CAPS = my projected winner
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
Utah vs. *NAVY*
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
*MEMPHIS* vs. Florida Atlantic
Papajohns.com Bowl
Southern Miss vs. *CINCINNATI*
New Mexico Bowl
*NEVADA* vs. New Mexico
Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl
California-Los Angeles vs. *BRIGHAM YOUNG*
Sheraton Hawaii Bowl
*BOISE STATE* vs. East Carolina
Motor City Bowl
*PURDUE* vs. Central Michigan
Pacific Life Holiday Bowl
Arizona State vs. *TEXAS*
Champs Sports Bowl
*BOSTON COLLEGE* vs. Michigan State
Texas Bowl
*TEXAS CHRISTIAN* vs. Houston
Emerald Bowl
*MARYLAND* vs. Oregon State
Meineke Car Care Bowl
Connecticut vs. *WAKE FOREST*
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Central Florida vs. MISSISSIPPI STATE
Valero Alamo Bowl
Penn State vs. *TEXAS A&M*
PetroSun Independence Bowl
*ALABAMA* vs. Colorado
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl
*CALIFORNIA* vs. Air Force
Roady's Humanitarian Bowl
*GEORGIA TECH* vs. Fresno State
Brut Sun Bowl
*SOUTH FLORIDA* vs. Oregon
Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl
*KENTUCKY* vs. Florida State
Insight Bowl
Indiana vs. *OKLAHOMA STATE*
Chick-fil-A Bowl
*CLEMSON* vs. Auburn
Outback Bowl
Wisconsin vs. *TENNESSEE*
AT&T Cotton Bowl
*MISSOURI* vs. Arkansas
Konica Minolta Gator Bowl
*TEXAS TECH* vs. Virginia
Capital One Bowl
Michigan vs. *FLORIDA*
Rose Bowl presented by Citi
Illinois vs. *SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA*
Allstate Sugar Bowl
Hawaii vs. *GEORGIA*
FedEx Orange Bowl
*VIRGINIA TECH* vs. Kansas
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
West Virginia vs. *OKLAHOMA*
International Bowl
*RUTGERS* vs. Ball State
GMAC Bowl
Bowling Green vs. *TULSA*
Allstate BCS Championship Game
*LOUISIANA STATE* vs. Ohio State
Monday, December 17, 2007
Monday, December 3, 2007
Championship Week Thoughts
I started the season strong with my picks and I finished the season strong as well, going 5-0 this week. That makes my college football total record 41-21 picking almost exclusively close match-ups, rivalry games and upsets. I'll do an update with all of my bowl picks next week.
1. In the year of the upset, the top two teams fell for a second week in a row
It was simple for both West Virginia and Missouri: win their final game and they'd be playing for a national championship. Neither could accomplish the feat. WVU's loss could be attributed to the loss of Pat White, but championship caliber football teams should be able to win with their other playmakers, expecially against a team that isn't even bowl eligible. Missouri lost simply because Oklahoma is the better football team; all is right in the Big XII.
2. Ironically enough, given the crazy year in college football, the conference champions are who most people predicted
You'd think that in a year like this Kentucky would win the SEC, Illinois the Big Ten, South Florida the Big East, UCLA the Pac-10, and so on. Before the season, if you would have said the winners would be: LSU (SEC), Oklahoma (Big XII), Ohio State (Big Ten), West Virginia (Big East), Virginia Tech (ACC) and USC (Pac-10) the typical college football fan would have said "duh." It's kind of a disappointing ending to an unpredictable season; it would have been fitting to see one of these underdog, upstart, pre-season unranked teams atop one of the major conferences.
3. The BCS is set...and I'm severely disappointed
Let's be realistic. I've said for a few weeks now that USC and Georgia are playing the best football in the country. They're paired up against Illinois and Hawaii, respectively. Both of these games will be blowouts; maybe one of them can re-capture the magic of Boise State, but OU last year was rebuilding and kind of backed in by virtue of a weak Big XII. At the time they were maybe the 5th-10th best team in the country. USC and UGA are, in my mind, 1 and 2...both of them will put a beatdown on "the little teams that couldn't."
