View from the HD: College Football V. 2011 – Week 10

So it seems we’ve forgotten about college football. It’s almost like LSU vs. Alabama didn’t happen. It’s the least talked about loss the Huskers have ever suffered. We’ve totally ignored another upcoming match-up with national title implications.  

I’m not making light of the circumstance or the why behind the why. Nor am I ignoring it, I’m just saying nobody is talking college football games, so allow me an attempt at normal.

SEC Snoozer

Sorry, call me crazy, stupid, uninformed, tell me I just don’t understand … but LSU vs. Alabama was boring. Yep I said it, boring. And if you disagree with me, you probably like soccer, because you’re argument is similar. Defense is beautiful, you don’t get the intricacies of SEC football. Don’t you know defense wins championships? Let me re-iterate one of my old arguments. Defense doesn’t win championships, it prevents them. To win you have to score, period. A game with zero touchdowns, five field goals and damn near as many missed field goals is not entertaining. Its uncomfortable, the way getting a haircut in the morning and working all day with that scratchy hair on your neck and back is uncomfortable. Congrats to those of you who paid thousands on EBay for tickets. Tell me how you feel about that decision now.
Give me the back-and-forth that was Oklahoma State and Kansas State over that yawner any day. Unfortunately the BCS title will likely resemble the former, not the latter.

Pac 12 Track Meet

For the reasons stated above, I am much more excited about watching this week's Stanford vs. Oregon game than last week's No. 1 v. No. 2. This is the Pac-12 title game. Both teams play USC, as Stanford has already beaten them and Oregon will next week, this is it. Teams combined for 83 points last year and after Stanford jumped out to a 21-3 lead, Oregon outscored them 49-10 after the first quarter. Oregon is probably a bit more battle tested, but with any team designed like Oregon, teams are starting to catch up with them. Their points per game has been declining and only put up 34 at Washington. Its going to take more than that to beat a Stanford. Andrew Luck's stock rises or falls dramatically with this game. He wins or loses the Heisman Saturday. I like Stanford at home, and given the Live Wire curse, that means you should probably pick Oregon.
Top Ten
1. LSU - We know they are good, but they might not really have been the best team Saturday. Their special teams didn't suck. That's it. Give their D credit for the game and especially in the OT.
2. Oklahoma State - Finally faced some adversity and overcame it. Would love to see the dichotomy if they play LSU for the title.
3. Stanford - I'm rooting for as many teams to stay unbeaten as possible because I love chaos and I think chaos is the only way we get  playoff.
4. Boise State - Do I think they are better than Alabama, no. Have they lose a "playoff" game. No.
5. Alabama - You lost. Cry about it. I hope you don't get another shot. Though that would disprove all the BCS apologists.
6. Oregon - They can ruin Stanford's title shot and a Pac-12 representation in the BCS title game. The biggest question, though is what will the uni's look like?
7. Oklahoma - Another one-loss team that can only play spoiler.
8. Arkansas -  TCB against South Carolina. They have one last shot to become mayhem. Call All-State if that happens because LSU, Alabama and the Razorbacks are all in the SEC West and could all finish with one loss. We can only hope.
9. Clemson - Off week.
10. Houston - Our last unbeaten team. They will be a part of the "we're undefeated too, what about us?" argument with Boise when all is said and done.

For the Homers

I received a text from one of my best friends right after the Northwestern game that said “This is all your fault!” I felt a bit honored that he would give credit to the Live Wire feature curse as the reason Nebraska lost. But being a Nebraska fan myself, I vowed to not write any feature about Nebraska unless it was about their upcoming opponent for the rest of the season.

One point of reflection about last week real quick though … Here’s the difference between Northwestern football and Nebraska football: Northwestern had tee-shirts designed in celebration of beating Nebraska. 

When's the last time you owned
a Nebraska shirt commemorating
a regular season win? Bush league! 



Like it was a huge deal to them. Like they had just won a bowl game. Like that would really hurt our ego. Newsflash Wildcats … unless you win two more, this WAS your bowl game. And if the Huskers win that game, we don’t make tee-shirts, we simply add your name to the list of routine wins. You win, David slayed Goliath, we win, drop in the bucket. It meant more to you. Good job. Revel in it for a year. You’ve got us every year from here on so enjoy it while it lasts.

On to this week’s game. I completely disagree with Dr. Tom Osborne. I have all respect for him, but as far as the caution to Husker fans about wearing red, I’m not in that camp.Why the hell should we hide and act like we're ashamed to be who we are. Why should we apologize for who we are as fans or supporters of our University. There may be a pack of Lions waiting for us, but I promise you there is no pride. They are the ones who should be turning their backs in shame. Their supporters should be boycotting the game, not marching on lawns. They should be turning in their tickets, not putting their booster dollars into a system that seems to have covered up such corruption.

And I won't expound on the situation in particular other than to say this is the most blatantly egregious abuse of power you can wrap your head around. To start a foundation for troubled youth to turn around and take advantage of the very situation you created violates everything about humanity and charity down to its very core.

That being said, the Lion is wounded. If they had their way, this game likely wouldn't even be played. How can you ask a team with no coach, whose players are unjustly associated with something bigger than themselves, to wake up on Saturday, act like nothing happened and actually play football. Nebraska has a chance to rub salt in the wounds. To put the nail in the coffin of a program on its proverbial death bed.

Predictions

Locks

1. Boise State over TCU - Boise has been cover gold 90% of the time. At home against a down TCU program is about as good as it gets.

2. Oklahoma State over Texas Tech - I have no idea what has happened to Tech after their win over Oklahoma. Since that game they lost to Iowa State by 34 and Texas by 32. The magic is gone.

3. Florida State over Miami - The Seminoles have been rolling. Their have won their last four games by nearly 29 points per and they are finally playing like their preseason ranking suggested.

*** Bonus Over - You would think I was going with Stanford vs. Oregon considering the total is only 68. But the better guess is LSU vs. Western Kentucky. Total is 48.5 and LSU may score that themselves. If WKU gets a late 10 points might clip 60.

Upsets

1. West Virginia is a dog at Cincinnati. The Mountaineers made a lot of mistakes at Louisville and while Cincy is 7-1, they haven't been lighting the world on fire. Ripe for upset.

2. Wyoming at Air Force. I wanted to take Wyoming last week against TCU and they played the Frogs close, but no cigar. This week they play Air Force who struggled against Army. The Cowboys have their shot.

3. Kansas State at Texas A&M - The Aggies are a five point fave here, but this is another chance to prove the Wildcats belong in the upper tier of the Big XII. The old coach gets this one done.

View from the HD: College Football V.2011 - Week 9

I give up. I am admitting I can no longer make sense nor predict the landscape of college football. All my locks last week lost outright, all my upset picks got covered and every time I do a feature on a team (Baylor, Kansas State, Nebraska, Wisconsin, not to mention propping Clemson all year) they lose. Stanford remains the one bright spot, on a 14-game cover streak. The old triple overtime eight point win to cover 7.5, no problem!
We're now in the heart of the season and the tide has changed dramatically with five unbeatens falling the last two weeks. We're now left with six unbeatens, at least one of which will fall Saturday and two (Boise State and Houston) that have no shot at a title. Never mind your politics on if Bose deserves a title shot, fact is unless Oklahoma State, LSU and Alabama lose twice, and Stanford loses to Oregon, Boise isn't going.
It will be very interesting to see the BCS standings next Sunday after the most anticipated game of the year between LSU and Alabama. How far will the loser fall? Will there be a possibility of a re-match between the Tigers and the Tide for the national championship, and does anybody want that? If the theory of BCS apologists rings true, that the regular season is the playoff, shouldn't that eliminate the loser from a shot. Isn't this their shot? Interesting. 

