Mitch Harper's College Football Blog

2009 Pre-Season Top 60 teams in College Football

2009-05-28T13:13:00.000-06:00

Unlike future Coaches polls, I'm not going to be anonymous with my poll for College Football next season. But unlike the coaches, I'm putting out a Top 60 list. Bigger is always better.

1. Florida

Hard to dispute the Gators not being #1 going into 2009. They return 17 starters from last year's National Championship, and they have ESPN's golden child in Tebow. You will be pretty hard pressed to find a poll where Florida isn't #1. The SEC is weak this year and Florida should cruise to the SEC title game.

2. Oklahoma

Bradford, Gresham, McCoy, and a healthy Murray all return in pursuit to finally get a bowl win. The Sooner's Senior class is looking to avoid being the only group of Sooners to lose every bowl game they have been in. This team has some question marks but they are still loaded and are the team to beat in the Big XII yet again.

3. USC

Might be a tad bit high when you consider all the Trojans have lost, but again its USC. The Trojans will still be a Top-5 team this coming fall. The receiving targets projected QB starter Aaron Corp will have, will be very good for a guy who is getting broken in as the starter. Can the Trojans though live up to expectations for once and win the games they are expected to win?

4. Ohio State

Terrelle Pryor is going to be HUGE in 2009. I would not be stunned if Pryor is the Heisman winner this season. The Buckeyes suffered some big-time losses in Malcom Jenkins and "Beanie" Wells but that won't stop this Big Ten juggernaut. The Bukeyes still have one of the best secondaries in all the land and sophomore Running Back Daniel Herron will give the Buckeyes a new dimension to their running game they haven't seen in quite some time.

5. Ole Miss

This is everyone's pre-season darling going into 2009 and I'm taking the bait as well. The only team in the SEC that can compete with Florida this season, but they won't be able to prove it until the SEC title game as the two teams don't play against one another in the regular season. QB Jevan Snead is one of the best in the nation, and big-time playmaker Dexter McCluster will be causing fits all day for opposing defenses. The biggest element I like about Ole Miss comes down to head coach Houston Nutt. This guy is one of the more under appreciated coaches in all of College Football. The guy knows how to win in the big-time SEC.

6. Texas

Colt McCoy returns for his Senior campaign, and yet again it looks like McCoy will have to be THE man in the running department for the Horns. Last year McCoy caught everyone by surprise with his efficient and balanced QB play. This year won't be as kind unless the Horns get some production in Cody Johnson and Vondrell McGee. The defense should be one of the best in the Big XII.

7. Virginia Tech

It's Tyrod Taylor's team now; there's no Sean Glennon to hold him back now. And that's one of the reasons why the Hokies look like a National Championship contender and the elite team in an improved ACC. But all of that National Championship talk hinges on that opener in Atlanta against Alabama.

8. Oklahoma State

Explosive is the word I think of when talking about the 2009 Cowboys. The skill players on offense are some of the best in the land with QB Zac Robinson, RB Kendall Hunter, and WR Dez Bryant. A total of 13 starters return from a team that won 9 games and gave Texas and Oklahoma all they could handle.

9. Oregon

Most BCS teams you can rip for not playing a tough non-conference schedule and just relying on the strength of their conference to get them by. You can't rip Oregon this year. The Ducks open up @ BCS-Busting favorite Boise State on the season-opening Thursday night, then host Purdue and last year's only undefeated team in Utah who looks to be a Pre-Season Top 25 team this year. The Ducks have the fire power to go through that slate unscathed with stud RB LeGarrette Blount. The Ducks defense should be very strong led by DE Will Tukuafu who is one of the premiere defensive players in the Pac-10.

10. Penn State

Six of the Nittany Lions first seven home games are in Happy Valley. So expect the Nittany Lions to be very high in the early releases of the BCS polls. Only eight starters return from last year's team and nine if you include star linebacker Sean Lee who has fully recovered from an ACL injury he suffered in 2008's Fall Camp. The Nittany Lions have a good shot to win the Big Ten, it could come down to the November 7th matchup with Penn State hosting the Buckeyes.

11. Alabama

Last year ended on a sour note for the Crimson Tide as they were completely exposed by a much more driven and hungry Utah team in the Sugar Bowl. But Bama did establish themselves as a team who will be a force to reckon with again in the SEC. This year's Bama squad will be a grind it out kind of team with only 4 starters returning on offense and 9 on defense. The Bama D should be the best in the SEC led by DT Terrence Cody and ILB Dont'a Hightower.

12. LSU

If anyone thinks LSU is going to drop-off after a 8-5 campaign, think again. QB Jordan Jefferson who is only a Sophomore is going to make LSU a National Title contender again, possibly this season. The Tigers host Florida on October 10th in the daunting 8 p.m. time slot in Death Valley. That will be the game to get a gage on where LSU is heading.

13. Cal

QB Kevin Riley and RB Jahvid Best form one of the better backfields in the Pac-10. The Bears have been a solid team for years now under head coach Jeff Tedford but haven't taken the program to another level getting to a BCS bowl. With USC, Oregon State, and Arizona at home this season, the time is now for Cal to win a Pac-10 title.

14. Florida State

The Noles are amidst controversy in their program stemming from possible academic fraud; but that isn't stopping this year's team from having a great year. Head Coach Bobby Bowden looks to be in the first of his final two years with the school, and he wants to get out on a high note. The Seminoles finally have consistent QB play in Christian Ponder. Ponder is the best Noles QB since Heisman winner Chris Weinke was in Tallahassee.

15. Boise State

Some Pre-Season prognostications have the Broncos as high as #9 going into 2009. I don't see Boise as that high but you always need to have this program on the Top 25. They definitely aren't some nice little story their a legit program and only look to be getting better as they are still a young team led by Sophomore QB Kellen Moore. The Broncos are a BCS-Buster favorite this season even with their youth. Imagine how good they will be one or two years from now.

16. North Carolina

Butch Davis' hard work on the recruiting trail started to pay dividends in Chapel Hill last season, getting the Tar Heels to their first bowl game since 2001. This year's Tar Heels squad is led by the talented defense. Nine starters return led by DT Marvin Austin who was a top recruit in 2007 and is already in his Junior season. Don't plan on North Carolina to be letting up anytime soon because Davis continues to churn out great recruiting classes.

17. Miami

Head Coach Randy Shannon needs to show improvement if he wants to stay off the hot-seat. This is the year to start bringing Miami back to prominance with talented skill players in QB Jacory Harris and RB Graig Cooper. The Hurricanes have opportunities in their schedule to put them back on the map, particularly the Labor Day showdown against Florida State in Tallahassee and a home meeting with Oklahoma.

18. Nebraska

Joe Ganz graduated leaving a void at QB for the Huskers. Patrick Witt was expected to be the starter but he bolted the program prior to Spring Ball leaving junior Zac Lee as the top gunslinger. Expect solid play from Lee and the Huskers in general this season. Head Coach Bo Pellini got the program back on track with a 9-win campaign and a bowl victory, this year nothing less than an appearance in the Big XII title game will be a disappointment especially with how weak the Big XII North is.

19. Georgia Tech

Paul Johnson's opption attack he brought from Navy last year surprised everyone in the College Football world that the option could be successful in "BCS" football. The Yellow Jackets still have their top rusher in Jonathan Dwyer is one of the best RBs in the nation, and Josh Nesbitt returns with a year of starting experience in the option.

20. TCU

The Horned Frogs despite losing two-game last season still had a Top 10 finish which is uncommon for teams in the "Non-BCS" conferences. TCU year-in and year-out has the elite athleticsm on the defensive side of the ball in the MWC. This year the Horned Frogs D is anchored by DE Jerry Hughes. Hopefully for Hughes he doesn't buckle to the hype like TCU's star DE in 2007 Tommy Blake. One thing of concern for TCU is that they need to get consistent play from QB Andy Dalton.

21. Oregon State

The Beavers return only 10 starters from last year's 9-win team that was one game shy of going to the Rose Bowl. Seven of those 10 are on the offensive side of the ball led by RB Jacquizz Rodgers who burst onto the College Football landscape in a huge upset win over #1 ranked USC. Then the Beavers have two reliable QBs in Lyle Moevao who is the returning starter and Sean Canfield. The Beavers could be seeing themselves in some shootouts this season.

22. BYU

BYU has had three straight 10-win seasons and is looking for a school record 4th this season. QB Max Hall returns who is 21-5 as a starter for the Cougars, and one of his top targets in TE Dennis Pitta returns. The Cougars need to replace last year's national leader in receiving yards in Austin Collie. Guys like O'Neill Chambers and return Mormon missionary McKay Jacobson need to pick up the slack.

23. Notre Dame

The Irish have a favorable schedule that plays well for them this season. Their opener however will be very difficult in Nevada but from there I wouldn't expect to lose another game other than USC. If the Irish can't win 9 games with this schedule, Charlie Weis needs to get canned. Now is the time for guys like Jimmy Clausen, Golden Tate, and Kerry Neal on defense to shine.

24. Nevada

Nevada is one of the more underrated teams going into 2009. I've already stated they could possibly be an 11-1 team this season. The Wolfpack have one of the best offenses in the nation running their "Pistol" scheme. If Nevada wins the opener against Notre Dame expect big things.

25. Utah

Last year's only undefeated team in all of College Football has some concerns but still should be a solid team in 2009. The Utes will be led primarily by their defense that returns 7 starters led by safety Robert Johnson and Linebacker Stevenson Sylvester. Utah needs to figure out who their QB is going to be. All indications point to the more athletic Corbin Louks who gives Utah a better runner out of the pocket.

The Rest: 26-60

26. Arkansas

27. Georgia

28. Michigan State

29. Texas Tech

30. Arizona

31. Kansas

32. Cincinnati

33. Iowa

34. East Carolina

35. Wisconsin

36. Stanford

37. Houston

38. Clemson

39. West Virginia

40. Rutgers

41. Illinois

42. Colorado

43. NC State

44. Baylor

45. Northwestern

46. Boston College

47. Minnesota

48. Central Michigan

49. Pitt

50. Western Michigan

51. Tennessee

52. Arizona State

53. South Florida

54. Wake Forest

55. South Carolina

56. UNLV

57. UConn

58. Navy

59. Auburn

60. Duke

Who are some of your top teams in College Football this season? Post your thoughts in the comments section or shoot me an e-mail at mitchburgundy@gmail.com

2009's Top 20 Tight Ends in College Football

2009-05-08T15:27:00.001-06:00

This year's Tight Ends in College Football are very strong at the top, but after the Top 3 there is a lot of pairity. Many great Tight Ends were lost after last season in Chase Coffman and James Casey just to name a few.

Here's my list of Top 20 Tight Ends going into 2009.

1. Rob Gronkowski, Arizona, Jr.

Gronkowski has already established himself as the best Tight End in Arizona Wildcat history, and according to me is the best all-around Tight End going into 2009. Gronkowski was a 3rd Team All-American last season, and has set practically every Tight End record at Arizona in his two seasons at the school. The Wildcats projected starter at Quarterback, Matt Scott already has a great go-to target in his first season behind Center in Gronkowski.

2. Dennis Pitta, BYU, Sr.

The best overall athlete amongst this year’s Tight Ends. Pitta led all Tight Ends last season with the most receiving yards with 1,083 in a Cougar offense that produced a 3,500+ yard passer, 1,000 yard rusher, and the nation’s stat leader in receiving yards in Austin Collie. Pitta can line out wide and burn opposing teams secondaries. Just needs to become a more consistent blocker.

3. Jermaine Gresham, Oklahoma, Sr.

Gresham opted to return with Bradford for his Senior season to get another crack at the National Title. Gresham was a 1st Team All-American last year, but it will be hard to follow up his performance from last season. I’m afraid that Gresham has peaked in his college career, kind of a questionable move coming back this year.

4. D.J. Williams, Arkansas, Jr.

In his first full season as the starter for the Razorbacks, Williams had 723 yards and three touchdowns in Bobby Petrino’s offense. Williams will now have Michigan transfer Ryan Mallett throwing to him, and a more experienced offense as well. Expect big production from this Razorback.

5. Garrett Graham, Wisconsin, Sr.

When Travis Beckum went down with an injury last season, the Badgers production at Tight End didn’t have a drop-off as many suspected. Graham had a respectable 540 yards last season in a year where the Badgers couldn’t find consistency at the Quarterback position. With Beckum now gone, Graham is the man at Tight End and he’s already the best in the tough Big Ten.

The Rest: 6-20

6. Cody Slate, Marshall, Sr.

7. Ed Dickson, Oregon, Sr.

8. Aaron Hernandez, Florida, Jr.

9. Richard Dickson, LSU, Sr.

10. Jamie McCoy, Texas A&M, Sr.

11. Jason Mastrud, Kansas State, Sr.

12. Jason Harmon, Florida Atlantic, Sr.

13. Tony Moeaki, Iowa, Sr. *injured

15. Bruce Figgins, Georgia, Jr. *Possibly suspended

16. Josh LeDuc, Eastern Michigan, Sr.

17. Andrew George, BYU, Sr.

18. Mike McNeill, Nebraska, Jr.

19. Andrew Quarless, Penn State, Sr.

20. Jim Dray, Stanford, Sr.

Who are your top Tight Ends for 2009? Post your thoughts in the comments ssection or shoot me an e-mail at mitchburgundy@gmail.com.

Other Postion Rankings

Quarterbacks
Running Backs

2009's Top 40 Running Backs in College Football

2009-05-07T15:43:00.000-06:00

Continuing with the positional rankings, I now give you the Running Backs. You will notice there's actually 41 guys on this list but I just used Big Ten logic, because "40" sounds better than "41".

From evaluating this year's Running Backs there is a lot of pairity in this group and some of the conferences are loaded with very good Running Backs this year.

1. Jonathan Dwyer, Georgia Tech, Jr.

Last season, in Paul Johnson’s option offense Dwyer had 1,604 total yards and 13 touchdowns, earning him ACC Player of the Year accolades in only his Sophomore season. Expect bigger things from Dwyer in 2009; in a league that is filled with great running backs Dwyer is hands the best and according to me the best in the nation. Dwyer will put up some great numbers in this, his second season in Atlanta’s version of option attack.

2. Jahvid Best, Cal, Jr.

Another sophomore last season who came out of nowhere to have a great 2008 season; Best finished his first full season as the starter in Berkley with 1,580 rushing yards which was 5th best in the nation. Best is ‘best’ known for his staggering 8.1 yards per carry. He’s a sure fire 1st Down almost every time he touches the ball.

3. LeGarrette Blount, Oregon, Sr.

A JUCO transfer last season out of East Mississippi Community College, Blount was the perfect compliment back to Jeremiah Johnson. Towards the end of last season, Blount emerged as the Ducks feature back. Blount had 1,002 yards last season, and now as the feature back the production should go up. Blount is one of the more entertaining backs to watch at his size of 6’2 240, and the speed he has; he is a freak of nature.

4. Jacquizz Rodgers, Oregon State, Soph.

Burst onto the scene after the Thursday night upset over #1 ranked (at the time) USC. Jacquizz single-handily dominated the Trojans terrific defense for the entire first offense. Every carry he had in that game seemed to go for a first down. It was amazing, and especially for his small stature. Rodgers wore down towards the tail of the end of the season and was even sidelined with an injury in the Beavers 3-0 Sun Bowl victory over Pitt; but “The Quizz” looks to be healthy now and poised to finish the Beavers mission to Pasadena.

5. Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma State, Jr.

Hunter in his two seasons in Stillwater has rushed for 2,334 yards, which is the best two-year total for a Cowboy behind only the great Barry Sanders. Hunter is one of the many pieces in the Cowboy offense that has big-play capabilities. He was a 1st Team All-Big XII selection last year and is this best RB in the Big XII going into 2009.

6. DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma, Jr.

Oklahoma’s chances of winning in the BCS National Championship game last season against Florida were hampered greatly not having Murray who suffered an injury in the Big XII Championship Game against Missouri.
Murray is still recovering from his injury to this day, but is expected to be ready to go this fall. With a healthy Murray the Sooners have one of the most potent Backfields in all of College Football if not the most potent offensively.

7. Graig Cooper, Miami, Jr.

Going into last season, Javarris James looked to be the main man in the backfield for the Canes. James suffered an injury against Florida, and from there Cooper was the man. Cooper was a highly-touted recruit out of Memphis, Tennessee in the Class of 2007. Had 682 yards his first season, and then last year had 841. An explosive back who has been hampered by the inconsistent play at QB for the Canes and the young offensive line. This is the year Cooper bursts out and becomes a household name to all of College Football.

8. Noel Devine, West Virginia, Jr.

An all-around great athlete who still has yet to live up to the unreal hype he received out of Ft. Meyers, Florida. But still, Devine is explosive and a multi-dimensional threat for Bill Stewart’s offense. Devine also is a great kick returner when called upon. With Pat White now gone, Devine’s workload is going to be more significant when this guy plays to his full potential he could arguably be the best player in the land.

9. MiQuale Lewis, Ball State, Sr.

All the attention to the Cardinals last season during their undefeated regular season was geared towards QB Nate Davis who is now in the NFL. Lewis has been a three-year starter for the Cardinals but last year was the first season the Senior-to-be was not hampered by injuries, in 2007 and 2006 Lewis suffered season-ending injuries.
In 2008, Lewis rushed for 1,736 yards and 22 touchdowns. Lewis is a solid receiver out of the backfield hauling in 325 yards receiving last season.

10. Chris Brown, Oklahoma, Sr.

Along with a healthy DeMarco Murray, Brown and Murray create the best 1-2 Running Back tandem in all of College Football. Brown rushed for 1,220 yards last season.

The Rest: 11-40

11. C.J. Spiller, Clemson, Sr.

12. Reggie Arnold, Arkansas State, Sr.

13. Harvey Unga, BYU, Jr.

14. Toby Gerhart, Stanford, Sr.

15. John Clay, Wisconsin, Jr.

16. Stafon Johnson, USC, Sr.

17. Evan Royster, Penn State, Jr.

18. Vai Tapua, Nevada, Jr.

19. Curtis Steele, Memphis, Sr.

20. Derrick Washington, Missouri, Jr.

21. Brandon West, Western Michigan, Sr.

22. Damion Fletcher, Souther Miss., Sr.

23. Da’Rel Scott, Maryland, Jr.

24. Joe McKnight, USC, Jr.

25. Ryan Mathews, Fresno State, Jr.

26. Matt Asiata, Utah, Sr.

27. Bryce Beal, Houston, Soph.

28. Michael Smith, Arkansas, Sr.

29. James Starks, Buffalo, Sr.

30. Chris Rainey, Florida, Soph.

31. Daniel Porter, La. Tech, Sr.

32. Shaun Draugh, North Carolina, Jr.

33. Luke Lipincott, Nevada, Sr.

34. Darren Evans, Virginia Tech, Soph.

35. Ben Tate, Auburn, Sr.

36. Darius Marshall, Marshall, Jr.

37. Charles Scott, LSU, Sr.

T-38. Rodney Stewart, Colorado, Soph.

T-38. Darrell Scott, Colorado, Soph.

