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4th-and-Long Week One

Sep 1, 2009

Okay ladies and gentlemen, it’s about time the most wonderful time of the year got here! After a long, hot summer that’s burned about half of Texas up, it’s time for some football!

****THURSDAY****

No. 16 Oregon at No. 14 Boise State (-4) – ESPN – The college football season gets started off with a bang in this matchup. Expect Oregon to pick up right where they left off under new coach Chip Kelly, and Boise State should have their usual high flying attack. Expect a wild, high-scoring affair in this game.
Boise State….49-45

****SATURDAY****

LA-Monroe at No. 2 Texas (-40.5) – FSN PPV – Colt McCoy and the Longhorns should have no problem with LA-Monroe, but ask Alabama how that turned out a couple of years ago.
Texas….48-17

No. 20 BYU vs. No. 3 Oklahoma (-22) (Arlington) – ESPN – The first college game in JerryWorld should be a decent matchup of two teams with very good offenses. Expect OU’s defense to slow down BYU’s passing attack quite a bit, and BYU’s defense shouldn’t pose too much of a challenge to OU’s offense.
Oklahoma….56-27

No. 5 Alabama (-7) vs. No. 7 Virginia Tech (Atlanta) – ABC – The marquee game of Week One should be close, although I expect that Virginia Tech’s tailback depth (or lack thereof) will be the deciding factor in this one.
Alabama….27-10

Navy @ No. 6 Ohio State (-21.5) – ESPN – The home opener for Captain Sweatervest and his team should be pretty uneventful (aren’t most games in the Big 11?), and Navy might scare them for a quarter, but that’s about it.
Ohio State….35-17

No. 13 Georgia @ No. 9 Oklahoma State (-5.5) – ABC – Ah, yes…it’s finally time to figure out if Okie Lite is for real. We’ll finally get the answer to the question of whether the Cowboys are pretenders or contenders, even though Georgia has a new starting quarterback and running backs. Expect Georgia’s defense to take away Dez Bryant with no solid No. 2 receiver on this team and no Brandon Pettigrew to keep them honest over the middle. And as we saw last year in the Holiday Bowl, no Dez Bryant means the Cowboys’ offense sputters.
Georgia….38-27

No. 11 LSU (-17) @ Washington – ESPN – A new coach won’t save the Huskies in this one, even if Les Miles does make a couple of boneheaded coaching moves.
LSU….52-21

Maryland @ No. 12 Cal (-21.5) – ESPN2 – Cal has a lot of talent returning this year…expect Maryland to hang close for the first half, but they won’t have the horses to keep up with Cal down the stretch.
Cal….42-24

Nevada @ No. 23 Notre Dame (-14.5) – NBC – As much as I would like to see the Irish fall flat on their faces against the Pistol offense, it won’t happen in this one. Too bad Nevada isn’t playing at home, their thug fans would enjoy taunting the Notre Dame players and fans.
Notre Dame….35-21

Florida Atlantic @ No. 24 Nebraska (-21.5) – FSN PPV – Nebraska should have a fairly easy time in this one, even if they are breaking in Zac Lee at quarterback.
Nebraska….45-18

Northern Colorado @ No. 25 Kansas (NL) – FCS Central – Looks like Mark Mangino went back to the cupcake schedule philosophy that served them well in 2007.
Kansas….56-7

Baylor @ Wake Forest (-2.5) – ABC/ESPN2 – Baylor gets the chance to show the country they are for real, and beating the Demon Deacons on their home field would give a tremendous boost to the Bears’ confidence early in the season.
Baylor….28-24

Missouri vs. Illinois (-7) (St. Louis) – ESPN – While this game has been quite entertaining the last couple of years, expect this game to go in the Illini’s favor early and stay that way.
Illinois….38-24

New Mexico @ Texas A&M (-14) – Although I don’t expect A&M to be very good again this year, the home crowd and the fact that they’re playing New Mexico should be enough to propel them to a season opening victory, unlike last year.
Texas A&M….24-17

North Dakota @ Texas Tech (NL) – Taylor Potts introduces himself to the Big 12 and the rest of the country with a huge first game performance against the hapless Fighting Sioux.
Texas Tech….66-14

