Friday, September 11, 2009

College Football Week 2 Preview

The opening weekend of the college football season was definitely exciting. We had Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford’s injury leading to BYU’s upset over the Sooners…Oregon RB LeGarrette Blount losing his mind after Boise State scored a huge win over the Ducks…Alabama and Oklahoma State looking strong in their huge wins…and a great end to the weekend with a classic between Miami and Florida State. Will week 2 be just as exciting? On paper, it doesn’t seem that way. You would think it was a bakery with all the cupcake games out there. But nevertheless, it should be a good weekend of action and there is one huge game everyone will be watching. Let’s take a look at a preview of the action:

#1 Florida (1-0) vs. Troy (0-1) – Seems as though the Gators will be in another charitable mood on Saturday to dish out a beat down to an overmatched opponent. Florida cruised in their opener, crushing Charleston Southern 62-3. The competition gets a little tougher this week, but not that tough. Troy did go to the New Orleans Bowl last season and could hang around for a quarter, but they do not have anywhere near the personnel necessary to stop Florida on defense or match them on the scoreboard with their own offense. Troy lost 31-14 to Bowling Green last week and has lost 8 straight games to ranked teams, so expect another massacre for Florida by the final gun. We will not get a true measure of how good Florida is this year until they get into SEC play.

#2 Texas (1-0) vs. Wyoming (1-0) – Texas easily started their quest toward a National Championship with a 59-20 win over Louisiana-Monroe. Things should not really get much tougher this week as the Longhorns travel to Wyoming to face an overmatched Cowboys team. Texas now looks in prime position to win the Big 12 with Oklahoma’s early season struggles and they look motivated to get better this week. They were not happy that they gave up 20 points to Louisiana-Monroe, even though 10 of those points came in the 4th quarter when the starters were out of the game. Wyoming was last among FBS teams in scoring last season, but they have installed a no-huddle, spread offense this season and it got them a 29-22 win last week over Weber State. Unfortunately, Texas is not Weber State and the Longhorns should easily beat the Cowboys, who haven’t beaten a ranked team since 2002 and have never beaten a team ranked higher than #11. I would expect a win by at least 4-5 touchdowns.

#3 USC (1-0) vs. #8 Ohio State (1-0) – Without question, this is the marquee matchup of the week and the game everyone will be watching. USC had no trouble last week as they routed San Jose State 56-3. Ohio State struggled at home to beat Navy 31-27. So does that make this game a foregone conclusion? I don’t think you can say that, but there is no doubt that USC looks to have the edge and Ohio State needs to deal with recent demons. Over the past 3 seasons, the Buckeyes have struggled in high profile games and they can’t seem to get a huge win on national TV. This includes an embarrassing 35-3 loss to USC last year. Last week’s struggle will not help their confidence, but they do have home field advantage in this game. USC freshman QB Matt Barkley will get his first real test of his young career and he might be overwhelmed. He does have a powerful running game to back him up though, and Ohio State’s defense did look shaky against Navy. All in all, I do think the edge lies with USC and I would expect them to pull out a victory in this one. Ohio State is more than capable of winning, but I will stick with recent history.

#4 Alabama (1-0) vs. Florida International (0-0) – This is another baker’s special here as Alabama should have no trouble in this game. They are coming off of a huge 34-24 win over Virginia Tech and the talk about another run at the National Championship is well underway. The Crimson Tide defense was stifling against Virginia Tech and they only let up a few big plays in an otherwise dominating performance. The Tide did have a let down last year in their 2nd game, an uninspiring 20-6 win against Tulane, after a big opening week win over Clemson. That should serve as a learning lesson though for this team and Florida International, who are only 6-37 on the road since they started the football program in 2002, will be totally overmatched in this game.

