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Saturday, December 31, 2011

Happy New Year's Eve!

2012 is just right around the corner and what better way to ring in the new year than watching college football all day? Exactly. So while you're working through your resolutions and making that cheese dip you make every year, I'm going to hook you up with your bowl knowledge for today!

The Texas A&M Aggies(6-6) are taking on the Northwestern Wildcats (6-6) in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. This will once again be a test for the Big 10 and Big 12 to see which conference is better. Northwestern has had an up and down season. They had their moments of greatness (a win against Nebraska and a four game win streak) and their moments of failure (a loss to Army and a six game losing streak). Through the thick and the thin, the Wildcats have been lead by their Senior QB, Dan Persa. Persa put together a great season as he accumulated 2,163 yards and 17 TDs. He will be key if the Wildcats want to win. The Cats have a decent run game, but don't expect an incredible performance from running back Jacob Schmidt. One factor the Cats have against them is the fact that they loss their star corner, Jordan Mabin. Mabin has never missed a game and he will be missed when the Northwestern defense needs a big stop against the talented A&M wide receivers. The Aggies have been extremely disappointing this season. In the preseason, the were predicted to be a dark horse for the National Championship. After close losses to Oklahoma State and Arkansas, their title hopes were dashed. The Aggies always found a way to lose the game in the second half. Through the disappointment, it isn't hard to see all the promise in this great Texas A&M team. QB Ryan Tannehill has been an offensive Juggernaut throwing for 3,415 yards and 28 TDs. Tannehill is only the tip of the proverbial ice-burgh that is the Texas A&M offense. Running back Cyrus Gay has been amazing as well. He has rushed for over 1,000 yards and 12 TDs this season. He will be able to wear down the Cat's front four with his powerful running style. The catch with the Aggies is their defense. As prolific as A&M's offense is, their defense has really let them down. The defense has averaged 28.7 points per game this season and has only forced 15 turnovers. They will need to make at least one big play if they expect to have a chance in this game. After the dust settles, I see the Aggies walking out of Houston with the win. The amazing A&M offense will have the Aggies moving up and down the field and the defense will make enough stops to bag the 35-24 win. 

The Sun Bowl will feature the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8-4) and the Utah Utes (7-5). Utah will be looking to make a statement in their first year in the PAC-12. To do so, they will need a big game from their defense and line backer Chaz Walker. Walker has recorded 103 tackles this season and has been a disturbance for almost every offense he has faced. The Ute's defensive unit has had a great year as well only allowing an average of 19.7 points per game. On the offensive side of the ball, the Utes have been out right dreadful. The passing game lead by Jon Hays has been one of the worst in the nation and the running game is just as bad. The Utes will need the best performances from both functions of the offenses if they want to win. On the other side, Georgia Tech has one of the best ground games in all of college football. Averaging over 316 yards a game, the rush has been lead by junior QB, Tevin Washington. In many ways, he has been more effective on the ground than in the air. Washington has amassed over 850 yards and 14 scores on the ground this season. When he does throw the ball, look for him to try to find is big play man, Stephan Hill, who averages 30 yards per catch.  I expect this game to be won by the team who can find their passing game in the critical moments. Both teams will be running the ball all day and one of them will need to step up when they need to throw. I see Georgia Tech being the team to make the plays. They will get a big pass play when they need it most and win 34-28. 

We've now made it all the way to the bowl I have been shaking my head at ever since I found out the match up. It's the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl with the Illinois Fighting Illini (6-6) and the UCLA Bruins (6-7)...oh boy. There isn't much in the game that appeals to me. Both teams struggled through their seasons and are now going to duke it out in the Toilet Bowl. UCLA isn't even at .500! They some how miraculously fought their way through the Southern division of the PAC-12 and then lost to the Oregon Ducks in the PAC 12 Championship game. Come on people, they had to write a petition to the NCAA to become bowl eligible! Sorry to any of you Bruin or Illini fans, but I'm not wasting too much time on this one. I expect Illinois' QB Nathan Scheelhaase to have a great game and lead the Illini to a 17-10 win. Ugh...

