Weekly Nickel 9-17-2012

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Brad Keselowski (pictured above) stole the show at Chicagoland Speedway yesterday and clinched his fourth win of the season.

By Josh Kramer

Saturday embodied exactly what college football is all about.  Hotly contested games with unpredictable finishes.  The NFL Week 2 was just as fun as Week 1 with an upset filled Sunday.  And the NHL lockout is on.  Talk about a shame.  Last week was fun, but this week will be good in its own right.  Here are the events to keep an eye on.

5.  Brad Keselowski stole the show as the Chase officially began at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday.  It was Keselowski’s fourth win of the season, his seventh in the past two years, and a great start to the Chase for the man who drives the #2 car.  There are still nine more races to go and plenty left to be decided.  Next Sunday, New Hampshire Motor Speedway will be the place to be in NASCAR.

College Football Week 3: Is for me

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. The status of Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson (pictured above) is uncertain for Saturday’s game against Alabama. Even with a healthy Wilson, Arkansas will not be able to defeat Alabama.

By Josh Kramer

Louisiana-Monroe stole the show in Week 2 with their shocking upset of the heavily favored Razorbacks.  In addition, the Pac-12 flexed their muscles against the Big Ten and staked their claim as the second best conference in college football.  Luckily for all of us, Week 3 is when the schedule begins to take things up a notch.  The powder puff games are few and far between, with ranked matchups galore.

Here are the marquee matchups:

Alabama at Arkansas:  Crimson Tide by 24

Headline:  No comeback needed this time around.  The Crimson Tide smack around the overmatched Razorbacks from start to finish.

Louisiana-Monroe?  Do they even have a college football team?  This stunning upset was reminiscent of the infamous Appalachian State victory in the Big House back on September 1, 2007.  That was last week though.  Believe me, Alabama is not going to come to town with milk and cookies because they feel bad for the Razorbacks.  Not to mention that the status of Arkansas star quarterback Tyler Wilson is uncertain.

Back when the schedules were released, this was a game that I and many thought would be a classic.  That just won’t be the case.  The Razorbacks have defeated seven of their past ten ranked foes, but Alabama is better than the Razorbacks in every facet of the game.  Add in the fact that Tyler Wilson’s status is uncertain, and you have a blowout in Fayetteville.

Weekly Nickel 9-10-2012

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Much will be expected from Mark Trumbo (left) and Albert Pujols (right) if the Angels want to make a playoff run.

By Josh Kramer

Football, football, and more football.  How nice was it to have a Saturday and Sunday jam-packed with football action?  Your weekends may be less productive, but more entertaining for the forseeable future.  Not to mention we are nearing the end of the MLB regular season and the Chase for the Cup is on.  Last week was fun, but you better believe that this week will be a good one in its own right.  Here are the events to keep an eye on.

5.  The Chase is finally on.  After 31 races spanning over nearly seven months, the field has been whittled down to 12.  There are ten races left starting at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday.  Who will take it home?  We know that Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch won’t.

4.  Strasburg is done.  Teixeira could be done.  The injury-bug has struck as the season nears the final twenty games.  It is September and teams are doing all they can to land a spot in the postseason.  The races of note are taking place in the AL East, the AL Central, and of course for the four wild card spots this year.  My matchup of the week takes place in the friendly confines at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.

Oakland Athletics at Los Angeles Angels:  Who else envisioned the Angels participating in the Fall Classic this year?  I know I am not alone.  Well the clock is continuing to tick and currently, the Angels will miss the postseason entirely.  Fortunately for them, they open up a four-game set tonight against the team they are chasing.  Got to love how MLB scheduling works out at times.

It is make or break time for the Angels.  There is no better way to track down the team you are chasing than to handle business against them head to head.  The Angels appear to finally be clicking at the right time led by the terrific trio of Trout, Trumbo, and Pujols.  Look for the Angels to close the gap by nabbing three of four in front of a very supportive home crowd.  Also, expect the Angels to catch and pass Oakland when all is said and done.  The remainder of the A’s schedule includes the likes of the Orioles, the Tigers, the Yankees, and lots of Texas.

College Football Preview: SEC too good for its own good

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Matt Barkley (pictured above) will have a special year in 2012 as he leads USC back to the pinnacle of college football and takes home the Heisman Trophy.

By Josh Kramer

Opening night for the 2012 edition of College Football is just a week away.  It seems like it was just yesterday that Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide were celebrating on Bourbon Street.  In actuality, it was 227 days ago when Alabama clinched the SEC’s sixth consecutive national championship.  Don’t expect that streak to reach seven though.

Here are my predictions for the season ahead.

ACC Champion: Florida State Seminoles

I along with most people around the country jumped the gun and proclaimed Florida State’s greatness last season.  Will this finally be the year that the Seminoles and their outstanding recruiting classes live up to the hype?  Jimbo Fisher along with the entire city of Tallahassee certainly hope so.  A loaded defense led by Brandon Jenkins, Bjoern Werner, and Xavier Rhodes are ready to roll.  As is their experienced senior quarterback EJ Manuel.  A September 22nd showdown with the reigning ACC Champs Clemson and a visit to Blacksburg for a Thursday night tussle (November 8th) with the always dangerous Virginia Tech Hokies are the two dates to keep in mind at this time.

Big 12 Champion:  Oklahoma Sooners

The Sooners are a definite contender to not only win the conference crown, but to take home the whole thing after a very disappointing and injury-riddled 2011. This will be a team that has a chip on its shoulder from start to finish in 2012.  Unfortunately for the Sooners, their schedule does not get serious until their final three games, which features road contests against Big 12 newcomers West Virginia and TCU, and a showdown with in-state rival Oklahoma State.  Also, keep an eye on the Red River Rivalry Game against a dangerous Texas team on October 13th.  Senior quarterback Landry Jones may face more media pressure than any other player in the country not named Matt Barkley.  I have a feeling that the very experienced senior will welcome it as he finishes his Sooner career with a bang.

