Tap's Thursday Night Picks

NFL 

Kansas City (2-0) at Philadelphia (1-1) 7:25 pm NFL Network - The first time playing against a former coach is always a little bit strange especially when the coach had been there for a long time with the team. For the Philadelphia Eagles and their fans, they will see Andy Reid in a new color coaching from the opposite sidelines as Kansas City takes on Philadelphia in a great Thursday night matchup.

As a Packer fan, I only have dealt with this with one coach, Mike Holmgren. Things did not end on great terms with him as some people felt Holmgren was a foot out the door in 1998 when the Pack fell to San Francisco. In 1999, the schedule gods blessed them with a Seattle-Green Bay matchup in Holmgren's first year. This became a Monday Night Football game only to see the Packers lose by 20 at home with their new coach, Ray Rhodes.  Although the Packers got the last laugh with winning five of the last six games against Holmgren including two playoff wins. 

Kansas City and Philadelphia will not be meeting very often unless they will face off in multiple Super Bowls against each other. The game itself should be a fun one. Alex Smith looks good thus far in the Reid system, and I know he will try to drive his point across with him tonight. The Chiefs defense gets slept on. They did last year even as a 2-14 squad and it will be fascinating to watch Tamba Hali, Justin Houston and others against Chip Kelly's system. The same cannot be said for the Philly defense. They look troublesome right now and I cannot ride with Kelly's bunch until the defense can improve. Reid like his old coach Holmgren wins his homecoming. Kansas City 35-27 

College Football 

3. Clemson at NC State 6:30 pm ESPN - The Tigers play their first real competition since their first game against Georgia. Once again, it is on the road, but I have no seen anything from the Wolfpack to make me think they can beat Tajh Boyd and the boys.  Clemson will roll. CLEM 45-20  

Charlie. 

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Tap's College Football Try Week 1

I am trying to gear Sports News on Tap as a one-spot shop for literally everything Wisconsin and nationally-related meaning we had to up our coverage on some things. We already took some steps forward, and I believe this will be another one.  There will be college football games where we have recaps (Michigan-Notre Dame, probably), but every week we will definitely have a dump of thoughts about the college football weekend. They will be out every Monday and hopefully in the morning. It is on Tuesday and being posted in the afternoon because I overslept for the first time in about a year.

Johnny Football pissed everyone off and I loved it -  There are so many HOT TAKES about Johnny Manziel after he went full WWE heel in the second half of the game. It felt like Jim Ross on the mic going 'MY GAWD, IT'S JOHNNY FOOTBALL!'  He literally threw IDGAF's all over the place from showing the scoreboard to faking signing an autograph to making the 'Show me the money' sign after scoring a touchdown.  Every old man is absolutely furious at him. There is a clear generation gap growing with young players in sports and people whom cover it.  Think about all the shit Yasiel Puig, Bryce Harper has taken in the last couple years/months and now Manziel is getting the extreme version of it. He is the most talked about athlete in sports and I hope he beats Alabama and gives the crowd the Stone Cold salute. I love him like people loved Tim Tebow.

Clemson... Maybe this is the year? - The Tigers looked prettay prettay good. They played well against Georgia beating their second straight SEC team. Tajh Boyd played excellent having 270 passing yards and 42 rushing yards with five total touchdowns. He looked great and a player whom can carry the Tigers to the promise land. I am not ready to anoint them the National Champion, but I do believe they might be able to actually finally break through and not pull a 'Clemson.'  Side note, I love that Boyd to Dabo Sweeney know what 'pulling a Clemson' means and honestly, I can relate because I probably 'pull a Clemson' once a weekend.  

Jameis Winston should put fear in ACC opponents eyes - While Clemson looked great, Florida State made a statement too setting up for possibly one of the biggest games of the year in mid-October when the Noles take on the Tigers. Jameis Winston had his first game as a redshirt freshman in a night game at Pittsburgh. This is not the toughest place to play, but at the same time, what Winston did is far more impressive than many players this weekend. He finished the game with completing 25 of 27 passes with 356 yards and four touchdowns. Did people overreact about Winston on Twitter last night? Probably, but the game was literally the only thing on television leading people to romanticize about Jameis.  