Next up on the bowl docket is the Liberty Bowl which features the Cincinnati Bearcats (9-3) and the Vanderbilt Commodores (6-6). Though the records of both teams are very far apart, these teams are closer matched than one may think. Vandy fought their way through the extremely tough SEC East behind the leadership of the young Jordan Rodgers. Rodgers has thrown for 1,498 yards with 9 TDs. His problem has been taking care of the ball; throwing just as many interceptions as touchdowns. With so much uncertainty in the passing game, the Commodores will have to rely on their running back Zac Stacy. Zac has spearheaded the running game by racking up 1,136 yards and 13 touchdowns. When the offense isn't on the field, look for corner back Casey Hayward to lead the defense on a shutdown mission. The Bearcats on the other hand, will really be relying on their running game. Cinci will be going with QB Zach Collaros to lead their offense. He has been out for over a month with a broken ankle. I am uncertain of how he will play, so the run game will be key. The more work running back Isaiah Pead does on the ground, the less opportunities Collaros has to turn the ball over. Pead has run for 1,110 yards this season and a Big East leading 11 touchdowns. The Cats also have a menace on the defensive side of the ball. Defensive end Derick Wolfe has 9.5 sacks this season and will be the key player for forcing erred throws from Vandy's Rodgers. Though Vandy is the favorite in Vegas, I'm going to have to go with the Bearcats. They have the proven quarterback and that will be key late in the game as Cincinnati wins 24-17.

The final game of 2011 will be the Chick-Fil-A Bowl which pits the Virginia Cavaliers (8-4) and the former champions the Auburn Tigers (7-5). Though this hasn't been the season that the Tigers imagined it would be, they can still finish it off with a win and extend their bowl winning streak to 5. To do so, the Tigers will rely on their incredible running back Micheal Dyer. Dyer hasn't disappointed in his second season as a a Tiger by going for 1,242 yards on the ground with 10 TDs. His powerful running style will be like nothing that Virginia has seen before. However, Auburn's passing game has dropped significantly since last season. The Tiger air attack is now one of the worst in the nation only  averaging 169.8 yards per game. QB Barrett Trotter isn't Cam Newton if you couldn't tell. Through his struggles, Trotter has thrown for just over 1,000 yards and 10 TDs. The defense has been average, but if you have to point to the player that has made the most difference, you would have to point to safety Neiko Thorpe. He is the vocal leader of the Auburn defense and will get his name called plenty of times tonight. Virginia poses an interesting challenge. The Cavs have one of the best run stopping defenses and have never allowed more than 38 points in a game. The defense is also good at protecting the pass and is lead by safety Rodney McLeod who has 4 picks this season.The Cavs running game is by committee, but Perry Jones gets the bulk of the carries and has amassed 883 yards this season. The Virginia air raid is probably their strongest asset. QB Micheal Rocco has thrown for 2,359 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. His issue is throwing interceptions; he has 11 this season. When the final whistle blows, I expect the Auburn Tigers to bag the bowl win by dominating on the ground and winning 31-20.

Thanks for reading! 

Friday, December 30, 2011

We're still Bowling Folks!

The bowls continue to roll on my friends! As we slide on in to the new year, so do the bowls. New Year's Eve Eve and New Year's Eve both feature some great bowls. After last night, I'm at a not to shabby 9-4. My Western and Lousiville picks really came back to bite me. With all these games in the next few days, I need to do better if I want to have a respective record. I've now centered my inner Chi and I'm ready to let these picks loose!

Th BYU Cougars (9-3) and the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (8-4) clash in the battle for the Armed Forces Bowl. One of the key players for the Cougars is the QB Riley Nelson. Nelson started the year as the second string, but as Jake Heaps struggled, it was Riley's time. He has lead BYU to prosperity by throwing 16 touchdowns this year. Another factor is that BYU will be hot coming into this game. They have won eight of their last nine games.  Tulsa will need to rely on their star running back Trey Watts. He has been a force on the ground and in the air. Watts sets up a lot of the Hurricanes touchdowns and doesn't hit pay dirt often. G.J. Kinne will also have to play extremely well if the Golden Hurricanes want to win today. The quarterback has thrown 25 touchdowns this year, but the 12 picks have really been the story. I expect BYU to come out hot, but then start to cool off. Tulsa will keep it close, but I have to go with the Cougars in a close one.