39. Jay Finley, Baylor, Jr.

40. Jeremy Avery, Boise State, Jr.

Who are your top Running Backs in 2009? Post your thoughts in the comments section, or shoot me an e-mail at mitchburgundy@gmail.com.

2009's Top 40 Quarterbacks in College Football

2009-05-05T23:50:00.002-06:00

This is the first installment previewing the best players by position in all of College Football. Were starting with the most important and most glamorous position of all, the Quarterbacks.

1. Sam Bradford, Oklahoma, Jr.

Bradford was the Heisman winner last season as a Sophomore. Led the Sooners offense in 2008 to the most points in FBS history, and accounted for 4,720 yards passing last year. One of the more accurate passers in all of College Football, Bradford is THE best in 2009; and will likely be a #1 pick in the 2010 NFL Draft if he decides to leave early.

2. Jevan Snead, Ole Miss, Jr.

Ole Miss has been revived with this former Texas Longhorn at the helm. Snead is a future first-day NFL draft prospect and has many people thinking Ole Miss is a SEC title contender this year.

3. Tim Tebow, Florida, Sr.

Many will probably rip me for not having Tebow 1 or 2 but I don’t drink all the kool-aid with this guy. He’s here in the Top 3 basically due to his accolades as a champion and a Heisman winner, and a product of the talent around him. And if this were a list for best leaders he would probably be at the top, or best shots of a QB screaming a lot (above); but the love for this guy is unreal when there are better natural QBs out there. But again you gotta put him here, for his gawdy numbers and team success. In the NFL he’s a TE.

4. Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State, Soph.

Took over for Senior Todd Boeckman last year who was overrated to begin with, and looks primed to have a break-out season in 2009; one of the best athletes in all of College Football.

5. Colt McCoy, Texas, Sr.

Two years ago it looked like McCoy was going to be a bust after losing to the likes Kansas State and Texas A&M with lame duck HC Dennis Franchione at home. But now all of that is forgotten and McCoy is supposedly number two behind Tebow as the best Quarterback. Not in my book.
Can’t deny the improvement he made in 2008 though, was extremely accurate, and is Texas’ best runner. I can’t picture him having that much success on the ground this year though. Don’t be shocked if McCoy has a letdown 2009 season.

6. Max Hall, BYU, Sr.

One of the best schools for producing talented Quarterbacks has another in Max Hall. Hall threw for 3,957 yards last season, him and Sam Bradford will be showcasing an aerial assault in Jerry’s World at the New Dallas Cowboys Stadium on September 5th.

7. Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan, Sr.

Along with Hall, LeFevour is the class of “Non-BCS” Quarterbacks. LeFevour has been very successful for the Chippewas leading them to three consecutive bowl appearances. A future first-round NFL selection in next year’s draft.

8. Robert Griffin, Baylor, Soph.

Griffin is right there with Pryor in the most athletic players in the nation. He was a former track star, how much more athletic can you get? Griffin would be getting more pub if he was on a bigger named program, but it’s refreshing to see a highly-touted recruit go to a program who has had its struggles, and be the guy to revive that program. I commend Griffin for that, and he’s going to lead the Bears to their first bowl bid this year since 1994.

9. Zac Robinson, Oklahoma State, Sr.

Burst out onto the scene last season after a huge road-win at Missouri, and led the Cowboys to a 7-0 start and a #9 ranking. Look for more success this season as Oklahoma State looks primed to compete with instate rival, OU as the Big XII’s best team.

10. Jake Locker, Washington, Jr.

Many might be scratching their heads on this one because the Huskies were winless last year. But if you remember, Locker went down with a broken thumb injury on his throwing hand in the fourth game against Stanford and the Huskies season was finished after that. The Huskies flirted with the idea of playing Locker at Safety but that never panned out.
Going into ‘09 with a healthy Locker and new head coach Steve Sarkisian at the helm for UW, expect great things out of Locker out at Montlake; and the first step into reviving one of College Football’s most prestigious programs.

The Rest: 11-40

11. Case Keenum, Houston, Jr.

T-12. Darryl Clark, Penn State, Sr.

T-12. Tyrod Taylor, Virginia Tech, Sr.

13. Tim Hiller, Western Michigan, Sr.

14. Rusty Smith, Florida Atlantic, Sr.

15. Colin Kaepernick, Nevada, Jr.

16. Kellen Moore, Boise State, Soph.

17. Matt Grothe, South Florida, Sr.

18. Jeremiah Masoli, Oregon, Jr.

19. Juice Williams, Illinois, Sr.

20. Josh Nesbitt, Georgia Tech, Jr.

21. Todd Reesing, Kansas, Sr.

22. Patrick Pinkney, East Carolina, Sr.

23. Austin Davis, Southern Miss, Soph.

24. Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame, Jr.

25. Tony Pike, Cincinnati, Sr.

26. Thaddeus Lewis, Duke, Sr.

27. Chris Turner, Maryland, Sr.

28. Cody Hawkins, Colorado, Jr.

29. Kevin Riley, Cal, Jr.

30. Ryan Mallett, Arkansas, Soph.

31. Lyle Moevao, Oregon State, Sr.

32. Corey Leonard, Arkansas State, Sr.

33. Jacory Harris, Miami, Soph.

34. Omar Clayton, UNLV, Jr.

35. Christian Ponder, Florida State, Jr.

36. Tyler Potts, Texas Tech, Sr.

37. Ryan Lindley, San Diego State, Soph.

38. Jordan Jefferson, LSU, Soph.

39. Diondre Borel, Utah State, Soph.

40. Arkelon Hall, Memphis, Sr.

Who are your top QBs in 2009? Post your thoughts in the comments section. Or shoot me an e-mail at mitchburgundy@gmail.com.

2009 Preview: Utah Utes

2009-05-02T16:15:00.000-06:00

Head Coach: Kyle Whittingham (5th Season)
2008 Record: 13-0 (Mountain West champs; beat Alabama 31-17 in the Allstate Sugar Bowl)

2009 Schedule

* = Key game that could go either way

9-3 Utah State (Thurs.) (W)
9-12 @ San Jose State (W)
9-19 @ Oregon (L)*
9-26 Louisville (W)
10-10 @ Colorado State (W)
10-17 @ UNLV (W)*
10-24 Air Force (L)
10-31 Wyoming (W)
11-7 New Mexico (W)*
11-14 @ TCU (L)*
11-21 San Diego State (W)
11-28 @ BYU (L)*

Projected Record: 8-4

OFFENSE (4 Starters Returning)

Backfield (Concern)

Brian Johnson leaves Utah with the most wins as a starter at QB. Although Johnson had his share of struggles, his experience and success will be tough to replace. Coach Kyle Whittingham has three players that will continue into spring vying for the starting spot. The player with the most experience is Corbin Louks a junior who has been a change-of-pace Quarterback thus far in his time at Utah. Terrance Cain a JC transfer who set Junior College records for yards and attempts at pass-happy Blinn C.C. Cain is compared as the next Brian Johnson in Utah’s offense. Then in the spring game, early enrollee out of Oceanside H.S. (California) Jordan Wynn had an impressive Spring and coaches feel this a three-man race. Whittingham has compared Wynn to a younger version of former Utah Ute and NFL Draft Bust Alex Smith.

At Running Back, Darrell Mack leaves but Matt Asiata remains who split reps with Mack last season. Asiata now needs to prove himself as the go-to back.

Behind Asiata, is junior Eddie Wide who has seen limited time the past two seasons in the Utah offense, he will see increased reps this season. Along with Wide is a 2008 signee who was highly recruited in Sausan Shakerin who was a Player of the Year in the state of Utah back in 2006 out of Alta High School.

Utah should still be productive in their backfield but there is a lot of question marks going into the fall with this group that it’s got to be one of Whittingham’s main concerns going into the season.

Receivers

The Utes lost three senior Wide Receivers from their Sugar Bowl team a year ago in Brent Casteel, Bradon Godfrey, and Freddie Brown who was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 7th Round of the Draft.

Replacing them is a group of players that the Utes staff feel will be more athletic and talent than last season’s in senior David Reed, junior Jereme Brooks, and senior John Peel. All three have experience in the program. JC transfer Shaky Smithson could have a impact this season after a strong Spring. The problem with all these receivers is that if the Quarterback situation doesn’t get settled who is going to get them the ball?

Tight End is a position the Utes hardly use but they have an experienced player returning this season in senior Chris Joppru.

Offensive Line (Strength)

Three of Utah’s four returning starters on the Offensive end come in the offensive line. Left Tackle Zane Beadles anchors it all, a 1st Team All-MWC selection a season ago. Along with Beadles on the left side is Caleb Schlauderaff a starter for the past two seasons; will be a junior heading into 2009.

The third starter returning is Zane Taylor who played Center a season ago, but is switching to right guard due to expected starter Neil A’asa struggling with injuries. Replacing Taylor at center will be senior Tyler Williams and Tevita Stevens. They will continue to battle it out into the fall.

At right tackle, this is was one of the question marks for the Utes heading into spring practice with the departure of all-conference performer Dustin Hensel. Tony Bergstrom a sophomore had a very good spring practice and established himself as the #1 guy at RT going into ’09.

DEFENSE (7 Starters Returning)

Utah has to replace one of Whittingham’s right-hand men in former DC Gary Andersen who took the head coaching position at Utah State. Replacing Anderson is Kalani Sitake, who has no experience as the Coordinator. Expect Whittingham to get in touch with his old DC ways and assist Sitake along the way.

Defensive Line (Strength)

Paul Kruger left the program early after his Sophomore season to go pro, he was drafted in the 2nd round by the Baltimore Ravens. Replacing him is Derrick Shelby who is moving from the interior of the 4-man front to the edge. Along with Shelby on the edges is returning starter Koa Misi a two-year starter from the Right End spot. Kruger’s younger brother Dave Kruger is a redshirt Freshman who is listed on the two-deep. A guy to watch is Nai Fotu who was a starter at the STUD Linebacker last season but had a season-ending knee injury against TCU. He is now being switched to DE.

The Utes also expect big things from #1 JUCO recruit James Aiono out of Snow College to make an impact right away when he arrives in the summer.

In the interior will be returning starter Kenape Eliapo and Lei Talamaivo. The Utes have one of the best defensive lines in the Mountain West this season.

Linebackers (Strength)

Stevenson Sylvester will get all the attention from his little pose in the Sugar Bowl last season, but the most productive linebacker in Utah’s linebacking group is senior Mike Wright who was a former Walk-On. Complimenting the two returning starters in Wright and Sylvester will be Kepa Gaison at the STUD spot. Gaison replaced Nai Fotu after he went down with an injury against TCU. Gaison finished the season strong with a 12-tackle performance in the Sugar Bowl.

Utah’s front seven will probably the top rated group in the Mountain West heading into ’09.

Defensive Backs

The Utes have to replace two NFL draftees at the Cornerback position in Sean Smith (2nd Round, Dolphins) and Brice McCain (6th Round, Texans). Both of the replacements have been in the program, but it will be hard to replicate the production Smith and McCain had the past two seasons as the starters.

Brandon Burton and senior R.J. Stanford will be the starters against Utah State in Game 1, but watch for Kamaron Yancy who was a mid-year JC enrollee who had a solid spring and could see many reps this season.

With the concern in the corners, the Safeties are one of the Utes strengths in Robert Johnson (FS) and Joe Dale (SS) both of whom are two-year starters at their positions and Senior leaders on the team.

The nickel will be played by Damilyn Tanner who was a highly-regarded JC transfer when he signed last season but hasn’t been able to see much time. He’s another possibility at the cornerback position.

SPECIAL TEAMS (Concern)

Louie Sakoda a.k.a. “King Louie” according to the Utah’s Student Body (“MUSS”) will be sorely missed. Sakoda handled the place kicking and punting duties and was clutch for the Utes in many close games last season.

Looking to replace Sakoda at place kicker is senior Ben Vroman who has handled the kickoff duties the past three seasons. He was very inconsistent in spring so other players in Joe Phillips a JC transfer who is only a sophomore and walk-on Coleman Petersen have a shot to take over in the Fall.

Punting duties will be handled by Sean Sellwood a redshirt freshman.

The Utes return game could be explosive with speedy return men in Luke Mathews at Punt returner and David Reed and Elijah Wesson on Kickoffs. The Utes had many issues with fumbles in the return game last season and they should improve on that from last season.

Final Thoughts

Utah had a very good win against a Alabama who by all accounts was very overrated to begin with, but Utah capitalized on their big moment and finished the ’08 season as the only undefeated team in College Football.

Don’t expect BCS Busting happening up in Salt Lake City this year. Utah is going to go through some struggles.

This Utah team should be very similar to what Utah fans were used to when Ron McBride was the coach for many years. A gritty defensive team and an inconsistent offense that got the job-done but it was done in ugly, grind it out-type fashion. I’m expecting that in 2009 from Utah.

An 8-4 season would be a solid year after the amount of losses they had, and its very attainable considering the Mountain West as a whole will be taking a step back from their record setting season a year ago. So the Utes should still be in the Top 3 or 4 of the league, and have another shot in a bowl game to increase their streak of 8-straight bowl victories which is the longest current streak in all of College Football right now.

Random Stat

3

Three outright Mountain West Conference titles for the Utes in the past six years. Prior to 2003's outright title, it had been 46 years since Utah won an outright title.

Utah Blog to Check Out

Block U

2009 Preview: Tulane Green Wave

2009-04-30T15:52:00.001-06:00

Head Coach: Bob Toledo (3rd Year)
2008 Record: 2-10 (5th C-USA West)

2009 Schedule

* = Key game that could go either way

9-4 Tulsa (Fri) (L)
9-12 BYU (L)
9-19 McNeese State (W)
10-3 @ Army (W)
10-10 Marshall (L)*
10-17 Houston (L)
10-24 @ Southern Miss (L)
10-31 @ LSU (L)
11-7 UTEP (W)
11-14 @ Rice (W)*
11-21 @ UCF (L)*
11-28 @ SMU (L)*

Projected Record: 4-8

OFFENSE (8 Starters Returning)

Backfield

Going into spring drills, Coach Bob Toledo wanted to nail down who was going to be the lead man at Quarterback to run his West Coast offense this season in year three. He had three options, 2008 starter Kevin Moore who was very inconsistent but has the huge build that bodes well in the West Coast style at 6-5 234. Last season’s back-up Joe Kemp who was going to take over for Moore mid-way through the season but suffered a broken collarbone injury against Houston and was out the rest of the season. Then there was redshirt-freshman Ryan Griffin who was a talented signing in the class of 2008 from the state of California.

Toledo charted all of spring’s drills and came to the conclusion that Joe Kemp was the man for the job to start the season against Tulsa in the opener; and if it didn’t work out they would go to former starter Kevin Moore. It will build depth at the position.

Kemp threw for 304 yards last season, 201 of which came late in a blowout loss to Rice. Kemp actually moved the ball down the field, and threw Tulane’s only two touchdowns that game. He’s mobile out of the pocket, and that’s what Toledo is excited about. If Tulane has success with Kemp they could go bowling in ’09, but if it becomes a two-quarterback system and a game-by-game decision as to who will start it could be another long year.

At Running Back, senior Andre Anderson returns after his junior campaign was shortened due to a season-ending injury he suffered against Rice. Those first 6 ½ games he ran for 864 yards a 5.0 yards per carry average, and still received Honorable Mention All-CUSA honors. A fully healthy Anderson will go a long way for Tulane’s success this season, he’s one of the best running backs that you have probably never heard of. Watch for him.

Then at Fullback the Wave return Kevin Moore but he isn’t the set starter going into fall. Antoine Duplessis a redshirt-sophomore impressed coaches throughout spring with his play and could be the starter this season.

Receivers (Strength)

The Wave lose their top receiver from last season in Brian King who had 529 yards last year while replacing Jeremy Williams who missed the last seven games of the season due to injury.

Speaking of Williams, he is back and will be playing the Flanker position. At 6-1 201 will be a top target for Kemp. Along with Williams is returning starter Casey Robottom who had 194 yards last year as a sophomore.

Toledo and staff brought in six wide receiver/hybrid athletes who could see time early on.

At Tight End, the Wave don’t use the position often on the receiving end of things but they feel they have two solid blocking TEs in Cody Sparks and Tyler Helm, both Juniors who will continue to battle for the starting spot in fall.

The receiving production should improve this season with stable quarterback, as this entire group is experienced and has the talent to make plays.

Offensive Line (Strength)

Troy Kropog last season’s star Left Tackle is now with the Tennessee Titans, who took him in the 4th round. Replacing Kropog is junior Pete Hendrickson who is switching from Right Tackle to protect Kemp’s blind side, Hendrickson has started 14 games in his career. Three starters total return from last season’s O-Line.

Andrew Nierman who has been a starter since he was a Freshman will switch from Guard to Center to replace Michael Parenton who was a four-year starter at the position for the Wave. The other returning starter is 6-7 senior Nick Landry who will hold down the right tackle spot.

DEFENSE (6 Returning Starters)

Defensive Line (Concern)

Two players return to the Wave’s four-man front in Defensive Tackle Reggie Scott and Defensive End Adam Kwentua both Seniors and are looking to improve from what was the nation’s 113th ranked rush defense a year ago. Along with them is Logan Kelley and Oscar Ponce de Leon in the middle. Both are upperclassmen and have experience. In the Fall, stud DE out of Katy, Texas, Devin Williams a speed rush demon joins the program and could start from Day 1 to bring some more athleticism to the unit.

Linebackers

This unit needs to get more production in ’09. Last season, the three expected starters for ’09 combined for only 92 tackles on the year with returning starter David Kirksey at MLB leading the way with 48. Kristofar Rhymes a sophomore will play on the strongside, then on the weakside senior Travis Burks will get the nod. Burks a speedy player who also returns kicks as well for the Wave, should be very productive now as one of the feature starters.

Secondary (Strength)

The Wave’s rush defense was near the bottom in the nation last year, but the pass defense was one of the best in the land (14th). The Wave return three players back to their secondary.

At Cornerback, senior Charles Harris has the big bump-and-run build at 6’3 and can shut down opposing WRs. Had only one INT last season, because opposing QBs don’t go near his side of the field usually; at the left side will be junior Phillip Davis who replaces last year’s leading INT man in David Skehan who had three INTs last season.

At Safety two talented starters return in Corey Sonnier who led the team in tackles with 86. Sonnier will play Free Safety while at Strong, Chinonso Echebelem a senior will take over that spot. Coaches are very high on Alex Lauricella a redshirt-freshman who should see time at the Nickel spot.

SPECIAL TEAMS (2 Starters Returning)

The Wave’s arguably best player in 2009 is their Punter, Ross Thevenot who had 15 punts last season inside the 20. Thevenot is one of the better punters in College Football.

Thevenot was also the kicker last season but he isn’t as efficient in the place kicking department as he is in punting. Thevenot went 9-of-20 last year in Field Goals. Look for Darren deRochemont who has been a starter, to handle place kicking this season.

Final Thoughts

The Wave were one of the youngest teams in all of College Football last season with only 14 Seniors and 48 Freshman on their roster. They had a close call in Tuscaloosa to open the season, showcasing what they are capable of when healthy. But injuries and inconsistent play decimated the Wave and the result was a 2-10 season.

