College Football Week: Day Five

It's the West and the East on the blog today! 

Enjoy!

PAC 12

North

1. Oregon 11-1 (8-1) – This team has lost a lot this off season, but Chip Kelly has done a great job at getting some new talent. The running game will continue to be great for this Ducks team. RB Kenjon Barner is a seasoned vet and De’Athoney Thomas is the speedster of the country. Now that they have their QB in Marcus Mariota, they are primed for another high scoring season. The defense is also coming along. Very quietly they have become one of the best units in the nation. Linebacker Michael Clay will be the leader of the defense and should help them to have a great season.

Key Wins: Washington, Stanford, Cal. Key Losses: USC.

2. Stanford 9-3 (7-2) – They lost the best QB in the nation last season and that will show. There will be times this season where they will just struggle to win, but they still have enough players on this team to compete. They also have the advantage of playing in the depleted North Division. The offense may not be very good next season, but the defense should. The line backers will be key. They need to serve as a good bridge between the secondary and the d-line. With Chase Thomas, I think they should be able to do so.

 Key Wins: Arizona, Cal, Washington. Key Losses: USC, Oregon, Notre Dame.

3. Washington 8-4 (6-3) – The U Dub is back. They had an interesting bowl game with Baylor last season and I think that could point to success this season. The offense will be great. It may be one of the few in the conference that could go score for score with Oregon’s QB Keith Price will be great this season. He may be one of the best QBs all year. The defense will be the downfall. They were one of the worst in the country and if you are in a close game, you are going to need to make a few stops. They do have some guys coming back, but there are major problems with this defense.

Key Wins: Washington State, Arizona, Cal. Key Losses: USC, Oregon, Stanford.

4. California 7-5 (5-4) – The offense will be good. It won’t be as good as other great offenses in the conferences, but they will be dangerous out of conference. Isi Sofele will be an amazing threat on the ground and will really support the offense. The defense will be the best part about this team. They are great at stopping the pass and this year will be more of the same. Look for the safety Josh Hill to have a big year stopping opposing QBs.

Key Wins: UCLA, Oregon State, Washington State. Key Losses: Oregon, Stanford, Ohio State.

5. Washington State 4-8 (2-7) – The Cougars will have another down year. There is just too many great teams in the PAC-12 for WSU to be successful. The offense doesn’t have a lot of great players in the big roles. The offensive line should be solid, but the guys they are blocking for aren’t going to be there. The secondary will be the best part of this team. They will improve on their numbers from last year and should force a few mistakes from other teams.

Key Wins: Oregon State, Colorado, UNLV. Key Losses: Utah, UCLA, Washington

6. Oregon State 2-10 (1-8) – This will be another down year for the Beavers. The offense has potential, but it won’t be here quite yet. QB Sean Mannion will be a great player down the road and when he gets there, the Beavers will be good. The defense will go from the cellar to the middle of the PAC 12. They have a lot of guys coming back and they will get some quality games out of them. OSU still has a long way to go.

Key Wins: Nicholls State, Utah. Key Losses: Cal, Washington State, Oregon.

South

1. USC 12-0 (8-0) – This team may be the best in all the land. QB Matt Barkly is going to have one hell of a season and he will pretty much carry the team. The running game may be in question, but now that they got Silas Redd from Penn State that problem will be solved. The defense will be great too. The secondary will be incredible. They will be able to stop the likes of any great team in the nation. The only problem they might have is out scoring Oregon twice. They will beat them in the regular season and I’m confident they will be able to do it in the Pac 12 title game.

Key Wins: All of them. Key Losses: None.

2. Utah 7-5 (5-4) – Utah will be an ok team, but in the easy PAC 12 south they will be near five hundred. The wide receiving corps is incredible for this team. They are really experienced and they will carry this team. The defense will also be really good. Last season they wouldn’t let other teams score and I expect that to continue with the great defense that they have. Bending and not breaking is a very successful tactic and I believe it will pay dividends for the Utes.

Key Wins: Utah State, Arizona State, Washington State. Key Losses: USC, Oregon State, Washington.  

3. Arizona 6-6 (4-5) – Rich Rod will have a good first season with Arizona. They will have some great wins this season, but the losses will come too. The offense will have to replace a lot of key players but the whole offensive line is back. This will help the rest of the offense as they start this season. The defense will be interesting as well. They have some great players coming back, but there are a lot of young guys. This team will need to get off to a good start if they want to finish out the season in a decent fashion.

Key Wins: Oregon State, UCLA, Colorado.  Key Losses: Oregon, Utah, USC.

4. UCLA 6-6 (4-5) – UCLA just hasn’t been the program of old. They did somehow make it to the PAC 12 championship game last season, but I can promise you that won’t happen again for a while. The rushing game will once again be the focal point for the Bruins and they will have great success running the ball. The passing game will really need some work if they want to score a lot more. The defense will be solid. They can’t stop the run so well, but when offenses take to the air they will hold their own. This team will have an interesting year, but will end up with as many wins as losses.

Key Wins: Arizona State, Washington State, Colorado. Key Losses: California, Utah, USC.

5. Arizona State 4-8 (3-6) – The Sun Devils won’t have a good season. They seem to have the right running backs in Cameron Marshall and Marion Grice, but the QB just isn’t there. They will have a decent running game this season. It won’t be one of the best in the conference, but it will be respectable. The passing game will really need some work. The defense will be middle of the road again. They will have some games were they look like they are coming around, but they will also regress throughout the season. Overall, this team isn’t anything special.

6. Colorado 3-9 (0-9) – Colorado has been one of the worst teams in all of the land for some time now and that isn’t going to change this year. They will get all of their wins through the out of conference schedule, but the PAC 12 will not be kind. One day this team will be a contender in the PAC 12, but that could be years from now. In short, the offense will be bad and the defense won’t be as bad. Whoopie.

Key Wins: Colorado State, Sacramento State, Fresno State. Key Losses: All Conference games.

