Heading For the Hills
After their annual, less-than-inspiring-win against a laughable Kansas team, the Longhorns head to the hills of West Virginia. This is one of those "let's get in and out of this God-forsaken place as fast as we can" kind of trips. I'll get to the Horns in a minute, but let's briefly touch on what has to be greatest Thursday in recent college football history.
I guess those Baptists do know how to get rowdy when they want to. It's a good thing they won so handily because if you're going to come out wearing uniforms like that you'd better be kicking ass and taking names. At the end of the day, OU is just not the same team this year as they've had in past years - and the injury bugs have really hurt them. No knock on Stoops and crew here, but this Baylor team is damn good...and physical. Their lines are playing very tough.
Meanwhile, Oregon gets it's annual sucker punch in terms of vying for the NC game. Valiant effort by the Ducks to come back, but you can't spot a team like Stanford 20 points and expect to come back every time. Is there a team out there that is looking more forward to the 4-team playoff format than Stanford? Yes....Ohio State.
Texas at West Virginia:
I'll be frank, this game scares the hell out of me - even more so than the TCU game. Night game, serving beer at the stadium, colder weather, bunch of freaking hillbillies running around.....could get rowdy. However, the reason I'm nervous is while Texas fans are enjoying what's turned into a nice record thus far, we're all still living off the remaining faint fumes of the OU game. Outside of that game, Texas hasn't looked anywhere near as tough or sharp as they did in the Cotton Bowl.
Both TCU and Kansas games' scores didn't truly paint the picture of the inconsistencies and at times, sloppiness. Don't get me wrong, West Virginia is not a strong team this year at all, but they did knock off Okie State at home and they are 3-1 at home with their lone loss coming to Tech. Sprinkle in the Oliver Luck thing last week and there may be some added motivation (although not sure if the folks in Morgantown even know what an Athletic Department is).
The key for Texas here is to come out to a hot start - whether it's a quick turnover, big play score, or just going on a 5-minute opening drive eating clock and keeping the fans quiet - they cannot let the fans get into this game. Unfortunately, as we all know, this is NOT Texas' strength. And Case simply has to stop turning the ball over. Has to stop - I've said it all year and I'll keep saying it: I don't care what happened against OU, he's not a very good QB.
One thing I read after last week's game against Kansas is that it was like a morgue in the locker room before the game - No VY or Colt getting the guys pumped up. That's not good. At the end of the day, I don't see Texas losing this game, but they could. Furthermore, 6 pretty good to bad games vs 1 really good game doesn't fill me with confidence. I predict an ugly win in Morgantown for the Horns - and like the last 2, one that the score doesn't tell the whole story. The good news - Texas is still flying under the radar which is good - and they need to just focus on one game at a time. Just win baby....Just win.
Texas - 32
W. Virginia - 17
Around the Nation:
A few interesting story lines heading into this weekend....
Johnny Football Farewell? - Looking like this could be Manziel's last game at Kyle Field this weekend. I think most of us would expect him to head to the NFL following this season, joining Michael Vick as another QB to leave after his redshirt Sophomore year. I don't see any reason why he should stick around, although I will still contend his NFL career will not look anything like his college career. By the way, look for the Aggies to throw up a 60 spot today.
Can Tech Bounce Back? - No one can argue that Tech has already exceeded all expectations for the season. However, all of that good will might begin to slip away if they continue to lose out on the season. Kingsbury has done a hell of a job and deserves a ton of credit for taking this team, led by a slew of freshman QBs, and getting them to play consistently tough. But things will not be so rosy if Tech loses to Kansas State this weekend. After that? It's Texas and Baylor. I'll go so far to say that this may be Kliff's toughest game-day coaching challenge of the year - team might be feeling a little tight and pressured after losing 2 straight; it's an early game in Lubbock which just isn't the same; and Kansas State is not a great team this year so the focus may not be there. Big test (not necessarily on the field), but I see Tech righting the ship here and getting a pretty convincing win.
Miami Exposed? - Right it down. Va Tech will beat Miami.