FCS ain't coming just for a pay check - College football schedules usually feature some cupcakes here and there. For example, the Wisconsin Badgers are playing Tennessee Tech on Saturday and clearly, it is for Tech to get some major money plus Wisconsin gets the majority of the revenue.  Now some of these teams play tougher opponents and they made them pay over the weekend. North Dakota State and Eastern Washington are two of the best FCS teams in the country and knocked off two of the better programs lately, Kansas State and Oregon State. Towson and McNeese State also won games this weekend while Southern Illinois and William & Mary gave their opponents games to the very end.  Really impressive weekend for the FCS meaning the separation between the two is not that great.

Temper your excitement Badger fans - Wisconsin had a great debut as they beat UMass, 45-0, getting the shutout and covering the spread of 44.5 points (Vegas is always impressive).  James White, Melvin Gordon and Corey Clement all rushed for over 100 yards with the team having 393 total yards of rushing. The Badgers averaged 8.9 yards a carry. All of these numbers are great, but we need to remember UMass has barely been in the FCS with the Badgers having a great size advantage over them up front. Although I will say this, the way their offensive linemen were pulling was impressive.  The jury is still out until Arizona State on September 14th.

SnoTap Upsets - Nailed it: Washington Blew it: Mississippi State - I called my shots for two upsets. I am 1-1 as Mississippi State took a giant dump comparable to this woman in Boston over the Labor Day weekend as they only had three points against OKLAHOMA STATE from the Big 12. I could sense Boise State was overrated plus Washington playing their first home game in their upgraded digs, but I did not expect a 32 point win from the Milwaukee Bucks in college football. Impressive start for Washington.

 I am in love with Vodka Sam - Pretty mad she deleted her Twitter account, but Vodka Samm became an overnight celebrity as she had over 12,000 Twitter followers by Monday. She wandered onto the field at Kinnick Stadium blowing a .341. She clearly enjoys boozing just like the normal college kid (Yes .341 is not normal, but many people in college have been there.) and she likes to brag about it on social media.  As being the number one party school, that is an impressive way to make your presence felt. If you do not believe the folks in Iowa City know how to party, I tell my story in our last podcast about my time in Iowa City about 10 minutes in.

 Ronnie Lott and chairs do not mix. - By far, the funniest thing to happen in college football was Ronnie Lott talking at the end of the Pac-12 Network games and falling out of his chair. If the GIF of it does not make you laugh, I do not know if we can be friends.  Here's the video if you want that too.

The story of Michigan State and their unknown quarterbacks - The Michigan State Spartans beat Western Michigan, 26-13, with them getting their two touchdowns by returning a fumble and interception. Once again, their quarterbacks are a complete dumpster fire. Andrew Maxwell and Connor Cook completed only 17 combined passes out of 37 for an average of 3.1 and 116 passing yards. Thankfully for these players, they had a defense because the Spartans would have lost this football game. They play South Florida next week who lost to McNeese State, but right now, Sparty's quarterback play is so damn bad that you just never know.

Somehow Alabama had a lackluster 25 point win. - Let me explain this one because it is true. Virginia Tech's defense for the most part played really well especially their defensive line. Alabama's offensive line clearly showed some immaturity which should be expected losing three starters from last year's team. The Crimson Tide had two touchdowns on special teams with Christian Jones being an absolute beast out there, and they had a defensive touchdown as well. This means the offense beat the Hokies, 14-10. I do not know if we underestimated the Tide, but I do think this team will need a couple games to round into form.

I need a name for this so if you have one, send it along to my Twitter account or shoot me an email, snotap12@gmail.com

Charlie.

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SnoTap College Football Picks Week 1 - Don't Clown Clowney

You really could not have scripted a better first night for college football. It featured multiple exciting games with the instant classic between Ole Miss and Vanderbilt,  the shootout overtime thriller in The Valley between Rutgers and Fresno State and Utah holding on to beat Utah State in a rivalry game. South Carolina also beat North Carolina into submission, but no one seemed to care about the win. Rather, they focused on the poor performance from Jadeveon Clowney.

Other than Johnny Manziel, he has the biggest microscope on him for the 2013 season. People expect Clowney to put up absurd numbers every week he goes out there.  He struggled last night and there were a couple reasons why...

1.) Clowney admitted to having a stomach bug and playing in 90+ degree heat with the bubble guts is pretty damn hard plus this explains some of the conditioning issues that people loved to point out last night. I ran outside in 90 degree heat today with humidity and thought I might die by the end of it. I cannot imagine what Clowney was feeling like on Thursday.

