College Football 2012-13

Bama mauled Michigan, and sent out notice that it's going to take a big performance to hang w/Saban's team. Pretty paltry matchups this week, but a few of the more interesting ones involve the 2 new teams in the SEC

#24 Florida at Texas A&M. Florida struggled w/Mister F's Bowling Green team and now travel to College Station. The Aggies were hurt by having their opening game postponed w/La Tech due to Issac. The improvement teams make from playing the first game to the second will give the Gators the edge.

#7 Georgia at Missouri. This has upset alert written all over it, but the Tigers winning wouldn't be too big a surprise, hence will leave it to the games below. Franklin at Mizzou is a duel threat QB and they will move the ball. Would not be surprised to see this going late in the 4th or even OT w/the home team sneaking it out.

Upset Alert
#16 Nebraska at UCLA. The Rose Bowl will have 30,000 fans in red, so there will be no home field advantage. I think Mora is going to be a good college coach, and he was lucky that Neuhiesel left him a lot of good players. Franklin is a powerful small running back and will keep the Bruins in the game. Will take the Cornhuskers, but not without a fight.

#18 Oklahoma State at Arizona. Ok, I'm only putting this down since I didn't mention my boys last week, I don't really think the Cats will win, but Rich Rod will make my Alma Mater fun to watch this year. Only way they can make this a game is to eliminate the turnovers they had last week, and execute in the redzone (600+ yards in Offense and only 17 points in regulation). Have to hope the freshman QB for the Cowboys will make a few errors.

 

So, I'll happily eat a morning dose of crow - watching Tony Romo play, well - pretty good, was fine. However, don't crank up the Cowboy bandwagon just yet. Thirteen penalties (what are we now, The Raiders?) and OL inconsistency are still big issues.
Tony Romo will still at some point remember that he is Tony Romo.
The NYG were down to their 5th CB - making our WR look better than reality. (Wonder if the NYG regret letting Texas alum - and gold-medal hubby - Aaron Ross leave?)
Nice win for the Boys, but I'm not making my Super Bowl reservations any time soon.....

 

A few thoughts:

First, LA probably has the two best running backs in the country. Redd is a helluva pick up for USC and Franklin is the offense for UCLA. They showed the UCLA schedule during the game and they could easily go undefeated until Stanford which is their second to last game. That would mean they should be a top ten team which would be beyond any expectations going into the season. The USC offense is like a pro offense. They have so many weapons and I don't know if any defense can stop them.


Second, the SEC is overrated. Louisiana Monroe won at Arkansas. That team is an easy win for anybody and they lost at home. Florida had a tough time with an alright Texas A&M team as well. South Carolina wasn't impressive last week either. LSU and Alabama are top five teams, but the rest of the conference isn't as good as people and the media think they are. I would put the PAC-12 up there as the best conference. It's kind of hard to argue against that when Oregon State beats Wisconsin and UCLA beats Nebraska. This conference is for real.

Oh, and Michigan is going to be worse than I thought. They can't stop the run at all.

 

Arizona puts 59 on Oklahoma State :banana-linedance: Cats got so lucky to be able to hire Rich Rod. When you see interviews with him, the weight of his controversial move from WVU, and all the foolish drama at Michigan has been lifted. He looks and sounds happy. Add in an offense stacked w/talent (better add KaDeem Carey to your list Justin), and good times in Tucson are ahead.

As soon as Bobby Petrino decided to take that motorcycle ride, which ended w/public humiliation and his firing, Arkansas was doomed. Up 28-7 in the third, and blowing it at home? Granted the starting QB got hurt, but you can't lose that game and recover quickly.

USC is a bit overrated. Syracuse exposed SC's youth and lack of depth on defense. The schedule is pretty manageable, but they will have to improve big time.

UCLA hit a homerun by hiring Jim Mora. You could tell the Bruins finally have some discipline and coaching.

 

Give a cheer for the Sacramento State Hornets for winning at Colorado yesterday. Last year they beat Oregon State in their opener and then went 3 - 7 the rest of the way. Hope they can do better this year. Looks like it will be a long year for Colorado.

 

I have no love for the SEC, but the conference is unfortunately not overrated. Florida isn't what they were a few years ago, but winning at Kyle Field is tough for any team. I don't like the Aggies, but that crowd rocks - one of the better college FB atmospheres out there. I'm tired of hearing about how good the SEC is, but until people start beating them win it matters....
The Pac-12 surely slots in as the 2nd best conference, but lost the opportunity to notch themselves as the best by letting Texas and OU get away. Short-sighted. Adding Utah and Colorado doesn't add much. Love that Zona turned heads by beating an overrated OSU (breaking in a new QB) in Tucson.

 

I think the Pac-12 is the best conference. They proved it this week with Arkansas losing to a nobody and a bunch of Pac-12 teams beating ranked opponents. They have a few horrible teams, Colorado and Washington State come to mind, but the rest of the conference is damn good. I think the SEC gets so much praise because of what Alabama and LSU have been doing and everybody else gets a bump up because of it. If you actually look at the individual teams, they are overrated. Nobody knows about the Pac-12, it happens with Mountain West basketball too, because Arizona is destroying Oklahoma State at 2 in the morning on the east coast. Hopefully USC can beat Alabama or LSU and we stop hearing about it. The best thing about this is that most of these Pac-12 schools haven't hit their potential. Once UCLA and Washington State have some recruiting classes come in then the conference will be even better than it is.


Joe, don't get too excited. Michigan went undefeated until conference play multiple times under Rodriguez and played like shit in Conference. They also had lots of talent, but couldn't stop anybody. I have nothing against Arizona and like watching Pac-12 football so I hope they do well, but I'm not sold on his coaching.

 

I hear you Justin, but after years of terrible play it's nice to have some excitement again. Given what is there on defense talent-wise there will be plenty of losses this year (starting in Eugene in 2 weeks). RichRod was able to bring his D Coordinator over from WVU (where he was a great coach). The biggest thing that I immediately found out about him is that he's a really funny guy. There was a percentage of 'support' at Michigan that didn't want him there in the first place (not a "Michigan Man'), and were out to get him from the very start. He recruited very well there, but the defense was a disaster.

 

Just now catching up. First week, went to the Nebraska/Southern Miss game (I'm a southern miss guy). Left that game feeling ok about southern miss going forward. knew they would struggle with finding a qb, but I believe the true freshman solidified his spot and will be fun to watch for a few years. This week, went to the the CU/Sac State game. Holy cow, CU is one of the worst football teams i've ever watched. Sac State did whatever they wanted all day on offense. Great game for them and it was funny to watch even though I'm a CU season ticket holder. Oh well, at least the tailgating will be fun.

I was surprised by just how bad Nebrasksa's defense is. Pelini has to be under some pressure at this point. Can't wait for the season to heat up and start seeing the conference rivalry games. I think Ark/Alabama will still be a great game this weekend.

And yes, i know it's the NFL, but still giddy after last night's Broncos' win! Hello Manning, so long Tebow. Hoping for two in a row, but i think it will prove too difficult going to Hotlanta and pulling it out next monday.

 

I'm glad to see the PAC 12 making a comeback. Aside from Oregon and one of USC or Stanford, they've been crap for too long. I think the logic being used to denigrate the SEC is laughable but I completely understand people being ready for a change at the top.

OSU was a good win for Zona, but keep in mind they lost a ton last year. Most of their offense is gone from last year and they probably got a little overconfident after tuning up on that NAIA school.

I was pleased with A&M's effort against Florida, especially in the first half. I think if we hadn't had our opener delayed b/c of Isaac, we probably would have won that game. We didn't get that first "live" game to iron out our adjustments and had to do it on the fly against a top 25 team. I'm sure some will argue how good Florida is, but their defense is good and they have very good athletes on the field. I was impressed with how our defense held up as well. That was an achilles heel last year but we were able to force 3 and outs when we needed them on Saturday. I'm worried about our depth and what will happen as the season grinds on, but it was a good start. Better than Mizzou's foray into the SEC.

I could be wrong on CU and DTD might be able to verify/elaborate, but it seems like after all of the scandals with Neuheisel and Barnett the school made a decision to put less emphasis on winning football and more on trying to run a squeaky clean program. Nothing wrong with that, but it does make competing in a major conference frustrating for your fanbase.

Cheers to Sac St. Are they FCS (1-AA)?

 

Yes -- Big Sky Conference. Montana is usually the best team in the conference.

 

Games of the Week;

#1 Alabama at Arkansas. The Hogs were in the Top 10 and up 3 TDs in the third quarter then everything unraveled. Arkansas QB WIlson is a question mark, but the Tide rolling isn't.

#18 Florida at #23 Tennessee. A great rivalry since the Spurrier days 'You can't spell Citrus Bowl without UT'. The Gators have owned the Vols, but Tyler Bray is coming into his own as a big time QB. Probably a bad call, but I'll take Tennessee.

#20 Notre Dame at #10 Michigan State. MSU has been relying on their big bruising running back LeVeon Bell and one of the best defenses in the nation while breaking in a new QB. The Irish have a little uncertainty at QB, so have to pick Sparty.

Upset Alert: #14 Texas at Ole Miss. Okay, don't think the Rebels will win, but couldn't find a better one on the schedule. Not a total believer that Texas is back and this is their first road game.

 

Surprised you left off USC @ Stan since they're both ranked. Stanford lost so much from last years squad it's hard to know if they merit that ranking, so this should be a good acid test. I'll take the obvious choice of SC in that one.

Arky is a mess and should pose little problem for Bama, even if it's a home game.

Michigan St and the Domers have had some close battles recently but Sparty's D is impressive and I think Michigan St will win it comfortably.

Florida @ Tennessee is interesting. Florida is good running the ball and solid on defense but their passing game is lacking. Tennessee has been off the radar but is at home and they have a good qb. I think Florida escapes but I won't be surprised if the Vols can pull off a close upset.

Ole Miss has no shot against Texas. They failed to light up a UTEP team whose scores typically resemble college hoops finals more than football ones. The Horns offense is garbage, but they have a very good defense and I don't see the Rebs scoring enough to win...or even make it close.

Zona St @ Mizzou could be interesting...unless you're Zak Whitbread's cousin.

I agree, upsets seem to be scarce this week. Would Western Ky qualify @ Kentucky? If so I'll take them.

 

From your lips to God's ears.......

 

Upset of the Week; Pitt, which had been Gawd Awful knocks off #13 Virginia Tech. I'm sure Beamer had a tough time having the team motivated when they watched film of the Panthers, but still...really?

Almost Upset of the Week; Cal coming up just short at Ohio State. If you have a son, nephew, or kid down the street that loves playing soccer, tell them to think about being a kicker (a scholarship is waiting) also. Most field goal attempts in college are an adventure. Cal had every chance at beating the Buckeyes, but their poor kicker duck hooked 3 (the last one w/four minutes left in a tie game) kicks.

Game of the Week; Matt you were right, should of had Stanford-USC game listed. I've seen countless coaches come and go at Stanford, all with the same philosophy of being a 'smart kids can only play finesse football' type of team. Jim Harbaugh changed all that and Coach Shaw is sticking to it. The Cardinal are by far the most physical team west of Texas and they simply kicked sand in the bully's face on Sat.

Kudos goes out to Brian Kelly and the Fighting Irish for a convincing win at Michigan State. Notre Dame being relevant is always a good thing for college football.

Zak Whitbread's cousin had this reaction to Arizona State overthrowing an open receiver in the Mizzou endzone that would of won the game.. :lol:

 

Some big games on the weekend;

#10 Clemson at #4 Florida State. Matchup of the week with national title implications. The winner of this one has a decent shot at going undefeated until their in-state SEC rivalry game (Clemson-S.Carolina, Florida-Florida St.). FSU will try to go old school and wear down Clemson by running, thus keeping the Tiger's explosive offense off the field. I'll take the 'Noles, but just barely.

#15 Kansas State at #6 Oklahoma. Can never give Bill Synder enough praise for the job he has done at KSU. Totally agree w/this article http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/a ... fyoua11976.
Oklahoma is an enigma wrapped in a conundrum. Sooner (pun intended) or later OU will fall on their face (maybe even this week), but they're at home.

#18 Michigan at #11 Notre Dame. Historical rivalry game that always seems to come down to whoever has the ball last. Michigan has won 3 in a row in this series, but if this season has shown anything is that the Big 10 is wwaaayyy down. Sorry Justin, but I'm picking the Irish.

#22 Arizona at #3 Oregon. Expecting to get a reality check here. Cats' are very thin on the defensive side of the ball, and Oregon is loaded on offense. Will need to win the turnover battle, score on a crazy play or two (blocked punt, fake field goal), to stay in the game, but this one could get ugly in a hurry.

Upset Alert; Cal at #13 USC. Cal had their chances to win at Ohio State which will give them the belief they need to compete w/USC. How will the Trojans react from last week's loss?

 

Michigan beat themselves. Don't know if you can get more of a classic case of doing that. Six turnovers and I believe three of them were in the red zone. I didn't watch the first half and am glad I didn't, but the first drive in the third quarter, we went right down the field and Robinson fumbled the ball in the red zone. We are the better team and lost because of our mistakes on the field and play calling. Running Back pass? Really?

Arizona did the same. They had six trips to the red zone and didn't come away with anything. Before you math majors point out that even if Arizona scored every time they would have still lost, I'd like to point out that Scott threw two pick sixes and it was a closer game than the score indicates for a large amount of the game.

 

LOVED KSTATE this weekend. Worked out well for me in the fantasy world of gambling. I was lucky enough to go to the Western Kentucky/Southern Miss game. What a complete disaster. Oh well. just preparing myself now for the first losing season in 18 years. At least CU managed to pull out a win somehow.

 

quick glance at next week's games and looks like a big weekend in Big 10 and that's about it. Though Baylor/WVU could be interesting.

 

Good call dtowndough, and sorry that Southern Miss is down for the first time in years, and that you have to pay to see Colorado play :shock:

Games of the Week;

#25 Baylor at #9 West Virginia. Geno Smith keeps playing like he has, and he'll be holding up a certain trophy in Manhattan at the end of the season. Clock operator better get his rest, because he should be adding points all day long. Mountaineers roll over Bears

#14 Ohio State at #20 Michigan State. Buckeyes have been less than impressive in winning, but Urban Meyer will have them improving every week. Unless Maxwell steps up his QB play for Sparty, the great D and the running back Bell's talent will go to waste. Will find out a lot about how these teams, but will warily take OSU.

#19 Louisville at Southern Miss. Jump has his Cards going in the right direction. dtown, isn't the coach at USM in his first year? If so, he won't be around long at this rate. Golden Eagles gave up 370 yards on the ground to Western Kentucky, wonder if Louisville is going to try and do the same thing? :roll:

Upset Alert;
Tonight #9 Stanford at Washington. The Cardinal play their first road game, and Husky Stadium will be rocking. Price for UDub is very mobile and a duel threat, and if the Dawgs can force the new Stanford QB Nunes into a turnover or two, they can pull it off.
EDIT: Didn't realize that Husky Stadium is being refurbished, the game is being played at Qwest Field (Seahawks/Sounders). Washington chances at winning a certainly less than if they were actually playing at home and not just having the home crowd.