Can LSU Throw a Wrench? - I know we all like to get excited about this game each year because "it's LSU vs Bama", but I'm going to be honest, I don't like this match up for the Tigers. Whereas I do think Mettenberger can have some success against the Tide defense - we saw what the Aggies were able to do against them, but then again, that was almost 2 months ago. The concern here is what is that LSU defense (has to be one of their worst in years statistically speaking) going to do to stop McCarron and team. AJ is a very smart, efficient quarterback who is a master of taking what the defense gives him until he sees the opening for the big strike. For you gambling types out there, I'd take the over here. I'm taking Bama in this one, ultimately pulling out a fairly convincing win: 33-20. BUT, should LSU find a way to win this one, it will certainly throw quite a wrench into this year's BCS race.
NFL Notes:
Where oh where to begin....
Incognito-Gate - I don't know what to think about this whole thing. On one hand, it all sounds pretty horrible on the surface. However, the more you dig into it, the more you think maybe this wasn't at all what it sounds like. Bottom line....who the hell knows. It all sounds like a mess, but knowing what I know about the "24-hour Media Cycle", it usually sounds worse than it is.
Fox-Less Broncos - Call me crazy, but I think this is going to be a big deal for Denver. Couple this with their slew of injuries and things could get interesting. Best wishes to Coach Fox on a speedy recovery. I like Del Rio a lot, I really do, but this is the kind of thing that matters (see New Orleans Saints last year).
Different City-Same Problem - Bigger issue in Houston with loss of Kubiak. Great offensive coach and their primary play caller. Say what you will about Gary and his track record in Houston, but he's a good coach and a great play caller. The one thing this Texans team has going for them is they are playing for pride and simply "getting better" at this point. Will be interesting to see how this team (and Broncos) respond.
Quietly Making Noise - How about those Carolina Panthers? After losing 2 early, they're sitting at 5-3 and primed for a wild card spot, making post season for the first time in 5 years. Newton is playing at an extremely high level and Steve Smith continues to look like he's still 25 years old (note: hes' 34). They get a VERY tough game against a rested San Fran team this week which won't be easy, but don't count them out just yet - they're on a roll.
NFC East is VERY Bad - Cowboys will end up 8-8 at best and win the division, giving Jerr-a and team a bitter-sweet end to the season. By the way, the Cowboys will get destroyed this weekend.
NFC North Getting Interesting - With the unfortunate loss of Aaron Rodgers for a few weeks, things just got interesting in the NFC North (queue the ear-to-ear grinning by all Detroit fans). Detroit travels to Chicago this week, where Cutler will return after missing a few weeks. If Detroit can win this game, then things will get VERY interesting up north.
That's what I got folks - enjoy the weekend.
I guess those Baptists do know how to get rowdy when they want to. It's a good thing they won so handily because if you're going to come out wearing uniforms like that you'd better be kicking ass and taking names. At the end of the day, OU is just not the same team this year as they've had in past years - and the injury bugs have really hurt them. No knock on Stoops and crew here, but this Baylor team is damn good...and physical. Their lines are playing very tough.
Meanwhile, Oregon gets it's annual sucker punch in terms of vying for the NC game. Valiant effort by the Ducks to come back, but you can't spot a team like Stanford 20 points and expect to come back every time. Is there a team out there that is looking more forward to the 4-team playoff format than Stanford? Yes....Ohio State.
Texas at West Virginia:
I'll be frank, this game scares the hell out of me - even more so than the TCU game. Night game, serving beer at the stadium, colder weather, bunch of freaking hillbillies running around.....could get rowdy. However, the reason I'm nervous is while Texas fans are enjoying what's turned into a nice record thus far, we're all still living off the remaining faint fumes of the OU game. Outside of that game, Texas hasn't looked anywhere near as tough or sharp as they did in the Cotton Bowl.
Both TCU and Kansas games' scores didn't truly paint the picture of the inconsistencies and at times, sloppiness. Don't get me wrong, West Virginia is not a strong team this year at all, but they did knock off Okie State at home and they are 3-1 at home with their lone loss coming to Tech. Sprinkle in the Oliver Luck thing last week and there may be some added motivation (although not sure if the folks in Morgantown even know what an Athletic Department is).
The key for Texas here is to come out to a hot start - whether it's a quick turnover, big play score, or just going on a 5-minute opening drive eating clock and keeping the fans quiet - they cannot let the fans get into this game. Unfortunately, as we all know, this is NOT Texas' strength. And Case simply has to stop turning the ball over. Has to stop - I've said it all year and I'll keep saying it: I don't care what happened against OU, he's not a very good QB.