Thanks to Clemson, Kansas State, Wisconsin and Michigan State for ruining my Top 10. I have no clue who to put in there now. Here goes nothing ...
1. LSU - Defense allowing less than 12 per game, offense putting up almost 40 per game. Sounds a lot like the final score of their game against Florida. They have consistently beaten each team soundly.
2. Alabama - Ditto pretty much everything that was said about LSU. Alabama giving up less than a touchdown per game, pitching two shutouts and nobody has scored more than 14 against them.
3. Oklahoma State - Through eight games they are maintaining a 50 point per game stretch. Texas is the best defense they have faced and they racked them for 38 in Austin. They don't play a good defense until Oklahoma, if you consider them a good D. Because of that, IF they get to the BCS game they might be in for a rude awakening against whatever SEC team they face.
4. Boise State - I really wish these kids has a chance to play for it all. Last week we saw the difference between Boise State, who has been good for years, and Kansas State, who it just a flash in the pan. Boise would not have been overwhelmed like that.
5. Stanford - They passed their first test of the season. USC gave them more of a battle than I expected, but each time they were down they fought on back. They were opportunistic, Luck didn't rattle after throwing the late pick and they finished.
6. Oregon - I wanted to make some point about how the only reason Oregon is so high is because they lost week one. However their only loss is to the No.1 team and they have blown out everyone else. I still think it would take a miracle to get them to the title, but they still have it to strive for.
*** From this point on, were simply chasing waterfalls. As I eluded to a couple weeks ago, there are only six teams at this point that have a shot at playing in the title game. Those teams are listed above. Its all semantics now and second-tier good, not great teams from here down. 
7. Clemson - I'm sticking with the Tigers. They are an emerging force and with their youth, it was tough for them to figure out Georgia Tech. It's also hard to come from behind against a team like that who prides ball control.
8. Arkansas - Yes, their only loss is to Alabama, but they haven't been lighting it up in their other games either. They should have lost to Texas A&M and Vandy, and Ole Miss was no picnic.
9. Nebraska - If not the Husker, who? Ohio State may be considered a game Nebraska was supposed to win, but they came from way behind to win that game and then made a huge statement against Michigan State. Husker fans are expecting a Big Ten championship appearance now.
10. Houston - Hey, I love the underdog. Ironically they haven't been all year, but another small (non-BCS) school who plays big. Fifty-plus points a game on nearly 500 yards passing. Maybe I have them this high because its just fun to watch. Tell me I'm wrong, tell me they don't play anyone. Fine, who cares, they aren't going anywhere anyway, but another unbeaten throws fuel on the playoff fire, and I love that.

Game of the week
Month, year, century, whatever. I don't talk a lot of SEC football, because I try not write about things I don't know much about. Though my friend Aaron would argue that's not true. But I guess I have to write about this one. A lot of ESPN analysts are calling this game the SuperBowl of college football. No its not. LSU still plays next week. Alabama still has to get ready for Mississippi State afterwards. But they could be right about one thing. The season is over for the loser.
So even though I'm ranking LSU higher than Bama this week, I think the Tide has the edge. Their just a notch better on both offense and defense. There are still players on this Tide team that have tasted a championship. Their on-field experience and their icy-nerved coach puts them in the advantage this week. BamaLSU has had their toughest at home. Now they have to go to Tuscaloosa. Tide in a close one.

For the Homers
I never did like Taylor Martinez. There I said it. He reminded me of Sam Keller, and Sam Keller represented for me the player figure that brought down the Husker tradition. He wasn't a Husker, much like Bill Callahan wasn't a Husker. But Keller came in with the attitude that he was the answer, the savior, the gift Husker fans had been waiting for since Eric Crouch. He was the arm that was going to usher in a new system, the future. He was cocksure and had a swagger and failed spectacularly and led Husker Nation down a four-year funk.
Enter Bo Pelini and Taylor Martinez. I always thought of Pelini more of an Oklahoma guy, LSU guy or an Ohio State guy or his stints in the NFL gave me deja-vu. Sure, Pelini had coached with the Huskers, but just for one year. He wasn't here long enough to "be" a Husker. And yes, I know that his first couple years he had ex-Callahan quarterbacks leading the team, but Joe Ganz and Zac Lee "felt" like Huskers. I don't know how to describe it, but Husker fans know that feeling.
Pelini had his ups and downs but after the leftovers, clearly wanted to run things his way. He was a bit embattled for his fiery attitude and had rubbed some old school fans the wrong way.
Then come Taylor Martinez. This cocky slinger from California. A freshman recruited on the tails of Lee and highly-touted recruit Cody Green. Did he really think he would come in and start over these guys? How dare he.
He did indeed win the job and sparked Nebraska immediately. A 5-0 start and talk of Heisman for a freshman? Sweet, we're back! Then the injury. His audacity with the situation, his insistence on coming back, while still injured. The lackluster finish and finally the bowl loss to a Washington team Nebraska has beaten by 35. To hell with this kid.
The more I watched him struggle to run and rainbow heave passes, the more I disliked him. I dealt with the ugliness of the passing game through the first couple games this season because the team kept winning. And like most of us, I was ready to give up on Martinez and Pelini both after the Wisconsin game. Bo can't win a big one. Martinez will never be a good passer. They don't play to the teams' strengths. The Dirk situation. I wasn't just another mad Husker fan, I was done ... with both of them.
What a difference a Buckeye makes. The first half of that game was more depressing than the second half of the Wisconsin game. But something changed in that game. It all changed. A defensive turnover sparked a comeback. Martinez slung one to Quincy Enunwa and let Rex run wild for a couple more and the miracle was complete.
Pelini said after the game, "You guys can choose to write whatever you want and attack him like the fans will, and now they'll praise him."
And they did, and I did. But it was more than that. They turned a corner, not just for 2011, but as a program, against Ohio State. Bill Callahan teams don't win that game, they mail it in. As a good Pelini team does, the defense led if off with a big turnover. But Martinez started to lean on and trust his team, and especially the veteran and emotional leader, Rex Burkhead. The coaches started to trust Martinez and call to his strengths. The team started to reflect their coach. Fire. And the game against Michigan State cemented that feeling. One of the most complete games Nebraska has played in a decade.

Truth is Martinez is a lot like Pelini. He plays with a chip on his shoulder. He plays with fire, he's a gamer and most of all he hates to lose. He is taking on the personality of his coach, and in turn so is the team. And when everyone gets on the same page with the direction of the team and the program, that's when magic happens. Pelini and Martinez don't coach or play to make the fans happy, they don't apologize for being in control, they don't apologize for creating a new tradition, and not following old traditions to a T. But they will do anything to win and they are mad as hell if they don't. That's the Husker Nation expectation. That's the Husker way. It's time to embrace the new regime. It's young, its brash, its up-and-coming and it makes no bones about wanting to be the best.  

Trivia
Which of these teams ranks in the top five defensively for points against?
1. Central Florida
2. Virginia Tech
3. Michigan State
4. Temple
5. Michigan
*Answer at bottom, after picks


Predictions
Locks: Okay so 0-3 last week, aside from the over pick ,which hit. No where to go but up.
1. Start the weekend off right taking USC over Colorado. Colorado ranks in the bottom 10 in rushing, scoring, and points allowed. They have lost their last four by an average 36.5 per. They gave up 37 to Ohio State during a stretch when the Buckeyes scored just over 14 per in four other games. USC found its offense last week against Stanford.
2. Stanford has covered 14 straight and they get Oregon State this week. Stanford's average score is 49-17 and that includes last weeks eeker against USC. Beavers only score 23 per game against weaker opponents so far and managed only eight against Utah.
3. Oklahoma State won't derail against Kansas State. The wind is out of the Wildcat sails as they move slowly into that good night. Three touchdowns? Might be five.
***Bonus over - Oregon and Washington (74). Oregon and Washington State combined for 71 last week and Oregon only scored 43. The Husky offense is better than Wazzu and their defense is worse. But the Huskies will hang with Oregon for at least a half prompting the Ducks to score again and again. 

Upsets: 
1. Iowa has burned me again and again. However is seems unusual that they are only a four point dog to Michigan. Michigan may come in cocky and assuming they will roll the Hawk fresh off an embarrassment against Minnesota. Don't be surprised by this one.
2. Troy State over Navy. Both teams are struggling, but Navy looked especially bad against Notre Dame. They are without their starting QB and the guy running the offense right now is green.
3. Missouri over Baylor. I hate giving Mizzou any credit at all, considering their Nebraska rivalry, but Missouri figured out who they were last week. Their defense is better than you think and teams are starting to figure RGIII out. Baylor is long past the hype.  

Trivia answer: This is sort of a trick question. Both Temple (No. 4) and UCF (No. 5) are in the top five in points against. Prior to Wednesday night's game against Ohio, Temple actually ranked No. 2 in the country, allowing just 10 points per game on a schedule that included Penn State and Maryland. Perhaps more surprising Michigan actually ranks sixth, ahead of Michigan State at seventh.

View from the HD: College Football V.2011 - Week 8

Let me first apologize for my absence last two weeks. Had something very important to accomplish at work. Thanks to my readers for pressing me to write again this week.

I was really upset to see two unbeatens fall last week. I'm a big proponent of a playoff and the chaos that six or more unbeaten teams would cause would really provide a great new argument. But alas, we're down to eight now, a couple of which play each other. But can you imagine the uproar if unbeaten Clemson and Stanford don't get a title shot, let alone Boise.

