard to think while Mark Richt was accumulating wins his conference foes would have 5 combined BCS National Championships. It is what it is. UGA is replacing the quarterback, but has two quality options, including highly touted incoming freshmen Aaron Murray in the mix. They will also trot out AJ Green, WR, arguably one of the top 5 WR’s in the country, even in the run first minded SEC. One game to keep an eye on is a non-conference trip to Colorado in early October. Georgia is a superior team, but they would be neither the first nor the last team with more talent to go up in the altitude at Boulder and come away with a head scratching loss. Some off the field issues are going to cloud the next few weeks, regardless Coach Richt needs to continue to win and get the best of Florida at that cocktail get together this year. At least the AD at the beginning of the summer took some of the heat off, to the tune that here at the end of the summer he is no longer AD. Cross-hairs back on Richt.
#19 – Georgia Tech – The smarter more urban cousin of the #20 ranked Georgia team lands at the 19 spot. The rambling wreck from Georgia Tech will continue to run the double-slot option and with an experienced and savvy guy like QB Josh Nesbitt at the helm, the immediate future looks bright. The defending ACC champions and BCS Orange bowl runner-ups (nice way of saying loser) will have to find a way to replace RB Jonathan Dwyer who was drafted last year. For the option to work efficiently it is imperative to have no fewer than two threats, Nesbitt has already been proven as one, so finding a second to compliment him is a must. Now the other side of the ball is a toss-up. In is former NFL and most recently UVA head man, Al Groh as the defensive coordinator. Groh will implement the 3-4 defensive scheme and with some crafty work could have the Jackets contending for the ACC and BCS bowl game again this season.
#18 – LSU – The bayou Bengals are a real question mark this year. Yes they have the talent, yes they have the conference, yes they have the out of conference schedule, yes they have the home field advantage, yes they have the tradition, but unfortunately for them yes they still have Les Miles. There might not be a warmer seat in the country than the one that Lil Les finds himself perched on and it’s only getting warmer. The tiger faithful are split, half love him and half hate him. Both for good reason, he did bring home a national championship, don’t mind the constant second guessing; from who’s players they were to a 2 loss team playing for the BCS championship. He also has repeatedly puts his players in bad situations, see Ole Miss last year, and has had some odd if not completely confusing things to say over the past 4-5 years. The play of QB Jordan Jefferson was great at times, but down right Jarrett Lee like at times as well. They will field a very talented group of WR’s and defensive secondary, but is that enough to overcome the dreaded Les-factor? An early season date with North Carolina and then a home affair with West Virginia could give the tigers the confidence they need to face and challenge for the talented SEC West.
#17 – North Carolina – Butch Davis was supposed to turn a basketball crazed school into a semi-interested football school. He was having some success, recruiting well and winning more games, then what seems to be half of the team decided rules didn’t apply to them and we all await word from the NCAA as to what the punishment is going to be. Things along tobacco road are very much up in the air as of print time. A tough but momentum building first game against LSU could or could not have done wonders, depending on who plays, for this team. Red-shirt freshmen QB, Ryan Renner should take the reins either from day one or at some point early in the year and could provide that spark to get over the hump. The defense is stout, but depending on what the NCAA has to say, this unit could be decimated for some huge games (LSU, Georgia Tech and Rutgers). All things being the same the Tar Heels are a top 20 team, so that’s were they will stay.
#16 – Pittsburgh - They have seen the promise land, just haven’t been able to physically get there. The Panthers had the Big East title in their paws the past few years late into the season only to have it ripped away from lesser, on paper, opponents. Can Wannstedt get this fixed? They have recruited well and field an experienced group starting with record book re-writing RB Dion Lewis, he had close to 1,800 yards last season. Expect Big East foes to pay a bit more attention to him this year. If other teams do in fact commit too much to stop the run, the Panthers can make them pay with their deep and talented WR’s. Starting with All-Conference wide-out Jonathan Baldwin, he along with a fellow 6’5” wide receiver Mike Shanahan should be a formidable duo. The defense should not miss a step even with the departure of both DE’s. The unit led the nation in sacks last year and looks to build on experience.
