RSS Feed
Twitter
08.06
sheva
This week in college football has not been about Texas A&M and Alabama truthfully. People were talking about it and sure, ESPN was at Kyle Field all week, Drake might be showing up tonight at Midnight Yell, it's a big game yet still not the top story. Sports Illustrated's Oklahoma State 'scandal' story and Yahoo! report on agents and SEC players dominated the headlines. Both of these stories are interesting, but not really eye-opening however Yahoo! showed how to cover a story such as this one.
While the layout of Yahoo! is tough to read, they source out all sorts of documents ranging from emails, text messages to Western Union transcripts providing the proof. In recent investigating sports reporting, people beg for more information and finally a group of writers and editors nailed it. As for Oklahoma State, there are no documents, no emails, no real concrete evidence and they have came out with four parts with one still to go next week But things seem to be falling in on Sports Illustrated.
It all starts actually with ESPN. Brent McMurphy is one of the best college football reporters and he happens to be an Oklahoma State alum. McMurphy dug up all sorts of information proving Faith Carter, arguably SI's best sources, may have fabricated some of the things he said to Thayer Evans, the reporter of the SI story. Why is it important to mention McMurphy being an Oklahoma State alum? Because he probably has much better sources there compared to other reporters in the sports media world. Even though they are a fan blog, Pistols Firing has done a great job with this all week and this outlines why everything could get real ugly, real quick. I feel like the criticism has gotten larger seeing what Yahoo! has done with all the different sources, documents, etc. Let's actually talk football now.
Grab Beers & Bros
1. Alabama at 6. Texas A&M 2:30 pm CBS - Oh baby. I cannot remember a September conference game with this much hype. It is weird the concerns I have for both Bama and A&M blend together pretty nicely. The Crimson Tide's offensive line is still completely fresh. They did not look good at all against Virginia Tech and I cannot get out of my head they only had 14 offensive points against the Hokies. Now for the Aggies, they cannot play defense. They gave up 25-plus points to both Rice and Sam Houston State, and now we are talking about Alabama. The Bama offense could look like revelation this week, but it could be a smoke and mirrors situation.
But is their a chance for a shootout? I say yes because I believe Johnny Manziel is a better player than he was last season. He threw for 400 yards last week. I do not care if it is against a FBS team, that for Manziel is impressive and I truly believe Kevin Sumlin will have a new scheme for him to combat Nick Saban getting ready for them. My heart wants to take the Aggies, but my head tells me to never bet against Alabama and Saban in a revenge game. Alabama in a squeaker and classic we all talking about Monday. BAMA 38-34
16. UCLA at 23. Nebraska 11:00 am ABC - I am so puzzled by this game. Everything tells me take UCLA to win this one. They have a great offense and the Cornhuskers have not figured out the recipe for Tom Osborne's special defense. I keep coming back to the intangibles like this is an 11 am start time for the West Coast kids meaning they are usually getting up to get ready for their game in Los Angeles. Additionally, Lincoln is a tough place to play for any team and they will want revenge from last year's drubbing by the Bruins. I really really hate myself for doing this but I am taking Nebraska. Goddammit. NEB 30-27
20. Wisconsin at Arizona State 9:30 pm ESPN - See my preview from earlier today on the game. I think this one should be a special one.
