College Football No. 2

Sorry about the lack of posts this week, but here's my predictions for weeks six through eleven of college football. For week six, I think that the game of the week is No. 1 Florida versus No. 11 LSU. This is Florida's first real test after stomping their first two opponents so far. I'm going to take them to win the game, because right now it isn't smart to bet against Tim Tebow and Urban Meyer.



For week seven, I picked two games. First, No. 14 Virginia Tech versus No. 15 Georgia Tech. Virginia Tech lost a tough game to Alabama, so I like them to win. The second game is No. 3 USC versus No. 18 Notre Dame. Notre Dame lost a heart breaker to Michigan, but USC looked too good against Ohio State for me to pick against them.



The next week, No. 13 Oklahoma plays No. 24 Kansas. Although Kansas is a very good team, Sam Bradford will be returning from a shoulder injury that caused him to miss the first game of the year, which Oklahoma lost. I expect him to be on a tear and predict an Oklahoma rout.



In week nine, No. 2 Texas plays No. 5 Oklahoma State, who just lost to my new favorite team, Houston. I expect this to be a high scoring game. If my Heisman pick Colt McCoy doesn't amass at least five hundred yards, I'm going to be dissapointed.



In week ten, we have a rare SEC showdown that doesn't involve Florida. No. 11 LSU plays No. 4 Alabama. I'm liking Alabama to win, and Julio Jones is the best wide receiver in the country, but this game doesn't even matter because Florida is going right through the SEC on their way to a championship.



The next week, in an ACC game, No. 20 Miami plays No. 19 North Carolina. There are rumors the Miami is going back to being a good program, and I'm a Duke fan so I'm going to pick Miami.

College Football No. 1

Tonight, college football officially began the 2009 season. College football is similar to college basketball in the fact that the players work harder and controversy in playoff decisions. In college, athletes have something to prove and tend to work a little harder than in the pro's, when they're guaranteed money. Also, the selection committee for both basketball and football has made some questionable decisions. Anyone remember Texas last year and Syracuse in 2006-2007.



Tonight, the only really notable game is No. 16 Oregon versus No. 14 Boise State. Boise State has been very successful the past six years, winning a bowl game against Oklahoma a few years back. Oregon is an up and coming team that has produced a few NFL players the past few years. Both teams are very exciting, and I'm expecting an interesting and fast paced game. Also, the game is played at Boise State, which has probably the coolest field in the NCAA.



In this post, I'm going to look at some of the most exciting games of the year, starting with day one and going until the end. To begin with, I'll start with Saturday's Minnesota at Syracuse game. Neither team is ranked, but this marks the debut of Greg Paulus as the Syracuse quarterback. With Paulus having fragile confidence after coming off of a horrible senior season at Duke, this game will probably be an indication of the season to come. I'll take the Paulus flop.



The next game that I really noticed was No. 4 USC at No. 6 Ohio State. Last year, USC won but there was some controversy at quarterback for Ohio State. This year, Terrelle Pryor is the definite starter for Ohio State and Usc is the one with some quarterback drama. Also, both teams lost key players on both sides of the ball. This game should be more competitive than last years, and I'm predicting an Ohio State victory.



Om September 19th, Texas Tech visits No. 2 Texas. Even though Texas Tech isn't rated, they're always dangerous with their spread offense and Mike Leach coaching. Last year, Texas Tech beat Texas in what was probably the game of the year and ended up keeping Texas from going to the national championship game. This should add more heat to the game, and I think that Texas should win in favorable fashion.



The next week is a little bit quiet, but I think that the game of the week is No. 12 California against No. 16 Oregon. This is a Pac-10 game that will probably have playoff implications. Both teams have been said to be over-rated, but they could easily win the Pac-10 if USC slips up. I"m taking California over Oregon, although they have the best uniforms in the country.



On October 3rd, No. 11 LSU goes to No. 13 Georgia to play in a typical SEC rivalry game. This game will probably implicate who plays Florida in the SEC final. I'm going to take Georgia in an upset because of a gut feeling I have about them and a hatred of LSU.



This concludes the first of my college football trilogy. Check back the next few days to see the next two.

College Football Prologue

After being stumped about what to write about for the past few days, I found a genuine pot of gold and decided to write a trilogy describing the top game each week of college football. This is basically the run-down for the trilogy of college football.



There are seventeen weeks of college football, so to split that up I'll pick the best games of the first five weeks for my first post. The next two posts will be for the next six weeks.



Every week, I'll check my predictions and compare them to what really happened. If at the end of the season, my ratings are negative, I refuse to watch the National Championship.

The End of an Era

Today, Teddy Bruschi retired from the NFL. This ends an era of Patriots football that is best described as dominating. With three NFL championships, twelve years, and an undefeated season it could be argued that the Patriots teams during Bruschi's playing career were one of the best ever.