#15 – Arkansas – It has been a long time since the Hogs have entered a fall sport season with so much hype, hope and wooo piiiiigg soooiiiee hysteria. It could all be for good reason or it could all be for not. A lot of this lies squarely on the cannon that sits in place of a right arm on QB Ryan Mallett. The super sized signal caller can and will whip the ball all over the field and the scary thing for opponents is that his WR’s are the best they’ve been in his tenure. Couple this with Bobby “packed and out of town” Petrino’s offensive wizardry and even Arky fans can do this math. Pig fans and players will know soon enough with early season conference tests against Georgia and Alabama, followed up with an old Southwest Conference showdown against Texas A&M at Jerry’s little do-hicky over in Arlington whether the hype and hysteria was worth crawling out of the trailer for. All the offense in the world though can’t win them all in the SEC; the Hogs D will need to step-up and try to pull their weight for the title hoping hogs to have a chance.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
The Big 12 South Preview - The last surviving caste system.
Finally Tommy Tuberville announced that Taylor Potts would be the Red Raiders starting QB, so we can finally release the highly anticipated BIG 12 South Division preview. Seriously, without knowing which Texas Tech QB is going to put up gaudy numbers, get booed by his own fans and never sniff the NFL, how could one expect a “preview” to be even remotely accurate or considered reputable. With all the conference re-alignment talk shelved for the very brief mean-time, the far superior division in the BIG 12 has been creating intrigue with the possibility of surprise teams to the dreaded same old status quo. With the departure of a handful of prominent fixtures to the NFL to the high expectations of young phenoms, the proverbial rubber is just about to meet the road.
The Big 12 South Division – The group that makes the Jackson family look loving.
Oklahoma – The Quick – Sam Bradford gets hurt twice still gets drafted #1 overall, and Landry Jones gets more than adequate work in games, big games at that. He should come in and have no issues at the helm. The Sooners also lost some playmakers on the defensive side, but have studs like Jeremy Beal (DL) and Travis Lewis (LB) to fill the gaps. On offense Ryan Broyles and Demarco Murray will be expected to do the glory work for OU, Demarco in his 8th year will hopefully finally live up to the billing. Broyles will beat teams as a WR and as a kick return extraordinaire. The Skinny – Can Big Game Bob Stoops start winning big games? Early non-conference tests against Florida State and Cincinnati will be very telling. And as long as the NCAA keeps turning the blind eye and issuing brutal wrist slaps, the Sooners will contend for a long time.
Texas – The Quick – “if only Colt hadn’t…..” Not yet Longhorn fans, not yet. As has become the norm in Austin, the Horns are as stacked across the board as any coach/fan/media outlet (ESPN/ABC) could possibly hope for. Two biggest questions, replacing the games winning and whiniest QB and establishing even a semblance of a running game. Garret Gilbert (QB) was forced into action during the biggest game of the year, the BCS National Championship, after Colt McCoy sat on his throwing hand too long in pre-game looking for one last casual encounter with “the stranger” prior to his last college football game. And Gilbert looked much better than expected, sans the 18 interceptions; he actually had the Longhorns in a position to win. The Defense will do more reloading and to the hopeful delight of their fans finally shake the “soft” title, with coach-in-waiting Will Muschamp pacing the sidelines; it’s shocking that they haven’t lost this moniker yet. Maybe when he’s head coach? Too bad that will be at LSU and soon, but we digress. The Skinny – A running game is a most; Mack Brown could talk the Pope into Judaism, but hasn’t been able to recruit a game changing RB in a few too many years. It will most likely be running back by committee again this year, with Fozy Whitaker and Tre Newton doing the bulk of the work.
Texas A&M – The Quick – Any defense will be an improvement and a first in years. The Aggie offense can score and did a lot, finishing the year 5th in the country in total offense. Signal caller Jerrod Johnson is surrounded by top flight playmakers; unfortunately he has to rely on a spotty offensive line for time and protection. Look for the O-line to be improved with some stud freshmen that will be expected to play and to impact. Jeff Fuller (WR) is one of the top 5 in the country, a full season will prove this to all. Christine Michael (RB) is on another level and the list goes on. The Defense should be vastly improved with a new 3-4 scheme, hoping to harness some of the old Wrecking Crew glory days. New D-coordinator Tim DeRuyter has come in with a new plan and with an emphasis on speed, confusion and take-aways. The Skinny – All the above my happen, but if the special teams, which has been abysmal since Clinton’s second term doesn’t vastly improve, the Aggies can expect to be on the wrong end of more games this year.