The Pinstripe Bowl features the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (8-4) and the Iowa State Cyclones (6-6). Rutgers have a major threat in the air and his name is Mohamed Sanu. He caught 109 passes for 1,144 yards with 7 TDs and is a huge play threat. This is even more impressive when you look at the men throwing him the ball. Rutgers have two quarterbacks who have combined for 21 touchdowns and 16 interceptions! If the Scarlet Knights are forced to throw it a lot, they might be in trouble. Iowa State has had similar QB issues. Their two quarterbacks have combined for 16 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. The positive spin for the Cyclones is that have a solid run game. They average 181.2 rushing yards per game which is good enough to be ranked 35th in the Nation. James White has gotten the majority of the carries and has amassed 701 yards and 8 touchdowns. The run game will need to be in full swing if Iowa State wants to have a chance. The key to this game will be Iowa State's ability it hang onto the ball. The Cyclone have turned it over 32 times (2nd Worse in the nation). This will definitely be an issue because they are taking on a defense who has 31 takeaways (5th best in the nation). I see the Scarlet Knights forcing the turnovers they need to and winning 31-28.

The Music City Bowl has an interesting game this year. It pits the Mississippi State Bulldogs (6-6) and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (8-4). Seriously folks? I'm not spending much time on this one. The Bulldogs will dominate this one. They play in the SEC! The Bulldogs six losses came to teams with a combined record of 61 and 13. Chris Relf will face a far less superior secondary than many of the ones he has faced this year. Vick Ballard will have a great day running and will really be able to add to his 1,000 yard season. The only factor Wake has going for them is Tanner Price. The QB has thrown 20 touchdowns this year and nearly 3,000 yards. Even if he has a great day, it will be hard for the Deacons to keep up with the Bulldogs offense. Remember, Wake was destroyed by Vanderbilt on the last week of the season 41-7. I see the Bulldogs cruising through this one 31-10.

Iowa (7-5) meets Oklahoma (9-3) in the Insight Bowl. To me, this is the most interesting game of the day. A Big10-Big12 match up is a great measuring stick for both conference. When Oklahoma fell out of the National Title race, I'm sure they wouldn't have minded going bowling in Arizona. This wasn't exactly what they had in mind. To Sooner Fans, this season has to be a bit of a disappointment. If the Sooners want to make their fans happy, Laundry Jones will have to lead his team to a win. I see him having no problem in doing so. The Sooners have one of the nation's top offenses and average 532.1 yards a game and over 40 points a game. Laundry Jones will be able to find all his wide receivers in a porous Iowa secondary. The Oklahoma defense also has a great advantage. They have recorded 37 sacks this season and will make minced meat against a Hawkeyes line who let in 26 sacks this season. The one big threat the Hawkeyes have is their passing game. Wide out Marvin McNutt is ranked 10th in the nation in receiving yards and will probably go deep more than once in this game. The QB James Vandenberg has thrown for 23 TDs and has also taken care of the football. Even with the passing threat, Iowa won't stand a chance. Oklahoma has too much talent on the defensive side to lose. I see the Sooners winning 41- 17.

Thanks for reading!

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

December Bowls (Video)

Here's the link to my latest video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_-JuPTi-ZI&context=C3582a91ADOEgsToPDskJhUAUG78H7FpxxCB6O4g2A

Hope you enjoy!

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Merry Basketmas

Basketball had an off season like no other. Just like the NFL, the NBA suffered a scary and difficult lockout. Unlike the NFL, the NBA had such a terrible time agreeing that games were canceled. Then, out of nowhere came David Stern's early Christmas gift; the NBA's annual Christmas day games were going to be the kickoff to the new, shortened season. I now feel like a little kid waiting for Santa Claus to bring me glorious, glorious gifts. Christmas day will feature some great conference match ups and even a Finals rematch! Before we get to any picks, it's time to take an early look at who is going to win it all this year.

Eastern Conference 

Atlantic
1. Boston Celtics (3) - The Big Three will be hungry this season. They will be really hard to stop.
2. New York Knicks (4) - The addition of Chandler will make the Knicks better, but not good enough. 
3. Philadelphia 76ers (6) - Turner stars in one of the 76ers best seasons in recent memory.
4. Toronto Raptors - With the band of no names returning, basketball will continue to be ho-hum in Toronto.
5. New Jersey Nets - Williams can't fix ALL the problems the Nets have. 

Central 
1. Chicago Bulls (2) - D-Rose continues the MVP performance and leads the Bulls to greatness.  
2. Milwaukee Bucks (8) - The Bucks won't be great, but that's good enough for second in this division.  
3. Indiana Pacers - Tyler Hansbrough and Co. = Middle of the road. 
4. Cleveland Cavaliers - The Cavs will have a bounce back year... if you want to call is that.
5. Detroit Pistons - Pistons fans might as well put that '04 commemorative DVD in right about.... now. 