UMass @ Kansas State (NL) – The return of Bill Snyder should be an easy W for the Wildcats.
Kansas State….45-14

****SUNDAY****

No. 8 Ole Miss (-16.5) @ Memphis – ESPN – Ole Miss returns just about everybody from last year, and I don’t see any way that Memphis will hang with them in this one.
Ole Miss….48-17

Colorado State @ Colorado (-10.5) – FSN – Colorado is the enigma of the Big 12 North. Who knows how good/bad they’ll be this year. Colorado State shouldn’t put up much of a fight in the first game since the school has decided to ditch playing in Denver and going back to home-and-home.
Colorado….31-10

****MONDAY****

Miami @ No. 18 Florida State (-5.5) – ESPN – This game isn’t what it used to be, but Miami should be improved enough to hang with the Seminoles for at least a half.
Florida State….34-21

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The Steel Cage - 09/01

Sep 1, 2009

Really hard to believe that it’s September 1st, but I guess the calendar does not lie. Did you know today is the birthday of Bam Bam Bigelow (RIP), Kenny Mayne and Tim Hardaway? Of course you didn’t. On to the show, so click it and listen.

If you would like the Cliffs Notes version of the program, here you go …

Top 7 - Sports Owners

Horribly annoying commercials that either never stop playing or that were played out to the point of viewer insanity.

Top 7 Redux - Famous Referees

Chris Carpenter is the Undertaker of pitchers.

From the JoeSportsFan Radio Network Center, I’m Patrick Imig.

***

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Where Have You Gone, Mitch Mustain

Aug 28, 2009

The decision over whether Pete Carroll should start true freshman Matt Barkley or redshirt sophomore Aaron Corp at quarterback was rendered yesterday when Carroll announced that Matt Barkley had won the competition.

Opinions about whether this was the right move or not fall on both sides of the spectrum.

However, I wanted to look at this from another perspective:

Where the hell is Mitch Mustain in all of this?

You remember Mitch Mustain, right?

  • One of the most highly touted quarterback recruits ever out of Springdale, Arkansas
  • Houston Nutt wanted Mustain (and teammate Damian Williams) so badly that he hired their high school coach, Gus Mahlzahn, to be his offensive coordinator.
  • Mustain went 8-0 as a starter (in the SEC, mind you) in 2006. Okay, so he was in the same backfield as Darren McFadden, Felix Jones and Petyon Hillis.
  • Nutt went with Casey Dick as his starting quarterback for the Tennessee game (and subsequently for the rest of the season), angering some of his backers (including Mustain's parents).
  • After the season, Mustain and Williams transferred to USC. Mahlzahn went to Tulsa as offensive coordinator and has recently returned to the SEC West in the same role at Auburn.

Yeah, that about sums it up.

Mustain arrived at USC in 2007 (his redshirt season). The 2009 season is set to kick off in less than a week.

Having been in the system for two seasons prior, shouldn't Mustain have had the inside track on the starting spot? Or if nothing else, have been neck and neck with Aaron Corp (who also arrived in 2007)?

Maybe this can be a case for not going overboard with recruiting rankings and potential.

Or is it just that USC was a bad fit?

MLB Baseball Betting Odds &amp; Lines Report: August 27th 2009

Aug 27, 2009

Here is a rundown of today’s baseball betting odds and MLB lines from ATS Consultants for August 27th 2009. If you are looking for free MLB baseball betting picks on a daily basis be sure to sign-up for the ATS newsletter, featuring unmatched sports wagering information, free picks and expert analysis.

Day games and night games today as mid week series wrap up and teams get ready for the last weekend of Ausgust. Things are really heating up around the bigs, and the pennant races are in full swing. Texas and the Yankees wrap up their series in New York this afternoon, it’ll be Dustin Nippert vs. AJ Burnett. The best game in the NL is in Colorado, as Vicente Padilla makes his Dodgers debut vs. Jorge De La Rosa and the Rockies. Good luck!