This year, still a very young team with only 17 Seniors and a load of Sophomores. They have the talent though to make improvements and possibly compete for a bowl game. The season will come down to the final three games which are all on the road, but very winnable. Those will be the games to decide if the Wave are going bowling again for the first time since 2002 (Hawaii Bowl); especially since the Wave have a daunting non-conference schedule with Tulsa, BYU, and LSU.

Bob Toledo must show improvement this season or he could be on the Hot Seat going into 2010.

Random Stat

40

The Wave gave up over 40 points in six games last season, going 0-6 in those games.

Tulane Blogs to Check Out

Tulane Beat
Tulane Hullabaloo

2009 Preview: Michigan Wolverines

2009-04-30T00:59:00.000-06:00

Head Coach: Rich Rodriguez (2nd Season)
2008 Record: 3-9 (Tied for 9th in Big Ten)

2009 Schedule

* = Key Games that could go either way

9-5 Western Michigan (W)*
9-12 Notre Dame (L)*
9-19 Eastern Michigan (W)
9-26 Indiana (W)
10-3 @ Michigan State (L)*
10-10 @ Iowa (L)
10-17 Delaware State (W)
10-24 Penn State (L)
10-31 @ Illinois (L)
11-7 Purdue (W)*
11-14 @ Wisconsin (L)
11-21 Ohio State (L)

Projected Record: 5-7

OFFENSE (6 Returning Starters)

Quarterback (Concern)

For Michigan, this position will get its own breakdown. One of the main reasons Michigan was so inept on offense last season was the Quarterback roulette Rodriguez played at the position. Steven Threet started to open the season, and won only one game last season as the starter (Wisconsin). Threet opted to leave the program this off-season and is transferring to Arizona State, he will be eligible for Erickson’s Sun Devils in 2010.

Nick Sheridan was the other starter and he led Michigan to their other two wins last season. Sheridan was projected to be the starter in 2009 but broke his leg during spring practice. The outlook right now is that he will be back for fall camp, but you never know with severe injuries like that.

So in comes true Freshman Tate Forcier, a highly-touted QB from the San Diego area. Forcier was a mid-year enrollee who is the type of QB Rodriguez looks for in his wide open spread offense. But will he be ready to lead the team against Western Michigan in game 1? Its still up for debate especially if Sheridan is recovered. But for Rodriguez and the best interest of Michigan football it would be wise to give the reins over to Forcier and run with it. He will have his ups and downs, but in 2010 and beyond it will set up well for the Wolverines and they will be the force everyone expects in the Big Ten.

Speedy athlete Denard Robinson is the Wild Card out of the group. He could be used as a situational QB. Robinson is a pure athlete out of Florida, who Rodriguez might be hard-pressed to keep away from the field.

Running Backs

Sam McGuffie decided to transfer and is now headed to Rice. So that leaves Michigan with senior Brandon Minor who hasn’t lived up to the hype he received coming out of Varina High School in Virginia (same H.S. as former Penn State QB Michael Robinson). Minor is the #1 back and needs to stay healthy, last season had a nagging wrist injury that caused him to be sidelined in parts of the season. Still ran for 533 yards and 9 touchdowns but the production needs to increase if the Wolverines expect to win more than three games in 2009, especially with a new Quarterback.

Behind Minor is Carlos Brown who had a very impressive performance in the home-finale against Northwestern racking up 114 yards in soggy conditions at the Big House. Watch for mid-year enrollee Vincent Smith to be a scat back out of the backfield who can make plays. Kevin Grady is a senior who is a bull at 5-9 226 could see reps in goal-line situations.

Fullback looks strong for Big Blue with Mark Moundros returning, one of the Wolverines six starters that come back on offense.

Wide Receivers

Top retuner at Wide Receiver is 5-9 sophomore Martavious Odoms. Odoms had 443 yards in his true freshman season, 129 of which came at home against Illinois. Odoms should be solid out of the slot.

At X Receiver, senior Greg Mathews has the most receiving yards for a Wolverine receiver who is currently in the program with 803. Mathews is a big target at 6-3 209 and had a very productive spring, and is playing with confidence in Rods offense. At the Z, its between Darryl Stonum and LaTerryal Savoy. Stonum fits Rodriguez’ offense better and is only a sophomore while Savoy is a Senior. The youth movement will be in full force in Ann Arbor so expect Stonum to get the nod.

Je’Ron Stokes a 6-1 receiver from Philadelphia was a Top 5 recruit out of the state of Pennsylvania which is a top recruiting state on the east coast. He joins the team in fall.

At Tight End, Kevin Koger who started as a freshman returns and behind him is Brandon Moore who saw time last season. Tight End is a strong position for the Wolverines.

Offensive Line (Strength)

Hands down the strongest position on the offensive side of the ball for the Wolverines is the Offensive Line. The Wolverines return four of their five starters from last season. Last season gave up only 22 sacks considering the inexperience at the line which is really good. They will be better this season. Center Davild Molk, Left Tackle Mark Ortmann, moving from Right Tackle to Left guard is Steve Schilling. Filling in for Schilling at RT is Mark Huyge. Rounding out the unit at right guard is David Moosman. This is one of the best O-Lines in the Big Ten.

DEFENSE (5 Returning Starters)

Defensive Line (Concern)

New Defensive Coordinator Greg Robinson (former Syracuse HC) opted to switch from a 3-4 to a 4-3 defense. Only one starter returns to the line that was a big part of Michigan’s sub par defense last that ranked 84th overall in Total D. The lone returning starter is senior Brandon Graham who is a All-Big Ten performer from the DE spot. Graham had 20 TFL last season and 10 sacks to lead the Wolverines. On the opposite edge will be sophomore Ryan Van Bergen who played in all 12 games last year as a freshman.

In the middle will be Mike Martin and William Campbell. Martin recorded 20 tackles last season in his Freshman season. Campbell on the other hand was a mid-year transfer who was the #1 recruit from the state of Michigan. Campbell looks to be a starter come fall, had a very productive spring. Just needs to work on keeping his weight down, has issues with conditioning.

Linebackers (Strength)

Leading tackler from last season Obi Ezeh returns. Ezeh had 98 tackles last year, he will be at MIKE backer. Alongside him will be Jonas Mouton and senior hybrid athlete Stevie Brown who has been inconsistent in his Wolverine career from the Safety position. Coaches feel he will make a huge splash from the SAM linebacker spot and live up to his talent; led the team last in INTs with 2.

J.B. Fitzgerald is arguably the “4th linebacker” has starting experience and will see many reps this season. This is a very deep position for Big Blue.

Secondary (Concern)

Along with every other position for the Wolverines in ’09, the Secondary will be very young. The lone returning starter is Donovan Warren a junior who led the team in PBUs last season with five. Warren is a lock at the right side corner position and Boubacar Cissoko will be on the left side.

At Safety, Michael Williams and Troy Woolfork look to be the starters in the least talented position on the defense. Don’t look for the 87th ranked pass defense from a season ago to get much better. Vladimir Emilien a mid-year enrollee who was a 4-star recruit out of Florida could play right away at Safety if Woolfork or Williams don’t pan out.

SPECIAL TEAMS (1 Returning Starter)

Senior punter Zoltan Mesko is one of the better punters in all of College Football this year. Mesko’s leg was put to full force last season for 80 punts on the year, with a 43 yard average.

At kicker, it will either be Bryan Wright or Jason Olesnavage who will continue to battle for the starting spot come Fall. Michigan might use one for place kicking and the other for kick offs. It could be a rotating scenario.

Final Thought

Rich Rodriguez took over a program last year that was playing old school smash-mouth football for decades, and was essentially trying to wake up a dinosaur to modern day College Football. His stubbornness to import his style of offense, rather than play to the strengths of what he had and injuries caused the Wolverines to have their worst season in program history at 3-9.

Michigan fans realized the cupboard was left bare after Lloyd Carr left, so last year’s results can be forgiven. But they expect to see some progress in year two. With a Freshman quarterback they might not see much, but the future will be brighter if they stay loyal to Forcier and this group of players. This is one of the youngest squads in Michigan history.

Western Michigan out of the gates will be a tough game. The Broncos are one of the premiere teams in the MAC. It will be a tough test, especially since the Wolverines have dropped their last two season-openers at home to Appalachian State and Utah. Michigan should be competing down the stretch for a .500 record and a bowl bid, but I believe they will come up short with a 5-7 record. Best-case scenario is 6-6. The Big Ten is improved this season. 2011 will be the season where we see Michigan back as one of the premiere teams in the Big Ten.

Random Stat

24-1

Michigan’s record against MAC schools, the first loss came in a 13-10 shocker against Toledo last season at home. Could Western Michigan or Eastern Michigan make it #2?

Michigan Blogs to Check Out

MGoBlog
Maize n Brew
Bo Schemblogger
The Big House Blog
Michigan Sports Center

2009 Preview: Tennessee Volunteers

2009-04-29T11:41:00.002-06:00

Head Coach: Lane Kiffin (1st Season)
2008 Record: 5-7 (5th SEC East)

2009 Schedule

* = Key game that could go either way

9-5 Western Kentucky (W)
9-12 UCLA (W)*
9-19 @ Florida (L)
9-26 Ohio (W)
10-3 Auburn (L)*
10-10 Georgia (L)*
10-24 @ Alabama (L)*
10-31 South Carolina (W)
11-7 Memphis (W)
11-14 @ Ole Miss (L)
11-21 Vanderbilt (W)
11-28 @ Kentucky (W)*

Projected Record: 7-5

OFFENSE (7 Returning Starters)

Backfield (Concern)

One of the reasons newly hired head coach was brought to Knoxville was to revive the Tennessee offense; which was stag net during the final few years of the Phillip Fulmer era.

Kiffin inherits a group of quarterbacks who are talented but are not consistent at all, and none of whom have made themselves the clear-cut starter for this fall.

Senior Jonathan Crompton was supposed to be the man to replace Erik Ainge last season, but a total meltdown in the season-opener at the Rose Bowl against UCLA put doubt in Crompton’s abilities, and it got worse from there. Then Nick Stephens had a few starts, but he struggled as well in ’08. Redshirt freshman, B.J. Coleman even got a start last season, but it was short lived as Crompton took over again against Wyoming, which ended up being one of the lowest points for the program in many years.

All three of those quarterbacks had an opportunity to put themselves in position as the starter out of spring, but no one emerged, so its still up for grabs when Fall Camp starts. This position could be the downfall of Tennessee again in 2009.

At Tailback, three-year starter Arian Foster is gone, so the Vols have a big void in their rushing productivity. Look for a two-back system this season in Knoxville. Senior Montario Hardesty is a bruising back at 6-0, 210 who can flatten his defenders. Then sophomore Taruen Poole provides the lightning with his deceptive speed, and the ability to break a play open.

Don’t forget about #1 recruit Bryce Brown who had a controversial recruitment, not deciding on the Vols till a month and a half after Signing Day. Brown didn’t come to the Vols just to sit, he’s the type of player who will see time instantly. Another stud running back, Kiffin brought in a month after Signing Day was 4-star recruit David Oku out of the Cornhuskers backyard in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Talent is here for Tennessee in the backfield, but its very unproven. By season’s end and in 2010, RB group if it all stays intact will be one of the best in the land.

Junior Kevin Cooper rounds out the backfield as the starter at Fullback.

Receivers (Concern)

The top returning wide receiver for the Vols in ’09 is junior Gerald Jones who had 30 catches for 323 yards last season. This is mainly due to the inept Quarterback play last season, so your not going to see staggering stats from this group last year. Jones is a very versatile athlete, along with being a starter at wide out, he will likely be used in direct snaps from the Quarterback spot. He’s a burner, who Kiffin and company want to use to their advantage.

The other starting receiver spot will still be determined in fall camp between Quintin Hancock a 6-3 200 pound senior, and junior Denarius Moore. The Vols could also see what the five incoming newcomers bring to the position as well.

While WR has many concerns, Tight End looks to be a strength for Tennessee. Jeff Cottam and Luke Stocker (starter from last season) are very talented. Cottam looks to have the edge as he is a better receiver than Stocker.

Offensive Line

The Vols return a lot of experience to this year’s offensive line; headlined by four-year starter Josh McNeil at Center. At guards, three-year starter Vladimir Richard returns for his senior campaign. Then Jacques McClendon at right guard, who has starting experience. Chris Scott returns as starter at left tackle, then the only spot with significant questions going into fall is right tackle. Some young players need to step in Jarrod Shaw and Aaron Douglas both of which are sophomores.

This Vol offensive line could cover some of the ineptitude at the quarterback position, and could open things up in the running game.

DEFENSE (5 Returning Starters)

Defensive Line (Strength)

The Vols lone NFL Draftee in Robert Ayers leaves what many believe would be a huge void. But many in Knoxville aren’t as down as you would think. The reason? DE/DT, Wes Brown. Brown was the other D-end last season with Ayers. Brown in fact actually had more quarterback hurries than Ayers. (Brown 12, Ayers 8). Brown was switched to DT though, because the staff didn’t feel their was enough talent at that spot, and their very confident in the defensive ends this year.

The other Defensive Tackle is returning starter Dan Williams at 6-3 310 is your typical gap filler in the middle.

Juniors Chris Walker and Ben Martin will be the guys on the edge. They had a very good spring, and Tennessee feels they will still maintain one of the best defenses again this season. Last year, the Vols were third in total defense allowing only 263 yards per game and 10th in scoring defense.

JUCO transfer from Coffeyville, Rae Sykes was a mid-year enrollee who could make an impact. He’s only a sophomore so unlike most JC transfers, it isn’t vital for him to produce in year one.

I would expect this group to be even better than last year without Ayers. Mainly, due to guys like Defensive Coordinator Monte Kiffin and D-Line coach Ed Orgeron coaching them up. This should be one of the best defensive lines in the SEC.

Linebackers

Middle Linebacker, Rico McCoy who was 2nd Team All-SEC last season is the lone returning starter to this unit. Complimenting McCoy on the outside is Chris Donald a sophomore transfer from Hargrove Military; and hard hitting linebacker Nick Reveiz, who just flat out has a linebacker name. Reveiz! That’s a linebacker name.

This group should be very fast and hard hitting, like the Tennessee linebackers you would usually expect.

Secondary (Strength)

Everything starts with stud junior safety Eric Berry who is hands down one of the best players in all of College Football in 2009, and a projected Top 5 pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.

Berry can do it all. Last season, Berry had seven interceptions, was a unanimous 1st Team All-SEC and unanimous All-American selection. Set a single season SEC record for most interception return yards with 265. Berry is a flat out player who can play any position in the secondary if needed. He has definitely lived up to all the hype he received out of high school and then some.

The other safety looks to be Stephaun Raines a JC transfer last year who redshirted.

At cornerback, the Vols return three players with starting experience. Junior Dennis Rogan who also returns punts and kickoffs, had one interception last season and five pass breakups. Then junior, Brent Vinson looks to have the inside track at the field corner spot. Vinson was a starter in 2007, but then suffered a season-ending injury in 2008 to sideline him. He is healthy now and should be one of the main players in the secondary in 2009.

SPECIAL TEAMS (1 Returning Starter)

Junior Daniel Lincoln regressed last season from his All-American freshman year in 2007. Last season, Lincoln went 10-of-18 on FG attempts.

At Punter, Chad Cunningham replaces Britton Colquitt. It seems like this is the first time in 20 years that the Volunteers don’t have a Colquitt handling some sort of kicking duties. Cunningham does have experience as the starter. He replaced Colquitt the first five games of last season while Colquitt was serving a suspension. So that position shouldn’t regress very much.

Final Thought

Lane Kiffin inherited one of the premiere jobs in all of College Football. The Vols have a fan base that is yearning to stop the inconsistency and underachieving, and get back to playing at a high-level year-in and year-out. It’s going to happen with Kiffin at the helm. This season though? Probably not. But I would expect the Vols to be a bowl eligible team, it doesn’t hurt having eight home games.

Best case scenario for the Vols this season is 9-3. Worst case scenario, 6-6. The SEC isn’t as strong as it usually is this year. Games against Auburn, Georgia, and at Alabama will be the games that will make the year a success or another mediocre campaign.

The key for Tennessee is to show progress, and continue to build up great recruiting classes. Because Tennessee should not be having concerns at the skill positions. When you think of skill positions, Tennessee is one of the first programs that comes to mind when producing great talent over the years. They need to get back to that and Kiffin surely will.

Random Stat

115

That was where Tennessee ranked in total offense last year out of 119 teams. The Vols averaged only 269 yards per game last season.

Tennesse Blogs to check out

Loser with Socks
Rocky Top Talk
VolNation
Vol Junkies

2009 Preview: Nevada Wolf Pack

2009-04-28T10:35:00.002-06:00

Head Coach: Chris Ault (25th Season)
2008 Record: 7-6 (2nd WAC; lost to Maryland in the Humanitarian Bowl, 35-42)

2009 Schedule

* = Key game that could go either way

9-5 @ Notre Dame (W)*
9-12 @ Colorado State (W)
9-25 Missouri (Fri.) (W)*
10-3 UNLV (W)
10-9 Louisiana Tech (Fri) (W)*
10-17 @ Utah State (W)
10-31 Hawaii (W)
11-8 @ San Jose State (W)
11-14 Fresno State (W)
11-21 @ New Mexico State (W)*
11-27 @ Boise State (Fri) (L)*

Projected Record: 11-1

OFFENSE (7 Returning Starters)

Backfield (Strength)

The Chris Ault “Pistol” offense has given opposing defenses in the WAC fits as of late, including the consensus league champion, Boise State. The Wolfpack’s Pistol offense looks to be as strong as ever heading into ’09, and it will be led by the talent and experience from this backfield.

At Quarterback, junior Colin Kaepernick returns. Kaepernick last season was the fifth player in FBS history to throw for 2,000 yards and run for 1,000 yards in the same season. He’s a multi-dimensional athlete who can dominate a game. Behind him is two sophomores in Tyler Lantrip and Luke Collins. Both Lantrip and Collins had solid springs, and capped them off with an impressive spring game showing combining to throw four touchdowns in the game while Kaepernick sat out.

Carrying the ball for the Wolfpack other than Kaepernick is one of the better 1-2 running back tandems in all of College Football this year in junior Vai Taua, and 6th year senior Luke Lipincott. Taua was 1st Team All-WAC last season rushing for 1,764 yards, while Lipincott rushed for 1,130. That’s three Wolpack players who rushed for 1,000 yards last season.

Receivers

Marko Mitchell was the lone drafted player (7th round, Redskins) from the Wolfpack this year, and his production will be sorely missed. Mitchell had 1,141 yards receiving on 61 catches last season.

Replacing Mitchell at the Z Receiver will be sophomore Tray Session or mid-year JC transfer Maurice Patterson. Both are neck and neck for the starting nod, and the battle will continue into fall.

Kaepernick’s top target though this year will likely be X Receiver, Chris Wellington. Had 632 yards last season as a sophomore, he will need to step up and emerge as a go-to guy for Kaepernick in this quick passing offense.

Then in the slot, Brandon Wimberly a redshirt-freshman who transferred from Oregon State had an impressive spring and beat out senior Dwayne Sanders to emerge as the starter at slot. Has great size at 6’3, could be a surprise in 2009.

