College Football Bowl Picks Week 2

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Kellen Moore (pictured above) is looking to cap off his remarkable college career with his 50th victory.

By Josh Kramer

The first few college bowl games surprisingly went out with a bang. I will be the first to admit that the first week of bowl games were not half bad.  They were actually very good.  Granted the majority of America did not really care about the outcomes, but guys like Tyler Tettleton (OU QB) and Brett Baer (Louisiana-Lafeyette kicker) are now heroes in Athens (Ohio) and Ragin’ Caginville.  I think it is safe to say that Brett Baer might be more beloved than the “Waterboy,” Bobby Boucher (regardless of what mama says). in Lafayette. Two of the three games on Saturday came down to the wire.  The Monday evening game provided a very surprising outcome, as the Thundering Herd “scampered” their way past a decent Florida International team.  Now the fun really begins (sort of) with seven games between today and next Wednesday night.

Thursday:

Arizona State vs Boise State (MAACO BOWL LAS VEGAS)

–Broncos by 14

Headline:  Kellen Moore vents his frustrations of missing the National Championship yet again on a struggling Arizona State team.

Advertisement

Weekly Nickel 11-14-2011

Photo courtesy of lakers.topbuzz.com. Will Derek Fisher (pictured above) and the NBPA find a deal they like this week?

By Josh Kramer

It was another wild week in the sporting world.  The Jerry Sandusky scandal in a not so “Happy” Valley.  Great games at both the collegiate and professional ranks on the gridiron.  Plus we even got our first of NCAA hoops actions since last April.  It is safe to say that last week was fun.  But the fun is just beginning.

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

5.  The NBA player’s association will meet today in New York.  This is without question the most important meeting yet, but also seems to hold the answer to the question we have all been waiting to learn.  Whether there will be NBA basketball this season or not.  Now I realize this is not the end all be all of meetings.  But it will really give everyone an idea of if a deal is a possibility.  Let’s pray the reps from all 30 teams are satisfied with the seven page summary of the NBA’s latest CBA proposal.

Week 11: Will all of the kickers please stand up?

Photo courtesy of http://www.tri-cityherald.com. Boise State freshman kicker Dan Goodale (pictured above) has officially become the new Kyle Brotzman.

By Josh Kramer

The “Game of the Century” was in the rearview, but that did not affect the caliber of play this week.  Great games from start to finish.  The excitement began on Thursday night with a great ACC battle that lived up to the hype and ended with the marquee event of the week in Palo Alto, where LaMichael James “sprinted” himself back into the Heisman consideration.

Do not underestimate the significance of the kicking game

“National Championship Game Preview”

This year's Heisman Trophy Winner, Cam Newton (pictured above) has had a monster season both on and off the field. Expect him to make a final statement in willing his team to a victory over Oregon tomorrow night.

Tomorrow is finally the night of the big game.  It has taken a full 4+ months to get to this point, but the time has come.  34 Bowl Games down (after tonight’s Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl), 1 monumental one to go.  It is the matchup that everyone has wanted since mid way through the season.  It is the matchup that not only the entire College Football Fan base has wanted for a while now, but it is exactly what the BCS wanted.  Two teams that were not ranked in the preseason AP top 10 go head to head (this has never happened in the BCS era).   The BCS dodged some major bullets this year with how things worked out. 

Auburn could have easily taken an L in the Iron Bowl this year, when Alabama had them on the ropes.  What if Michigan State did not blunder at Iowa this year, or Ohio State at Wisconsin?  What if Boise State’s Kyle Brotzman does not have the worst game of his life versus Nevada?  There are a lot of “what ifs,” but there are only two teams left standing.  The two very best in College Football.

Grab your popcorn, because there are about to be some fireworks.

Now I am not going to ram the stats down your throats.  You have been forced to listen to the minutia and buildup to this game for well over a month now.  The fact of the matter regarding this National Title Game is simple.  The teams pitted really like to light up the scoreboard.  They both rank in the top 4 in the land for points scored a game.  The Ducks have been held under 35 points once the entire season and Auburn has scored over 50 on 6 different occasions.

The intriguing thing for both of these squads is that neither is pass happy.  Though football at nearly all levels has become a pass first game, both of these squads accomplish most of their damage via their rushing attacks (they can throw the ball with authority too)  Granted they both have two very mobile quarterbacks that can make plays with both their arm and their feet. 

I do not see this game being as high scoring as all analysts are predicting.  Many are calling for this one to have more points than the legendary National Title Game of 2006, when Vince Young propelled Texas over USC 41 to 38.  Generally the first quarter of National Title games feature offensive blunders, while each team shakes off major nerves.  Now I do think each team will put up points, but I do not see both teams scoring 40 plus.

