2014-15 College Football

I didn't get to watch it, but have heard all about it. You nailed it with the defensive respect shown to kstate. I agree though, give it to Auburn for just coming away with the win. It's all they had to do.

 

Great win for your Wildcats last night Joe!! But why does Nike hate you? Those helmets were a yawner, as are most of the alternate helmets they give you guys. And the kinda, sorta rainbow thing is just lame.



Now, these uniforms (and the home version) were awesome!!! You need to round up your Zona mates and Bear Down on Nike to get their act together.

That's wins for A&M, Arizona and SoMiss yesterday. That hasn't happened too often recently.

I was wrong on Miss St, they impressed me even if they did try and blow it late. And Clemson. Probably the biggest choker program in the history of cfb. FSU and Winston are very fortunate today.

 

I hear you about the unis Matt, they suck (love the Tedy Bruschi, Desert Swarm pic you posted). Don't mind the copper helmets once a year (just because of what copper mining meant to Tucson back in the day), but the rest of the uniform should be changed with it. My theory is since Nike is the U of Oregon they aren't about to work hard for the rest of the conference, because in recruiting the Ducks uniforms is a selling point.

Was at a gathering that didn't have the Pac 12 Network so only followed it on my phone (which blew up when the Hail Mary was answered), but a huge win for the program.

Shocker of the weekend:
Indiana over Mizzou in Columbia...Holy Hoosiers! Stuff happens when 18-22 year olds come in flat, and the Tigers probably thought it was going to be an easy Saturday.

Hotseat Alert:
Upper sections of the Big House were empty, and Michigan got worked at home by Utah. Brady Hoke is in serious trouble.

Florida is one of the best jobs in the country, and at this rate Will Muschamp is heading for a fall. The defensive guru did his best to rehabilitate Lane Kiffin's reputation (okay, that won't happen, but Kiffin might start avoiding becoming the butt of every joke) on Saturday.

Choke of the Weekend:
Summed it up perfectly Matt about Clemson, they choked that game ten different ways.

 

A friend of mine bet Indiana ATS and I almost included it in my picks. But when I went to looked up the Hoosiers road record in recent years, I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

Hoke and Muschamp are in the deep stuff. I don't even know if beating Ohio St can save Hoke.

 

I don't think Hoke will make it to Ohio St. Same goes for Muschamp unfortunately. What are the chances of Michigan pulling a 180 and going Lane Kiffin?

 

Conference play is heating up starting tonight in Tempe;

#11 UCLA at #15 Arizona State; Jim Mora has been giving coach-speak soundbites this week on whether Brett Hundley will be ready to go (of course he is). Unfortunately Taylor Kelly is a no go for the Scum Devils. Kelly is a fantastic college QB, and extremely underrated east of the Rockies. Have no idea who the backup is, but expect a ton of running by the Scummies tonight. The Bruins have underwhelmed so far compared to the expectations. Going with the Scum at home.

#1 Florida State at North Carolina State. MicahMan's Alma Mater has not looked anywhere near the team they were last year. They lost a ton of talent to the NFL on the defensive side of the ball and it's tough to repeat. The Wolfpack are no strangers to beating FSU in Raleigh. beating them in 2010 & 2012, but going with the Noles to escape with a hard fought win.

Arkansas at #6 Texas A&M. Mentioned last week that Beliema has got the Hogs starting to play his brand of football, and they will try to pound the rock in College Station. Arkansas will have some success, but they couldn't slow down Auburn and they won't be able to against the Aggies. It could be interesting for awhile, but Matt's boys to win going away.

FUSA Bowl

Rice (ClevelandMo) at Southern Miss (Dtown). I know Mo is taking a sabbatical and she wasn't much of a college football fan anyway but her Owls travel to Hattiesburg to take on dtowndough's boys. USM has a proud program that went into the tank, but look like they are showing signs of life. Dtown should be happy as his Golden Eagles should improve to 3-2.