OU-WVU is a compelling matchup in the Fiesta Bowl, but this has the potential to be a lopsided Sooner victory as well depending on which WVU team shows up and if Pat White can play. And then there's Virginia Tech vs. a disheartened, rattled Kansas team fresh off getting their butts handed to them by Missouri. VT is up there with USC and UGA in terms of how well they're playing at this point in the season, and save for a last second miracle a few weeks ago by then-Heisman frontrunner Matt Ryan, they'd be playing for the national championship themselves.
Finally, the BCS Championship game, LSU vs. Ohio State. Frankly, LSU deserves to be there and the Buckeyes don't. The Tigers are a two-loss team but both of those losses came in triple overtime, and they are the champions of the perennially best conference...the SEC. Ohio State played nobody and beat nobody. The knock against Hawai'i is a weak schedule, but arguably the Rainbow Warriors played a tougher schedule than Ohio State...and emerged undefeated. I would have much rather seen Hawai'i, Virginia Tech or Oklahoma playing against LSU. USC's loss to Stanford disqualifies them despite them being the best team right now and Georgia can't go because two SEC teams can't play each other. But let's be honest, it's about the money: Ohio State was chosen because they have one of the largest (and most obnoxious) fanbases in America.
Heisman Race
It's Tebow's. You read it hear first. Chase Daniel falls out of the running after a 0 TD, 1 INT performance in a loss versus Oklahoma. That leaves McFadden and Tebow; and though McFadden had a great year, running backs have similar numbers all the time. For instance, this year Ray Rice of Rutgers (1,732 rushing yards, 20 TDs), Matt Forte of Tulane (2127 rushing yards, 23 TDs) and Kevin Smith of UCF (2,448 rushing yards, 29 TDs) all have better numbers than McFadden (1,725 rushing yards, 20 total TDs). Tim Tebow's record shattering year is far from the ordinary, and come next weekend the voters will reaffirm that by giving the Heisman trophy to a sophomore QB from the University of Florida.
1. Tim Tebow, QB Florida (3,970 total yards, 51 total TDs)
2. Darren McFadden, RB Arkansas (1,725 rushing yards, 20 total TDs)
3. Colt Brennan, QB Hawai'i (4,174 passing yards, 46 total TDs)
Golden Top 25
I'm doing this a little differently this week. Instead of one top 25 list, I'm going to do three top 5 lists: a top 5 based on the entire season (a true top 5), a top 5 based on the best teams putting wins and losses aside, and a pre-season top 5 for 2008.
Entire Season Top 5
1. LSU
2. Hawai'i
3. Ohio State
4. Georgia
5. Virginia Tech/Oklahoma
Top 5 based on how good a team actually is, not records
1. USC
2. Georgia
3. LSU
4. Virginia Tech/Oklahoma
5. Florida
Preseason 2008 Top 25
1. USC
2. Georgia
3. Florida
4. Oklahoma
5. Ohio State
1. In the year of the upset, the top two teams fell for a second week in a row
It was simple for both West Virginia and Missouri: win their final game and they'd be playing for a national championship. Neither could accomplish the feat. WVU's loss could be attributed to the loss of Pat White, but championship caliber football teams should be able to win with their other playmakers, expecially against a team that isn't even bowl eligible. Missouri lost simply because Oklahoma is the better football team; all is right in the Big XII.
2. Ironically enough, given the crazy year in college football, the conference champions are who most people predicted
You'd think that in a year like this Kentucky would win the SEC, Illinois the Big Ten, South Florida the Big East, UCLA the Pac-10, and so on. Before the season, if you would have said the winners would be: LSU (SEC), Oklahoma (Big XII), Ohio State (Big Ten), West Virginia (Big East), Virginia Tech (ACC) and USC (Pac-10) the typical college football fan would have said "duh." It's kind of a disappointing ending to an unpredictable season; it would have been fitting to see one of these underdog, upstart, pre-season unranked teams atop one of the major conferences.
