Peoria Pliers: NC State vs. The Ol' Ballcoach tonight at 7PM. You fired up?
Scoops McCracken: I'm more fired up for the Oregon State-Stanford game on ESPN2....I love the Pac Ten in that they get things going right away with a meaningful first game. They dive right into the conference season.
Peoria Pliers: Yeah but that's like diving into a pool of liquid mediocrity.
Scoops McCracken: Yeah, but I love sports drama. I found myself watching team handball during the olympics because a) it was in HD, and b) it had drama. I love meaningful sports contests. Besides, the Pac Ten has always been my 2nd favorite contest. I've liked the Pac Ten because they seem to balance college football the right way....they dig it, but they don't have broken down cars with bald tires in their front yards. They watch games and then go about their business.
Peoria Pliers: Good point. I figured out a while back that Sports is like my eqivalent to really good theater...I don't care about the outcome as much as the drama
Scoops McCracken: You're forced to go to one of these games tonight: Vanderbilt @ Miami (OH), Wake Forest @ Baylor, or Troy @ Middle Tennessee, which do you choose & why?
Peoria Pliers: Well the Troy/Middle Tennessee game is out, that is easy...who wants to be in Tennessee, EVER? There is nothing good that comes out of Tennessee. Other than Jack Daniel's.
Scoops McCracken: I choose the Troy @ Middle Tennessee game, and the reason is this.
Peoria Pliers: You must be crazy
Scoops McCracken: I want to see the next obscure 1st round CB live in person, the one that nobody knows about and you watch his highlights after he's picked overall at #16 simply flying around the field with crazy INT's & punt returns. He could be on either Troy or Middle Tennessee.
Peoria Pliers: Sure, that's all well and good. Here is the problem. The combined total of the ACT scores of the players on Troy St. and Middle Tennesse (an estimated 250 players) is somewhere between 2500 and 3000. Nothing like a game with 45 penalties to make you want to drink. Those teams make the SEC look like an old Woody Hayes coached Buckeye squad
Scoops McCracken: Speaking of scores, I was going to ask you what you think about the MarQuies Gray (and Spencer Reeves, another Gopher out due to ACT scores) situations(s).
Peoria Pliers: Sounds like the program is on an upswing! Yeah, I dunno, I mean this is probably a good thing that we are convincing the admissions office to let these hooligans into the university, since that is clearly the only way to compete.
Scoops McCracken: I take it you feel like these are the type of guys that are needed to turn around programs?
Peoria Pliers: The tough part is that you probably don't see this type of stuff at programs like FSU or Michigan since they have boosters that run the testing programs and they nip these types of problems in the bud. For shiggety. It's not like Football is in a vacuum, either. Anyone that has met Jordan Leopold knows that he wasn't here to study rock formations and socio-economic status...
Scoops McCracken: Not only the boosters, but the media as well. Could you ever see the Columbus Dispatch sitting on a story like the Star Tribune did with ACT scores? That thing was a few weeks in the works and they were waiting to unleash it. I've come to realize that the state of Minnesota does not know what it takes to have a big time D-I football program.
Peoria Pliers: Yeah no kidding. Or how about "Action News 5 - Ann Arbor" breaking the story that Fox did a few years ago about the gopher hockey players getting drunk at a bar. Perhaps, but if Penn State and Wake Forest can do it, so can we. Besides, your'e the "moral fiber" guy anyway. I haven't been to church in this millenium.
Scoops McCracken: I'm more about a kid, once he gets into school, keeping his nose clean off the field, staying eligible, and at least pursuing a degree more so than if a kid scored a 15 on his ACT's being allowed in.
Peoria Pliers: I agree with you, and considering how easy college should be for anyone who actually shows up to class and gives it the "old college try", there really shouldn't be any problems for these kids. They are just too dumb to realize how good they have it. Or they are just ingrained with the stupid gene (see: The Vick Family)
Scoops McCracken: But even Penn State has their share of hooligans too. They all do. I still laugh at Lloyd Carr in 2003 for wanting the Minnesota-Michigan game, which had to be moved to a Friday night at the dome, to be moved to Michigan on a Saturday because he would have had to take his kids out of class a day early.
Peoria Pliers: That's just the type of Lloyd Carr logic that got him fired from his job. Talk about not being able to see the forest through the trees....how in the holy hell did he keep his job as long as he did? I preface by saying I think he is a stand-up guy and a decent coach, but still
Scoops McCracken: He won a national title in his first 3 years and slapped around Ohio State until JT got there. I think he's a stand-up guy also, but he tries to play the card that his players are above all others because they got into Michigan, which has the highest standards in the Big Ten after Northwestern while in reality, they're all sports management majors and there simply for the purpose of 110,000 people paying $60/each 7 Saturday's a year, which funds their entire school practically. But that's why he was there that long; he had some early success. And he was taking them to BCS bowl games. Think about it 1998 Rose Bowl champs, 1999 Citrus Bowl champs, 2000 Orange Bowl champs, 2001 Citrus Bowl champs, 2002 Outback Bowl champs, 2003 Rose Bowl rep where they lost to AP national champ USC, 2004 where they lost that crazy Rose Bowl to Vince Young, 2005 (the exception: losing to Nebraska in the Alamo Bowl), and then another Rose Bowl & a CapitalOne Bowl win. That's 10 out of 11 New Year's bowl games.
Peoria Pliers: Yeah I'm not saying he didn't have sucess...but that is like being OK with Don Lucia sticking around for 10 years if all he does between now and 2018 is win a handful of WCHA titles and a few NCAA games...the bar HAS to be set higher at these elite programs, epecially considering the talent that runs through places like that
Peoria Pliers: How many 1st round draft picks went through Michigan betwen 1999 and 2007? Honestly.
Scoops McCracken: Lots, and don't forget about other draft picks, like LaMar Woodley, and a 6th round pick in Tom Brady.
Peoria Pliers: Exactly. They did less with more instead of the opposite. Just like American car manufacturers.
Scoops McCracken: Did you know that the Army-Navy game was moved to primetime this year? Usually, it was before the SEC championship on CBS, but now they switched it....the SEC game is in the afternoon slot and Army-Navy is at night on CBS competing against the Big XII title on ABC.
Peoria Pliers: That is pretty sweet. That is one game I really want to go to. I've been to Harvard/Yale, and I think Army/Navy might be next. I know, I know, there are bigger games out there, but until my homegrown porno business takes off I can't afford a $300 ticket to Florida/Georgia at the Swamp, or $500 for the Iron Bowl. I just can't do it.
Scoops McCracken: I'd do Army-Navy over all of them. Speaking of Florida/Georgia, you remember when Georgia scored their first TD when the whole sideline came out to celebrate?
Peoria Pliers: Nope, sorry. Was Lee Corso still coaching back then? I know he didn't coach either of those teams...just a frame of reference as to how you remeber this old-timey stuff. I bet you could tell me about a great drive that Howard Schnellenberger put together during an Orange Bowl in the early 80's
Scoops McCracken: No, this was last year. They scored the first TD, and Richt sent the whole team out to celebrate and they got a 15 yard penalty. The commentators were saying that Urban Meyer was most mad about the fact that he hadn't thought about that first.
Peoria Pliers: I don't think I watched that game, unfortunately. I hear Verne Lindquist's voice and I start to throw up a little, so the CBS games are always tough to watch unless I have some Burt Bacharach playing in the background to soothe the nerves
Scoops McCracken: I don't mind him, actually. Speaking of which...time for some announcer talk. Who are your favorites & why?
Peoria Pliers says: Ahhh yes, one of my favorite topics. You go first, I've got some good opinions on this but I want to hear your thoughts.
Scoops McCracken: My favorite is Ron Franklin, followed closely by Musberger (I love how he can make a 3rd game Pop Warner game seem like the Super Bowl) and Nessler. Favorite commentator is Bob Davie. He may have had a tough time in Southbend, but the guy knows what he's talking about during the game and I always learn a new thing or two I didn't know before. Other little tidbits: I'll always admire how Bob Griese could call the 1998 Rose Bowl like it was nothing when his son was on the field winning a national championship and the MVP, like you didn't even know they were related & staying neutral. Other than that, there's not much out there right now. When people like Pam Ward are getting jobs doing games, I can't take the job seriously.
Peoria Pliers: Best Color Guy - Bob Davie. If only he could recruit....Favorite Pre-Game Announcer - Ron Franklin. (Here in the battleground of Auburn, Alabama. The land of great confederate warriors like Robert E. Lee and Nathan Bedford Forrest, this great state has but two sources of pride...The Crimson Tide and the Tigers. Tonight, the streetfight begins at Tiger Stadium, live on ESPN). Worst Crew - Thom Brenneman and his cohorts at FOX. They make Pam Ward sound like Andre Ware
Scoops McCracken: Yeah, Franklin does have the great lead-ins on the prime time SEC games. Yes, the Fox BCS crews are awful.
Peoria Pliers: I like Todd Blackledge and Mike Patrick, they are solid but not great. Spielman is a good color guy, and Sean McDonough holds his own. Otherwise, the ABC crews are definately the bees knees these days, but there is no doubt that college football is still greatly mourning the loss of Keith Jackson. I think that Jack Arute is the personification of the difference between NCAA football (and Football in general) and the NBA. Jack Arute always wears a Fedora. That's his shtick, and he does it well. What does the NBA have? Craig Sager looking like a character in "I'm gonna get you, Sucka"
Scoops McCracken: Mike Patrick isn't that bad, I like his voice, and he doesn't make really stupid comments like half of the NFL guys that are just desperately trying to avoid silence. Yeah, I miss the "we send it down to Swannie" from Jackson. "Where was the safety man, Bob Griese?" And he was always good on the lineups after the kickoffs "The big men up front.....Orlando Pace, from Sandusky.......he's a large boy." He'd always single out one guy. "For the Trojans, Dwayne Jarrett, Kery Colbert, Leinart & Reggie Bush...he's everybody's all-american." I always thought I did a fair Keith Jackson impression.
Peoria Pliers: I can hear you doing his voice right now. How about my favorite, when he would do the product announcments, "The third quarter brought to you by Dr. Peppah, and Wavy Lays, Bet you can't eat just one (no pause) It's third-and-two, and the Buckeyes have brought out the meaty Fullback package we saw at the goal line in the 1st Quarter"
Scoops McCracken: King of the pause....."The Rose Bowl is brought to you byyyyyyyyyy..........Dr. Peppah.....................Dr. Peppah just what the doctor ordered and byyyyyyyyyyyy Wavy Layyyyyys potato chips." I do think ABC did it right by having Musberger do the Rose Bowl....he's the only guy that gets the excitment level of what a New Year's afternoon is all about. Back to this weekends games, I don’t expect to see anything like last year’s first weekend with App. State & Michigan. Think anything is going to happen this weekend? App. State happened before I was even at the tailgate lot for the Gopher opener.
