College Football Random Thoughts

I'll have more on the UT game tomorrow, but just thought I'd give some thoughts on other games in college football today:

-- USC beat Ohio State because they remembered to give the ball to Joe McKnight.  Matt Barkley didn't win that game, McKnight did.  Hell Ohio State averaged 7.1 yards per pass, while USC only averaged 6.1 yards per pass, so the quarterback that we all thought couldn't get it done through the air (Pryor) out-performed Barkley...although neither quarterback threw a touchdown pass tonight.  Great win for USC, but that performance didn't do much to make me think they can make it through the Pac-10 unscathed, especially with a trip to Berkeley looming in October.

And Ohio State is not going to win a big game until Jim Tressel grows a pair.  Seriously.

-- Great win for Michigan today, Tate Forcier looks like a *bad pun alert* FORCE to be reckoned with...but Charlie Weiss cost Notre Dame that game.  Notre Dame got the ball with 3:07 left in the game at their own 16 yard line, with a three point lead.  Michigan had all three timeouts, but here is the drive: Rush for 13 yards....rush for no gain...timeout Michigan (2:29 left)....pass incomplete....pass incomplete...punt for 29 yards.  Michigan got the ball back with 2:13 left, at their own 42, with two timeouts left.  Did anyone have any doubt what was going to happen next?  Run the ball twice, make Michigan take the rest of their timeouts, and you are giving Michigan the ball at their own 42 yard line, but the difference is they don't have any timeouts, so the best they might do is a FG.  Horrible decisions there by Weiss.

-- Just when I give Oklahoma State some credit, they pull an Oklahoma State.  They give up 500 yards to Houston, and their offense for the second week in a row looks very unimpressive.  Goodbye to your dream season, Cowboys, but hey, it is good news to me because those Texas/Oklahoma State tickets will be cheaper.

-- I would have bet a lot of money on the Under for South Carolina/Georgia today.  Ooops.

On this day...

 

I felt that this was appropriate.  Hook 'em Roy, and go get them in Tampa on Sunday.

And God Bless America.

The Week That Will Be (09.12.09)

Last Week: 1-5 ATS 3-3 SU
For the Year: 1-5 (.167) (-$450) ATS 3-3 (.500) SU

What we learned last week: We learned that my ATS record for last week was about as good as Jordan Jefferson at quarterback for LSU. You know how when hurricanes are really bad they retire their names? Well Jordan Jefferson is no more, he is now referred to as QB #1 for LSU….We learned that my ATS record for last week was about as good as state of Florida defenses. Florida is excused from this conversation, but all that speed on FSU and Miami was very apparent when they ran past the guy they were supposed to be covering and/or tackling. Jacory Harris is the real deal, however, and is easily the most exciting player in the ACC already….We learned that my ATS record for last week was about as good as Virginia Tech’s defense. You can use the Darren Evans excuse for your offense, but he didn’t play defense and there is no reason to give up 498 yards to a very average Alabama offense. And why does Virginia Tech use the wildcat formation all the time? Where is their real quarterback? What? Tyrod Taylor isn’t their wildcat quarterback? And this is a Top 10 team to start the year?.....We learned that my ATS record for last week was about as good as the Illinois rebuilding project. What? Illinois had the returning quarterback and NFL prospect receiver coming back? What the hell kind of world are we living in? Blaine Gabbert in all seriousness made me realize that the week between OU and Oklahoma State is no longer an off-week. Missouri is here to stay…..We learned that my ATS record for last week is about as good as Oklahoma’s offensive line, as about as good as Sam Bradford’s decision to come back to school, about as good as Bob Stoops in games away from Norman, about as good as Landry Jones’s mustache...I can go all night….And finally, we learned that my ATS record for last week is about as good as the Longhorns’ 4th quarter defensive effort. 60 MINUTES GENTLEMEN!

Anyhow…

This week we steal Bill Simmons’s shtick (hey when I get paid for these I’ll form my own shtick), and we’ll give you a national college football preview with help from the summer blockbuster The Hangover.

Listen, we f*#@ed up, we lost Doug. What? We’re getting married in *five* hours. Yeah…that’s not gonna happen.

Bob Stoops lost Sam Bradford, and he didn’t even get a night with Mike Tyson’s tiger, a hospital trip from Wayne Newton and didn’t even get to attend a wedding.