25. Ole Miss at Texas 7:00 pm Longhorn Network - I feature this game in our top section because Texas might be the most-watched team this weekend even if the game is on LHN. The reason is to see how Greg Robinson will run this defense. I feel like this was the worst time to fire Manny Diaz. Texas has Ole Miss coming in with Bo Wallace, Laquon Treadwell, Donte Moncrief and Jeff Scott, all talented offensive players in their own right. Sure, Diaz's defense looked as bad as spoiled milk on a hot day, but bringing in a new defensive coordinator to face a high-powered SEC offense does not sound like a great idea. I like the Rebels on the road. It will be shootout with a ton of points, but I really like this Ole Miss team. OLE MISS 41-35
3.) Ohio State at California 6:00 pm FOX - Oh boy. When I saw this on the schedule, I thought the Buckeyes might be in for a challenge and I still think they will have their hands full. Berkeley should be at full tilt and Northwestern struggled with the 'Bear Raid' even if the Wildcats won the football game. Now, Ohio State has better athletes than Northwestern, but this is still an offense that is not used in the B1G. Braxton Miller is day-to-day and might not play in this one. That would be a concern, but the Buckeyes have Kenny Guiton, a guy I think could be the next Matt Cassel in terms of not playing much in college, but be a pro quarterback. Jared Goff is a freshman quarterback, and I cannot see him putting the Bears over the top against Ohio State. Buckeyes by a field goal. OSU 31-28
Channel Flip Worthy
Vanderbilt at 13. South Carolina 6:00 pm ESPN - South Carolina heads back to Columbia after losing their first one in Athens while Vandy tries not to go 0-2 to begin the SEC season. The Dores bounced back last week by munching on a cupcake known as Austin Peay. If Vanderbilt wants to win this game, they need to control the ball and let Jordan Matthews work as much as he can. But I cannot trust an inexperienced quarterback to come into Columbia and win the game. I like the Cocks in a close game. SCAR 23-17
21. Notre Dame at Purdue 7:00 pm ABC - The Irish are trying to get back to the drawing board after losing to Michigan. Purdue does not get many night games given their current football culture, and they will be fired up for this one. Although Purdue needs to find a way to get some points and that is going to be hard on this Notre Dame defense. For reference, the Boilermakers only beat Indiana State by six points on Saturday scoring 20 points while their rival Indiana put 70 on the Sycamores the prior week. That's not good especially playing a team like the Irish. I feel Notre Dame comes up big in this one. ND 31-6
Tennessee at 2. Oregon 2:30 pm ABC - I do not know if enough was made of the Ducks heading to Charlottesville and beating the complete shit out of Virginia. They now have Tennessee who has won their first two games of the year. They are without Maurice Couch after the Yahoo! allegations, but the Vols have ran the ball well with Rajion Neal and Marlin Lane. Oregon picked up where Chip Kelly left them. Marcus Mariotta is off to a great start and once again, not many are talking about him. De'Anthony Thomas is becoming more a threat in the rushing game and their defense is doing fine yet unproven. I think the Vols could hang with this team for a half, but that's about it. Mariotta and Thomas are too much. ORE 42-16
Nevada at 10. Florida State 2:30 pm ESPN - Best part of this game? No, not Jameis Winston. It is Brock Hekking who has a GLORIOUS mullet. Like this is what we mean when we are talking about a mullet. This needs to be worn by at least one defensive lineman or linebacker with every FCS team. A mullet can only take you so far, the Noles and Winston will roll. FSU 39-21
Upset Special
Oregon State at Utah 9:00 pm FOX Sports 1 - This is something new from last year. I am going to just pick a Top 25 upset for the hell of it. If I believe no Top 25 team will lose in what I would deem an upset, I will find another game that smells like an upset. I present you with this one. Utah is off to a good start with two wins, but one of those is against Weber State. I realize Oregon State lost to Eastern Washington but they were preseason ranked with a ton of talent. They are also very good as road underdogs in the past couple of years. Give me the Beavers on the road. OSU 34-29
A palate cleanser for your Netlix binge watch
7. Louisville at Kentucky 11:00 am ESPN - This is a basketball rivalry, but people are both schools want this to be a football rivalry as well. It might become a bigger rivalry in a couple years when Kentucky starts assembling the four-star talent they have been getting in recruiting recently. But right now, Louisville is clearly the better team. Look for another big Teddy Bridgewater game. LOU 45-17
Tulsa at 14. Oklahoma 11:00 am ESPN2 - I am not sold on the Sooners yet. They put up 16 points on an inept West Virginia defense and Blake Bell is back in the saddle at quarterback, a man who does not throw the football much at all. For this career, he has thrown 26 passes in two years and some change. Oklahoma needs to be more run-orientated with Bell behind center. I will take Oklahoma in one that looks like a blowout but it is not. OK 27-10
19. Washington at Illinois (Played at Soldier Field) 5:00 pm Big Ten Network - Somehow Illinois is 2-0, they win another game, they are three away from being bowl eligible. Washington had a week off against being Boise so they have had a week to prepare for the Fightin' Illini. I feel like Illinois comes down to earth this week; Bishop Sankey has a big game. WASH 34-21
5. Stanford at Army 11:00 am CBS Sports Network - Could this be an upset in the making? Probably not, but it is still commendable to see Stanford head to West Point for a game. My assumption is they are doing it for recruiting purposes. I will take the Goofy Tree
Sleep off your hangover
Kent State at 8. LSU 6:00 pm ESPNU - LSU 52-14
Akron at 11. Michigan 11:00 am Big Ten Network - MICH 49-6
Lamar at 12. Oklahoma State 6:30 pm No TV - OK State 63-10
Western Michigan at 17. Northwestern 8:00 pm Big Ten Network - NW 55-7
While the layout of Yahoo! is tough to read, they source out all sorts of documents ranging from emails, text messages to Western Union transcripts providing the proof. In recent investigating sports reporting, people beg for more information and finally a group of writers and editors nailed it. As for Oklahoma State, there are no documents, no emails, no real concrete evidence and they have came out with four parts with one still to go next week But things seem to be falling in on Sports Illustrated.
