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Saturday, September 22, 2012

College Football Week 4

This whole picking thing isn't working out for me this year... Last week looked just like the first and hopefully I can finally right the ship this week. There are some great match ups in the PAC-12 and the ACC. Of course, there is also the huge match up in South Bend. Without any more delay, to the picks!

Oregon-42 Arizona-10 - I don't think Arizona is that good...yet. Rich Rod will work is magic in a few seasons, but 'zona isn't going to stay in the top 25 this year. Oregon has too much speed with De'Anthony Thomas and the only question coming into this season, the QB, has a solid answer in Marcus Mario'ta. The Ducks will cruise at home and win their first PAC-12 game of the year.

TCU-30 Virginia-20 - TCU didn't have the greatest start to the season last week, but against this weaker ACC team, they should shine. They will need to make sure that they get their run game established. With Waymon James out for the year, Matthew Tucker is going to need to get a lot of carries in this game. Watch for The TCU wide outs to have another solid week as Casey Pachall passes all over the field.

Florida State- 28 Clemson- 21 - E.J. Manuel is going to have a great game. He's already gone for over 500 yards and this week he will add a lot to that. Clemson is strong, but I don't think they have the defense to keep up with FSU. The Seminole defense is going the story of the game though. The look like the Noles of old and will really keep Tajh Boyd down.

Oklahoma-14 KSU-10 - This will be a really close game. KSU are a really good team this year and Oklahoma may be a bit overrated. If the Wildcats can keep it close in the first half, I think they have a chance. Ultimately, I think the Sooners will feed off the home crowd and pull out the close win.

Notre Dame-10 Michigan-21 - Michigan isn't a great team. The defense may be good enough to keep them in the Big 10 race, Robinson can't pass the ball. The Irish have the same issues with their offense as well. It will truly be a battle of the defenses. I just think that Notre Dame gave their performance of the year last week and that is what gives Michigan the win.

Quick Picks

Iowa- 35 CMU- 10

UCLA- 24 Oregon State- 3

Miami- 20 Georgia Tech- 17

South Carolina- 35 Missouri- 10

Northern Illinois- 20 Kansas- 10

Thanks for reading!

Friday, September 14, 2012

College Football Week 3

Welcome to week three of the college football season and after last week, we are in for a treat. Arkansas' catastrophic loss coupled with a few other major upsets set the tone for the rest of the season. This is going to be one of those seasons where almost no one outside of the top three is safe. I expect a few more teams to have terrible losses this season.
Last week posses some big questions: is the Big Ten as great as many thought they were? Should we lower our expectations of the SEC? Are the lower conferences really that great? Maybe these questions are yes or maybe no, but all I know is that wee are in for one heck of a season.

Last week I went a pretty bad 7-4. I really messed up on the Nebraska pick and let's not even get started on the Miami pick. Let's see what's going on for me this week!

Michigan State- 31 Notre Dame-10 - This will be an interesting game. Notre Dame really took it to Navy on the first week, but the Purdue game really shows me why I should pick Michigan State. The Fighting Irish were very one dimensional against the Boilermakers and that will really help Michigan State. They will stop the run really easily and the Spartans will stop the air raid. The only issue for the Spartans will be Maxwell's play. The game will be closer if he can't get going. If he comes out hot, this game will be over early.

Ohio State- 41 Cal-7 - This game won't be so close. Cal hasn't been a great team and this season holds more of the same. OSU QB Braxton Miller has really blossomed into his role as THE guy and I think he will continue to have success in this game. The Buckeye defense will really be the story though. I think they will really hold the Golden Bear offense.

USC- 51 Stanford-10 -This game won't even be close. I don't think Stanford is that good and this USC team looks unstoppable. Matt Barkley will tear up the defensive secondary and the run game will come around too.

Quick Picks

TCU-41 Kansas-3

Alabama-41 Arkansas-17

Virginia Tech-35 Pitt-0 (I've lost all faith in the Panthers!)

Florida-23 Tennessee-10

BYU-17 Utah-10

Missouri- 31 Arizona State- 10

Thanks for reading!