Tight End looks to be solid for the Pack who have three upperclassmen with Virgil Green as the starter. Behind him are Kevin Bohr who has starting experience and senior Talalasi Puloka.

Offensive Line

Three offensive lineman return to an offense that was ranked 5th in total offense one season ago. All-WAC performers, Mike Gallett and Alonzo Durham will anchor the line from the tackle spots. Then junior John Bender will be at left guard.

There is still questions as to who will emerge as the right guard for the Wolfpack. Chris Baker a redshirt-freshman came out of spring practices as the #1 guy on the depth chart, but expect JC transfer Amini Silatolu from San Joaquin Delta to possibly be the starter when the Wolfpack take the field against the Fighting Irish.

At center, the Pack will have a guard from last season switching over to handle the snaps. Kenneth Ackerman gets the nod. Ackerman is a senior, who knows the offense and is very seasoned. Ackerman seemed to handle the position well during spring, and appears there won’t be a drop off.

DEFENSE (7 Returning Starters)

Defensive Line (Strength)

The Wolfpack return three starters back to their four man defensive front, that were the 6th best run defense in the nation and tops in the WAC allowing only 88 yards per game on the ground. The production in the run stuffing should still be at a high level with the players returning.

On the edges, expect the Wolfpack to get some heat in opposing backfields with All-WAC performers Kevin Basped and Dontay Moch. Both players are juniors. Basped led the team in tackles for loss last season with 18.5, while Moch led the team in sacks with 13. These two form the best DE tandem in the WAC.

In the middle of the line, senior tackle Nate Agalava returns and senior Chris Slack will be in his first year as a starter.

Linebackers (Concern)

A talented group that needs to start producing on the field, this is the Wolfpack’s youngest group of starters at any position on the team with two sophomores as starters, and a senior who was a JC transfer last season. Those sophomores though were starters last season as freshman in WOLF LB Brandon Marshall and James-Michael Johnson who will hold down the SAM spot. Senior Mike Bethea will be in the middle at the MIKE spot.

Secondary (Concern)

The Wolfpack were the worst pass defense in all of College Football last season giving up 311 yards through the air. The Pack return two starters to the secondary, but when the results were as bad as they were last year, this position has to be a concern for Ault and staff.

At Cornerback, senior Antoine Thompson a former JUCO transfer; Thompson took some time to get adjusted to the college game, but late in the year showed some promise recording an interception against Boise State. Thompson is one of the most athletic players on the team, as he is also a punt returner option for the Pack.

On the boundary spot, there is more concerns. Sophomore Isaiah Frey came out of spring as the starter, but look for Cory Smith a JC transfer from College of the Sequoias to have an opportunity come fall to be a starter.

At safety, the Wolfpack have a stud in Free Safety All-WAC performer Jonathon Amaya. Amaya was the leader in interceptions last season with four, and was also the leader in tackles with 68.

SPECIAL TEAMS

The kicking department looks to be solid for the Pack in ’09. Punter Brad Langley is recovering from a torn Achilles but should be ready to go come fall, Langley was an All-WAC selection last season.

For place kicking, junior Ricky Drake a JC transfer from College of the Canyons; was one of the best JC kickers last season. Drake is expected from day 1 of fall camp to take over the Place Kicking and Kick offs.

Final Thought

I’m very high on this Nevada team. They have the talent to be the surprise “Non-BCS” team this year like Utah was last season. The Pack has tons of talent across the board. The key as is for most teams is to stay healthy and get some production early on from their back 7 on defense. Their defense should be very good by season’s end.

The schedule for the Pack has some difficult games. I fully expect Nevada to shock the College Football landscape (won’t be a shocker to me) by beating Notre Dame in the season opener at South Bend. Some tough games against Colorado State, UNLV, and Big XII foe Missouri will be difficult tasks but I see the Pack emerging from those victorious. Missouri is rebuilding, and UNLV is a team Nevada has beat four years in a row and both come to Reno.

It’s all going to come down to that Friday season finale on ESPN at Boise State. Should be an epic game with a lot at stake.

Nevada Blog to check out

The Nevada Sagebrush

2009 Preview: Oklahoma Sooners

2009-04-27T15:16:00.002-06:00

Head Coach: Bob Stoops (11th Season)
2008 Record: 12-2 (Big XII Champions; lost to Florida in BCS National Championship)

2009 Schedule

* = Key Game that could go either way

9-5 vs. BYU @ New Dallas Cowboys Stadium (W)*
9-12 Idaho State (W)
9-19 Tulsa (W)
10-3 @ Miami (L)*
10-10 Baylor (W)
10-17 vs. Texas @ Dallas (W)*
10-24 @ Kansas (W)
10-31 Kansas State (W)
11-7 @ Nebraska (W)
11-14 Texas A&M (W)
11-21 @ Texas Tech (W)
11-28 Oklahoma State (W)*

Projected Record: 11-1

OFFENSE (5 returning starters)

Backfield (Strength)

Did you know Oklahoma’s last year was kind of good? The ’08 Sooners set the record for most points scored in a single season last year with 716 points. The gunslinger who led the point-happy offense in Norman was Heisman Winner Sam Bradford. Bradford of course chose to come back for his junior year with the Sooners to get that coveted National Title back to Oklahoma. The Sooners haven’t had a title since 2000 when Josh Heupel was behind center.

Bradford is taking a gamble not going for the NFL dollars, but it’s a refreshing approach. I enjoy seeing players value playing College Football, the greatest sport in the land. It will be tough for Bradford to replicate the success he had in 2008. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Oklahoma native regressed somewhat this season. But still expect some big-time results. The points might not come as often as last season, but the offense with Bradford still has the ability to go off at any time.

Behind Bradford, is red-shirt freshman, Landry Jones, who was a 4-star recruit out of New Mexico. Jones is going to see clean up duty in blowouts for the Sooners. The coaches are very high on Jones, his quarterback style is very similar to that of Bradford. He will be the main man under center for the Sooners in 2010.

At Running Back, the Sooners are excited to have a healthy DeMarco Murray who was of course for the National Championship Game against Florida. Murray had 1,002 yards and 14 touchdowns last season in his sophomore campaign. If Murray gets back to his healthy form, the Sooners will have a deadly 1-2 punch with 1,220 yard rusher Chris Brown back for his senior season. Also watch for Mossis Madu who was one of the highlights for the Sooners during their Spring Game, he has a bright future but time is running out with him being a junior.

Receivers (Concern)

Juaquin Iglesias and Manuel Johnson are off to the NFL, so that leaves some question marks as to who is going to be Bradford’s top targets in ’09.

Look for Adron “Pooh” Tennell to be one of Bradford’s top targets. Tennell a senior only has 208 yards receiving in his three years with the Sooners, but a strong spring has made him one of the main guys in Co-Offensive Coordinator and WR Coach, Jay Norvell’s unit. Tennell is the only senior on OU’s WR depth chart coming out of spring.

Brandon Caleb is a junior who hasn’t seen much time, will be a starter come fall. But one player that could be the biggest surprise of all is sophomore Ryan Broyles who is the most athletic receiver out of the group. Broyles is only 5-11 175 but he’s lightning fast and a game changer who can break things open.

At Tight End, All-American Jermaine Gresham returns for his Senior season to give Bradford a target he is very familiar with. Gresham is one of the best Tight Ends if not the best TE in all of College Football coming into 2009.

Behind Gresham is Brody Eldridge an experienced senior who knows the offense. Eldridge could give the offense an opportunity to run two TE sets, if the WR unit doesn’t develop the way coaches would expect.

Offensive Line

The Sooners are looking to replace four offensive lineman from last season. The lone returning starter is senior Trent Williams who is moving from Right Tackle to Left Tackle, so Bradford’s blindside is protected by an experienced vet. Along with Williams on the left side of the line will be Brian Simmons at guard who has starting experience with the Sooners, having started in two games in his career. Brian Lepak a transfer from Colorado State could see time as well at left guard.

On the right side of the line, there’s a toss-up between junior Cory Brandon and LSU transfer Jarvis Jones for the Right Tackle spot. Don’t be surprised if Jones emerges come fall camp. At guard, sophomore Stephen Good will be the man, he emerged from a group of young inexperienced players at that position.

Then at center, Ben Habern a redshirt freshman will be snapping the ball off to Bradford. Habern was one of the most highly recruited centers in the class of 2008.

DEFENSE (9 returning starters)

Defensive Line (Strength)

Oklahoma runs a 4-3 defense, and the strength of this defense going into 2009 is by far their four defensive lineman, led by Gerald McCoy at Defensive Tackle; who had he left after his sophomore campaign last year he could have been a Top 10 pick in this year’s NFL Draft. The Sooners are very thrilled to have him back.

Along with McCoy in the middle of that line is junior Adrian Taylor, who really came into his own last season.

On the edges, Auston English returns who was a pre-season pick last season to be the Big XII Defensive Player of the Year. And Jeremy Beal a junior who led the team last season with 10 sacks. Behind Beal and English is Frank Alexander a sophomore who emerged last season to be one of the teams best pass rushers.

Linebackers (Strength)

This linebacking group is seasoned and experienced, yet its led by a sophomore? Travis Lewis returns after setting a freshman Oklahoma record for tackles with 70, breaking the record held by “The Boz” (Brian Bosworth).

Ryan Reynolds returns after suffering a devastating ACL injury last season prior to the Red River Showdown game against Texas. He is one of the leaders on this year’s team. Keenan Clayton a senior rounds out the three starting linebackers. Austin Box is another player who stepped in for Reynolds last season that has great talent, he’s essentially the 4th starter at LB.

Secondary (Concern)

When I say secondary is a concern for the Sooners, I’m mainly pointing at the Safeties. Oklahoma’s starters out of spring ball are Qutinton Carter and Sam Proctor. Two solid players but many questions surround them. Don’t be stunned if some newcomers from the class of 2009 see significant reps at the Safety spot this season. Marcus Trice and Demontre Hurst are two top-flight recruits from the state of Texas that enroll in fall and could make waves on the Sooners Safety depth chart. If Trice and Hurst make waves early on, the Safety spot could go from concern to a strength very quickly in the season.

At Cornerback, it’s a much better outlook. The Sooners return senior Brian Jackson and junior Dominique Franks. Franks had a team high four interceptions last season, while Jackson had two. Both players have the talent to shut down opposing receivers, and make plays on the ball.

SPECIAL TEAMS (Concern)

Kicking was very inconsistent with Oklahoma last season, it was somewhat hidden because the offense didn’t need the specialists very often because they always scored. This year however it will be more vital to have a consistent kicking game.

At Punter, redshirt freshman Tress Way looks to be the man for the job. Way had a impressive Spring Game kicking punts deep with great hang time, and accuracy. He will be the top punter going into Fall Camp. The wild card is 2009 recruit Cameron Kenney who signed with the Sooners as a Wide Receiver but played Punter as well in high school. He could compete for the punting and kicking duties to get on the field immediately.

At kicker, Jimmy Stevens a former #1 Kicker recruit went 8-of-12 last season on Field Goals in his freshman campaign. It was solid, but it seemed to be inconsistent; especially in the National Championship Game when Stevens missed a Field Goal. He is the starter for 2009, but if someone else emerges, Stoops and company are willing to take a look.

Final Thought

Oklahoma had all their big stars stay at school for one more chance at a National Title. They have a great shot at getting to Pasadena for a chance at that title. The Sooners return 21 players from last season that have starting experience.

The schedule is one of the tougher schedules you will find in all of College Football this season. Games against BYU, Tulsa, and Miami are some tough games. All of those teams will probably be 8+ win teams this year. Then the very tough Big XII South continues to stay strong.

Oklahoma has question marks, but if they can sure them up early enough in the season, there’s no reason that we don’t see the Sooners in another BCS game. But the Sooners, need to show everyone that they can win bowl games. This year’s Senior class is endanger of going away from Norman without bowl victory, being the only Sooner class to accomplish such a dubious feet.

Oklahoma Blogs to check out

Crimson and Cream Machine
Oklahoma Sooners Football Blog

2009 Previews will start coming out this week

2009-04-26T19:27:00.000-06:00

I have 20 previews already set to go. (I'm planning in advance this year) And will start posting one or two a day depeding on my mood. :)

So starting tomorrow expect a preview. I will be doing other things to Preview the 2009 season. So stay tuned.

Can't wait for College Football!!

The BCS is proving the Regular Season doesn't mean a damn.

2008-12-02T12:56:00.000-07:00

The mysterious people behind the BCS conference, have always said that with this current system it makes the regular season of College Football the most important regular season in all of sports. Over and over we have heard that, and I will be honest I have believed it. Now that has proven the regular season doesn't mean a damn. It all comes down to getting hot at the right time, mainly November.

Texas beat Oklahoma head-to-head back in October in the "Red River Showdown" then went on a stretch of a game that was pretty much murderers row, with Top 10 games every week. Why does that win now get forgotten? Texas beats both Oklahoma and Missouri yet those two are in the Big XII title game? Its not right.

For the record, I will say that Oklahoma is the better team overall. I was stunned that Texas beat them in the regular season, but still they did and they almost beat Texas Tech if it wasn't for some amazing acrobatic move out of Michael Crabtree the Horns would still be perfect. Pretty impressive for the schedule they had.

It brings me joy though, to see the powerhouses of College Football getting screwed because when you mess with Texas something is gonna happen in return. The BCS is screwing over the big-time programs this year in Texas, USC and Penn State. If this becomes a yearly thing, messing with those kind of programs expect to see this "system" implode quickly. And it should. I love Mike Leach' idea for a playoff. Just do a 64-team deal and it eventually leads to teams playing 16 games in a season. Which is what the Texas High School players play if they go to the State Title and NFL athletes, they play even more with Pre-Season and Playoffs. Why can't FBS players do the same? Its weird how these mysterious people run the greatest sport on Earth. I don't understand it one bit and hopefully this BCS ends soon because its a joke and will always be a joke. At least do a +1 system if anything. Something must be done. Please President-Elect Obama bring "CHANGE" to the sport we all love!

Broadcasters/Analysts that need to get out of College Football

2008-11-27T02:09:00.003-07:00

Anyone that follows this sport realizes there is a lot of "experts" in the game on the vast amount of channels available covering College Football but it doesn't mean they all deserve air time. I have been watching games and preview shows all season and I have 10 media personalities that I want to see gone by the 2009 College Football season. Here they are.

#10 Mike Gottfried, ESPNU

I used to love Mike Gottfried when he did ESPN broadcasts with Mike Golic and Bill Curry; but since days over on ESPNU doing Inside The Polls and Coaches Spotlight I have come to realize Gottfried doesn't make any sense with what he is saying anymore. To his credit, I believe he had a similar brain injury like Peter Gammons (not sure what its called) that caused him to probably lose his reality but he clarly isn't meant to be on TV anymore. Saying QB Nate Longshore of Cal would be MVP of the Pac-10? Say that Boston College is going to play in the Orange Bowl against Utah as the ACC representative than later in that same show flip over a card that says Virginia Tech will win the ACC. Stay consistent. You are good for laughs and a genuinely good man but time to step away.

#9 Heather Dinich, ESPN ACC Blogger

This chick honestly goes out to practices and reports about BCS Conference College Football? Please. Her analysis where she appears on College Football Live is so your typical woman breakdown of football with the Vanilla information. No offense to women but they don't see a practice or a game the same way as men. A local station here in Salt Lake City has a slogan, "K.W.O.O.F." Keep Women Out Of Football. I tend to agree at least when it comes to Dinich. Its just a joke what ESPN hires anymore. And look at this photo of her from when she worked at the Dallas Morning News. Yikes! She looks like she is 12 years old.

#8 Eric Kuselias, College Football Live Host

Kuselias is a fill-in guy on College Football Live, he doesn't appear very often but when he does appear I immediately turn off my DVR and delete the program not even wasting my time. The guy thinks he knows sports but he just comes off as annoying person trying to be a comedian at the same time. Kuselias is also on Mike & Mike In The Morning to replace Greenberg and occassionally P.T.I.

#7 Bryan Jones, CBS College Sports

CBS College Sports formerly known as CSTV has really upgraded its product this year by putting CBS' name on the channel. Better picture, quality of programming and games, but still one problem lingers from the cracker-jack CSTV operation, Bryan Jones from the Texas Longhorns as we always have to hear. I honestly think Jones knows nothing when he goes to head-to-head in discussions with Trev Alberts and Greg Amsinger. Alberts has a strong knowledge of College Football and is one of the better ones around, than you see a guy like Jones and your immediately wondering if Dancing With the Stars is a better option to watch. I'm just glad he has been pulled from being the color-guy in broadcasts those were some of the worst commentated games I have ever heard.

#6 Craig James, ABC/ESPN

Used to be the 3rd wheel on the College Gameday crew until he bolted for what he thought was better waters with CBS. CBS realized he was terrible and for some reason ABC and ESPN brought him back a few years back. He thinks he is relevant with his opinions and they are pretty much worthless. He simply goes with whoever is hot at the time and sticks with that. He makes Doug Flutie look like the next Howard Cosell on camera.

#5 Glenn Parker, Versus

Your probably thinking, Versus? What the hell is Versus? It's a sports channel formerly known as "OLN". Versus has broadcasted Pac-10, Mountain West and Big XII games the past three years and for these three years the color commentator, Glenn Parker has been one of the more annoying people you will hear in the booth. The problem with him is he overhypes individual athletes that are never thought to be that good or in that class. What I get from it, is that he tries to think he has this eye for talent, but anyone watching these games will realize the players he is hyping are not that special. When your saying a particular player is the smartest player in arguably all of College Football come on now. What's your deal? Get out of here you crome dome schmuck.

#4 The correspondant dudes on The Big Ten Friday Night Tailgate

I'm not even going to bother looking their names up but they annoy the hell out of me, just look at that photo above, squirrly lookin bastard in the back is the biggest douche on the whole show. Mike Hall is horrid as well (Lowell Galindo is much better than Hall on ESPNU). But the Big Ten Network has been a quality channel with great talent but on the FNT its seriously lacking with the two idiots they put on campus. Its a bunch of college-aged morons who pick games like throwing darts while doing a beer bond upside down. Its a joke, and the sad part is that they find themselves to be the next Will Ferrell-John C. Reilly comedic duo but in their case they have no humor whatsoever. Its dreadful to watch that show. The only thing good is the hot chick and I have no idea who she is either.

#3 D'Marco Farr, FSN Pre-Game and Halftime Shows

Text time is always a joke with this former NFL player and Best Damn Sports Show Period Alum. I always seeing him pimping himself out and bringing up his squat numbers during his NFL days. Very loud and annoying on camera and just hard to watch PERIOD.

#2 Lou Holtz, ESPN

Is there any doubt that he would be on the list? Dr. Lou might have all these great sayings on life and how to be happy but as a football analyst he is the biggest damn homer in the book. Always picking Notre Dame, Arkansas, South Carolina and East Carolina to go BCS bowling it seems like. Be a little objective but what can you expect from a man who is senile as all hell from his old age. You can just tell from watching Reece Davis and Mark May they are always just rolling their eyes at the comments Dr. Lou is saying, and they probably wonder why the hell did we fire Trev Alberts for this clown?