Texas Tech – The Quick – Leach out Tubbs in. This is like taking a job transfer from Nome to Nassau. Or more realistically like transitioning from an offensive and intellectual genius, to a defensive minded back porch rocking, straw chewing, fiddle picking share cropper type. It could go either way, the new coach rut is to be expected but Tubbs ain’t no spring chicken, he made a career out of whipping Alabama and has some tools to work with in Lubbock. Expect the offense to be more balanced with a running game for purpose and strategy versus for cross your fingers and try to catch them off-guard. Where Tommy will have the most impact is on the defensive side of the ball. You know, that bastard-child half of the team that Leach never acknowledged. As mentioned above, Taylor Potts will get the nod over Steven “Sticks” Sheffield at QB, but if any of Leach’s existence remains, outside of multiple unpaid bar tabs in Lubbock, the leash will be short with two proven quarterbacks ready and able. The Skinny – besides the back-up quarterback. If the offense can keep the new coach regression to a minimum and Tuberville is able to do what he does best and build a respectable defense; the high plains of Texas might forget about the Pirate sooner rather than later. Until he comes back and beats them down in civil court and rightfully claims his booty.
Oklahoma State – The Quick – Only 8 meaningful returning starters on both sides of the ball combined, kickers and punters aren’t meaningful. With huge losses like Dez Bryant, although he didn’t exactly pull his weight last year, in fact he probably left Stillwater in Oct. of ’09 and hasn’t been back since. And Zak Robinson (QB) along with 4 offensive linemen, Coach Gundy has his work cut out. Luckily talented RB Kendall Hunter returns and hopes to put last years injury shortened season behind him as 26 year old Brandon Weeden (QB) will try and make the transition from minor league baseball player to old and creepy looking college quarterback. A tough non-conference schedule dueling with the likes of Tulsa, Troy, Washington State and Louisiana Lafayette should have the cowboys finely tuned for the Big 12 gauntlet. The Skinny – T Boone Pickens is running out of time, he hasn’t seen very good returns on his investments of late, see non-existent wind farm in Pampa TX, so a good team in his mini-jewel of a stadium would really do wonders for the would be wind wrangler.
Baylor – The Quick – Outside of Robert Griffin III, they aren’t. Baylor is just thankful the Big 12 still exists and that they didn’t have to exhume Ann Richards body and do some serious Weekend at Bernie’s to get to stay with the big boys. The Bears will put the weight of their Baptist congregation on the shoulders of highly talented QB Robert Griffin III, someone might need to send some weight watchers to Waco because last year his ACL couldn’t support such weight. RG III is that good; where he can win games on his own, but some big loses on defense (Baylor standards here) might be more than the cubbies can bear. ßSee what we did there! The Skinny – not the Baylor Line. Art Briles is a good coach, who is probably looking at the University of Houston and wondering “what was I thinking?” for leaving there to come to Baylor. Oh well the Big 12 will implode soon enough and Bear fans can get excited about renewing their old SWC rivalry with Rice and creating fun new rivalries with UTEP and UTSA and UTA.
The Big 12 South Division – The group that makes the Jackson family look loving.
Oklahoma – The Quick – Sam Bradford gets hurt twice still gets drafted #1 overall, and Landry Jones gets more than adequate work in games, big games at that. He should come in and have no issues at the helm. The Sooners also lost some playmakers on the defensive side, but have studs like Jeremy Beal (DL) and Travis Lewis (LB) to fill the gaps. On offense Ryan Broyles and Demarco Murray will be expected to do the glory work for OU, Demarco in his 8th year will hopefully finally live up to the billing. Broyles will beat teams as a WR and as a kick return extraordinaire. The Skinny – Can Big Game Bob Stoops start winning big games? Early non-conference tests against Florida State and Cincinnati will be very telling. And as long as the NCAA keeps turning the blind eye and issuing brutal wrist slaps, the Sooners will contend for a long time.
Texas – The Quick – “if only Colt hadn’t…..” Not yet Longhorn fans, not yet. As has become the norm in Austin, the Horns are as stacked across the board as any coach/fan/media outlet (ESPN/ABC) could possibly hope for. Two biggest questions, replacing the games winning and whiniest QB and establishing even a semblance of a running game. Garret Gilbert (QB) was forced into action during the biggest game of the year, the BCS National Championship, after Colt McCoy sat on his throwing hand too long in pre-game looking for one last casual encounter with “the stranger” prior to his last college football game. And Gilbert looked much better than expected, sans the 18 interceptions; he actually had the Longhorns in a position to win. The Defense will do more reloading and to the hopeful delight of their fans finally shake the “soft” title, with coach-in-waiting Will Muschamp pacing the sidelines; it’s shocking that they haven’t lost this moniker yet. Maybe when he’s head coach? Too bad that will be at LSU and soon, but we digress. The Skinny – A running game is a most; Mack Brown could talk the Pope into Judaism, but hasn’t been able to recruit a game changing RB in a few too many years. It will most likely be running back by committee again this year, with Fozy Whitaker and Tre Newton doing the bulk of the work.
