College Football Week 2: Lace up the shoes

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Will the return of starting quarterback Caleb TerBush (pictured above) help propel Purdue to a huge victory over rival Notre Dame? Don’t count on it.

By Josh Kramer

Week 1 ended up providing a little fun.  As is typically the case though, it was littered with blowouts.  Even the “marquee” matchup (Alabama vs Michigan) ended up being a butt-whipping.  Unfortunately, Week 2 doesn’t get a whole lot better.  Blame the current BCS system (which will not be around that much longer) for turning non-conference play into mismatch play as teams look to pad their resumes with lopsided victories.

Here are the marquee matchups:

Purdue at Notre Dame:  Fighting Irish by 10

Headline:  Fighting Irish “outfight” Purdue for the Shillelagh Trophy.

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Weekly Nickel 9-3-2012

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Adam Jones (pictured above) has been a main reason why the Baltimore Orioles are in contention for their first AL East title since 1997.

By Josh Kramer

Labor Day typically means two things other than a day off of work.  First of all, the dog days of August are over.  Secondly, America’s favorite sport is back.  College football took over this weekend and guess what?  The NFL is right around the corner.  Last week was a whole lot of fun, but this week will be good in its own right.  Here are the events to keep an eye on.

5.  Richmond International Speedway will be the place to be next Saturday in terms of NASCAR.  This is the final race before the Chase for the Cup begins at Chicagoland Speedway on the 16th.  In other words, Richmond is for all of the marbles.  Find a way into the top ten, or pray that you nab one of the two wild card spots.  I am looking at you Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, and Carl Edwards.

4.  The dog days are finally over.  Players are smiling from ear to ear due to the dog days finally ending, the expanded rosters, and of course the home stretch to the regular season.  We have learned a few things along the way.  The Baltimore Orioles are the real deal.  Crazy, I know.  Much of this is thanks to their star center fielder Adam Jones.

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.

Weekly Nickel 4-30-2012

Photo courtesy of mutualuniversity.blogspot.com. People received a heavy dose of Todd McShay (left) and Mel Kiper (right) this weekend. There is still plenty more to come.

By Josh Kramer

How many times this weekend did you hear the following lines? “That’s a reach.”  “The sky is the limit for this guy.”  I don’t know about the rest of you, but I am all NFL Drafted out.  It is a great event. But on to the next one.  What a great time in sports right now.  Major League Baseball is just getting going.  The NBA and NHL playoffs are in full swing.  Here are the events to keep an eye on this week.

5.  Have you had enough of the NFL Draft yet?  Well guess what, the coverage is not over.  Despite the insane amount of attention that the NFL’s marquee off-season event received, there is still plenty more to come as the experts try to tell you how good or bad your team did in the war room.  Here are a few interesting statistics in regards to the 2012 NFL Draft.

-55% of the drafted players (142 of 253) came out of the SEC, ACC, Big Ten, and Pac-12.

-Alabama has turned into the new NFL U (8 players selected).  Plus, the Crimson Tide became only the second school ever to have multiple underclassmen selected in the first round of the draft in three consecutive years (Miami is the other).

-Times are changing.  The Sunshine State was not smiling on Thursday night.  No players from Miami, Florida, or Florida State were selected in the first round for the first time since 1980.

-A new record of 19 early entrants were selected in round one (the previous record was 17 in 2010).

-Boise State had six players drafted this year.  Only Alabama, Oklahoma, and Georgia had more taken.  I am sure people will blame this on the “easy” schedule though.

Food for Thought 4-10-2012

Photo courtesy of bleacherreport.com. The last time the Yankees began a season 0 and 3 was 1998. One of the key cogs to that team which ended up winning the World Series was Tino Martinez (pictured above).

By Josh Kramer

Panic has struck the entire East Coast.  God forbid the Red Sox and Yankees both got swept in their opening series.  For just the second time in MLB history (1966 was the other), the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox have started the year 0 and 3 (now both are 1 and 3).  This happens almost every year where a high-profile team stumbles out of the gate.  Last year, Boston was beside itself when the “Fenway All-Stars” started out the year 0 and 6.  They ended up winning 90 games and missing the playoffs due to the modern-day version of the Boston Massacre and one of the wildest final nights in the history of the baseball.  Back in 2009, both New York and Boston were relegated to the cellar in the AL East after six games.  We all know who ended up hoisting the Commissioner’s Trophy that Fall (Boston made the playoffs as well).

