Tap's Thursday Night Picks

There is nothing better than having the NFL Network for the entire Thursday night slate. As most of you know, tonight's game will be on the NFL Network and all Thursday games until Thanksgiving then a couple more in December.  I am happy this will be my first full season and I am looking forward to watching all the games this season. What's weird is I am still without our NBC affiliate here in Milwaukee so for the second straight year, I am not fully locked and loaded. Remember we are picking both the NFL and college games for Thursday.

Thursday Night NFL: New York Jets at New England (-13) 7:25pm NFLN - The Patriots come into this game banged up and not really impressed anyone in the first game of the season. They will likely be without Danny Amendola and Rob Gronkowski plus Zac Sudfield and Shane Vereen will be gone for the week. If this is a time for New York to beat New England, this is it. The Patriots will need something from Kenbrell Tompkins who looked like the bright lights suffocated him last week. New England's defense looked alright considering they only gave up 14 points.  I would not count them out especially against the Jets.

Now the Jets played better than we all expected last week.  They were hitting the Tampa Bay offense pretty good and keeping them out of the endzone. Geno Smith looked great, all things considered, but he will have to travel into the bright lights of Foxboro with a drunk as hell crowd fired up to see their team for the first time. Rex Ryan does coach well against Grandmaster Hoodie for at least the first three quarters of the game. Low scoring game, but the Patriots prevail.  NE 23-14

Thursday Night CFB: 24.) TCU at Texas Tech 6:30 pm ESPN - Not a bad secondary option for all the football fans out there. TCU bounced back against SE Louisiana last week after falling to LSU although they looked impressive against the Tigers. Trevone Boykin takes the reigns of the offense as Casey Pachall is out with a fractured arm. Many times I would be nervous about a backup quarterback taking over, but Boykin had a ton of experience from last year.  Texas Tech is a ragtag team and I like Kliff Kingsburgy's attitude, but a walk-on quarterback, Baker Mayfield, taking on a tough TCU defense does not equal a Thursday night upset. TCU 28-24

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: Big 12

Talking college football again here on Sports News on Tap with previews of all the big dogs and some fun stuff thrown in there as well. Naturally, the picks and posts will be coming during and after Week 1.  

Big 12 does not get enough credit for how many good teams they have in their conference.  A lot of that happens because the Big 12 does not play defense. Honestly, there are people in this world whom take umbrage with this conference because they play games like 51-48. I have no idea why people cannot just enjoy the differences of the conferences honestly.  Big 12 is entirely different than the SEC and different than the B1G as well. If you accept that, college football becomes much more enjoyable.   

FIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH
RB Lache Seastrunk (Baylor) - One of the players I keep talking about for the 2013 season. I truly believe he is a Heisman contender that everyone is forgetting about. Baylor also could be a better team than people expected and Seastrunk can take a run to the house at any point of the game.  He finished the year with 185, 136, 178 and 138 and in those games, his lowest yards per carry was 7.2.  Seastrunk will be one of the more electrifying players in all of college football.

RB Jonathan Gray (Texas) - He had a strong freshman campaign going for 700 yards and a couple touchdowns. Gray is a highly touted prospect and could be heading for a breakout year for the Longhorns. Gray and Malcolm Brown will create one of the better one-two punches in all of college football in the backfield. If Texas wants to head back to a BCS Bowl, one of the big reasons will be Gray getting big gains on the ground.

QB Casey Pachell (TCU) - After battling drinking troubles last season, Pachell is back on the team with TCU.  It is not a given he will win the starting spot as Trevone Boykin had a great year filling in. They have not named a starter yet for LSU on Saturday.  Pachell is a pretty competent passer and found ways to win games. The latter part of that sentence is cliche as it it gets, but he pulled a couple games straight out of his ass.

WR Josh Stewart (Oklahoma State) - With Mike Gundy's system, you just expect good receivers will come out of it. From Justin Blackmon to Joesph Randle, the next big one could be Josh Stewart. He had 101 catches last season with over 1,200 yards and seven touchdowns. Stewart came on strong last year in his sophomore year with his last four of six games going over 100 yards in receiving and in three of those games, caught over 10 balls.