Texas A&M – The Quick – Any defense will be an improvement and a first in years. The Aggie offense can score and did a lot, finishing the year 5th in the country in total offense. Signal caller Jerrod Johnson is surrounded by top flight playmakers; unfortunately he has to rely on a spotty offensive line for time and protection. Look for the O-line to be improved with some stud freshmen that will be expected to play and to impact. Jeff Fuller (WR) is one of the top 5 in the country, a full season will prove this to all. Christine Michael (RB) is on another level and the list goes on. The Defense should be vastly improved with a new 3-4 scheme, hoping to harness some of the old Wrecking Crew glory days. New D-coordinator Tim DeRuyter has come in with a new plan and with an emphasis on speed, confusion and take-aways. The Skinny – All the above my happen, but if the special teams, which has been abysmal since Clinton’s second term doesn’t vastly improve, the Aggies can expect to be on the wrong end of more games this year.
Texas Tech – The Quick – Leach out Tubbs in. This is like taking a job transfer from Nome to Nassau. Or more realistically like transitioning from an offensive and intellectual genius, to a defensive minded back porch rocking, straw chewing, fiddle picking share cropper type. It could go either way, the new coach rut is to be expected but Tubbs ain’t no spring chicken, he made a career out of whipping Alabama and has some tools to work with in Lubbock. Expect the offense to be more balanced with a running game for purpose and strategy versus for cross your fingers and try to catch them off-guard. Where Tommy will have the most impact is on the defensive side of the ball. You know, that bastard-child half of the team that Leach never acknowledged. As mentioned above, Taylor Potts will get the nod over Steven “Sticks” Sheffield at QB, but if any of Leach’s existence remains, outside of multiple unpaid bar tabs in Lubbock, the leash will be short with two proven quarterbacks ready and able. The Skinny – besides the back-up quarterback. If the offense can keep the new coach regression to a minimum and Tuberville is able to do what he does best and build a respectable defense; the high plains of Texas might forget about the Pirate sooner rather than later. Until he comes back and beats them down in civil court and rightfully claims his booty.
Oklahoma State – The Quick – Only 8 meaningful returning starters on both sides of the ball combined, kickers and punters aren’t meaningful. With huge losses like Dez Bryant, although he didn’t exactly pull his weight last year, in fact he probably left Stillwater in Oct. of ’09 and hasn’t been back since. And Zak Robinson (QB) along with 4 offensive linemen, Coach Gundy has his work cut out. Luckily talented RB Kendall Hunter returns and hopes to put last years injury shortened season behind him as 26 year old Brandon Weeden (QB) will try and make the transition from minor league baseball player to old and creepy looking college quarterback. A tough non-conference schedule dueling with the likes of Tulsa, Troy, Washington State and Louisiana Lafayette should have the cowboys finely tuned for the Big 12 gauntlet. The Skinny – T Boone Pickens is running out of time, he hasn’t seen very good returns on his investments of late, see non-existent wind farm in Pampa TX, so a good team in his mini-jewel of a stadium would really do wonders for the would be wind wrangler.
Baylor – The Quick – Outside of Robert Griffin III, they aren’t. Baylor is just thankful the Big 12 still exists and that they didn’t have to exhume Ann Richards body and do some serious Weekend at Bernie’s to get to stay with the big boys. The Bears will put the weight of their Baptist congregation on the shoulders of highly talented QB Robert Griffin III, someone might need to send some weight watchers to Waco because last year his ACL couldn’t support such weight. RG III is that good; where he can win games on his own, but some big loses on defense (Baylor standards here) might be more than the cubbies can bear. ßSee what we did there! The Skinny – not the Baylor Line. Art Briles is a good coach, who is probably looking at the University of Houston and wondering “what was I thinking?” for leaving there to come to Baylor. Oh well the Big 12 will implode soon enough and Bear fans can get excited about renewing their old SWC rivalry with Rice and creating fun new rivalries with UTEP and UTSA and UTA.
Monday, August 9, 2010
BIG 12 Preview – The North, quit laughing!