#5 Oklahoma State (1-0) vs. Houston (1-0) – Oklahoma State got off to a huge start last week by beating Georgia 24-10 and vaulting up to #5 in the country. They will now have the challenge of trying to stay motivated and not play down to their competition as they enter a stretch of games against weaker opponents before opening Big 12 play. Houston will provide a decent challenge to the Cowboys. They feature an explosive offense and play a wide open style that can score points. These two teams played last September and Oklahoma State won a 56-37 shootout. This game will be a great test to see if Oklahoma State’s defense is really improved this year. The Cowboys could suffer a letdown and this game could be closer than some people think. Houston has won 2 straight games against ranked opponents and the all-time series between these two is tied at 9-9-1. I expect the Cowboys to prevail in this one, but it could be interesting for a while.

#7 Penn State (1-0) vs. Syracuse (0-1) – This figures to be another lackluster game as Syracuse visits Penn State in a rematch of last year’s 55-13 blowout win for the Nittany Lions. Penn State has won 22 straight games at home against unranked opponents and that streak should continue. Penn State had no trouble beating Akron last week 31-7, although they did play poorly in the 2nd half and will look to correct that this week. Syracuse will be totally overmatched and it does not help that former Duke point guard Greg Paulus is still adjusting back to being on the football field in live games after not playing since high school. This one could be ugly and be over early.

#9 BYU (1-0) vs. Tulane (0-1) – BYU is coming off one of the biggest wins in school history and the challenge against Tulane will be not to have a letdown. Florida State visits BYU next week, so this could be labeled as the classic “trap” game. BYU can afford no letdowns if they want a shot at a BCS Bowl game this year. However, Tulane struggled at home last week in a 37-13 loss against Tulsa, so they probably will not offer much resistance against the Cougars. BYU’s defense looked extremely solid against Oklahoma and Tulane’s offense was pretty bad last season, only scoring 16.7 points per game. BYU should score early and often and have no trouble putting this one away as they prepare for a huge game next week against the Seminoles.

#10 California (1-0) vs. Eastern Washington (1-0) – After beating up on Maryland last week, Cal should have no trouble at all doing the same to Eastern Washington. Heisman Trophy candidate RB Jahvid Best ran wild over the Terps and did the same to unranked competition last year. The Golden Bears should have no trouble blowing out an overmatched Eastern Washington team. Things will get much tougher when they hit Pac 10 conference play, so they had better enjoy the cupcakes now.

#11 LSU (1-0) vs. Vanderbilt (1-0) – SEC play begins for both these teams as Vanderbilt travels to LSU. LSU is trying to bounce back from last year’s disappointing 3-5 record in SEC games, the first season below .500 for the Tigers since 1999. LSU has won the past 5 meetings with Vanderbilt, but the teams have not played since 2005. LSU got off to a good start last week, surviving the longest road trip in program history and beating Washington 31-23. Coming back home should be welcomed for the Tigers and they should be able to win this game fairly easily. Vanderbilt was ranked as high as #13 last year, but they have slowly slipped off and are in the middle of the pack as far as SEC teams go. LSU can not afford a slip up, especially at home against an unranked opponent, if they have hopes of a big time Bowl game this year. So I would expect them to be focused and take care of business in this one.

#12 Boise State (1-0) vs. Miami, OH (0-1) – Boise State is coming off of a huge win against Oregon, which now gives them an inside track at going undefeated and getting a BCS Bowl game berth. Even though some may say Boise State could suffer a letdown this week, it seems highly unlikely. Miami (OH) has not beaten a ranked team since 2003 and they finished 2-10 last season. They also suffered the second worst season-opening loss in school history last week, a 42-0 drubbing at the hands of Kentucky. Expect Boise State to roll in this one.

