The Longhorns Toughest Opponent
A bye week....
Won't get into next week's Texas/aggie match up too much today, but I will say the off week scares me. This team has some really good momentum going while the aggies do not - time off is the worst and best remedy for each of those, respectively. Bottom line - Texas HAS to win this game...if they aren't treating this game as a must win than we'll probably lose. I promise you the aggies are treating it as such.
But enough about that - plenty of time for that next week. Let's see, what do we have on the docket for this weekend, anything???
Ohio State vs. Michigan:
Ahh yes, this little gem. This should be a pretty good game as I honestly think both teams are pretty evenly matched. Either way, I think the Big 10 champ may just get creamed in the Rose Bowl this year, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.
If you believe the great speculators out there (and at times I do), this looks to be Lloyd Carr's last season in Ann Arbor - and I think it will as well. I gotta think Michigan can pull out the victory here, especially if they get their skill guys 100% healthy. Obviously Michigan's defense is going to be greatly tested - and they've shown flashes of crap all year. I think this will be a pretty high-scoring game and I definitely believe that the aura, fate, emotion, etc. (what ever you want to call it - the intangible) is on Michigan's side and I'll look for Lloyd to get the most rewarding victory of his career while at Michigan (yes, even more than that AP national champ in '97).
Michigan - 37
Ohio State - 28
West Virginia at Cincinnati:
If you would have told me 3 months ago that this would be one of the better games on the weekend before Thanksgiving I would have called you crazy. Yet here we are...
I know Pat White is a tremendous athlete, but I gotta say, I'm not totally sold on these guys being as good as they were last year. They are too turnover prone - if they can get through this game without turning the ball over, they will have a very good shot. I believe Cincy is near the top of the nation, if not at the top, in takeaways too so that doesn't bode well for the Mountaineers. With that said, Cincy is a darling team this year and we all know what happens when these guys face upper echelon competition - they usually fall back down to earth. That win over UCONN would mean something if I thought UCONN was halfway deserving of their 15 minutes of fame. I'm going W. Virginia here, but in a very close game - this could go either way with a field goal.
West Virginia - 34
Cincy - 32
Oklahoma at Texas Tech (UPSET SPECIAL):
So, most everyone reading this (including Tech fans) will say I'm crazy, but here me out. So Oklahoma has only played 2 true road games this year (I'm not counting the Tulsa game for obvious reasons and the Texas game was a neutral site) - at Colorado where they lost, and at Iowa State where they didn't pull out the victory until the last few minutes of the game. Simply put, they haven't played well on the road, especially on defense.
On the other hand, Leach seems dead-set on getting the refs from the Texas game fired - it ain't going to happen Mike, get your sh*t together and get your team ready to play. Beating OU would be HUGE for this team and would most certainly salvage the tank job they've done over the last 5 weeks. And if I'm the defensive coordinator, I'm killing myself to ensure that this defense has the game of the year.
Oklahoma is too well coached to blow these last two games and miss the Big 12 championship (unlike Texas last year), but they are more than capable of losing this game.
Texas Tech - 42
Oklahoma - 37
Other CFB Notes:
Alright, I'm only doing this for you, the readers as you all know how much of a joke I think this award is. With that, here's my Fabulous 5 heading to New York (in no particular order):
Darren McFadden, Arkansas - There is no better pure running back in college football today. The Razorbacks' record notwithstanding, he's a workhorse who, I believe, will be a pretty high draft pick in next year's draft (yes, I know spending too much on RB is cardinal sin #1 in the NFL, but this kid is good)
Tim Tebow, Florida - His performance last week may have sealed the deal for him (accounting for 7 TDs and about 67% of your team's offensive output). Before he's done at Florida, he may be the best running QB...ever. Yea, I said it. He's up there in terms of front runner.
Glenn Dorsey, LSU - I know it's uncool to have a defensive player (much less a defensive lineman) in the Heisman discussion, but this guy is a freak. Hands down, the best interior defensive player this year...by a mile. He'll be a top 3 pick in next year's draft. He carries that defense, and that's a bold statement considering that defense.
Dennis Dixon, Oregon - After last night, his chances are gone and he'll likely be replaced by the gentleman sitting on the fringe (see below). He's been a great player and certainly a big-time play maker. I would still take Tebow over him in a heartbeat, but he's been the real deal.
Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech - If this kid isn't invited to New York it will be, yet again, more evidence of just how much of a joke this award really is - beauty pageant for sportswriters and former winners who watch about 1 and a half games every week. There is no receiver in the country who is even in the same ballpark as this kid in terms of skill and talent...and he's a freshman...which will probably be why he won't be there. For crying out loud, he's broken 2-3 receiving records....halfway through the season. Get him there.