3. The BCS is set...and I'm severely disappointed
Let's be realistic. I've said for a few weeks now that USC and Georgia are playing the best football in the country. They're paired up against Illinois and Hawaii, respectively. Both of these games will be blowouts; maybe one of them can re-capture the magic of Boise State, but OU last year was rebuilding and kind of backed in by virtue of a weak Big XII. At the time they were maybe the 5th-10th best team in the country. USC and UGA are, in my mind, 1 and 2...both of them will put a beatdown on "the little teams that couldn't."
OU-WVU is a compelling matchup in the Fiesta Bowl, but this has the potential to be a lopsided Sooner victory as well depending on which WVU team shows up and if Pat White can play. And then there's Virginia Tech vs. a disheartened, rattled Kansas team fresh off getting their butts handed to them by Missouri. VT is up there with USC and UGA in terms of how well they're playing at this point in the season, and save for a last second miracle a few weeks ago by then-Heisman frontrunner Matt Ryan, they'd be playing for the national championship themselves.
Finally, the BCS Championship game, LSU vs. Ohio State. Frankly, LSU deserves to be there and the Buckeyes don't. The Tigers are a two-loss team but both of those losses came in triple overtime, and they are the champions of the perennially best conference...the SEC. Ohio State played nobody and beat nobody. The knock against Hawai'i is a weak schedule, but arguably the Rainbow Warriors played a tougher schedule than Ohio State...and emerged undefeated. I would have much rather seen Hawai'i, Virginia Tech or Oklahoma playing against LSU. USC's loss to Stanford disqualifies them despite them being the best team right now and Georgia can't go because two SEC teams can't play each other. But let's be honest, it's about the money: Ohio State was chosen because they have one of the largest (and most obnoxious) fanbases in America.
Heisman Race
It's Tebow's. You read it hear first. Chase Daniel falls out of the running after a 0 TD, 1 INT performance in a loss versus Oklahoma. That leaves McFadden and Tebow; and though McFadden had a great year, running backs have similar numbers all the time. For instance, this year Ray Rice of Rutgers (1,732 rushing yards, 20 TDs), Matt Forte of Tulane (2127 rushing yards, 23 TDs) and Kevin Smith of UCF (2,448 rushing yards, 29 TDs) all have better numbers than McFadden (1,725 rushing yards, 20 total TDs). Tim Tebow's record shattering year is far from the ordinary, and come next weekend the voters will reaffirm that by giving the Heisman trophy to a sophomore QB from the University of Florida.
1. Tim Tebow, QB Florida (3,970 total yards, 51 total TDs)
2. Darren McFadden, RB Arkansas (1,725 rushing yards, 20 total TDs)
3. Colt Brennan, QB Hawai'i (4,174 passing yards, 46 total TDs)
Golden Top 25
I'm doing this a little differently this week. Instead of one top 25 list, I'm going to do three top 5 lists: a top 5 based on the entire season (a true top 5), a top 5 based on the best teams putting wins and losses aside, and a pre-season top 5 for 2008.
Entire Season Top 5
1. LSU
2. Hawai'i
3. Ohio State
4. Georgia
5. Virginia Tech/Oklahoma
Top 5 based on how good a team actually is, not records
1. USC
2. Georgia
3. LSU
4. Virginia Tech/Oklahoma
5. Florida
Preseason 2008 Top 25
1. USC
2. Georgia
3. Florida
4. Oklahoma
5. Ohio State
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Championship Week Picks
#9 Oklahoma vs. #1 Missouri
#6 Virginia Tech vs. #11 Boston College
#14 Tennessee vs. #7 LSU
UCLA vs. #8 USC
Oregon State vs. #17 Oregon
#6 Virginia Tech vs. #11 Boston College
#14 Tennessee vs. #7 LSU
UCLA vs. #8 USC
Oregon State vs. #17 Oregon
Monday, November 26, 2007
Week 13 Thoughts
I was 7-2 this week, bringing my overall year-to-date picks record to 36-21.
1. The top 2 teams fall...this is starting to sound like a broken record
LSU lost in triple overtime and Kansas camp up just short of Big XII rival Missouri. LSU has two losses this year, both to SEC opponents and both in triple overtime. Great, championship caliber teams find a way to win close games; the Tigers simply haven't this season, the exception coming against Florida. Fans in the bayou are starting to place some of the blame on coaching, and with the coaching vacancy at Michigan don't be surprised to see Les Miles bolt before the water gets too hot in Louisiana. In the wake of disappointment and controversy, LSU better watch out for another letdown against Georgia in the SEC Championship. As for Kansas, they won't have a chance to play in the Big XII or BCS Championship games, but do finish the regular season 11-1 and will almost certainly get an at-large BCS bowl bid. Oh well, they still have basketball, right?