Sam Bradford and Jermaine Gresham came back to Oklahoma to win a national championship….yeah, that’s not gonna happen. OU’s defense is still formidable, and they still have enough playmakers on offense to win most of their games, but their season hinged on Bradford and Gresham staying healthy, and that didn’t last until the first punt hit the JerryTron. Bradford is supposedly going to be back in 2-4 weeks, but given the uncertainty surrounding the situation, you have to wonder if that is just wishful thinking for Stoops, and soon he’s going to have to call Tracy from the side of the road while roofies talk occurs behind him.

Would you please some pants on? I feel weird having to ask you twice.

Oklahoma State is used to losing their pants in the big games, but this year they’ve already surprised a few media scribes by winning a game they were favored in last week against Georgia. Sure, Georgia looked as if the whole offense had the swine flu, but it was still a quality win against a quality opponent, a step that Oklahoma State must take in order to go to the next level.

They’ll get plenty of chances in the Big 12 for those types of games this year, and we’ll see if they’ve really put their pants on yet.

And my wolf pack... it grew by one. So there... there were two of us in the wolf pack... I was alone first in the pack, and then Doug joined in later.

Tim 8 Pound 6 Ounce Lord Baby Tebow already has his Heisman, Sam Bradford can prop up his bad arm on his Heisman, and now it’s time for another to join the wolfpack….Colt McCoy. It tells you how good McCoy was last year when a 21/29 for 317 yard performance in the first game is looked upon as a step down from last season.

The Heisman Trophy is rarely given to one person twice, so McCoy has to be the favorite at this point, and if he repeats his 2008, it will be his, easily.

This isn’t the real Caesar’s Palace, is it? What do you mean? Did um, did Caesar live here? No. I didn’t think so.

In 30 years, when Florida is meandering to a 5-7 record at Tim 8 Pound 6 Ounces Lord Baby Tebow Field, youngsters across Gainesville will wonder if the great Tim Tebow actually played here, and strain to hear his cheesy halftime speeches stolen from the monologue of Dawson Freakin’ Leery in a bad high school football movie. They will then sigh heavily as a LSU receiver hauls in another TD pass in front of Touchdown Tebow hanging over the north end zone.

Tigers love pepper….they hate cinnamon.

Apparently Tigers hate quarterbacks and defense, too, if the last fourteen games from LSU mean anything. We’re finally realizing what Les Miles did to win the championship in 2007, he sold his soul to the football devil, and is now stuck with the likes of QB #1 for the rest of his coaching life. I’m guessing we’ll see him in Jacksonville, Kansas City or some other NFL port very soon.

Not you, fat Jesus

Mississippi might be the best challenger to Florida in the SEC, but does anyone really think that a Houston Nutt coached team will be in a BCS bowl, much less the national championship game?

Here's something I would like to remind you two of: our best friend Doug is probably face down in a ditch right now with a meth head butt-f*#$ing his corpse! That’s highly unlikely.

USC appeared to be dead in the water when the favorite to win the quarterback job Aaron Corp went down with an injury in summer practices and true freshman Matt Barkley was handed the job, but USC responded with a 56-3 win over San Jose State in the first week and are big favorites this week against Ohio State. San Jose State won’t be confused for 22 Tebows anytime soon, but in a weekend where some struggled, USC showed that a great offensive line and a very good defense will take you far in this sport.

How’s my hair? That’s good. It’s cool like Phil’s? It’s classic Phil.

Notre Dame is trying to get their swagger back, and looked convincing in a blowout of pretty decent Nevada last week. It will take a few more wins like that before sane people and not senile commentators that must hold naked pictures of the ESPN president like Lou Holtz think that Notre Dame is on their way back. But for once, the talk around South Bend is positive.

Not at the table, Carlos!

Please take away Kenny Chesney. Please. We can all realize that it was a horrible, horrible idea and just duck quickly into the night, right ESPN? I want to hear drum cadences and fight songs, not a poca-shelled fake cowboy who looks like he’s trying too hard to be on the new Melrose Place?

By the way man, where did you get that cop car from? We uh, stole it from those dumbass cops. Nice! High Five there!

Who is most likely to steal the national championship from the prohibitive favorites? Alabama looked mighty good against Virginia Tech, and if their offense plays like that all season, then they could very well win the SEC. Mississippi as we mentioned above could do it if they overcome their past. Penn State and Ohio State benefit from a weak Big Ten schedule and could find themselves in Pasadena. Oklahoma State and Cal are right there, as well.

If anything, we should get a reward. Yeah…a reward, or a trophy!

And of course the prohibitive favorites are Florida and Texas. Call me a homer, but it looks like the Longhorns’ year with their ridiculous weapons on offense and a defense that will lean heavily on senior leadership in the front seven and young talent in the secondary.