Peoria Pliers: Hmmm, I'm never much of a big upset picker guy, but everyone seems to think that ECU has a shot against the Hokies. The game is in Greenville, but I just don't see the Beamer-nator letting that one get out of hand.
Scoops McCracken: Me either...in fact, I made that a high probability pick in my picks.
Peoria Pliers says: Lousiana Tech has a shot against Mississippi St since the Bulldogs can't score, and the game is not in Starkville. Other than those two, I don't see any huge upsets in the making, personally.
Scoops McCracken: Even though they're injured, I'm anxious to watch the Neuheisel era on Monday night with UCLA vs. the Vols.
Peoria Pliers: Yeah I kinda want to see Ricky Boy get his ass handed to him this year. Dorrell left the cabinets BARE, and I have been waiting for Fulmer's teams to live up to the recruiting ratings they seem to garner every year. Talk about an underacheiver.
Scoops McCracken: I kind of enjoy the Neuheisel train.....get some guys in, win, go to a nice bowl, be a top-5 team, then either leave for a different job or get hounded by the NCAA.
Peoria Pliers: I dono, he's sneaky, and he always reminds me of Bill Paxton's character in True Lies...the kind of guy who would try to nail your wife while giving her some line that he was an international businessman or billionaire playboy
Scoops McCracken: What was his name....Simon?
Peoria Pliers: Something like that
Scoops McCracken: That was on TV the other day....that's a pretty underrated movie.
Peoria Pliers: Agreed, some of Arnold's best work. Best quote - "I'm going to kill you pretty soon."
Scoops McCracken: A bunch of Islamic terrorists wanting to have a Jihad and bomb America. It's kind of ironic how True Lies & The Delta Force pretty much foreshadowed 9/11. Almost Nostradamus like. Anyway, time to wrap up the Throwdown. Last word?Peoria Pliers: Hmmm....Thank god it is Thursday. Time to strap it on.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Scoops' Week 1 CFA Picks
Going to do something a bit different this year. I’m going to use “mythical money” when making my picks. I’ll treat it like Vegas: Bet $11 to win $10. All bets will be $10 unless I state otherwise (there may be a few lead pipe locks).
MINNESOTA (-8) over Northern Illinois: Northern Illinois is coming off a sub-par season along with a new coach in his first game and an injured QB. This game is important for Minnesota’s psyche in that they haven’t won too many football games over the past 20 months. Minnesota is the joke of the town right now and they need to set a tone for the season. Look for Weber to be efficient and some of the newcomers on D to make some plays. FINAL SCORE: MINNESOTA 34, NORTHER ILLINOIS 20.
WISCONSIN (-26.5) over Akron: Usually it takes a bit of time for a new QB to get their feet wet, and reports that Allan Evridge has been ok, but nothing spectacular. The good news for the Badgers is they have a 3 deep RB stable that should allow Chryst to ease in Evridge and let the offense roll. Look for the Badgers to be up by 21-28 at halftime and to cruise from there with the ground attack. FINAL SCORE: WISCONSIN 45, AKRON 13
Utah (+3.5) over MICHIGAN: The RichRod era begins, and the defense should help the transition allow for a bowl game. But the offense will take time, and they’re running into their first action against someone not on their own team. Look for Utah to score enough to win and cause Michigan’s offense problems. FINAL SCORE: UTAH 20, MICHIGAN 17
CALIFORNIA (-4.5) over Michigan State: A good non-conference match-up and should be an entertaining game. I’m going with the trend that Big Ten teams often have difficulty when traveling out west, especially against a good, fast Cal team. Look for MSU to keep it close, but in the end, talent & home field wins out and is able to cover the spread. FINAL SCORE: CAL 34, MICHIGAN STATE 24
Missouri (-8.5) over Illinois [@ St. Louis]: The best match-up of the first week involving a Big Ten team finds itself in St. Louis. Mizzou is thinking national championship. It was a one-score game last year and I see a similar score this year, but Chase Daniel is just going to be too much. FINAL SCORE: MISSOURI 37, ILLINOIS 27
NORTHWESTERN (-11.5) over Syracuse: Can C.J. Bacher stay consistent this year? That’s the key for the Wildcats. He led the conference in passing yards last year, but was way too up & down. Look for a wide variety of Northwestern WR’s to get involved and the defense to do enough against a not-so-great Syracuse team. FINAL SCORE: NORTHWESTERN 34, SYRACUSE 20
INDIANA (-20.5) over Western Kentucky: The biggest joke schedule in the Big Ten non-conference season goes to Indiana as they’re going the Glen Mason route to secure bowl bids. Western Kentucky is the start. Indiana is trying to build off of bowl game in 2007 and should be able to easily get off to a good start in this one. Look for the troubled Kellen Lewis to prove to lots of people that his off-season problems are of no concern. FINAL SCORE: INDIANA 45, WESTERN KENTUCKY 10
IOWA vs. Maine: NO LINE: I’d feel good about Maine’s chances if Paul Karyia & Jimmy Howard were wearing the navy & baby blue of the Black Bears, but Iowa should get the easy win.
OREGON (-13.5) over Washington: Ty Willingham’s rough gig at Washington gets to start off with a fun conference opener at Autzen Stadium. How will the Ducks adjust to life without Dennis Dixon & Jonathan Stewart? Look for the home field advantage to be able to energize the Ducks and start off the year with a win and lots of hits to Jake Locker. FINAL SCORE: OREGON 37, WASHINGTON 17
Southern California (-19.5) over VIRGINIA: Hard with this one because of the double digit home dog and USC breaking in a new QB. USC just has too much talent though. Difference with Sanchez is that he started a game at Oregon last year, so he’s used to playing on the road in a tough environment and will be good enough over a Virginia program that seems to be on the downturn a bit. FINAL SCORE: USC 41, VIRGINIA 20
Clemson (-5) over Alabama [@ Atlanta]: This one was a tough call. Alabama had 10 games decided by 7 points or less in 2007. And Clemson has been known to not win big games. But look for Cullen Harper and the Clemson spread running attack to be able to handle Alabama and their pumpkin pie hair cutted freak of a QB in John Parker Wilson. FINAL SCORE: CLEMSON 34, ALABAMA 24
MINNESOTA (-8) over Northern Illinois: Northern Illinois is coming off a sub-par season along with a new coach in his first game and an injured QB. This game is important for Minnesota’s psyche in that they haven’t won too many football games over the past 20 months. Minnesota is the joke of the town right now and they need to set a tone for the season. Look for Weber to be efficient and some of the newcomers on D to make some plays. FINAL SCORE: MINNESOTA 34, NORTHER ILLINOIS 20.
WISCONSIN (-26.5) over Akron: Usually it takes a bit of time for a new QB to get their feet wet, and reports that Allan Evridge has been ok, but nothing spectacular. The good news for the Badgers is they have a 3 deep RB stable that should allow Chryst to ease in Evridge and let the offense roll. Look for the Badgers to be up by 21-28 at halftime and to cruise from there with the ground attack. FINAL SCORE: WISCONSIN 45, AKRON 13
Utah (+3.5) over MICHIGAN: The RichRod era begins, and the defense should help the transition allow for a bowl game. But the offense will take time, and they’re running into their first action against someone not on their own team. Look for Utah to score enough to win and cause Michigan’s offense problems. FINAL SCORE: UTAH 20, MICHIGAN 17
CALIFORNIA (-4.5) over Michigan State: A good non-conference match-up and should be an entertaining game. I’m going with the trend that Big Ten teams often have difficulty when traveling out west, especially against a good, fast Cal team. Look for MSU to keep it close, but in the end, talent & home field wins out and is able to cover the spread. FINAL SCORE: CAL 34, MICHIGAN STATE 24
Missouri (-8.5) over Illinois [@ St. Louis]: The best match-up of the first week involving a Big Ten team finds itself in St. Louis. Mizzou is thinking national championship. It was a one-score game last year and I see a similar score this year, but Chase Daniel is just going to be too much. FINAL SCORE: MISSOURI 37, ILLINOIS 27
NORTHWESTERN (-11.5) over Syracuse: Can C.J. Bacher stay consistent this year? That’s the key for the Wildcats. He led the conference in passing yards last year, but was way too up & down. Look for a wide variety of Northwestern WR’s to get involved and the defense to do enough against a not-so-great Syracuse team. FINAL SCORE: NORTHWESTERN 34, SYRACUSE 20
INDIANA (-20.5) over Western Kentucky: The biggest joke schedule in the Big Ten non-conference season goes to Indiana as they’re going the Glen Mason route to secure bowl bids. Western Kentucky is the start. Indiana is trying to build off of bowl game in 2007 and should be able to easily get off to a good start in this one. Look for the troubled Kellen Lewis to prove to lots of people that his off-season problems are of no concern. FINAL SCORE: INDIANA 45, WESTERN KENTUCKY 10
IOWA vs. Maine: NO LINE: I’d feel good about Maine’s chances if Paul Karyia & Jimmy Howard were wearing the navy & baby blue of the Black Bears, but Iowa should get the easy win.
OREGON (-13.5) over Washington: Ty Willingham’s rough gig at Washington gets to start off with a fun conference opener at Autzen Stadium. How will the Ducks adjust to life without Dennis Dixon & Jonathan Stewart? Look for the home field advantage to be able to energize the Ducks and start off the year with a win and lots of hits to Jake Locker. FINAL SCORE: OREGON 37, WASHINGTON 17
Southern California (-19.5) over VIRGINIA: Hard with this one because of the double digit home dog and USC breaking in a new QB. USC just has too much talent though. Difference with Sanchez is that he started a game at Oregon last year, so he’s used to playing on the road in a tough environment and will be good enough over a Virginia program that seems to be on the downturn a bit. FINAL SCORE: USC 41, VIRGINIA 20
Clemson (-5) over Alabama [@ Atlanta]: This one was a tough call. Alabama had 10 games decided by 7 points or less in 2007. And Clemson has been known to not win big games. But look for Cullen Harper and the Clemson spread running attack to be able to handle Alabama and their pumpkin pie hair cutted freak of a QB in John Parker Wilson. FINAL SCORE: CLEMSON 34, ALABAMA 24
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
The Train To Peoria is Leaving The Station
Welcome back for another exciting year of the Peoria Pliers Handicapping Performance. Hopefully I do better than I did last year, and hopefully these posts keep coming throughout the season instead of losing steam like we did last year. That was horrible. Anyway, onto Week 1, arguably the best week of the College Football gambling calendar. (Remember, home team in CAPS)
SOUTH CAROLINA by 13.5 vs. N.C. State. Amato might have had some nice sunglasses and a great hairdoo, but he certainly couldn't recruit worth a damn. And now Tom "Shipjumper" O'Brien is a the helm with no talent facing a hungry SEC team trying to save the Ol' Ballcoach's job. SC wins this one going away. South Carolina 42, N.C. State 24
The UNDER on the LTU/Miss. St. game at 45.5. Sly Croom has no athletes on offense, and mix that with a very stout Miss. St. secondary that returns a bunch of guys (including the Derek "the pimp" Pegues) and this is a recipe for an early season snorefest. Miss State 17, LTU 14.