#1 Kirk Herbstreit, ESPN College Gameday/ABC Saturday Night Football

Kirk Herbstreit is everything that is wrong in College Football the man will not acknowledge anything outside of the BCS Conferences. He is always the biggest kiss ass to the SEC and Florida and will never discuss anything else. It's analysts like him that are always sucking the "teet" of the power schools and it causes other schools who good as well for people to never about. Herbstreit is one of those people that all College Football know about and he just beats down the same dumbass topics over and over and over. Its a joke. He needs to be off the air. Put Mark May, Trevor Matich or even Jesse Palmer to replace him on College Gameday. Herbstreit is a A-hole plain and simple and it sucks that he does the Rose Bowl game, he has no business and he shouldn't be doing games with the legend Brent Musberger. That's my rant.

Others that missed the list: Pam Ward (ESPN Play-By-Play), Jon Berger (The mtn.), Aaron Taylor (CBSCS), Gerry DiNardo (Big Ten).

Who would you like to see gone before the 2009 College Football Season? Post your rants in the comments section.

2008 Pre-Spring Top 25 Poll

2008-02-24T18:43:00.002-07:00

Sping Ball is starting to fire up at a lot of schools this week, so here is my Top 25 poll going into Spring Practices.

1. Georgia Bulldogs
The Bulldogs absolutely dominated Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl and are now getting pub as the best team in America by many writers and I'm jumping on that bandwagon. The Bulldogs are loaded with QB Matt Stafford, RB Knowshon Moreno who are both Heisman contenders. On the defensive side of the ball, the Bulldogs are young but very quick and athletic with zero Seniors on the projected starting lineup going into Spring.

2. USC Trojans
Last year was a let down for the Trojans as they were predicted to be one of the best teams in the history of College Football but they failed to do live up to hype, playing lethargic in the first half of the season resulting in losses to Stanford and Oregon. The Trojans still won the Pac-10 outright and won the Rose Bowl in dominant fashion against Illinois. Just another ho-hum year in the land of Troy. Expect Sophomore RB Joe McKnight with a full year of training with the program to establish himself as one of the best players in College Football in '08.

3. Oklahoma Sooners
WR Malcom Kelly left for the NFL but Seniors Juaquin Iglesias and Manuel Johnson remain on a offense that is led by Sophomore Sam Bradford who had one of the best seasons staistically as a Freshman last year and expect great production again with Bradford's entire Offensive Line returning, all of which are Seniors highlighted by Guard Duke Robinson.

4. Texas Longhorns
The Longhorns have a total of 12 starters returning from a team that won 10 games for their seventh straight season at the school. The offense still looks loaded even with the losses of Limas Sweed and Jamaal Charles to the NFL. The Horns are ready to make a run in the difficult Big XII South division and regain the top spot yet again.

5. Ohio State Buckeyes
18 starters return on a team that lost in the National Championship Game but don't expect that to put the Buckeyes in a downward spiral they are even better and are the favorites in the Big Ten. Senior Todd Boeckman has a year under his belt as the starter and the confidence is there; then "Beanie" Wells at Tailback and James Laurinaitis anchoring the defense. Ohio State will yet again be around the top of the polls next season and they have Michigan in Columbus.

6. Arizona State Sun Devils
Last season, I had ASU as one of the surprise teams in College Football last season, and I even said they had a chance of starting 7-0 in their first seven games. That predicition came to fruition in Dennis Erickson's first year and the Sleeping Giant in the desert looks to use the national momentum they gained last season into a Pac-10 title something that has eluded them since Jake "The Snake" Plummer days back in 1996. Rudy Carpenter returns under center for his Senior season and Carpenter's RB (Keegan Herring) and top 3 WRs all return. The Sun Devils have losses to the Offensive Line that need to be addressed but this team will still put up tons of points and will give Georgia a run for their money on September 20th.

7. LSU Tigers
The defending National Champs are reeling after suspending projected starting QB Ryan Perriloux for all of Spring but I would expect Perriloux to be back come Fall. So watch for former Harvard gunslinger Andrew Hatch to be running the Tiger offense this spring.

8. Texas Tech Red Raiders
The third team from the Big XII South in my Top 10. The Red Raiders have very few losses and return Biletnikoff winner Michael Crabtree who I predicted last season to have a breakout year. A total of 10 starters return from the nation's #1 passing offense and they shouldn't lose a beat in 2008. Expect more yards from this pass happy Mike Leach offense.

9. Missouri Tigers
Last year, caught everyone off guard but this year they are a known commodity. The running game is a concern but there is some experience in Senior Jimmy Jackson who ran for 331 yards on 67 attempts last year in the Tigers school record 12-win season and Cotton Bowl win.

10. Florida Gators
Emmanuel Moody takes over at Running Back for a offense that has relied on the legs of Heisman winner Tim Tebow and departed WR Andre Caldwell. The Gators finally have a legitimate running back threat in the Urban Meyer era. On defense, the Gators look to be really stout even with the loss of Derrick Harvey to the NFL. DT Javier Estopinan is the lone Senior on a defense that has plenty of experience.

11. Virginia Tech Hokies
The two QB system should be in full force this season in Blacksburg with Sean Glennon and Tyrod Taylor who both had their bright moments in a season that ended in a disappointing loss to Kansas in the Orange Bowl. Four of the five starting offenisve lineman from last year return to give the two QBs plenty of protection as the Hokies look to defend their ACC crown.

12. BYU Cougars
BYU has had back-to-back 11 win seasons and has came close to crashing the BCS in both those years but the early Non-Conference have done the Cougars in. Games at Washington and against UCLA at home are games BYU needs to win to prove to people that the Cougars are a legitimate BCS team and with 10 offensive starters returning on a offense that had a 3,842 yard passer in Max Hall and a 1,600 all-purpose yard RB in Harvey Unga the Cougars could run the table and be the next "Mid-Major" to crash the BCS party.

13. Clemson Tigers
The Tigers have a great off-season thus far with an outstanding recruiting class highlighted by DE DaQuan Bowers who is one of the best recruits in the class of 2008, he doesn't come until Fall but he should help a team that continues to fall short when expectations are placed upon them. This year, there are 16 starters returning including RBs James Davis and C.J. Spiller. Davis opted to return for his season and is hungry for a ACC crown along with all of Death Valley.

14. Wisconsin Badgers
One of my National Championship favorites last year, the Badgers struggled on the road in Big Ten dropping three games and lost to Tennessee in the Outback Bowl. This season, Wisconsin will continue to live up to their reputation as a power on the ground with Junior P.J. Hill and FB Chris Pressley both are guys you don't want to get hit by. Allan Evridge the former K-State QB will be the man at the helm this season with Tyler Donovan departing.

15. Oregon Ducks
The Ducks gained some momentum for '08 after destroying South Florida in the Sun Bowl, 56-21. Dennis Dixon and the athletic specimen Jonathan Stewart but to fill their voids are talented QB Justin Roper a 6'6 195 pound Junior who had 4 TD passes in the bowl and RB Jeremiah Johnson who has had over 1,000 yards in rushing in his three years in Eugene.

16. Tennessee Volunteers
QB Erik Ainge never quite lived up to his hype in his four years in Knoxville, now it looks to be Jonathan Crompton who has the early edge going into Spring. The defense for the Vols gets a big boost in Safety Demetrice Morley who was suspended the entire 2007 season but is back and adds to a defense that is already stock-piled with talent that includes DB Eric Berry who was a Freshman All-American and Rico McCoy at Linebacker.

17. Auburn Tigers
Auburn started their spring practices today and the QB Derby to replace departed Brandon Cox is the top question for Spring with four guys vying for the nod. Junior Chris Todd, Sophomore Kodi Burns, Sophomore Neil Caudle and True Freshman DeRon Furr are the contenders, my guess would be Kodi Burns is a multi-dimensional athlete and will have an outstanding Offensive line to protect for him this season, all five starters from last year return.

18. Miami Hurricanes
This might surprise many but the Canes are ready to get back to being the intimidating program they once were. Randy Shannon is in his second year as Head Coach and already feels the pressure to win in South Beach. Kyle Wright and Kirby Freeman are gone so that leaves Redshirt Freshman Robert Marve as the top candidate to take over a Miami offense that has struggled in recent years. But this team will still be outstanding on defense, if Marve can make plays on offense and get the ball to many of his playmakers the Canes should have a pleasant bounceback season.

19. Fresno State Bulldogs
The Bulldogs are well-known for their scheduling approach, "Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere" well that's really nice and all but when you haven't won an outright WAC title you need to reconsider the approach. None the less, the Bulldogs have 17 total starters returning. This team is definitely Top 20 worthy in terms of talent but at the end of the season they very well might be 8-4 due to the difficult scheduling approach that includes @ UCLA, @ Kansas State, Wisconsin (home) and @ Toledo. The Bulldogs also have only 5 home games which hurts.

20. Illinois Fighting Illini'
Ron Zook and his great recruiting classes have been paying off instantly in Champaigne that culminated in a Rose Bowl appearance last year, but Illinois realized they weren't anywhere near the elite of the College Football world after being man-handled by USC. Illinois loses Rashard Mendenhall to the NFL but "Juice" Williams is back at QB along with outstanding Freshman last season, Arrelious Benn. A total of 13 starters return for the Illini including Will Davis and Vontae Davis on Defense.

21. Kansas Jayhawks
Similiar to Missouri, the Jayhawks are a known commodity now so it will be interesting to see how they respond to having a bullseye on their backs after winning the Orange Bowl. Todd Reesing returns and is just one of many talented QBs in the Big XII next season.

22. West Virginia Mountaineers
The loss of Steve Slaton and Owen Schmitt are big losses but QB Pat White is still in the fold and is still one of the premiere talents in the nation. Bill Stewart takes over as head coach as Mountaineer fans look to finally move on from the Rich Rodriguez non-sense. Stewart was a great hire because he won't leave the program this is his dream job, it's a good hire and West Virginia is still the favorite in the Big East.

23. Boise State Broncos
RB Ian Johnson returns for what seems to be his 10th year in Boise and the Broncos will be breaking in new QB, Michael Coughlin. You would think Boise is gonna stop producing after all these years but I don't think it happens this year. Boise has 13starters returning and their hungry to regain the WAC title again.

24. Pitt Panthers
Dave Wanstedt has been landing some outstanding classes the past few years but now it's time to actually do something with the talent. Tailback LeSean McCoy is a potential Heisman contender as a True Freshman last season McCoy rushed for 1,328 yards and had 244 yards receiving.

25. Washington Huskies (SLEEPER)
Tyrone Willingham for some odd reason had to receive a vote of confidence to remain in Seattle and it was the wise move keeping him because Willingham and the Huskies should make great strides in the Pac-10 this season. QB Jake Locker is the west coast version of Tim Tebow with less hype and in my opinion more talented. The Huskies return 16 total starters and also had a stellar recruiting class highlighted by Running Back Chris Polk who had offers from a handful of Pac-10 schools. The Huskies are on the rise and with games like Oklahoma and BYU in Seattle U-Dub could make noise early.

Others who missed the cut: South Carolina, Florida State, Alabama, Hawaii, Utah, Colorado, Michigan.

2008 College Football Previews

2008-02-11T03:22:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone long time no see. Well the 2007 College Football is long gone and Letter of Intent Day recently wrapped up (with the exception of Terrelle Pryor). I'm going to start my previews earlier this year so I can actually get all 120 teams in this time and make a good run at it. Unlike last year. Expect the first previews sometime this week. It's never too early to start talking next season is it? Nah. Especially when your tired of hearing Joe Lunardi break down his pointless "Bracketology." Give me College Football or give me death!

Urban Meyer a legend?

2007-07-30T11:01:00.000-06:00

Here's the article

Came across this article bashing Utah Head Football Coach Kyle Whittingham from a student journalist and I started rolling on the floor in laughter after reading this quote:

"Alabama has Bear Bryant. Notre Dame has Knute Rockne. Utah has Urban Meyer."

Wow crashing a BCS bowl game to play an 8-4 Pitt team all of a sudden puts you with the likes of Bear Bryant, and Knute Rockne?

The Utah team of 2004 was very good but their schedule was the biggest joke ever. I'm glad that no one gives that team any credit in the national eye, because quite frankly they don't deserve it. The 2006 Boise State team who just crashed the BCS as well played at least one decent opponent last year in Oregon State, and then of course Goliath Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.

But this student's article showed that Utah obviosuly has no history in their program at all and can't move on from their 2-year era with Meyer. For Whittingham's case Utah has been very young the past two years and this year have 10 returning starters on Offense. QB Brian Johnson has been garnering some Heisman attention no less.

Top 5 Sleeper teams in 2007

2007-07-28T15:12:00.000-06:00

These are my five teams who are going to improve alot from their losing seasons in 2006.

#1 New Mexico State

Junior QB Chase Holbrook is a Texas gunslinger and has the Aggies thinking a bowl game appearance just two years after the program suffered a winless season, and only 4 wins last year. Holbrook threw for the most yards ever by a Sophomore last season with 4,619. The Aggies have a total of 17 starters returning. Hal Mumme has made it clear this program wants to win the WAC title this year and don't be surprised if they get 6-8 wins this season. WR Chris Williams was #1 in the NCAA last year in receiving yards, he is Holbrook's top target.

#2 Arizona State

Already explained Arizona State. Dennis Erickson is known for turning around programs in a hurry. He made Oregon State a BCS team and they crushed Notre Dame. Arizona State is always loaded with talent and they have a favorable schedule to improve on their 7 wins last year. 10 is a definite possibility.

#3 UNLV

Everyone thinks UNLV is going to finish dead last in the Mountain West this season but I think they are going to surprise some teams. Former USC QB Rocky Hinds has all the talent in the world but he played like a former Rebel QB last season whom Rebel fans wouldn't want me to mention his name. *Whisper* Jason Thomas** The Rebels have the best WRs in the Mtn. West in Casey Flair, Ryan Wolfe, Lorenzo Bursey, and Aaron Straiten. Also JUCO RB Frank Summers (pictured) who is as Jimmy Dykes would say, "A HASS!" Summers is at 5-10 240 and completely dominated Spring practices. LB Beau Bell is an intimidating presence in the middle of that D. And add to the fact that Mike Sanford is on the hot seat this season to win or else he could be getting the axe. UNLV has tough games against Wisconsin and Hawaii but they are at home. Utah, BYU, and Colorado State all come to Vegas as well. The Rebels could make a push for 6 wins this season.

#4 North Carolina

New Head Coach Butch Davis is bringing a winning attitude to Chapel Hill. The Heels haven't been to a bowl game since 2004. The Heels have alot of young talent from their deep 2007 recruiting class. DT Marvin Austin, and WR Greg Little are starters the day they step on Campus. The WRs are already talented with Hakeem Nicks, and Brooks Foster. The Offensive Line has 4 starters returning. QB is a question mark but Touted Freshman Mike Paulus could be the man this season and he has the arm strength and talent to be good right away. This is a stretch going with the Heels but they have a schedule that is manageable that could get them a potential bowl bid. That would be huge in Davis' first year with this young group.

#5 Fresno State

Pat Hill had his first bad season in Fresno during his ten year tenure last year only winning 4 games. The Bulldogs don't mind playing the spoiler role this season in the WAC with Hawaii and Boise getting all the clippings. With 7 starters returning on offense a solid nucleus is there to work with. QB Tom Brandstater is young but has a full season under his belt. The second straight year in a row there will be a new Offensive Coordinator. This year Jim McElwain who was the Raiders Quarterback coach last year is a young offensive mind that should be loyal be to the program for awhile. The schedule has tough non-conference games as always for Fresno who live by the "Any Team, Any Where" motto. The 'Dogs travel to College Station against Texas A&M and the following week at Oregon in the Autzen Zoo. But after that The road games are all winnable with the exception of Hawaii on Nov. 10th but Fresno is capable of pulling an upset. Fresno will be once again bowling this season.

Analysis of my Top 25: #25-#20

2007-07-26T23:59:00.000-06:00

To the right of this page is my Top 25 for the upcoming season. So here is my analysis of those picks starting with #25.

#25 TCU

The Horned Frogs have been a measure of consistency under Gary Patterson winning 11 games or more in three of the past four seasons. All of which included bowl victories. The Horned Frogs have garnered heavy consideration for the BCS this season led by their star Defensive End's Tommy Blake and Chase Ortiz. Both are Pre-Season 1st Team All-MWC selections by the media. TCU is breaking in a new starting QB in Marcus Jackson who I saw play against Utah and he struggled to grasp the offense. Jackson did have a productive spring splitting reps with Andy Dalton. Both Jackson and Dalton are young QBs. Jackson is only a Soph., and Dalton a redshirt Freshman. But in the backfield, Pre-Season MWC Player of the Year Aaron Brown will be seeing the reps. Brown was the Freshman Player of the Year two years ago and this past season ran for 801 yards. Now that Robert Merrill and Lonta Hobbs are gone, Brown is the workhorse and will be getting all the reps this season. Another RB who is from the class of 2007, Jai Cavness is a speedy scatback at 5'8 and only 167 lbs. Cavness has true 4.3 speed and could be a nice option for trick plays and on special teams.

TCU is getting alot of attention to be a potential BCS buster but the inexperience at QB is a big question for me and they have yet to prove they can beat MWC foes BYU and Utah...without controversy. In 2005, they beat Utah on a illegal pick play and against BYU they won due to a questionable call at the goal line, ruling there was no fumble. The replays showed otherwise. TCU has to go to BYU this year. But the game that will set the tone for TCU's run will be on Sept. 8th when they travel to Austin to play against in-state foe Texas. The Horned Frogs are 4-0 against Big XII teams the past couple years, including a win over Oklahoma in Norman back in 2005. That will be an exciting one to watch.

#24 South Florida

The Bulls of South Florida have only been playing D-1A football since 2001 and already they are making noise nationally. Last year, many felt the Bulls were the 2nd best team in the state of Florida behind National Champion Florida. Miami and Florida State both had down years making the up and coming Bulls get recognized in the talent rich state. QB Matt Grothe is only a Sophomore and already is one of the better QBs in the Big East (behind Brohm and Pat White). Grothe threw for 2,576 yards last season. One thing he needs to improve on is his TD-INT ratio which was a mediocre 15-14 last season. Their is a total of 16 returning starters on this year's squad. Nine of which are on the offensive side. On Defense, USF is led by Senior MLB Ben Moffitt who has recorded over 230 tackles in his career. Moffitt is a Pre-Season 1st Team selection in the Big East. Then the outstanding Senior Cornerback duo in Trae Williams and Mike Jenkins who are both potential NFL Draftees next April. The Bulls have a defense that should be tops in the Big East.

USF has been picked 4th by the media in the Big East. But I have them at 3rd. The Bulls are very capable of making a run for the conference championship. The past two seasons they have outplayed West Virginia including last season where the defense shut down the Mountaineer's outstanding offense to only 19 points in the season finale. Both West Viriginia and Louisville come to Tampa. This could be a surprise team in 2007 due to their schedule that is tough but very manageable with the exception of their trip to Auburn the 2nd week of the season. The Athletic Department is definitely excited for the season putting out Five Posters to promote the team.