2.) Something that needs to be flushed out quick is teams are going to not run plays to Clowney. North Carolina played a quick, up-tempo offense that features more screens, hitches and other short passes making sure Clowney did not get enough time to attack the quarterback. They will not be the only team to do it this year.

It is a lot harder to manage expectations when dealing with a lineman versus a running back. Even if Clowney has three tackles, he basically made the Tar Heels change parts of their offense because he is that much of a distraction off the edge. That's a win to me, and oh by the way, South Carolina looked scary without him playing at 100 percent.... Terrifying for the rest of the SEC and the nation.

Grab Beers & Bros (For those unfamiliar, these are what I deem marquee games that everyone should watch start to finish) 

5. Georgia at 8. Clemson 7 pm ABC - OH BABY. I love everything about this game. I am fans of both teams, I am a fan of actually playing at a college atmosphere and it is going to be great to hear Brett Musberger... 'YOU'RE LOOKING LIVE FROM DEATH VALLEY.'  As for the game, expect a ton of offense as Georgia does not bring back much on their defense and Clemson is an average one at best especially going against Georgia's offense.  I expect an absolute classic, and when it comes down to it, I am going to take the home team as Tajh Boyd leads a last-second drive for the win in a classic.  CLEM 45-41

12. LSU vs. 20. TCU (Played in Dallas) 8 pm ESPN - Another real fun game this weekend as the coaches have been trading barbs at each other for the last month, it makes you think this should be an annual rivalry. TCU has not revealed what they are doing with their quarterbacks so expect to see both Casey Pachall and Trevone Boykin. LSU has a young defense that will need to learn quick facing off against the Horned Frogs as they only return four starters from last year's team. Their offense led by Zach Mettenberger will be fine though.  I really want to pick against the Tigers, but I cannot see the SEC falling flat on their fact twice in the first week. LSU 20-17

Channel Flip Worthy (Basically, the second-tier of games worth paying attention to on Saturday)
1. Alabama vs. Virginia Tech (Played in Atlanta) 4:30 pm ESPN - When Frank Beamer came out and said this week that 'Alabama is the best team they will ever play', it says something to me.  A.) Bama might be better than expected if that's possible.  B.) It is a built-in excuse in case the Hokies catch the #BEATEMDOWN. I want a good game here, but I am fully expecting we will get a close first half with Bama slowly but surely pulling away.  BAMA 34-16

Rice at 7. Texas A&M 12 pm ESPN - This game is only worth watching when Johnny Manziel is set to make his season debut in the second half after the NCAA slapped his wrist for the autograph scandal. If Kyle Field does not play 'Hate Me Now' or 'Haterz Everywhere', I have lost faith in America.  The Aggies will roll.  TAMU 48-14

22. Northwestern at California 9:30 pm ESPN2 - Fun game to watch at the bars and socialize with no one. This is a big game for the Wildcats. They can set the tone for the season and show they are the real deal if they can go out west and beat Cal in Week One. California is starting a true freshman Jared Goff at quarterback and I cannot see him being able to handle the Cats in the first week of the season. If he does, watch out Ohio State. This one is still close. NW 30-24

11. Florida State at Pittsburgh 7 pm ESPN (Monday) - The first game for the Panthers in the ACC and they do not start easy hosting Florida State. Jameis Winston will get put on the main stage to start his career as Florida State's quarterback and his bandwagon could get full by the end of the first game. I like Paul Chryst but I cannot see any sort of upset here. FSU 42-24

Upset Special (Self Explanatory) 
Mississippi State vs. 13. Oklahoma State (Played in Houston) 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN2 - This one feels like I am stealing money. People do not give the Bulldogs much credit but Dan Mullen has done an impressive job with this team. Tyler Russell and LaDarius Perkins are back making a lethal QB/RB combo and Oklahoma State still does not know who their quarterback is plus not bringing many starters back. I feel like the Pokes are last year's Michigan State getting hype from a good season last year.  MSU 31-26

18. Boise State at Washington 9 pm FOX Sports 1 - I am curious as to why people think Boise State will be good again this year. They only bring back nine starters in total although one of them is Joe Southwick at quarterback. They head to Seattle where the Huskies will be opening a new stadium and all Washington has heard this offseason is how they disappointed in the last couple of years. They get off on the right foot this weekend. WASH 24-17

A palate cleanser for your Netlix binge watch (The games that might not be great, but if you need a break from other stuff, here you go) 