Clemson by 5 at ALABAMA. Yeah Saban is a better coach than Bowden Jr. Yeah Clemson is a perennial underachiever. Yeah this game is in the heart of Alabama. So what? C.J. Spiller is legit...and he's a second stringer for Clemson this year. Alabama's D-Line was decimated and Captain Haircut (A.K.A. JP Wilson) is shakier than the San Andreas fault. The Tide are one or two years away, and this is Clemson's year. The only reason this isn't a double digit line is the fact that it is a home game for Alabama, and I don't put too much stock into that anyway. Clemson 35, Tide 17.
Fresno St. to cover 5.5 at RUTGERS. Schiano is the man, but so is Pat Hill. Two of my favorite coaches in the country no doubt. I think this might just be an upset special for Gregory; he better be ready. The loss of Ray Rice will highlight the mediocrity of Mike Teel, and Fresno probably wins this game. Definitely a groin-kick to the Rutgers fan base on opening night, but they have had a lot of fun the last two years so I don't feel bad for them. Fresno St. 28, Rutgers 24.
Colorado by 11 at COLORADO ST. It's always risky to pick these rivalries, but this is as lopsided a matchup as I've ever seen with a line of 11. Wow. Hawkins gets another year to install his system (with his own kid running the show, no less) and the Rams are still trying to find an identity after the departure of Sonny Lubick. The Buffs win this one big and the blowout starts a buzz around Boulder re-living the glory days of Westbrook, Salaam, and Stewart. Not so fast, Buffs fans, realty will sink in when the Big XII schedule starts, but you will be kings for the first week. Colorado 48, Colorado St. 17.
Michigan St. to cover 5 at CAL. I don't think Berkley is a great home field advantage (prove me wrong, Silent Bob), and I think Tedford may be a QB genius but his teams are always overrated due to the relative weakness of the Pac-10. I love Dantonio, and Michigan State seems poised for a good year. Plus, they are getting almost a touchdown. I like 'em for this pick...this should be a fun game to watch. Michigan State 24, Cal 27.
The OVER on the Illinois/Mizzou game at 59.5. Chase Daniel. Jeremy Maclin. Juice Williams. Arelious Benn. Chase Coffman. Need I say more? Illinois 42, Mizzou 48. This is going to be just as fun to watch as it was last year.
The UNDER on the Pitt/Bowling Green game at 56. These two teams are too poor on the offensive side of the ball to put up that many points, especially considering Pitt's stout defense. Booooooorrrrriiiinnnng. Just the way Wannstedt likes it. Pitt 24, Bowling Green 17.
There ya have it, that's how I like 'em. I will probably add one or two more before the start of the weekend (I'm especially interested in the O/U on the Washington/Oregon game...).
SOUTH CAROLINA by 13.5 vs. N.C. State. Amato might have had some nice sunglasses and a great hairdoo, but he certainly couldn't recruit worth a damn. And now Tom "Shipjumper" O'Brien is a the helm with no talent facing a hungry SEC team trying to save the Ol' Ballcoach's job. SC wins this one going away. South Carolina 42, N.C. State 24
The UNDER on the LTU/Miss. St. game at 45.5. Sly Croom has no athletes on offense, and mix that with a very stout Miss. St. secondary that returns a bunch of guys (including the Derek "the pimp" Pegues) and this is a recipe for an early season snorefest. Miss State 17, LTU 14.
Clemson by 5 at ALABAMA. Yeah Saban is a better coach than Bowden Jr. Yeah Clemson is a perennial underachiever. Yeah this game is in the heart of Alabama. So what? C.J. Spiller is legit...and he's a second stringer for Clemson this year. Alabama's D-Line was decimated and Captain Haircut (A.K.A. JP Wilson) is shakier than the San Andreas fault. The Tide are one or two years away, and this is Clemson's year. The only reason this isn't a double digit line is the fact that it is a home game for Alabama, and I don't put too much stock into that anyway. Clemson 35, Tide 17.
Fresno St. to cover 5.5 at RUTGERS. Schiano is the man, but so is Pat Hill. Two of my favorite coaches in the country no doubt. I think this might just be an upset special for Gregory; he better be ready. The loss of Ray Rice will highlight the mediocrity of Mike Teel, and Fresno probably wins this game. Definitely a groin-kick to the Rutgers fan base on opening night, but they have had a lot of fun the last two years so I don't feel bad for them. Fresno St. 28, Rutgers 24.
Colorado by 11 at COLORADO ST. It's always risky to pick these rivalries, but this is as lopsided a matchup as I've ever seen with a line of 11. Wow. Hawkins gets another year to install his system (with his own kid running the show, no less) and the Rams are still trying to find an identity after the departure of Sonny Lubick. The Buffs win this one big and the blowout starts a buzz around Boulder re-living the glory days of Westbrook, Salaam, and Stewart. Not so fast, Buffs fans, realty will sink in when the Big XII schedule starts, but you will be kings for the first week. Colorado 48, Colorado St. 17.
Michigan St. to cover 5 at CAL. I don't think Berkley is a great home field advantage (prove me wrong, Silent Bob), and I think Tedford may be a QB genius but his teams are always overrated due to the relative weakness of the Pac-10. I love Dantonio, and Michigan State seems poised for a good year. Plus, they are getting almost a touchdown. I like 'em for this pick...this should be a fun game to watch. Michigan State 24, Cal 27.
The OVER on the Illinois/Mizzou game at 59.5. Chase Daniel. Jeremy Maclin. Juice Williams. Arelious Benn. Chase Coffman. Need I say more? Illinois 42, Mizzou 48. This is going to be just as fun to watch as it was last year.
The UNDER on the Pitt/Bowling Green game at 56. These two teams are too poor on the offensive side of the ball to put up that many points, especially considering Pitt's stout defense. Booooooorrrrriiiinnnng. Just the way Wannstedt likes it. Pitt 24, Bowling Green 17.
There ya have it, that's how I like 'em. I will probably add one or two more before the start of the weekend (I'm especially interested in the O/U on the Washington/Oregon game...).
Friday, August 22, 2008
Friday Football Feast Bonanza (8/22/2008) CHAT TRANSCRIPT
Scoops McCracken: Question: What is the Vegas line that JoePa announces his retirement this season? I think it's less than even money, but I think it depends on how PSU's season goes. If it goes well, he'll step down because he wants to make sure that the program is in the right direction. If it was off, he'd want to make sure it's fixed. So I think it's 4:5 odds he retires this year. I see PSU having a 9-10 win season and possibly getting a BCS bid.
Peoria Pliers: So if they are successful he sticks around another year?
Scoops McCracken: No, I think he's done if they're successful. Sounds kind of backwards, I admit.
Peoria Pliers: See I think I have to come at this from another angle...I don't think (or maybe I just don't want to believe) that he and B. Bowden get along too well, and a guy like Paterno probably does care about his legacy...he wants to go out on top AND stay on top, so I think that his decision is as much attached to the success/failure of Bowden's year as anything. I like your reasoning, though...just the type of tough stance that the loyal Scoops Fans out there have come to know and respect
Scoops McCracken: My fans like me because I have the memory of an elephant when it comes to great games & players, including the not so great player and the average player that made a big play when their moment came. As for what first week matchup provides the sauciest betting line? I haven't checked many of the lines yet. I know that Minnesota is -8.5, last I checked, and they should be able to beat Northern Illinois by at least 10 points. The first week or two of the year is some of the best time to get in bets, especially if you know something that Vegas doesn't. I remember when I cashed in big time in 2005 when Minnesota was a small -14 point favorite on the road at Tulsa......Maroney had them up by 21 after the 1st quarter. One that will be odd is the sauciest matchup of the weekend: Clemson & Alabama at the Georgia Dome. Clemson is better, but Alabama had 10 games last year that were decided by 7 points or less. Plus, Clemson has been known to NOT show up in big games.
Peoria Pliers: Those poor Golden Hurricanes. Fair enough, and despite J.P. Wilson's goofball SEC haircut, he is pretty good. But Clemson is REALLY good
Scoops McCracken: John Parker is a stiff. You heard it here first.
Peoria Pliers: Oh I hope you are right. He cost me some money last year with his hail-mary-esque heave to beat someone, I can't even remember who it was. All I could think about was the fact that a pumpkin-pie haircutted freak beat my line.
Scoops McCracken: It was against Arkansas & the immortal Houston Nutt.....the next week, I lost on both in Vegas: Arkansas lost to Kentucky and Alabama lost to Georgia in OT (this was before Georgia turned into a beast). That was a crazy game....J.P. lead Alabama on a game tying drive with less than a minute left, so I thought I had a chance to win or at least push my bet with a 3 point Bama win. Bama had the ball in OT first and got a FG, so up 3, but then Stafford first play went downtown in OT and ended it. They have to have a wild ride somewhere since it doesn't occur in the lecture halls or classrooms of their fine institutions, so where better than right on the 85,000 capacity stadiums.
Peoria Pliers: The wild ride of gambling with the SEC. Always a cock-tease. How do you remember this stuff? Tell me, who many touchdowns did Archie Griffin score in his sophomore year versus Michigan? And what size shoe did Bo Shembeckler wear that game?
Scoops McCracken: I only remember the games that I saw...I don't remember much of the OSU/Michigan games before 1986. Speaking of the SEC, I was thinking about all the teams I hate or cheer for. Example: I'm not a Florida fan, but I kind of liked them because I HATED Florida State and HATED Tennessee. I liked Wuerfel, I liked their offense, etc. The reason I bring this up is I tried to think of the WORST championship game, and it practically happened in 1998-1999 season when Tennessee & Florida State played for the championship. Talk about having to cheer for syphillis versus herpes. And Wisconsin won the Rose Bowl that year too....talk about a kick to my groin.
Peoria Pliers: I think that there is a term for that, it's like the " Jimmy Johnson Corollary" or something. Agreed, though. I would have rather watched Phil Fulmer and Bobby Bowden engage in a knife fight in the stadium parking lot...to the death...because then one of them wouldn't be around anymore. I bet you always like their Ouside LB wearing the short cutoff jerseys. That always pissed me off
Scoops McCracken: They were fun; they're fun to watch in the 80s classic games, but I'm more a fan of single digit linebackers. One of my football rules: Always fear the single digit LB. You mentioned SMU.....I think SMU should have a banner recognizing the fact that they were put on the death penalty.