And, at the end of the year, we’ll all settle in a chair and check out the ridiculous pictures from our tailgate as the credits roll.


FACEBOOK NEWS FEED

Sam Bradford is no longer in a relationship with Jermaine Gresham.

LaGarrette Blount has joined the group Eugene Fight Club.

Byron Hout has joined the group I Got Knocked The F*#@ OUT on National TV.

Jim Tressell > Terrelle Pryor: Shut up and run the ball, TP.

Kenny Chesney has a bout of laryngitis.
America likes this.

Dan Hawkins I’ll coach my team like Little League Baseball and start my son every game if I want to!

Versus and DirecTv have joined the group F YOU TEXAS FANS.

On to the games...

UCLA @ Tennessee -7.5:

Last year UCLA beat a ranked Tennessee team at the Rose Bowl in a game that was the beginning of the end for Phil Fulmer. Yes, it was only Western Kentucky, but the Vols had a very encouraging 63-7 win to start their season last week, and look to carry that momentum here.

UCLA, meanwhile, had a mediocre 33-14 win over San Diego State. Look for Tennessee to continue their roll here.

Tennessee 37 UCLA 17
ATS – Tennessee
SU – Tennessee

Notre Dame -3.5 @ Michigan:

Notre Dame handled the spread offense of Nevada very well last week, but while Nevada is a very solid opponent, they don’t have the athletes that Michigan has.

This one is hard to pick because both teams were so bad last year but made strides in their first game this year. Jimmy Clausen has been very good in the last two games, but this week we’ll see if he can do it in a hostile atmosphere.

The underdog has won 8 of the last 10 meetings between these two, and I see that trend continuing.

Michigan 27 Notre Dame 24
ATS – Michigan
SU – Michigan

USC -7 @ Ohio State:
The Buckeyes had a rough start last week, struggling on defense while allowing Navy to run for 186 yards and frankly, out-coach them. Navy looked like the aggressor, the role that you would think Ohio State would play at home in Terrelle Pryor’s first year as unquestioned starter.

USC has had their problems at quarterback, but they still have the stable of running backs, an outstanding offensive line, and a defense patrolled by Taylor Mays. Look for USC to stack the line, dare Pryor to beat them through the air, and get enough on offense to open things up for Barkley.

USC 34 Ohio State 21
ATS – USC
SU – USC

Houston @ Oklahoma State -15.5:

This one can be tough if Oklahoma State rests on their laurels and is satisfied with the win over Georgia. Houston is a very dangerous team, one that can put a lot of points on the board very quickly.

But…Houston isn’t as good on the road. They lost to Rice and Marshall on the road late last season, and struggled to beat SMU in another. Look for OSU to get their offense going early and often.

Oklahoma State 48 Houston 28
ATS – Oklahoma State
SU – Oklahoma State

Rice @ Texas Tech -26.5:

Texas Tech didn’t look as sharp last week, but Rice lost by 20 to UAB. UAB will never be confused as the next Texas Tech.

Texas Tech 51 Rice 17
ATS – Texas Tech
SU – Texas Tech

Texas -33.5 @ Wyoming:

Wyoming gave up 322 passing yards to Weber State last week. Oh no.

Texas 63 Wyoming 14
ATS – Texas
SU – Texas

Random Hot Dallas Chick



For entertainment purposes only. Save your money for oxygen tanks in Laramie.

Texas beats Louisiana Monroe 59-20

As I told friends after the game, it is the classic game where you can be plenty happy about what went right in the ballgame, but the coaches also have plenty of material to yell at and teach up.

Game 2 is Saturday at Wyoming, but we'll be back Wednesday to discuss that and more.

The Week That Will Be (09.05.09)

Last Week: 0-0 ATS 0-0 SU
For the Year: -- (.) (-$) ATS - (.) SU

All the dreams, all the hopes for the national championship come down to this play…Young from the Shotgun….back to throw, Vince looks, under pressure, he’ll tuck it and RUN….Vince to the FIVE….Young….TOUCHDOWN TEXAS!! TOUCHDOWN VINCE YOUNG!! He’s done it again! Vince Young has given the Longhorns the lead with 19 seconds to play in the game.

The longest 19 seconds of my life.

It’s hard to believe that that fateful night was now three and a half years ago, but it was. But I still remember driving around that night, unable to sleep because I didn’t ever want that night to end, and thinking to myself, “There is no way that the next one could be as special. We can never have that moment again.”

I’m here to tell you, I was dead wrong that night.

I’m as hungry as ever to tell the nation that they were wrong about our Longhorns. Again.