Temple at 14. Notre Dame 2:30 pm NBC - The Irish should not have any issues with Temple, but this game is worth watching to see Tommy Rees leading the team again. I predict a couple defensive touchdowns for the Irish as well. ND 52-10

Wyoming at 18. Nebraska 7 pm Big Ten Network - The Cowboys tend to play the big boys tough and they get Brett Smith back from injury, but when it's all said and done, Taylor Martinez will be too much for the Cowboys defense.  NEB 35-20

Nevada at 21. UCLA 9 pm Pac-12 Network - After Chris Ault retired, it will be interesting to see Brian Polian and how he runs the team against a tough UCLA team. Brett Hundley will pass and run wild on one of the poorer defenses in the nation.  UCLA 55-28

Ohio at 9.) Louisville 2:30 pm ESPN (Sunday) - Some people believe Ohio can pull the upset and I cannot see it whatsoever. I mean they are a good team, but they do not have Teddy Bridgewater. LOU 31-14

LA-Monroe at 16. Oklahoma 6 pm - This one is not on television, but Bruce Feldman's article about Louisiana-Monroe wanting to be 'the Gonzaga of college football', makes me think this game will be much closer than people believe it will be on Saturday.  Sooners in a tight one. OKLA 38-34

Sleep off your hangover (Self explanatory, stay safe Tappers) 
Buffalo at 2. Ohio State 11 am ESPN2 - OSU 45-10
Nicholls State at 3. Oregon 3 pm FOX Sports 1 - ORE 63-7
Toledo at 10. Florida 11:21 am ESPN3 - UF 41-6
New Mexico State at 15. Texas 7 pm LHN Network - UT 55-14
Central Michigan at 17. Michigan 2:30 pm Big Ten Network - MICH 30-10
UMass at 23. Wisconsin 11 am Big Ten Network - UW 38-13
Eastern Washington at 25. Oregon State 5 pm Pac-12 Network - OSU 34-17

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SnoTap College Football Preview: ACC Atlantic

Finally, the college football previews are beginning on SnoTap. We are trying something new looking at divisions/conferences as a whole versus breaking down every team. We look at the power six conferences, Notre Dame and independents and mid-majors. 

The Atlantic Coast Conference has not been represented in the National Championship game since 2000. While teams in their same region but different conferences have ultimate dominance in the sport, the ACC struggled to find footing with the powerhouses. This might be the first time in a long time where the ACC has three National Champion contenders, and it should not come as a surprise if we see one of those teams playing for the crystal ball.

The ACC Atlantic is first up in the SnoTap college football preview. It is a division filled with highlight reel players and intrigue on the height of some of the team's ceilings.

FIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH
QB Jameis Winston (Florida State) - One of the best freshmen (Redshirt but still) in the game right now. He has an absolute cannon for an arm as he displayed during the College World Series and all the tools to be a great player for Florida State. He also seems to have a way with words and people might get on his bandwagon quick. Helping Winston's transition into being a starter will be his very talented offensive line with Bryan Stork, Tre' Jackson and Josue Matias being one of the best inside trios in college football.


WR Sammy Watkins (Clemson) - If you believe in sophomore slumps, look no further than the wide receiver out of Clemson. Watkins missed three games and could not follow up his huge freshman campaign with another big year.  He only had four total touchdowns and two games with over 100 yards of receiving and Clemson still won 11 games. Imagine if Watkins can duplicate the 2011 season, Clemson becomes instantly a better team and a true threat to make it to the big game. Also with him healthy again, I expect him to be more part of the rushing game.

WR Stefon Diggs (Maryland) - I cannot blame if you do not know who Mr. Diggs is because Maryland was not a good football team last year. Diggs dealt with having the scout team linebacker throw him passes at one point of the season and he still had nearly 1,900 all-purpose yards on the year, second-highest for a freshman in school's history. Diggs is one of the most dynamic playmakers in college football that no one really seems to talk about.  Unlike Watkins, Diggs will have a huge second year with the Terrapins and actually make them look like a competent football team again.

CB LaMarcus Joyner (Florida State - One of the best playmakers on the defensive side of the ball. He is only 5'8 but he plays like a big corner out there. Joyner also makes up for his lack of height with blazing fast speed. If he jumps a route, there is a good chance Joyner will be seeing the endzone after picking it off. Terrence Brooks and him form an excellent duo in Florida State's secondary and with many teams passing the football more, the Seminoles should not have a problem stopping the pass.