Peoria Pliers: Yeah Single Digit linebackers are in a league of their own, right up there with the F-22, the Avian Flu, or a parkinson's patient holding a newborn....all of them are VERY scary. That's not a bad idea for SMU, like celebrating that they are back from the dead. We could make the same banner for Joan Rivers.
Scoops McCracken: Gotta love SMU....they cheated the right way. A bunch of wealthy Texans paying big time bucks for players. I just think they should embrace the death penalty rather than try to run from the fact.
Peoria Pliers: Scoops and Pliers land knows about your innate desire to become the next T. Boone Pickens. All SMU needs is Robert Novak or Tucker Carlson spinning the death penalty into something positive and then they would be set.
Scoops McCracken: Yeah, minus the wind power, but it would be fun to have buildings named after me along with weight rooms, football buildings, and if I want a coach fired, I can do it simply by writing a check.
Peoria Pliers: I think that is still possible at places like Minnetonka and Edina, by the way. Maybe you should start small and work up to the college ranks as your hedge fund grows. OK, back to the college game...What is the Over/Under for Colt Brennan's years of service as an NFL quarterback? Err...maybe not all college, but close.
Scoops McCracken: I only watched him in that Hall of Fame game, and he looked good. He throws goofy, but he's accurate. Always a spot for accurate throwers in the NFL.
Peoria Pliers: Tell that to Chad Pennington.
Scoops McCracken: Yeah, and he was quickly picked up by the Dolphins. Maybe not successful, but he's definitely made a nice living.
Peoria Pliers: I do agree with you, I think he is going to be a difference-maker somewhere, although he will have to do it from the 2nd string for quite a while. He looked GREAT in the game I saw him play. But then again, the NFL preaseason is worth about as much as a side of butched beef in Mumbai. True that. 3rd string NFL quarterbacks and MLB Bullpen catchers...the best lives in the world
Scoops McCracken: I don't see any reason why he can't be around the NFL for a while....perhaps never a star, but he'll get his shot at being a starter sometime. If Brooks Bollinger & Spergeon Wynn started an NFL game, Colt Brennan should.
Peoria Pliers: Spergeon Wynn. Wow. Just stop saying his name please. Where did he come from, anyway? I think I saw him at the Jiffy Lube I went to a few weeks ago.
Scoops McCracken: How many games does Michigan win?
Peoria Pliers: I'd say that they win somewhere betwen 5-7 games...the cupboard isn't exactly bare since Carr could always recruit kids, but the switchover to the spread offense will cost them 2 games, and the loss of the Henne-led class of offensive all-stars will cost them a few more games.
Scoops McCracken: I said 6-6 (3-5 in the Big Ten). Their defense will be ok, but the offense will look ugly at times.
Peoria Pliers: Rich Rodriguez is the only reason they win 6 game this year, he can coach em' up. Yeah I think that's probably a good start. They beat MN, Indiana, and Northwestern. They will have a shot at Purdue if they can get their Defense up to snuff by November. Painter is legit, though, and the game is in West Lafayette, so that will probably be a good battle. Isn't this Tiller's last year, too?
Scoops McCracken: It is....what do you think about Purdue? I wonder if their time has come & gone. They were the in thing about 10 years ago, but they're not the only dog in town concerning offensive football
Peoria Pliers: I think Purdue is in the same boat as many of the boring, rural college towns these days. With the continued exodus to the city of our population, it is a really tough sell to get kids to come to these podunk little towns like Starkville, Pullman, Collegeville (Tx), etc.. And as we know, for the most part, it isn't the X's and the O's, it's the Jimmys and the Joes
Scoops McCracken: I agree with you very much, but then how is Zook getting kids to come to Champaign?
Peoria Pliers: Well that guy was born to recruit, honestly. There will always be noteable exceptions to just about everything, right? The Zooker is a machine when it comes to selling kids...I think he might be a crack dealer or something
Scoops McCracken: He has definitely taken things to a completely different level in the Big Ten. And RichRod will only take it further. I like it; this conference needs some shady tactics to compete with the oil salesmen in the SEC. And I'm glad that Minnesota got into this game....Brewster is the type of guy that's needed to compete. The program that's going to take a dive is Iowa. They used to count on the Chicago kid. Now, Illinois is taking him.
Peoria Pliers: Yeah sometimes you need a snake-oil salesman who actually believes what he is saying. Yeah, Iowa is in real trouble. Ferentz must be kicking himself for not taking the NFL offers a few years ago. Scoops McCracken: Iowa doesn't play Michigan OR Ohio State this year, and they're still going to have to fight for a bowl bid.
Peoria Pliers: So if they are successful he sticks around another year?
Scoops McCracken: No, I think he's done if they're successful. Sounds kind of backwards, I admit.
Peoria Pliers: See I think I have to come at this from another angle...I don't think (or maybe I just don't want to believe) that he and B. Bowden get along too well, and a guy like Paterno probably does care about his legacy...he wants to go out on top AND stay on top, so I think that his decision is as much attached to the success/failure of Bowden's year as anything. I like your reasoning, though...just the type of tough stance that the loyal Scoops Fans out there have come to know and respect
Scoops McCracken: My fans like me because I have the memory of an elephant when it comes to great games & players, including the not so great player and the average player that made a big play when their moment came. As for what first week matchup provides the sauciest betting line? I haven't checked many of the lines yet. I know that Minnesota is -8.5, last I checked, and they should be able to beat Northern Illinois by at least 10 points. The first week or two of the year is some of the best time to get in bets, especially if you know something that Vegas doesn't. I remember when I cashed in big time in 2005 when Minnesota was a small -14 point favorite on the road at Tulsa......Maroney had them up by 21 after the 1st quarter. One that will be odd is the sauciest matchup of the weekend: Clemson & Alabama at the Georgia Dome. Clemson is better, but Alabama had 10 games last year that were decided by 7 points or less. Plus, Clemson has been known to NOT show up in big games.
Peoria Pliers: Those poor Golden Hurricanes. Fair enough, and despite J.P. Wilson's goofball SEC haircut, he is pretty good. But Clemson is REALLY good
Scoops McCracken: John Parker is a stiff. You heard it here first.
Peoria Pliers: Oh I hope you are right. He cost me some money last year with his hail-mary-esque heave to beat someone, I can't even remember who it was. All I could think about was the fact that a pumpkin-pie haircutted freak beat my line.
Scoops McCracken: It was against Arkansas & the immortal Houston Nutt.....the next week, I lost on both in Vegas: Arkansas lost to Kentucky and Alabama lost to Georgia in OT (this was before Georgia turned into a beast). That was a crazy game....J.P. lead Alabama on a game tying drive with less than a minute left, so I thought I had a chance to win or at least push my bet with a 3 point Bama win. Bama had the ball in OT first and got a FG, so up 3, but then Stafford first play went downtown in OT and ended it. They have to have a wild ride somewhere since it doesn't occur in the lecture halls or classrooms of their fine institutions, so where better than right on the 85,000 capacity stadiums.
Peoria Pliers: The wild ride of gambling with the SEC. Always a cock-tease. How do you remember this stuff? Tell me, who many touchdowns did Archie Griffin score in his sophomore year versus Michigan? And what size shoe did Bo Shembeckler wear that game?
Scoops McCracken: I only remember the games that I saw...I don't remember much of the OSU/Michigan games before 1986. Speaking of the SEC, I was thinking about all the teams I hate or cheer for. Example: I'm not a Florida fan, but I kind of liked them because I HATED Florida State and HATED Tennessee. I liked Wuerfel, I liked their offense, etc. The reason I bring this up is I tried to think of the WORST championship game, and it practically happened in 1998-1999 season when Tennessee & Florida State played for the championship. Talk about having to cheer for syphillis versus herpes. And Wisconsin won the Rose Bowl that year too....talk about a kick to my groin.
Peoria Pliers: I think that there is a term for that, it's like the " Jimmy Johnson Corollary" or something. Agreed, though. I would have rather watched Phil Fulmer and Bobby Bowden engage in a knife fight in the stadium parking lot...to the death...because then one of them wouldn't be around anymore. I bet you always like their Ouside LB wearing the short cutoff jerseys. That always pissed me off
Scoops McCracken: They were fun; they're fun to watch in the 80s classic games, but I'm more a fan of single digit linebackers. One of my football rules: Always fear the single digit LB. You mentioned SMU.....I think SMU should have a banner recognizing the fact that they were put on the death penalty.
Peoria Pliers: Yeah Single Digit linebackers are in a league of their own, right up there with the F-22, the Avian Flu, or a parkinson's patient holding a newborn....all of them are VERY scary. That's not a bad idea for SMU, like celebrating that they are back from the dead. We could make the same banner for Joan Rivers.
Scoops McCracken: Gotta love SMU....they cheated the right way. A bunch of wealthy Texans paying big time bucks for players. I just think they should embrace the death penalty rather than try to run from the fact.
Peoria Pliers: Scoops and Pliers land knows about your innate desire to become the next T. Boone Pickens. All SMU needs is Robert Novak or Tucker Carlson spinning the death penalty into something positive and then they would be set.
Scoops McCracken: Yeah, minus the wind power, but it would be fun to have buildings named after me along with weight rooms, football buildings, and if I want a coach fired, I can do it simply by writing a check.
Peoria Pliers: I think that is still possible at places like Minnetonka and Edina, by the way. Maybe you should start small and work up to the college ranks as your hedge fund grows. OK, back to the college game...What is the Over/Under for Colt Brennan's years of service as an NFL quarterback? Err...maybe not all college, but close.
Scoops McCracken: I only watched him in that Hall of Fame game, and he looked good. He throws goofy, but he's accurate. Always a spot for accurate throwers in the NFL.
Peoria Pliers: Tell that to Chad Pennington.
Scoops McCracken: Yeah, and he was quickly picked up by the Dolphins. Maybe not successful, but he's definitely made a nice living.
Peoria Pliers: I do agree with you, I think he is going to be a difference-maker somewhere, although he will have to do it from the 2nd string for quite a while. He looked GREAT in the game I saw him play. But then again, the NFL preaseason is worth about as much as a side of butched beef in Mumbai. True that. 3rd string NFL quarterbacks and MLB Bullpen catchers...the best lives in the world
Scoops McCracken: I don't see any reason why he can't be around the NFL for a while....perhaps never a star, but he'll get his shot at being a starter sometime. If Brooks Bollinger & Spergeon Wynn started an NFL game, Colt Brennan should.