This is the week we start to see what garbage the BCS rankings are really. I don't have much issue with the top three, which mirrors mine. Where I start to see holes is Boise at No. 4. You all know I love Boise, but Clemson's resume with back-to-back-to-back wins over Auburn, Florida State and Va Tech should speak louder than Boise's one notable win over Georgia. True that we now know FSU was, as I said week 2, overrated. So Clemson, should be four, Boise five. Its a nit pick.
Stanford had played nobody but sixth is fine. Kansas State is finally getting some love and really should be ahead of Oregon (for now, more on them later). After all they did beat the Texas Tech team that just ruined the Sooner's season.
Things get very strange after that. Oklahoma loses to Tech, yet remain ranked above Arkansas (who's only loss is to Alabama), above Michigan State (who just beat Wisconsin), and above Va Tech (who's only loss is to Clemson).
Wisconsin loses on a last second bomb to a very good Sparty squad and falls from No. 4 to No. 15 BEHIND a Nebraska team that they slaughtered and a South Carolina team who lost to Auburn and has won three other games against lesser opponents by three points or less.
Last comment and its about undefeated Houston. The only difference between Houston's schedule and Boise State's schedule is basically Georgia (unless you consider Boise's resume over last five years, in which case proves the flaws of the BCS in a vacuum). Either Houston should be higher or Boise should be lower. Did you see Case Keenum last night? In just over three quarters he threw for 534 yards and NINE touchdowns ... in a driving rain.

That being said, here's my Top 10 this week:
1. LSU - Two-thirds of the way through their regular season and they have yet to be tested. Outside of a 6-3 halftime score against Mississippi State they have impressively blown everyone else away. Their season begins or ends next week against Alabama.
2. Alabama - Like LSU, they have yet to really find relevant competition. The one thing Alabama has to worry about against LSU is that they start slow sometimes. Tied at half against Tennessee, trailed Florida early and failed to ever really put Penn State away.
3. Oklahoma State- The Cowboys are still being underestimated. Only a seven-point fav at Mizzou and killed that number, winning by 21. They host Baylor this week, which should really teach us something about their defense. Vegas says 80 points and if it goes under its because Baylor was held under 30 points.
4. Clemson - Great story. From unranked to a shot at the title. Tough test against the funky Georgia Tech offense this week, but Georgia Tech is sputtering lately. In it's last three games the Ramblin Wreck has been a wreck only scoring 16.33 points per. Not enough to stop Tajh.0.
5. Boise State - After laying waste to Fresno on national TV a couple weeks ago, they were sloppy against Air Force and their ironic iconic ground attack. They might however hang 100 on UNLV, even if Kellen Moore doesn't play the 2nd half.
6. Stanford - Moves up because of the Oklahoma and Wisconsin losses. They are however 2nd in overall points for and 4th in points against, which has made them a home-gamer darling. I think they have covered every week so far. A bit of a test at USC this week.
7. Kansas State - Wins in consecutive games over Miami, Baylor, Missouri and Texas Tech. Mini-feature after Top 10.
8. Oregon - Been humming along since the loss to LSU. The defense is either better than people think or the Pac-12 offenses really do suck. Date with Stanford looms big time, but I think Oregon is relegated to spoiler at this point.
9. Michigan State - Very gritty win over Wisconsin, with a little luck thrown in as well. The defense and special teams were amazing for the middle 40 minutes of the game. Watch out for the let down at Nebraska this week, though.
10. Wisconsin - Their season may have been ruined last week as I don't think enough obstacles can be over come by year end. They may have a chance for redemption in the Big Ten title game, but now they know how it feels to be Ohio State last year.

The old ball coach has still got the magic. And no, I'm not talking Steve Spurrier. This time, we're talking Bill Snyder of Kansas State. Fresh off his 72nd birthday Snyder is leading Kansas State back to the prominence they has in his previous tenure. The Wildcats are 7-0, battle-tested and hungry to prove themselves as a top tier team. Collin Klein is a machine that hasn't been stopped yet. Against Baylor, he out-Griffin'ed Griffin running for 113 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown that put the Cats in position to just need a field goal the next drive to win. Klein has thrown for nearly 1000 yards and eight touchdowns, but has run for almost 700 yards and 14 scores. And the defense isn't bad either. Ranked 23rd overall in points against, they held both Texas Tech and Baylor to 35 points or less. The 35 points from Baylor sounds like a lot until you figure their previous season low was 48 against SF Austin, when they shut it down late. And the 34 allowed against Tech is impressive given the vaunted Oklahoma defense allowed 41.
Put this in perspective: If Kansas State runs the table, they will have beaten six, maybe seven teams ranked in the Top 25 this season. If they can beat Oklahoma and Oklahoma Stat in back to back games, they could find themselves No. 2 in the BCS come November 6. The next four games are all against BCS Top 25 teams, so the season is just getting started for Kansas State. Its a real shame Oklahoma lost last week or GameDay would be at the Little Apple this week.

For the Homers: Michigan State at Nebraska preview - Nebraska grew up as a team and may have entered a new era in the comeback win over Ohio State. Last year's Huskers, hell the last six Husker teams, would not have won that game. They thoroughly dismantled Minnesota in the first half and shut it down. The true test of whether they are back or not comes now. Michigan State is coming off a very emotional win over Wisconsin. The difference in the game was their special teams. That blocked punt touchdown changed the whole game and Wisconsin didn't get traction back until it was too late. The Huskers offensive special teams is better than the Spartans with Abdullah returning kicks. However its when Nebraska is kicking or punting that the Spartans are superior. Sparty may have an emotional let down after last week and coming into Lincoln. This game is now bigger for Nebraska than the Wisconsin game was because if the Huskers fail to win this one, all their goals to start the season became all but unattainable. William Gholston coming back for Michigan State makes it harder for Burkhead and unless Quincy Enunwa can become Nick Toon and fast, the Husker pass game might have trouble hauling in the rainbow heaves of Martinez. Every match up points to Michigan State, yet Nebraska is favored. Early kickoff may mean a long hangover for Husker nation. This is a barometer game for Husker Nation.

Predictions
Locks:
Starting Fresh This week:
1. Clemson over Georgia Tech - The Jackets are reeling. After a perfect start they have dropped two disappointing games against Virginia and Miami. This is not the game is looked like two weeks ago and Clemson is not the team you get back on track against. Clemson by 14.
2. Texas A&M over Mizzou - The Tigers are not the team anyone thought they would be and the A&M defense will be the hardest they have faced so far. A&M is looking for a statement game. This is it.
3.Iowa over Minnesota - I usually don't like double digit road favorites, but Minnesota has been gold to pick against. The Hawkeyes got correct against Indiana and the Gophers rank 109th or worse in passing, points for and points against.
***Bonus over*** Oklahoma State v. Baylor is tempting, even at 79, but realize that means we gotta get 21 per quarter in this one. W could also consider SMU at Tulsa. But for overs gold, look for gold helmets ... Notre Dame v. Navy. When ND played a similar type of offense in Air Force, the two combined for 92 points. Navy and AF combined for 69. Navy is top 40 in points for, 83rd in points against.

Upset Alerts:
1. Undefeated Kansas State is a 14 point dog at home against a down Oklahoma team. I'm not coming out and saying KSU wins, but last time they were a double-digit home dog was Baylor and they won that one outright.
2. Coming off a big win over West Virginia, Syracuse has an extra day and are getting points heading into Louisville, who is 114th in points for, averaging just over 16 a game. There is no explanation other than home field that Lou is favored.
3.Oregon State got off to a rocky start, but has put up 36 points a game the last three. Utah has struggled against aggressive passing teams, Washington and Arizona State.

View from the HD: College Football V.2011 - Week 5

Week five in college football was a bit disappointing. Both match-ups of Top 15 caliber teams were blowouts which is starting to show a major gap in the teams that actually have a chance to win the title. I think we're down to just six teams that legitimately have a shot at the BCS crown, and unfortunately Boise State isn't one of them, again.
But this week is crow eatin' time. I was proven wrong about so many things it's ridiculous. I asked for it on the Husker Rivals page too. I asked to be proven wrong and spouted something about black jerseys that was great for hits (broke a record for readers last week). This week will be laced with battle rants that I was just plain wrong about. And no, crow does not taste like chicken ... more like humility.
Crow on...
We learned that Nebraska is who they have been for each year under Bo. A good team that underwhelms in big situations. This was their chance to prove they were back. To exert themselves into the Big Ten and make a statement. The statement is whimpered loud and clear. They aren't ready to win a championship. The talent gap between Taylor Martinez (who is now being dubbed T-ragic, not T-magic) and Wisconsin's Russell Wilson is beyond evident. But it doesn't stop there. This battle was won on the scrimmage. Wisconsin's big nasties are just flat better right now, on both sides. Their secondary is better, their receivers are better, and as gritty as Rex Burkhead is, Montee Ball is better.
Keep in mind, however, just how young a team Nebraska fields. Martinez, sophomore. Abdullah, freshman. Enunwa, soph. Turner, freshman. The offensive line is littered with underclassmen and lacking in cohesion. The Huskers just aren't elite yet. They have the promise, but they haven't had the time. One last thought ... as talented as Martinez is, he better learn to keep possession of the ball, running or throwing. People are starting to question if the juice is worth the way he squeezes the ball out of his own hands.
Speaking of orange juice, Florida has it's own issues. They came out, similar to Nebraska, and took a lead at Alabama early on a John Brantley bomb. But Alabama ran all over the Gators as Trent Richardson rushed for over 180-yards. Brantley, and the Gators hopes of a home win, we're knocked out in the second quarter. On an up-note, Florida now has to play No. 1 LSU in Baton Rouge. Lucky them.