Weekly Nickel 1-23-2012

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Can Petra Kvitova (picturd above) rise to the top of Women's tennis by winning the Australian Open?

By Josh Kramer

After a “Monster Saturday” in College Hoops, NFL Championship Weekend, and the death of a legend, we head into what should be another great week in sports with heavy hearts.  Also, do not forget about a pretty big time tennis tournament occurring in Australia that is still going on despite the absence of any American men in the draw.  Here are the events to keep an eye on.

5.  The biggest game in American sports is set.  A rematch of Super Bowl XLII (42), pitting two of the biggest sports markets in the country (Boston and New York) against one another.  And you all know what that means.  Let the media blitz begin.  Though many get sick and tired of all of the hoopla and overly done analysis regarding the ultimate game in football, at least it is still fresh and new today.  All eyes will be on Indianapolis over the next two weeks.  And no, people will not be watching Peyton Manning. We will be watching Eli in the house that Peyton built..

National Championship Game Preview

Photo courtesy of al.com. No player has been more exciting this season than LSU's Tyrann Mathieu (pictured above). Will he lead his team to a National Championship on Monday night?

By Josh Kramer

Welcome to the thunder dome.  All eyes will be on the mythical “Superdome” come Monday night as the National (SEC) Championship game transpires.  SEC West rumble.  Old coach versus new coach.  Honey Badger versus Richardson.  “Game of the Century Part Deux.”  Grab your popcorn, because this game is poised to be far better than any movie.

The majority of the country tuned in to the “Game of the Century Part 1” back on November 5th.  And unfortunately, many were disappointed by Round 1 of the heavily hyped game (I was not).  Well have no fear, the points will be here on Monday night.  With a month to prepare, despite phenomenal defenses, the O’s will at least put up one touchdown apiece (no touchdowns on November 5th).

Food for Thought 1-3-2012

Photo courtesy of bostonherald.com. Rex Ryan (pictured above) is not the happiest of people as we begin 2012. Has he learned any lessons over the course of the past year?

By Josh Kramer

2012 has already begun with a bang.  Football, football, and more football.  Plus some hoops and hockey among other things sprinkled in.  Who else is in BCS Heaven and hyped for the NFL playoffs?  Here are the items that have caught my attention

Rethink your priorities Rex

–Rex Ryan has admitted to possibly not having the “pulse” of his team this season.  Maybe he should have thought about this type of thing before running his mouth.  Rex Ryan has quickly become one of the most villainous figures in football.  If you are not a fan of the New York Jets, you are not a fan of Rex Ryan.  There are not too many people who are neutral towards Rex Ryan.  Every sports fan has a pretty definitive stance regarding the New York football coach.

College Football Bowl Picks Week 3

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. The top matchup this week has to be the Stanford vs Oklahoma State Fiesta Bowl date. I have a feeling Andrew Luck (pictured above) will play a large part in the outcome.

By Josh Kramer

Please somebody explain to me why it is called “Capital One Bowl Week?”  We are now entering Week 3 of bowl season.  Why isn’t it “Capital One Bowl Month?”  I would love to hear the reasoning.  12 bowls down, and 23 to go.  19 games will be played between now and next Thursday.  Strap in, because the beat will not stop until January 9th as we start to hit the “real” bowl games.

Thursday:

Florida State vs Notre Dame (CHAMPS SPORTS BOWL)

–Fighting Irish by 3

Headline:  Brian Kelly brings home a second straight bowl game victory to South Bend.

-Let’s just call this the “Year Away Bowl.”  Both of these teams had lofty expectations to play in BCS Bowl games this year.  Neither was ready.  Notre Dame is slightly closer to being ready in my opinion though.

College Football Week 14: This is it

Photo courtesy of thesportsbank.net. The Big Ten Championship Game is arguably the best matchup of the week. Can Russell Wilson (pictured above) help the Badgers exact revenge on a tough Michigan State team?

By Josh Kramer

At last it is time for the “official” final weekend of the College Football regular season.  Though we have learned a ton since the beginning of September, there are still plenty of questions in need of definitive answers.  These are as follows:

-Who will play in the BCS National Championship Game?

-Who will take home the prestigious Heisman Trophy Award?

-Where will all of the bowl bounds team be heading?

-When will the game of musical chairs in the College Football coaching world generate some solutions?

And I could go on and on..

Here are the marquee matchups.

UCLA at Oregon: Ducks by 31 (yes I expect them to beat the 30 point spread)