Peoria Pliers: Spergeon Wynn. Wow. Just stop saying his name please. Where did he come from, anyway? I think I saw him at the Jiffy Lube I went to a few weeks ago.
Scoops McCracken: How many games does Michigan win?
Peoria Pliers: I'd say that they win somewhere betwen 5-7 games...the cupboard isn't exactly bare since Carr could always recruit kids, but the switchover to the spread offense will cost them 2 games, and the loss of the Henne-led class of offensive all-stars will cost them a few more games.
Scoops McCracken: I said 6-6 (3-5 in the Big Ten). Their defense will be ok, but the offense will look ugly at times.
Peoria Pliers: Rich Rodriguez is the only reason they win 6 game this year, he can coach em' up. Yeah I think that's probably a good start. They beat MN, Indiana, and Northwestern. They will have a shot at Purdue if they can get their Defense up to snuff by November. Painter is legit, though, and the game is in West Lafayette, so that will probably be a good battle. Isn't this Tiller's last year, too?
Scoops McCracken: It is....what do you think about Purdue? I wonder if their time has come & gone. They were the in thing about 10 years ago, but they're not the only dog in town concerning offensive football
Peoria Pliers: I think Purdue is in the same boat as many of the boring, rural college towns these days. With the continued exodus to the city of our population, it is a really tough sell to get kids to come to these podunk little towns like Starkville, Pullman, Collegeville (Tx), etc.. And as we know, for the most part, it isn't the X's and the O's, it's the Jimmys and the Joes
Scoops McCracken: I agree with you very much, but then how is Zook getting kids to come to Champaign?
Peoria Pliers: Well that guy was born to recruit, honestly. There will always be noteable exceptions to just about everything, right? The Zooker is a machine when it comes to selling kids...I think he might be a crack dealer or something
Scoops McCracken: He has definitely taken things to a completely different level in the Big Ten. And RichRod will only take it further. I like it; this conference needs some shady tactics to compete with the oil salesmen in the SEC. And I'm glad that Minnesota got into this game....Brewster is the type of guy that's needed to compete. The program that's going to take a dive is Iowa. They used to count on the Chicago kid. Now, Illinois is taking him.
Peoria Pliers: Yeah sometimes you need a snake-oil salesman who actually believes what he is saying. Yeah, Iowa is in real trouble. Ferentz must be kicking himself for not taking the NFL offers a few years ago. Scoops McCracken: Iowa doesn't play Michigan OR Ohio State this year, and they're still going to have to fight for a bowl bid.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Monday Afternoon Punter (08/18/2008 Chat Transcript)
Scoops McCracken: What do you think of Georgia?
Peoria Pliers: Hmm. As always, I love Richt, but the SEC is going to be tough as usual, and it is always difficult to predict how skill guys like Moreno and Stafford will hold up throughout the traditional beatdown that guys in that conference go through. Moreno is the real deal, but I'm not totally sold on Stafford yet. What's Scoops take?
Scoops McCracken: Stafford looks fat to me. And I think fat quarterbacks are not a recipe for success in the national championship race. He has fat calves & a fat face. And fat calves & a fat face don't do well against Florida. I think they can take down Florida & win the SEC East and possibly the SEC title game, but I don't see how they leave the conference unscathed. LSU was awesome last year, and even they lost 2 games.
Peoria Pliers: Agreed, fat QB's have not done well in the SEC...although I think Jared Lorenzen is still playing in the show somewhere. It will be interesting to see how LSU manages without Glen Dorsey on the defensive side of the ball. Florida has a lot of talent, but speaking of overrated SEC quarterbacks, Tebow tops my list. Then again, you can still be pretty good and overrated all at the same time if you win the Heisman
Scoops McCracken: Who's the french guy they got coming in? Ricky Jean-Francious? He's supposed to be taking over for Dorsey and apparently better. They reload, but they're still idiots at LSU.
Peoria Pliers: Better than Dorsey? I'll believe that when I see it.
Scoops McCracken: That's what they say. Who knows.
Peoria Pliers: LSU and Idiots are generally a match made in heaven.
Scoops McCracken: Teabow's an interesting case. I think he's a lot better thrower than people give him credit for.....but you could definitely tell he was eased in the roll when he was a freshmen when they won the title.
Peoria Pliers: Yeah I dono about the Tebow throwing bit...he's got a CANNON, but he always seems like he is just a half second behind on his reads and his throws to me Then again, I'm not exactly Steve Sarkisian. Or Norm Chow.
Scoops McCracken: Speaking of offense.....what's your take on Missouri & Chase Daniel?
Peoria Pliers: Love him. I LOVE Chase Daniel. Total man crush
Scoops McCracken: A Southlake Carroll guy. He was f-ing born to sling the ball around a Big XII field
Peoria Pliers: True that, he and Bradford are the class of the NCAA if you ask me....the most talent the Big XII has put into play for a while now. I think Chase is going to be one of those late 2nd, mid 3rd round picks that ends up starting in his second year and being very, very good
Scoops McCracken: I think they miss Tony Temple a bit this year, but Mizzou & KU should be deciding who's the North champ again
Peoria Pliers: I'm not so sure about Kansas...the pressure of high expectations is going to get to them, and Oklahoma is going to be a BEAST this year. What's the Missou WR name? That ManChild guy
Scoops McCracken: Jeremy Maclin
Peoria Pliers: Yeah that guy is a killer. How many starters do they bring back this year?
Scoops McCracken: Mizzou brings back 6 on offense, 10 on defense. Yeah, the KU pressure may get to them, but I like Reesing, and they won the freaking Orange Bowl last year. But they had a schedule of dreams last year. They go to Norman this year
Peoria Pliers: Yeah Reesing is good. Really good. I see Mizzou and the Sooners going down to the wire in the Big XII. Who is your Big Ten Champ?
Scoops McCracken: I just put up a post....I think Ohio State runs the table, including a win out at Southern Cal.
Peoria Pliers: Wow, that's a tall order. Beanie for Heisman then?
Scoops McCracken: I think it's too early for Sanchez....USC beats OSU in January, but not in September. Yeah, I'm a Beanie for Heisman guy. Beanie or Daniel. OSU runs the table, PSU & Wisconsin tie at 6-2. PSU gets the Rose Bowl because a better overall record and the Rose Bowl likes Big Ten teams
Peoria Pliers: Who is the QB at Wisconsin these days?
Scoops McCracken: Allan Evridge....another senior. He'll be good for a first time QB since he's a senior, but they ain't beating Ohio State with a guy like that
Peoria Pliers: They have a tough defense though, so anything is possible. Laurinitis is a beast...I hope he doesn't pull a Pouzluzny and get hurt this year though. The NFL needs Animal Jr.
Scoops McCracken: Tough Defense? Minnesota put up 500+ yards on them last year. They'll be tough agaisnt OSU, but any team that runs a spread has a chance to run up & down the field on them. Minnesota, MSU, Illinois, even Indiana. And what if PSU runs more spread this year?
Peoria Pliers: Isn't Belima (however you spell that bungholes name) a defensive guy? I mean they did pretty well without a standout offense last year, and I think that the baptism of getting torched by mediocre spread offenses is going to come to an abrupt end in the Big Ten since everyone has jumped on that gravy train so it's not so exotic anymore. The way that they recruit guys out of the Midwest they will always be suceptible to the outside threats...there just isnt enough speed around these here parts unless you have skates on
Scoops McCracken: True, but the Big Ten ain't going to be the first that finds the antidote. They won't have the defensive speed like the SEC or the Pac Ten to thwart the spread, at least for a few years.
Peoria Pliers: We will see...the SEC definately has the leg-up on the competition, but I'm still not sold on the Pac-10 as a whole...there are a lot of bum teams in that conference year in and year out as far as team speed goes. Washington St, Washington, Oregon St...all suspect. Very suspect. I feel really horrible for Ty Willingham...the second time he's been put in an impossible situation. Washington doesn't even have a friggen AD right now. How the hell do you recruit with that kind of situation? Jeepus. I think that one of the mid-america conferences is going to end up with Ty for 40 cents on the Dollar and he is going to show everyone why he was successful in the first place
Scoops McCracken: All conferences have a bottom of the barrell......USC & Cal have speed, and give UCLA 2 years. And Arizona & Arizona State? Their problems haven't been speed. It's bonehead players. Yeah...it's a cutthroat business.
Peoria Pliers: Arizona and Arizona St....good call...bone head players. Plus isnt Dennis "The Dutch-Door Artist" Erickson coaching up the Sun Devils? What a mixed blessing for them
Scoops McCracken: ASU is supposed to contend with USC this year apparently. But then again, ASU always has that year of dreams occassionally (1986, 1996)
Peoria Pliers: Right. And maybe I should start playing different lottery numbers since it's an olympic year, too. ASU is going to get MURDERED by The Carrol Crusaders
Scoops McCracken: What do you think of Penn State this year?
Peoria Pliers: I'm not sure, to be honest. I think this needs to be JoePa's swan song since I think he is probably starting to hurt the recruting process...he either needs to announce who his succesor is going to be or just step down, otherwise it puts them in a horrible situation. The good news is that Wannstedt hasn't shown that he can poach any of the high level talent at Pitt like I thought he would be able to. The Big Ten is so top heavy this year that PSU has a fighting chance if they can put the easy ones away
Scoops McCracken: But Ohio State is able to pounce....the fact that Pryor was only considering PSU out of courtesy that it was his homestate said enough. And DickRod will start invading Pennsylvania like Michigan always has. Yeah, I like them to be top-3. They get hurt with their two teams they don't play being Minnesota & Northwestern
Peoria Pliers: Maybe so, but I think that a lot of the reasons kids go to PSU is the idea that they are not going to get screwed over by the head coach, so that is one thing that they need to keep in mind over there...think more Tressel and less Saban or Rodriguez. The REALLY good news is that I have Big Ten HD now (finally) so I can actually watch more than 1 Big Ten game this year. I didn't even get to watch a single Gopher game last season
Scoops McCracken: Yeah....I got BTN now too. Love it! I think they need to get more classic games in there. I can only watch Illinois-Ohio State 2007 so many times over a 3 day span, but if they recycle the games in, I'm going to not have a wife in a few weeks. And that's who it benefits....Minnesota. People will get to watch Minnesota vs. Indiana or Northwestern. The regional game that nobody would have gotten before, but now everyone will get what will be a high scoring, entertaining game between teams that are all running spread. As far as missing all Gopher games, you didn't miss much last year. Trying to run a spread & aggressive defense with lumbering norsemen is hard on the eyes.