Championship: USC over OREGON

Big East

1. Pittsburgh 9-3 (6-1) – Pitt will be a solid team this year which quite frankly is all you need to win the in Big East. A lot of people are down on them, but there are a lot of toss up games in this conference and for some reason I think they will be able to pull it out. The offense is filled with great targets for QB Tino Sunseri. He is used to his wide outs and that will really pay dividends as the season goes one. The already great running game will also get better from last year. The defense will also be solid. The secondary is filled with talent and will continue to improve on their marks from last year. The problem will be who can get to the quarterback. Both lines in front of the secondary have few returning starters.

Key Wins: Louisville, Syracuse, Cincinnati. Key Losses: South Florida, Virginia Tech, Notre Dame.  

2. Louisville 9-3 (5-2) – Louisville should be on the national radar this season. They have a great chance of turning some heads this year. Freshman QB Teddy Bridgewater broke on to the scene last year and should be better in his second season. His line is about the same and that should help him improve the scoring problem they had last season. The defense also has a lot of players coming back and they will continue to be one of the stingier defenses in the Big East.

Key Wins: South Florida, Kentucky, Cincinnati. Key Losses: Pitt, Syracuse, North Carolina.  

3. South Florida 8-4 (5-2) – South Florida has had a decent program over the years. They will continue that tradition by getting to another bowl game this season. It’s no secret that QB B.J. Daniels has been inconsistent, but this will be the year that he figures it out. He’s got a lot of guys around him that he knows and I think that there is just enough new talent to freshen his career up. He won’t have as good of a running game to rely on, but it will still be efficient. The defense will be good as well with a great set of line backers that will rush the QB and really create some frustration for the opposing offense.

Key Wins: Pitt, Cincinnati, Nevada. Key Losses: Louisville, Syracuse, Florida State.

4. Cincinnati 7-5 (4-3) – In years past the Bear Cats have had a prolific scoring offense. This year will be a different story. They don’t have the same personal as they did last year and that will really hurt them. WR Kenbell Thompkins will be the guy to watch. He will have to be a great leader for this team to get off the ground. The defense will still be great at stopping the running game, but the passing game will still be an issue.

Key Wins: UConn, Syracuse, Temple. Key Losses: South Florida, Louisville, Pittsburgh.

5. Rutgers 8-4 (3-4) – This is another solid team in the Big East. They will have plenty of chances for wins, but they will not do so well in the conference. They have a new coach and lost some talent and WR, but I think there are enough leaders on this team to make a difference this season. The offense will be so-so, but the defense will be the talking point. They have some serious talent returning and the young guys will be able to feed off that. Khaseem Greene will be a crucial point for this team and will stop the passing game in amazing ways. All they need to do is figure out how to stop the run and they should be fine.

Key Wins: Syracuse, Temple, UConn. Key Losses: Cincinnati, Arkansas, South Florida.

6. Syracuse 5-7 (3-4) – ‘Cuse has been known for its wonderful basketball program. The football program won’t be that bad this year either. I know 5-7 isn’t really good, but when you compare it to other basketball power houses, it is. They will be very bi-polar this year. I think they will have trouble beating the teams they should and then shocking teams that they shouldn’t beat. Neither side of the ball for this team really sticks out to me though. They have a senior QB in Ryan Nassib, but he isn’t that impressive. In short, this will be a middle of the road team that could have you shaking your head every week.

Key Wins: South Florida, Temple, Louisville. Key Losses: UConn, Northwestern, Rutgers.

7. UConn 4-8 (2-5) – The offense really isn’t there for this team. They do have Lyle McCombs, but he will be the only thing. He will have another 1,000 yard season and could be looked at by NFL teams come this off-season  The defense is shaky, but they will be able to do one thing: stop the run. They were ranked number three in the nation last year in run prevention and I think they will do it again with their talented linebackers.

Key Wins: Temple, Syracuse, Buffalo. Key Losses: Western Michigan, Rutgers, Maryland.

8. Temple 2-9 (0-8) – After a few years in the MAC, this team won’t be ready for the Big East. They will have a lot of close games, but I don’t think they will be able to close them out. They pretty much have a new offense this season. They won’t be able to handle ever some of the worst Big East defenses and their scoring will suffer. The defense has the potential to be a high point for the Owls, but that is a big maybe.

Key Wins: Villanova, Army. Key Losses: All Conference games.

Thanks for reading!  

College Football Week: Day 4

     Normally the ACC is laughable, but this year they are a great conference and will be very competitive when the bowl games come around. Let's see who's the best in the ACC this season!

Atlantic

1. Florida State 10-2 (7-1) – As many of you may know, I was really hot on the Seminoles last year. Some things just don’t change! QB E.J. Manuel will finally show everyone what he’s made of this year. The Noles have always had a solid defense and this is the year that they get their offense back on track. WR Rodney Smith is also back, so Manuel will have one of his favorite targets down field. The Noles still need to figure out the running game, but I believe that the senior Chris Thompson will give them what they need. The best part about FSU is that the defense that was number one in the ACC is back. They return most of their starters this season and the first two lines of defense are going to be scary!

Key Wins: Clemson, Virginia Tech, South Florida. Key Losses: Miami, Florida. 

2. Clemson 8-4 (6-2) – The reigning Atlantic champions are back, but not as powerful as before. They do have a lot of player returning on both sides of the ball, but I think they are going to lose a lot of close games this season. QB Tajh Boyd is the man to watch on offense. His dual threat capability will make him a hard man to match up against. The defense will have a very scary secondary, but the bight up front will be gone.

Key Wins: NC State, Georgia Tech, Maryland. Key Losses: Florida State, Virginia Tech, South Carolina.