Upset Alert:
Florida State could very well lose, but since I think they'll sneak by so I'll go with;

#16 Stanford at Washington. The Huskies have not looked great, but come into this game 4-0. Stanford's achilles heel is they are so conservative at times that they don't put teams away. Don't be surprised if Huskies steal this one in the 4th.

Missouri at #13 South Carolina. Mizzou was caught looking ahead in a stunner last week. South Carolina has rebounded, but still not quite sure what kind of team they are. I'll go with the Tigers to bounce back.

 

I wanted to get my pick in for tonight's UCLA @ Arizona State game. I read the State backup is actually pretty good, but I'm going with UCLA with the belief that Hundley's back. If not, at least Little Slicky has a win under his belt. You know you've set yourself up to be unhappy with either outcome now Joe.

I'll tackle the rest of them tomorrow when I have more time.

 

Matt, it's a lesser of 2 evils situation. Not a fan of the Teddy Bears but seeing them smash the Scum did make me smile. Hundley was excellent, but the player of the game was the little corner Ishmael Adams. His 95 Int return for a TD w/20 seconds left in the first half w/UCLA up 3 changed the game. Then he backed it up w/a sick 100 yard kickoff return in the 3rd quarter.

UCLA has been sputtering along this season, but they've been winning. That victory could really push them forward in the chase for a playoff spot.

 

Mark it down fellas...Goldy Gopher is taking home the Little Brown Jug tomorrow in the Big House!

 

You guys have grabbed a couple of the good upset bets, but fortunately there are quite a few interesting ones out there this week.

FSU @ NC State - Surviving a game like that Clemson one can galvanize a team and I suspect we'll see that with FSU. I think they'll win easily.

Arky v Texas A&M in Jerry World - Ags, of course. Hard to put down my homer hat on this one but bottom line, I think we just have too much offense for them to keep up. I'm curious to see how our defense stands up to their running game. I have a feeling we'll surprise on that front and if so, this could be a rout.

Rice @ Southern Miss - This one hinges on whether Rice qb Driphus Jackson is able to go. He suffered a separated non-throwing shoulder and is questionable. He returned after the injury against ODU, so I'll assume he plays and take the Owls. Driphus showed he had a little Manziel in his game against us earlier this year.

Stanford @ Washington - This one is often close and both teams have their issues. The Snarlin' Pups of Montlake have routinely played down to the competition this season while Stanford has struggled finishing drives. I'll go with Stanford in a close one.

Missouri @ South Carolina - I have a feeling the Zoo just isn't the same team after all of the players lost from last year. Meanwhile, after USC got thumped by my Ags, all they've done is beaten East Carolina and Georgia. They had some special teams moments that kept Vandy close but still won by a couple of td's. Since they're at home, I'm going with the Gamecocks.

Upset Alerts:

Memphis @ #10 Ole Miss - There's no way I buy the Rebels as a top 10 team. With Alabama looming next week, they're ripe to be caught looking ahead by a Memphis team that went on the road and gave UCLA all they could handle. Memphis is a 21 pt dog and I like them ATS.

Tennessee @ #12 Georgia - And this is my straight up upset. The Vols were good against OU's running game but struggled defending the pass. Georgia brings the 109th ranked passing game into this one and I think that gives UT a shot. The Vols have some really good young receivers and the key will be protecting Worley. Tennessee has had the bye week to prep for this one and I think after a valiant effort against the Sooners, Georgia will seem a lot more manageable. Plus it's in that difficult 11 am slot that I think benefits road teams more. Rocky Top to win and throw the SEC East into further disarray.

 

Well, welll... the most interesting stuff, in my opinion, is on the sidelines:
Let us contemplate the illustrious career of Charlie Weiss and then think 'Karma'.
So you think you hit the big time when you get the ND head coaching job.. So after one year and winning season, you write a bio and give it a taunting title:
No Excuses

Well... Karma hates hubris. He's out at Kansas, too. No Excuses, indeed.... Here's Weiss' record:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Weis#Head_coaching_record
Maybe he ought to try acting. Could play Mike's dad on Mike and Molly.