Peoria Pliers: Yep, I'm jacked to see a bunch of underclassmen with their heads cut off running around the metrodome this year
Scoops McCracken: You'll LOVE Tramaine Brock. He's exactly what this program has never had. The badass DB....wear's #1. Wear's black shoes with the ankles taped white on the outside. Baggy towel. And can absolutely cover the field. He's out of place. He should be playing in the SEC.
Peoria Pliers: Where is he from? I'm excited already.
Scoops McCracken: Mississippi
Peoria Pliers: Can he spell?
Scoops McCracken: I didn't know we were having a spelling contest with the Badgers for the axe?
Peoria Pliers: I don't care if he can actually spell, but someone has to pass his classes for him
Peoria Pliers: Hmm. As always, I love Richt, but the SEC is going to be tough as usual, and it is always difficult to predict how skill guys like Moreno and Stafford will hold up throughout the traditional beatdown that guys in that conference go through. Moreno is the real deal, but I'm not totally sold on Stafford yet. What's Scoops take?
Scoops McCracken: Stafford looks fat to me. And I think fat quarterbacks are not a recipe for success in the national championship race. He has fat calves & a fat face. And fat calves & a fat face don't do well against Florida. I think they can take down Florida & win the SEC East and possibly the SEC title game, but I don't see how they leave the conference unscathed. LSU was awesome last year, and even they lost 2 games.
Peoria Pliers: Agreed, fat QB's have not done well in the SEC...although I think Jared Lorenzen is still playing in the show somewhere. It will be interesting to see how LSU manages without Glen Dorsey on the defensive side of the ball. Florida has a lot of talent, but speaking of overrated SEC quarterbacks, Tebow tops my list. Then again, you can still be pretty good and overrated all at the same time if you win the Heisman
Scoops McCracken: Who's the french guy they got coming in? Ricky Jean-Francious? He's supposed to be taking over for Dorsey and apparently better. They reload, but they're still idiots at LSU.
Peoria Pliers: Better than Dorsey? I'll believe that when I see it.
Scoops McCracken: That's what they say. Who knows.
Peoria Pliers: LSU and Idiots are generally a match made in heaven.
Scoops McCracken: Teabow's an interesting case. I think he's a lot better thrower than people give him credit for.....but you could definitely tell he was eased in the roll when he was a freshmen when they won the title.
Peoria Pliers: Yeah I dono about the Tebow throwing bit...he's got a CANNON, but he always seems like he is just a half second behind on his reads and his throws to me Then again, I'm not exactly Steve Sarkisian. Or Norm Chow.
Scoops McCracken: Speaking of offense.....what's your take on Missouri & Chase Daniel?
Peoria Pliers: Love him. I LOVE Chase Daniel. Total man crush
Scoops McCracken: A Southlake Carroll guy. He was f-ing born to sling the ball around a Big XII field
Peoria Pliers: True that, he and Bradford are the class of the NCAA if you ask me....the most talent the Big XII has put into play for a while now. I think Chase is going to be one of those late 2nd, mid 3rd round picks that ends up starting in his second year and being very, very good
Scoops McCracken: I think they miss Tony Temple a bit this year, but Mizzou & KU should be deciding who's the North champ again
Peoria Pliers: I'm not so sure about Kansas...the pressure of high expectations is going to get to them, and Oklahoma is going to be a BEAST this year. What's the Missou WR name? That ManChild guy
Scoops McCracken: Jeremy Maclin
Peoria Pliers: Yeah that guy is a killer. How many starters do they bring back this year?
Scoops McCracken: Mizzou brings back 6 on offense, 10 on defense. Yeah, the KU pressure may get to them, but I like Reesing, and they won the freaking Orange Bowl last year. But they had a schedule of dreams last year. They go to Norman this year
Peoria Pliers: Yeah Reesing is good. Really good. I see Mizzou and the Sooners going down to the wire in the Big XII. Who is your Big Ten Champ?
Scoops McCracken: I just put up a post....I think Ohio State runs the table, including a win out at Southern Cal.
Peoria Pliers: Wow, that's a tall order. Beanie for Heisman then?
Scoops McCracken: I think it's too early for Sanchez....USC beats OSU in January, but not in September. Yeah, I'm a Beanie for Heisman guy. Beanie or Daniel. OSU runs the table, PSU & Wisconsin tie at 6-2. PSU gets the Rose Bowl because a better overall record and the Rose Bowl likes Big Ten teams
Peoria Pliers: Who is the QB at Wisconsin these days?
Scoops McCracken: Allan Evridge....another senior. He'll be good for a first time QB since he's a senior, but they ain't beating Ohio State with a guy like that
Peoria Pliers: They have a tough defense though, so anything is possible. Laurinitis is a beast...I hope he doesn't pull a Pouzluzny and get hurt this year though. The NFL needs Animal Jr.
Scoops McCracken: Tough Defense? Minnesota put up 500+ yards on them last year. They'll be tough agaisnt OSU, but any team that runs a spread has a chance to run up & down the field on them. Minnesota, MSU, Illinois, even Indiana. And what if PSU runs more spread this year?
Peoria Pliers: Isn't Belima (however you spell that bungholes name) a defensive guy? I mean they did pretty well without a standout offense last year, and I think that the baptism of getting torched by mediocre spread offenses is going to come to an abrupt end in the Big Ten since everyone has jumped on that gravy train so it's not so exotic anymore. The way that they recruit guys out of the Midwest they will always be suceptible to the outside threats...there just isnt enough speed around these here parts unless you have skates on
Scoops McCracken: True, but the Big Ten ain't going to be the first that finds the antidote. They won't have the defensive speed like the SEC or the Pac Ten to thwart the spread, at least for a few years.
Peoria Pliers: We will see...the SEC definately has the leg-up on the competition, but I'm still not sold on the Pac-10 as a whole...there are a lot of bum teams in that conference year in and year out as far as team speed goes. Washington St, Washington, Oregon St...all suspect. Very suspect. I feel really horrible for Ty Willingham...the second time he's been put in an impossible situation. Washington doesn't even have a friggen AD right now. How the hell do you recruit with that kind of situation? Jeepus. I think that one of the mid-america conferences is going to end up with Ty for 40 cents on the Dollar and he is going to show everyone why he was successful in the first place
Scoops McCracken: All conferences have a bottom of the barrell......USC & Cal have speed, and give UCLA 2 years. And Arizona & Arizona State? Their problems haven't been speed. It's bonehead players. Yeah...it's a cutthroat business.
Peoria Pliers: Arizona and Arizona St....good call...bone head players. Plus isnt Dennis "The Dutch-Door Artist" Erickson coaching up the Sun Devils? What a mixed blessing for them
Scoops McCracken: ASU is supposed to contend with USC this year apparently. But then again, ASU always has that year of dreams occassionally (1986, 1996)
Peoria Pliers: Right. And maybe I should start playing different lottery numbers since it's an olympic year, too. ASU is going to get MURDERED by The Carrol Crusaders
Scoops McCracken: What do you think of Penn State this year?
Peoria Pliers: I'm not sure, to be honest. I think this needs to be JoePa's swan song since I think he is probably starting to hurt the recruting process...he either needs to announce who his succesor is going to be or just step down, otherwise it puts them in a horrible situation. The good news is that Wannstedt hasn't shown that he can poach any of the high level talent at Pitt like I thought he would be able to. The Big Ten is so top heavy this year that PSU has a fighting chance if they can put the easy ones away
Scoops McCracken: But Ohio State is able to pounce....the fact that Pryor was only considering PSU out of courtesy that it was his homestate said enough. And DickRod will start invading Pennsylvania like Michigan always has. Yeah, I like them to be top-3. They get hurt with their two teams they don't play being Minnesota & Northwestern
Peoria Pliers: Maybe so, but I think that a lot of the reasons kids go to PSU is the idea that they are not going to get screwed over by the head coach, so that is one thing that they need to keep in mind over there...think more Tressel and less Saban or Rodriguez. The REALLY good news is that I have Big Ten HD now (finally) so I can actually watch more than 1 Big Ten game this year. I didn't even get to watch a single Gopher game last season
Scoops McCracken: Yeah....I got BTN now too. Love it! I think they need to get more classic games in there. I can only watch Illinois-Ohio State 2007 so many times over a 3 day span, but if they recycle the games in, I'm going to not have a wife in a few weeks. And that's who it benefits....Minnesota. People will get to watch Minnesota vs. Indiana or Northwestern. The regional game that nobody would have gotten before, but now everyone will get what will be a high scoring, entertaining game between teams that are all running spread. As far as missing all Gopher games, you didn't miss much last year. Trying to run a spread & aggressive defense with lumbering norsemen is hard on the eyes.
Peoria Pliers: Yep, I'm jacked to see a bunch of underclassmen with their heads cut off running around the metrodome this year
Scoops McCracken: You'll LOVE Tramaine Brock. He's exactly what this program has never had. The badass DB....wear's #1. Wear's black shoes with the ankles taped white on the outside. Baggy towel. And can absolutely cover the field. He's out of place. He should be playing in the SEC.
Peoria Pliers: Where is he from? I'm excited already.
Scoops McCracken: Mississippi
Peoria Pliers: Can he spell?
Scoops McCracken: I didn't know we were having a spelling contest with the Badgers for the axe?
Peoria Pliers: I don't care if he can actually spell, but someone has to pass his classes for him
Scoops’ 2008 Big Ten Predictions
As I look back at my 2007 picks, I was close on some, far off on others:
-Ohio State: I thought they were a year away last year. They benefits from a soft Big Ten.
-Illinois: A bit ahead of schedule. You can thank Rashard Mendenhall for that.
-Wisconsin: About where I thought they’d be.
-Penn State: About where I thought they’d be.
-Northwestern: About where I thought they’d be.
-Iowa: About where I thought they’d be.
-Minnesota: Below where I thought they’d be. I did think a 3-5 Big Ten record.
-Michigan: WAY below where I thought they’d be. Actually, Big Ten wise, they weren’t that far off, playing Ohio State with a trip to the Rose Bowl on the line.
-Michigan State: Ahead of where I thought they’d be: I thought it would take a year to get rid of the John L. Smith jugheads.
-Purdue: About where I thought they’d be.
-Indiana: Ahead of where I thought they’d be. I thought the hangover of Hoeppner would hang all season with them.
As I look at 2008, I think overall the Big Ten is down compared to the SEC and the Pac-Ten. But it will be interesting to see the strides that Michigan State, Indiana & Minnesota make this year.
1) Ohio State (12-0, 8-0; BCS National Championship Game): One thing that sticks out to me when looking at the Buckeyes is Todd Boeckman’s completion percentage, which was tops in the Big Ten, along with TD passes, which was tops in conference games. Add the receiving corps that exists along with an already dangerous Beanie Wells in the backfield and a swarming defense and you have a Big Ten team that will be tough to beat. I think they benefit from getting USC early. I think they beat them because of this. If it was a postseason game, I think USC wins. But they’re breaking in Sanchez.