I don’t have to remind you of the events of last year, beating Oklahoma in Dallas and thinking that destiny was ours, only to lose on a last second play in Lubbock and then have the dominoes fall to knock Texas out of the Big 12 Championship Game and then the National Championship game in Miami. And of course we all knew that Oklahoma was going to lose to Florida, which they did, and Texas fans were left to wonder, what if?

Well, fast forward 8 months and now the Longhorns have their shot at getting what they think was theirs. They can not only win their fifth national championship, but can show the nation that perhaps they had it wrong in 2008, as well.

And, just like in 2005, they are a prohibitive favorite to make it to the championship game. Heisman Trophy candidate Colt McCoy (his start against Louisiana Monroe will be his 40th as a Longhorn) is back to lead the offense, as are 4 of the 5 offensive linemen. Quan Cosby is gone, but there is more than enough talent at wide receiver to make up for it, with Jordan Shipley, James Kirkendoll, Brandon Collins, Malcolm Williams, Dan Buckner and QB turned WR John Chiles at Greg Davis’s disposal. The Longhorns will once again take the running back by committee approach this season, with Vondrell McGee, Cody Johnson, Fozzy Whitaker and Tre Newton all seeing significant playing time.

On defense, Texas must replace NFL first-round draft pick DE Brian Orakpo and third-round pick DT Roy Miller, but there is raw talent there to reload. Returning starters Sergio Kindle and Lamarr Houston will be asked to anchor a defensive line where Sam Acho, Alex Okafor, Eddie Jones and Kheeston Randall will also get significant playing time.

Jared Norton and Roddrick Muckelroy return at linebacker, looking to bolster a defense that at times was soft against the run last season.
But the most promise in the defense lies with the secondary, where a lot of guys had to learn on the job last season and hope to benefit from that experience this year. Aaron Williams could very well be the next great defensive back at the University, while Chykie Brown is more than capable of holding his own on the other side. Earl Thomas has been named by Coach Muschamp by name plenty of times this training camp (which if you know Muschamp is a high honor), and is said to have had the best camp of any player on that side of the ball.

But it won’t be easy. Although there are no Ohio States on the schedule this year, the Longhorns still must navigate a Big 12 schedule that tripped them up last year. Road games at Oklahoma State and Missouri could be tough, and although they get Texas Tech at home, they will be led by senior quarterback Taylor Potts.

And of course there is always Oklahoma. Which is in 45 days. Not that I’m counting.

In 2005, the Longhorns were told by a certain actor alumnus to “Get your goal, go on to Pasadena and live the dream.” The Longhorns adopted “Live The Dream” as a late season motto.

This year, it isn’t a dream. It is an expectation.

And I want Florida. And Tebow. Hell give him the Heisman again.

The season of redemption starts on Saturday at 6:00 PM.

Get your Horns up.

FACEBOOK STATUS MESSAGES

T Boone Pickens is rethinking that hundy thou he put on the Pokes in Vegas…
Pete Carroll is thinking hell, the Cardinals aren’t using Matt Leinart, can we have him back???
The Michigan Football Team wants their mommy.
Sam Bradford is wondering why that big guy I threw passes to is now snapping the ball to me.
Houston Nutt is wondering just how in the hell I’ll screw this up this time.
Tim Tebow has saved a baby from a burning building, walked an old lady across the street, performed heart surgery and hasn’t had sex. What’s for lunch?
Lou Holtz is going with Beano Cook to the nursing home and mumbling incoherent phrases, who is with me?

On to the games...

LSU -17.5 @ Washington:

Washington figures to be better this year with new coach Steve Sarkisian and QB Jake Locker back under center, but it is going to take some time, and LSU isn’t an opponent to get healthy against. LSU is looking to rebound from a disappointing year themselves, and will have no trouble with the Huskies in the great Northwest.

LSU 45 Washington 14
ATS – LSU
SU – LSU

Miami @ Florida State -6:

What was once a classic is now a game where both teams are trying to regain national respect. This one likely comes down to which quarterback can perform the best, Miami’s Jacory Harris or Florida State’s Christian Ponder? Ponder is the more seasoned choice, but like a lot of Miami/FSU games this decade, expect a low scoring, sleep inducing game.

Florida State 17 Miami 13
ATS – Miami
SU – Florida State

Virginia Tech v. Alabama -6.5:

Speaking of sleep inducing games, this one could also be a game where only amateur gamblers bet on the over. Bama will have the home crowd, but Tyrod Taylor is 13-2 as a starter and one of those games was a loss at FSU where he left the game in the first quarter. I see Alabama winning, but VT keeping it close.

