Super Early College Football Top Five

Photo courtesy of Louisianasportstalk.com. Les Miles (pictured above) did not prepare his team the way he should have for the National Championship Game. Expect his LSU Tigers to walk away with the National Championship in January of 2013.

By Josh Kramer

The late-great basketball coach Skip Prosser once told me, “If you can’t be on time, be early.”  Well in this case, I am going to be super early.  The big game, which unfortunately did not end up being “big” by any means, concluded the College Football season on Monday night.  And despite a very disappointing finish to what had been a magical season in Baton Rouge, good things are ahead for the Tigers.  Who really cares if the season just ended, Spring Ball is right around the corner as die-hard fans across the country pray their team will be “the” team in 2012 and early 2013.  Here is an early look ahead.

Top Five:

1.  LSU Tigers:  Do not let Monday’s game take away from what this team accomplished this past season.  Eight wins against ranked foes.  Five of those on the road.  Plus this team returns the majority of it’s vaunted defense, including the Honey Badger and Eric Reid.  In addition, find me a better stable of running backs.   LSU was the nation’s best team in 2011.  They just didn’t finish the job.  Also, next year, their schedule is much more favorable.  The Tide have to come to Baton Rouge and the non-conference slate is not exactly mind-boggling (N. Texas, Idaho, Washington, Towson).

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College Football Week 9: It will be mighty fine

Photo courtesy of spartan-football.com. Will Kirk Cousins (pictured above) and the Spartans have enough gas left in the tank to escape with a victory against the Cornhuskers?

By Josh Kramer

It is safe to say that Week 8 was great.  Riddled by blowouts and its fair share of upsets, fans were kept on their toes until the last second across the country (especially in East Lansing).  As the nation continues to prep for what many are calling the “Regular Season National Championship” in Tuscaloosa, do not overlook Week 9.  It has the makings to be mighty fine.

Here are the marquee matchups.

Michigan State at Nebraska:  Cornhuskers by 3

Headline:  After every high comes a low.  The Spartans struggle in the cornfields of Lincoln.

Food for Thought 10-25-2011

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Tim Tebow (pictured above) was the marquee storyline of Week 7 in the NFL.

By Josh Kramer

We are in the midst of arguably the best time of the year in the sporting world (along with March Madness).  Football is at full tilt at both the collegiate and the professional ranks. The NHL is back in action.  Plus we are coming up on the home stretch of the Fall Classic.  There is not enough time in a day to keep up with everything.

Here are the main items that have caught my attention.

Tebow Time

A third week that was a charm

Photo courtesy of cleveland.com. Joe Bauserman (pictured above) and the Ohio State offensive attack proved to be extremely one dimensional yesterday. Can they straighten this issue out in time for a rugged Big Ten conference slate?

By Josh Kramer

All is right in the College Football world.  Notre Dame finally won a game.  On a Week 3 slate full of potential, many of the games failed to live up to the hype, while others exceeded expectations.  We are starting to get an inkling of an idea of who is who in the College Football landscape this year.  And I for one am very excited.  Here are the highlights from the Week 3 games.

Test one has been passed

-America’s preseason number one is still undefeated as we get ready for Week 4.  Many had the September 17th date circled on their calendars as the one where the Sooners would falter and once again prove that Bob Stoops and Co. were overhyped.  Well, they took care of business in a hostile Tallahassee atmosphere and appear to be on their way to a possible National Title Game appearance.  I know that I should slow my horses, but OU plays most of their major Big 12 tests at home, and we all know how the Sooners play at home, considering they are currently on a 37 game win streak at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

-Kenny Stills was a “Fabulous Freshman” last year.  Now he is none other than a “Sensational Sophomore.”

“College Football Week 13: An Unbeaten D-Day?”

Can Auburn quarterback and leading Heisman candidate, Cam Newton (pictured above), keep the undefeated season alive in today's Iron Bowl?

The turkey has been eaten.  People have sat on their couches.  And though there is a full slate of NFL games set for Sunday, the next 2 days are all about the College Game.  The NCAA has provided America with a full slate of games for both Friday and Saturday.  And boy have they taken advantage of the extra day, putting 3 of the undefeateds in big time matchups on the Friday.

So please sit right back down on your couches folks.

Here is a look into some of the key matchups.

Auburn at Alabama:  The SEC Title Game has been decided.  Bama will miss out after playing in it 2 consecutive years.  So the Tide have underachieved.  Not all hope is lost in at least salvaging state supremacy.  In the 75th version of the Iron Bowl, both teams come in ranked for the first time in 5 years.  Also, this is the first time since 1994 that both teams are ranked in the top 10.  After the Tide dropped a heartbreaker at LSU on November 6th, the team set its sights solely on the Iron Bowl.  This is Bama’s chance to ruin their rival’s year.  You better believe that they are going to take advantage.  Newton has not faced a defense with the speed of the Alabama boys.  Finally, Cam will show he is human, as Alabama contains the Heisman hopeful and puts up just enough points to shock Auburn and ruin their undefeated season.  Alabama by 3 at home.

Arizona at Oregon:  The best offense in the land looks to continue to demonstrate they are worthy of a spot in the National Title Game with a big time matchup against PAC 10 power, Arizona.  Both teams play solid defense.  Sadly for Arizona, they will not be able to keep up with the offensive firepower of the Ducks.  LaMichael James and the Ducks will keep quacking towards a National Title spot.