Possible Game they may lose but shouldn’t: @ Wisconsin. It’s hard to say that you shouldn’t ever lose to Wisconsin in Madison. But if there’s a game to trip them up, it’s going to be this night game.
T-2) Wisconsin (9-3, 6-2: CapitalOne Bowl): Look for a trip out to Fresno State as an early trip up for Wisconsin, especially considering their QB concerns. They then have a 3 game conference gauntlet to open the season traveling to Michigan and then hosting Ohio State & Penn State. I do see them pulling out of this 2-1 in conference play, losing to Ohio State. After that, 6 winnable games, with the only one I see them dropping being a trip to East Lansing against the Spartans. However, I see them not getting an at-large BCS berth due to the setback at Fresno and it being awarded to……
T-2) Penn State (10-2, 6-2, Rose Bowl): The schedule starts out nicely with 4 non-conference games they should win in Coastal Carolina, Oregon State, @ Syracuse & Temple. Illinois comes to town which should lead to a revenge factor for PSU, and then a trip looms to West Lafayette. PSU should be 6-0 heading into Madison. I do see Wisconsin coming out on top though (the home team generally has owned this series lately). With Michigan in town sandwiched between the Badgers & Buckeyes, PSU should close out with 3 consecutive wins, the toughest being Michigan State at home the last game of the season. PSU will get the Rose Bowl berth due to the Rose Bowl loving Big Ten teams & tradition.
T-4) Illinois (8-4, 5-3 Outback Bowl): They’ll open up with a lose to possible BCS team Missouri, but I seem them handling the rest and dropping games only to Penn State, Wisconsin, & Ohio State during the conference season. The talent is assembled in Champaign, Juice is only going to get better, and Vontae Davis is going to be a 1st round pick in the 2009 draft.
T-4) Michigan State (8-4, 5-3 Alamo Bowl): Open up at Cal, which I’m picking as a loss, but then should win their next 6 before Ohio State comes to town. I also see them dropping a game to their in-state rivals before winning 2 of their final 3, dropping the trip to Happy Valley. MSU is another team that is gathering the talent.
6) Purdue (8-4, 4-4; Champps Sports Bowl): Purdue has their bye week the first week of the season, and I see them being able to knock off Oregon at home as they try to adjust to life without Dennis Dixon. They open up conference play with the two heavyweights in Penn State & Ohio State, before getting 3 winnable games in Northwestern, Minnesota & Michigan. Two road losses loom at Michigan State & Iowa before they win back the Oaken Bucket the final week of the season. Who’s going to replace Dorien Bryant remains the question. And can Purdue feed off some emotion with it being Joe Tiller’s last year? The answers to these two questions hold the keys to it being an average season or a good season for the Boilers.
T-7) Michigan (6-6, 3-5; Insight Bowl): The transition from Carr to RichRod will be a rough one for this season. But mark my words: Rich Rodriguez is the WORST thing that could have happened to Ohio State. He’ll get his players to run his spread offense, and within 2 years, they’ll be in the top 3 team in the Big Ten. However, look for them to drop their opener to pesky Utah, start out 0-3 in the Big Ten, but win 3 of their last 5 to qualify for a bowl bid, which will thrill the Insight Bowl folks, because they won’t get the opportunity to see Michigan for a long time.
T-7) Minnesota 6-6, 3-5, Motor City Bowl): Is the talent good enough for the Gophers to compete this year? Look for them to go 3-1 in non-conference play, dropping a road game to Bowling Green, but knocking off Indiana (Minnesota is their first road game) to win their first conference game. After Illinois on 10/11, they close with 6 winnable games. I expect them to drop games to Purdue, Michigan (although close), and Wisconsin, but to defeat Northwestern & Iowa to end up 6-6 and in Detroit. Questions for the Gophers: How much can Ted Roof improve the defense simply by scheme? Does the better, but young, talent in the secondary help them this year? Can they get a pass rush? They have depth on the DL, but can anybody emerge? And can Weber take off from his first year to his second year like Kellen Lewis & Juice Williams did last year? If he can limit the turnovers, the offense can be good. A RB has to emerge, as does a #2 & #3 receiver.
T-9) Indiana (6-6, 2-6, No bowl): The Hoosiers should start out 3-0 with a cupcake opening, but will manage to only defeat Northwestern & Iowa, who are both at home for conference wins. Can someone step up and take over for the departed James Hardy? IU closes with Wisconsin, and then on the road at Penn State and at Purdue, which won’t help matters.
T-9) Iowa (5-7, 2-6, no bowl): The Hawks should be 4-1 after the first 5 games, but then have a tough 4 game stretch against MSU, Indiana, Wisconsin & Illinois, with only Wisconsin at home. They then get Penn State at home, which is not a picnic. I think they do knock off Purdue but lose the Metrodome finale against the Gophers. Who will step up at RB? And can Jake Christensen finally figure out how to play Big Ten QB?
11) Northwestern (4-8, 0-8): A winnable 4 game opening stretch will be the highlight for the Wildcats. If the OL can gel quickly, they will be able to move the ball on a lot of Big Ten teams and will be in a lot of games. But the defense is just too poor. And the conference schedule did them no favors with the teams they could possibly beat all being on the road.
-Ohio State: I thought they were a year away last year. They benefits from a soft Big Ten.
-Illinois: A bit ahead of schedule. You can thank Rashard Mendenhall for that.
-Wisconsin: About where I thought they’d be.
-Penn State: About where I thought they’d be.
-Northwestern: About where I thought they’d be.
-Iowa: About where I thought they’d be.
-Minnesota: Below where I thought they’d be. I did think a 3-5 Big Ten record.
-Michigan: WAY below where I thought they’d be. Actually, Big Ten wise, they weren’t that far off, playing Ohio State with a trip to the Rose Bowl on the line.
-Michigan State: Ahead of where I thought they’d be: I thought it would take a year to get rid of the John L. Smith jugheads.
-Purdue: About where I thought they’d be.
-Indiana: Ahead of where I thought they’d be. I thought the hangover of Hoeppner would hang all season with them.
As I look at 2008, I think overall the Big Ten is down compared to the SEC and the Pac-Ten. But it will be interesting to see the strides that Michigan State, Indiana & Minnesota make this year.
1) Ohio State (12-0, 8-0; BCS National Championship Game): One thing that sticks out to me when looking at the Buckeyes is Todd Boeckman’s completion percentage, which was tops in the Big Ten, along with TD passes, which was tops in conference games. Add the receiving corps that exists along with an already dangerous Beanie Wells in the backfield and a swarming defense and you have a Big Ten team that will be tough to beat. I think they benefit from getting USC early. I think they beat them because of this. If it was a postseason game, I think USC wins. But they’re breaking in Sanchez.
Possible Game they may lose but shouldn’t: @ Wisconsin. It’s hard to say that you shouldn’t ever lose to Wisconsin in Madison. But if there’s a game to trip them up, it’s going to be this night game.
T-2) Wisconsin (9-3, 6-2: CapitalOne Bowl): Look for a trip out to Fresno State as an early trip up for Wisconsin, especially considering their QB concerns. They then have a 3 game conference gauntlet to open the season traveling to Michigan and then hosting Ohio State & Penn State. I do see them pulling out of this 2-1 in conference play, losing to Ohio State. After that, 6 winnable games, with the only one I see them dropping being a trip to East Lansing against the Spartans. However, I see them not getting an at-large BCS berth due to the setback at Fresno and it being awarded to……
T-2) Penn State (10-2, 6-2, Rose Bowl): The schedule starts out nicely with 4 non-conference games they should win in Coastal Carolina, Oregon State, @ Syracuse & Temple. Illinois comes to town which should lead to a revenge factor for PSU, and then a trip looms to West Lafayette. PSU should be 6-0 heading into Madison. I do see Wisconsin coming out on top though (the home team generally has owned this series lately). With Michigan in town sandwiched between the Badgers & Buckeyes, PSU should close out with 3 consecutive wins, the toughest being Michigan State at home the last game of the season. PSU will get the Rose Bowl berth due to the Rose Bowl loving Big Ten teams & tradition.
T-4) Illinois (8-4, 5-3 Outback Bowl): They’ll open up with a lose to possible BCS team Missouri, but I seem them handling the rest and dropping games only to Penn State, Wisconsin, & Ohio State during the conference season. The talent is assembled in Champaign, Juice is only going to get better, and Vontae Davis is going to be a 1st round pick in the 2009 draft.
T-4) Michigan State (8-4, 5-3 Alamo Bowl): Open up at Cal, which I’m picking as a loss, but then should win their next 6 before Ohio State comes to town. I also see them dropping a game to their in-state rivals before winning 2 of their final 3, dropping the trip to Happy Valley. MSU is another team that is gathering the talent.
6) Purdue (8-4, 4-4; Champps Sports Bowl): Purdue has their bye week the first week of the season, and I see them being able to knock off Oregon at home as they try to adjust to life without Dennis Dixon. They open up conference play with the two heavyweights in Penn State & Ohio State, before getting 3 winnable games in Northwestern, Minnesota & Michigan. Two road losses loom at Michigan State & Iowa before they win back the Oaken Bucket the final week of the season. Who’s going to replace Dorien Bryant remains the question. And can Purdue feed off some emotion with it being Joe Tiller’s last year? The answers to these two questions hold the keys to it being an average season or a good season for the Boilers.
T-7) Michigan (6-6, 3-5; Insight Bowl): The transition from Carr to RichRod will be a rough one for this season. But mark my words: Rich Rodriguez is the WORST thing that could have happened to Ohio State. He’ll get his players to run his spread offense, and within 2 years, they’ll be in the top 3 team in the Big Ten. However, look for them to drop their opener to pesky Utah, start out 0-3 in the Big Ten, but win 3 of their last 5 to qualify for a bowl bid, which will thrill the Insight Bowl folks, because they won’t get the opportunity to see Michigan for a long time.
T-7) Minnesota 6-6, 3-5, Motor City Bowl): Is the talent good enough for the Gophers to compete this year? Look for them to go 3-1 in non-conference play, dropping a road game to Bowling Green, but knocking off Indiana (Minnesota is their first road game) to win their first conference game. After Illinois on 10/11, they close with 6 winnable games. I expect them to drop games to Purdue, Michigan (although close), and Wisconsin, but to defeat Northwestern & Iowa to end up 6-6 and in Detroit. Questions for the Gophers: How much can Ted Roof improve the defense simply by scheme? Does the better, but young, talent in the secondary help them this year? Can they get a pass rush? They have depth on the DL, but can anybody emerge? And can Weber take off from his first year to his second year like Kellen Lewis & Juice Williams did last year? If he can limit the turnovers, the offense can be good. A RB has to emerge, as does a #2 & #3 receiver.