It all starts actually with ESPN. Brent McMurphy is one of the best college football reporters and he happens to be an Oklahoma State alum. McMurphy dug up all sorts of information proving Faith Carter, arguably SI's best sources, may have fabricated some of the things he said to Thayer Evans, the reporter of the SI story. Why is it important to mention McMurphy being an Oklahoma State alum? Because he probably has much better sources there compared to other reporters in the sports media world. Even though they are a fan blog, Pistols Firing has done a great job with this all week and this outlines why everything could get real ugly, real quick. I feel like the criticism has gotten larger seeing what Yahoo! has done with all the different sources, documents, etc. Let's actually talk football now.
Grab Beers & Bros
1. Alabama at 6. Texas A&M 2:30 pm CBS - Oh baby. I cannot remember a September conference game with this much hype. It is weird the concerns I have for both Bama and A&M blend together pretty nicely. The Crimson Tide's offensive line is still completely fresh. They did not look good at all against Virginia Tech and I cannot get out of my head they only had 14 offensive points against the Hokies. Now for the Aggies, they cannot play defense. They gave up 25-plus points to both Rice and Sam Houston State, and now we are talking about Alabama. The Bama offense could look like revelation this week, but it could be a smoke and mirrors situation.But is their a chance for a shootout? I say yes because I believe Johnny Manziel is a better player than he was last season. He threw for 400 yards last week. I do not care if it is against a FBS team, that for Manziel is impressive and I truly believe Kevin Sumlin will have a new scheme for him to combat Nick Saban getting ready for them. My heart wants to take the Aggies, but my head tells me to never bet against Alabama and Saban in a revenge game. Alabama in a squeaker and classic we all talking about Monday. BAMA 38-34
16. UCLA at 23. Nebraska 11:00 am ABC - I am so puzzled by this game. Everything tells me take UCLA to win this one. They have a great offense and the Cornhuskers have not figured out the recipe for Tom Osborne's special defense. I keep coming back to the intangibles like this is an 11 am start time for the West Coast kids meaning they are usually getting up to get ready for their game in Los Angeles. Additionally, Lincoln is a tough place to play for any team and they will want revenge from last year's drubbing by the Bruins. I really really hate myself for doing this but I am taking Nebraska. Goddammit. NEB 30-27
20. Wisconsin at Arizona State 9:30 pm ESPN - See my preview from earlier today on the game. I think this one should be a special one.
25. Ole Miss at Texas 7:00 pm Longhorn Network - I feature this game in our top section because Texas might be the most-watched team this weekend even if the game is on LHN. The reason is to see how Greg Robinson will run this defense. I feel like this was the worst time to fire Manny Diaz. Texas has Ole Miss coming in with Bo Wallace, Laquon Treadwell, Donte Moncrief and Jeff Scott, all talented offensive players in their own right. Sure, Diaz's defense looked as bad as spoiled milk on a hot day, but bringing in a new defensive coordinator to face a high-powered SEC offense does not sound like a great idea. I like the Rebels on the road. It will be shootout with a ton of points, but I really like this Ole Miss team. OLE MISS 41-35
3.) Ohio State at California 6:00 pm FOX - Oh boy. When I saw this on the schedule, I thought the Buckeyes might be in for a challenge and I still think they will have their hands full. Berkeley should be at full tilt and Northwestern struggled with the 'Bear Raid' even if the Wildcats won the football game. Now, Ohio State has better athletes than Northwestern, but this is still an offense that is not used in the B1G. Braxton Miller is day-to-day and might not play in this one. That would be a concern, but the Buckeyes have Kenny Guiton, a guy I think could be the next Matt Cassel in terms of not playing much in college, but be a pro quarterback. Jared Goff is a freshman quarterback, and I cannot see him putting the Bears over the top against Ohio State. Buckeyes by a field goal. OSU 31-28
Channel Flip Worthy