MLB Baseball Betting Odds: August 27th 2009
Click Here for Current MLB Baseball Odds

Date # Team Money Spread Total
08/27/09 201 Mets(NY)Redding +200 +1.5 (-105) Over 9 (even)
13:10 ET 202 Marlins(Florida)Sanchez -220 -1.5 (-115) Under 9 (-120)

08/27/09 203 Reds(Cincinnati)Lehr +151 +1.5 (-145) Over 9 (-115)
14:05 ET 204 Brewers(Milwaukee)Bush -161 -1.5 (+125) Under 9 (-105)

08/27/09 205 Astros(Houston)Moehler +225 +1.5 (even) Over 7.5 (even)
14:15 ET 206 Cardinals(StLouis)Carpenter -270 -1.5 (-120) Under 7.5 (-120)

08/27/09 207 Nationals(Washington)Martin +190 +1.5 (-105) Over 9.5
14:20 ET 208 Cubs(Chicago)Wells -210 -1.5 (-115) Under 9.5

08/27/09 209 Dodgers(LA)Padilla +125 +1.5 (-165) Over 10 (-120)
15:10 ET 210 Rockies(Colorado)DeLaRosa -135 -1.5 (+145) Under 10 (even)

08/27/09 211 Phillies(Philadelphia)Happ -188 -1.5 (-120) Over 8.5
19:05 ET 212 Pirates(Pittsburgh)Morton +178 +1.5 (even) Under 8.5

08/27/09 213 Padres(SanDiego)Richard +210 +1.5 Over 8 (even)
19:10 ET 214 Braves(Atlanta)Vazquez -240 -1.5 Under 8 (-120)

08/27/09 215 Diamondbacks(Arizona)Petit +116 +1.5 (-190) Over 8.5
22:15 ET 216 Giants(SanFrancisco)Martinez -126 -1.5 (+165) Under 8.5

08/27/09 217 Rangers(Texas)Nippert +185 +1.5 Over 9.5 (-120)
13:05 ET 218 Yankees(NewYork)Burnett -200 -1.5 Under 9.5 (even)

08/27/09 219 Indians(Cleveland)Laffey +101 +1.5 (-210) Over 9.5 (-115)
19:05 ET 220 Orioles(Baltimore)Hernandez -111 -1.5 (+175) Under 9.5 (-105)

08/27/09 221 WhiteSox(Chicago)Danks +108 +1.5 (-180) Over 10
19:10 ET 222 RedSox(Boston)Tazawa -118 -1.5 (+160) Under 10

08/27/09 223 Royals(KansasCity)Davies +140 +1.5 (-160) Over 8.5 (-105)
22:10 ET 224 Mariners(Seattle)Fister -150 -1.5 (+140) Under 8.5 (-115)

08/27/09 225 Athletics(Oakland)Cahill +174 +1.5 (-125) Over 9.5 (-115)
22:25 ET 226 Angels(LAA)Santana -184 -1.5 (+105) Under 9.5 (-105)

ATS Consultants is a featured sports handicapping firm on Touthouse.com. If you are looking for free baseball picks or updated MLB baseball betting lines be sure to visit Touthouse.com on a daily basis

PODCAST: The JoeSportsFan Radio Network

Aug 26, 2009

Over the past few weeks on our regular installment of the “JoeSportsFan Show”, we teased the fact that big news was coming down the podcasting pipeline here on JoeSportsFan.com. Yesterday, you saw the initiation of this news as our own Patrick Imig and Jason Major debuted their first weekly show entitled, “The Steel Cage”.

Today, we’re happy to announce a partnership of sorts with respected cohorts that will deliver complementary content to our own internal lineup. Without further ado, we’re pleased to unveil the “JoeSportsFan Radio Network“.

We couldn’t be more excited to have two of our favorite outlets, HuggingHaroldReynolds and The Sports Hernia, collectively contributing to the ultimate goal of producing entertaining content on a weekly basis.  As opposed to producing our standard “JoeSportsFan Show” on a more frequent basis (which would have ultimately landed Sebek/Bacott divorces and marked the exhaustion of all mustache jokes), we thought we could produce a diverse lineup of shows by bringing in some of cyber homies and giving them the reins.