Nevada at Boise State:  Can Nevada help save the BCS from the Boise Madness?  The NCAA and BCS are keeping a very keen eye on this WAC matchup.  And rightfully so.  Sadly for the BCS, the Broncos aren’t losing this one.  Kellen and the Big Blue Men have not taken on a ranked foe since September 25th.  After winning that game against Oregon State, people knew that this would be a key date.  This would be the next time that the Broncos could possibly lose.  Boise currently is scorring nearly 48 points a game and giving up 11.5.  Since the Oregon State game in September, no opponent has come within 29 points of the Broncos.  So the style points have been there.  Nevada has been no slouch offensively itself, scoring over 44 points a game.  Sadly though, Nevada has not played a ranked foe all year.  It will show today, as Kellen Moore, Titus Young, and Austin Pettis erupt.  Boise will still be in the National Championship talk after they defeat Nevada by 14 plus today.

LSU at Arkansas:  This game is a prime example of how outstanding the SEC West is.  Both of these teams are looking to play in a major BCS Bowl still.  LSU looks to remain in the BCS equation while Arkansas looks to fly into a BCS Bowl game.  The winner of this one will be a big time contender to find their way into major BCS Bowl.  Can Ryan Mallett and the great Arkansas offense shred LSU and their tenacious defense?  In the age old question, I got defense beating offense today.  Tigers by 1 on the road in a thriller.

Oklahoma at Oklahoma State:  The Sooners have absolutely dominated this series winning 80 of the 104 matchups.  Oklahoma State has shocked the country with their first 10 win season in school history.  With a win over their in-state rival, they will get to play for the Big 12 Championship.  With a loss, the Sooners will head to the Big 12 Title Game for a change.  Okahoma State has scored over 45 points a game this season and have one of the most dangerous passing attacks in the country, led by 27 year old Brandon Weeden.  Oklahoma has not defended against the pass well this year, so logic points towards the Cowboys shredding the Sooners.  Sadly, its a  mindsight.  OK State does not have that winning mentality of Bob Stoops and the Sooners.  They feel that they are the underdogs.  And they will be the underdogs.  Sooners shock the Cowboys by 3 on the road.

So there you have it.  I got Auburn on upset alert.  I also got the Sooners continuing to own the state of Oklahoma.  What a 2 days of games we got ahead.

Stay tuned for the next edition of TheSportsKraze.

-TheSportsKraze

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“College Football Week 8, Can I get it Straight?”

I wanted to apologize to all of my fans.  My picks last weekend were absolutely horrific.  You could not pick much worse than I did.  So in Week 8, I look to redeem myself and show you all that this past weekend was just a fluke.

Start calling Oklahoma Coach Bob Stoops (pictured above), "Big Game Bob" again folks.

Just know that this will be a weekend to remember for the Big 12.

So here is a look into a few of the marquee matchups.

LSU at Auburn:  Two very surprising teams sit atop the SEC with undefeated records.  Nobody saw this coming, but these squads are both tough.  And as the year continues, they both have continued to get stronger.  Auburn put on an amazing offensive outburst last weekend against a tough Arkansas team while LSU put up some numbers against a lesser foe.  Well Saturday, get ready to see a team make a major statement.  The winner of this game will place themselves in great position to play in the SEC Title Game and possibly the National Championship come January.  These teams have some contrasting styles.  Auburn relies on a dual threat quarterback, Cameron Newton.  Mine as well start calling this kid “CN” for “Championship Newton.”  He can do it all and leads one of the most feared offenses in all the land.  LSU on the other hand uses two quarterbacks for various situations.  Relying on an old school smash mouth rushing attack and a stellar defense.  Can their defense contain the mighty CN?  I think not.  Auburn will have too much offensive burst in this one and win a real battle 20 to 17.  Tigers by 3 at home.  The raucous Auburn Stadium will be the differentiating factor in this intense battle.

Wisconsin at Iowa:  Talk about a formidable Big Ten matchup.  You better believe the old school Big Ten is wide open again.  The Badgers did the entire country a favor in knocking off a very tough Ohio State team.  Sadly for them, there is no time to celebrate.  Instead they get to travel to Iowa to take on a very tough Hawkeyes team.  This will be the Badgers last real challenge of the entire season.  A win in this game could really put the Camp Randall boys back into the Big Ten race.  Though Michigan State looks tough at the top.  Iowa on the other hand has quietly gone about their business since a tough loss out on the West Coast to Arizona.  Ricky Stanzi continues to manage games with the best of them and finds ways to win.  Can Iowa ride their defense to a victory in this one?  I am thinking so.  Look for Wisconsin to suffer a major low after a major high last weekend.  I got Iowa gutting out a big win at home by 3.

Nebraska at Oklahoma State:  Can Nebraska recover after showing that Texas was their kryptonite last Saturday?  You better believe it folks.  OK State’s offense has been absolutely electric all year.  Junior Quarterback, Brandon Weeden, aka, Old Man River, has been stellar in every sense of the word thus far.  But he has not faced a defense like the one the Cornhuskers have yet.  This will be a wakeup call for the Cowboys.  It is a shame, because they have been great thus far.  But sadly, they will drop a tough one at home as their offense struggles to find any rhythm or continuity due to a lacking rushing attack against Bo Pelini’s boys.  I got Nebraska by 7 on the road.

Oklahoma at Missouri:  A second major battle in the Big 12 of unbeatens?  What a weekend it is in the last year of the Big 12 as we know it.  Stoops and the boys head to Missouri ready to continue to make some noise.  Missouri can no longer fly under the radar folks.  This is the big time.  Can Missouri’s stellar defense stop Oklahoma’s very balance offensive attack?  They probably will hold them in check for a couple of quarters.  Expect Landry Jones, Ryan Broyles, and Demarco Murray to go to work in the 2nd half though.  Start calling Stoops “Big Game Bob” again folks.  I see Oklahoma running away with this one by 13 on the road.

So there you have it.  A huge weekend for the Big 12.  A big weekend for the SEC.  And a big weekend for the Big Ten.  Can I get it straight this week?

Stay tuned for the next edition of TheSportsKraze.

-TheSportsKraze

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