T-9) Indiana (6-6, 2-6, No bowl): The Hoosiers should start out 3-0 with a cupcake opening, but will manage to only defeat Northwestern & Iowa, who are both at home for conference wins. Can someone step up and take over for the departed James Hardy? IU closes with Wisconsin, and then on the road at Penn State and at Purdue, which won’t help matters.
T-9) Iowa (5-7, 2-6, no bowl): The Hawks should be 4-1 after the first 5 games, but then have a tough 4 game stretch against MSU, Indiana, Wisconsin & Illinois, with only Wisconsin at home. They then get Penn State at home, which is not a picnic. I think they do knock off Purdue but lose the Metrodome finale against the Gophers. Who will step up at RB? And can Jake Christensen finally figure out how to play Big Ten QB?
11) Northwestern (4-8, 0-8): A winnable 4 game opening stretch will be the highlight for the Wildcats. If the OL can gel quickly, they will be able to move the ball on a lot of Big Ten teams and will be in a lot of games. But the defense is just too poor. And the conference schedule did them no favors with the teams they could possibly beat all being on the road.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Have I been this bad?
I know all of the dedicate readers to Scoops & Pliers have been hounding us for more hard-hitting posts. I know because I've seen the email box filled to the roof. With that, I pledge to get back to more blogging & updates and offer a "Scoop the Mailbag" episode here, this Friday, August 15, 2008:
Dear Scoops,
What's your opinion regarding Gopher football this year? Will the newcomers help, or are they still a few years away?
Sincerely,
Jim Rome (rome@haveatake.com)
Los Angeles, CA
Jim,
A bit from column A; a bit from column B. The newcomers will help with depth and instant playing time. But it still takes time, they're still going to be wet behind the ears, and it's still a rebuilding process. I've said from the moment I was at the spring game that this team would be 5-7 overall, 2-6 in the Big Ten. I see them most likely dropping the road game at Bowling Green as that will be a difficult test for the young secondary. And I see them winning 2 of 3 from the home combo against Indiana, Northwestern & Iowa. Crazy pick? They aren't as far off as some think, but they are still having to change a culture of learning how to win. They have QB depth, a bit more talent at WR (although still quite young), and the defense will be better all around with more depth at the DL and LB. A RB needs to step up & be found, the OL needs to mesh (potential to be decent, but still raw), and the secondary has to help the defense get off the field. I still am sticking with 5-7, but after Illinois on 10/11, you have 5 winnible games to close out the season (I'm including Wisconsin because the Brewster proved last year that the Gophers WILL play as well as they possibly can against their rivals). And best of all? 11/22 will be the last day in the dome.
Scoops,
The Twins. I just can't understand them. I've always admired them as an organization and developing talent, but this year absolutely blindsided me. What do you think of them this year and for the future?
Regards,
Buster Olney
ESPN.com
Buster,
I didn't see it coming either. In fact, this is easily my favorite Twins season since 1991 because not only was it unexpected, but there is A LOT of hope for the future. Mauer & Morneau are just entering the primes of their careers, Young is only 22 years old as is Go-Go Gomez, I love the way that D-Span plays, and their starting pitching is talented & young. A lot of people got on the Twins for not making a deal at the deadline, and perhaps they could have added someone for the bullpen because that is their big weakness right now, but I'm glad they didn't go after a short-term solution like a Beltre. This team has a vision. It was supposed to be a developmental year while the Indians & Tigers kicked around the A.L. Central. And you have the usual suspects in the Twins & ChiSox up top. I like for them to be on top at the end of the year due to the Contrares injury. Both team's have weak bullpens (minus Nathan). I think the key will be health the rest of the year. However, I don't see either team challenging the Angels.
Scoops,
Why would I want to bomb innocent people for 40 virgins from Allah? Wouldn't I want an experienced girl? I'm not talking a total slut, but someone that knows a bit about what they're doing?
Sincerely,
Muhammad Akbar
Karachi, Pakistan
Mo,
I hear ya, and you make some valid points. My recommendation is to squash the suicide bombings and hit the frat/sorority scene at a Big Ten, SEC or Big XII university (except Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Purdue, Kansas State, and Texas Tech). Besides: what do the bombings really prove? I can confess that we all forget rather quickly about the ones that think they're going to be a martyr for what they did. We simply call you a coward, tell you try to move to a piece of land that has the ability to grow fruits & plants, and mix in a bit of technology in your lives. I'll be at the tailgate lot in 15 days if you want to discuss further.
Scoops,
I heard about your recent craps run up in Northern Wisconsin. Good job, but can I ask you why you were playing the Come Line so much?
Regards,
Golden Nugget
Las Vegas, NV
G-Nug,
It was odd, I'll admit. The come line was hot. I'd place a bet, back the odds, and the numbers kept on hitting. In hindsight, I should have been just going with $15/each on the 4, 5, 9 & 10 because they payouts would have been better at $27 for $15 and $21 for $15 respectively just going place compared to the $25 for $15 and $20 for $15 I had with the come line & come line odds. I guess I've always gone with the come as kind of an insurance in case the 7-out hits: at least I'll get back $5. But your point is well taken.
Scoops,
Will you be offering picks actually updated this year, or are you going to flame out and quit halfway as the Gopher losses mount up as the fall goes on?
Sincerely,
Bret Bilemma
Madison, WI
Bret,
I didn't know you were such a fan of the blog. Remind me to do an "Outtakes" episode with you the week of the Gopher-Badger game. As to your snide remark, I'd worry a bit less about my picks against the spread and a bit more about the ability of your football team to nearly lose to a 1-11 football team, finding a QB that can throw a forward pass, and keeping your players from smacking their girlfriends & out of jail. By the way: the Big Ten records may say that the Gophers were 0-8 in conference play, but my wallet says that the Gophers were 4-2-2 against the spread versus the Big Ten, including a money-making day against your squad. Stay classy, Double-B!
NEXT WEEK: SCOOPS' BIG TEN PREDICTIONS
Dear Scoops,
What's your opinion regarding Gopher football this year? Will the newcomers help, or are they still a few years away?
Sincerely,
Jim Rome (rome@haveatake.com)
Los Angeles, CA
Jim,
A bit from column A; a bit from column B. The newcomers will help with depth and instant playing time. But it still takes time, they're still going to be wet behind the ears, and it's still a rebuilding process. I've said from the moment I was at the spring game that this team would be 5-7 overall, 2-6 in the Big Ten. I see them most likely dropping the road game at Bowling Green as that will be a difficult test for the young secondary. And I see them winning 2 of 3 from the home combo against Indiana, Northwestern & Iowa. Crazy pick? They aren't as far off as some think, but they are still having to change a culture of learning how to win. They have QB depth, a bit more talent at WR (although still quite young), and the defense will be better all around with more depth at the DL and LB. A RB needs to step up & be found, the OL needs to mesh (potential to be decent, but still raw), and the secondary has to help the defense get off the field. I still am sticking with 5-7, but after Illinois on 10/11, you have 5 winnible games to close out the season (I'm including Wisconsin because the Brewster proved last year that the Gophers WILL play as well as they possibly can against their rivals). And best of all? 11/22 will be the last day in the dome.
Scoops,
The Twins. I just can't understand them. I've always admired them as an organization and developing talent, but this year absolutely blindsided me. What do you think of them this year and for the future?
Regards,
Buster Olney
ESPN.com
Buster,
I didn't see it coming either. In fact, this is easily my favorite Twins season since 1991 because not only was it unexpected, but there is A LOT of hope for the future. Mauer & Morneau are just entering the primes of their careers, Young is only 22 years old as is Go-Go Gomez, I love the way that D-Span plays, and their starting pitching is talented & young. A lot of people got on the Twins for not making a deal at the deadline, and perhaps they could have added someone for the bullpen because that is their big weakness right now, but I'm glad they didn't go after a short-term solution like a Beltre. This team has a vision. It was supposed to be a developmental year while the Indians & Tigers kicked around the A.L. Central. And you have the usual suspects in the Twins & ChiSox up top. I like for them to be on top at the end of the year due to the Contrares injury. Both team's have weak bullpens (minus Nathan). I think the key will be health the rest of the year. However, I don't see either team challenging the Angels.
Scoops,
Why would I want to bomb innocent people for 40 virgins from Allah? Wouldn't I want an experienced girl? I'm not talking a total slut, but someone that knows a bit about what they're doing?
Sincerely,
Muhammad Akbar
Karachi, Pakistan
Mo,
I hear ya, and you make some valid points. My recommendation is to squash the suicide bombings and hit the frat/sorority scene at a Big Ten, SEC or Big XII university (except Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Purdue, Kansas State, and Texas Tech). Besides: what do the bombings really prove? I can confess that we all forget rather quickly about the ones that think they're going to be a martyr for what they did. We simply call you a coward, tell you try to move to a piece of land that has the ability to grow fruits & plants, and mix in a bit of technology in your lives. I'll be at the tailgate lot in 15 days if you want to discuss further.
Scoops,
I heard about your recent craps run up in Northern Wisconsin. Good job, but can I ask you why you were playing the Come Line so much?
Regards,
Golden Nugget
Las Vegas, NV
G-Nug,
It was odd, I'll admit. The come line was hot. I'd place a bet, back the odds, and the numbers kept on hitting. In hindsight, I should have been just going with $15/each on the 4, 5, 9 & 10 because they payouts would have been better at $27 for $15 and $21 for $15 respectively just going place compared to the $25 for $15 and $20 for $15 I had with the come line & come line odds. I guess I've always gone with the come as kind of an insurance in case the 7-out hits: at least I'll get back $5. But your point is well taken.
Scoops,
Will you be offering picks actually updated this year, or are you going to flame out and quit halfway as the Gopher losses mount up as the fall goes on?
Sincerely,
Bret Bilemma
Madison, WI
Bret,
I didn't know you were such a fan of the blog. Remind me to do an "Outtakes" episode with you the week of the Gopher-Badger game. As to your snide remark, I'd worry a bit less about my picks against the spread and a bit more about the ability of your football team to nearly lose to a 1-11 football team, finding a QB that can throw a forward pass, and keeping your players from smacking their girlfriends & out of jail. By the way: the Big Ten records may say that the Gophers were 0-8 in conference play, but my wallet says that the Gophers were 4-2-2 against the spread versus the Big Ten, including a money-making day against your squad. Stay classy, Double-B!
NEXT WEEK: SCOOPS' BIG TEN PREDICTIONS
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