3. North Carolina State 8-4 (5-3) – This Wolfpack team has been getting better and better throughout the years. They are honestly a dark horse for the Atlantic title. They have a killer secondary that lead the nation in interceptions last year. The scary part is that they are all back. The offense also has all their key players back from last year and should be very dangerous. The running game will be key for NC State. They didn’t have much luck last year running the ball and were only able to amount 104.9 yards a game last season. If the Wolfpack can improve on that, they are a top contender in the ACC.

Key Wins: Miami, Virginia, Maryland. Key Losses: Florida State, North Carolina, Clemson.

4. Maryland 5-7 (2-6) – The best thing that happened to this team was a change in uniforms…well and the fact I think they can win three more games this year. The defense will improve from last year because of the senior leadership. The offense will need more work though. They don’t have an experienced QB or RB so the offense will continue to suffer. It will be hard for the Terrapins to get anything going when they have to take on a lot of the toughest defenses in the land.

Key Wins: Boston College, Wake Forest, Uconn. Key Losses: Clemson, NC State, Georgia Tech.

5. Wake Forest 3-9 (2-6) – The Deacons should be an interesting team this season. They are going to be bad, but they will make every game interesting. They had a great year last year not turning over the ball and that will continue. QB Tanner Price rarely throws interceptions and should be good with the ball again. The defensive front should be very interesting as well. They have plenty of talent and depth. I expect them to improve on their run stopping numbers this season, but the pass defense will get worse.

Key Wins: Duke, Virginia, Liberty. Key Losses: Boston College, Maryland, Army.

6. Boston College 3-9 (1-7) – This year will go very wrong for this team. They really don’t have any standout players like they used to and that will really hurt them this year. The offense doesn’t have a stud player, but there are a lot of players that have been together for a while. The defense also doesn’t have a leader this season. The Eagles don’t have either Mark Herzlich or Luke Kuechly this season so the defense will regress. Overall, BC will still be rebuilding from the Matt Ryan years, but they will be a force soon.

Key Wins: Wake Forest, Maine, Army. Key Losses: Maryland, Miami, Georgia Tech.

Costal

1. Virginia Tech 11-1 (7-1) – The Hokies are always a team to watch out for in the Costal Division. This year they will be tremendous again. QB Logan Thomas can single handedly carry this team. It will help that he has one of his favorite wide outs from last season and his center. All the inexperienced players will instantly get better by playing with these core guys and will even better going into next year. The defense will be even better than last year. They pretty much have all their starters back and they will be able to stop almost everyone in the ACC. I think any other year they would win this conference, but there are so many good teams so it will be very hard.

2. Virginia 7-5 (5-3) – Last year this team had a great time in the ACC, but didn’t play so well out of conference. It will be much of the same for the Cavaliers this season. The defense will still great, but they will need some players to step up. There are a lot of young players and if they are able to get rolling they will be unstoppable. The problem is if the momentum isn’t on their side, it will be a bad year. The offense will be better this season, but they really need to improve on their fourth quarter scoring. The Cavs only averaged 3.7 points in the fourth last season and that won’t cut it. The ACC is filled with teams that can score at any time and if they can’t respond when the game really counts, they will lose. The Cavs aren’t a great team, but they will still have success in a great ACC.

Key Wins: Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Miami. Key Losses: TCU, Penn State, Virginia.

3. North Carolina 9-3 (5-3) – This Tarheel team will be very under rated this season. I think they have the fire power to contend in the ACC and should be a dark horse to win it. The offense is just stacked. QB Bryn Renner will really control the offense and will have a lot of opinions around him this season. The offensive line will be solid, but the center could be an issue. He’s a sophomore and if he gets in any high tension situations he could easily screw up a snap. The defensive line will be solid as well. They go two very experienced guys coming back. The secondary won’t be as good though. They still don’t have a lot of good players and they were near the bottom of the ACC last season. It will take a lot to improve that part of the defense and that will ultimately cost them the ACC.

Key Wins: Miami, NC State, Louisville. Key Losses: Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Virginia.

4. Miami 7-5 (4-4) – The U have not been very prominent in college football for many of the past years. This year, they take a small step forward. The Hurricanes lost their inconsistent QB last year and have upgraded. Stephen Morris will be more consistent for the ‘Canes. He is inexperienced though so it will be interesting for him at times. He will have a decent running game to lean on and a good set of wide outs to throw to. The defense will also be pretty solid this year. Denzel Perry will be killing it this year. The sophomore will be able to disrupt a lot of offenses. Al Golden had a great year coaching last year and I think another off-season with this team will do the ‘Canes marvels.

Key Wins: Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, Florida State. Key Losses: North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Virginia.

5. Georgia Tech 6-6 (4-4) – The Yellow Jackets are back and they are going to be just like a broken record. Year in and year out GT has a wonderful run game, but they can pass worth a damn. Once again, that is the case this year. The Jackets will be returning two of their tailbacks from last year’s number two ranked rushing attack. They will also have the same QB as last year, but I don’t think that will make too much of a difference. The defense should be pretty good. GT will be having a lot of seasoned veterans in the secondary. That should keep the Jackets on pace to match their 2^nd place ranking in passing yards allowed that they had last year.

Key Wins: Maryland, North Carolina, Duke. Key Losses: Virginia, Miami, Georgia.  

6. Duke 2-10 (0-8) – Duke is just another school that should just stick to basketball. The Blue Devils will have a good nucleus of players coming back. The problem is that they have to play teams like Miami and Virginia Tech. WR Conner Vernon will be the star of the offense. He nearly had 1,000 yards receiving last year and now that he is in his senior year I believe he will break the 4 digit plateau the defense should be shaky and best this year. They were near the bottom of the ACC in nearly every category last year and with a lot of new talent, it will be difficult for them.

Key Wins: NC Central, Memphis. Key Losses: Georgia Tech, Miami, Wake Forest.

Championship: FSU over VT

Thanks for watching!

Announcement!

I hope that you are all enjoying College Football Week on the blog! Unfortunately I will be moving in at CMU on Thursday and I will not be able to post. Fear not! I will be back on Friday with the ACC and Big East! If you can't wait for Friday, why not re-read the last three days of college football goodness!