South East 
1. Miami Heat (1) - The Heatles will be scary this year. All systems will be go in South Beach this year.
2. Orlando Magic (5) - As long as they keep Howard, they will be a great team. 
3. Atlanta Hawks (7) - Josh Smith will keep the Hawks competitive... Competitive being the key word. 
4. Washington Wizards - John Wall and the rest of the Wiz show promise. Maybe next year. 
5. Charlotte Bobcats - This team would need Michael Jordan himself to play if they want to win.

Playoffs 
(1) Heat over (8) Bucks in 4
(2) Bulls over (7) Hawks in 5
(3) Celtics over (6) 76ers in 4
(4) Knicks over (5) Magic in 6 

Semi Final
(1) Heat over (4) Knicks in 5
(2) Bulls over (3) Celtics in 6 

Eastern Final 
(1) Heat over (2) Bulls in 6 

Western Conference 

Northwest
1. Oklahoma City Thunder (2)- Kevin Durant will lead the Thunder with vigor and to the division championship.
2. Denver Nuggets (6)- Danilo Gallinari will play big as the Nuggets make a run for the playoffs. 
3. Utah Jazz- Al Jefferson and Josh Howard will make due role players around them, but it won't be enough.
4. Portland Trail Blazers- Without Roy, the Trail Blazers don't have pieces to make a solid run. 
5. Minnesota Timber Wolves- An improved T-wolves team is still a T-wolves team. 

Pacific
1. Los Angeles Lakers (3) - Kobe. Pau. World Peace. They will continue to get it done in the city of Angels. 
2. Los Angeles Clippers (4) - Chris Paul makes this team playoff ready. Griffin will continue to dazzle.
3. Phoenix Suns (8) - Steve Nash gets into the playoffs, but just by the skin of his teeth. 
4. Golden State Warriors - Curry will play great, but the rest of his team will let him down. 
5. Sacromento Kings - The Kings have some young talent, but they wont be able to put it together this year. 

South West 
1. Dallas Mavericks (1) - The Big German is just too good for his conference; Mavs Blow past everyone. 
2. San Antonio Spurs (5) - Duncan and Parker are getting older. They will have to dig deep to get this spot. 
3. Memphis Grizzlies (7) - Spurred on by last years playoff run, Mayo and the gang get in again.
4. Houston Rockets - Can you even name someone on this team? Nope, but their numbers look decent. 
5. New Orleans Hornets - The loss of CP3 will be a huge blow to Nola, but I don't expect them to recover. 

Playoffs 
(1) Mavericks over (8) Suns in 4
(2) Thunder over (7) Grizzlies in 5
(3) Lakers over (6) Nuggets in 6
(4) Clippers over (8) Spurs in 7

Semi Final 
(1) Mavericks over (4) Clippers in 5
(2) Thunder over (3) Lakers in 5

Western Final 
(2) Thunder over (1) Mavericks in 7

~~2012 NBA FINALS~~
Heat over Thunder in 6

~~ 2012 NBA FINALS CHAMPIONS~~
                    MIAMI HEAT

With that in mind, let's look to the real games. Teams need to win early and often so a hot start would be very valuable. This is how it will shake out on Christmas Day!

Miami Heat vs. Dallas Mavericks - Mavs wont be focused because of the banner raising. Heat will also be looking for revenge!

New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics - Boston's big three out ways New York's. 

Chicago Bulls vs. Los Angeles Lakers - D-Rose will be rocking for the Bulls as the Lakers falter without Kobe. 

Orlando Magic vs. Oklahoma City Thunder - Kevin Durant will keep his pick up game pace as he blazes past Howard and the Magic. 

Los Angeles Clippers vs. Golden State Warriors - Chris Paul and Blake Griffin jell early and blowout the boys from Golden State.

Thanks For Reading! Enjoy the Games! Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! 







Tuesday, December 20, 2011

More Bowl Games

     As the days before Christmas wind down, college football is giving us some early gifts. Many include a top 25 darling (TCU, Boise, Southern Miss) looking to end their season on a high note. I believe that the next few days of bowls will be some of the best games all bowl season.