QB Tajh Boyd (Clemson) - I would be remiss if I did not mention of my favorites in college football. Boyd is one of the favorites to win all of the awards come December. He progressed greatly as a quarterback under offensive coordinator Chad Morris and Boyd is poised to have another huge year. One thing to watch with Boyd is how he will do without having Andre Ellington in the backfield. While Clemson is pass-first, Ellington was a nice change of pace for the team.

FIVE GAMES TO WATCH
Saturday August 31st - Georgia at Clemson - My original hope we would have all ACC Atlantic matchups but let's be honest here, there are some juicy non-conference games with the teams in this division. Clemson looks to continue their run against SEC teams that started with them beating Auburn and LSU last season. This used to be a huge rivalry throughout the years and it is good to see the teams playing each other in their home stadiums. This should be a wild game.

Thursday September 19th - Clemson at NC State - This screams upset alert. The ACC will be hosting Thursday night games from now on ESPN and this could be one where we see SportsCenter open with fans charging the field after it. Boyd and Watkins will be ready for a Thursday night game in a hostile environment but the Tigers defense might not be there yet which could be a major problem. If the Tigers start off with two losses before we get to October, Dabo Sweeney's seat will start getting warm.

October 19th - Florida State at Clemson - For the sake of the article, let's say Clemson does not lose two games, this is the highlight of the ACC Atlantic division. It will probably decide who is playing in the ACC Championship game come December and the Noles will try to win Death Valley for the first time since 2001. Last year, Florida State scored 28 unanswered points in the third and fourth quarter winning 49-37 as the Tigers blew a 10-point lead.

November 30th - Maryland at NC State - Why should we care about this game you ask?  Both of these teams might be fighting to try to get bowl eligible or it could be the last game in the Randy Edsall experience for the Terrapins. Either way, this game will mean something.

November 30th - Florida State at Florida - Imagine if the Seminoles get through the ACC season unscathed and then they have to win in The Swamp to complete a perfect season before heading to the ACC Championship game. It could be some sight. The Seminoles have won twice in the last 10 years when they visit Gainesville. Even if Florida State is not undefeated, these two teams tend to deliver a good game.

FIVE QUESTIONS TO PONDER
Could Clemson be in the National Championship? - While I love the Clemson offense, I am going to say probably not. Yes they get Florida State at home and that's a huge advantage to their schedule, but they have an untested defense facing Georgia in Week 1 and then facing NC State in a tough road game three weeks later. There is also the whole thing about the bottom falling out for Clemson in November and if that's happens again, it might start when they have back-to-back road games against Maryland and Virginia.

Could Florida State be in the National Championship? - Personally, I am really buying into the Noles chances. We will get to Winston in a second, we have not even mentioned the potential huge year for James Wilder Jr. and they have a strong defense again as well.  For the first time in a long time, the game against Miami on November 2nd will hold a ton of meaning for not only the ACC but also the National Championship.

How much will we hear 'Jameis Winston is the next Johnny Manziel?' - Yes Mr. Winston made some comments saying "He did not want Johnny Manziel disease" which is a real stupid comment, but I digress. He will get compared to Manziel because he probably has an outside shot at winning the Heisman as a freshman and people will unfairly put him in with Manziel. Wintson is that good of a quarterback. Trust me, I know I am hyping him up throughout this post, but he will be one of the best players at the end of the year with people for the 2015 NFL Draft salivating.

After Florida State and Clemson, how bare is the ACC Atlantic cupboard? - It is bare as when a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model wears body paint. Sure it looks like there is something there, but in reality, she is not wearing anything. Boston College, Wake Forest and Syracuse is a truly weak bottom. Maryland and NC State both could be bowl teams but probably as 6-6 or 7-5 so not much hope there either. A couple upsets could happen but I do not think they are very deep.

How important are the ACC v. SEC games? - The first weekend of the season features Alabama-Virginia Tech, South Carolina-North Carolina and Georgia-Clemson, if the ACC somehow wins both games, people will probably freak out to epic proportions.  But in the grand scheme of things, it might take some of the superhuman strength of the SEC and that's it. Until one of these teams beat them in the National Championship game, they are the kings of college football.

PROJECTED FINISH
1. Florida State
2. Clemson
3. NC State
4. Maryland
5. Boston College
6. Wake Forest
7. Syracuse

I am all aboard the Florida State bandwagon. I like Clemson, but I feel they will once again find themselves looking on the outside of the BCS bowls.

Charlie.

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