What Will It Take… September 1, 2010
Posted by Matt in Football, Razorbacks.Tags: Arkansas Razorbacks, BCS Championship, predictions, SEC
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…For the Arkansas Razorbacks to win it all in 2010? What needs to happen for Woo Pig to be the clarion call of the BCS Champions?
The Razorbacks return 9 offensive starters, including probably Heisman trophy candidate QB Ryan Mallett, one of the best groups of receivers in the country and a good stable of running backs, and 7 defensive starters who should show some improvement after a difficult 2009. That being said, this could be a huge year for Bobby Petrino’s Hogs.
Let’s take a look at their schedule for the upcoming season:
Sept. 4 Tennessee Tech
Sept. 11 Louisiana – Monroe
Sept. 18 @ Georgia (23)
Sept. 25 Alabama (1)
Oct. 9 @ Texas A&M
Oct. 16 @ Auburn (22)
Oct. 23 Ole Miss
Oct. 30 Vanderbilt
Nov. 6 @ South Carolina
Nov. 13 UTEP
Nov. 20 @ Mississippi St
Nov. 27 LSU (21)
The Hogs should be able to take the first two games without much of a problem.
Playing at Georgia could prove difficult, but the Bulldogs are not as good as they have been in years past. If our defense is truly better than last year, we should prevail.
Alabama is the returning national champion, preseason number one and has last year’s Heisman winner. On the other hand, the game is in Fayetteville and Mark Ingram is starting off the year with a knee injury. If Ingram is not back to full speed by week 4, this could be a decent contest and the Razorbacks could give them a run for their money and maybe, just maybe, hand them a closely contested loss.
Texas A&M has an excellent offense, but I still think Mallett will pick them apart.
Auburn is another potential roadblock on the way to BCS glory. They finished 2009 at 8-5, should be even better this year and the game is at Auburn. But, don’t forget that these are the Razorbacks we’re talking about! Win.
Nobody denies that this season will be a struggle for Houston Nutt’s Ole Miss squad, but the loss of probable starting quarterback Masoli is a dagger in the heart of the Rebel faithful. Hopefully we’ll put up at least 50 on them.
Vanderbilt is an almost automatic win.
South Carolina is another team that may be tough to crack, particularly since the game is at their home, but the Hogs should walk out of Columbia as winners.
UTEP: Win.
Mississippi State is poised to be the best team in the Magnolia State, but in reality that’s not saying much. Win.
LSU is overrated and Les Miles is an embarrassment to the coaching profession. Win.
If all goes according to plan, the Hogs will then finish the regular season 12-0, then face off against Florida in the SEC Championship, and waltz into Glendale, Arizona, undefeated. Yep, things are looking up for Hogs fans.
To tell the truth, I don’t really expect the Razorbacks to win out this season. My actual prediction for the regular season is 10-2, with a loss to Alabama and one more, probably to either Georgia or Auburn. Either way, I have high hopes that this will be a successful year for my Hogs.
Woo Pig Sooooiiiieeee!
So, you ask, what are my predictions for the entire SEC? Well, let’s take a quick look.
SEC East
Florida 11-1
Georgia 9-3
South Carolina 7-5
Tennessee 6-6
Kentucky 6-6
Vanderbilt 2-10
SEC West
Alabama 12-0
Arkansas 10-2
Auburn 9-3
LSU 8-4
Mississippi St 7-5
Ole Miss 5-7
Thoughts?
BCS Predictions January 7, 2010
Posted by Matt in Football.Tags: Alabama, BCS Championship, prediction, Texas
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As I’m sure most of you are aware, tonight the BCS National Championship Game will take place between Alabama and Texas. The Crimson Tide are led by a stout defense, Heisman-winning running back Mark Ingram, and coaching mastermind Nick Saban. The Longhorns have a high-powered offense fronted by Heisman runner up quarterback Colt McCoy and former Coach of the Year Mack Brown.
Though I’m sure Texas will put up a fight, stronger defenses and running games win championships, so I’m going with ‘Bama.