#23 BYU

BYU was one of the team's I was able to preview for the blog. BYU has some question marks on Offense mainly at Quarterback, where Max Hall is the starter, but hasn't taken a D-1 snap before. He is following in the footsteps of John Beck who was one of the most productive Quarterbacks in BYU's impressive Quarterback history. Hall has good mobility and alot of confidence to fill in as Beck's successor. Aside from QB, the Cougars have some questions at Running Back with projected starter Manase Tonga being suspended for Fall Camp and the first game against Arizona. Fui Vakapuna who is a fan favorite needs to stay healthy for the Cougar rushing attack to get going this season. The Cougars D is one of the best Non-BCS defenses in the nation. The Cougars only gave up 14 ppg last season and look to improve upon that with OLBs Bryan Kehl (Pre-Season 1st Team All-MWC) and David Nixon being the leaders of the group. BYU is looking to "RAISE THE BAR" on their season and they have a very good chance of doing that with TCU, Utah, and Arizona all at home. The biggest challenge will be September 8th at the Rose Bowl where the Cougs haven't won since 1983. And that was when Steve Young was Quarterback, it's been awhile. BYU is my pick for Mountain West champs this season and a potential BCS crasher if they get past UCLA in Week 2.

#22 Arizona State

Initially back in May I was skeptical of the Sun Devils this season. But the more I have been thinking and reading about this team they have the talent to shed that "Sleeping Giant" tag for once this season and make some noise in arguably one of the best if not THE best conference in college football this season. The key will be Rudy Carpenter. He is calm, poised, and ready to return to his Freshman form. The skill position players on the Sun Devils are exceptional with Ryan Torain at RB who had 1,229 yards last season. Then new head coach Dennis Erickson seems to have gotten this team to believe that they can win and play at a high level nationally. The Sun Devils could possibly be undefeated when they host Homecoming against California on October 27th. The Sun Devils have had only two seasons above 8 wins since their run in '96 to the Rose Bowl. In order to get more than 8 wins Carpenter and the inexperienced Defensive Line will need to step up and perform.

#21 Arkansas

Razorback fans are relieved that the off-season is nearly over. There has been so much controversy and buzz surrounding the Razorback program since last season that the Hogs are ready to just get playing again. And of course, when you talk about Arkansas' upcoming team this year you have to begin with RB Darren McFadden who is a consensus Pre-season frontrunner for the Heisman and a lock for the #1 pick in the NFL Draft next April. That is of course if he comes out early which can be discussed for a later topic. McFadden has rushed for 2,760 yards in his first two season in Fayetteville earning him 1st Team SEC honors in both years. The 'Hogs offense returns 6 starters including QB Casey Dick. There is no controversy this season with Mitch Mustain bolting to the land of Troy. Dick is only 4-5 as a starter the past two seasons, but has the luxury of throwing to 6'7 Senior stud in Marcus Monk who decided to not leave early for the NFL to have one more crack at an SEC title. The Hogs defense lost a big time talent in Jamaal Anderson who recorded 13.5 sacks last season and is now with the circus known as the Atlanta Falcons. Also Keith Jackson is gone as well. But the D-line still has Marcus Harrsion in the middle who had 42 tackles last season and Antwain Robinson who wasn't too far behind on Anderson's sack total with 8.5.

Arkansas schedule bodes well early on with the potential to go 5-0 to start off the season heading into a home game against Auburn which is a toss-up. The most daunting games will be two of the last three; at Tennessee (Nov. 10) and the rival game against LSU in Baton Rouge the friday after Thanksgiving. Then finally ya gotta laugh at this Razorback coeds shirt. Woooopigsooeeee

#20 Penn State

After winning the Big Ten and the Orange Bowl in 2005 the Nittany Lions went 9-4 last season but came out of the gates struggling due to a difficult schedule but capped off the season winning five of their last six including a Outback Bowl win over 17th ranked Tennessee (20-10) giving Joe Pa and company their second straight finish in the Top 25 polls. But that is not satisfying to the folks in Happy Valley they expect Big Ten titles, this season will definitely be no different. This might be Penn State's most talented team since the LaVar Arrington squad back in '99. QB Anthony Morrelli is a Senior now and continues to get better each year. Morrelli threw for 2,424 yards last year with 11 TD passes. Morrelli has plenty of targets to throw to in Derrick Williams who has been outstanding since the day he stepped foot on campus, Jordan Norwood, Deon Butler, and TE Andrew Quarless. All of which are returning starters from last season. LB Dan Connor is a consensus All-American candidate in every magazine you look at. Connor has recorded 274 tackles in his Nittany Lion career and don't be surprised to see another 110 or so this season. At Cornerback Justin King is a shutdown corner who has tremendous athleticsm. King and Williams are potential draftees come April if they leave. The kicking game is in good hands with Kevin Kelly who is very consistent.

The Agenda coming up

2007-07-26T23:46:00.000-06:00

Plain and simple haven't been able to do many previews in awhile. I really want to but I also have a real job and school so I'm usually strapped for time. But I'm kicking it up tonight with a bunch of stuff. I'm going to try and do some team previews but now with the season getting so close, I'm going to do conference previews, etc. Hope to hear some feedback on the stuff.

By the way, like to thank TicketyCity.com for being a sponsor on the site. Visit their site for your College Football ticket needs.

NCAA 08 comes out tonight

2007-07-16T22:28:00.000-06:00

I'm doin another blog that I will update my progress and thoughts on the game. Hoping to get it tonight at midnight. Salt Lake City isn't as big of a market so it isn't always guaranteed to be out at midnight. I'm hoping though.

Here's the link to my other blog:

NCAA 08 Dynasty Blog

The season is fastly approaching

2007-07-14T10:45:00.000-06:00

I have had a long hiatus from blogging lately due to the increased work schedule so things have been dormant here at the site but I'm still gonna continue to pump out as many previews as I can before the season gets goin August 31st.

And I'd like to give thanks for the feedback thus far! The site has a bright future I believe.

2007 Preview: LSU Tigers

2007-05-20T14:13:00.000-06:00

Many schools would have lowered expectations after losing four players to the 1st Round of the NFL Draft. And last season ended with 11 wins, a win over Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl, and ranking at #3 in the final polls. But in Baton Rouge, expectations are higher going into 2007, a National Championship is expected which hasn’t happened for LSU since the Nick Saban days back in 2003. Les Miles has one of the most talented teams in America and the Tigers are the class of the SEC this season.

2006 Record: 11-2 (T-2nd in SEC West, win over Notre Dame in Allstate Sugar Bowl, 41-14)
Head Coach: Les Miles (3rd Season: 22-4 record)

2007 Schedule
Aug. 30 @ Miss. State (W)
Sept. 8 Virginia Tech (W) *Toss-up Game
Sept. 15 Middle Tennessee (W)
Sept. 22 South Carolina (W)
Sept. 29 @ Tulane (W)
Oct. 6 Florida (W) *Toss-up
Oct. 13 @ Kentucky (W)
Oct. 20 Auburn (W) *Toss-up
Nov. 3 @ Alabama (W)
Nov. 10 Louisiana Tech (W)
Nov. 17 @ Ole Miss (W)
Nov. 23 Arkansas (W)

Player Ready to Shine

Senior QB, Matt Flynn
Flynn is replacing the #1 pick in the NFL Draft, JaMarcus Russell which is no easy task but Flynn is up to the task. Flynn as you may remember had that impressive 2005 Peach Bowl MVP performance en route to destroying Miami. Flynn is a smart QB, now he doesn’t have quite the arm strength as his predecessor but he can wing the ball down field as well. In new Offensive Coordinator Gary Crowton’s multiple scheme offense, Flynn should be putting up big yards in his senior campaign.

OFFENSE (Returning Starters: 6)

Les Miles hired Oregon Offensive Coordinator Gary Crowton who has ties to the Lousiana area with his first head coaching gig in the late ‘90s at Louisiana Tech. Tech produced some high-octane offenses with Tim Rattay at QB and Troy Edwards at WR. When Crowton was hired by Oregon he said he wanted to stay there for a long time and not have to move his family again so the move to the bayou was shocking to the Duck fans. Oregon last season averaged 423 ypg which was 9th in the nation last season. Compare that to LSU who was 11th in total offense and they have a lot better skill position players to be working with. Tiger fans should be excited to have Crowton, I live here in Salt Lake so I’m very aware of him being so familiar with BYU. Crowton will do great things in Baton Rouge. As for the personnel who is going to run Crowton’s offense lets take a look.

We went over Matt Flynn in the players ready to shine, but right behind him at QB is the highly coveted recruit back in 2005, Ryan Perrilloux. Perrilloux has natural talent but hasn’t played in a long time, since 2004. Flynn is the #1 guy in this group, and needs to sustain that momentum he gained from that Peach Bowl and perform to that level in the entire season. Being in the SEC, gives no chance for down weeks. The Tigers did sign a top signal caller out of Texas in Jarrett Lee who is the quarterback of the future in Crowton’s offense.

At Running Back, there is a lot of quality players, five to be exact. Sophomore Keiland Williams is the starting RB out of spring along with Richard Murphy. Alley Broussard who was a starter along with the graduated Justin Vincent broke team rules at the beginning of spring practice and lost his starting role. Broussard will still be a vital piece of the running back stable he is a solid receiving back. Charles Scott and Jacob Hester round up the group, Hester ran for 440 yards last season and is the team’s returning rushing leader. this unit although inexperienced with the exception of Broussard is going to get better over the course of the season. They have a great mix of athletes that could produce on any given Saturday.

Dwayne Bowe, Craig Davis, and Buster Davis depart from last year’s outstanding group, but Early Doucet returns and he is going to flourish this season. Doucet was eighth in receptions per game in the SEC last season (4.5), he totaled 772 yards and 8 TDs. Doucet needs to be a top target for Flynn in order to continue the success of 2006’s offense. Junior Brandon LaFell has been a popular name who has a lot of unrealized potential, showed signs of being the type of receiver who will be a star but has struggled being consistent with catching passes. Doucet will be receiving a lot of double team coverage so LaFell is going to be vital for this passing game to roll. Expect some talented freshman to have a shot to make big impacts early from day 1 of fall camp, they include: Terrance Toliver (Hempstead, TX), DeAngelo Benton (Bastrop, LA), and Demetrius Byrd (Poplarville, MS). All of these freshman, are D-1 ready, with big size and amazing athleticism. Let’s just say the cupboard isn’t bare for the Bayou Bengals at Wide Out. Doucet will be the leader, then the freshman will have a Derrick Williams (Penn State ’05) type impact. Trindon Holiday, and Jared Mitchell are also in the mix as well.

On the Offensive Line, three of the five starters return on a experienced group. Center Brett Helms, Left Tackle Ciron Black, and Left Guard Herman Johnson. The entire right side of the offensive line needs to be replaced after Tackle Peter Dyakowski, and Guard Brian Johnson depart. The Tigers gave Herman Johnson a chance at right tackle in the beginning of spring ball, that didn’t work out so now Senior Carnell Stewart will be the starter at RT, he is fairly new to the position only playing at the spot since last season. At right guard, Will Arnold is the starter he sat out all of spring practice due to injury. Arnold is an experienced Senior, his backup is Lyle Hitt who switched from Defensive Tackle and was the starter coming out of spring. Sophomore Andrew Decker is behind Hitt. The left side of course shapes up to look very talented and experienced. If Arnold can get healthy this O-line will be just fine, and Flynn will see the time he needs to be successful.

DEFENSE (Starters Returning: 8)

The Tigers defense was ranked 3rd in total defense and #1 in the SEC, giving up only 243 yards per game. They lost the hard hitting stud in LaRon Landry who is now with the Redskins but this defense is only going to be better. And it all starts with the nasty defensive line led by All-American Glenn Dorsey.

This Defensive Line in one word is outstanding. Glenn Dorsey as mentioned is the star of this group. Dorsey who was a consensus first-team All-American last season had 64 tackles and 3 sacks. Dorsey is one of the nation’s best D-lineman and will be a top draft choice in the 2008 NFL Draft next April. Tyson Jackson at Left End who at 6’5 292 is amazing athlete with exceptional talent who had 49 tackles and 7 sacks in ’06. Then along the middle with Dorsey is Charles Alexander who is a experienced Senior. Then at the right end is sophomore Rahim Alem who outplayed Junior Tremain Johnson to get the starting nod out of spring practices. Then other key reserves include Kirston Pittman, Al Woods, and Marlon Favorite. This group is very talented and deep. The reserves are very talented that they would start at many schools. Dorsey and Jackson will help ease the pressure on a Tiger secondary that is inexperienced.
Last year’s freshman All-American, Ricky Jean-Francois who was a starter at times last season is struggling with academics and is currently at 3rd string. If Jean-Francois gets in the starting spot he would be at right end.

At Linebackers, another great unit which is one of the tops in the nation, all three starters return. It all starts with Ali Highsmith who is garnering pre-season attention for the Butkus Award, last season was a second-team All-SEC selection. Highsmith mans the “Will” linebacker spot. At the “Buck” is Luke Sanders who is a proto-typical linebacker that is a good pass rusher. Then in the middle at the “Mike” is Darry Beckwith.

The secondary has big shoes to fill at Safety. Both Jessie Daniels, and LaRon Landry are gone who combined for a total of 121 tackles, 2 sacks, and 5 INTs last season. Craig Steltz and Curtis Taylor are the starters. Steltz last season had 42 tackles. Many Tiger fans expect there to be little drop off in terms of production. Danny McCray is a player to watch who had a great spring, and was very productive last year on Special Teams and should see time at the Nickel spot. Unlike Safety, Cornerback has two senior starters returning in Jonathan Zenon and Chevis Jackson. Zenon and Jackson will help the inexperienced Safeties.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker/Punter Chris Jackson is gone, he was 41-of-44 last season in FGs. Jackson was a four-year starter in his career for the Tighers. Junior Colt David is going to handle the kicking duties. Then fifth year Senior Patrick Fisher will be the Punter.

Newcomer who should become a Household name

Terrance Toliver, WR (Hempstead, TX)

Toliver is going to have an opportunity to be the #2 receiver with Early Doucet when he arrives in Baton Rouge this fall. Toliver has a great feel for the game, and is impressive with big yards after the catch. A tall, physical receiver who will get after Corners in blocking schemes, Toliver will do big things this season.

OUTLOOK

The goal for this team should be a trip to the BCS National Title game they have the best defense in America along with amazing depth at the skill positions, and a Quarterback who is confident in his abilities. As always, playing an SEC schedule is very difficult. The Tigers play four of my pre-season Top 25. But all those games are going to be played in Death Valley, which I give the edge to the Tigers in all those games. Nov. 3 at Tuscaloosa will be very interesting when the Tigers travel to face their old coach in Nick Saban. That is a potential trap game. But the Tigers are the class of the SEC in 2007. They will have some close calls with many difficult games but I just don’t see them losing any games this season. Les Miles is doing an outstanding job with this program. The recruiting is outstanding.

RANDOM BIT OF INFORMATION

Back on Friday, May 18th the Tigers Bengal mascot, Mike V passed away. He was 17 years old.

Tiger Blogs to check out
And The Valley Shook

2007 Preview: North Carolina Tar Heels

2007-05-17T01:17:00.000-06:00

John Bunting out. Former Miami and Cleveland Browns head coach, Butch Davis in. North Carolina is starting to take a serious step in making football a premier sport in Chapel Hill rather than just solely focusing on the guys over at the Dean Dome. Davis has brought new life to the Tar Heel faithful in hopes of winning an ACC Championship. Don’t plan on that happening this season or really anytime soon, but the Tar Heels had an awesome signing day class and are making progress into becoming a solid program within in the wacky ACC.

2006 record: 3-9 (5th in ACC Coastal Division)
Head Coach: Butch Davis (1st Season; Career Record: 51-20)

2007 Schedule
Sept. 1 James Madison (W)
Sept. 8 @ East Carolina (W)
Sept. 15 Virginia (W)
Sept. 22 @ South Florida (L)
Sept. 29 @ Virginia Tech (L)
Oct. 6 Miami-FL (L)
Oct. 13 South Carolina (L)
Oct. 27 @ Wake Forest (W) *Toss-Up
Nov. 3 Maryland (W) *Toss-Up
Nov. 10 @ NC State (L)
Nov. 17 @ Georgia Tech (L)
Nov. 24 Duke (W)

Player Ready to Shine

The Freshman Sensation out of the nation’s capital, Marvin Austin (Defensive Tackle) who was rated by some recruiting services as the #1 prospect in the Class of 2007. Austin has a very bold personality and is very confident that he can produce immediately. Austin is coming into a good situation considering the Tar Heels have a strong need for a talented D-tackle. Austin is going to take over once he arrives in Chapel Hill for fall camp and will be newcomer of the year in the ACC. This guy will live up to his billing he is the real deal. This was a big catch for Davis and staff to get on Signing Day this past February; it shows that Carolina has the facilities and the prestige to get big-time talent to come; now they just need to win games. Austin will help in solidifying the D-line to get those wins.

OFFENSE (Returning Starters: 6)

The offense last season was nothing to get excited about, ranking in the bottom half of the ACC in every major offensive category. John Bunting was a lame duck coach and the team had essentially given up along with Bunting. The offense averaged a staggering 18 points per game. That stat alone is a major cause for only 3 wins last season.

Joe Dailey the former Nebraska Cornhusker was the starting QB who threw for 1,316 yards, 7 TDs, 10 INTs. With that lack of productivity, Davis and staff opted to utilize Dailey’s versatility at Wide Receiver this season. That means there will be a new face lining up behind Center this fall at Quarterback. T.J. Yates and Cam Sexton came out of spring practices as 1a and 1b respectively. This QB derby will continue into fall practices. Sexton has the edge when it comes to experience. Sexton threw for 840 yards last season in eight appearances, five of which were starts. Yates who redshirted last season, back in 2005 was Pope High School (Marietta, GA) star QB who is very mobile rushed for 292 yards and 7 TDs in his Senior year. Yates was also a Punter for his high school squad.
With Yates and Sexton not solidifying the starting battle, it could open the door for one of the nation’s best QB prospects last year in Mike Paulus. Paulus who is the brother of Duke basketball player Greg Paulus has proto-typical QB size at 6’5 220. Only started for his high school team for one year so he is still inexperienced but has a strong arm and adequate mobility for a QB of his size. This will be one of the more intriguing QB battles going into fall.

The Tar Heels used to be a powerhouse in the College Football landscape when it came to producing 1,000 yard rushers. From 1969 to 1997 North Carolina had 20 seasons with a 1000 yard rusher. Since ’97 not a single one, Chad Scott (former Kentucky Wildcat) was the closest in 2004 with 796. This season don’t expect a 1,000 yard rusher to explode onto the scene. Inexperienced sophomore Richie Rich has been outstanding in spring practices and has won over the coaching staff giving him the starting job. Rich only had one rush last season for (-1) yards. Rich will be splitting quite a bit of reps with Anthony Elzy who is very strong and has an outstanding initial burst thru the line of scrimmage.