Enough ramble, Top 10 time.
1. LSU - Nice scrimmage against Kentucky last week. Florida at home sounds tough. But with the Gators likely playing a freshman quarterback, is no contest either.
2. Alabama - Stemmed an early tide against Florida. Three no-brainers leading up to LSU.
3. Oklahoma State- Off last week. Kansas coming, as is domination of the Jayhawks.
4. Oklahoma - Of course they beat Ball State by 56. Red River next up. Maybe I'll continue to be wrong about Texas and they'll give Oklahoma a game, but I doubt it.
5. Boise State - I said last week, all they do is win by 20, and that's exactly what they did against Nevada. About the only thing I got right last week. But Boise is losing luster, just like it does every October when the big boys play big boy games. More on Boise next week.
6. Wisconsin- Very impressive and thorough beating of Nebraska. So why not rank them above Boise? I think Boise would do the same to Nebraska at this point.
7. Clemson - Their resume is actually better, from a ranking standpoint, than most Top 10 teams. And by my normal method, I should have them third or fourth. Shutting Va Tech down to three points hasn't been done since 2006. But the Hokies, Auburn and Florida State are tier-two or three programs within the Top 25. Could they really beat those above them?
8. Stanford- The Boise State of the Pac 12. They just have yet to play anyone and won't until the de-facto conference title game against Oregon. Good thing for them the Pac 12 is a BCS conference, or they would be stuck with no shot at a title, too.
9. Georgia Tech - Thank you for the humble pie. I predicted a loss at NC State. Yeah the final score looked close, at 45-35, but GT had a 42-14 lead in the fourth quarter after a flurry of three scores in three minutes. They average almost 600 yards of total offense and that triple option run game gets almost 400 per. They hang 52 on everyone. The Clemson game later this month will be a bonus BCS game nobody saw coming.
10. Arkansas - I really wish Baylor would have beaten Kansas State. I had this spot all warmed up for them. The Razorbacks are the best one-loss team out there and their loss was to No. 2. Arkansas showed  a lot of tenacity in the comeback over A&M.

Not quite ready to give Michigan, Texas or Kansas State Top 10 love yet. They all three have brutal conference schedules to navigate.

Crow eating time! I was wrong about Texas. Maybe with Gilbert Grape out of their way, they will be good again. The Big XII really slapped me in the face all around. I gave love to Iowa State (lost), Baylor (lost), A&M (lost) and said Texas was still garbage (won big). I thought Wisconsin would be softened by their week schedule so far. Nope, tough as as bad meat. Gave props to Illinois, who had to rally late to clip a Northwestern team that isn't great. Pitt laid waste to South Florida, who I claimed had first rights to the conference. So, ok here it is ... I was wrong.

Games of the week:

Western Kentucky @ Middle Tennessee State: Just kidding ...
Oklahoma @ Texas: Obviously the biggest game of the week. Landry Jones is trying to prove he's not just a dark horse Heisman guy. The Sooners have more talent and Texas is a bit overrated. However this is the game that decides the Big XII and has for a number of years been a game that decides who plays in the BCS game. Both teams come in with a lot of momentum and a lot to prove. Let's just hope for viewer's sake their not the blowouts last week's two big games were.

Boise St. @ Fresno St. : You might skip past this one thinking its going to be another Boise walkthrough, but hold on. Boise has zombied through every game since the Georgia opener. Kellen Moore is likely the best pure passing QB in the country, but they are easy to set aside. Fresno's own QB Derek Carr in no slouch, however. I've seen first had how effective he can be on the roll out pass. This game gets national attention played on a Friday night and Fresno will give them hell.

So many more games had the potential to be marquee this week, if not for some losses already: Iowa State @ Baylor, Ohio State @ Nebraska, Auburn @ Arkansas, etc. So lets do this. Ill list the match-up, you tell me who has the better record (without going to ESPN.com or Yahoo! Sports!). Answers at the end.

-Texas A&M @Texas Tech
-TCU @ San Diego State
-Georgia @ Tennessee
-Cal @ Oregon
- Florida State @ Wake Forest
-Washington State @ UCLA

We'll do Conference Breakdowns next week as there are some big games this week.

Predictions

Locks: Three of four last week, not bad. I should have given you all Michigan over Minnesota instead of Northern Illinois on the road at Central Michigan, who won the game outright and blew my lock pick away. More crow.
This week: 
1. Give us Stanford at home again against Pac 12 newby Colorado, who is 1-4. Get your night right!
2. Georgia Tech over Maryland. If Temple can beat Maryland by 31 in Maryland, what's G-Tech going to do to them?
3. Baylor to cream Iowa State. The Cyclone inspiration bubble popped last week, and so did Baylor's perfect record. Baylor is mad, at home and RG3 may go 28-33 for 312 yards and five touchdowns. Just tossing it out there.
***Bonus over*** Had a lot of success with Kansas and overs, so lets stay comfy. Oklahoma State = fantastic offense, ok defense. Kansas = Bad defense, capable offense. This one gets away from the Jayhawks early and a bunch of late third and early fourth quarter garbage TD's send this one over.
Upset Alerts: I should know, by my day job, that past performance does not ensure future gains. I forgot this with my upsets last week. Yeah Utah State nearly made me a genius, but Iowa State and NC State got smoked. Try, try again.
1. Iowa is a dog at Penn State. Could be a trap, but common sense says Iowa.
2. Wake Forest covers Florida State and maybe win outright. Double digit home dog, Seminoles reeling, let down coming.
3. Kansas State is a home dog against Mizzou. If the KSU can stay up from the Baylor win, they'll win this battle of the Cats.
Answers to Better record:
-Texas Tech is still undefeated at 4-0. A&M is 2-2.
-TCU is 3-2 while San Diego State is 3-1 with a loss to Michigan.
-Tennessee is 3-1, which shocked me. Go Rocky Top. Georgia 3-2
-Cal and Oregon: Trick question, both are 3-1. Cal's first loss came last week at Washington.
-Wake Forest is a quiet 3-1 while Florida State is a very public 2-2.
-Washington State is 3-1. No really, they are. UCLA is 2-3 and floundering.

View from the HD: College Football V.2011 - Week 4

You know what makes college football different for me? I would rather watch literally any college football game rather than ESPN's College Game Day. By contrast, I like the NFL, but I'm equally or more excited to watch the fantasy football show or NFL Countdown then the NFL games themselves. I'm not sure why its like that for me, but I can't be the only one. 
Let's get crackin!
I was so ready to crucify Oklahoma State at halftime of their game against Texas A&M. Every year the Cowboys come in firing hot and in their first big game test to prove legitimacy they seem to let it slip. Not this time. State showed character coming from 17 down to win the game and they may actually have a decent defense as they only gave up seven second-half points (nobody counts that safety). Oklahoma State is poised for a really nice year and they get Baylor and Oklahoma at home. I'm now a believer.

Week four and one of the polls finally got it right as the AP has LSU No. 1. USA Today still has them at No. 2.
So my Top 10 looks like this:  
1. LSU - No other unbeaten team in college football has beaten two teams in this week's Top 25, one on the road. They hung 40+ on both Oregon and West Virgina. Enough said.
2. Alabama - The Tide defense has only allowed 32 points in four games. Just eight points per game. Stout!
3. Oklahoma State- Too high? Just ask Nebraska how easy it is to win AT A&M, when you're playing 11 on 12. See Oklahoma's ranking for further justification.
4. Boise State - All they do is win by 20 every week.  
5. Oklahoma - Florida State losing to Clemson takes a bit of cred from the Sooners. They will have plenty of chances to earn it back with Texas, A&M, Baylor and OKSt. still on the schedule.
6. Stanford- Another team known for offense whose defense is better than you think. Just 27 points allowed, yet against three weaker teams. 
7. Wisconsin- Have blown out four cupcakes by a combined 194-34. Week four against South Dakota though? Unfair. 
8. Nebraska - Moves up by sheer attrition. Defense may be improving with the return of some walking wounded. True test is this week at Wisconsin.
9. South Carolina  - They have been winning close games but they won't get tested again until November. By then, they will be 8-0 and a solid Top 10 team.
10. Clemson - Clemson? Yeah, they snapped the longest winning streak in football with the win against Auburn and followed that up by hanging 35 on Florida State, something Oklahoma couldn't do. No big deal.

Teams on Top 25 radar: Illinois (I know some polls have them in, but I'm not quite ready to give them that yet), Kansas State (play Baylor this week), Houston, Auburn, Iowa, Washington. Michigan State.