#13 Oklahoma (0-1) vs. Idaho State (0-1) – Oklahoma will try to move forward after the 14-13 loss to BYU and the loss of QB Sam Bradford for up to a month and TE Jermaine Gresham for the entire year. It will be a struggle for Oklahoma to hang in there now, but they should not struggle this week. Even without Bradford, Oklahoma should beat up on Idaho State. Oklahoma has won 24 straight games at home and Idaho State has lost 16 straight on the road and has not beaten an FBS school since 2000. Idaho State also managed a MASSIVE 37 yards of offense last week against Arizona State. You do the math on this one…

#14 Virginia Tech (0-1) vs. Marshall (1-0) – Virginia Tech will try to rebound from a disappointing loss to Alabama in their opener last week. Tech had hopes of potentially making a run at the BCS Title game, but now they have to try and work back for a shot at any BCS Bowl game. The defense was pretty shaky and needs to improve and Tech’s offense needs to get more consistency. They only hung in against Alabama because of a few big plays. Virginia Tech should have an easy time with Marshall, who has not beaten a ranked team since 2003 and have lost their last eight attempts at it. Tech has also not lost a home opener since 1995, so the odds are on their side. I would expect a better defensive effort and Marshall’s defense will not be strong enough to hold Tech off the scoreboard.

#16 TCU (0-0) vs. Virginia (0-1) – TCU begins their season this week as they visit Virginia, who was embarrassed last week in losing to William & Mary at home 26-14. William & Mary is not even an FBS school and Virginia struggled mightily on offense. That does not bode well for the Cavaliers as they go up against one of the best defenses in the county. TCU only gave up 18 touchdowns last year and led the nation in yards from scrimmage allowed per game. There is always a chance TCU could be flat in their first game, but this game should not be that close. The Horned Frogs have high expectations and are coming off their highest final poll finish since 1959. Expect a big win for the Mountain West favorites in this one.

#17 Utah (1-0) vs. San Jose State (0-1) – Utah will look to extend the nation’s longest winning streak to 16 games as they take on a San Jose State team that was spanked by USC 56-3 last week. Utah has won 10 straight non-conference games, as well as their last 8 road games, and they should be able to continue the streak this week. San Jose State looked totally overmatched against USC, giving up 620 yards and only gaining 121. Utah is no USC, but they are certainly way too much for San Jose State to handle.

#18 Notre Dame (1-0) vs. Michigan (1-0) – This game has now turned into a big one and will be the 2nd marquee matchup in the Top 25 of the week. Notre Dame and Michigan are trying to build their programs back up and recapture past glory. It seems as though Notre Dame has the better prospects of the two and they enter this game favored to win. QB Jimmy Clausen was nearly flawless last week against Nevada in Notre Dame’s 35-0 victory. If he can duplicate that performance and the offensive line and defense continue to improve, Notre Dame will be tough to beat. Michigan rallied around Coach Rich Rodriguez and beat back allegations of NCAA rules violations to beat Western Michigan 31-7. They have shutout Notre Dame in two of the past three games at home and lead the series 11-7 at Ann Arbor. It will take a big effort though for Michigan to win because Notre Dame looks like they might meet some of the hype this year. I don’t think Michigan is that far along as a team and Notre Dame should win this game.

#19 North Carolina (1-0) vs. Connecticut (1-0) – This has the potential to be a pretty good football game in my estimation. It might not turn out that way however, if North Carolina repeats the defensive performance they had last week against The Citadel. The Tar Heels forced 4 turnovers and only allowed 30 yards rushing. Connecticut lost star RB Donald Brown to the NFL, so they will not be as dynamic this year. They put in a good rushing performance last week against Ohio and they need even more if they hope to pull the upset. It will also require better QB play from Zach Frazer. North Carolina pulled an upset of Connecticut last year 38-12 at home. Can the reverse happen this time around? I think it is possible, but the loss of Donald Brown might be too much to overcome and I expect a Tar Heels victory.

#21 Georgia (0-1) vs. South Carolina (1-0) – This game could turn out to be downright ugly and a real defensive struggle. Since Steve Spurrier became South Carolina’s coach, neither team has scored more than 18 points in a game. You also have two teams that struggled mightily on the offensive side of the ball last week and it is the SEC opener for both squads, which tend to be played close to the vest. Georgia obviously has to be deflated after losing to Oklahoma State and Spurrier has had 2 extra days to prepare for this one, so it could be good. I have to believe that Georgia will be desperate to avoid a 0-2 start and they will find a way to win this one. A loss would be an absolute disaster for them and the dreams of a BCS Bowl game will be a distant memory.