Last year’s stud Freshman was WR Hakeem Nicks who had a team leading 660 receiving yards on 39 receptions last season. Nicks is one of the ACC’s premier receivers and is the Tar Heels star player. In the new Butch Davis passing attack Nicks should thrive. This entire WR group is very young but talented. Brandon Tate is a sleeper on this squad who has untapped potential. Brooks Foster who had 486 yards last season is another big time target. Interesting side note on Foster, he was a walk-on for the hoops team that won the National Title back in 2005, he is superior athlete. At H-Back Zach Pianalto will split reps Ryan Taylor. Expect incoming homegrown Freshman native Dwight Jones to see time and produce right away. Jones like Austin is a 5-star another big-time get for Davis and staff.

At Tight End, Richard Quinn is the starter who is recovered from missing all of last season due to a shoulder injury. After Quinn there is Vince Jacobs who is a very tall target at 6’6 but is too thin and struggles with his blocking assignments.

The most experienced position on this offense is the Offensive Line which has a veteran group on the right side with Garrett Reynolds at Tackle, and Calvin Darity at Guard. Center Scott Lenahan returns also. On the left side of the line looks to be Kyle Jolly at Tackle and Aaron Stahl.

DEFENSE (Returning Starters: 4)

The defense was giving up 30 points per game last season which ranked 104th in the nation. When you have an offense that can’t put up points you better have a defense that can stop opposing offenses. New Defensive Coordinator Chuck Pagano comes from the train wreck that is the Oakland Raiders of the NFL to join with Butch Davis yet again. Pagano was part of Davis’ staffs at Miami and Cleveland.

Pagano has his work cut out for him with not many returning players and a lot of inexperience, many young players will have to play big roles immediately.

Marvin Austin who has already discussed a bit will have a major impact on this D-line. The other players include returning starter and the team leader in sacks (3) Hilee Taylor. Kentwan Balmer is another returning starter will be playing alongside Austin in the middle. Former Tight End E.J. Wilson had a great spring and looked to be the other D-end opposite Taylor but Wilson has suffered a shoulder injury and will still have that lingering going into fall camp. Aleric Mullins is a talented player who was academically ineliglbe last year should see a lot of reps this season. There is no real proven players in this unit, but expect drastic improvements as the season progresses a lot of talent to work with here.

At Linebacker, the leader in tackles returns for his senior season, Durrell Mapp. Mapp is the star of this defense and should garner some post-season accolades when the season concludes. Expect over 100 tackles from Mapp this year. Mapp will be teamed up with Chase Rice in the middle, then Wesley Flagg at the opposite side.

Like many other positions the Tar Heels will be relying on inexperienced players to take over the secondary. Jacoby Watkins is gone who was a 5-year Senior. A player who does have experience however is Cornerback Jermaine Strong. Strong started in 11 games last season and recorded 18 tackles, and 5 PBU. After Strong’s great spring, he is expected to make huge improvements from last season and become a star immediately. Kendric Burney or Cooter Arnold will be battling for the other Cornerback position where as of now it looks to be Burney’s job for the taking.
For the Safeties, Kareen Taylor departs but Trimane Goodard who has starting experience is back and will be at Free Safety. Shaun Draughn will fill in Strong Safety.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Place Kicker Connor Barth who was a #1 kicker recruit out of high school back in 2004 is back for his Senior season. At Punter, John Choate will take over for the graduated David Wooldridge. The return specialists include Brandon Tate who averaged 10.10 yards per Punt return last season which was 3rd in the ACC.

Newcomer(s) who should become Household names

Already mentioned these two guys. DT Marvin Austin and WR Dwight Jones. Two of the best recruiting prospects to ever sign in the history of North Carolina football.

OUTLOOK

The goal for this Tar Heel squad would be 6 wins and a bowl appearance in Butch Davis’ first year. And I feel that they will accomplish that this season. The opening three games have some potential road blocks with a trip to East Carolina and a home game with Virginia but those are very manageable and should have the Tar Heels at 3-0 matching last year’s win total in the first month of the season. Then a tough stretch with three of their next four being on my Pre-Season Top 25. The key games that will determine whether or not North Carolina goes bowlin’ or not is the trip to Winston-Salem down tobacco road and a home game with Maryland. I predict wins in both those games for the Tar Heels which would give them five wins and they would get their 6th with a win over rival Duke in the season finale. This would give the Tar Heels their first bowl appearance since 2004 in the Continental Tire Bowl where they lost to Boston College (24-37). Butch Davis is going to have an up and down first year, but this young talent will make big strides over the course of the year to get this program back to a bowl game. Oct. 6th will be exciting when Davis’ former squad Miami rolls into Chapel Hill, mark that down on your calendars.

RANDOM BIT OF INFORMATION

The meeting with South Carolina is the first SEC team North Carolina has played in the regular season since the Gamecocks back in 1991 which was a Tar Heel victory, 21-17. The Tar Heels have played 4 SEC opponents in bowl games since ’91 (Mississippi State, Alabama, Arkansas, and Auburn) posting a record of 3-1.

Tar Heel Blog to check out
Carolina March

2007 Preview: Texas Tech Red Raiders

2007-05-16T11:51:00.000-06:00

The gun slinging, throw it all over the field program known as Texas Tech was the victim once again of being in the brutal Big XII South division in 2006, falling short to Texas and Oklahoma yet again in their pursuit for a South division title. The season ended on a positive note however, riding huge momentum into this year with the biggest bowl comeback in the history of college football over Minnesota.

2006 Record: 8-5 (4th in Big XII south division, beat Minnesota 44-41 in the Insight Bowl, 44-41 in Overtime)
Head Coach: Mike Leach (8th season: 56-33 record)

2007 Schedule
Sept. 3 @ SMU (W)
Sept. 8 UTEP (W)
Sept. 15 @ Rice (W)
Sept. 22 @ Oklahoma State (L) *Toss-Up game
Sept. 29 Northwestern (La.) State (W)
Oct. 6 Iowa State (W)
Oct. 13 Texas A&M (L)
Oct. 20 @ Missouri (L) *Toss-Up game
Oct. 27 Colorado (W)
Nov. 3 @ Baylor (W)
Nov. 10 @ Texas (L)
Nov. 17 Oklahoma (L)

Player Ready to Shine

Redshirt Freshman WR Michael Crabtree
Crabtree was a star recruit in the class of 2006 coming to Lubbock as an athlete, he played Quarterback eclipsing 3000 yards of total offense in his Senior season. He sat out his first in Lubbock due to academics. Crabtree is a versatile athlete. His highlight videos back at Carter High School in Dallas are jaw dropping to say the least. Opposing defense will be planning their defenses around Crabtree.

OFFENSE (Returning Starters: 4)

Quarterback Graham Harrell is the returning after a 4000+ yard passing season last year which is not uncommon for Red Raider fans. Expect Harrell to break out on the national scene this year and even make a run at some Heisman votes. Harrell might not be as well known as Nebraska’ Sam Keller and Texas’ Colt McCoy but people will be familiar with this Ennis, TX native by season’s end.
This is the first time since 2002 that the Red Raiders have a returning starter at the QB position and that was Kliff Kingsbury who put this Red Raider offense on the map as a passing juggernaut. This is a young offense but Harrell showed leadership throughout spring practices and the offense has progressed greatly since Day 1 of Fall camp. If Harrell happens to go down after him things get slim with three Freshman following; Taylor Potts (Rs-Fr.), Steven Sheffield (Rs-Fr.), and Stefan Loucks (Fr.).

The big story from Lubbock this past Spring was the benching of star running back Shannon Woods who ran for 926 yards and earned All-Big 12 first team honors as a Sophomore. Woods was tops in all-purpose yards with 1808. Head Coach Mike Leach benched Woods due to lack of effort that was shown in practice and he was placed as the 2nd string back, and still currently is. The other backs in the system are Baron Batch who saw very limited reps last season, and Kobey Lewis who was the beneficiary of Woods demotion in spring practices being the #1 back, and there is no question with Lewis that he brings a lot of effort every time he plays, something Coach Leach would love to see out of Woods. Ryan Hayes is another guy in the mix who is a walk-on. I don’t see Leach holding back Woods much longer when fall camp gets going he will be the #1 guy he is one of the best RBs in the Big 12.

Jarrett Hicks, Joel Filani, and Robert Johnson are all gone from this WR unit who combined for 2,171 yards and 24 touchdowns. But with all that said, many fans in Lubbock think this is a better unit than last year. Already have mentioned the much anticipated Redshirt Freshman Michael Crabtree who will be manning the “Z receiver” spot, I’m very excited to see Crabtree. The one returning starter from last season is Danny Amendola performed well in his first full season as a WR starting in all 12 games and hauling in 47 receptions, Amendola is a great return specialist he is the Red Raiders punt returner as well. The other receivers are Eric Morris and L.A. Reed. Another receiver to watch who could break into to the starting unit is Edward Britton a young RS-Fr. This unit is very young and inexperienced, but with this offensive system that Leach has in place I don’t for see many growing pains. This will be one of the more productive units in the Big 12 as always.

Louis Vasquez (Left Guard) is the only returnee from last year’s starting offensive line. The Red Raiders only allowed 16 sacks in 13 games last year, which is very impressive considering how often they put the ball in the air. Former #1 recruit Ofa Mohetau was let loose from the team, his career has been a major bust and not lived up to his billing. Right now the starting Offensive Line looks like this:

LT – Marlon Winn, So.
LG – Louis Vasquez, Jr.
C – Shawn Byrnes, So. (also long snapper)
RG – Stephen Hamby, So.
RT – Rylan Reed, Jr.

This unit has a new Offensive Line coach when Jack Bicknell bolted for Boston College in April. The replacement was Troy assistant Matt Moore who was one of Leach’s former players. Louis Vasquez might be switched to the Tackle spot if Winn can’t sustain consistency. Some Freshman might see time right away, Lonnie Edwards who was a Top 25 recruit for Offensive Tackles, then Mickey Okafor and Omar Castillo could see time right away this fall. Don’t expect this unit to only give up 16 sacks this season they will have some struggles.

DEFENSE (Returning Starters: 5)

The Red Raiders lose some stars from their defense including leading tackler at Middle Linebacker Brock Stratton. This defense which made strides was 6th in Total defense last year giving up 333 yards per contest.

Defensive Line, things aren’t looking too good right for this position. The Red Raiders currently only have 7 scholarship players for the position and they lost all of their starters. Rajon Henley and Richard Jones will be in the middle of this D-line. Both of these players saw time as Freshman and should be very good. On the edges Brandon Williams, and Jake Ratliff look to be the starters. Tyler Yenzer was given the back-up nod for both DE spots. Sandy Riley is another player to watch who had an excellent Spring practice he could end up starting in place of Brandon Williams when the season rolls around. This entire group with the exception of Yenzer is underclassman which is somewhat of a theme for this Red Raider squad this season.

At Linebacker, they have a trio of Senior leaders. Paul Williams will be in at the Middle which is called the “MIKE” spot in this 4-3 Defense. Williams looks to be the leader of the defense, he started five games last season in replace of the injured Fletcher Session. Kellen Tillman was awarded a 6th year of the eligibility and he will be at SLB. Then Chad Hill who was sidelined the entire spring with injuries will be at the “WILL.” Ty Linder a Senior is a solid backup at the Strong Linebacker spot.

Last season, the Red Raiders were the #1 Pass Defense in the Big 12. Many of those starters return in Chris Parker at Cornerback and Joe Garcia, and Darcel McBath at Safety. This is a seasoned group which makes them one of the best Secondaries in all of College Football. Jamar Wall will start alongside Chris Parker at the left corner spot. Wall has outstanding footwork and proved to Cornerback coach Brian Mitchell that he was the right choice to be the starter. JC transfer De’Shon Sanders is an intriguing prospect has great size at 6’1 184, he was a mid-year signee and did well in spring drills.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker Alex Trlica returns he led the team last season with 96 points and was a perfect 51-of-51 on XP attempts. The Punter Alex Reyes is gone who was 5th in Net Punting last season. To replace him is Grant Berg a redshirt Sophomore. Wide Receivers Eric Morris and L.A. Reed will be handling Kick Return duties.

Newcomer who should become a Household name

Tyrone Sonier, DE, Missouri City, TX

I’m really high on this guy he is a great athletic rush end prospect who reminds me a lot of a Demarcus Ware type on the Dallas Cowboys. With the Red Raiders lack of depth at D-line, Sonier could see some time right away and make a big impact.

OUTLOOK

This program has always been filled with talented offenses, but has never taken the next step in becoming an elite in the Big XII. I don’t see that happening this season with a young, inexperienced team. The non-conference slate should be smooth sailing this season giving the Red Raiders an easy 4 wins. But the Big XII south is just too good again this season. A trip to Stillwater in September will tell a lot about this young squad. I predict a loss to the Cowboys though, Tech hasn’t won there since 2001, but it is a toss-up game. My prediction is 7-5 with a possibility of 9-3. They will have a potent offense, but will the defense be able to sustain a rush in the backfield against opposing offenses? The secondary is awesome if they can just sure up that front line this could be a nine to ten win teams with some luck and bounces go there way. But I will stick with the prediction of a 7-win year.

RANDOM BIT OF INFORMATION

Before Quarterback Kliff Kingsbury threw 3,418 yards in 2000, the Red Raiders never had a Quarterback throw over 3000 yards. The closest to that was Robert Hall back in 1993 he had 2,894. Since that 3000 yard season in 2000, the Red Raiders have enjoyed a 3000+ yard seasons ever year with five different Quarterbacks.

Red Raider Blog to check out
Double T Nation

Path to Letter of Intent Day 2008

2007-05-15T10:01:00.000-06:00

A very popular show on the NFL Network is "Path to the Draft" which chronicled the events and happenings leading up to the NFL Draft. Well here I'm gonna be chronicling recruiting across the nation with a weekly feature called "Path to Letter of Intent Day 2008."

A player that I have been following his recruiting very closely is Houston native Running Back Sam McGuffie. This guys offer list is what Chazz Michael Michaels would say, "Mindbottling!" Everyone who is everyone is going after this stud running back. USC, Alabama, Miami, Michigan, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, and even national champ Florida.

The reason I have been so impressed with McGuffie is after I saw his amazing YouTube highlight reel. This guy was the MVP of the Houston area as a Junior! This guy has been compared to former SMU Mustang Craig James who tagged with Eric Dickerson to form the "Pony Express." Big expectations for this Texas dandy. McGuffie is my #1 Running Back for 2008, wherever he ends up he will be a stud.

2007 Preview: Arizona State Sun Devils

2007-05-15T01:53:00.000-06:00

The Dennis Erickson era (or shall I say two or three years) has begun in Tempe. Many Sun Devil fans were pulling for a younger coach to get the job (i.e. Steve Sarkisian or Lane Kiffin at USC) but Athletic Director Lisa Love was set on getting the very seasoned Dennis Erickson who bolted from Moscow, Idaho after one season to coach the Sun Devils. Essentially she didn’t want to take a risk on an up and comer so she instead went with a guy who is the Larry Brown of Football. So here is the 2007 preview of College Football’s best example of a “Sleeping Giant,” Arizona State.

2006 Record: 7-6 (Tied for 5th in Pac-10, lost to Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl 24-41)
Head Coach: Dennis Erickson (First Season; Career record: 148-65-1, 18 years)

2007 Schedule
Sep. 1 San Jose State (W)
Sep. 8 Colorado (W)
Sep. 15 San Diego State (W)
Sep. 22 Oregon State (L)
Sep. 29 @ Stanford (W)
Oct. 6 @ Washington State (L)
Oct. 13 Washington (W)
Oct. 27 California (L)
Nov. 3 @ Oregon (W) *Toss-Up Game
Nov. 10 @ UCLA (L)
Nov. 22 USC – Thanksgiving Night (L)
Dec. 1 Arizona (W)

Player Ready to Shine

Michael Marquardt a Senior Defensive Tackle who transferred from BYU back in 2005 is now a leader on this young Sun Devil defense. Started in all 12 games last season earning honorable mention All-Pac-10 honors, recorded 25 tackles, 7.5 tackles-for-loss, and 3.5 sacks which was second on the team last season. Marquardt is ready to improve off his impressive debut season with the Sun Devils and become one of the best D-Lineman in the Pac-10.

OFFENSE (Returning Starters: 10)

Going into last season the Sun Devils were in the midst of a huge QB debate, would it be Sam Keller or the Freshman sensation from 2005 Rudy Carpenter? Former Head Coach Dirk Koetter chose Keller at first and then members of their team showed their disliking towards the selection voicing that they wanted the more popular Carpenter as QB. Koetter in a heartbeat then chose Carpenter to be the starter. Keller was not happy with how the situation was handled and bolted to Nebraska. Carpenter then had full reign of the offense and had the dreaded Sophomore slump last season throwing for 14 INT’s. 12 more than his Freshman season. Dennis Erickson brings along his Pro-Set offense looking to bring Carpenter back to his Freshman form. Erickson has given Carpenter confidence telling him that he can lead this program to a Pac-10 title and BCS Bowl games. Carpenter has the poise and looks to be relaxed in this new offense. Carpenter’s back-up is Danny Sullivan who gained 30 pounds in the off-season has a strong arm, but Sun Devil fans aren’t hoping to see Sullivan go in unless its mop up time. No one after Carpenter has really any D-1 experience.

At Tailback, the Sun Devils bring back last year’s JUCO stud Ryan Torain who ran for 1,229 yards last season. The first ASU RB to eclipse the 1,200 yard mark since Freddie Williams back in 1975 who ran for 1,427 yards that season. Torain ran for 5.5 yards last season which was only behind Cal and current Buffalo Bill Marshawn Lynch. Torain should continue to have an impressive YPC with that entire Offensive Line returning. 1500 yards isn’t out of the question with Torain this season he is a big time playmaker who produces when it counts, in games. Behind Torain, is Junior Keegan Herring who back in 2005 set the ASU Freshman record for yards in a season with 870. Herring sat out the early parts of Spring practice due to injury, to fill in for him was Sophomore Dimitri Nance who is out of Trinity High School in Euless, TX (Gatorade commercials). Nance is a speedster and should see a lot of time this fall.

The Sun Devils lost their top receiver last season in TE Zach Miller who left early for the NFL Draft and was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the 2nd Round. Miller led the team last season with 484 yards which is well below normal for Arizona State offenses. Between ASU’s nine receivers last season not including Miller had 88 catches for 1,499 yards. ASU wants to get back to the days of having 1,000 yard receivers like Derek Hagan, Shaun McDonald, Keith Poole, and Ron Fair. The Receivers to make big plays and get big yards is a trio of Sophomores, Brandon Smith, Kyle Williams, and Chris McGaha. Smith is a track stud who has been clocked running a 10.7 second 100 meter and has a 40-inch vertical leap. Smith started in only two games last season but looks to be a key contributor in 2007 in this wide open attack. Another name is Rodney Glass who was a Running Back last season he has now switched to WR. Glass had ran the fastest 100 meeters in the nation when he was a Senior in High School at 10.43 seconds.
Now the replacement at TE, isn’t Zach Miller but rather his older brother Brent. Brent Miller a Senior this year only recorded one TD grab last season.