Can you feel that? That blast of cell mutating heat that envelops your whole being the second you emerge from your conditioned space to meet that ravenous wench Mother Nature every day. Well that can only mean one thing, time to get 105 over-sized 18-22 year olds suited up in 20 extra pounds of heat inducing, non-breathing, plastic suits of armor and run ‘em until they puke. Yep it’s two-a-days time; a right of passage for many, a ride to the hospital for some and the end of the line for an unfortunate few. While the air conditioners suckle from the electric grid teat for just enough juice to keep the temp from only raising 2 degrees an hour, the unhealthiest demographic in America (college aged students) will be gathering, running, jumping, tackling and hallucinating on broiler-esque turf radiators the country over. All for our pleasure! And since everyone’s alma mater is undefeated right now, soak it up, enjoy this moment for soon enough the Buffalos, Cyclones, Bears and Red Raiders of the world will be called to task for that chalice of delusion they have been sipping on and the contenders will separate themselves from the pretenders. It was with much hope and excitement that this was going to be the first of many SEC themed installments, however 12 out of touch self serving ambASSadors derailed that plan, so here in all it’s cowardice is your 2010 Big “unhappy, unequal, untrusting and hopefully unlasting” 12 football preview.
Let us go the way of the Carpetbagger and start in the North for now only to end up in the fertile South another day. Today we give you the Corn Belt division of the Big 12 conference.
The North Division, otherwise none as the bow of the Titanic, the first to succumb.
Nebraska – The Quick – Neb finally is getting what Dr. Tom Osborne has wanted since 1996, the hell away from Texas. The Huskers are Big 10 bound soon enough, but will compete for the conference championship in the mean time. A controversial 1 second away from dehorning Texas last year in a game where any offense at all from Big Red would have complimented a true Bo Pelini type of defensive street brawl. The Skinny – The conference championship game was followed by on offensive explosion (Nebraska standards here) of 33 unanswered points in a bowl shut-out of Arizona. A consistent O with a Pelini lead D and the children of the corn are in Jerry World for a shot at the “don’t let the door hit your over-all covered tractor cushion on the way out” Big 12 Championship.
Missouri – The Quick – Oh how Mizzou wanted to be with Nebraska heading to the Big 10, they even said as much only to be reminded that, well they are still just Mizzou. Missouri will want to show any potential suitors from other conferences that they are much more than a Journalism school when this dilapidated conference does implode. The Skinny – Blaine Gabbert is one of the best QB’s in the conference, but will have to establish some go-to WR’s for the first time in his career. Defense has some big holes to fill but does boast one of the nations best pass rushers in DE Aldon Smith, but can he do it alone? Gary Pinkel is starting year 10 after 9 painfully benign years in Columbia, go crazy on a reporter or something Gary to remind the nation that you exist.
Kansas State – The Quick – Go from the college football abyss to the college football zenith with a hand picked bunch of Rhodes Scholars, Mike Bishop and fellow JUCO Einsteins, try to go straight and build a team instead of piece milling one with drifters, name the stadium after the neighborly looking grandpa responsible for all of this, bring in an ethnically pleasing coach to appeal to the “good athletes” and look like the golden child to the NCAA and the NAACP and quickly submarine right back to the college football abyss. The Skinny – Go re-hire the aforementioned neighborly grandpa and start over. Will history repeat itself?
Colorado – The Quick – If CU had any money, pride or overall interest in football Coach Dan Hawkins would have been canned before boarding the plane leaving Toledo last year after getting spanked 54-38. Or perhaps after losing to lowly Iowa State or even better after going 0 for their last 3 and finishing 3-9. Boulder is in the mountains but unlike at Boise, a tougher conference awaits every Saturday. The Skinny – Quit starting your son at QB, this ain’t intramurals remember! Your wife will love you if you act like a coach and play the best player but might not if you are unemployed, can you see where we are going with this?
Kansas – The Quick – Coach Mangino is gone and shockingly not due to how many assumed he would be leaving the program. The guy that made Jayhawk football respectable and wearing blue and red crushed velvet table cloths fashionable was apparently also very guilty of being a grade A jerk. Who would have ever thought that this meteor of a man would have the ability and audacity to publically humiliate others for their short comings? You talk about a classic example of “if I can just make others feel bad about them selves, I won’t have to think about how miserable I am.” If what he said to players is true, he deserves the shortness of breath he will no doubt suffer the rest of his numbered days. The Skinny – Turner Gill was arguably one of the best hires in the country this off-season and he will get KU playing good football again, unfortunately it might be in the Mountain West when they make the turn, but it will happen.
