CFB Thoughts...

Thoughts from Saturday...

Both of the top 10 match-ups ended in blowouts and along with Ohio St being underwhelming against Illinois, will put Bama and Oregon as the top teams in this weeks poll.

Deja-vu anyone for the USC-Washington game. Gutty performance by Jake Locker, I don't know how the Huskies lost to BYU.

Virginia Tech and Miami will have a pretty good race in the ACC Coastal. Both teams are playing well right now and their November 20 game should be for the division.

UNC got a solid win over East Carolina after getting some players back. They have been so decimated by those suspensions it has been remarkable how well they have competed without so many future NFL players.

Oklahoma has beaten Utah St, Cincy, Texas, and Air Force by an average of 5 points. The rest of the schedule doesn't look to tough and could set up a huge Big 12 title game against Nebraska.

We will get a better reading on how good Denard Robinson is the next 2 weeks as they play MSU and Iowa, 2 of the best defenses in the Big 10.

Finally, a brutal loss for UT yesterday. That has to be one of the worst ways to lose a game. They do play hard for Dooley and won't be in the bottom half of the SEC for many more years.

RSM Poll for 10/3

1. Alabama
2. Oregon
3. Ohio St
4. Boise St
5. TCU
6. Nebraska
7. Oklahoma
8. Auburn
9. Michigan
10. Arkansas
11. Arizona
12. Stanford
13. Utah
14. Michigan St
15. Florida
16. LSU
17. Miami
18. South Carolina
19. Nevada
20. Iowa
21. Oklahoma St
22. Wisconsin
23. Air Force
24. Missouri
25. Northwestern

Matt Ryan...

So, the chic thing to discuss when the debate of how good the Falcons are this year is whether or not Matt Ryan is an elite quarterback. The defense is better, Roddy is a stud, the running game is solid, but can they get to a Super Bowl with Matt Ryan?

I think it is unfair to compare Matty with Brady/Peyton Manning/Brees and those guys. He does not have a really strong arm or have above average feet/pocket awareness. What he does have is toughness, the ability to lead, and confidence of the organization and his teammates.

While Matty may not be a Pro Bowler, he is certainly better than Rex Grossman, Jake Delhomme, Trent and Dilfer. Those guys all led teams to Super Bowls in the past 10 years.

Riding the momentum of the win at NO last week, things could get really interesting for the Birds if they win their next two games vs SF and at Cleveland. They will be favored in both by about a touchdown, and if they can hold serve and be 4-1, the outlook for the season looks pretty dang good.

Two games with the Panthers and Bucs look like wins and add to that the Rams and Seahawks, and this team could be in great shape in December.

Philly at Atlanta for the NFC anyone? Would there be hype for that game?

Baseball season winding down...

How would you like this guy in your starting rotation?

2nd in the league in starts made
17th in innings pitched
18th in strikeouts
18th in ERA
In 24 of his 33 starts, he gave up 2 runs or less

What would you say about this guy? Borderline #1 starter and a strong #2 on a playoff team? I agree.

The pitcher with these stats for 2010 is Tommy Hanson, yet for some reason, he has not won over the majority of Braves fans as a front-line starter.

I know he gave up 8 in Cincinnati in May, and 9 against the White Sox in June, but look at the big picture. He has had an outstanding season on the hill for the Bravos.

Check out this comparison: Hanson vs Tim Lincecum

Starts – 33 to 33
Starts giving up 2 runs or less – 24 of 33 to 24 of 33
Starts giving up 5 runs or more – 5 of 33 to 5 of 33
Innings pitched – 212 for Lincecum to 192 for Hanson
Strikeouts – 231 for Lincecum to 187 for Hanson
ERA – Lincecum 3.43 and Hanson 3.41

Pretty close numbers for Hanson when compared to a 2-time Cy Young award winner. The Padres just lost and it looks like the Braves will be in San Fran next Thursday. Hopefully Hanson, Lowe, and Hudson can carry this team to the NLCS, because the injury depleted offense will not likely carry this team very far...

CFB Thoughts...

I was shocked at the Texas-UCLA result yesterday. I figured that one would be somewhat close with Texas having a bit of a letdown after the TT game, but did not see them losing like that. Oklahoma squeaked by another average team and doesn't look like a top 10 team either. Florida finally looked like they began to click and Auburn held on once again at home. I thought South Carolina would beat them up after their physical game against Clemson the week before, but they were able to find a way to win.