Below is a brief summary of what you can expect on a weekly basis from the JoeSportsFan Radio Network:

1.) The Sports Hernia Show (hosted by Tim Ryan and the fellas from TheSportsHernia)

Featuring a weekly wrap-up of the major headlines in the world of sports, with a Sports Hernia twist, of course. (link)

2.) The Steel Cage (hosted by JoeSportsFan’s Patrick Imig and Jason Major)

Imig and Major review the previous week’s “Top 7” list, including glaring omissions pointed out by our readers, as well as review one Top 7 list from the JoeSportsFan archive and discuss the relevancy of the past rankings in the current sports world. (link)

3.) The JoeSportsFan Show (hosted by JoeSportsFan’s Matt Sebek and Josh Bacott)

Topical sports chatter and a review of odd historical sporting events that happened during the current week.  The JoeSportsFan Show also consists of a cyber round table, featuring 2-3 prominent sports bloggers throughout the country and sports questions from the obscure to the even more obscure. (link)

4.) Blogs with Balls Radio (hosted by HuggingHaroldReynold’s Don Povia and Chris Lucas) -

Centered around the “Blogs with Balls” conferences, Don and Chris will provide a window into the formation of conference content, as well interview prominent individuals involved in the conferences (e.g. panelists, moderators, sponsors, etc.). (link)

——

We have some interesting plans in place to cross-promote the involved-personalities across the network, so stay tuned and give our newbies a listen.  While all shows can be found on JoeSportsFan.com (and the shows’ respective outlets), we recommend subscribing to our iTunes feed - which will deliver all of the shows to your digital doorstep automatically.

Episode 1 of the “Blogs with Balls” Radio Show

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Panic: Here Comes the Spread For the Georgia Bulldogs

Aug 24, 2009
Georgia are starting to put in the game plan for the Pokes and the scout team is running the Spread. BUI finally has most of its affairs in order. A new pair of red slacks has been purchased (a size bigger this year) and all I have left to do is secure my duckets for the WLOCP. 
Visited a Super Walmart in Florida with a liquor store over the weekend. Jim Beam was $21.99/1.5L. I bought two cases. Yes, Bernie, I am ready!

He's a Man, Leave Him Alone: Tulsa World: Why did Gundy lock the gates?
Only a small handful of media types—those considered friends of the program—are allowed to watch Mike Gundy hold practice at Boone Pickens Stadium.
Is Zac Robinson's hamstring really healed or just okay for the time being? OSU is positioned for a run at a possible dream season, but Robinson's involvement is essential. Head coach Mike Gundy seems frustrated that neither Brandon Weeden nor Alex Cate has clearly become the No. 2 quarterback.

They are all Geeked Up, Can we get 'em to Wear Black: Tulsa World: Best ever: A look at the upcoming college football season
A look at some of the players and story lines that could make this season one of the most exciting ever for college football fans in Oklahoma.

* Jim Bouton: Still crazy after all these years?

Aug 20, 2009

Some 40 years ago, Jim Bouton published what many consider to be the most important baseball book of all time. This Sunday, the MLB Network’s Studio 42 will host a conversation with Bouton  at 8 p.m. Bob Costas will be doing the honors as Bouton discusses his MLB career as well as his relationship with Mickey Mantle, his reason for writing the controversial memoir Ball Four, the reception the book received and what led to his return to Yankee Stadium for Old Timers’ Day in 1998.

From the MLB Network release:

WHY BOUTON WROTE BALL FOUR

I really wanted to share the fun in baseball. That was my purpose for writing it. It wasn’t really a tell-all book. I didn’t have racial comments, all the sexy stories are anonymous. It really was a great environment to be part of, a Major League Baseball team. I got lucky, I was with the right bunch of guys and I kept good notes.

WHY BALL FOUR CONNECTED WITH PEOPLE IN 1970

It was a time in our history where people were questioning things, questioning authority, doing things in different ways. You had the Vietnam War, you had men landing on the moon that year, and it [the Seattle Pilots] was a wonderful team. It was an expansion team, the Seattle Pilots. These guys were getting to know each other because they haven’t played with each other. They were always telling stories about their careers and I was sitting there with my notepad.

THE WAY MICKEY MANTLE IS DEPICTED IN BALL FOUR

I don’t think it makes Mickey Mantle look bad at all. He hit a home run with a hangover. It was more a story about what a great ball player he was than about what an awful thing it was.