****
Become internet meme: Run onto turf at Ohio Stadium.. get body-slammed, spawn photoshops.

***
Looks like the Buckeyes are off to a typical season, nothing to get Title hopes up about.. sorta cool QB story, though.
OTOH, better off than Michigan.

 

well crap. what a weekend. Went to Cal for the the CU/Cal game this week as our away game. fun that CU was in it, but I honestly hate those types of games where the defense doesn't show up.

Poor poor Eagles back at it again. Really thought they were turning it around.

Matt, I'm with you on Ole Miss. I don't buy them as a top 10 team. after watching them and Ms State, I think State is a better team. State's D-Line has to be one of the best in the country. As usual though, it will be interesting to see what happens the next 3 weeks in the SEC West.

 

Congrats ES, had to be quite enjoyable to watch the Gophers put a hurting on the Wolverines in the Big House.

When do you know you've had too much to drink? Not only when you run out on the field, but you laugh the whole time as you get body slammed by the Ohio State guy then get taken to jail.

Not saying that Kansas doesn't want to win in football, but to most KU people football means that basketball is just around the corner. Thought Weis was a terrible hire, but it must be a dumpster fire in Lawrence if they felt the need to fire him in this early in the season.

Gut check win for the Aggies in OT, in the SEC West you get the W and press on.

 

I don't think Hoke survives the week...sad state of affairs up in Ann Arbor right now. I can't say I'm all that beat up about it though.

 

Might be good for me that my attention will be on the Angels playoff game tonight and not on Arizona at #2 Oregon. The Ducks have lost narrow games in OT or last second FGs (Stanford, Auburn) in recent years, so the 42-16 beatdown of the Ducks by the Cats in Tucson has to be their worst loss in 10+ years. So sadly it will probably be payback time.

So many other great games:
#6 Texas A&M at #12 Mississippi State. Just another SEC West Saturday. Both teams coming off huge wins, sorry to say Matt, but will go with the home team and their QB's ability to be a dual threat

#3 Alabama at #11 Ole Miss. Everyone seems to think the Rebels are overrated, we are going to find out on Saturday. No ready to pick against the Tide yet.

#4 Oklahoma at #25 TCU. The Horned Frogs are extremely well coached and after having their QB situation in flux the last year or two seems to be settled with Boykin. I really want to pick this has my upset special, and might regret not doing so, but have to give the Sooners the slight edge because of tougher schedule they've had so far.

#7 Baylor at Texas. Hard to imagine a time where the Longhorns would be a huge home underdog to the Bears, but it's here. Have to think the Bears will simply have to much offense in the end.

#14 Stanford at #9 Notre Dame. Go win for the Cardinal in Seattle last week. This should be another close game in South Bend. Will probably come down to a turnover, I'll flip the coin and say the Irish.

#19 Nebraska at #10 Michigan State I think the Huskers are very overrated and will be exposed in their first road game of the year (winning at Fresno State doesn't count). Sparty comfortable.

Upset Alert:
Besides the TCU game that I can't commit to and since we've established that 2 ranked teams can be considered an upset will go with;

#15 LSU at #5 Auburn. The Bayou Bengals having finally decided the freshman Harris will be the QB, and their defense will try to rebound after Miss. State took it to them. Auburn should win, but playing a hunch here.

 

Im sure I'll watch some tonight, but have to agree with you on Oregon ready for a payback.

Sorry Matt, I'm a believer right now in Ms State. However, this will be a different test for them. They are only giving up 2.4 yds per carry. their D-line is one of the tops in the country in that regard. However, giving up a lot of passing yard and A&M coming in with the 2nd most passing yards in the country. I'll take the home field and bye-week rested bulldogs

Im on the bandwagon of Ole Miss being a little over-rated. Their defense has been stellar, but it's been against #119, 104 and 90 offenses. They did have Boise who is #17 in offensive yards. That was a game until the fourth quarter when Ole Miss finally pulled away. So, I'll go with a close first half on emotions and Alabama going big in 2nd half and winning comfortably.