Alabama 24 – Texas 16
What do you think?
2009 BCS Musings November 2, 2009
Posted by Matt in Football.Tags: Alabama, BCS Championship, Boise St., Cincinnati, FBS, Florida, Football, Iowa, NCAA, Oregon, TCU, Texas
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It is hard to believe that the 2009 college football regular season is already 2/3 of the way finished, but somehow time has gotten away and the finish line is quickly approaching. The third quarter of the season is well underway, the fourth is soon to begin and the field of competitors is narrowing. At this point, there are 7 undefeated teams remaining that are still in contention for a coveted spot in the BCS Championship game. So, as a service to you, I wanted to do a bit of handicapping so that you would know what to look for in the coming weeks.
1. Florida Gators 8-0
The Gators have beaten some decent teams, including then-#4 LSU 13-3, Tennessee 23-13, and Arkansas 23-20, but their win in the previous weekend against Georgia 41-17, was their first convincing one in weeks. Urban Meyer and Tim Tebow may have righted the ship against the Bulldogs and they should be able to coast through the next four games. South Carolina and Florida State may put up a fight, but neither is on the same level as Florida. The Gators can go ahead and reserve their spot in Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game.
2. Texas 8-0
I haven’t been a big believer in the Longhorns all season, despite their victories over a good Texas Tech team (34-24) and a talented but underachieving Oklahoma (16-13). This past week’s victory, a 41-14 trouncing of then-#13 Oklahoma St, has finally proved them to be contenders in 2009. Texas has a fairly uneventful stretch ahead of them, with the greatest possibility for upset probably being a regular season-ending trip to Texas A&M. With a weak North Division opponent to meet in the conference championship game, the Longhorns are almost a sure thing for the BCS Championship game.
3. Alabama 8-0
With the lone exception of last week’s close call against an improving Tennessee squad, Alabama has been exceptional this season, having posted convincing wins against then-#7 Virginia Tech (34-24), then-#20 Ole Miss (22-3), and then-#22 South Carolina (20-6). Next week’s matchup against #9 LSU will be a nice test for the Crimson Tide and their regular season-ending trip to Auburn could also prove to be problematic. They should be set for Atlanta, but they have a tougher road ahead than the Gators.
4. Cincinnati 8-0
With only one victory against a top 25 opponent, defeating then-#21 South Florida 34-17, the Bearcats have something still to prove in order to move up in the BCS rankings. Their schedule ahead offers what could prove to be tough games against West Virginia and at #14 Pittsburgh, so convincing wins in their last 4 games could help Cincy out some, but they really need one of the top three teams to slip up.
5. Boise St. 8-0
Yes, I know that Boise beat Oregon in the season-opener, but can you think of anybody they’ve beaten since then? With perhaps the exception of Tulsa (who they only beat by a touchdown), my guess would be probably not. Their remaining schedule consists of more teams whose presence would be more appropriate in a high school championship.
6. TCU 8-0
The Horned Frogs have looked great this season in the Mountain West, a strong second-tier conference. They’ve recorded victories against Clemson (14-10) and absolutely trounced then-#16 BYU (38-7). They still have a challenge left on Nov. 14 against #17 Utah, but besides that they should coast through the remainder of their regular season. They will need a lot of help to make it to a Championship game, though.
7. Oregon 7-1
The Ducks are the only team with a loss to make my list for a good reason – they are easily the best team in the Pac-10 Conference. Their one loss to then-#14 Boise State in the season-opener looms large as the Oregon faithful think of what might have been. The Ducks absolutely destroyed two top 10 teams, then-#6 California (42-3) and last week’s rout of then-#4 USC (47-20), so they deserve some kind of consideration. #23 Arizona is probably the only challenge remaining on the schedule, so I expect them to waltz into a BCS game this postseason.