     First up in this week of bowls, we have the St. Petersburg Bowl which features the 8-4 Florida International Golden Panthers and the 6-6 Marshall Thundering Herd. To the casual college football fan, this looks like one of those bowls that won't have much action or talented players. That fan, would be very wrong. Florida International has an incredibly talented running game. Kedrick Rhodes leads the ground game and averages 5 yards a carry. FIU's quarterback Wesley Carroll serves as a sufficient  passer and has thrown for 14 touchdowns this year. The Golden Panthers also have a solid defense that has allowed and average of 20 points a game this season.
     Marshall on the other hand as maybe one of the best defensive menaces in all of college football. Vinny Curry has been an absolute defensive beast for the Thundering Herd and has racked up 11 sacks this season. The Herd doesn't have a strong running game, but the passing game is where they really shine. Wide Receiver Aaron Dobson has collected 10 touchdown passes.
     All in all I find that Marshall will have a lot of difficulties in this game. Marshall's Rakeem Cato has a tendency to throw plenty of interceptions and I believe that the FIU defense will have no problem taking care of his miscues.  FIU, lead by Kedrick Rhodes, will win 30-24. Look for both FIU and Marshall to struggle in the fourth quarter of this one; both have been outscored in the fourth all season.

     The Poinsettia Bowl will feature the TCU Horned Frogs (10-2) and the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (8-4). TCU has frequently been a participant in San Diego and will be looking to win their third Poinsettia crown. To do so, they will need a big game out of Casey Pachall. This wont be a problem for Pachall because he limits his mistakes (only 6 interceptions this season) and throws plenty of scoring passes (24 Touchdowns). The scary part is that the running game is even more dangerous than the passing game. The Horned Frog running game is lead by the epic duo of Waymon James and Matthew Tucker. Both have over 650 yards and 6 touchdowns on the year. They will be in full swing all throughout this bowl.
     On the flip side, Louisiana Tech has a very strong defense. The defense is lead by Adrian Cole who has 120 tackles this season. With his leadership, the squad has allowed an average of 22.5 points a game. The Bulldog's biggest weakness is their offense. Tech really doesn't have a stand alone player to lead them down the field. If you had to point to one player, it would have to be the running back Lennon Creer who has 838 rushing yards this season.
      The key to this game will be Louisiana Tech's ability to contain Casey Pachall and the rest of the Frog's offense who have scored 500 points this season. I can't see the Tech defense rising to the call, so I have TCU dominating the entire game and wining 41-17.

      One of my favorite December bowls this season has to be the Las Vegas Bowl which features Arizona State (6-6) and Boise State (11-1). With their one lost, the Boise State Broncos are far from were they imagined they would be. Dreams of a Sugar or Fiesta Bowl were dashed when the BCS picked Virginia Tech and Michigan ahead of them. None the less, Kellen Moore comes in looked to finish off his Bronco career with a W. Kellen Moore will be the story of the game and rightfully so! His 3,507 passing yards and 41 touchdowns are some of the best marks in the nation. Boise also boasts a strong run game lead by senior running back Doug Martin. He will be key to the Broncos play action game and will likely hit pay dirt in this game. Boise also has one of the best defenses in college football and will be able to take whatever Arizona State throws or runs at it.
     Speaking of the Sun devils, they have had a pretty solid season. Their QB Brock Osweiler has lead them to many wins and has been a big part of many losses. With 12 interceptions as a starter, he will need to have a near perfect game if ASU wants a chance to beat the Broncos. Cameron Marshall will be the Devil's threat from the backfield and will be very effective against the Broncos.
     It is very hard for me to see this game going anyway else than to Boise State. The only way to beat the Broncos is to pressure Kellen Moore and the BSU offensive line has been stellar this entire season. Another factor is that ASU comes in on a four game losing streak and it looks like they might have hit the proverbial wall. The final tidbit I have for this game is the fact that the Broncos got snubbed from the BCS. They want nothing more but to show the voters just how big of a mistake they made. Boise will come out trying to destroy the Sun Devils in all three fazes. With that, I see the Broncos winning 49-17.