College Football Bowl Picks Week 4

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Can Collin Klein shock the world one more time and lead Kansas State to their 11th victory of the season?

By Josh Kramer

31 bowl games down. Four to go.  There is no denying that this bowl season has been one for the ages.  Once again I will pose what should be a familiar question to all of you who avidly read this blog.  Why is it called “Capital One Bowl Week?” The first bowl game (Gildan New Mexico Bowl) was played on December 17^th and the final hurrah will occur on Monday, January 9^th.  This by no means is a week, but more like a month.  But I digress.  So who else is satisfied with the BCS games thus far?  Two overtime thrillers and a record number of points at the “Grandaddy of Them All?”  I would say the vast majority of the matchups have lived up to all of the hype and more.  Hopefully “The Game of the Century” part deux won’t disappoint.

Kansas State vs Arkansas (AT&T COTTON BOWL)

–Razorbacks by 14

Headline:  Once again the Big 12 demonstrates its lack of defensive firepower, as another SEC team wins a major bowl game.

Weekly Nickel 11-28-2011

Photo courtesy of raleighdurham.about.com. Can North Carolina Head Coach Roy Williams (pictured above) rally his team to a huge victory over Kentucky in Lexington Saturday?

By Josh Kramer

What a past week in sports.  Wild NFL action.  Rivalry weekend for College Football.  Big time College Basketball upsets.  A shocking out of thin air NBA Labor agreement.  And a return of the NHL’s biggest star.  It will definitely be tough for this upcoming week to top last week.

Here are the events to keep an eye on.

5.  The Return of the Mack.  Hockey’s biggest star has returned to the ice, and appears ready to pick up right where he left off.  The hockey world got a momentous gift, when Sid “the Kid” Crosby took the ice for the first time in over 11 months.  With Ovechkin’s stardom waning, the NHL has been thirsting a star for the better part of six months.  That void appears to have been filled with the “Return of the Crosby.”  Talk about the strong getting stronger.  Pittsburgh already possessed the best record in hockey.  Now they just added the best player a quarter of the way into the season.

College Football Week 13: This is where things get mean

Photo courtesy of alaskanhawg.com. Can Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson (pictured above) help the Razorbacks turn the BCS world upside down on Friday?

By Josh Kramer

The College Football season is finally hitting the stretch run.  Rivalries galore fill the Thanksgiving weekend, while the BCS is in as much chaos as I can ever remember it being in.  This weekend could potentially be the weekend where the BCS gets exposed worse than it ever has.  What if Arkansas beats LSU?  Then what do you do?  But let’s focus on what actually is rather than the “what ifs.”  The slate this week is packed with great games and also will be the final showcase session for many Heisman hopefuls.  Week 12 was a wild one, but Week 13 has the makings of being one of the all-time greats.

Here are the marquee matchups.

Arkansas at LSU:  Tigers by 10

Week 12 was swell

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Brandon Weeden (pictured above) and the magical run by the Oklahoma State Cowboys came to an end on Friday during what has been an extremely emotional week in Stillwater.

By Josh Kramer

Week 12 was predominantly filled with blowouts, with a few major upsets sprinkled in.  Now the top three teams in the country will come from the SEC.  More specifically, the amazing SEC West.  The season is starting to come to an end and the BCS picture continues to become clearer…just kidding.

Another one bites the dust

-Heading into this week there were three undefeated teams in all of the land.  Now we are down to just two.  In shocking fashion, Oklahoma State, who led by 17 points and were playing with heavy hearts, went down to a Iowa State team that is still under 500 in Big 12.  What are the chances?  Who really saw this coming?

-With Oklahoma State biting the dust, the BCS now finds itself with a major dilemma.

College Football Week 10: I remember when

Photo courtesy of espn1420.com. Saturday night's showdown in Tuscaloosa may come down to which team gets the better quarterback play. Can the senior duo of Jordan Jefferson (left) and Jarrett Lee (right) outdo standout sophomore AJ McCarron?

By Josh Kramer

Week 9 of the College Football was “mighty fine.”  It was highlighted by a Braxton Miller hail mary toss and a very gutsy triple overtime win by the Standford Cardinal at the Coliseum.  But this is the week we have all been waiting for.  The “Game of the Year” is set to take place in Tuscaloosa Saturday night.  Grab your popcorn.  There will be some fireworks when number one takes on number two.

Here are the marquee matchups.

South Carolina at Arkansas:  Razorbacks by 7

Headline:  The lack of Lattimore kills the Gamecocks at Razorback Stadium.

Weekly Nickel 10-31-2011

Photo courtesy of coacheshotseat.com. Can Les Miles (pictured above) pull a rabbit out of his hat and lead his Tigers over the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa on Saturday night?

By Josh Kramer

Halloween is always a wild time for obvious reasons.  It is the one time of year where you can dress however you want and go unnoticed.  This weekend though, was highly noticeable in terms of the wide world of sports.  Saturday night was arguably the best night of College Football we have had all year.  Sunday was full of thrills and surprises.  And the Fall Classic had its first Game 7 since 2002.

Here are the events to keep an eye on this week.

5.  So a month of games are gone.  That is a shame for sure, but at least some progress was temporarily made.  The insanity and chaos that I witnessed at the end of last week into this weekend demonstrated to me that we have a very good shot of at least having a partial season.  Both sides want to make this deal happen.  It is just a matter of getting over the 2% conflict.  If I had to guess, I would say we will be seeing the game’s biggest stars by January.  This is a bummer in that the Christmas lineup was set to be epic.