#22 Nebraska (1-0) vs. Arkansas State (1-0) – Nebraska got off to a good start last week by beating Florida Atlantic 49-3, but the defense was described as “soft” by head coach Bo Pelini. The Cornhuskers gave up 358 yards to Florida Atlantic and were not as physical as they could have been. They can probably get away with that again this week, since Arkansas State is only a slight step up in competition. Nebraska needs to be careful though because Arkansas State does have some talented athletes and the Cornhuskers have a huge game against Virginia Tech next week, so this could be another so-called “trap” game. However, I would still expect a pretty big victory for Nebraska here.

#23 Cincinnati (1-0) vs. Southeast Missouri State (1-0) – All the talk about Rutgers winning the Big East this year has gone away after Cincinnati pounded the Scarlet Knights 47-15. The win set the Bearcats up as the favorite to win the Big East once again and propelled Cincinnati into the Top 25. They look to be a more dangerous team than people expected and they should destroy Southeast Missouri State, who has been outscored 174-13 in their last three games against FBS schools.

#24 Kansas (1-0) vs. UTEP (0-1) – Kansas will be looking to win a non-conference road game for the first time since 2003 and the return of star WR Dezmon Briscoe could help that. Briscoe was suspended for the first game of the season for a violation of team rules during the spring. His return could strength an already talented team, who should be able to handle UTEP. The Miners lost to Buffalo last week 23-17 and Kansas is certainly much more talented. UTEP has lost 9 straight times to ranked opponents dating back to 1997 and they are 3-44 all-time against ranked teams. Even with the odds in their favor, Kansas is not planning to overlook UTEP and that should lead to a big win.

#25 Missouri (1-0) vs. Bowling Green (1-0) – Missouri had an impressive opening win last week against Illinois and the performance has sparked hope that the team can have a good year even after graduating one of the most successful classes in school history and losing Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin. If they can get solid play from sophomore QB Blaine Gabbert, it could be a better than expected year for the young Tigers. Bowling Green will provide a good test, but they are a notch below Illinois. Bowling Green did defeat Missouri back in 2001 and 2002, teams that were also coached by Gary Pinkel. They also sport an 11-8 record against major conference teams since those seasons, so Missouri will have to come prepared to get a victory.

The Game’s Quick Hits

Recap: Steelers 13, Titans 10 OT – The NFL season got off to a great start last night, even if it wasn’t very pretty. Pittsburgh was able to make enough clutch plays to escape with a 13-10 overtime win over the Titans. The first half of the game was a total defensive struggle and neither team looked particularly good on offense. The Steelers looked worse though as they could not run the ball and only got going in the final two minutes of the half. The defense held them in the game, even though All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu left the game due to injury. A Titans player fell on his left knee after a blocked FG and it was reported after the game that Polamalu sprained his MCL and could be out 3-6 weeks. They are fortunate that the injury is not any worse and their defense is strong enough to survive for a few weeks without him. The Steelers finally were able to move the ball in the second half by relying on the arm of QB Ben Roethlisberger. After Tennessee grabbed a 10-7 lead late in the game, Roethlisberger got the Steelers going for a tying field goal and then was driving the Steelers down for the winning score in regulation, but WR Hines Ward fumbled on the Titans’ 5-yard line. However, Pittsburgh won the coin toss and Roethlisberger drove them right down the field for a game winning 33-yard field goal by K Jeff Reed. Once again, the Steelers used the formula of strong defense and clutch play from Roethlisberger, who was 33-for-43 for 363 yards with 1 TD and 2 INTs, to win. They really need to get the running game in order though, considering Tennessee held them to only 36 yards rushing. Pittsburgh also needs to improve on converting short yardage plays. They stunk it up in that area last night and that could cost them sometime this year if they are not careful. This loss will by no means hurt the Titans in the long run. They played a tough game and the defense looks fierce. I think they will be fine and can be a force when it comes to playoff time. Both teams made a statement that they will be contenders this year.