RETURNING TO YANKEE STADIUM FOR OLD TIMERS’ DAY IN 1998

I got into the clubhouse and the players were great. It was a really good feeling. I spent so much time in the clubhouse that I got onto the field late. I didn’t get a chance to run around the field and get that feeling. But it was some day.

I wrote a “perspective” on “The Legacy  of Ball Four and Other Sporting Tomes” for Bookreporter.com in 2001. Much of it still holds water. Of course, with the passage of time, Ball Four — which caused such a scandal back in the day — seems mild in comparison with some of today’s tell-alls. Enjoy.

The Legacy of Ball Four and Other Sporting Tomes


When Joe DiMaggio: The Hero’s Life hit the stands, many readers were surprised and even angered with the way the Yankee Clipper was portrayed. Joe D. was a great hero for a generation of Americans (and not merely baseball fans). The revelations that he was, among other things, a wife beater, an indifferent father, a poor friend and a miser, did not sit well. How did it happen, readers moaned, that the veneer should be stripped off our heroes so casually?

Well, maybe we don’t want to see all the blemishes.

Decades ago, athletes were idolized on a level reserved for astronauts, explorers and presidents. Their stories were told with a mixture of awe and reverence. Often they were accounts of overcoming adversity, such as extreme poverty or serious illness. These were upbeat biographies, the type to enthrall youngsters to aspire to persevere against the odds.

Nowadays a player has one good season and rakes it in. His adversity stems from too much partying, alcohol, drugs, environment, etc. And then he writes his book.

With today’s technologies bombarding us with stimuli, it seems the passive days of “nice” stories are over. We want information, we want it fast — and the dirtier, the more graphic, the more outrageous, the better. How else to explain the inclusion of Wilt Chamberlain’s claims of erotic conquests in his autobiography or Bob Welch’s tales of alcoholism in Five O’Clock Comes Early, not to mention Dennis Rodman’s Bad as I Wanna Be?

And to whom do we have to thank for this genre? None other than Jim Bouton, whose groundbreaking oeuvre has recently been re-released, with updated material, as Ball Four: The Final Pitch. It is fascinating to reread it after all this time; the author’s additions put this controversial book in greater “historical” context.

Can it really be 30 years since Ball Four first came out? I remember first reading it at camp as a gangly adolescent, still naive enough to believe that I would never take money for the privilege of playing baseball. Yet the salacious stories that struck fear into the hearts of the baseball administration didn’t shock or phase me.

These days, Ball Four seems mild in comparison, what with the slew of foul-language “tell-all” books dealing with the drinking, the drugs, the womanizing and other antisocial behavior by a new generation of young men who have been pampered since their Little League days and handed bagfuls of money without accepting the responsibility that goes with being a public figure.

For those unfamiliar with this classic, Ball Four is the story of a year in the life of Bouton, a promising pitcher who came up with the Yankees in the early 1960s. He won 39 games in two seasons, plus two more in the World Series, only to succumb to injury and hard times and wind up a member of the expansion Seattle Pilots in their only year of existence. Washed up at 30, everyone said, although Bouton’s brain and heart wouldn’t agree with his arm. So he chronicled that 1969 season of struggles, both personally and for the team, which is full of enough colorful characters to cast an old World War Two movie.

Bouton was not the first to come along with the idea of an “adult” baseball autobiography (i.e., not a total sugarcoated tale). Jim Brosnan, a pitcher with several teams in the late ’50s and early ’60s, penned two books, The Long Season and Pennant Chase, but they were kid stuff compared to what “Bulldog” Bouton revealed.

Ball Four was more than a humorous examination of life in the big leagues. Bouton was no dumb jock. Though he tried to be one of the boys, he was under constant suspicion as a “free-thinker,” one step away from Communist leanings according to conservative sports minds. Yes, he worried about trying to master the knuckleball, but he also concerned himself with the real world: the Vietnam War, race relations and politics, among other things.

The vagaries of an athlete’s life, with the constant threat of career-ending injuries, the interminable moves from team to team at the whims of management, the toll it takes on domestic life, the difficulty in making lasting friendships — the average fan might forget these issues in the blinding light of astronomical salaries and glamour. For bringing these realities to light, Bouton was branded a pariah by the baseball establishment, as well as by a fair number of players who felt he’d betrayed the brotherhood. For years he was persona non grata and left off the invitation list for Yankee old-timers’ games.