2. The rankings don't reflect the best teams
This college football season has been crazy to say the least, and the result is that the most talented teams in the country are nowhere near the top of the rankings. West Virginia can build a case that they're in the elite tier, and Missouri can as well with a revenge win against Oklahoma, but each team still has a game to play and I wouldn't be surprised if both of them lost. If Ohio State plays in the BCS Championship it will be a travesty; their signature win is against an 8-4 Michigan team and they're coming out of an extremely weak Big Ten conference that doesn't even play a conference championship game. Off the top of my head, these teams have impressed me more this season than the Buckeyes: Missouri, Georgia, LSU, Florida, Oregon, USC, Arizona State, West Virginia, Boston College, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma, Illinois and Hawaii. They shouldn't even be in the top 10. Here are the teams playing the best football right now, in order (of course, the rankings don't reflect who's playing best right now, it takes into account a full season): 1) USC, 2) Georgia, 3) West Virginia, 4) Missouri, 5) Florida.
3. National Championship prediction
West Virginia is in. Without a doubt in my mind. Who they play hinges on Oklahoma vs. Missouri. I don't know how much gas Missouri has left in the tank, and given the history the top-ranked teams have had this season...I'm going to have so say they, unfortunately, lose. The good news is WVU will absolutely blow out Ohio State, embarrassing them for the second BCS Championship in a row. Remember what Juice Williams did? Yeah, Pat White is about twice that good and has more weapons around him. West Virginia vs. Ohio State, and the Mountaineers win in a blowout.
Heisman Race
Darren McFadden had a monster game and Chase Daniel was near perfect. My argument is this: McFadden gives up a lot of time to Felix Jones, who puts up numbers just as good as McFadden, which hurts #5's cause. Also, Arkansas has four losses; in one of them against Auburn, McFadden only had 43 yards rushing and 0 touchdowns. I just don't see McFadden winning. If Chase Daniel has another 300 yard, 3 TD game in a win against Oklahoma...the trophy is his. If not, it's Tebow's. The Florida signal caller has more touchdowns (51) than any Heisman-winning quarterback in history; he's the first quarterback ever to record 20 TD's throwing and 20 TD's rushing in a single season; he's tied for the most rushing TD's (22) in a single season by a QB, and will almost certainly break that record in his bowl game.
1. Tim Tebow, QB Florida (3,970 total yards, 51 total TD's)
2. Chase Daniel, QB Missouri (3,951 passing yards, 33 passing TD's)
3. Darren McFadden, RB Arkansas (1,725 rushing yards, 20 total TD's)
Golden Top 25
1. West Virginia
2. Missouri
3. Georgia
4. Ohio State
5. LSU
6. Virginia Tech
7. Kansas
8. Oklahoma
9. Florida
10. USC
11. Boston College
12. Hawaii
13. Tennessee
14. Arizona State
15. Illinois
16. Clemson
17. Texas
18. Wisconsin
19. Cincinnati
20. Auburn
21. Virginia
22. Boise State
23. BYU
24. Oregon
25. Arkansas
1. The top 2 teams fall...this is starting to sound like a broken record
LSU lost in triple overtime and Kansas camp up just short of Big XII rival Missouri. LSU has two losses this year, both to SEC opponents and both in triple overtime. Great, championship caliber teams find a way to win close games; the Tigers simply haven't this season, the exception coming against Florida. Fans in the bayou are starting to place some of the blame on coaching, and with the coaching vacancy at Michigan don't be surprised to see Les Miles bolt before the water gets too hot in Louisiana. In the wake of disappointment and controversy, LSU better watch out for another letdown against Georgia in the SEC Championship. As for Kansas, they won't have a chance to play in the Big XII or BCS Championship games, but do finish the regular season 11-1 and will almost certainly get an at-large BCS bowl bid. Oh well, they still have basketball, right?