Games of the week: 
Nebraska @ Wisconsin - Welcome to the Big Ten and Camp Randall, Huskers. Nebraska is 0-8 in their last eight as a 10+ point dog. Nebraska's defensive philosophy is bend don't break, but Badger QB Russell Wilson is breaking everyone. Rumors of the black uniforms coming out to play for the Huskers, and fans will rock black but will the Blackshirts?
Clemson @ Virginia Tech - What looked like a ho-hum ACC game a month ago has BCS implications now. Clemson QB Tahj Boyd is 66% passing, 13 TDs and two picks. Ridiculous numbers, especially for a sophomore. Virginia Tech has a solid run game and usually wins the intangible battle.
Alabama @ Florida - This is the first in a long line of major SEC match-ups this year. This week we get to see if Florida is a pretender. The Gators have rolled on without much opposition but Alabama is battle tested and road tested already traveling to Penn State.

Random Thoughts
-Why on God's green earth is Texas ranked? Ohhh you beat BYU by a point and you break out against a bottom 10 UCLA team. Let's get real. Reputation has carried them to their current ranking, but pay no mind to that and let me be the one who said "I told you so" when they finish with four losses.
-Don't look now, but Iowa State in undefeated. But they have a month from hell coming up. Texas, at Baylor, at Mizzou, A&M at home. If they go 2-2 over next four, give them some love.
-Who would have thought with all the fantastic games last weekend, we would still be talking about Toledo v. Syracuse. You stand under the pole, parallel with the line to rule a kick in our out, and you screw that up? No wonder the Big East is in trouble. Good win, Toledo.
- Kudos to Wisconsin for scheduling a week four game against South Dakota. That's something you do in week one, not a softie right before Nebraska. The Coyotes, however would like to thank you for showing some discretion by not running up 70+ points like you did three times last year (83 against Indiana).
- Notre Dame v. Pitt was unwatchable. Just sayin.
- Congrats to Minnesota for dropping a game to a I-AA team for the second straight year after surviving a three-point win over South Dakota State in 2009. They aren't the only ones, though. UNLV lost at home by 25 to Southern Utah.
-Sick stat of the week: Baylor QB RG3 has more touchdown passes (13) than incompletions (12).
-Its the verge of UNO hockey season already? Holy crap!

Conference Breakdown
The Big XII is 28-4 with five teams in the top 17 (if you believe in Texas), and seven unbeatens. No other conference has more than four. Two of those losses are intra-conference already, which means a 26-2 non-conference. You can't argue with that. They are heading into conference season and the cream will rise, but the conference has at least two legit national championship contenders.

The SEC actually only has five teams in the Top 25 right now entering the meat of conference play. The SEC has some signature wins but also a couple of unfortunate losses. They are two-team top heavy, but really bad at the bottom. I wouldn't say its a down year because LSU and Alabama are in the conversation until December, but their bottom looks a lot like the bottom of the Big Ten.

The BigTen championship is this weekend. Pay no mind to whatever game in late December, unless its a rematch. The winner of the Wisconsin v. Nebraska match has the inside track to a conference crown. Illinois has been the story of the league so far, however. Allowing only 13 points a game and a win over Arizona State has given them some attention. Can they sustain? 

South Florida is carrying the flag for the Big East and is trying to earn eight wins for the sixth season in a row. Not bad for a "who's that" program before this streak. West Virginia stands in their way in the last game of the season, but look for the Bulls to keep charging forward. I don't think they are a Top 10 team but they may get there if they survive this upcoming stretch of four of their next five on the road.

Do I really have to talk about the Pac-12 the week? Stanford and Oregon are head and feathers above the rest and its not just Luck. Nice try making a name for yourself Washington and Arizona State. Oh and good pick up by adding Colorado. 

Predictions
Locks: 
1. West Virginia coming off an undressing against LSU will bounce back huge and run through Bowling Green like tissue paper. Maybe by 30. 
2.Northern Illinois over Central Michigan. The Chips may be in the Bottom 10 in football. In their last 10 quarters Central Michigan has been outscored 100-21. The only team NIU didn't score 40 on was Wisconsin.
3. Are the football god's really giving us Stanford at home against a reeling UCLA team? Thank you!
*4. Bonus over - Kansas and Texas Tech - I know a couple weeks ago I picked KU and the Georgia Tech over and that was too easy. Back to KU and Tech. Combined averaging 42.5 a game. Kansas allowing 40+ a game and Tech hasn't played anyone with any offense.
Upset Alerts: I was a week early on calling a Temple win over a BCS school. Huge win over Maryland. Nice job, boys.
1. Intra-state game for my first upset: Utah State to beat BYU. The Aggies hung tough with Auburn and BYU's QB looked lost at times against Central Florida. If USU jumps out early, hard for the Cougs to recover.
2. Watch out this week, Georgia Tech. You lost six games last year, one of them to North Carolina State. The Jackets travel this year.
3.Iowa State at home over Texas. Cyclones did it last year. Both teams are 3-0 and looking to make a statement. Paul Rhodes gets players jacked up for games like nobody else. The guy is genuine and you want to follow him to battle. A win may get them a ranking.

View from the HD: College Football V.2011 - Week 2

This week is why I love college football. Watching Iowa State celebrate like they had just won a national championship because they won a makeshift rivalry trophy that they later broke, the hype leading up to the Michigan-Notre Dame that proved to be the game of the year so far, the SEC battles we have become familiar with and week after week upset threat like we got with Toledo at Ohio State. Its more thrilling and dramatic than any Hollywood movie, and it's all relatively free from our own living room.
Now, down to the gritty. I began last week talking about my hate of preseason rankings. It's becoming clear they are useless. Without preseason rankings, teams like Notre Dame, TCU, Texas, Penn State, USC and Missouri would never have been given any relevance. And unlike the pollsters, I do rank on style points.
So my Top 10 looks like this:  
1. LSU - Best resume of top tier team so far. The significance of the Oregon win will be realized over the next few weeks as Oregon rolls its next few opponents.  
2. Alabama - Moves up this week after leaving Happy Valley, well, happy and proving SEC dominance.
3. Oklahoma - Didn't play this week, but could jump to No. 1 with a convincing win at Florida State
4. Boise State - Their toughest game is behind them. Their only task now is to not beat themselves.  
5. Wisconsin - Jumps three spots after a shutout win over Oregon State.  
6. Stanford - Struggled in the first half at Duke, but came back strong and won big.  
7. Texas A&M - Off this week along with many Big XII teams. Very tough road coming up that will test how good they really are.
8. Oklahoma State - Surprisingly impressive defensive performance against a dangerous QB for Arizona. Test of mettle with their next 4 of 5 on the road including A&M and Texas.  
9. South Carolina - They have been tested twice already which should pay dividends in the SEC. Don't overlook Navy this week, one of my must see games.  
10. Nebraska - The Huskers certainly didn't look like a Top 10 team in the first 40 minutes against Fresno State. And is it just me or does Taylor Martinez look like he is shot-putting every pass?  

Games of the week: Oklahoma @ Florida State- Big time national championship implications. Is Florida State for real? Navy @ South Carolina - Clash of styles and a third test for South Carolina. Don't be surprised if this is tight game also. Oklahoma State @ Tulsa - If you like the long ball, this will appeal. Justin Blackmon is the most impressive receiver in the game right now.  
Teams on Top 25 radar: Michigan, Northwestern, Houston, Maryland, UCF.  

Observing the Obvious
-There ought to be more night games in the Big House. Michigan vs. Notre Dame was by far the game of the year. One question. Did anyone tell either defense the game was not actually over in the last couple minutes?
-Nebraska better get its house in order. I don't know if they could beat Wisconsin, Michigan State or Michigan right now. They need Dennard back and quick to help relieve their secondary. They will still roll Washington but they must get better and fast.
- You all know by now I love ripping Notre Dame for their undeserved high regard in college football, but both the Domers and Georgia are much better than their 0-2 record. Unfortunately they have to win some of these swing games because the road for both gets no easier and they could each lose 5-6 games this year.  

Conference Breakdown
Its a real shame that the Big XII appears to be going the way of the Titanic, and coincidentally enough, exactly 100 years after the doomed vessel sank in 1912. Blame Texas, blame the commish, blame whoever or whatever, but its a shame that Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Texas A&M and an emerging Baylor team that could be such a power will no longer co-exist. The conference is 14-1 this season, by far the best in football so far.

The SEC went unbeaten in non-conference play, again flexing their muscle. They have began to beat up on each other in conference with South Carolina's edging of Georgia and Auburn clipping up-and-commer Mississippi State. Five of the six SEC West teams are in the ESPN Top 25. Read that again and try to wrap your head around that figure.
The Big 10 had kind of a tough week. Does anyone else wish Toledo would have beaten Ohio State?  Iowa falls in rivalry, the Huskers nearly get shucked, Minnesota loses to ... New Mexico State? They still play ball? The biggest winner on the week was Illinois, a 53-point spanking of South Dakota whoever. Another round of non-conference snoozers this week, except for Michigan State vs. Notre Dame. More on the ASU vs. Illinois game later.