Today’s players differ from their predecessors in many ways. There’s no question that the paychecks are a huge part of it. But for every major leaguer who gets that million dollar contract, there are still those who stay in the game because a hunger just won’t let them quit. The most memorable line of BALL FOUR, perhaps in all baseball literature, applies not just to players, but to anyone who has ever been a true fan:

“…You spend a good deal of your life gripping a baseball and in the end it turns out that it was the other way around all the time.”

2009 CBS BlogPoll Top 25 Ballot: Preseason

Aug 20, 2009
 2009 CBS BlogPoll Top 25 Ballot: Preseason Gate 21

Here’s my ballot for this week’s CBS Sports BlogPoll Top 25 hosted by—as you might imagine—CBS Sports.

Preseason Prognostications

Through 20 August 2009

College Football on Gate21.net" align="right" title="2009 CBS BlogPoll Top 25 Ballot: Preseason" />

Well, it’s been almost nine months since last I posted a BlogPoll ballot, and let me tell you that it feels mighty good to be back in the saddle again.  This does not, however, mean that have suddenly gained any sense or am any more reliable.

As a general rule, I consider preseason ballots to be dubious at best.  They are based upon little more than rumor and innuendo.  There is little to no basis for selecting one team over the other.  Thus, as Hooper has pointed out, this is little more than a turkey shoot.  That said, here’s my preseason Top 25 for everyone to attack:

My Ballot for the Week

blog poll 2009 CBS BlogPoll Top 25 Ballot: Preseason Gate 21
RankTeam
1Florida
2Oklahoma
3Southern Cal
4Texas
5Penn State
6Ole Miss
7Alabama
8California
9Ohio State
10Notre Dame
11Georgia
12LSU
13Oklahoma State
14Boise State
15TCU
16Virginia Tech
17Illinois
18Rutgers
19Miami (Florida)
20Nebraska
Gate%2021 Profile 2009 CBS BlogPoll Top 25 Ballot: Preseason Gate 21Iowa
22Brigham Young
23Pittsburgh
24Clemson
25UCLA

Explanations after the jump…

Comments, Explanations, and Excuses

So, how did I approached my preseason selections?  If nothing else, there is a slight method to my madness.  Here are the high-points:

First of all, I am not going to tell you that I can irrefutably defend the precise ranking of every team in my Top 25.  Given there are still wide-ranging differences of opinion as to the rankings in November, it stands to reason that there is even less certainty in August.  I have no fancy system of metrics which uses the slope of a line tangent to the parabolic curve (bet you didn’t think I even knew what a derivative was—Ha!) of the passes thrown by the quarterback to divine how that team will perform over the course of the season.  I do, however, have a spreadsheet in Excel with many exciting and stimulating colors which sometimes cause me to lose focus and think of the rainbow on the front of a box of Lucky Charms.

I digress…

There is a fair amount of “gut-factor” included in my rankings especially at this point in the season.  That is, I attempt to look at the various teams objectively in the first instance, but I still often have little more than instinct, a bit of pocket fuzz, and a note from my mother with which to defend my ultimate choices.  It’s not rocket science but it is also far from exact.  You have been warned.

At this early stage, I do place a heavy emphasis on strength of schedule and on overall chances each team winning all of its games.  Given the fact that half of the teams in my Top 25 play one another over the course of the season, it is fair to assume that I did not find many teams that I felt were likely to accomplish this task.  Still, playing a quality schedule with some likelihood of actually winning most of the games on that schedule goes a long way with me in the preseason.  Thus, this poll is more relative in that each team is judged—to some extent—by the teams it plays and my half-cocked conclusions about how those contests will be decided.  In other words, any team needs help at this point in time…

…except for a select few.