Vanderbilt at 13. South Carolina 6:00 pm ESPN - South Carolina heads back to Columbia after losing their first one in Athens while Vandy tries not to go 0-2 to begin the SEC season. The Dores bounced back last week by munching on a cupcake known as Austin Peay. If Vanderbilt wants to win this game, they need to control the ball and let Jordan Matthews work as much as he can. But I cannot trust an inexperienced quarterback to come into Columbia and win the game. I like the Cocks in a close game. SCAR 23-17
21. Notre Dame at Purdue 7:00 pm ABC - The Irish are trying to get back to the drawing board after losing to Michigan. Purdue does not get many night games given their current football culture, and they will be fired up for this one. Although Purdue needs to find a way to get some points and that is going to be hard on this Notre Dame defense. For reference, the Boilermakers only beat Indiana State by six points on Saturday scoring 20 points while their rival Indiana put 70 on the Sycamores the prior week. That's not good especially playing a team like the Irish. I feel Notre Dame comes up big in this one. ND 31-6
Tennessee at 2. Oregon 2:30 pm ABC - I do not know if enough was made of the Ducks heading to Charlottesville and beating the complete shit out of Virginia. They now have Tennessee who has won their first two games of the year. They are without Maurice Couch after the Yahoo! allegations, but the Vols have ran the ball well with Rajion Neal and Marlin Lane. Oregon picked up where Chip Kelly left them. Marcus Mariotta is off to a great start and once again, not many are talking about him. De'Anthony Thomas is becoming more a threat in the rushing game and their defense is doing fine yet unproven. I think the Vols could hang with this team for a half, but that's about it. Mariotta and Thomas are too much. ORE 42-16
Nevada at 10. Florida State 2:30 pm ESPN - Best part of this game? No, not Jameis Winston. It is Brock Hekking who has a GLORIOUS mullet. Like this is what we mean when we are talking about a mullet. This needs to be worn by at least one defensive lineman or linebacker with every FCS team. A mullet can only take you so far, the Noles and Winston will roll. FSU 39-21
Upset Special
Oregon State at Utah 9:00 pm FOX Sports 1 - This is something new from last year. I am going to just pick a Top 25 upset for the hell of it. If I believe no Top 25 team will lose in what I would deem an upset, I will find another game that smells like an upset. I present you with this one. Utah is off to a good start with two wins, but one of those is against Weber State. I realize Oregon State lost to Eastern Washington but they were preseason ranked with a ton of talent. They are also very good as road underdogs in the past couple of years. Give me the Beavers on the road. OSU 34-29
A palate cleanser for your Netlix binge watch
7. Louisville at Kentucky 11:00 am ESPN - This is a basketball rivalry, but people are both schools want this to be a football rivalry as well. It might become a bigger rivalry in a couple years when Kentucky starts assembling the four-star talent they have been getting in recruiting recently. But right now, Louisville is clearly the better team. Look for another big Teddy Bridgewater game. LOU 45-17
Tulsa at 14. Oklahoma 11:00 am ESPN2 - I am not sold on the Sooners yet. They put up 16 points on an inept West Virginia defense and Blake Bell is back in the saddle at quarterback, a man who does not throw the football much at all. For this career, he has thrown 26 passes in two years and some change. Oklahoma needs to be more run-orientated with Bell behind center. I will take Oklahoma in one that looks like a blowout but it is not. OK 27-10
19. Washington at Illinois (Played at Soldier Field) 5:00 pm Big Ten Network - Somehow Illinois is 2-0, they win another game, they are three away from being bowl eligible. Washington had a week off against being Boise so they have had a week to prepare for the Fightin' Illini. I feel like Illinois comes down to earth this week; Bishop Sankey has a big game. WASH 34-21
5. Stanford at Army 11:00 am CBS Sports Network - Could this be an upset in the making? Probably not, but it is still commendable to see Stanford head to West Point for a game. My assumption is they are doing it for recruiting purposes. I will take the Goofy Tree
Sleep off your hangover
Kent State at 8. LSU 6:00 pm ESPNU - LSU 52-14
Akron at 11. Michigan 11:00 am Big Ten Network - MICH 49-6
Lamar at 12. Oklahoma State 6:30 pm No TV - OK State 63-10
Western Michigan at 17. Northwestern 8:00 pm Big Ten Network - NW 55-7
Posted in 
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar