Many surprises today so far, not the least of which is the fact that I still have both power and high def. We will cover all of it soon. In the meantime, a few first takes:
Wassup, Jake, with the Pac 10 conference? Maryland beats Cal convincingly, BYU wipes out UCLA, TCU crushes Stanford, Baylor (Baylor!) puts the beat down on Washington State and No. 16 Oregon was forced into overtime by a mediocre Purdue team. Strange happenings. Beware USC..... After getting embarrassed early this season, the ACC is getting back some of its mojo. UNC slaps Rutgers on Thursday in front of everybody and Maryland, which last week lost to Middle Tennessee, all of a sudden looks like the Indianapolis Colts..... Michigan is god awful. I saw it with my own eyes today. They may be good down the road, but it ain't this year. They made Notre Dame look like god's gift to football today. That's quite a task given that Notre Dame almost lost to San Diego State last week..... Chase Daniel ain't the man. It's Jeremy Maclin that teams playing Missouri need to worry about. Against Nevada, he had sick touchdown catches of 80 and 49 yards and snagged a third from 14..... That said, I believe Mizzou is vulnerable. Sure, they crushed Nevada at home 69-17. It'll look good in the papers. But I saw this game in high def. Nevada was running wild on Mizzou's defense. In fact, the pass-happy Wolfpack racked up 182 yards on the ground. And they were in catch-up mode for most of the day. That Mizzou D is gonna be a problem come Texas and Oklahoma..... Speaking of ridiculous offenses, Penn State's cannot be stopped. They have launched a hybrid spread-zone-read-option that the team has dubbed the Spread HD. And they have the athletes to run it. I was wrong about this team. They are for real.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Friday, September 12, 2008
Oh lordy
As expected, the Washington State-Baylor game is the Suckfest Bowl.
But...man oh, man, that South Florida-Kansas game was amazingly exciting. Had USF played a little defense late, it woulda been a blowout. But...last year's early darling didn't produce. Thankfully for all of us, Kansas loses.
Rock chalk, Jayhawk. Go home and consider yourselves skewered, roasted, cooked and done. Now all we need are a couple of Missouri losses, and I'll be a happy, happy football fan.
Back to the suckfest: The XM crew (doing the audio on TV) is talking about Baylor's chances on the road. It's hard not to die laughing.
But...man oh, man, that South Florida-Kansas game was amazingly exciting. Had USF played a little defense late, it woulda been a blowout. But...last year's early darling didn't produce. Thankfully for all of us, Kansas loses.
Rock chalk, Jayhawk. Go home and consider yourselves skewered, roasted, cooked and done. Now all we need are a couple of Missouri losses, and I'll be a happy, happy football fan.
Back to the suckfest: The XM crew (doing the audio on TV) is talking about Baylor's chances on the road. It's hard not to die laughing.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
I hope my satellite dish holds out...
Quasi Non Football Thought:With Hurricane Ike bearing down upon Texas, it's time to play a morbid game we here like to call "Predict the Damage."
1-2: Odds that we're all underestimating this storm, especially inland, and that it will be much worse than Hurricane Alicia.
3-1: Odds that more than 1 million people will lose power in the Dallas metro area.
1-1: Odds that none of us Texans will be able to watch the USC-Ohio State game because of power outages.
2-1: Odds that the power will stay on long enough for all of us to watch the entire Florida Atlantic-Michigan State game on ESPN2.
4-1: Odds that the newspaper calls us in to work in a timely manner for storm coverage.
1-1: Odds that the newspaper calls us in to work way too late when it's dangerous to drive and the storm is wreaking havoc.
2-1: Odds that Baylor is strongly criticized for hosting a football game late on Friday evening when Ike is making landfall in Houston.
10-1: Odds that my humongo high-def satellite dish, which might as well be a wind sock, remains standing by Sunday evening.
20-1: Odds that the air conditioning is working properly in the newsroom when we return on Monday.
100-1: Odds that the power will be restored by the time Matt Cassel takes the field in Sunday's Pats-Jets showdown.
2-1: Odds I'm forced to eat at least one PowerBar this weekend.
Stay safe all.
We interrupt this program...
There's still hope that this monster of a natural disaster will magically disappear, right?
I'm sure college football fans are saying the same thing about what's going to happen down in Waco this weekend. But, perhaps smelling potential victory against a FBS team, Baylor officials have moved the Washington State-Baylor game to 7:30 p.m. Friday. TV is still TBA, so we may have to miss out on this gem.
I'm sure college football fans are saying the same thing about what's going to happen down in Waco this weekend. But, perhaps smelling potential victory against a FBS team, Baylor officials have moved the Washington State-Baylor game to 7:30 p.m. Friday. TV is still TBA, so we may have to miss out on this gem.
Crystal Ball, Hurricane Edition...
Here are some early, abbreviated predictions for the weekend lest we lose power come Saturday... Knowing our luck, the Dallas metro area will go dark just as Ohio State is kicking off at the L.A. Coliseum...
Vandy jumps out early on Rice and withstands a furious late rally from the Owls, who are well conditioned and tend to play their best football in the 4th quarter.
Texas Tech puts up a big number on SMU in Lubbock. The spread is 36.5, but given how poor SMU's defense is, I think Tech will cover.
Missouri beats Nevada in Columbia. It's close in the first half, but Mizzou turns it on in the second half and adds a couple of TDs late to make the final score pretty for the newspapers.
Baylor takes care of Washington State. Yet there is a wildcard: If Hurricane Ike interrupts the game with wind and rain, anything can happen.
Tulane is better than people think. They held Alabama to 20 points last week --- something the vaunted Clemson Tigers could not do. I still think East Carolina wins this game because they have the better offense, but it's a close one.
The pro-Huskie crowd will scream its lungs out, but to no avail. Oklahoma does a woodshed job on Washington. I predict an ugly score, and even uglier sports columns calling for Ty Will's firing on Sunday.
Fresno State has been pointing to this home game with Wisconsin for some time, but Wisconsin has heart and is well conditioned. My prediction: The game goes into the 4th quarter close. Ultimately, I think Wisconsin pulls it out because they have a slightly better offense. But I would not be surprised to see the Bulldogs snatch one here.
Cal at Maryland... This one is not even close. Cal unleashes an offensive storm on the Terps and puts up a big, big number.
Now the big one... Ohio State at USC...
I think the Ohio State defense keeps it close early on. I also think coach Jim Tressel will have some tricks up his sleeve involving freshman sensation QB Terelle Pryor. But USC is just too talented to be stopped. The Trojans win comfortably.
Vandy jumps out early on Rice and withstands a furious late rally from the Owls, who are well conditioned and tend to play their best football in the 4th quarter.
Texas Tech puts up a big number on SMU in Lubbock. The spread is 36.5, but given how poor SMU's defense is, I think Tech will cover.
Missouri beats Nevada in Columbia. It's close in the first half, but Mizzou turns it on in the second half and adds a couple of TDs late to make the final score pretty for the newspapers.
Baylor takes care of Washington State. Yet there is a wildcard: If Hurricane Ike interrupts the game with wind and rain, anything can happen.
Tulane is better than people think. They held Alabama to 20 points last week --- something the vaunted Clemson Tigers could not do. I still think East Carolina wins this game because they have the better offense, but it's a close one.
The pro-Huskie crowd will scream its lungs out, but to no avail. Oklahoma does a woodshed job on Washington. I predict an ugly score, and even uglier sports columns calling for Ty Will's firing on Sunday.
Fresno State has been pointing to this home game with Wisconsin for some time, but Wisconsin has heart and is well conditioned. My prediction: The game goes into the 4th quarter close. Ultimately, I think Wisconsin pulls it out because they have a slightly better offense. But I would not be surprised to see the Bulldogs snatch one here.
Cal at Maryland... This one is not even close. Cal unleashes an offensive storm on the Terps and puts up a big, big number.
Now the big one... Ohio State at USC...
I think the Ohio State defense keeps it close early on. I also think coach Jim Tressel will have some tricks up his sleeve involving freshman sensation QB Terelle Pryor. But USC is just too talented to be stopped. The Trojans win comfortably.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Breaking: Saturday update
Dallas Morning News is reporting that the Arkansas-Texas game has been rescheduled because of Hurricane Ike. To be played Sept. 27.
Which means....
--Arkansas will be 2-1 after losing to Alabama on the 20th.
--Texas will be 3-0 after pounding Rice.
--The game won't be any more awful at the end of the month than it will at the beginning.
Also Ike-related:
--DMN reports that Air Force and Houston will play at SMU's Ford Stadium this Saturday. (On CBSC, which means few will watch anyway.)
--The Stanford-TCU game will be at noon instead of 6 p.m. (On the Mountain.)
That's all for now. Don't expect any changes to the Washington State-Baylor disaster, since it's an early game anyway.
UPDATE: People smarter than I am point out that the new Hog-Horn date is also during Austin City Limits. Long story short? Austin will be beyond madhouse crazy that weekend.
Which means....
--Arkansas will be 2-1 after losing to Alabama on the 20th.
--Texas will be 3-0 after pounding Rice.
--The game won't be any more awful at the end of the month than it will at the beginning.
Also Ike-related:
--DMN reports that Air Force and Houston will play at SMU's Ford Stadium this Saturday. (On CBSC, which means few will watch anyway.)
--The Stanford-TCU game will be at noon instead of 6 p.m. (On the Mountain.)
That's all for now. Don't expect any changes to the Washington State-Baylor disaster, since it's an early game anyway.
UPDATE: People smarter than I am point out that the new Hog-Horn date is also during Austin City Limits. Long story short? Austin will be beyond madhouse crazy that weekend.
On the tube: Week 3
I'll be listening more than watching this weekend -- will be in the kitchen most of the day Saturday pulling a dinner party together. (I know, I know...a man of many talents.) But it's a really, really intriguing week ahead. Seriously.
Best warmup of the bunch: Friday night's game, Kansas at South Florida. (7 p.m., ESPN2) Most definitely the toughest game in the Jayhawks' nonconference schedule. (They're 2-0 after killing Florida International and LaTech.) If Kansas wins this one, I'll stop grumbling every time I think about them. But don't worry: All talk of Kansas will be done after Oct. 18, after a potentially tough home game against Colorado and a sure loss at Oklahoma.
In-state rivalry of the week: It's a morning game, but Iowa State at Iowa could be interesting for a quarter or two as you finish your third cup of coffee. As long as you have the Big 10 network. Just hoping ESPN2 can be convinced to drop the lameness that will be Florida Atlantic-Michigan State.
Stormy weather: Hurricane Ike could affect Arkansas at Texas. (2:30 p.m., ABC) Which, of course, is great news for the Hogs -- anything that keeps them from getting destroyed by the Horns on network TV is a blessing.
Don't penalize me, bro: Late-game goofing off cost Washington last week. The Bruins eked one out against Tennessee in Week 1. Brigham Young is holding on to its BCS hopes by a thread. But it's questionable whether the Cougars can go 2-0 against the Pac 10 as UCLA heads to BYU (2:30 p.m., Versus).
Kill them off, already: Ohio State is to the BCS what zombies are to B-movies. They rise in power through the season, eating weaklings for breakfast. Somebody finally knocks them off, but they somehow manage to come back from the polling dead to end up in the final scene of the season. Before, of course, some heroic SEC team slaughters the Buckeyes. But....OSU visits USC (7 p.m., ABC), so I'll be raising a glass to the Trojans as they hopefully end the Big Ten's chances at another title game appearance.
The rest:
NC State at Clemson (11 a.m., ESPN Gameplan): First, the good news. An ACC team is guaranteed a win. Now the bad: An ACC team is guaranteed another loss.
Washington State at Baylor (11:30 a.m., FSN): Two bad teams don't make for a good game.
Georgia at South Carolina (2:30 p.m., CBS): Because the SEC is just fun.
Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech (2:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN/ESPN Gameplan): Once again, the ACC definitely gets a "W."
Michigan at Notre Dame (2:30 p.m. NBC): Tune in during ABC/Fox/ESPN commercial breaks to see two teams in the act of rebuilding.
Penn State at Syracuse (2:30 p.m., ABC): Just gonna be ugly.
SMU at Texas Tech (6 p.m., Fox Sports Southwest): Why, exactly, is this being televised? Oh, yeah -- because we could see some serious demolition of all kinds of offensive records. The pain, the pain...
Oklahoma at Washington (6:45 p.m., ESPN): This is more the Sooners against the Pac 10 officiating crew than anything.
Wisconsin at Fresno State (9:30 p.m., ESPN2): The Bulldogs are the toughest opponent the No. 10 Badgers have faced so far. Could be worthy of staying up late.
Finally, a new feature: What's not on that should be.
This week, my Conference USA bias comes out, but I nominate East Carolina at Tulane, at 2 p.m. The Pirates blew out West Virginia last weekend, but everybody (including Ted) is waiting to see which C-USA team will dash BCS hopes in Skip Holtz Land. Could be the Green Wave. (A more likely candidate, though, is Central Florida on Nov. 2.)
Best warmup of the bunch: Friday night's game, Kansas at South Florida. (7 p.m., ESPN2) Most definitely the toughest game in the Jayhawks' nonconference schedule. (They're 2-0 after killing Florida International and LaTech.) If Kansas wins this one, I'll stop grumbling every time I think about them. But don't worry: All talk of Kansas will be done after Oct. 18, after a potentially tough home game against Colorado and a sure loss at Oklahoma.
In-state rivalry of the week: It's a morning game, but Iowa State at Iowa could be interesting for a quarter or two as you finish your third cup of coffee. As long as you have the Big 10 network. Just hoping ESPN2 can be convinced to drop the lameness that will be Florida Atlantic-Michigan State.
Stormy weather: Hurricane Ike could affect Arkansas at Texas. (2:30 p.m., ABC) Which, of course, is great news for the Hogs -- anything that keeps them from getting destroyed by the Horns on network TV is a blessing.
Don't penalize me, bro: Late-game goofing off cost Washington last week. The Bruins eked one out against Tennessee in Week 1. Brigham Young is holding on to its BCS hopes by a thread. But it's questionable whether the Cougars can go 2-0 against the Pac 10 as UCLA heads to BYU (2:30 p.m., Versus).
Kill them off, already: Ohio State is to the BCS what zombies are to B-movies. They rise in power through the season, eating weaklings for breakfast. Somebody finally knocks them off, but they somehow manage to come back from the polling dead to end up in the final scene of the season. Before, of course, some heroic SEC team slaughters the Buckeyes. But....OSU visits USC (7 p.m., ABC), so I'll be raising a glass to the Trojans as they hopefully end the Big Ten's chances at another title game appearance.
The rest:
NC State at Clemson (11 a.m., ESPN Gameplan): First, the good news. An ACC team is guaranteed a win. Now the bad: An ACC team is guaranteed another loss.
Washington State at Baylor (11:30 a.m., FSN): Two bad teams don't make for a good game.
Georgia at South Carolina (2:30 p.m., CBS): Because the SEC is just fun.
Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech (2:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN/ESPN Gameplan): Once again, the ACC definitely gets a "W."
Michigan at Notre Dame (2:30 p.m. NBC): Tune in during ABC/Fox/ESPN commercial breaks to see two teams in the act of rebuilding.
Penn State at Syracuse (2:30 p.m., ABC): Just gonna be ugly.
SMU at Texas Tech (6 p.m., Fox Sports Southwest): Why, exactly, is this being televised? Oh, yeah -- because we could see some serious demolition of all kinds of offensive records. The pain, the pain...
Oklahoma at Washington (6:45 p.m., ESPN): This is more the Sooners against the Pac 10 officiating crew than anything.
Wisconsin at Fresno State (9:30 p.m., ESPN2): The Bulldogs are the toughest opponent the No. 10 Badgers have faced so far. Could be worthy of staying up late.
Finally, a new feature: What's not on that should be.
This week, my Conference USA bias comes out, but I nominate East Carolina at Tulane, at 2 p.m. The Pirates blew out West Virginia last weekend, but everybody (including Ted) is waiting to see which C-USA team will dash BCS hopes in Skip Holtz Land. Could be the Green Wave. (A more likely candidate, though, is Central Florida on Nov. 2.)
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