Mid-Day Rant: The Kansas City Chiefs

Every fan base but one was rooting for the Chiefs in yesterday’s game, the Indianapolis Colts.  Yes, even Dolphin fans were rooting for the Chiefs as they just lost a crucial game in the “Suck for Luck” sweepstakes.  The Colts are now in the driver’s seat for Andrew Luck which is to everyone’s dismay other than Indy fans. 

Even Dolphin's fans were rooting for the Chiefs
on Sunday. 

The Colts get to going from having one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the league to having the potential greatest quarterback in the history of the league.  That is not fair, they need to suffer.  And do not tell me this season is suffering.  Every Colt’s fan is off their rocker now that they have a chance to get Luck, I know, I have seen it first-hand.  After a decade of winning season’s and a Super Bowl championship, the Colts deserve rebuilding years.

I do not think anyone saw this one coming either.  The Chiefs have been arguably one of the hottest teams over the past couple of weeks and were playing at home in one of the toughest stadiums around the country.  I for one thought the Chiefs would have a better day than the Falcons.  I started Kansas City’s defense over the Falcon’s and what did that get me -4 points.  Thanks Chiefs for giving me a net of -14 points and giving the Colt’s the driver seat.  

Wait, I didn’t know the Big Ten had a night game last night

Bama kickers missed 4/6 FGs including
one in OT.  

From what I remember, Big Ten teams were not allowed to play games at night in the month of November.  Yet, as the world watched the title race unfold last night in Tuscaloosa, many Big Ten fans would have thought they were watching two of their own teams.  With tough defense, costly turnovers, missed field goals, bad penalties and a lack of offense, it seemed LSU and Alabama would have fit in perfectly with the Big Ten. 

I know SEC fans would be in outrage if they read this article and ESPN analysts would make a mockery of it, yet that is the exact style of football we see in the Big Ten.  Other than the Badgers, there are no teams that are really putting up jaw dropping offensive numbers.  Most games are won in the trenches and a missed field goal, or a poorly thrown ball can cost you the game which is exactly what happened last night.

The defense on both sides looked like it could stop the Bronco’s offense, yet a high school defense could have stopped their offenses.  Upcoming oppositions of the Tigers or the Tide should have learned one thing: make them throw the ball.  The QB’s were a combined 25 – 46, held under 300 yards total and threw four picks (three if you do not include Maze’s.)   I get it; the defenses were incredible however it makes me think that I do not want to see a rematch in New Orleans.  I want to see how a twelve cylinder offense, such as the Cowboys or Cardinal, will fare against the best defenses in the land. 

                While I was watching the game, I had numerous texts and saw numerous Facebook updates stating the game was extremely boring (mostly from Big Ten fans).  However, if you were to look at what the rest of the world was saying, they were exclaiming "how exciting the game was", "we need to see a rematch", etc, etc…  That made me wonder, is this just because they are two SEC teams?  If it were two Big Ten teams, the media would have torn the game apart saying how the Big Ten lacks explosion. 

Although Richardson was able to get 169 all-purpose
yards, he never crossed the goal line once. 

                Don’t get me wrong, watching the two defenses completely dominate that game was great.  However, is the Big Ten not given enough credit for the type of football they play; hard-nosed, tough games that come down to a few plays?  Or is the SEC over-rated?  Their two best teams can really only dominate play on one side of the ball.  Will that be enough against Luck or Weeden?  Perhaps, this could be the year the SEC is dethroned from College Football glory.  And just maybe, we see a Big Ten national champion in the next few years finally restoring respect to a conference that has gotten so little over the past five years. 