On the Fringe: Chase Daniel, Missouri - After Oregon's loss last night, he just may be in the serious discussion...until they lose to Kansas.
NBA:
You want to talk about business negligence - take a look at the New York Knicks' organization. Do the owners of this organization not care about their franchise or image? If I'm the majority owner here I'm firing EVERYONE below me - GM, head coach, President, secretaries, everyone. I'm not sure how one lets an organization get to a point like this. First, it was the Isiah Thomas debacle in the GM role (worst NBA GM of all time...by a mile). Then, it was the Isiah as a head coach experiment (going nowhere fast). THEN, it was the Isiah Thomas sexual harassment trial which gave a black eye to this organization that may never heal. Finally, the Stephon Marbury incident - what a complete joke. Memo to NBA teams around the country - don't sign Marbury when he's released from the Knicks....just don't. Every team he's been apart of has improved immensely following his departure.
Gotta be the worst organization in all of professional sports right now.
NFL:
Dwight Freeney out for the year for the Colts (with possibility of others following) - things are starting to come apart for the defending champs. Not panic time just yet, but definitely time for a bit of concern. Remember, they were without Bob Sanders for just about all of the season last year and were giving up hundreds of rushing yards a game to close out the year. Things aren't so bad when you have to rely on Peyton Manning.
That's what I got guys - I'll do a recap/Turkey Day weekend preview early next week. Have a good weekend.
Won't get into next week's Texas/aggie match up too much today, but I will say the off week scares me. This team has some really good momentum going while the aggies do not - time off is the worst and best remedy for each of those, respectively. Bottom line - Texas HAS to win this game...if they aren't treating this game as a must win than we'll probably lose. I promise you the aggies are treating it as such.
But enough about that - plenty of time for that next week. Let's see, what do we have on the docket for this weekend, anything???
Ohio State vs. Michigan:
Ahh yes, this little gem. This should be a pretty good game as I honestly think both teams are pretty evenly matched. Either way, I think the Big 10 champ may just get creamed in the Rose Bowl this year, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.
If you believe the great speculators out there (and at times I do), this looks to be Lloyd Carr's last season in Ann Arbor - and I think it will as well. I gotta think Michigan can pull out the victory here, especially if they get their skill guys 100% healthy. Obviously Michigan's defense is going to be greatly tested - and they've shown flashes of crap all year. I think this will be a pretty high-scoring game and I definitely believe that the aura, fate, emotion, etc. (what ever you want to call it - the intangible) is on Michigan's side and I'll look for Lloyd to get the most rewarding victory of his career while at Michigan (yes, even more than that AP national champ in '97).
Michigan - 37
Ohio State - 28
West Virginia at Cincinnati:
If you would have told me 3 months ago that this would be one of the better games on the weekend before Thanksgiving I would have called you crazy. Yet here we are...
I know Pat White is a tremendous athlete, but I gotta say, I'm not totally sold on these guys being as good as they were last year. They are too turnover prone - if they can get through this game without turning the ball over, they will have a very good shot. I believe Cincy is near the top of the nation, if not at the top, in takeaways too so that doesn't bode well for the Mountaineers. With that said, Cincy is a darling team this year and we all know what happens when these guys face upper echelon competition - they usually fall back down to earth. That win over UCONN would mean something if I thought UCONN was halfway deserving of their 15 minutes of fame. I'm going W. Virginia here, but in a very close game - this could go either way with a field goal.
West Virginia - 34
Cincy - 32
Oklahoma at Texas Tech (UPSET SPECIAL):
So, most everyone reading this (including Tech fans) will say I'm crazy, but here me out. So Oklahoma has only played 2 true road games this year (I'm not counting the Tulsa game for obvious reasons and the Texas game was a neutral site) - at Colorado where they lost, and at Iowa State where they didn't pull out the victory until the last few minutes of the game. Simply put, they haven't played well on the road, especially on defense.
On the other hand, Leach seems dead-set on getting the refs from the Texas game fired - it ain't going to happen Mike, get your sh*t together and get your team ready to play. Beating OU would be HUGE for this team and would most certainly salvage the tank job they've done over the last 5 weeks. And if I'm the defensive coordinator, I'm killing myself to ensure that this defense has the game of the year.
Oklahoma is too well coached to blow these last two games and miss the Big 12 championship (unlike Texas last year), but they are more than capable of losing this game.
Texas Tech - 42
Oklahoma - 37
Other CFB Notes:
- So Tom Osborne is still "undecided" on Callahan's fate as Nebraska's head coach....Rrrriiiiight.