Thanks for your patience!

~Neil

College Football Week: Day Three

Today is day three of my college football week and there are finally some teams of major interest. CMU, WMU, and EMU are all in today's MAC predictions and I also have the independents for you. 

Enjoy!

MAC

East

1. Ohio 10-2 (7-1) – The Bobcats will experience the same success they had last year. QB Tyler Tettleton is an amazing threat on the ground and in the air. He only gained experience from last year, so he will be one of the best players in the conference this year. Tettleton will also get back two of his major targets from last year. The defense will improve on their numbers from last year, but will continue to just be a middle of the road unit.

Key Wins: Marshall, Bowling Green, Miami. Key Losses: Kent State, Penn State.

2. Kent State 6-6 (5-3) – Kent State will have a great season as well. The problem is that they will be really far behind the rest of the MAC’s top teams. The offense has a great core of returning players and will do much better than last year. They will at least be in the middle of the conference in most of the major stats. On the flip side, the defense will regress. The Golden Flashes lost some great talent on defense, but it will only hurt them slightly.

Key Wins: Ohio, Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan. Key Losses: Bowling Green, Miami, Ball State.

3. Bowling Green 6-6 (4-4) – The defense will be the better part of this Falcon team. Returning starters are all over the roster and the secondary doesn’t have a new player from last year. The defense went through a lot of tough situations last year, so the group will be tight knit and ready to lead the team to victory. The offense also has a lot of key players returning. The offensive line has experience and so does the man they are protecting. The only issue will be the wideouts. They are all very young and it will be interesting to see how they handle the pressure. 

Key Wins: Kent State, Buffalo, Idaho. Key Losses: Ohio, Miami, Toledo.

4. Miami 4-8 (3-5) – All you need to know about Miami is that they have an incredible QB. Zac Dysert had one of the better years in the Nation last year. The Redhawks passing offense was ranked 14^th in all the land. This year Dysert is a senior and will be experienced enough to make a great impact on the MAC. The only issue is that he doesn’t have the supporting cast. The right side of offensive line is weak and the running game won’t be there this year. The defense is going to stay about the same. They will get the benefit of practicing against a prolific passer, but besides that there isn’t much upside.

Key Wins: Kent State, Bowling Green, Akron. Key Losses: Massachusetts, CMU, Buffalo.

5. Buffalo 3-9 (2-6) – This Buffalo team will be tough this year, but just like the previous year they will lose a lot of close games. They have the talent to hang with a lot of the teams in the MAC, but there just isn’t that player to put them over the edge. The running game will be strong with Branden Oliver spear heading the attack. The defense will be solid as well. The secondary will continue to be the best part of this unit. The Bulls down fall will be the rush defense.

Key Wins: Massachusetts, Miami, Morgan State. Key Losses: Bowling Green, Western Michigan, Toledo. 

6. Akron 2-10 (1-7) – If it wasn’t for the new comers behind them, they would be the worst team in the MAC. Akron hasn’t had a great season in a while, but that may change soon. First year coach Terry Bowden has a career record of 140-62-2 and I believe he can turn this program around. As for this year, the defense will really let them down. The put up some pretty good numbers last year, but lost a lot of talent. QB Clayton Moore really needs to step it up this season. His 9 touchdowns last year just aren’t cutting it.

Key Wins: Massachusetts, Morgan State. Key Losses: Miami, Toledo, CMU.

7. UMass 1-11 (1-7) – This is UMass’ first season in the MAC and not much can be expected from them. They don’t have the players for D1 yet and I think they will have some difficulties going on the road to places like Western and Michigan. They may shock some people and keep it close in a few games, but ultimately they will only get one shocking win.

Key Win: Miami. Key Losses: Buffalo, Akron, CMU, Western Michigan, Michigan. 

West

1. Toledo 9-3 (8-0) – This is an extremely talented team. They lost a whole lot of talent last season, but they still have the best player in the league. The offense will be impeccable. They balance the running and passing game so well that it’s hard to know what’s coming next. The defense will have bad numbers because of the teams they are playing, but they are still a strong unit of guys. As long as their line can get pressure on the QB, I think they will be fine.

Key Wins: Northern Illinois, Western, Ball State. Key Losses: Arizona, Wyoming, Cincinnati.

2. Northern Illinois 7-5 (6-2) – The Huskies will do just enough to get second in the MAC West this season. They will have the speed and the size that they always seem to have, but the loss of their QB and running back will really hurt them. The offense pretty much has new personnel all around, so they won’t be as fluid as last year’s team. The defense will be the rock for the Huskies. They are coming off a disappointing season last year, but there is a lot of upside in the secondary this year. Will it be enough to stop the likes of Toledo or Western? Not at all, but it should limit the damage and will dominate the weaker MAC teams.

Key Wins: CMU, Ball State, Eastern Michigan. Key Losses: Toledo, Western, Army.

3. Western Michigan 8-4 (5-3) – Unfortunately for Chippewa fans, the Broncos will have a banner year in K-Zoo. The offense will be the center piece just like last year. They have a huge offensive line and Alex Carder is incredible. I believe they will lead the conference and nearly the nation in passing yards this year and the running game will improve. The defense will be the Achilles heel though. It will be improved up front from last year, but it will still not be good enough to keep up with the likes of Toledo and Ohio.

Key Wins: CMU, Northern Illinois, Connecticut. Key Losses: Toledo, Eastern Michigan, Kent State.    

4. Ball State 5-7 (4-4) – Ball State will have a pretty good year in the MAC this season. The offense will continue to be one of the better units in the conference. Keith Wenning will improve on last season by throwing for 3,000 yards and 20 TDs. The defense will really hold them back. They were near last in every category and even if they improve a bit, they will still have a tough time against the likes of Toledo or Western. The last area that will really hurt the Cardinals is their out of conference schedule. They would have a chance at a bowl game this year, but the out of conference schedule is brutal.