My top three selections—the Florida Gators (#1), Oklahoma Sooners (#2), and USC Trojans (#3)—are in a class all their own in my mind.  Some may doubt me on this, especially when it comes to Oklahoma.  I think it is altogether possible for each of these three teams to win all of their games and run the tables.  I know that this is not likely, but I do think it is possible.  The ordering of these teams is based upon the following key considerations, assumptions and delusions on my part:

  1. I believe that Oklahoma will win over the Texas Longhorns (#4) due to Mack Brown’s epic struggle to pluck defeat from the jaws of victory in another exciting installment of the Red River Classic.  The Big XII is not the SEC, but the Big XII is a solid conference—this matters.
  2. USC will mop up every single team they play with the exception of the California Golden Bears (#8), whom I predict they will barely beat.  USC has also shown a nasty habit of playing down to their opponents over the past three-to-five years and thus I think they are slightly more likely to lose a game than Florida or Oklahoma.
  3. Florida defeated the the Pittsburgh Steelers in a preseason scrimmage last week** and is a 73 point favorite over their first opponent, Charleston Southern (yeah, I made up the part about the Steelers, but it is believable).

I would be lying if I didn’t admit that I struggled with ranking a number of teams.  In particular, I had a hard time with (and am still not completely satisfied with) the following:

  • The Ole Miss Rebels (#6) and the Alabama Crimson Tide (#7) were a tough call for me.  Ole Miss comes in with an extremely experienced team.  Thanks in no small part to Ed Orgeron who recruited the lights out for Rebels while head coach, the Right Reverend Houston Nutt has an impressive stable of talent.  What’s more, the Rebels improved every week last year and managed to knock off the might Gators in an upset of prodigious importance.  Alabama, on the other hand, has a stellar defense but only five returners on offense which raises questions in my mind.  This, along with the fact that Ole Miss avoids playing Florida and Georgia, gives the Rebels the advantage.  Ultimately, these two teams will likely battle it out to determine the SEC West champion in Oxford in early October.
  • I have questions about both the Penn State Nittany Lions (#5) and the Texas Longhorns (#4) which are essentially the same—namely, coaching.  Joe Paterno’s age is a factor, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.  Having played in the very first college football game ever played, in 1875,** Joe is on the older side of completely indeterminate and it has been obvious that he is not truly running the program fully, but rather is simply along for the ride.  That said, the White-out brigade has a fairly weak schedule and has a lot of defensive power, enough, I think, to overcome the Joe Pa factor.
    Mack Brown, on the other hand is not particularly old and—is really playing out a storyline which somewhat similar to that experienced by another team in orange around 2001 (I’ll give you a hint: it starts with a “T” ends with an “e” and has “ennesse” in the middle).  Mack Brown is a fabulous recruiter, but does “less with more” with almost amazing regularity.  In all honesty, I would say he is the 3rd or 4th best coach in the Big XII.  Thus, I am a little suspicious of the Longhorns chances of breakout success this year.  Still, Texas has a ton of talent and has the ability to win a lot of games, thus they are still in my Top 5.  I just personally feel that Oklahoma and Bob Stoops get the best of him this year.
  • The California Golden Bears (#8) are not flashy, but they are good and they are efficient.  With top 10 offensive and defensive lines, the Bears look to own the line of scrimmage—which is always a huge advantage.  All of this said, their schedule is a bit on the weak side on the whole, but they do face the Trojans of USC early in the season.  While I am not willing to say that they win that game, they definitely have a chance.  If they do, then they should be able to coast home to win the PAC-10. I considered dropping them a few spots, but ultimately felt that there is a ton of potential for Cal, and decided they deserved to be in my Top 10.
  • The Illinois Illini (#17) are another team I had real struggles with.  Last year the Illini finished at 5-7 and generally underperformed.  That said, they have a lot of great talent and proved in 2007—when they went to the Rose Bowl—that they can win.  I think they lose to Penn State at home and probably to the Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus, but aside from that they have the ability to win the rest if they can just find a bit of consistency.
  • The LSU Tigers (#12) are really tough for me to assess at present.  LSU had a strong core unit in 2008, but simply gave up too many big plays and lacked consistency.  I continue to believe that the Tigers are an extremely tough team and have the ability to compete with any team in the country, the question remains, will they?  With games against Florida, Ole Miss, and Alabama, I don’t see them being a contender for the SEC West, but stranger things have happened.
    The Georgia Bulldogs (#11) are similarly difficult to size up.  Last year everyone in the world felt that Georgia would win the SEC and likely play for a BCS Championship.  Obviously, that did not happen.  This year their schedule is still tough, but not nearly as daunting as in 2008.  They also return their defensive core, but will be breaking in a new quarterback and will sorely miss phenom Knowshon Moreno.  I think the Dawgs have a chance at the SEC East, but they are going to have to find some consistency and prove that they can score.  Still, I like the Dawgs chances of mixing things up.