- No one can ruin a good football game like espn - they continuously try and force a "compelling" story with sideline reporters. For example, in tonight's Oregon/Arizona game (more on this below), the sideline reporter is interviewing the owner of the Anaheim Angels and asking about A-Rod and Barry Bonds. IT'S A FOOTBALL GAME!!! And no one cares, not one person watching cares what this guy thinks - I promise. It's embarrassing for every single person involved - including us viewers.
- So I'm sitting here and there's about 11 minutes to go and Oregon is down by 14....to Arizona. Let me put this into perspective - if Arizona pulls this game out, they're STILL not bowl eligible. Of course Dennis Dixon is out of the game with an injury.
- I am a believer (especially this year) that most teams in the top 50 can beat most other teams in the top 50 on any given Saturday. BUT, Oregon has no business losing to Arizona - they've faced a lot of adversity with injuries, but if you're going to be included in the national title debate, you're going to have to beat teams like Arizona. Granted, the game isn't over yet....
- The current Oregon game notwithstanding, interesting point/story by Stewart Mandel this week (actually, response to his mailbag). He was looking at the top 3 teams (LSU, Oregon and Kansas) and how they've faired this year against bowl eligible teams and ranked opponents. LSU had beaten more bowl-eligible teams (8) and more ranked opponents (4). But, Kansas and Oregon are closer than some may think - Kansas had beaten one more bowl-eligible team and they were tied on victories over ranked opponents. Bottom line: don't count out those Jayhawks as a fluke just yet.
- And the Ducks lose - thanks for playing Oregon...and it looks like Pac 10 lovers out there take yet another hit. It will be complete when Arizona State loses to Arizona to close out the year.
Alright, I'm only doing this for you, the readers as you all know how much of a joke I think this award is. With that, here's my Fabulous 5 heading to New York (in no particular order):
Darren McFadden, Arkansas - There is no better pure running back in college football today. The Razorbacks' record notwithstanding, he's a workhorse who, I believe, will be a pretty high draft pick in next year's draft (yes, I know spending too much on RB is cardinal sin #1 in the NFL, but this kid is good)
Tim Tebow, Florida - His performance last week may have sealed the deal for him (accounting for 7 TDs and about 67% of your team's offensive output). Before he's done at Florida, he may be the best running QB...ever. Yea, I said it. He's up there in terms of front runner.
Glenn Dorsey, LSU - I know it's uncool to have a defensive player (much less a defensive lineman) in the Heisman discussion, but this guy is a freak. Hands down, the best interior defensive player this year...by a mile. He'll be a top 3 pick in next year's draft. He carries that defense, and that's a bold statement considering that defense.
Dennis Dixon, Oregon - After last night, his chances are gone and he'll likely be replaced by the gentleman sitting on the fringe (see below). He's been a great player and certainly a big-time play maker. I would still take Tebow over him in a heartbeat, but he's been the real deal.
Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech - If this kid isn't invited to New York it will be, yet again, more evidence of just how much of a joke this award really is - beauty pageant for sportswriters and former winners who watch about 1 and a half games every week. There is no receiver in the country who is even in the same ballpark as this kid in terms of skill and talent...and he's a freshman...which will probably be why he won't be there. For crying out loud, he's broken 2-3 receiving records....halfway through the season. Get him there.
On the Fringe: Chase Daniel, Missouri - After Oregon's loss last night, he just may be in the serious discussion...until they lose to Kansas.
NBA:
You want to talk about business negligence - take a look at the New York Knicks' organization. Do the owners of this organization not care about their franchise or image? If I'm the majority owner here I'm firing EVERYONE below me - GM, head coach, President, secretaries, everyone. I'm not sure how one lets an organization get to a point like this. First, it was the Isiah Thomas debacle in the GM role (worst NBA GM of all time...by a mile). Then, it was the Isiah as a head coach experiment (going nowhere fast). THEN, it was the Isiah Thomas sexual harassment trial which gave a black eye to this organization that may never heal. Finally, the Stephon Marbury incident - what a complete joke. Memo to NBA teams around the country - don't sign Marbury when he's released from the Knicks....just don't. Every team he's been apart of has improved immensely following his departure.
Gotta be the worst organization in all of professional sports right now.
NFL:
Dwight Freeney out for the year for the Colts (with possibility of others following) - things are starting to come apart for the defending champs. Not panic time just yet, but definitely time for a bit of concern. Remember, they were without Bob Sanders for just about all of the season last year and were giving up hundreds of rushing yards a game to close out the year. Things aren't so bad when you have to rely on Peyton Manning.
That's what I got guys - I'll do a recap/Turkey Day weekend preview early next week. Have a good weekend.
posted by The Bearden Wonder at 3:11 PM
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