  

Mid Day Rant: Game Day Projections

Sorry this is a little late and the amounts of posts were a little less this week.  Work was crazy and the CFA is only four weeks away so my studying has ramped up big time.  That being said, I will do my best to still post a few times a week until this test is over with.  Anyway, here are my projections for five of the key games this week.  I might as well have chosen five scores for the Bama vs. LSU game since the center of the universe is in T-Town and I still do not know who I think will win.   Here they are:

Purdue @ Wisconsin:  Badger Fans, I can assure you 100% that we will not be waking up into a nightmare on Sunday morning.  There is absolutely no chance we will lose this game at home.  Russell will put up massive numbers and Monte Ball might even break the Big Ten touchdown record (he only needs six more).  The only bad news for Badger fans is there will be no shake up in the Leaders Division as Penn St is off and OSU plays Indiana.  Wisconsin 49 – Purdue

Michigan @ Iowa:  This is a crucial game for the Wolverines if they want to have any hope at staying in the Legends Division race.   A loss would give them two big ten losses which would be detrimental to their cause since Michigan State and Nebraska each only have one.  Although Iowa is having an off year, By no means is this game a gimme. They just came off an awful loss at Minnesota and are going to be looking for a way to salvage their season.  I see Vanderberg having a coming out party as Iowa capitalizes off Denard’s three turnovers.  Iowa 28 – Michigan 27

Kansas State @ Oklahoma State:  Other than LSU or Alabama, there will be no other undefeated teams falling this week.  The Wildcats might have a chance if they weren’t in Stillwater.  Kansas State has a leader at quarterback and Hubert has the potential to break long runs but Oklahoma’s State front four should give the OL some trouble.  I also see the Cowboy’s exposing Kansas State’s coverage similar to Oklahoma last week putting up 40+ points.    The Big 12 race will come down to the last game when the Sooners visit the Cowboys.  Oklahoma State 51 – Kansas State 24

South Carolina @ Arkansas: Alabama, LSU isn’t the only top ten matchup in the SEC tomorrow night as the Gamecocks visit the Razorbacks.  The only difference, there will be a total of three people watching this game versus the other Seven Billion people in the world watching the game in Tuscaloosa.  Although South Carolina’s star back is out for the season, Lattimore’s replacement, Brandon Wilds, seems to be up to the task as he had 137 yards last week at Tennessee.  Arkansas has a proficient pass attack yet Tyler Wilson has a tough task ahead of him with South Carolina’s defense.  Wild will get in the end zone for the first time this season as South Carolina pulls off the upset. South Carolina 24 – Arkansas 21

LSU @ Alabama:  I have been through this game in my head over and over again and think it can go anyway.  This game might as well be played at Soldier Field (Hey Chicago) because home field advantage will mean nothing in this game. I think we see Les Miles pull out some trick plays in the game to give the Tigers a lead into the fourth quarter.  Yet, Trent Richardson will have a Heisman run to give the Crimson Tide a victory in the last minutes of the game.  ROLL DAMN TIDE.  Alabama 31 – LSU 27

How the West Will be Won

No matter who you are, whether you are a sports fan or not, you must have heard about the event going on this Saturday night in Tuscaloosa: #1 LSU vs. #2 Alabama.  As one of the most anticipated regular season college football games in recent history, if not ever, this will be one to remember.  The last time we had this scenario was back in 2006, (also known as the last time the Big Ten was relevant) when #2 Michigan played at #1 Ohio State.  This was before I went to Wisconsin so I was not an extreme fanatic about college football.  However, I recall where I watched the game, who I watched the game with and what I ate during the game.   That is what we can expect out of Saturday night.

Will the Wizard (Les Miles) lead LSU to
victory on Saturday night?

                Both teams possess two of the best defenses in the country and quite possibly some of the best defenses we have ever seen.  Looking at each team’s yards per game, one might think they lack fire power on offense.   However this is not the case, each team has scored over 30 points in each game but one.  They have beaten up on their opponents a collective 629 – 147 which include 8 games against top 25 teams. 

 I have not watched every game but I can tell you that the lack of yards has to do with great field position or turnovers caused by the defense. This is clearly evident when looking at each team’s toughest test (arguably).  LSU’s first game of the season was against #3 Oregon.  LSU had less than 300 yards and were outgained by the Duck’s, yet they won by 2 scores.  Reason being, 5 of 7 scoring drives started within Oregon’s territory.   A few weeks back Alabama played the Gators, who were ranked number 12 at the time.  4 of the 6 scoring drives scored by the Tide were either defensive or less than 66 yards. 