The X Factor in this game will be Cam Newton and Auburn’s overall team speed.  Now I realize that Oregon has some players that have what I like to call the “burners.”  But they have not faced a team with the speed that Auburn features across their entire roster.  Many have been saying that the fact Oregon has a stronger defensive unit will be the differentiating factor that gives the Ducks the advantage.  Lets be real though.  The PAC 10 is a very good conference.  But it is nowhere near the caliber of the SEC.  Auburn’s defense played phenomenal competition all year and still held its own enough to give their offense a chance to win every game.

Look for a Vince Young like performance out of Cam Newton.  Just hopefully he does not pan out like Young in the NFL.  I got Auburn winning a very exciting game 34 to 31. I will admit that I said in my College Football Preview that this would be the year the SEC’s reign of National Championships ended.  I had no idea that Auburn and Cam Newton would come along back in September. Cam Newton and the Tiger’s overall team speed will give the SEC its 5th straight National Championship. 

Stay tuned for the next edition of TheSportsKraze.

-TheSportsKraze

“Weekly Nickel”

Lebron James (pictured above) make his long awaited return to Cleveland on Thursday. Should the King be wearing a bullet proof vest?

Last week was crazy on all different levels.  The football was insane.  The eating was insane.  The basketball was insane.  And I could go on.  I will state that the normal Tiger Woods Thanksgiving drama was not missed.

Boise went down in flames.  Their kicker, senior Kyle Brotzman, is the Broncos Bill Buckner, and the most hated man in Idaho.  Auburn pulled off an epic 24 point comeback against a very tough Bama team on the road.  The Buckeyes laid the smackdown of all smackdowns on bitter rival Michigan.  And this was just in the College Game. 

In the NFL, Andre Johnson showed that he is not only a great receiver, but a brutal bruiser.  In the NBA, the Heat continue to struggle.  Every first place team in the NBA has at least 4 players averaging double digits points per game.  The Heat only have three.  This could be a major problem in South Beach.

But lets take a look at the big events forthcoming this week.

5.  The Cliff Lee negotiations are supposed to really take flight as the week progresses.  Will the amazing hurler end up in NYC?  Will the “Captain” remain a Yankee?  We should know a lot more regarding these two big time free agents by the end of the week.

4.  How will the BCS Bowl Games fill out?  We will find out come next Sunday.  Outside of an inevitable matchup between Oregon and Auburn (if they both win on Saturday), there is much indecision and confusion on how the other matchups will play out.  Will Michigan State be the odd man out in the Big Ten?  Will Arkansas receive the SEC’s 2nd BCS bid?  It will be very interesting to see what teams are smiling next Sunday and which teams are frowning.

3.  The NFL enters Week 13.  Divisional races and the playoff picture are finally beginning to take a little shape.  This Week’s spotlight will be shown brightly in New England though.  What a Monday Night Affair we have in store with the Jets heading to Foxborough to take on the Patriots.  Both of these teams currently sport the best records in the conference and sit tied atop the AFC East at 9 and 2.  What shenanigans will Rex Ryan pull during the course of the week is another critical question that one should ask as this epic duel nears.

2.  It is closing time in College Football (outside of the Army vs Navy matchup next week).  We enter Week 14 with a somewhat clear view on who will be participating in the BCS National Championship Game.  As long as both teams take care of business in their final games.  All eyes will be on two main games involving these top ranked teams.

-Oregon vs Oregon State:  Can the Ducks finish off a perfect regular season and secure a spot in the National Championship game?  The rival Beavers, though in the midst of their worst season in some time would like nothing more than to spoil their rival’s Title hopes.

-Auburn vs South Carolina:  Last year’s SEC Title game was a shocker as Alabama gave Tim Tebow the worst whooping of his life.  Can the Old Ball Coach, Steve Spurrier, shock the world and lead his Gamecocks to an elusive SEC Title?  South Carolina Freshman running back, Marcus Lattimore, will have to play the game of his life for Spurrier and the Cocks to pull the upset.

1.  The Return of the King.  Strap in folks.  The Almighty LBJ finally makes his long-awaited return to Cleveland on Thursday Night.  And boy should it be a wild show.  My main questions regarding the evening.

-Both teams sit in 3rd place in their respective divisions.  Will Miami finally begin to gel and show why Lebron took his talents to South Beach?

-Will anybody get shot during this grandiose evening?  This includes Lebron James himself.

-Will tears be shed by Lebron?

-How much ESPN Coverage will be donated solely to this storyline throughout the week?

So there you have a glimpse into the upcoming week.  This will be another week to remember in the wide world of sports. 

Really is there ever a week that is not worth remembering in the sporting realm?

Stay tuned for the next edition of TheSportsKraze.

-TheSportsKraze

Be the first of your friends to like itTweet This Post