2. The rankings don't reflect the best teams
This college football season has been crazy to say the least, and the result is that the most talented teams in the country are nowhere near the top of the rankings. West Virginia can build a case that they're in the elite tier, and Missouri can as well with a revenge win against Oklahoma, but each team still has a game to play and I wouldn't be surprised if both of them lost. If Ohio State plays in the BCS Championship it will be a travesty; their signature win is against an 8-4 Michigan team and they're coming out of an extremely weak Big Ten conference that doesn't even play a conference championship game. Off the top of my head, these teams have impressed me more this season than the Buckeyes: Missouri, Georgia, LSU, Florida, Oregon, USC, Arizona State, West Virginia, Boston College, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma, Illinois and Hawaii. They shouldn't even be in the top 10. Here are the teams playing the best football right now, in order (of course, the rankings don't reflect who's playing best right now, it takes into account a full season): 1) USC, 2) Georgia, 3) West Virginia, 4) Missouri, 5) Florida.
3. National Championship prediction
West Virginia is in. Without a doubt in my mind. Who they play hinges on Oklahoma vs. Missouri. I don't know how much gas Missouri has left in the tank, and given the history the top-ranked teams have had this season...I'm going to have so say they, unfortunately, lose. The good news is WVU will absolutely blow out Ohio State, embarrassing them for the second BCS Championship in a row. Remember what Juice Williams did? Yeah, Pat White is about twice that good and has more weapons around him. West Virginia vs. Ohio State, and the Mountaineers win in a blowout.
Heisman Race
Darren McFadden had a monster game and Chase Daniel was near perfect. My argument is this: McFadden gives up a lot of time to Felix Jones, who puts up numbers just as good as McFadden, which hurts #5's cause. Also, Arkansas has four losses; in one of them against Auburn, McFadden only had 43 yards rushing and 0 touchdowns. I just don't see McFadden winning. If Chase Daniel has another 300 yard, 3 TD game in a win against Oklahoma...the trophy is his. If not, it's Tebow's. The Florida signal caller has more touchdowns (51) than any Heisman-winning quarterback in history; he's the first quarterback ever to record 20 TD's throwing and 20 TD's rushing in a single season; he's tied for the most rushing TD's (22) in a single season by a QB, and will almost certainly break that record in his bowl game.
1. Tim Tebow, QB Florida (3,970 total yards, 51 total TD's)
2. Chase Daniel, QB Missouri (3,951 passing yards, 33 passing TD's)
3. Darren McFadden, RB Arkansas (1,725 rushing yards, 20 total TD's)
Golden Top 25
1. West Virginia
2. Missouri
3. Georgia
4. Ohio State
5. LSU
6. Virginia Tech
7. Kansas
8. Oklahoma
9. Florida
10. USC
11. Boston College
12. Hawaii
13. Tennessee
14. Arizona State
15. Illinois
16. Clemson
17. Texas
18. Wisconsin
19. Cincinnati
20. Auburn
21. Virginia
22. Boise State
23. BYU
24. Oregon
25. Arkansas
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Week 13 Picks
The upsets continue...
#11 USC vs. #6 Arizona State
#19 Boise State vs. #15 Hawaii
Arkansas vs. #1 LSU
#4 Missouri vs. #2 Kansas
#20 Connecticut vs. #3 West Virginia
#8 Virginia Tech vs. #16 Virginia
Florida State vs. #12 Florida
#18 Tennessee vs. Kentucky
#22 Clemson vs. South Carolina
#11 USC vs. #6 Arizona State
#19 Boise State vs. #15 Hawaii
Arkansas vs. #1 LSU
#4 Missouri vs. #2 Kansas
#20 Connecticut vs. #3 West Virginia
#8 Virginia Tech vs. #16 Virginia
Florida State vs. #12 Florida
#18 Tennessee vs. Kentucky
#22 Clemson vs. South Carolina
Monday, November 19, 2007
Week 12 Thoughts
I was 2-2 on my picks this week, bringing me to 29-19 on the year. Picking 65% isn't too bad I guess, given how crazy this year has been.