Recap: #15 Georgia Tech 30, Clemson 27 – In what was a game of back and forth momentum, Georgia Tech barely escaped with a 3 point win after squandering a 24-0 lead. Early on it seemed like this game would be a blowout. Clemson came out extremely flat and blew great field position by making costly mistakes and turning the ball over. This allowed Georgia Tech to build a 24-0 lead on the strength of a long TD run, a punt return TD, and a fake FG which resulted in a TD pass from kicker Scott Blair. From that point on however, Clemson’s defense stepped up and Georgia Tech could do absolutely nothing offensively. The Tigers stuffed the running game and Georgia Tech’s passing game was dreadful. Clemson scored 27 straight points to take the lead, but then they fell apart. Georgia Tech finally put together two late drives for field goals and escaped with a 3 point win. From what I saw, if a team is able to contain the Yellow Jackets’ spread option run game, they can be beat. QB Josh Nesbitt looked extremely shaky throwing the ball and he only completed 3 of 14 passes and threw 2 interceptions. That is not the way to get it done. I think Virginia Tech’s defense could easily stuff Georgia Tech and I am not sure if Georgia Tech will be able to hang in there for a major Bowl game this year. Clemson has enough offensive weapons to stay in games and they will always be a tough opponent for anyone in the ACC this year.

- Well it seems as though Minnesota Vikings QB Brett Favre just can not stay out of the news these days. Favre told the media on Wednesday that the New York Jets knew about his torn biceps tendon last season, but they did not list him on any injury reports. Favre also said that he was receptive to sitting out and would have done so, but he was encouraged to keep playing even though he felt he was starting to hurt the team. Teams in the past have been fined anywhere from $10,000 to $25,000 (no draft picks have ever been taken though) for not being forthright on injury reports and the NFL is now looking into Favre’s statements. New York Jets’ GM Mike Tannenbaum stated that he will take responsibility and cooperate in a league investigation for not listing Favre, and said that he should have been listed as “probable” during the final 5 games last year. If you ask me, this comes as absolutely no surprise. The Jets were trying to fight for a division title last year, so surely they did not want to let teams know that Favre had an injury. They probably did not want the media circus and distraction that would have come along with reporting it either. Like it or not, an injury is a target, so everyone kept quiet about it. I don’t agree with the practice of doing this because the rules about reporting injuries should be followed for competitive fairness. Who knows if the NFL will end up fining the Jets, but at least it seems Favre will be levelheaded this year and sit down if he is hurt and not jeopardize team success.

- No doubt that it is a new world out there as the Shawne Merriman/Tila Tequila saga is playing out on Twitter. The two are exchanging charges and countercharges on their feeds. Tequila is planning to meet with the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office on Friday as the investigation will continue to determine whether or not Merriman will be charged. Merriman is sticking to his position that he was only trying to help Tequila because she was drunk and he intends to clear his name and get to focusing on football. Tequila counters by saying Merriman is lying and she will not be a victim in all this, especially when someone lays their hands on her. This seems like it will just turn into a bizarre situation, but as I stated before, I don’t think Tequila is on a witch hunt here. She most likely is well off financially and Merriman has more to lose here, so of course he will deny any wrongdoing. I guess we will have to see what charges, if any, get levied against Merriman to determine how serious this could have been.

- Other NFL News and Notes: Recently traded defensive lineman Richard Seymour continues to not report to the Oakland Raiders and the Raiders have responded by sending him the dreaded “5 day letter”, which means he has 5 days to report to the team or be suspended. He is listed on the Raiders’ 53 man roster, so if nothing were to happen before Monday night’s game against the Chargers, he would still collect a paycheck for the game. Now I understand Seymour’s displeasure with the sudden trade and having to leave a championship caliber team, but I do not condone highly paid athletes getting money for nothing. I am pleased to see Oakland giving him an ultimatum because he does not deserve any money or special treatment here. Seymour is starting to now look childish and unprofessional in all this. At this point, I say suck it up and go play.