Don't know much about either OU or TCU. looking at the stats though, TCU has the stingiest D in the country. honestly, how are they only #25? assuming because of the schedule. But I like TCU for the upset here.

Baylor - Texas. what else is left to say. I really like Charlie Strong, but Texas is in bad shape.

Stanford - ND. Im taking the other side of the coin here. I'm taking the physical Stanford team to hang around and score late to win.

Neb-Mich St. Pellini always makes a mess of it at some point. This might be that game. I expect it to be closer than you do Joe, but Mich St probably wins this one.

If I had to look for another upset, I'll take Maryland with props to HD of course.

 

Arizona 31 Oregon 24 at Autzen. YEEEEESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!! Kids gotta a ton of heart, RichRod can flat out coach, and sophomore Scooby Wright is one of the best young linebackers in the country.

Oregon O-line is dessimated, talked to my brother who is a season ticket holder and they are on 3rd and 4th string tackles.

 

unbelievable! Congrats Joe, hope you actually got to bed. I honestly couldn't make it through the game and missed it.

 

Didn't see that coming, although with 3 upset wins over a top 5 rated Oregon since 07, I guess we all should have. Great win for your Cats. I get the injuries for Oregon, but it's part of the game and every team is dealing with it on some level. What makes me think they're over-rated is their complete lack of discipline and the defense. You can't go through your conference schedule putting up double digits in penalties every game. I fully expect Oregon will drop 2 more games this year.

So far, my Ags have a pretty good track record when you two go into "Sorry to say it, Matt" mode. So I take optimism from that. I'll admit, a good dual threat like Prescott makes me nervous. However, he only completes about 60% of his passes which has been his undoing in big games in the past. I think we'll find the LSU win isn't quite as impressive as it first looked. But the bigger problem for State is their defense. While they are very good against the run, they don't get a lot of pressure on the qb and their pass defense is 121st. 121st after facing the 67th ranked passing attack of SoMiss, 44th UAB, 98th SoAla, and 65th LSU. I like the matchup. A&M is 13-2 on the road under Sumlin and 4-1 in games before noon. I expect a shootout and I don't think the Bulldogs can keep up.

The Hotty Totty crowd needs to enjoy the party from Gameday and the Grove b/c it'll end on the field. They don't have the depth to prevent Bama grinding their defense down and even their coach doesn't trust qb Bo Wallace. Bama wins.

There has been a lot, and I mean A LOT, of talk coming from sip players about how Baylor will always be poor little Baylor and they'll always be big bad Texas this week. Art Briles isn't the talking type, but he has a reputation dating back to his HS coaching days of letting the scoreboard do it for him and not being afraid to run it up on teams. I don't like the little Cubs, but Texas' antics even have me sympathizing with them this week. Bears to win big.

Everything about the TCU game suggests upset special, but OU fr rb Samaje Perine is legit. He looks a lot like a fr Adrian Peterson did. I think he'll be the difference in a very close Sooner win. But I won't be surprised if the Horny Toads nick it.

I'm still not sold on either Stanford or Notre Dame. The Irish have the more explosive offense and are at home, so I'll go with them.

I agree about Nebraska being over-rated. I like Sparty's d, I don't like Pellini and his teams. And I can't wipe those visions of McNeese St taking Corn to the brink from my mind. State wins.

LSU has just lost way too many players on defense to the NFL the last 2 years. Give me Auburn in this one.

DT, the other upset I was very tempted to take was MD at home to Ohio St, so that could prove to be a good call. The early start time bugs me though.

My upset special this week.....Northwestern over #17 Wisconsin. The Badgers have looked increasingly vulnerable b/c they are so one dimensional. NW has the type of team that can load up the box and get numbers to the ball and they should get a good push from their home crowd.

 

TCU seems to be the trendy media upset pick this week, but I am not seeing it.

I normally like Gary Patterson and his defenses but TCU has played no one of worth this year. Samford is an FCS team, Minnesota can't pass the ball and SMU hasn't been this bad since the couple years after the death penalty.