Key Wins: CMU, Eastern Michigan, Kent State. Key Losses: Ohio, Toledo, Western Michigan.

5. Central Michigan 6-6 (4-4) – CMU will surprise some people this year. QB Ryan Radcliff will have a great receiving group to throw to and the O-line should be solid. The only three questions should be if the running game can show up this year, if Radcliff can take care of the ball, and if the defense is ready for the task at hand this year. The MSU game will really be the test for this CMU team. If they can keep it close, it will give them a lot of momentum for the rest of the season. If they lose terribly, Dan Enos will be shown the door at the end of the season.

Key Wins: Eastern Michigan, Miami, Navy. Key Losses: Western Michigan, Ball State, Michigan State.

6. Eastern Michigan 3-9 (2-6) – Eastern will continue to be in the basement of the MAC. Though last season showed some promise for the Eagles, I believe it was a bit flukey. The offense will be vastly improved this year. All the key areas look pretty solid. The defense will let them down this year. They had issues in the secondary last year and I expect that to really cripple the Eagles once again.

Key Wins: Western Michigan, Bowling Green, Illinois State. Key Losses: CMU, Toledo, Northern Illinois.

Championship: Ohio over Toledo

Independents 

Army 5-7 – Army will have another ho-hum year. The scheme that they run is so predictable these days that it isn’t even funny. Watch for the tail backs to rack up over 1,000 yards and score nearly 100% of the touchdowns while the QB and Wide Outs are hung out to dry. You stop the run with this team and the game is over. The defense has a great secondary. They don’t give up a lot of passing yards, but as soon as a team goes on the ground, they are one of the worst. They will grab some pretty good wins this year, but once again they won’t go to a bowl.

Key Wins: Wake Forest, Northern Illinois, Eastern Michigan. Key Losses: Air Force, Navy, Temple.

Navy 8-4 – This will be one of Navy’s better seasons. They too run a very predictable offense, but for some reason head coach Ken Niumatalolo does a better job with it. The Midshipmen lost a lot of guys on offense, but they will be able to reload. The defense will be improved this season. They got a lot of returning starters and a good mindset, so I think they will do quite well stopping the opposing offenses.

Key Wins: Air Force, Army, East Carolina. Key Losses: Notre Dame, CMU, Indiana.

BYU 9-3 – At the end of the season, I expect that the Cougars could be a dark horse for the top 25. With QB Riley Nelson and WR Cody Hoffman coming back, the offense has a great pipeline for TDs. The defense will also return a lot of players and I think there is a leader in almost every stage of the defense. The Cougars will also benefit from a semi-weak schedule, but will still have enough big wins to break into the top 25 at the end of the year.

Key Wins: Washington State, Oregon State, Georgia Tech. Key Losses: Utah, Boise State, Notre Dame.   

Notre Dame 8-4 – Last season was a good year for Coach Kelly. His team was a factor in every game they played and they lost some really close games. The problem is that there will be more of that this year. I’m sick of the media over ranking this team every year when clearly they are a 8-4 team. Sure, Tommy Rees will look really good this year, but is he really going to beat the likes of Oklahoma and Michigan? No. Both sides of the ball ill continue to be mediocre and until the team can get back to recruiting great players, that’s where it will stay.

Key Wins: Miami, Stanford, Navy. Key Losses: Michigan, USC, Michigan State.

Thanks for reading!

College Football Week: Day Two

Conference USA and the Mountain West Conference are on the docket today. These are two conferences that aren't too popular, but they bring a lot of energy to college football. Enjoy my thoughts of these two conferences!

Conference USA

East

1. Central Florida 9-3 (7-1) – Central Florida’s defense was top of the conference last year and that won’t change in this year’s campaign. With three returning senior starters and a lot of other young talents, UCF will be a defensive powerhouse. The offense will not be as good, but the offensive line should be solid.

Key Wins: East Carolina, Southern Miss, FIU. Key Losses: SMU, Ohio State, Missouri.

2. East Carolina 7-5 (6-2) – ECU had a disappointing season last year, but it won’t get too much better. The defensive front will continue to carry the team this year. There is also a good group of core players on the offensive side of the ball. Though they won’t be in the conference championship this year, they should be on everyone’s watch list for next year.

Key Wins: Southern Miss, Marshall, UTEP. Key Losses: UCF, Houston, Navy.

3. Southern Miss 5-7 (5-3) – This team will be better than their record shows. They have a really tough out of conference schedule and will be able to compete in every C-USA game they play in. The Golden Eagles just won’t have the sharpness on offense as they did last year. That will ultimately coast them enough games to keep them out of a bowl.

Key Wins: Marshall, Rice, Western Kentucky. Key Losses: UCF, East Carolina, SMU.

4. Marshall 4-8 (3-5) – Marshall had a decent season last year and when they return almost all their starters one may think they will min it again. That statement is false. They weren’t very good numbers wise last year and I think the team ahead of them have improved too much for the Thundering Herd to keep up.

Key Wins: Rice, Memphis, UAB. Key Losses: UCF, Southern Miss, East Carolina.

5. Memphis 4-8 (3-5) – In terms of football, Memphis should stick to basketball. They haven’t had a great program, but they will improve on last year’s 2-10 mark. Sophomore wideout Kevin Wright will be a big part of the offense. The experience he gained last year will help the Tigers get a few wins.

Key Wins: Rice, Tulane, UAB. Key Losses: Marshall, SMU, Southern Miss.

6. UAB 2-10 (1-7) – The Blazers from ‘Bama are going to have another rough season. Their defense is atrocious and the offense isn’t much better. They will get a few wins this season, but neither will carry much momentum for next season.

Key Wins: SE Louisiana, Tulane. Key Losses: Troy, Tulsa, Memphis, Marshall.