Alabama 16 Virginia Tech 13
ATS – Virginia Tech
SU – Alabama

Missouri v. Illinois -6.5:

Nobody really knows that to think of Missouri right now. They lost Chase Daniel, Jeremy Maclin and Chase Coffman. Replacing Daniel is sophomore Blaine Gabbert, who has a nice pedigree, but is raw. Illinois returns QB Juice Williams and WR Arrelious Benn.
Illinois has yet to win a game in this series in St. Louis, but this will be the year.

Illinois 45 Missouri 27
ATS – Illinois
SU – Illinois

BYU v. Oklahoma -22.5:

I could see this game going two ways. I see OU blowing out BYU, or I see BYU outright winning. So which is more likely? Probably OU blowing them out.

Demarco Murray is out with his annual injury, but the Sooners have plenty of offensive weapons to exploit the weaknesses on BYU’s defense. Bobby usually has his teams ready to go in September, and I don’t see this one being any different.

Oklahoma 48 BYU 24
ATS – Oklahoma
SU – Oklahoma

Louisiana Monroe @ Texas -41:

This week you had the annual Mack Brown talking up the opening opponent speech, and Louisiana Monroe might even be improved this year from their 4-8 record of a year ago, but from all accounts, the Longhorns have been hitting on all cylinders all camp, and are ready to get the season underway.

They aren’t going to take this one lightly.

Texas 52 Louisiana Monroe 3
ATS – Texas
SU – Texas

Random Hot Dallas Chick



For entertainment purposes only. Save your money for $40 PPV games.

Thoughts on the Depth Chart

The depth chart for the first game against Louisiana Monroe was released late last week, and can be found here.

Here are some of my thoughts on it:

-- First, right off the top James Kirkendoll is listed before Brandon Collins on the Flanker depth chart, despite Collins having a breakthrough year last year. I'm not sure that this is so much of an indictment of Collins as it is praise for the camp that Kirkendoll has had, though, as word is that he might be the offensive star of the camp this summer. Obviously with a group of receivers this talented a lot of guys are going to get on the field and who starts the game isn't that big of a deal, but it is still indicative of where Kirkendoll is in the eyes of the coaching staff.

-- The tight end position is a mess. It was the same mess last year and the offense was just fine, but you would like to have a dependable tight end to rely upon in pressure situations. Freshman Barrett Matthews might be that guy, but Dan Buckner will get plenty of looks at the pseudo-tight end position, it appears.

-- Vondrell McGee has once again "won" the running back job, although he didn't have much competition with word leaking this week that Fozzy Whitaker has once again missed significant practice time with an injury. The Longhorns need improvement from their running game this year, and hopefully this is the year McGee and crew reach their potential. McGee did look quicker in the one practice I saw this summer, hopefully that translates to success on the field.

-- Forget redshirting Garrett Gilbert. Although I would like to see that happen, it doesn't appear it will. How much playing time Gilbert will get, or how many passes the coaching staff allows him to throw is still to be seen, but it would take a dramatic change from past coaching decisions for Gilbert to get a lot of experience throwing the football late in games.

-- I really, really like the four defensive ends. Kindle, Acho, Okafor and Jones might be the best unit in college football. The fact that Acho is starting over Eddie Jones is a bit of a surprise, but from what I understand it is more of a statement on how Acho forced it rather than Eddie Jones losing the job. The waves of pressure that Texas can throw at opposing quarterbacks is exciting, and nobody is more excited than a secondary that is looking to take advantage of another year of experience.

-- One of the most significant questions entering this season for the Longhorns is the defensive tackle position. Kheeston Randall and Lamarr Houston appear to have won starting positions, but the Longhorns need a true freshman to step up this year (Calvin Howell) and had to switch former 5 star OL recruit Tray Allen to NT for depth purposes. There is some great talent in the middle for the Longhorn defense, but any injury to any of these guys would be detrimental to this defense's success.

-- Blake Gideon appears to have lost his starting job to Christian Scott. How significant that is, I'm not sure, but it is interesting that a guy that started every game last year is now the back-up.

-- Earl Thomas will see significant amounts of playing time at Nickel DB this year, and that again is a testament to how much the coaching staff has seen from him this summer. He really looks like he is on the road to being the next leader of this secondary, ala Michael Huff.

-- Jordan Shipley will return punts and kickoffs. Stay healthy, Jordan.

10 Days...

Yeah yeah, I pretty much neglected this blog all off-season, but writing about the off-season just makes the off-season longer. So it's the whole see no evil, be no evil thing, right?

10 Days until Colt McCoy and the rest of the Longhorns try to get back to Pasadena...