As mentioned already when discussing the Running Backs, the Offensive Line returns all five players. This unit helped lead the Sun Devils to the second best ground attack in the Pac-10 at 169.7 ypg. Offensive Tackle Brandon Rodd and Center Mike Pollak are the keys to the success of the O-Line. All of the starters are Seniors with the exception of Guard Paul Fanaika who is a Junior. This group puts up a serious argument for the best O-Line in the Pac-10 up against USC. They will be the key to the success of this offense that struggled to put it in the air last year. Carpenter needs to regain his confidence and it all lies within these big hogmales up front.

DEFENSE (Starters Returning: 6)

Last year’s defense was nothing special ranking at least 5th or below in the Pac-10 in all major defensive categories. Craig Bray who is the new Defensive Coordinator coming over from Colorado where he was Secondary coach, Bray will continue to run a 4-3 Defense in Tempe. Bray has been with Erickson wherever Erickson has went, so there is a strong bond between the two.

On the Defensive Line, the Sun Devils lost Jordan Hill and Kyle Caldwell who each started all 13 games last season. But they still have as mentioned Michael Marquardt (Player Ready to Shine) and Sophomore Dexter Davis. The new defensive staff signed two mid-year JC transfers in Luis Vasquez and Eric Tanner. Vasquez should be a starter when Fall camp rolls around at the opposite DE spot. Manning the other Defensive Tackle spot by Marquardt is David Smith. This Defensive Line needs to show up in the big games against the Pac-10s elite. In ASU’s five Pac-10 losses the defense only recorded five sacks, showing there was a lack of pursuit in the backfield against opposing offenses. This unit doesn’t have much depth but should continue to improve as the season goes along.

At Linebacker, watch for Spring stud Morris Wooten who was a Mid-year JUCO transfer to be a significant contributor at Middle Linebacker. Travis Goethel is a returning starter and has a Pat Tillman-esque look to him with the long hair, he is extremely quick which the new defensive staff is emphasizing with these Linebackers. Then Mike Nixon and Ryan McFoy are the top candidates for the final LB spot. Wooten is the type of athlete who could be Pac-10 newcomer of the year.

In the Secondary, there is two starters returning but some questions need to be filled for the remaining two spots. At Cornerback, Justin Tryon is holding one starting spot while the other is up for grabs. In the ASU spring game the starter was Senior Chad Green, but he had a severe car accident the following day. So many players are vying for that spot alongside Tryon. True Freshman Omar Bolden who was signed listed as a RB played CB at High School will be a CB for the Sun Devils. As for the Safety spot, the Sun Devils have do it all player Josh Barrett (pictured) is a pre-season Lott Trophy candidate. One of the best Defensive backs in the Pac-10 Barrett has great speed for his size 6’3 231. Rumored to be the fastest player on the team, Barrett has recorded 136 tackles in his career.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Punter Jonathan Johnson returns who ranked 22nd in the nation in Net Punting at 37.27 yards per punt. PK Jesse Ainsworth does depart who was the leader in scoring last season at 84 points and was the Sun Devils PK the past four seasons. The replacement looks to be redshirt Freshman Thomas Weber.

Newcomer(s) who should become a Household name

I have already mentioned them earlier but they would be JC transfers Luis Vasquez and Morris Wooten. Wooten is already becoming a well known name amongst Sun Devil fans and Vasquez is a star player out of Arizona Western Community College. Wooten who originally committed to West Virginia jumped on board with Arizona State during the mid-year signing period knowing that he could be a star right away and he is already showing that.

OUTLOOK

I’m not too high on the hiring of Dennis Erickson, but I think he can do some good things with this program in the short period of time that he will be here but not this year. The Sporting News in one of their recent issues said this program is the most underachieving program in the nation and it is very true. They get tons of talent but can never put up big seasons on a consistent basis and I don’t see the break thru coming this season. The Sun Devils do have 8 home games which is a very nice luxury, Oregon State, Cal, and USC all have to travel to the desert but I don’t see any of them losing. ASU will start fast like they did last season going 4-1 then the difficult Pac-10 slate will kick in and the Sun Devils will start to fade like they usually do. Don’t be surprised if ASU does pull off an upset or two (Oregon State, UCLA) but this team is just too unpredictable. So a 7-5 record with another trip to Honolulu in the Hawaii Bowl, will be ASU’s fate. Distinguished Alumnus Al Michaels would be saying, "Do You Believe in Miracles?!?" yet again if his Sun Devils were in a BCS bowl this year.

RANDOM BIT OF INFORMATION

Back in 1946, the Arizona State student body had a vote to change the school’s nickname to Sun Devils from the prior name, Bulldogs.

2007 Preview: Wisconsin Badgers

2007-05-14T16:31:00.000-06:00

2006 Record: 12-1 (2nd in the Big Ten, Win over Arkansas in Capital One Bowl 17-14)
Head Coach: Bret Bielema (2nd Season, 12-1)

2007 Schedule
Sept. 1st Washington State (W)
Sept. 8th @ UNLV (W)
Sept. 15th The Citadel (W)
Sept. 22nd Iowa (W)
Sept. 29th Michigan State (W)
Oct. 6th @ Illinois (W)
Oct. 13th @ Penn State (W)
Oct. 20th Northern Illinois (W)
Oct. 27th Indiana (W)
Nov. 3 @ Ohio State (W)
Nov. 10 Michigan (L)
Nov. 17 @ Minnesota (W)

Player Ready To Shine

Senior, WR Paul Hubbard is ready to break out in 2007. Last season was very inconsistent at times but still managed to be #2 in receptions behind stud TE Travis Beckum. Hubbard who was a former track star (2nd Team Big Ten in 2005) is still getting adjusted to the WR spot. Had a productive spring to sure up his hands which have been a big question mark. If he stays consistent this season, with his size at 6-5 218 he could do big things this fall.

OFFENSE (Starters Returning: 10)

The Badgers lost two standout players on their offense, most notable would definitely be OT Joe Thomas who went to the Cleveland Browns at Pick #3 in the NFL Draft. Also, lost QB John Stocco who finished as the 2nd all-time passer in the school’s history with 7227 yards, which is only behind Darrell Bevell (7,686 ’92-’95). So there are some big shoes to fill.

But the offense this season starts with Sophomore sensation RB P.J. Hill. Hill as a redshirt Freshman last year ran for 1,569 yards and 15 Touchdowns in replace of Brian Calhoun who departed the previous season. Hill is a high choice for the Heisman Trophy going into next season. Hill sat out Spring practices due to a shoulder injury that he suffered in last season’s Capital One Bowl but expect him to be a full force in the opener against Washington State. Lance Smith is the back-up and he had a good spring game running for 77 yards and on the 2nd play of the game had a 25-yard scamper. Also watch for John Clay who was a highly sought after recruit could become the back-up behind Hill.

The replacement for Stocco as of now is Tyler Donovan who had two starts last season, and played in seven games. He is a 5-year Senior who knows this offense, but the job is not set yet and will resume going into Fall Camp. Allan Evridge is the man who is right behind Donovan for the job. Evridge who was a transfer last season from Kansas State sat out due to NCAA transfer rules. Right now this is a toss-up as to who will get the job, but at the end of the day its going to be Donovan who comes away with the nod with his experience with in the program.

Already discussed about Paul Hubbard who should be a Player that is ready to shine this year, then everyone knows about Travis Beckum who was a 2nd Team All-American last year goes into the season as one of the Top TE’s in the nation, and should be a top target for either Donovan or Evridge. The Badgers signed four WR’s on LOI Day and the top catch was Nick Toon a local prospect within Madison, has great size at 6’3 200 and blazing speed. Should have a chance to see time right away.

Then the O-Line which is always a strength for the Badgers, only gets better even with the loss of stud Joe Thomas. They return four of the five starters on that powerful O-Line. Marcus Coleman is the man in the middle at Center who started all 13 games last season. The player to replace Joe Thomas at LT right now looks to be Sophomore Jake Bscherer or redshirt Freshman Gabe Carimi. Bscherer has the inside edge playing in 11 of 13 games last season, but Carimi was one of the big stories of Spring practice and was seeing a lot of time with the first unit. My vote goes to Carimi. This Offensive Line is the best in all of College Football next season.

DEFENSE (Starters Returning: 7)

Seven players return from the Defense that was 5th in Total Defense last season allowing only 253.08 yards per game. The Badgers 4-3 scheme always causes fits for opposing offenses. This year the D-line is led by Junior DE Matt Shaughnessy who was a consensus 2nd Team All-Big Ten performer last season. Senior DT Nick Hayden returns as well and he has started his last 26 games for the Badgers.

The Linebackers lost Mark Zalewski in the middle who recorded 55 tackles and 2 sacks last season. But the Weak side and Strong side Linebackers are going to be very good in Jonathan Casiallas and DeAndre Levy who are both Juniors. Levy established himself as a leader of this defense in Spring practices. The replacement for Zalewski is Elijah Hodge a Sophomore out of Fort Lauderdale who had some off the field issues last season but has had taken on the #1 spot at MLB after spring.

The #2 Pass Defense in the nation last year has both of the Cornerbacks returning in Jack Ikegwuonu (1st Team All Big Ten) and Allen Langford. The downside is the Safeties, all four of the top Safeties from last year’s team are gone in Roderick Rogers, Joe Stellmacher, Zach Hampton, and Johnny White. The replacements are Shane Carter at the Free Safety spot and Aubrey Pleasant at SS. The Badgers do have talented newcomers coming in with Otis Merrill, and Aaron Henry to shake things up.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Both Ken DeBauche (Punter) and Taylor Mehlhaff (Kicker) return. Mehlaff was 47-of-47 on XP attempts and was 15-of-20 on Field Goals recording 92 points on the season. WR Luke Swann replaces Zach Hampton as the Punt Returner who only averaged 5.74 yards per return.

Newcomer Who Should Become a Household Name

Josh Oglesby, OT, Milwaukee
Oglesby could step into Fall camp and become a major contributor at the LT spot for the Badgers. At 6’7 315 already has the build for a big-time offensive tackle in D-1 football. Has great athleticsm, and long arms. Was the #1 rated recruit at his position in the nation. He had offers from the likes of USC, Notre Dame, and Nebraska among others.

OUTLOOK

The Badgers have the makings for something special this season, and are a definite possibility for the National Championship. The schedule is favorable up until Oct. 13th @ Penn State, then three weeks later at the Horsehoe in Columbus, then one week later they host Michigan at home. I think the Badgers come out of that 2-1 with both wins being the road games, then a loss to Michigan who is loaded this season. If Wisconsin can have success at QB they could sneak up on people again and win the Big Ten championship this time, but it will come down to those three games towards the end of the season. This is one of the most balanced teams in all of College Football across the board.

RANDOM BIT OF INFORMATION

The Badgers have been a measure of success in College Football in the past 8 years have had a record of 66-30 (.068). One of the highest winning percentages in the nation with that 8-year span.

Badger Blog to check out
Wisconsin Badger Sports
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Dave Heller covering Wisconsin and the Big Ten

2007 Preview: BYU Cougars

2007-05-14T10:44:00.000-06:00

Alright this is my first preview of all the teams in College Football leading up to the season. I'm starting things off with the best Non-BCS team in the nation last year (that includes you too Boise State) and that is the BYU Cougars. Now let's rise and shout!

2006 Record: 11-2 (Mountain West Champs, Las Vegas Bowl win over Oregon 38-8)

Head Coach: Bronco Mendenhall, 3rd Season (17-8)

2007 schedule

Sept. 1 Arizona (W)

Sept. 8 @ UCLA (L)

Sept. 15 @ Tulsa (W)

Sept. 22 Air Force (W)

Sept. 29 @ New Mexico (W)

Oct. 13 @ UNLV (W)

Oct. 20 Eastern Washington (W)

Oct. 27 @ San Diego State (W)

Nov. 3 Colorado State (W)

Nov. 8 TCU (W) *Toss-up (Edge: Home)

Nov. 17 @ Wyoming (W) *Trap Game

Nov. 24 Utah (W)

Player Ready To Shine

After being basically snubbed by the Mountain West last season as only a Honorable Mention candidate, Linebacker Bryan Kehl is ready to take the main stage this season. He has been the voice of this players during spring ball. He is very confident, and has the athleticsm to back it up. Kehl is BYU's best Pro Prospect. Expect Kehl to make a strong run for Defensive Player of the Year in the Mountain West this season.

OFFENSE

The Cougars lost many top offensive weapons from the glorious 2006 season. John Beck is gone, leaving as the school's 2nd all-time leading passer. Who steps in to replace him? Well it was known all along by Cougar fans that it would be former Arizona State QB Max Hall (pictured below) who sat out last due to NCAA transfer rules. The other candidate going into Spring ball was JUCO National Player of the Year Cade Cooper who was seeing time with the 1s alot during Spring practices but in the annual Blue-White spring game on his 3rd snap he had a freak injury trying to recover a bad snap by Center Garrett Reden. Cooper is now done for the season. To replace Cooper in the Spring Game was Glendale CC QB Brenden Gaskins who displayed impressive accuracy and has a strong passion to be at BYU. But Max Hall is the man in '07 with Gaskins as the #2.

Running Backs will be taken over by Fui Vakapuna if and when he ever gets fully healthy, and Manase Tonga. BYU has a strong stable of Running Backs this season. All of them are strong, physical runners. Harvey Unga who had a TD run last year in the blowout against Tulsa is recovering from his season ending injury last season and should be ready to go by the start of the year. Wayne Latu redshirted last season and showed some great speed in his performances late in the 2005 season, particularly against UNLV.

Wide Receivers look to be very good for Hall this year. Michael Reed and Matt Allen return and then stud Freshman Ryan Kessman joins the program who was supposed to be enrolled for Spring but the NCAA clearinghouse is a joke. Let's just say that. The Tight Ends have talent but are very inexperienced. Replacing All-American Jonny Harline, and Dan Coats is no easy chore. Vic So'oto, Dennis Pitta, and Andrew George are the top players and all three should be very good and continue BYU's strong legacy with having successful TE's.

The Offensive Line is simply loaded. New O-Line coach Mark Weber (North Carolina) inherits a great unit. This is the best O-Line since the dominant offensive team in 2001. Center Sete Aulai who had struggles in the early part of the season, was also suspended for the Utah State game for team rules. From that point on, Aulai was dominant and one of the main reasons BYU did so well. Dallas Reynolds, Travis Bright, David Oswald are starters as well. I expect JC transfer Levi Mack to come in and see alot of time right away.

DEFENSE

Going into last season there was much speculation saying that BYU would be a great offensive team but would give up alot of points on Defense. That theory proved to be very inaccurate considering BYU's D only gave up 14.5 ppg in 13 outings. This year riding that wave of momentum the defense looks to build upon that. How CollegeFootballNews.com put this defense is very fitting, as one of the "nastiest Non-BCS defenses in the nation." I agree with that statement alot.

The Defensive Line is going to be very good with Freshman All-American Jan Jorgensen leading the charge at DE. Russell Tialavea, and Ian Dulan (recovered from knee injury) are the top players on this D-line. A name people should watch for is incoming Freshman Star Lotulelei out of Bingham HS in South Jordan, UT. Lotulelei needs to get eligible still but could have a huge impact right away. Another name that Cougar fans are holding out for is former Cougar signee Brian Soi. He was dubbed the next Haloti Ngata out of Timpview HS back in 2003, but academics have been a big issue for this talented player. If he can get eligible the Cougars will have a big boost to their D-line.

BYU went to the 3-4-4 defense last season rather than run Mendenhall's trademark defense, the 3-3-5. Turned out to be a wise move, considering the coaching staff wanted to have the best 11 players out on the field at all times, and having 5 players in a position where the Cougars have been snake bit for years is not a wise move, so the switch was made to the 3-4 based on the strength of the Linebackers. Bryan Kehl who we already mentioned, and David Nixon are the headliners. Nixon out of College Station, TX is a stud, he turned the tide on BYU's season last year with a hard hit on TCU QB Jeff Ballard that forced a fumble. From that moment on, BYU rolled the entire year. Kelly Poppinga (brother of Brady on the Packers) has strong leadership traits according to coaches and is a hard hitter will have alot of success this year. Markell Staffieri, Chris Bolden, Grant Nelson, Austen Jorgensen, and Terrance Hooks are all talented players who should see time as well this year.

The Secondary is improving in Cougar Town for once. Starting CB Ben Criddle who was a walk-on last year is still recovering from a foot injury he suffered against Utah, but will be the starter at the Field Corner spot from Day 1 of Fall Camp. Some candidates to fill the other side include: Brandon Bradley who is a player Cougar fans are just begging to see with his rare mix of athleticsm and size that is rare in Provo. Brandon Howard who made great strides in spring, Scott Johnson a walk-on who carries Bronco's walk-on type mentality, Andre Saulsberry a JC transfer last year who didn't do anything, and G Pittman a Frehsman out of Rancho Cucamonga. The Safeties, are nothing special but just all around solid. Quinn Gooch who is a hard hitter, Dustin Gabriel, David Tafuna, and Corby Hodgkiss are all solid.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Alot of question marks surrounding BYU's specialists this year as they lost both Punter Derek McLaughlin, and Kicker Jared McLaughlin who were very good. Mitch Payne looks to have the job to fill both duties. He has big shoes to fill as he is the brother of the fan favorite a few years back, Matt Payne who Boise State fans are very familiar with (2004 game).

Newcomer who should become household name

Running Back J.J. DiLuigi out of Canyon, CA. DiLuigi led Canyon High to a CIF State Championship over the #1 Ranked De La Salle High School. DiLuigi is expected to be an immediate impact for the Cougars. Recently however he broke his foot going to get the L.A. Daily Newspaper in his front yard. He is out for 7 weeks and will be fine and ready to go when fall camp gets underway.

OUTLOOK

From seeing my predictions for BYU in the schedule at the top, I think BYU wins 11 games again this season and wins the Mountain West title. Now I know TCU is going to be very good, but BYU has them at home and Bronco Mendenhall has emphasized not losing at Lavell Edwards Stadium. The game at UCLA will be exciting and is a toss-up, but UCLA has a strong defense and I think they will cause fits for Max Hall who will be starting in only his 2nd game. But the Cougars theme is "Raise The Bar" and I firmly believe they will do so in this 2007 campaign. They don't want to make 2006 a one-hit wonder, they are looking to build on that.

RANDOM BIT OF INFORMATION

BYU hasn't beat UCLA since 1983 which was the first meeting between the two schools in the Rose Bowl. Since that first meeting UCLA has won the last six meetings in the series with the most recent being in Provo back in 1995 (9-26).

Cougar Blogs to check out
Provo Pride
Cougar Corner

Let's do this!

2007-05-13T23:41:00.000-06:00

Well first off if your reading this, welcome to the site. I'm really excited to get this going. I've always wanted to do a College Football blog, previewing the teams across the nation and everything in between leading up to the college football season. I want this to be a mainstay for all you avid College Football fans.

A little about me, I'm currently a college student who loves College Football and wants to one day make my own College Football Preview each year, like a Phil Steele type of magazine. Well I'm excited to offer some insight to the College Football blogosphere, this will be a entertaining blog. I can assure that. Again thanks for stopping by!