The top Pac-10 teams all won, but Stanford has the most convincing win at Notre Dame. Oregon struggled and needed help from ASU in their win and Arizona had zero offense and barely got by Cal.

Here is how I see 'em this week:

1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Oregon
4. Boise St
5. TCU
6. Nebraska
7. Stanford
8. Florida
9. Oklahoma
10. Auburn
11. Wisconsin
12. LSU
13. Arkansas
14. Arizona
15. Michigan
16. USC
17. South Carolina
18. Utah
19. Miami
20. Texas
21. Iowa
22. NC State
23. Oklahoma St
24. Michigan St
25. Nevada

Top 25 and BCS predictions...

After yesterday's games, I am becoming more convinced that Ohio State is going to run the table. The road tests at Wisconsin and Iowa look much more winnable after both teams were exposed yesterday. So, if Boise beats Oregon State next week, we are either looking at an OSU-BSU national title game or bedlam.

Other candidates for an unbeaten season? Alabama, Texas/OU/Neb, and Oregon...

I don't think Alabama will go unbeaten. Penn State was an OK test, but they are not a top 25 team this year. Road tests at Arkansas, USC, and LSU along with games vs Florida and Auburn will be tough to get through. A 12-1 Alabama team will be tough to leave out, but if there is a Big 12 or Pac-10 unbeaten team I think they will get in.

Oregon is very under-sized on defense and will have problems stopping Stanford, USC, and a few others in the Pac-10. If Nebraska can beat Texas at home on October 16th, they will have a shot to get in with a Big 12 Championship. TCU will have the loss to Boise last year going against them with the voters, so Boise will have to lose for them to get a shot.

For now, here is how I see them...

1) Alabama

2) Ohio State

3) Oregon

4) Boise St

5) TCU

6) Nebraska

7) Oklahoma

8) South Carolina

9) Texas

10) Florida

11) Stanford

12) Wisconsin

13) Arkansas

14) LSU

15) Arizona

16) Auburn

17) Michigan

18) Utah

19) USC

20) Iowa

21) Miami

22) Clemson

23) NC State

24) Oklahoma St

25) Michigan St

College Football in full swing...

Now that the college football season is moving along, we can look back at what we have seen so far and what teams look the best. After watching several games the last 2 weeks, here are some things I have seen so far.

1) Ohio State is well on their way to 12-0 and a spot in the title game

2) Rich-Rod looks like he wants to keep his job after all

3) Alabama has not fallen off much on defense and they get their top defensive player back next week

4) Having a veteran quarterback playing at home is a huge advantage

5) The ACC is in for another long season

6) Boise will run the table, but the VT loss today will not help them get to #2

7) Oregon and Stanford are the class of the Pac-10

8) Texas is way down from the past 5 years and will lose by double digits to OU

9) As you will see below, I think the Big 10 is pretty good this year

The poll for this week if I had a vote (and I should considering how much CFB I watch)

1) Alabama

2) Ohio State

3) Oregon

4) Boise State

5) TCU

6) Nebraska

7) Oklahoma

8) South Carolina

9) Iowa

10) Wisconsin

11) Michigan

12) Florida

13) Texas

14) Auburn

15) LSU

16) Stanford

17) Utah

18) Arkansas

19) USC

20) Miami

21) Arizona

22) Notre Dame

23) Air Force

24) California

25) Houston

NFL Predictions...

It's tough to predict how this league will shape up, but here is my take on the 2010 season.

NFC East - 1) Philly 2) Washington 3) Dallas 4) NYG

NFC South - 1) NO 2) Atlanta 3) Tampa Bay 4) Carolina

NFC North - 1) GB 2) Minnesota 3) Detroit 4) Chicago

NFC West - 1) SF 2) STL 3) Arizona 4) Seattle

AFC East - 1) Jets 2) Miami 3) NE 4) Buffalo

AFC North - 1) B-more 2) Cincy 3) Pitt 4) Cleveland

AFC South - 1) Indy 2) Houston 3) Tennessee 4) Jax

AFC West - 1) SD 2) Denver 3) Oakland 4) KC

WC Round - Atlanta over SF, Philly over Washington, Indy over Cincy, Jets over Houston

2nd Round - Green Bay over Philly, Atlanta over NO, B-more over Jets, SD over Indy

NFC Championship - GB over Atlanta

AFC Championship - B-more over SD

Super Bowl - B-more over Green Bay