The Big East is a battle for the best of the irrelevant. West Virginia, South Florida, Pitt, none of them really matter in the long run. Virginia Tech is my dark horse to get to the BCS title game. Their only competition in the ACC is Florida State and the Hokies won't play the Seminoles until the championship game. Its very similar to Boise State, where one game determines if they go unbeaten.

Among the unbeatens in the Pac-12 is Washington and Washington State. Never thought I would write that sentence. Not for long, Washington plays at Nebraska. But the others, USC, Wazzu, Cal and Stanford should still carry the week.

Houston owns the CUSA, Temple the fave in the MAC. We done now?  

Predictions watch for Oregon, Georgia and Baylor.  
Locks: Went 2-1 last week. Who thought Okie State knew how to even spell defense.
1. Nebraska covers Washington. I touched on it last week, but the Huskies have no pass threat and all Nebraska has to do is lock down the run game. And you know they are going to score 40.
2. Iowa covers Pitt. Iowa is at home and pissed. Pitt stinks. Line is 3. Lock it.
3. Northwestern covers Army. You'll glance over this one because its not a sexy game. But the Cats are Top 25 material.
*4. Bonus over - Kansas and Georgia Tech - Kansas is averaging 43 a game, the Jackets 56. Teams allowing average of nearly 30 a game.   
Upset Alerts: Not so hot last week. Central Michigan and Georgia were both outright winning and blew it. Michigan saved my bragging rights.
1. This is a bold one - Temple over Penn State. Temple is poised to make a national splash.
2. Illinois to beat Arizona State. ASU travels to a late game at the Illini and is coming off a high over Mizzou. Trap game.
3. Ohio State over Miami. Yes Miami is the favorite. Cop out? Perhaps. Pun intended, sorry Hurricane fan.

View from the HD: College Football V.2011 - Week 1

The heavens opened up and angels rejoiced on Thursday as the summer doldrums ended and life began anew with the kickoff of college football. I finally bought an HDTV for this reason.
Now, down to business. Top 10, Observations, Conference breakdowns and Week 2 predictions all found below.

Allow me to go on record as saying I hate preseason rankings. Ranking teams on last season's performance in anticipation and potential is fundamentally flawed logic. For example, without preseason polls, Notre Dame is Purdue. After last week, who honestly thinks the Domers are a Top 25 team? Forget nostalgia and lets call a 7-of spades a 7-of spades. Not a real powerful piece of the puzzle, but necessary to complete the deck.

Then again, when in Rome ... so here's what my Top 10 would look like.
1. LSU - Dominated a team that is nearly the same team that went to the title game last year.
2. Oklahoma - They are just flat out good.
3.  Boise St. - Hate on me if you want, but Boise has played "neutral site" games to open the last two seasons and won, this time against an SEC team.
4. Alabama - Second best in the the best conference
5. Stanford - Luck for Heisman!
6. Nebraska - If Taylor stays healthy, only Wisconsin can stop them.
7. Texas A&M - Defense is good, offense is better than expected so far.
8. Wisconsin - Could have hung 80 on UNLV. Defense a bit suspect against the tricky pistol.
9.  Oklahoma State - They are going to play a lot of 56-27 games, but they are going to win them.
10. Virginia Tech - Slaughtered to 1-AA darling Appalachian State. May rise to the top out of sheer attrition and a weak ACC.

What about Florida State? If they beat Oklahoma, I'll put them in the Top 5, until then, they are Notre Dame to me.

Teams on Top 25 radar: Baylor, Maryland, Northwestern, Iowa, Michigan, Houston.

Observing the Obvious

-My wife is among millions of women who do not embrace the start of football season. Count Mother Nature in with that group. Storms ravished the college scene this weekend causing two games to be shortened and a couple more to be delayed, with the Notre Dame game lasting an agonizing six hours. She's a vicious mistress ... Mother Nature, not my wife.

-Notre Dame is overrated. Seriously who do they pay to get ranked each year ? The Irish have been irrelevant for years.

-Poor Tulsa. Their September schedule is something no team would survive. Open with Oklahoma, at Tulane, then Oklahoma State and Boise State. Three Top 10s to start. Ouch. Good news is Conference USA is so weak they could still easily get bowl eligible.

-Boise State is no joke. They come better prepared out of the gate than any other team. Wins over Va Tech and Georgia in the last two opening weeks, both games held in the opponents back yard. Their resume in the last five years now includes a 61-5 record with two wins over Oregon and Oregon State, and wins over TCU, Va Tech, Georgia, Utah and Oklahoma. Time for respect.

- I know I'm jumping ahead a week, but Nebraska will lay waste to Washington for three reasons: 1.The Husker offense should have its legs by then. 2.Washington is nothing without Jake Locker and proved that by nearly losing to Eastern Washington. Their QB threw for just 102 yards. They did win the turnover battle 4-0 a bigger spread than the final score, but couldn't take advantage. 3.Revenge! It will be so sweet.

Conference Break Down

The Pac 12 is soft. There is no sugar coating. The only legit team is Stanford who will run away with the title. Oregon has lost to SEC teams back-to-back in their only shots to prove themselves. USC can't overcome itself and barely overcame a watered-down Minnesota team (pun intended), Washington barely beat Eastern Washington, Hawaii pounded Colorado (the WAC's only win on the week) and Oregon State lost to Sacramento State, who I didn't even know had a team.

The SEC is typically known as a defensive stalwart, but don't expect a ton of 20-10 games this year. The conference put up an average of over 40 points per game, and that includes two teams that put up less than 15 points. Three teams put up 50+.

Say what you want abut the much maligned Big XII, but the 10-team league escaped week one undefeated. That being said, this includes wins over overrated TCU, Eastern Kentucky, Northern Iowa and Miami-OH by a combined 17 points. The gap from top to bottom is immense, and Texas fits somewhere in the middle, despite their off-season entitlement complex.

The Big Ten started out the season strong going 10-2. The schedule however was weak. Northwestern (win) and Minnesota (loss) were the only two teams to play BCS-caliber opponents. Michigan State and Illinois were underwhelming and Indiana lost to Ball State. But the conference is top heavy and has two or three teams that have a shot at the BCS if they don't get in each other's way.

The other undefeated conference in week one was the Big East. The flagship win was South Florida at Notre Dame but few people think a true contender will arise this year. West Virginia should have no problem representing in the BCS this year.

Predictions - My favorite part of the blog
High Score for the week: Last week's winning team was Virginia Tech with 66.
This week's prediction: Wisconsin, at home against Oregon State. Florida State and Stanford also both candidates.
Locks:
1. Oklahoma State vs. Arizona over. Nick Foles will carve a defense already made of Swiss and the Cowboy offense is good for 45 points at minimum.
2. Wisconsin over Oregon State - and I don't care if the spread is 100.
3. Houston over North Texas. Keenum to Carrier is a Top 5 battery in college football.
Upset Alerts
1. Central Michigan over Kentucky. Scoring 14 points against a team that has won 4 games in three 1-A seasons? Not good enough Wildcats.
2. Georgia over South Carolina. Georgia got much better prep for week two than the Cocks did.
3. More - Michigan over ND, Utah over USC, Middle Tenn covers Georgia Tech.

Tim Tebow is Chuck Norris

Tim Tebow has barely played a handful of games in professional football and he's already both one of the most popular and most hated figures in sports. The fact that his jersey sales have slipped from No. 1 to No. 10 made top headline news on Yahoo.com. He is an enigma, a Tyler Derden of sorts ... looked on as a mythological level savior to some and a destructive waste of good intentions to others. I personally like the kid, but as Denver fan, I weep for his roster spot. This is insanity, and given that manic love/hate opinion every seems to have, I present a bi-polar Chuck Norris style breakdown of the good, the bad and the funny that is ... Tim Tebow.

Feel free to add your own in the comment section below.

For the supporters:

-Tim Tebow can physiologically give 110%
-Infinity was invented to describe Tim Tebow's AQ - Awesome Quotient.
-Tim Tebow can actually throw a football over a mountain.
-Jesus wears a WWTTD bracelet.
-Tim Tebow would give you the shirt off his back, even if he wasn't wearing one.
-Florida is considering renaming the mascot the Fightin Tebows.
-The Denver Broncos chose their colors because they knew Tebow looked good in orange and blue.
-Tim Tebow bleeds charisma, and Gatorade.
-Tim Tebow is so fast he can throw a 60-yard touchdown to himself.
-The Florida Gator media guide is now divided into eras ... BTT and ATT.
-George Clooney thinks Tim Tebow is sexy.
-Tim Tebow could correct ALL my grammatical errors.