Bruschi's retirement also creates some fear that that era is over. He's done, and everyone is getting older, including Bill Belichick. Also, Tom Brady is still recovering from an injury and hasn't looked great in pre-season. This year could be one of the last if not the last of the Patriots recent era.



Yesterday, California won the Little League World Series in comeback fashion, continuing the trend of American teams winning the tournament over international teams. I feel just a little bit un-American for not watching the final, but I was set on a Curacao versus Georgia final and decided that the championship game couldn't live up to my expectations of a Curacao-Georgia final, but I was wrong.



California, after falling down three to nothing, came back to beat Chinese Tapei three to six. This was a typical World Series final, and I've made a vow to watch every game of the LLWS next year. Last thing, I noticed that one kid on California was six foot tall two hundred and twelve pounds, which is gigantic for a thirteen year old.

NBA Predictions

Alright, so Kobe got his ring last year and finally proved he could win big without Shaq. After being knocked out of the play-offs last year, LeBron James is as hungry as ever to finally win his first championship. He probably has the most to prove after a tumultuous off-season. However, the Lakers are as good as ever, adding Ron Artest to take care of the other teams top players. Even though the Lakers lost Trevor Ariza, I think that they're a better team with Artest. But, no off-season acquisition was as big as Shaq going to the Cavs.



Shaq is the mentor that LeBron needs. After all, he's done the partner stuff quite frequently and with good success. Penny Hardaway, Kobe Bryant, and Dwayne Wade were all propelled to stardom and championships. Sorry Penny. I don't think that Shaq's stint with LeBron will be any different. The Big Aristotle is the most dominating player to ever play, and I think that he'll teach LeBron a thing or two.



Shaq wants another championship, there's no question about it. Nobody can question LeBron's want or desire for one either, and right now I'm going to make a prediction. The Cavs will start slowly and have some bumps along the way, but will end up finishing between second and fourth in the East. Then, they'll make their way through the playoffs in historic fashion before beating the Lakers in seven games. After the game, Shaq will announce his retirement and proclaim himself as the best player of all time, with Kobe visibly scowling in the backround. He will then go on to jubilantly dub himself dozens of inapropriate nicknames.



Well, this is how it would happen in the dream world, but I think that Shaq and LeBron will definitely win at least one championship together and Shaq will help LeBron get over his championship curse.

Has Duke Been Saved?

A while back, I was browsing through ESPN and found Duke's incoming class of basketball players. For the most part, the players we got were just like everything Duke Basketball has resembled the past eight years. White, un-athletic, good, but un-reliable, shooters, and defense that seemed to be played by a passive seven year old, not a division one athlete. Remind you of players from the past?



After finding this out and realizing that our post players for the next four years were going to be panzies, I went to Youtube and stumbled upon this video.



Class of 2010 Duke recruit? Athleticism? African American? Visible muscles? There's got to be some mistake right? No this kid is really coming to Duke. About a week later it hit me that he must be related to Johnny Dawkins. After fact checking this, I found out that it wasn't true. I figured that in two years, we would have one of the best back courts in the nation with Dawkins and Seth Curry.



A few weeks ago, I found out that he had enough credits to come to Duke and skip his senior season. Now, we actually have some athleticism. After reading about Amdre Dawkins, I found out that he is already a great shooter. This explains why he's going to Duke. Coach K would never recruit someone with great athleticism and a boat load of potential would he?



I mean in the 2000's, when I'm old enough to realize Duke's problems.

Michael Vick's Debut and Sport's Return

After two months of sub-par sports and running out of ideas, sports are finally returning to their usual exciting self. After two years of watching quarterbacks wait it out in the pocket, Michael Vick finally returns to the NFL and brings back an exciting and unpredictable quarterback.



The past two months, there hasn't been a lot of sports to watch, with basically only the MLB going through its most boring months. However, the NFL and College Football are returning, and following them are then NBA and College Basketball seasons. There are finally story lines to follow and money to be taken through bets. On top of all this, the MLB Playoffs are coming soon. Even better is that the Yankees are in them. That one hundred eighty million dollars we spent this summer really did work!



Also, tomorrow night Michael Vick makes his debut for the Philadelphia Eagles. Even though it's pre-season, it will be a sign of what's to come this season for Vick. Will the Eagles run some wildcat for him, will he be as good as he was, and how much will he play are all questions to be answered. However, wherever Vick goes, even in Philadelphia, he'll be greeted by boos and stuffed dogs along with very mean taunts. Just handling himself in the midst of this will be a big step for Vick.



Pictures like the above are common on the internet, but in person it's going to be much worse. No matter what happens, the Michael Vick situation will be entertaining. I think that people are in for a surprise when they see him tomorrow night.



Nobody knows how several story lines will play out, but there is no doubt that it will be more entertaining than the past two months have been. Sports are finally kicking into full swing.