     The final game before Christmas will be the Nevada (7-5) Southern Miss (11-2) clash in the Hawaii Bowl. Nevada has had a rough season in the WAC this year, but was still able to grab one of the conference's three bowl bids and they certainly won't want to waste it. The Wolf Pack has one of the most prolific offenses in college football (at least by the numbers) and has a very balanced offensive attack. The run game is certainly the scariest part. The Pack average over 251 rushing yards per game. Lampford Mark lead the Pack with 728 yards this season and 8 scores. If he can't get the job done, the second stringer, Mike Ball, will be able to take over. Ball was able to post very similar numbers this season. I expect their unique pistol offense to give the Souther Miss defense fits early and often. The Wolf Pack's defense has also been very effective this season. Linebacker Brett Roy is the centerpiece and always finds ways to make big plays in a game. Brett Roy has also been a huge playmaker. He has recorded 10 sacks this season.
     Southern Miss will be energized to keep their top 25 Ranking coming off their win in the C-USA championship game. The Golden Eagles are lead by quarterback Austin Davis on this magical season. Davis has 28 touchdown tosses this season and has accounted for over 3,330 passing yards as well. The Golden Eagle ground game is just as powerful as the passing game. The upstart freshman Jamal Woodyard has been the best of the Southern miss running backs this season. His 683 yards and 3 touchdowns have been a real compliment to the passing game. The pass rush may be Southern Miss' best asset this season. Jamie Collins and Cordarro Law have combined for 14 sacks this season.
     I see this game being a shootout due to the fact that combined, both offenses have scored over 900 and have recorded over 11,000 yards. With so many similarities, the game will come down to the pass rush. Whoever gets to the QB more will win this game. I see Southern Miss doing so and out gunning the Wolf Pack 51-48.

Thanks for reading!

Saturday, December 17, 2011

On the First Day of Bowls College Football Gave to Me...

... Three rather interesting games! Welcome to Bowl Season sports fans! I will be your guide as we navigate our way though the over flow of games until we make it to the 2012 BCS National Championship game in New Orleans. Though this first batch of pre-Christmas games may not be the best of the season, they still mean something. You will get the chance to see six good football programs fight to cap off their seasons with a "W".

The first game on the slate today happens to be Temple (8-4) vs. Wyoming (8-4) in the New Mexico Bowl. Wyoming has waded it's way through the tough Mountain West Conference with key wins over San Diego State and Air Force. The Cowboys boast a very efficient run game that is spear headed by Alvester Alexander. Wyoming will need to give him the ball if they want to stay competitive. The key player for the Wyoming team is their quarterback, Brett Smith. Brett is a dual threat QB who has been know to rack up some great yardage with his arm and his feet. I expect him to give the Temple defense some fits especially on third down. On the flip side, Temple also relies very heavily on the ground game. The Owls 7th ranked rushing attack averages over 250 yards a game with Bernard Pierce taking the bulk of the hand offs. Piece has accumulated over 1000 rushing yards this season and will be very hard to shut down. The Owls also have one of the top defenses in the nation. Though they play in the MAC, this Owls defense has been tested by some of the best offenses around. I see this game coming down to the defensive power and there is no doubt in my mind that Temple has the best defense. Look for the ground game to be a big part of this one as Temple wins handily, 31- 17.

The next game today is the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl which features Ohio (9-4) and Utah State (7-5). I had the joy of personally witnessing the Ohio Bobcats this season. Let's just say they have great potential in the offensive department. Tyler Tettleton is one of the best hidden gems at quarterback and can throw the pigskin like the best of them. He also provides a bit of a threat as a runner. The Bobcat's success usually rests on how good of a game he is having. I expect him to have a good amount of support from one of the best defenses and running backs in the MAC. Utah State, on the other hand, is a pure running team. The Aggies were able to average over 270 yards a game this season and have a great pair of runners to boot. Robert Turbin is the speed guy. Watch for him to break long runs in the middle of the field and add to his impressive 1400 yard season. Utah State also has Micheal Smith, another speedster who was able to amount over 700 yards at the back up position. After much thought, I expect Ohio to win this game. The Bobcats were able to take care of business against Temple who have a game plan that is comparable to Utah State. I expect the defense to slow down the Utah State running game just enough to bag the 25-21 victory.

The final game on the board today is San Diego State (8-4) vs. LA Lafayette (8-4) in the New Orleans Bowl. The Ragin Cajuns will have the home crowd, but I don't know if they will play too great. The Cajun have a great score offense that primarily finds it's way through the air. The defense is what really kills them though. La Lafayette has given nearly as many points as they score. They also have a very hard time running the ball and getting first downs. Stan Diego State has a decent run game and can get what they need through the air. The Aztecs were able to navigate their way through the improved Mountain West Conference and that ill play to their advantage. With a little better offense, I see San Diego Sate edging the Ragin Cajun 35-31.