For the haters:

-Tim Tebow has never seen the broad side of a barn ... neither have any of his passes.
-Michael Jordan taught Tim Tebow how to throw a football. Tebow taught Jordan how to hit a baseball.
-If Brady Quinn broke his shoe lace, Tim Tebow has a third string to give him.
-Tim Tebow has a fantasy football team, er should I say a fantasy of a career on a football team.
-Piers Morgan just X'd Tim Tebow.
-Tebow's Heisman trophy has a more fluid throwing motion.
-Tebow does have a future in Denver ... as an enforcer for the Avalanche.
-And you thought Matt Leinart peaked in college ...
-Eric Crouch will get more playing time on a professional football team this year.
-Tim Tebow has had so many concussions already that he has "50 First Dates" syndrome. He wakes up every day not remembering that he sucks.
-The only Target Tebow will hit is to pick up groceries.

Redemption tastes like ... hotdogs!

Screw Daniel Tosh and his Web Redemptions, I had the pleasure of realizing a real life one yesterday, courtesy of my current employer.

Some of you have heard the first part of this story, but for those who haven't, here goes.

I use to work for the Omaha Country Club in college. During my tenure, the club hired a new general manager, Luigi. None of us really like him. He ran the ship like Mussolini and with cutting precision. He was balding on the crown of his head, shorter stature and child bearing hips. He had a thick accent that was Italian to the core, and not the goomba Jersey Shore Italian, the Latin, somewhat French wanna-be Italian. He spoke with a smooth, condescendingly velvet dialect, smug without justification. And though he had to look up to most people, working with Luigi you always felt talked down to, which is a fantastic work environment, especially at a place like the Omaha Country Club, where you got enough of that attitude from the members.

As you can imagine all of this sat really well with a kid like me who had been in trouble for insubordination before even knowing what the word meant. One day Luigi was being overtly commanding and he kindly instructed me to bring him his lunch and some water. Being the smart mouth I was at that time, and my tolerance with this man boiling over, I looked at him and said "You know what Luigi, one of these days I'm going to be rich. And when I am, I'm going to come get a membership at this club, just so you have to serve me!"
He looked "down" at me with the most boorish tone and snapped, "I will never serve you."

Fast forward about a decade to last night. My employer created a fantastic family picnic event for all of its employees, complete with a barbeque-esque food spread, tons of kids activities, Hall of Fame major league baseball players, raffles, giveaways and tickets to the Home Run Derby. One of the many reasons I love my job, but I digress. The event was masterfully orchestrated by plan!tomaha, and went off without a hitch.

After getting my wife and kids loaded up with dinner I walked over to the food line again to get mine. When who should catch my eye, but my former boss, Luigi. Same reflective dome, same arrogant attitude, very very different attire. I'm sure he is a catering director or something for plan!tomaha, but the stained white polo and khakis likely overpriced for the occasion we're an ironic outfit from the double-breasted over-compensation power suits I was use to seeing him wear.

I'm sure that he didn't recognize me from my insignificance a decade ago and I bet he is still trying to figure out how the heck this stranger knew his name, but imagine my satisfaction when I exclaimed, "Hey Luigi, we're out of hotdogs!"

I got served.

Pryor Bailout More of a Cop Out

Let's first get this out of the way, the NCAA is fundamentally flawed. I'm not exactly breaking news here, but the Ohio State, USC, Auburn and Tennessee issues are a small bit of a much bigger problem of a machine that uses athletes as free marketing workhorses to generate millions of dollars for universities and the NCAA itself while handcuffing them and questioning every dime in the kid's pockets. Yes, I know that most athletes get a paid education, but if a Division II school like the one I attended can find a way to pay me $450 a month to be the Sports Editor, a position that I promise generated no revenue for the university, then there has to be a way to compensate athletes for their dedication, work and profitability. I'll get off that soapbox now and move on to the topic at hand.

Terrelle Pryor is leaving Ohio State. He's not going to stick it out. He's not going to see this adversity through. He's not going to try to bring glory back to his university and prove that he and he teammates can come out of this winners. He's not saying I'm going to take my lumps and stay loyal. He's running ... but to what exactly?

Sure he'll be available for the National Football Leagues supplemental draft, but who's making that phone call. Who is sticking their neck out to say we want a quitter and a habitual line crosser. We want a guy who throws his fellow athletes and coaches under the bus for a few bucks and a handful of nice cars. We want a guy who hasn't ever won a game that has really meant anything. Blasphemy, you say? Let's review.

Pryor was brought into Ohio State to win a national championship. Period. Three years later, Cam Newton has one, in one season with Auburn. Thing is, the 2010 was tailor made for the Buckeyes to win it all. Ohio State was supposed to win last year. Anything else has to be considered a failure.

After a Marshall stomping, they had to get by a then-ranked No. 12 Miami team that turned out to be a fraud, then danced their way through a bunch of Big Ten sugar plums before Wisconsin, the only decent team Ohio State would play last year, sent their title hopes packing. The two years prior (pun intended) Pryor couldn't over come USC, once getting outclassed, at home mind you, by a freshman, Matt Barkley.

But being outclassed should be familiar to Pryor at this point. What exactly does he bring to an NFL team? He's Tommie Frazier without the elusiveness. He's JaMarcus Russell without the arm strength. He's Vince Young without the big game mentality. He's Matt Leinart without the cool. He's Cam Newton without the ability to carry a team on his back (and the ring). He's  Ryan Leaf without the maturity.

Okay, that one was a joke, but the point is, what do all those college all-star quarterbacks have in common? None have made it in the NFL, and Pryor has less up side. What does he have to offer a team other than liabilities in talent, as well as character. Who gets a team in this much hot water, is largely responsible for backing a legendary coach into a corner, which led to him lying to defend Pryor, which got him fired (sorry, forced him to resign), and then says sayonara? I wouldn't ask Pryor to play for my flag football team, and we only won one game last year!

The worst tragedy in all of this is how the Pryor and his boys tore down decades of legacy of their head coach Jim Tressel. Maybe he wasn't the perfectly clean white linen cloth we thought he was, and sure, he could have handled the situation different. Tressel was backed into a corner by Pryor's minions and he did what he could to protect them. He fell on his own sword. However Pryor could not have cared, or at least had no forethought about that when he was exchanging ink for cash, in the various forms.

There is a certain sports radio host that thinks Pryor is a phenomenal prospect (JT the Brick from Fox Sports). I believe, however that its entirely possible that Terrell Pryor has played his last meaningful down of football. If Pryor doesn't bounce back to make something of himself as an athlete, history will not be kind to him. Nor does he deserve it to be kind. Nice career, sir. Well played.

Weasel Week, NCAA Style

Hail to the victors ... those weasel scum.

Yes, it's Michigan week for UNO hockey, the week that breeds more hate than holidays with the in-laws. And why do Maverick fans hate Michigan so much? Because they are good. Because they are cocky. Because they represent all that is powerful and supreme about college sports and they sure as hell let you know about it.

And we hate that at UNO, because we work for everything we get. Michigan is ego-driven, brie-eating, executive suite ticket holding, everything an evil empire boasts. Well, excess ain't rebellion.

As Mavericks, we don't have daddy pay our education, we don't get Mercedes' for graduation presents and we work our Midwestern asses off for everything we earn. It's high time UNO, fans and players alike, show them what exactly a Midwestern beating feels like. But be classy about it. As fans, we don't want to stoop to the M-level.

One thing UNO won't have deal with is the insanely rude student section that the weasels boast at Yost. It may be one of the loudest student sections in the nation, but it's also the most annoying. The kids' mouths are so full of toilet water that even Michigan Head Coach Red Berenson requested they tone it down before
he brought his grandson to a game.

After an opposing player's penalty is when it is the worst. Many fans in the country have a chant. "Skate, skate, skate ..." At UNO, the fans then yell "Sit down, hack!" Michigan students go on a
tirade of four-letter words I'd be embarrassed to spout in front of my fraternity brothers, let alone at a hockey game with 6,000 other people.

Speaking of toilets, a thread on Mavpuck.com, a Maverick hockey fan site, begged the question "Would you rather wear a Maize and Blue hockey sweater or clean all the toilets at the Qwest Center with your tongue?"

So now that we re-visit our old badger friends, er Wolverines of our former conference,we shall treat them like we did the Badgers. Relentless aggression. Pepper spray on the goalie. Kitchen sink in the back of the net, over and over. Wave after wave of talent, speed, power, skill, not to mention the national shutout leader in net. We've won the last three of four. We punked them in their own building and we've already beat the No. 1 team in the nation, twice. Think we're worried about you rodents? This is a brand new UNO. We are Mavericks. Get ready for the cowbell and unleash the fury!

What Would You Do if You Were Given $10,000 and You Could Not Spend A Dime of it on Yourself?