West

1. Houston 10-2 (7-1) – Houston has been the crème of the C-USA crop for the past few years. They have lost a lot of great play makers over the years, but they will reload once again. They will get their running back Charles Sims again this year and he will improve on last year’s stats. Though the QB spot will be in question, the Cougars have a great O-line ready to protect him.

Key Wins: SMU, Rice, Louisiana Tech. Key Losses: Tulsa, UCLA.

2. Tulsa 8-4 (6-2) – Tulsa has a great goup of seniors coming back. Their leadership will help the Golden Hurricane improve in all areas of the game. The defense will be the most improved. The secondary will be a lot stronger this year, but the pass rush will suffer.

Key Wins: Houston, SMU, Fresno State. Key Losses: UTEP, UCF, Iowa State.

3. SMU 7-5 (6-2) – The Mustangs will take a small step backwards in terms of their record this year. The offense has a lot of new starters that have yet to be tested. The defense will continue to be near the top of the conference and that will really carry them in some of their wins.

Key Wins: UCF, Southern Miss, Rice. Key Losses: Tulsa, Houston, TCU.

4. Rice 3-9 (2-6) – The talent just isn’t there yet for the Owls. Sure, they have some great guys who will make some great plays this year, but the teams at the top of this conference are just too good for them. When you pair that will a pretty tough out of conference schedule, you get a 3-9 record.

Key Wins: Tulane, UTEP, UTSA. Key Losses: SMU, Marshall, Louisiana Tech.

5. UTEP 2-10 (1-7) – The Miners have a hard time recruiting in Texas and that will show again this year.  The offense will continue to be sufficient. Their QB Nick Lamaison will have a pretty good year, but not enough to get some crucial victories. The defense won’t improve much this year as well.

Key Wins: New Mexico State, Tulane. Key Losses: Rice, SMU, Tulsa, Oklahoma.

6. Tulane 1-11 (0-8) – What to say here…I don’t want to be mean, but it was hard for me to find a game that this team could win. They have major problems on both sides of the ball and their record will reflect it. Besides the one possible win I have for them, there isn’t much upside for this team.

Key Win: UL Monroe. Key Losses: Every conference game. 

Championship Game: UCF over Houston

MWC

1. Boise State10-2 (7-1) – Boise has been the hot team out of the Mountain West for years (or at least the media plays it that way. What about those Horned Frogs?). Without that certain team in purple this year, the Broncos should have an easy route to the conference title. They lost a lot of key players like Kellen Moore, but head coach Chris Peterson will make sure his team is ready for the season ahead. Watch for both sides of the ball to have some difficulty in the beginning of the year, but once they get into conference play, the Broncos should be fine.

Key Wins: BYU, Wyoming, Fresno State. Key Losses:  Michigan State, Nevada.   

2. Nevada 8-4 (6-2) – Nevada has been overshadowed by TCU and Boise for years. When Boise leaves, it will show how great this team really is. They have a great and unique offense and the defense is usually solid. QB Cody Fajardo will have another break out season and will become the premier signal caller in the entire WAC. Soon the Wolf Pack will rise up as one of the many dynasties that the WAC has seen over the past decade.

Key Wins: Boise State, Wyoming, San Diego State. Key Losses: Fresno State, Hawaii, Cal.

3. Wyoming 9-3 (6-2) – This is another program that is on the rise. Head Coach Dave Christenson has taken the lowly Cowboys and made them mighty. 2012 will undoubtly be their break out season. They are returning a lot of talent on defense and offense. The one thing that will be holding them back this season is those hideous uni’s!

Key Wins: Toledo, Fresno State, San Diego State. Key Losses: Texas, Nevada, Boise State.

4. Fresno State 6-6 (5-3) – The Bulldogs have an up and down season ahead of them. They just seem to be in the middle of the road in every statistic and just aren’t that convincing to me. They did get a lot of key offensive players back this season, but the defense just isn’t there for me.

Key Wins: Nevada, Air Force, San Diego State. Key Losses: Boise State, Colorado State, Colorado.

5. San Diego State 6-6 (4-4) – The Aztecs are known for one thing: their defense. They will continue to pound other offenses, but their own offense will really be in question. They have a new QB this season and a new running back. I think those two positions will hurt them the most.

Key Wins: Hawaii, Air Force, Colorado State. Key Losses: Wyoming, Fresno State, Nevada.

6. Air Force 6-6 (4-4) – The Falcons will be competitive this year. There will be times when they aren’t playing the best, but it should be an overall great season. The offense will continue to produce at a great pace and the defense will stand through some of the tougher attacks they will face this year. They will have a hard time being the best military academy though.

Key Wins: Army, Colorado State, UNLV. Key Losses: Navy, Fresno State, San Diego State.

7. Colorado State 7-5 (4-4) – The Rams will be much improved since last year. The offensive is deep with talent and that should help the rest of the offense mature this season. The defense returned a whole lot of starters and should improve on their lack luster performance last year. The only problem is that they aren’t talented enough to really compete for a conference title this year.

Key Wins: Utah State, San Jose State, Hawaii. Key Losses: Colorado, Air Force, San Diego.

8. Hawaii 5-7 (3-5) – The Warriors will have another decent season. I feel that they always have a chance for a near .500 season because of the travel for home games. The only problem is that they have to play away games. This season the Warriors will have a great passing attack with David Graves and the rest of the offense should feed off that. The defense will be tough, but they will not be able to stop teams for the entire game.

Key Wins: Nevada, UNLV, South Alabama. Key Losses: Colorado State, Air force, USC.

9. UNLV 3-10 (2-6) - The Las Vegas Rebels will have another tough season. The talent and experience isn't there for them. The defense has really been an issue and I think they will grow up a lot this season. The offense has a great line, but the other positions will need work. They will be able to grind out a few games, but teams will still pound them for most of the season.

Key Wins: Northern Arizona, New Mexico, Wyoming. Key Losses: Hawaii, Colorado State, Minnesota.