RB John Hubert (Kansas State) -  Everyone talked about Collin Klein last year with the Wildcats success but people forgot about Hubert. The reason is he seems to have a second-half decline on his season. Hubert had 527 yards after the first six weeks of the season, but he only finished with 947 yards for the season. Hopefully in his third year, he will come through with a widespread big year.  

FIVE GAMES TO WATCH
Thursday October 3rd - Texas at Iowa State - Oh baby. Iowa State is known for their upsets at home just like their basketball team and they have the Longhorns on Thursday night in what should be a great Jack Tice crowd.  This will be a great game and a possible upset in the making.

Saturday October 5th - TCU at Oklahoma - Just looking at the schedule, the Horned Frogs could be licking their chops with this game. The Sooners will be coming off a road game to Notre Dame the Saturday prior and I will tell you in a second, I am buying a lot of stock in TCU and selling a lot in Oklahoma so I see this one as the game where TCU makes their Big 12 presence felt.

Saturday October 12th- Baylor at Kansas State - The Bears head to the Little Apple for a nice fall showdown. It pairs two of the best running backs in the Big 12 going up against each other in Seastrunk and Hubert.  I doubt this will be a high scoring game, but you never know with the Big 12.

Saturday November 16th - Oklahoma State at Texas -  For my money, this decides the Big 12 championship. Oklahoma State should be more well developed as a team and Texas will be also rounding into form. I am happy these two teams are playing in mid-November honestly. I feel like it will be a much better and bigger game.  

Saturday December 7th - Oklahoma at Oklahoma State - Bedlam is always exciting.  The Sooners and Pokes played an absolute classic last season heading to overtime in a high-scoring game.  Oklahoma has won the last nine of ten, but it seems like the Cowboys should have the upper hand this year.

FIVE QUESTIONS TO PONDER
Finally, the year Texas bounces back? - Yes. 100 percent yes. I am buying the Longhorns this year. David Ash is a good quarterback and they have two strong running backs. Also I would not forget about Tyrone Swoops, the talented freshman quarterback.  If Texas does not come back this year, they will not for awhile.

Down year in Norman? - Yes. 100 percent yes. I have no idea why people are so high on Oklahoma. They only bring back four players on their defense, a defense that was awful last season plus they have a redshirt freshman starting at quarterback. Trevor Knight is a fine player, but he will definitely have some hard knocks throughout the year. Also a Notre Dame, TCU, Texas stretch in the early part of the season is just brutal.

Oklahoma State quarterback uncertainty hurt their chances? - No because as Mike Gundy seems to have a bigger cupcake schedule every year more so than Bret Bielema.  They do not play a tough time until Kansas State on October 5th. Clint Chelf and J.W. Welsh are both competent quarterbacks and they should be able to figure out whose the boss by October or at least I hope so.

Forgetting about Kansas State once again? - Yes. We talked about it on our college football podcast, but every year, the Wildcats find a way to be a pretty good team with Bill Snyder. So I will go Icona Pop and say I don't care they only bring back 10 starters with only two on defense. The Wildcats will be fine and beat teams they are not supposed to like every year since Snyder has been coaching.

Could finally a team with a good defense make waves in the Big 12? - Another question where I will say yes. Watch out for the Horned Frogs of TCU this year. They have nine returning starters on defense and Gary Patterson has had some special defenses in the past, no question this could be another version. It is not out of the realm of possibility that the Horned Frogs could beat LSU in the first game of the season in Dallas and if they do that, endless chances for TCU this year. Their October featuring road games against Oklahoma and Oklahoma State and a home game against Texas is their biggest challenge.

PROJECTED FINISH
1.) Texas
2.) Oklahoma State
3.) TCU
4.) Kansas State
5.) Baylor
6.) Oklahoma
7.) Texas Tech
8.) Iowa State
9.) West Virginia
10.) Kansas

I feel like this is the one conference where I could look like a complete dunce by the end of the year or a genius. No real in-between.

Charlie.  

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