1. Michigan versus Ohio State
Much like Tim (I won't even attempt his full first name) Biakabatuka stole Eddie George's show a few years ago, so did Beanie Wells steal Mike Hart's. Wells ripped off 3 Touchdowns and over 200 years rushing while Hart, a Heisman candidate until Saturday, was basically invisible. The game reflected the weather conditions, cold and sloppy, and the running game was the difference as none of the three quarterbacks impressed. Mike Hart and Chad Henne finish 0-4 vs. their hated rival and Ryan Mallett begins his career 0-1...and has to go into the Horseshoe next season. The Buckeyes are guaranteed at least a berth in the Rose Bowl and have an outside shot (not so outside given how many upsets have taken place this year) at going to Glendale for the BCS championship.
2. The Big XII
Oklahoma is officially done, though it was kind of disappointing they lost probably because they're star starting quarterback went down early to an injury. They had legitimate national title hopes, and Heisman hopes for Bradford, before the injury. This leaves Kansas and Missouri, who play each other next week, to possibly represent the conference in Glendale. Both teams' success revolve around their QBs, Todd Reesing and Chase Daniel respectively, and while I believe Missouri wins next week and has the best chance of knocking off an LSU or an Ohio State for a title, Reesing is the better quarterback. Missouri is a spread system, much like Texas Tech, and look at how well the Red Raider signal callers are doing in the NFL. However, the spread system is dominant in college right now (see: Florida) and unless Kansas can come up with a way to stop it, the Tigers are playing for a Big XII championship berth...and beyond.
3. National Title prediction
This is where the water gets a little murky. Anything can happen. LSU didn't impress versus a weak Ole Miss team while Georgia is looking like (dare I say) the best team in the SEC with the emergence of Knowshon Moreno. If Tennessee loses to Kentucky, I really believe Georgia can win the SEC Championship. If Tennessee wins and plays in Atlanta, LSU wins in a blowout. I'm going to stick with the most probable outcome and say Tennessee wins and thus LSU wins, so LSU is safe to start packing for the desert. But who faces them? The winner of Kansas-Missouri, either of which could easily lose in the Big XII championship? West Virginia, who plays an extremely tough UConn team for the Big East title? The farthest it would slip is Ohio State, who with their cupcake schedule and lack of a conference championship game (which should qualify the "Big Two" as a mid-major...seriously, play a conference championship game) would back their way in. And if Georgia beats LSU...I don't even want to think about it. That might be the end of the BCS.
Anyways, my prediction: LSU vs. Missouri. But this could drastically change after this weekend's games.
Heisman Race
Unless Tim Tebow drops a bomb against Florida State, he should start clearing room on his dresser for the Heisman trophy. He became the first quarterback in HISTORY to both pass and rush for 20 touchdowns in a season. When I think of the Heisman winner, I think of the player who if you removed them from their team, their team would not only be worse off but would be a completely different animal. Tim Tebow is that to the Florida Gators, not to mention his stats are leagues beyond any other contender--all while facing stiffer competition. If Chase Daniel has monster games against Kansas and in the Big XII championship he has a shot, but only because Tebow is a sophomore.
1. Tim Tebow, QB Florida (3,619 total yards, 46 total TD's)
2. Chase Daniel, QB Missouri (3,590 passing yards, 30 passing TD's).
3. Darren McFadden, RB Arkansas (1,519 rushing yards, 12 TD's)
on the bubble: Todd Reesing, Pat White
Golden Top 25
1. LSU
2. Kansas
3. Missouri
4. West Virginia
5. Ohio State
6. Georgia
7. Arizona State
8. Virginia Tech
9. Oklahoma
10. Oregon (without Dixon)
11. Florida
12. USC
13. Texas
14. Hawaii
15. Boston College
16. Virginia
17. Illinois
18. Boise State
19. Tennessee
20. UConn
21. Clemson
22. Wisconsin
23. Cincinnati
24. BYU
25. Auburn
Disagree with me on anything? Please feel free to comment and I'll respond.