10. New Mexico 1-11 (0-8) – I don’t have much to say about this team either. They have fallen upon some rough years recently and even though they have a lot of returning starters, this still won’t be a good year. Their conference will dominate them this year and they will only grab a single win against some D2 school.

Key Win: Southern. Key Losses: Every other game.  

Thanks for reading!

College Football Week: Day One

This week is college football week on Sports According to Neil and today I'm starting with the bottom of college football. The WAC and the Sun Belt aren't the most popular or strongest conferences in the country, but they still matter! Don't worry folks, by the end of the week you will get to see my thoughts on every team in college football (Even an unbiased opinion of those guys down in K-Zoo). So sit back and enjoy my thoughts on these small conferences.

WAC

1. Louisiana Tech 8-4 (6-0) – QB Colby Cameron will lead the Bulldogs to conference dominance. With the senior leadership on this team, Louisiana Tech will be a force to reckon with. 

Key Wins: Rice, Utah State, New Mexico State. Key Losses:  Houston, Texas A&M, Virginia.

2. Utah State 7-5 (5-1) – The offense will be the best in the WAC again, but the defense will slip just enough to put them behind Louisiana Tech.

Key Wins: UNLV, New Mexico State, San Jose State. Key Losses: BYU, Utah, Louisiana Tech.

3. New Mexico State 6-6 (4-2) – The coaching changes will do marvels for them. They will really need to count on the four returning starts to lead them.

Key Wins: New Mexico, San Jose State, Idaho. Key Losses: Utah State, Louisiana Tech, Ohio.

4. San Jose State 5-7 (3-3) – The Spartans have a wonderful selection of wide outs this year. The problem will be who can get them the ball. David Fales will really have to step up this year.

Key Wins: San Diego State, Idaho, Texas State. Key Losses: Stanford, Navy, New Mexico State.

5. Idaho 3-9 (2-4) – The Vandals are a solid team, but they just don’t have the talent to compete. In a few years it could be a different story.  

Key Wins: USTA, Texas State, Eastern Washington. Key Losses: Utah State, Wyoming, San Jose State.

6. Texas State 2-10 (1-5) – This is the Bobcats first season in D-1, so they won’t do so great. They will get at least one win in conference, but don’t expect too much more.

Key Wins: Stephen A. Austin, USTA. Key Losses: Idaho, San Jose State, Texas Tech. 

7. UTSA 4-8 (0-6) – This is the Roadrunners first season too! They have a lot of help with their weak out of conference schedule, but when they get into conference play their season is over.

Key Wins: Georgia State, NW Oklahoma State, McNeese State. Key Losses: Texas State, Idaho, San Jose State.

Sun Belt

1. Arkansas State 9-3 (7-1) – QB Ryan Aplin will have a lot of time to throw because of his great offensive line. Plus, the kids catching his passes are experienced. That’s what I call dangerous.

Key Wins: Memphis, FIU, North Texas. Key Losses: UL Lafayette, Oregon, Nebraska.

2. FIU 9-3 (7-1) – They have plenty of returning starters on both sides of the ball. Their downfall will be the lack of an experienced QB. They will still be a power, but they won’t be able to win the conference.

Key Wins: Duke, Akron, UL Lafayette. Key Losses: Arkansas State, UCF, Louisville.

3. Louisiana Lafayette 8-4 (6-2) – The Ragin’ Cajuns had a banner year last season. This year will be much of the same. QB Blaine Gautier will have a great year once again and the defense will do a bit better than last year.

Key Wins: Arkansas State, North Texas, UL Monroe. Key Losses: FIU, Western Kentucky, Oklahoma State.

4. Louisiana Monroe 5-7 (5-3) - The complex offense of the Warhawks will confuse some of the lower level teams, but they won’t be too difficult for the good teams. Look for Jyuss Edwards and Centarius Edwards to lead the offense on the ground.

Key Wins: North Texas, Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee. Key Losses: UL Lafayette, FIU, Arkansas State

5. North Texas 6-6 (5-3) – Mean Green will have the offense this year to keep up with the rest of the conference. The defense will really hold them back this year, but they will still get a small chance at a bowl bid.

Key Wins: Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee, South Alabama. Key Losses: UL Monroe, UL Lafayette, Houston.

6. Middle Tennessee State 5-7 (3-5) – They were very young last year and that experience can only help them. I believe a lot of the young guys have matured and they will be able to get a few more wins under their belt this year.

Key Wins: Memphis, Florida Atlantic, Troy. Key Losses: North Texas, FIU, Georgia Tech.

7. Florida Atlantic 3-9 (2-6) – The offense was one of the worst in the conference last year. They got a lot of guys back so that can turn around. The secondary is the part of the team that could get them some wins this year. Many of the guys are ball hawks and can really make an impact.

Key Wins: Troy, South Alabama, Wagner. Key Losses: Western Kentucky, North Texas, Middle Tennessee.

8. Troy 3-9 (2-6) – The key for troy will be the defense. They were terrible last year and won’t be retuning any talent. If they can limit the damage, QB Corey Robinson could have a chance on the other side of the ball.

Key Wins: UAB, Western Kentucky, Southern Alabama. Key Losses: Florida Atlantic, Middle Tennessee, North Texas.

9. Western Kentucky 3-9 (2-6) – After last year’s conference dominance, the Hill Toppers will take a few steps back. They lost a vital part of their running game and without that they won’t be able to find the end zone.

Key Wins: UL Lafayette, Middle Tennessee, Austin Peay. Key Losses: Troy, Florida Atlantic, North Texas.              

10. Southern Alabama 2-11 (0-8) – The Jags are first timers and it will show. They also don’t have a lot of returning experience, so it will be extra interesting to see if they can cope being in D-1.

Key Wins: UTSA, Nicholls State. Key Losses: Troy, Florida Atlantic, Middle Tennessee.

Thanks for reading!