Being St. Patty's Day, a leprechaun comes up to you and gives you a gift. It's $10,000 worth of gold. However there is one stipulation. You cannot spend a dime of this money on yourself or anyone in your family. What would you do with it?
A question like this allows one to ponder life. This money can surely be donated to charity, you think, but $10,000 will only go so far, and there are so many good causes. How could you possibly decide.
For me, I know exactly what I would do. I would start paying back the generosities that were shown to me in my youth. I did things very backwards in the early years of my journey to finally become a man. I cashed a lot of checks that I didn't earn or deserve. I received many gifts from several of the closest people in my life and never once offered anything in return. I think now that I am older, given this opportunity, I would pay back those I am forever in debt to let them know how much their small gestures meant in me becoming the man, husband and father I am today.

Part I

I would start by giving $2,500 to Roger and Patricia Cherry for back rent for the months I spent on their couch, eating their food, and spending too long in their shower. Roger and Patricia knew my situation, but never asked questions. They opened their home to me without me ever asking. Not that I ever did ask, because I was always with their oldest son, and my best friend at the time, Jason. Never once did they ask me to leave, no matter how long I may have overstayed my welcome. Never once did they ask that I pay them for the food I was eating. Never once did I ever feel unwelcome. They treated me as if I was their own. They are truly two of the most genuine people I have ever met and Jason, Justin and Jinae are lucky to have them as parents.

One night at the Cherry's house, I felt in the mood to write. Everyone was asleep, and it was the middle of the night, and the inspiration struck me. I wrote six or seven pages of a story about a man in B.C. times named Prius. Of course I had fallen asleep and left the story on their kitchen table. When I woke up, Roger was at the table reading it. He was on page five or six when I wandered into the kitchen. He finished reading every word of that story and told me one day I was going to write the Great American Novel. To this day, he is the only other person to have read that story. And yes Roger, I still have it, and yes I have begun to write the Great American Novel. Well, about the first six of seven pages of about a dozen of them actually.

One Super Bowl Sunday, all four of us kids were home at the Cherry house, which with all the teenage running around was rare. Roger had just come home carrying treasure wrapped in butcher paper. Patricia was making red beans and rice, corn I think, and some other side things. Roger proudly announced he had gone to the store and bought everyone 2-inch thick cut T-bone steaks, one for everyone. Including me!
Now I have been around the world, eaten at some of the best unknown Italian restaurants in underground London. Had world class meals at Emerils and Binion's in Vegas. Been to some of the finest steak houses in Montana and Omaha. But I will tell anyone who asks "what's the best meal you've ever had" that the steak and rice I had at the Cherry's that Super Bowl Sunday remains the best meal I've ever had. Hell I missed the first half of the game just to finish it right there at their white-tiled kitchen table. If I were ever in a situation that I was given my choice for a last meal, my first call would be to them. That meal was about the food, yes, but it was so much more than that to me. I can't really explain it completely, but the fact that I remember it so vividly and detailed is evidence of the impact it made on me.

I am eternally grateful to them for everything, and this small thank you is long over due, and not nearly enough of a payback.These seemingly small things you did for me out of the kindness of your heart went farther than you can ever imagine in changing the direction of my life. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
And to Jason, who went on to become one of our most honorable men, serving in the Marine Corps ... My brother, some of my favorite nights were spent cruising in your Mustang and Cadillac jamming to 2-Pac and Chicago. Can you imagine, two college guys cruising the streets with Chicago blasting out of the windows, "If you leave me now, you'll take away the biggest part of me ... " Epic!
And to Justin and Jinae, thank your for sharing your home with me. Neither of you complained once and for the brutal honestly that youth brings, I appreciate you for that. Justin, you're a daddy now and you know with my three daughters, it's not a responsibility we take lightly. You're a good man. Jinae, you've grown to be strong and successful so far and I expect nothing less from you.
So thank you guys again. I know I could never fully repay you for everything, but I shall do my best to always pay it forward.

Part II coming shortly to pay more of my $10,000. In conjunction with this series, please visit the Random Acts of Kindness - Omaha Facebook page and tell us who you would like to thank and why.

UNO Dropping the Ball on Division-I Move

I spent a lot of my college career on Caniglia Field on the campus of the University of Nebraska at Omaha. I saw dozens of football games over five years there. I saw Adam Wright break the school single-game rushing record. I saw nearly a half dozen future professionals before they signed contracts. I saw Kenny and Taiwo Onatolu TKO their way through another season. Truly great memories and things I'll never forget.
Now ask me how many wrestling meets I attended. One. A Kaufman-Brand tournament because my staff writer and brother, Parker Adair made me go.

And now our alma mater has decided that they are going to drop these two programs so they can better align with the Division-I conference they are planning to join, and of course to save money. So why am I about to write an article begging the powers that be to keep the latter, and not the former?  To stay with a "niche" sport and not a campus stalwart like football?

Allow me to explain. A disclaimer before the meat. I don't know what sports at UNO, if any, make money. I don't know how much, in raw real numbers, each cost. I don't know the details of the deal Athletics Director Trev Alberts made with the Summit League, but the Mavericks future potential situation is not unprecedented by any means. They aren't going to play hockey in the Summit Conference, they certainly wouldn't have to wrestle there or play football there.

Nothing marked the beginning of football season better than the UNO football team playing that opening game on Thursday night against Nebraska-Kearney when nearly 10,000 people would attend. But outside of that game, on that night, UNO football could never and can never get out of the juggernaut shadow that is the Huskers. For the rest of the season they would struggle to get a couple thousand people on a Saturday afternoon to play Pittsburg State or whatever random school that was in the MIAA that we never got to know. The only other rival UNO had was Northwest Missouri State, but the problem with that was that rivalries need to go both ways, and the Bearcats owned the Mavericks. The support just isn't where it needs to be.

Football teams require about 100 players (give or take), dozens of scholarships, a insane travel budget, more intensive equipment needs (outside of maybe hockey) than any other sport, not to mention the Title IX nightmare it presents. And if the product isn't having success, isn't drawing fans, isn't making an impact or a difference, isn't a reason other students choose to attend a university, it becomes merely a drain on the school's finances. Sure everyone wants them to stay, but honestly it's not feasible for UNO, not right now, and especially not if the vision of the school is to go Division-I. Trust me when I say that if nobody cares about UNO playing Eastern Washington in D-II, they aren't going to care about playing Indiana State in I-AA. The only argument is that UNO could possibly profit from taking lashings from the Huskers, Hawkeyes, Jayhawks, whatever, but who wants to be "that guy" in college football. And its true that the new Summit League that UNO is rumored to join doesn't have football, but UNO could easily slide into the Missouri Valley Conference (Two former D-II foes of UNO, South Dakota State and North Dakota State now play football in the Mo Val and most other sports in the Summit). All that aside, I understand dropping football and am not really opposed to that move. Its very costly and likely not sustainable at this time.

Speaking of North Dakota State, they are an interesting case study in moving to D-I. They are what UNO should strive to be in all this. They did it without dropping any sports. The Bison play most of their sports in the Summit, but as mentioned before they play football in the Mo Val and wrestling in the Western Wrestling Conference. South Dakota State did the same. And the neither school has a Division-I hockey program to carry the rest of the department. And oh, by the way, the Bison made the NCAA March Madness Tournament in 2008.

 The Western Wrestling Conference features both NDSU, SDSU and another familiar face, Northern Colorado. Point is these "niche" sports don't always align comfortably with the flagship conference and for schools with wrestling and hockey and concessions have been made to accommodate.

Yet somehow Nebraska-Omaha can't figure out how to keep a team that has won six of the last eight national titles, including three in a row ... twice. They can't figure out how to keep a team that is the most prepared of all Maverick programs to make the jump. They can't figure out how to keep a team that hosts the Kaufman-Brand Open, the largest wrestling tournament in the country, which features dozens of teams including Division-I powers, over 700 wrestlers and attracts thousands of fans. They can't figure out a way to keep the kids that have brought UNO national success both on the mat and in the classroom. And they want to replace them with soccer and golf? Who's going to celebrate when UNO wins a Summit League soccer title?

If North Dakota State and South Dakota State can pull this off, why can't UNO? Wouldn't it be cool if UNO replaced Nebraska in the Big XII for wrestling? Think its a pipe dream? Look around the country. Tell me who won the Pac-10 wrestling title this year. I'll give you 10 guesses ...
Unless you said Boise State, you lose! Yes, Boise State wrestles, and apparently wins in the Pac-10. And no, they aren't in the Pac-10 for any other sport. Why not these boys, why not these Mavericks. Why not the Mavericks that have won your more than a handful of national championships. Why soccer? Golf? To align with a league that we aren't even in yet?

What has men's soccer done for you, UNO? What does it do for you as a fan? They will get to play Nebraska and Creighton on an even level. Sure, now tell me the last time those programs turned a profit, were self-sustaining. Neither is wrestling, you say. Great point, so why trade the history of one powerhouse that brings national recognition to your school for the unknown and impending mediocrity of another, if they are both going to operate in the red anyway.