Having taken the time to consider my feeble attempt at ranking the powers in college football, feel free to try and convince me that I am wrong — which is part of the way the BlogPoll is supposed to work.  I promise that I will consider all insults comments.

You can view the final results of this week’s poll over at CBS Sports later this week and check out an analysis of how the collective blogging brain-trust arrived at this week’s result. If you’re craving even more BlogPoll goodness, you can also check out how other bloggers voted and see how your team fared across the Blogosphere.

And that’s the way it is (Godspeed, Walter Cronkite)…

– So it goes…About Lawvol McAlisters%20 %20Crossout 2009 CBS BlogPoll Top 25 Ballot: Preseason Gate 21



Allegedy Related Posts (Computer Generated):

NFL Football Betting Odds &amp; Lines Report: Preseason Week 1: August 14th 2009

Aug 14, 2009

Here is a rundown of today’s football betting odds and NFL lines for week 1 of the 2009 NFL preseason from ATS Consultants for August 14th 2009. If you are looking for free NFL football betting picks on a daily basis be sure to sign-up for the ATS newsletter, featuring unmatched sports wagering information, free picks and expert analysis.

Four games on the card again tonight, with Minnesota at Indianaplois being the feature game of the night. A couple of new coaches make their debuts in New Jersey as Steve Spagnulo and the Rams take on Rex Ryan and the Jets. Good Luck!

NFL Football Betting Odds: August 14th 2009
Click Here for Current NFL Football Odds

Date # Team Money Spread Total
08/14/09 259 Rams(StLouis) +150 +3.5 (-120) Over 33
19:05 ET 260 Jets(NewYork) -170 -3.5 (even) Under 33

08/14/09 261 Vikings(Minnesota) -135 -2 (-105) Over 35
19:30 ET 262 Colts(Indianapolis) +115 +2 (-105) Under 35

08/14/09 263 Bengals(Cincinnati) +155 +3 (even) Over 37
20:00 ET 264 Saints(NewOrleans) -175 -3 (-120) Under 37

08/14/09 265 Broncos(Denver) +125 +3 (-130) Over 34
22:00 ET 266 49ers(SanFrancisco) -145 -3 (+110) Under 34

ATS Consultants is a featured sports handicapping firm on Touthouse.com. If you are looking for free football picks or updated NFL football betting lines be sure to visit Touthouse.com on a daily basis

Strikeforce Kicks Out Phil Baroni (Sort Of), Picks Up Matt Lindland

Aug 14, 2009


(Kickin' asses, breakin' hearts, and stealin' robes from Courtyard Marriotts. Props: sports.sho.com)

Strikeforce distributed a press release yesterday evening announcing that Phil Baroni had been released by the organization, citing Baroni's "one-sided defeat" at the hands of Joe Riggs in June, and the fact that he's lost four of his last seven fights. (Kind of harsh, since he's also won three of his last four.) Said Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker: "We wish Phil the best of luck and hope he can revive his career. If he can, maybe one day, he can return and fight for us." The news was surprising for a couple reasons. First, have you ever heard of Strikeforce releasing a big name due to poor performance? It's not like their welterweight division is so deep that they can be picky, and Baroni is a draw whether he wins or loses. Also, the vaguely negative tone of the press release seemed out of character for Strikeforce. Did something else happen behind the scenes?

The answer: Yeah, maybe. Immediately after the press release hit our inboxes, it was reported that Baroni had verbally agreed to a new contract with the UFC. The New York Badass compiled a 3-5 record in the UFC as a middleweight from 2001-2005, and was released after taking four consecutive losses. During his recent stint as a welterweight, Baroni has yet to defeat a fighter who currently holds a winning record, which seems to imply that the UFC's offer to Baroni had more to do with sticking a thumb in Strikeforce's eye than acquiring a promising 170-pounder. It also gives more credence to yesterday's wild speculation about an upcoming season of TUF featuring old guys. Call us crazy now, but you'll see.

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