Iowa State – The Quick – Should have never been in the Big 12 to begin with, the end is near. If they take the “Iowa State” of off the front of their jersey’s people might watch for 30 more seconds thinking they are watching USC, wait you won’t ever be on TV, never mind. The Skinny- Skinny and Iowa State is an oxymoron. Oh and if you can hold off for two years to win the conference championship it will be an even 100 years since your last conference championship, and even that was a co-championship, we know it will be tough but good luck!
Let us go the way of the Carpetbagger and start in the North for now only to end up in the fertile South another day. Today we give you the Corn Belt division of the Big 12 conference.
The North Division, otherwise none as the bow of the Titanic, the first to succumb.
Nebraska – The Quick – Neb finally is getting what Dr. Tom Osborne has wanted since 1996, the hell away from Texas. The Huskers are Big 10 bound soon enough, but will compete for the conference championship in the mean time. A controversial 1 second away from dehorning Texas last year in a game where any offense at all from Big Red would have complimented a true Bo Pelini type of defensive street brawl. The Skinny – The conference championship game was followed by on offensive explosion (Nebraska standards here) of 33 unanswered points in a bowl shut-out of Arizona. A consistent O with a Pelini lead D and the children of the corn are in Jerry World for a shot at the “don’t let the door hit your over-all covered tractor cushion on the way out” Big 12 Championship.
Missouri – The Quick – Oh how Mizzou wanted to be with Nebraska heading to the Big 10, they even said as much only to be reminded that, well they are still just Mizzou. Missouri will want to show any potential suitors from other conferences that they are much more than a Journalism school when this dilapidated conference does implode. The Skinny – Blaine Gabbert is one of the best QB’s in the conference, but will have to establish some go-to WR’s for the first time in his career. Defense has some big holes to fill but does boast one of the nations best pass rushers in DE Aldon Smith, but can he do it alone? Gary Pinkel is starting year 10 after 9 painfully benign years in Columbia, go crazy on a reporter or something Gary to remind the nation that you exist.
Kansas State – The Quick – Go from the college football abyss to the college football zenith with a hand picked bunch of Rhodes Scholars, Mike Bishop and fellow JUCO Einsteins, try to go straight and build a team instead of piece milling one with drifters, name the stadium after the neighborly looking grandpa responsible for all of this, bring in an ethnically pleasing coach to appeal to the “good athletes” and look like the golden child to the NCAA and the NAACP and quickly submarine right back to the college football abyss. The Skinny – Go re-hire the aforementioned neighborly grandpa and start over. Will history repeat itself?
Colorado – The Quick – If CU had any money, pride or overall interest in football Coach Dan Hawkins would have been canned before boarding the plane leaving Toledo last year after getting spanked 54-38. Or perhaps after losing to lowly Iowa State or even better after going 0 for their last 3 and finishing 3-9. Boulder is in the mountains but unlike at Boise, a tougher conference awaits every Saturday. The Skinny – Quit starting your son at QB, this ain’t intramurals remember! Your wife will love you if you act like a coach and play the best player but might not if you are unemployed, can you see where we are going with this?
Kansas – The Quick – Coach Mangino is gone and shockingly not due to how many assumed he would be leaving the program. The guy that made Jayhawk football respectable and wearing blue and red crushed velvet table cloths fashionable was apparently also very guilty of being a grade A jerk. Who would have ever thought that this meteor of a man would have the ability and audacity to publically humiliate others for their short comings? You talk about a classic example of “if I can just make others feel bad about them selves, I won’t have to think about how miserable I am.” If what he said to players is true, he deserves the shortness of breath he will no doubt suffer the rest of his numbered days. The Skinny – Turner Gill was arguably one of the best hires in the country this off-season and he will get KU playing good football again, unfortunately it might be in the Mountain West when they make the turn, but it will happen.
Iowa State – The Quick – Should have never been in the Big 12 to begin with, the end is near. If they take the “Iowa State” of off the front of their jersey’s people might watch for 30 more seconds thinking they are watching USC, wait you won’t ever be on TV, never mind. The Skinny- Skinny and Iowa State is an oxymoron. Oh and if you can hold off for two years to win the conference championship it will be an even 100 years since your last conference championship, and even that was a co-championship, we know it will be tough but good luck!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)