8. Iowa 9-0
I can’t help but feel bad for the Hawkeyes because it is obvious that they are the big losers in this year’s BCS sweepstakes. They have several wins against quality opponents, including then-#5 Penn State (21-10), Michigan (30-28), Wisconsin (20-10), and Arizona (27-17), but because they tend to play down to the level of their competition and rarely record any blow-outs, the AP and Coach’s polls have really shafted the Hawkeyes, despite the fact that the computer polls rank them much higher. Their Nov. 14 matchup with #15 Ohio St will be the measuring stick by which Iowa will be judged. If they win convincingly, they deserve a shot at the title, but in our current system they will most likely be left behind.
Thoughts?
Monday Morning Quarterback – 11/24/08 November 24, 2008
Posted by Matt in Football.Tags: Alabama Crimson Tide, Arkansas Razorbacks, BCS Championship, Dallas Cowboys, Florida Gators, New England Patriots, New York Jets, NFL, Oklahoma Sooners, prediction, Tennessee Titans, Texas Longhorns, Texas Tech Red Raiders
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- I just want to start by saying thank you to the New York Jets for proving what I have thought for the past several weeks – the Tennessee Titans are frauds. They should win their next three matchups against the abysmal Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns, and Houston Texans, but don’t be surprised if they lose their last two versus Pittsburgh and Indianapolis. They’ll win their division and may get a first round bye, but after that it’s one-and-done for Jeff Fisher’s squad.
- The big question for those of us who are die hard Cowboys fans is whether or not our team has finally turned the corner. With Tony Romo back and playing at an elite level (341 yards, 3 TDs, 0 Ints yesterday), that Super Bowl victory that predicted at the beginning of the season doesn’t seem so far fetched anymore. Next week should be a relatively easy win against the 2-9 Seahawks, but with three other teams knocking on the door of the playoffs lined up next (Pittsburgh, New York Giants, and Baltimore), it will be a tough road.
- If there is one thing we’ve learned this season, it is that we can never, ever doubt Bill Bilicheck’s ability to coach a team to victory. I mean, he’s even turned Matt Cassel into a veritable star quarterback, with 815 yards passing, 6 touchdowns and only 1 interception over the past two weeks against quality opponents (New York Jets and Miami). Another playoff appearance is definitely within their reach.
- With berths in the BCS Championship Game looming large, the last weeks of the season take on a special significance for some teams. Let’s take a look at the top contenders:
o Though Alabama remains the lone undefeated team in college football with a chance at BCS Championship glory (sorry Utah fans), I remain skeptical of the team that earlier struggled against Kentucky and Ole Miss. They must not overlook this week’s matchup against interstate rival Auburn, but even if the Crimson Tide come out on top, an SEC Championship against Florida, arguably the best team in America, may prove to be their undoing.
o Following Florida’s inexplicable September 27 loss to Ole Miss, no team has played better than this Tim Tebow-led Gators squad. If they can come out of Florida State with a victory next weekend, the December 6 SEC Championship will hold their ticket to their secondBCS Championship Game in three years.
o The logjam at the top of the Big 12 standings will no doubt leave some fans smiling and some fuming.
If Texas Tech defeats Baylor (as they surely should) and Oklahoma falls, they will advance to the Big 12 Championship Game against Missouri, though their 44 point loss to Oklahoma will most likely leave them out of the BCS Championship.
Texas is currently number 2 in the BCS standings by a slight margin and they should defeat Texas A&M handily this weekend, but, with Oklahoma leaping ahead of them in both the AP and Coaches polls this week, they stand to lose their Championship bid even with a victory. If Texas Tech falls to the Bears and the Lonhorns send the Aggies home, Texas will advance to the conference title game and a more probable championship bid.
Oklahoma has in-state rival and 12th ranked Oklahoma State left on their schedule. A convincing win over the Cowboys will likely vault the Sooners to number 2 in the BCS standings, despite their earlier loss to Texas. Oklahoma will advance to the conference title game with a Texas loss.
o My prediction: Alabama is exposed as the flawed team they are in the SEC Championship game by Florida and Oklahoma jumps past Texas to represent the Big 12 in the BCS Championship.
- As if this year wasn’t bad enough for Razorback fans, Saturday’s loss to Mississippi State just cemented our spot as the worst team in the SEC. Ouch.