1. Michigan versus Ohio State
Much like Tim (I won't even attempt his full first name) Biakabatuka stole Eddie George's show a few years ago, so did Beanie Wells steal Mike Hart's. Wells ripped off 3 Touchdowns and over 200 years rushing while Hart, a Heisman candidate until Saturday, was basically invisible. The game reflected the weather conditions, cold and sloppy, and the running game was the difference as none of the three quarterbacks impressed. Mike Hart and Chad Henne finish 0-4 vs. their hated rival and Ryan Mallett begins his career 0-1...and has to go into the Horseshoe next season. The Buckeyes are guaranteed at least a berth in the Rose Bowl and have an outside shot (not so outside given how many upsets have taken place this year) at going to Glendale for the BCS championship.
2. The Big XII
Oklahoma is officially done, though it was kind of disappointing they lost probably because they're star starting quarterback went down early to an injury. They had legitimate national title hopes, and Heisman hopes for Bradford, before the injury. This leaves Kansas and Missouri, who play each other next week, to possibly represent the conference in Glendale. Both teams' success revolve around their QBs, Todd Reesing and Chase Daniel respectively, and while I believe Missouri wins next week and has the best chance of knocking off an LSU or an Ohio State for a title, Reesing is the better quarterback. Missouri is a spread system, much like Texas Tech, and look at how well the Red Raider signal callers are doing in the NFL. However, the spread system is dominant in college right now (see: Florida) and unless Kansas can come up with a way to stop it, the Tigers are playing for a Big XII championship berth...and beyond.
3. National Title prediction
This is where the water gets a little murky. Anything can happen. LSU didn't impress versus a weak Ole Miss team while Georgia is looking like (dare I say) the best team in the SEC with the emergence of Knowshon Moreno. If Tennessee loses to Kentucky, I really believe Georgia can win the SEC Championship. If Tennessee wins and plays in Atlanta, LSU wins in a blowout. I'm going to stick with the most probable outcome and say Tennessee wins and thus LSU wins, so LSU is safe to start packing for the desert. But who faces them? The winner of Kansas-Missouri, either of which could easily lose in the Big XII championship? West Virginia, who plays an extremely tough UConn team for the Big East title? The farthest it would slip is Ohio State, who with their cupcake schedule and lack of a conference championship game (which should qualify the "Big Two" as a mid-major...seriously, play a conference championship game) would back their way in. And if Georgia beats LSU...I don't even want to think about it. That might be the end of the BCS.
Anyways, my prediction: LSU vs. Missouri. But this could drastically change after this weekend's games.
Heisman Race
Unless Tim Tebow drops a bomb against Florida State, he should start clearing room on his dresser for the Heisman trophy. He became the first quarterback in HISTORY to both pass and rush for 20 touchdowns in a season. When I think of the Heisman winner, I think of the player who if you removed them from their team, their team would not only be worse off but would be a completely different animal. Tim Tebow is that to the Florida Gators, not to mention his stats are leagues beyond any other contender--all while facing stiffer competition. If Chase Daniel has monster games against Kansas and in the Big XII championship he has a shot, but only because Tebow is a sophomore.
1. Tim Tebow, QB Florida (3,619 total yards, 46 total TD's)
2. Chase Daniel, QB Missouri (3,590 passing yards, 30 passing TD's).
3. Darren McFadden, RB Arkansas (1,519 rushing yards, 12 TD's)
on the bubble: Todd Reesing, Pat White
Golden Top 25
1. LSU
2. Kansas
3. Missouri
4. West Virginia
5. Ohio State
6. Georgia
7. Arizona State
8. Virginia Tech
9. Oklahoma
10. Oregon (without Dixon)
11. Florida
12. USC
13. Texas
14. Hawaii
15. Boston College
16. Virginia
17. Illinois
18. Boise State
19. Tennessee
20. UConn
21. Clemson
22. Wisconsin
23. Cincinnati
24. BYU
25. Auburn
Disagree with me on anything? Please feel free to comment and I'll respond.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Week 12 Picks
#6 West Virginia vs. #22 Cincinnati
#7 Ohio State vs. #21 Michigan
#23 Kentucky vs. #9 Georgia
#17 Boston College vs. #15 Clemson
#7 Ohio State vs. #21 Michigan
#23 Kentucky vs. #9 Georgia
#17 Boston College vs. #15 Clemson
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