What I Loved About the Olympics

     The Games of the 30th Olympiad will be one of my favorite Olympics for a long time. They were the first games that I actually watched almost every day and really cared for the whole duration. It was just flat out hard not to watch them. NBC did a great job with their wall-to-wall coverage and there always seemed to be something intriguing on.
     Like every Olympics, I was a sucker for anything USA. All of my favorite teams and people were competing for the red white and blue. Usain Bolt did his hardest to try and wow me and it pains me that he isn't in my top five, but it is possible that what he did still hasn't found it's true meaning inside my head.
     The five United states teams and people that I have picked might be givens. I am an American, so the fact that we won double gold in Basketball once again really excites me. It may have not been the most exciting competition wise or a real "Olympic" event, but it meant something to me. So without any further rigmarole, here are my top 2012 Olympic Teams.

5. Both USA Basketball Teams - This year was another banner year for both teams. Golds for both and neither lost a game; this must be how Brazil feels when they beat us in Soccer. On the Women's side, they had the full force of Uconn. Geno Auriemma and many of the great players he coached took it to the world. Most the time, it didn't even look like they were trying, but they still won. As for the men, they did not have such an easy time. With close games with Lithuania and Spain, it really showed how far the world has come in basketball. At the end of the day though, what made this such a great "moment' for me, was to finally see the maturity of team USA. Ever since the 2004 debacle in Greece, I wasn't sure if the US would be able to maintain a great program. The drive just didn't seem to be there, but all credit to Coach K. His ability to turn this into a program and not an all-star team. Just the emotion of all the players and Coach K jumping for joy in the final minutes really mad it a great time.

4. Women s Gymnastics- I can't say how proud I am of the Gymnastics team. How they were able to beat such gymnastic rich countries like China always astounds me. I know that we have a rich tradition as well, but Gymnastics has always fallen to the wayside in US culture. The best part about this team was all of the characters. There was Jordyn Weiber who was the home town girl. Gabby "The Flying Squirrel" Douglas who was the energy of the team and had such a touching story. We can't forget McKayla Maroney. She, to me, was the star of the 2012 Olympics. First, she made an outstanding vault in the team competition that even had the judges in awe. It was literally the perfect vault, but still the judges marked her down. Then she had her infamous breakdown in the individual vault. She messed up the second vault, eventually got the silver, and is now in internet meme history with he "McKayla is not impressed" meme. All in all, it was a great Olympics for the supposed "Fab 5" they brought a lot of energy to the games and were able to make their country proud, but in my books, they will always be remembered for the characters. 

3. Women's Soccer - US Women's Soccer. Who knew they had this kind of performance in them? I now, they had been to every Olympic Final to date, but after last year's lost in the World Cup Final I though our Women's soccer program was going to take a few steps back. Instead of doing that, they reloaded and brought us a Gold Medal. Though this performance was not as dominating in years past, it may be the most memorable. The group stage was thrilling; every game had something. Against France they went down two goals early just to come back and win by two. In the Colombia match, Abby Wambach showed great composure after she got socked in the eye by a Colombian defender and used her anger in a positive way by scoring a great goal. It was brought to a whole new level in the group stages though. The match against Canada was maybe one of the best United States soccer matches that I had ever seen. The fight that the team had through that game really proved that they were gold medal worthy. They did get a lot of help in that match, but they did come up big when they needed to. The best part of the Olympics for this team however, was the Final. They got the match up they wanted: Japan. The US did not disappoint this time. Carli Loyd scored two amazing goals that will live in my memory forever. She went from siting on the bench for most of the tournament to a heroine in just a few minutes. The other star of the game was Hope Solo. Her blow up in 2007 and her inability to stop the penalties in 2011 kind of had her in the dog house. 2012's Gold medal reverses that and any mistakes in the near future. She made save after save and really came up big and because of her, the US get their redemption.

2. Misty May and Kerri Walsh - These two time gold medalists always impressed me, so I wasn't that shocked when they won their third this summer. What really had me in awe was the fact that they split after 2008 and had just gotten back together in 2011. Though they didn't really play with each other at all during the Olympic cycle, they continued to be just as great as they were before. They only gave up one set in their latest run and have not lost in Olympic competition. For two people to have such a commanding control of a sport for so long is just incredible. Also the fact that they were not picked to win coming into this competition only adds to the glory of this third medal. Their storied run also had a nice ending. They took on the duo of Kessy and Ross for the gold to make it an All American Final. May and Walsh may not be house hold names, but their dominance of this sport should help keep more Americans on the medal stand.

1. USA Swimming - Phelps and Lochte. That was what this Olympiad was supposed to be all about for the Americans, but what we got was way more. The women in the pool actually took center stage. I could have taken the glory road for my top "memory" from this Olympics with the dominance of Michael Phelps. He is the most decorated Olympian of all time and I don't know if that record can ever be beat. He was a freak of nature and we got to see him perform like no one else for over 12 years. I also could have gone with the disappointment of Ryan Lochte. It was supposed to be his year everyone said, but quite frankly, I don't know if it was ever going to be his year. London 2012 will always stick in my mind as the year our women took over the pool and set themselves up for years of goal medals. Missy Franklin is by far the new leader. The 17 year old broke onto the world's stage this summer and won four golds and a bronze. This puts her on an almost Michael Phelps type pace. Her two world records are outstanding as well. The most amazing aspect is that she is only seventeen. That means she could have another three Olympics to compete in. If she continues to get better as she goes, who knows how many medals it will be. Though her achievements in the pool will be the first memories that stick with me, the video of her seeing her parents after winning her first gold will also be there. There was nothing more touching then seeing the joy of a family congratulating their young daughter. The other swimmer that really impressed me was Katie Ledecky who won her first gold medal at the age of 15. The fact that she's four years younger than me really makes me consider if I'll ever be able to do as much with my life as she has. She too will have a great future in American swimming and will forever be one of my favorite athletes in 2012.

Thanks For reading!