The Vikings have released WR Bobby Wade just days before the season opener. This seems to be a puzzling move considering that Wade has led the Vikings in receptions the past 2 seasons. The addition of Percy Harvin obviously means fewer balls to go around, but you never know when injuries will pop up and I would think Minnesota would want to have as many weapons as possible. Harvin battled some injuries at Florida and WR Bernard Berrian has been slowed by a hamstring injury already. I don’t think this is that smart of a move and Minnesota better hope they stay healthy.

It was announced Thursday that NFL fans’ whose local teams’ games are blacked out will be able to watch them for free online, though not until after midnight. Commissioner Goodell said that the league understands that the economy is making it harder to buy tickets, so I suppose this is a compromise and better than nothing. Many have said the league should be sensitive to the economic times and waive the blackouts for this season so fans can watch their local teams’ games. On the other hand, giving away the product for free would not encourage people to try and go buy tickets. The NFL has a product it is trying to protect and I understand the business part of it. I certainly do not want things to get to a point where I would have to buy games on Pay Per View or something of that sort. But due to how bad things are in this economy, I think it is a unique time and they should allow the blackouts to be waived for this season only. They can revert back to the usual rules next season when things will hopefully be better in economic terms.

John Madden is back in the NFL and will be an unpaid “special adviser” to Commissioner Roger Goodell and mostly have influence on the NFL competition committee. This is a really cool move in my opinion. Without question, Madden is one of the most knowledgeable people out there when it comes to the game of football and I am glad that he will be offering his opinions and advice to try and improve the game. Madden has a love and passion for the NFL and I am sure he will be able to help in some capacity.

- BMW Championship Update: The second to last FedEx Cup Playoff event got underway yesterday and Rory Sabbatini and Steve Marino were able to jump out to a 1-stroke lead after firing 5-under rounds of 66. Bo Van Pelt and Marc Leishman each shot 4-under rounds of 67 and Tiger Woods is in a pack of players who shot 3-under rounds of 68. This is pretty much an all-star tournament with the top players in the world, so getting off to a good start is desirable. Without question, this is the best round that Tiger has shot to open a tournament in the past few weeks and he seems to have figured some things out. These last two events will determine the FedEx Cup Champion, so it is the perfect time for Tiger to rise to the occasion. I give him a great shot to win this week. FedEx Cup point leader Steve Stricker did not get off to such a great start. He suffered a three putt bogey on his last hole as he shot a 1-over par 72 for the day. Now he will be in the position to have to chase Woods, unlike last week when Stricker was hunting Tiger.

- Miami Heat all-star guard Dwayne Wade says that the contract extension talks are now over and he will be focusing on the upcoming season. As expected, Wade is not signing any extension with the Heat right now and is looking at testing free agency next summer. Obviously, this is not surprising and I do not blame the guy. That is how it works in sports with free agency and players have every right to go out and try to get as much money as they can. I certainly would do the same if I had the opportunity. Next summer might be crazy as LeBron James, Wade, Chris Bosh, and Amare Stoudemire could all hit free agency. Teams are trying to clear cap room now and we could see a huge power shift in the NBA. It will be fun to see what goes down and I bet Wade will probably have a monster season again this year, carrying the Heat on his back to the playoffs.

-U.S. Open Update: Things are starting to wind down at the U.S. Open and the only single’s action today was the last two men’s quarterfinals. In the first one, #6 seed Juan Martin del Potro rallied after losing the first set to beat #16 seed Marin Cilic 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-1. We still do not know who his opponent will be because the night match between #3 seed Rafael Nadal and #11 seed Fernando Gonzalez was postponed due to rain with Nadal leading 7-6, 6-6.

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