One thing I read after last week's game against Kansas is that it was like a morgue in the locker room before the game - No VY or Colt getting the guys pumped up. That's not good. At the end of the day, I don't see Texas losing this game, but they could. Furthermore, 6 pretty good to bad games vs 1 really good game doesn't fill me with confidence. I predict an ugly win in Morgantown for the Horns - and like the last 2, one that the score doesn't tell the whole story. The good news - Texas is still flying under the radar which is good - and they need to just focus on one game at a time. Just win baby....Just win.
Texas - 32
W. Virginia - 17
Around the Nation:
A few interesting story lines heading into this weekend....
Johnny Football Farewell? - Looking like this could be Manziel's last game at Kyle Field this weekend. I think most of us would expect him to head to the NFL following this season, joining Michael Vick as another QB to leave after his redshirt Sophomore year. I don't see any reason why he should stick around, although I will still contend his NFL career will not look anything like his college career. By the way, look for the Aggies to throw up a 60 spot today.
Can Tech Bounce Back? - No one can argue that Tech has already exceeded all expectations for the season. However, all of that good will might begin to slip away if they continue to lose out on the season. Kingsbury has done a hell of a job and deserves a ton of credit for taking this team, led by a slew of freshman QBs, and getting them to play consistently tough. But things will not be so rosy if Tech loses to Kansas State this weekend. After that? It's Texas and Baylor. I'll go so far to say that this may be Kliff's toughest game-day coaching challenge of the year - team might be feeling a little tight and pressured after losing 2 straight; it's an early game in Lubbock which just isn't the same; and Kansas State is not a great team this year so the focus may not be there. Big test (not necessarily on the field), but I see Tech righting the ship here and getting a pretty convincing win.
Miami Exposed? - Right it down. Va Tech will beat Miami.
Can LSU Throw a Wrench? - I know we all like to get excited about this game each year because "it's LSU vs Bama", but I'm going to be honest, I don't like this match up for the Tigers. Whereas I do think Mettenberger can have some success against the Tide defense - we saw what the Aggies were able to do against them, but then again, that was almost 2 months ago. The concern here is what is that LSU defense (has to be one of their worst in years statistically speaking) going to do to stop McCarron and team. AJ is a very smart, efficient quarterback who is a master of taking what the defense gives him until he sees the opening for the big strike. For you gambling types out there, I'd take the over here. I'm taking Bama in this one, ultimately pulling out a fairly convincing win: 33-20. BUT, should LSU find a way to win this one, it will certainly throw quite a wrench into this year's BCS race.
NFL Notes:
Where oh where to begin....
Incognito-Gate - I don't know what to think about this whole thing. On one hand, it all sounds pretty horrible on the surface. However, the more you dig into it, the more you think maybe this wasn't at all what it sounds like. Bottom line....who the hell knows. It all sounds like a mess, but knowing what I know about the "24-hour Media Cycle", it usually sounds worse than it is.
Fox-Less Broncos - Call me crazy, but I think this is going to be a big deal for Denver. Couple this with their slew of injuries and things could get interesting. Best wishes to Coach Fox on a speedy recovery. I like Del Rio a lot, I really do, but this is the kind of thing that matters (see New Orleans Saints last year).
Different City-Same Problem - Bigger issue in Houston with loss of Kubiak. Great offensive coach and their primary play caller. Say what you will about Gary and his track record in Houston, but he's a good coach and a great play caller. The one thing this Texans team has going for them is they are playing for pride and simply "getting better" at this point. Will be interesting to see how this team (and Broncos) respond.
Quietly Making Noise - How about those Carolina Panthers? After losing 2 early, they're sitting at 5-3 and primed for a wild card spot, making post season for the first time in 5 years. Newton is playing at an extremely high level and Steve Smith continues to look like he's still 25 years old (note: hes' 34). They get a VERY tough game against a rested San Fran team this week which won't be easy, but don't count them out just yet - they're on a roll.
NFC East is VERY Bad - Cowboys will end up 8-8 at best and win the division, giving Jerr-a and team a bitter-sweet end to the season. By the way, the Cowboys will get destroyed this weekend.
NFC North Getting Interesting - With the unfortunate loss of Aaron Rodgers for a few weeks, things just got interesting in the NFC North (queue the ear-to-ear grinning by all Detroit fans). Detroit travels to Chicago this week, where Cutler will return after missing a few weeks. If Detroit can win this game, then things will get VERY interesting up north.
That's what I got folks - enjoy the weekend.
posted by The Bearden Wonder at 11:01 AM
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