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

NFC Preview

Though the leaves aren't falling and there isn't a crispness in the air, football is back. I gave you all you needed to know about college football and so far I think it's going to be a good year. Now it's time for the big boys. As I type this post, the Giants and the Cowboys are about to kick off.
I like the NFL, but I'm not quiet as obsessed with it as I am with soccer and college football. This NFC preview is going to be brief, but I will still tell you where I think everyone is going to be at the end of the year.

Let's Go!

NFC East
1. Philadelphia Eagles- Vick will have a monster year. He will really be what the Eagles envisioned last year and I'm sure that the Eagles won't want the embarrassment they had last season. 
2. New York Giants- The Super Bowl Champions won't be as good as they were last year, but they will still have a solid season. Eli Manning is going to have to carry the team because of all the talent they lost, but if he does, they are looking like a playoff lock. If he doesn't, well... you know.
3. Dallas Cowboys- This is what this team has turned into: a bunch of losers. They are going to fail as "America's" team once again. Romo doesn't have what it takes to be a serious playoff QB and he doesn't have a lot of solid players around him to help out. 
4. Washington Redskins- This team will play better than their fourth place finish, but they play in a tough division. RG3 will have a decent season, but I feel a lot of people are going to be harsh on him after watching Cam Newton tear it up. This team will be dangerous soon, but this won't be the year. 

NFC North
1. Green Bay Packers- The offense will continue to amaze. Rodgers, Jennings, and Nelson are unstoppable and will continue their dominance through the air. The running game will improve with Cedric Benson in the back field. The defense will still need work, but they won't be terrible like last season. 
2. Detroit Lions*- The team from the D will be great. They got great wide outs and Stafford is almost a top 5 QB. The defense will be great as well with all of their play makers. The interesting part will seeing if they can respond from all the off season turmoil.
3. Chicago Bears- They will be right in the running all the way until the end. Cutler will have a good season throwing the ball while the defense will continue to be great. If they played in a weaker division they would be a playoff team. 
4. Minnesota Vikings- Christian Ponder will have another 'meh' kind of year. I don't see a lot in this team especially with the uncertainty surrounding Peterson. If he comes back strong they may have a chance at a .500 season. 

NFC South 
1. New Orleans Saints- Hat an off-season for this team. It would be tough for anyone to overcome it, but Drew Brees isn't just anyone. His leadership will be a huge reason why the Saints win this division. The defense will be depleted, but they can still stop a lot of teams. 
2. Carolina Panthers*- I think this team is going to be scary good this season. Cam Newton will avoid the sophomore slump and the running game will still be prominent. The defense will be the question. If they can give their offense a chance by slowing down the other team, I think they can go far.
3. Atlanta Falcons- Matt Ryan is going to be great, but for some reason these guys won't go to the playoffs. They have all the weapons on offense, but I think the defense is going to get torched by a lot of teams in their division and their conference. 
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- This team has some promise. Josh Freeman will have another solid year through the air and LeGarrette Blount will pound teams on the ground. The defense will be improved, but the rest of the offenses in this division will still get the best of them. 

NFC West
1. San Francisco 49'ers- Last year wasn't a fluke. This team will get really close to the Super Bowl again. They added talent on the offensive side and Alex Smith will continue to throw as great as he did last season. The defense will be one of the best in the league and will really shut down some teams. 
2. St. Louis Rams- The Rams will look good this season, but let's remember that they are still miles away from being great. Sam Bradford will mature this season and will cut down on his interceptions this season. Steven Jackson will have another great year on the ground and could have a break out year if he doesn't get hurt.
3. Seattle Seahawks- They added a whole bunch of guys, but they are unproven. Marshawn Lynch will be the star of this team and will continue to pound other teams on the ground. The defense will be iffy and will be what ultimately keeps them from getting better. 
4. Arizona Cardinals- There are a lot of issues with this team. The QB situation is going to be the main story line of the season because the rest of the team isn't worth talking about. They will have a chance to have a high draft pick though! 

*Wild Card Teams

NFC Championship Game

Packers over 49ers

Thanks for reading