Thanks for reading and Merry Bowl-mas!

Sunday, December 11, 2011

The Albert Pujols Situation

                Major League Baseball held the 2011 winter meetings in Dallas this past week and you didn’t necessarily have to be a sports fan to hear the shock waves of one of the financial bombs dropped in North Texas. Coming into the meetings, many baseball experts predicted someone would get their hands on the top prize, Albert Pujols. I heard rumors of the super star finding his way to the Cubs, Cardinals, and Marlins, but what happened was something I don’t think anyone saw coming.
                Out of nowhere, the Los Angeles Angels stole Albert with a $254 million dollar deal over 10 years. I was watching Sports Center when the news broke and trust me; I was excited for the move. The Angels have been one of my favorite teams for years and I had never seen them make a move like this. Then the excitement wore off suddenly. There were two sides of this story that I just didn’t like. Both the Sport and Societal sides really spoke to me.
                A further look only worried me more about the Pujols deal. Pujols is 31 years old and has had plenty of injuries throughout his career. Coupled with the 10 year contract and no trade clause, this could be a deadly contract as Albert nears 40. All I can say is if the Angels don’t win a World Series in the next three years, this will go down as one of the worst contract flops in history.
                Can I see the Angels winning one with Pujols? Sure. He will be a valuable part of the offense and will contribute slightly with his glove. He will definitely give them the run support to push pass the Rangers. The best part for the Angels is that they have the option to throw Albert in as a DH as his career progresses. I wouldn’t be shocked to see the Halos start him as a DH this season due to the fact they have some great players already at the 1st base position (Trumbo, Morales). It also helps that the Angels were able to pick up C.J. Wilson as well. Wilson was one of the Rangers top pitchers and the Rangers will be missing him come September.  
I’m just wary for the last 5 years of this deal. Will the Angels have so much of their money tied into Albert that they can’t keep someone like Weaver or Trumbo? I guess only time will tell.
The more pressing issue for me in this story is the sheer amount of money that is trading hands. I just can’t wrap my head around the fact that someone that plays a kids game will make over $254 million dollars. Are people blind to the world around us? All the people that go hungry and try to get jobs have to loathe this. This isn’t directed at Albert or the Angels, but all of sports. There is no reason we should have BILLIONS of dollars dumped into sports while our schools suffer. What qualifies a football player to make more than our own President?
If I could change everything, I would put a cap on all sports. The max amount any player should be able to receive is $5 million dollars. This would also affect the social aspect of sports. Instead of buying guns, drugs, or five cars, athletes wouldn’t have enough money to spurge on such dangerous and luxurious items and would focus on their craft. The domino effect would continue all the way to the fans. Tickets, food, and merchandise would be cheaper. That means more fans in the stands and fewer games blacked out.
As great of a dream as this may sound, we all know that this will never happen. Pro sports will forever be a billion dollar industry that thrives off men and women that play a game. At the same time, I will forever be a hypocrite. I will always be willing to pay the money for the games and the merchandise and so will millions of other fans. Just some food for thought everyone. 


Thanks for reading!

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Why I Hate the BCS

     It's time for me to beat the dead horse today. I HATE the BCS. I just watched the unavailing of the BCS National Championship and I am furious. The computers picked LSU (which I have no problem with) and Alabama (wait...what?!?!). This is 100% wrong. There is no way that the Crimson Tide should be in the National Championship. They already had their chance at the Tigers and they lost. Oklahoma State has not had their chance and now they never will.
     Now this isn't just SEC hate. You all probably know that I don't like the SEC dominance in College Football, but that aside, this is wrong. I don't think it is right to put a team who didn't make their own conference championship in the National Championship. The numbers back Oklahoma State as well. Alabama only beat about four about .500 teams this season. OSU beat 7, and that is only the start. I might just be over reacting right now, but we will see. There are also a few minor injustices such as how high Boise State is ranked and Stanford being ranked higher than the team that beat them, Oregon.
     To get everything I want to say out I might need to get a video up, I'll probably forget about it by the time the big game is here and I will be totally wrapped up in the match up. I'm angry for now, but i do believe that we need a total redoing of our national championship process. Hope you enjoy the bowl season and you'll hear from me soon!