Can Richardson have a Heisman type of a night, similar
to Troy Smith's in the last #1 vs. #2 regular season match-up

                Although, both these teams contain future NFL players all over the field, each side has one player that steals the show.   For the Tide, they have Heisman hopeful, Trent Richardson.  With over 1,200 all-purpose yards and 18 touchdowns, Richardson is giving Stanford’s Andrew Luck a run for his money.  He is the complete package and does a great job wearing down a defense right before breaking a tackle to find the open field.  He has 20+ yard runs in 6 out of the 8 games so far this season.  On the opposite side of the field, LSU has Tyrann Mathieu, the Honey Badger.  Even as a defensive player, Tyrann is making such an impact that he too was being considered for the Heisman prior to his suspension.  Tyrann also has the ability to change the outcome of a game.  If he is not coming up with a big tackle, he is causing a turnover and then finding the end zone. 

                At this point, I have made no compelling argument for either team to come out ahead.  Traditionally when this is the case, I would give the home team the advantage.  Regardless of matchup look at all the other BCS hopefuls who fell on the road this season; Wisconsin (sigh…), Clemson, Michigan, Oklahoma (Oh wait, they lost at home to a 28 point dog).  So one would think no brainer, Alabama by 3.  This would be the case for every other college football team out there, except LSU.  They are 30 -1 in their lost 31 night road games, 19 of which came against ranked opponents.

Will Tyrann find the end-zone for a third
time this season?

Usually when the teams are this even, I would predict a win for the team who has home field advantage.  Looking back on the season, so many other BCS hopefuls have already fallen out of the road (Wisconsin (sigh…), Clemson, Michigan, Oklahoma (Oh wait, they lost at home to a 28 point dog)) Therefore,  one would think it’s a no brainer to take Alabama by 3.  However, that’s not the case with LSU.  They are 30-1 in road night games, 19 of which came against be ranked opponents.        

I have no idea how the SEC West will be won but I am pumped to watch the battle.  Many analysts as well as fans are considering this to be the National Championship Game.  Although, the raising of the crystal ball is still two months away, there is no doubt in my mind that one of these two teams will be holding it.  The champion might not even be this Saturday’s winner, because who knows, we might see a rematch in New Orleans.  

Mid Day Rant: Big East, More like Big North, South, East and West

Well, we already know my take on conference realignment, but this is just down right ridiculous.  I understand Boise’s motivation for trying to get in a BCS conference.  I also can also understand it is quite possible that this is their only option.  I mean we all know the Big Ten would never take them.  Geographically it might make more sense for Boise to join the Pac 12 or Big 12 but if they could only get the Big East, I guess you have to take what is on the table.  

But wreak of desperation a little bit more Big East Conference!  If you have not heard, the Big East has invited SMU, Houston and Central Florida for all sports along with Boise, Navy and Air Force for football only.  This reminds me of people on Facebook who will friend everyone they can although there is no relevance to the relationship.

A map of what could be some of the schools in the Big East in 2012.

 I mean since every conference team will be flying around the country, they might as well add a few more schools to the party: ,Eastern Washington University (Cheyene, Washington), University of Maine (Orono, Maine), University of AlaskaSoutheast (Juneau, Alaska) and finally…. Pacific Islands University (Mangilao, Guam).  After all, it is a U.S. territory.  I would love to be on the UConn rowing team, because they are going to have free flights till they are 60. Finally, the fight song for the big east, God Bless the Big East.  It truly is from the mountains, to the prairies and from sea to shining sea (Full lyrics will be released at a later date). 

Mid-Day Props: Jordan Taylor

Can Jordan Taylor lead the Badgers
into a Final Four this season?

Many Badger fans have already written off the football season and are now counting the days until basketball season starts.  I fully support their excitement but not because our football season is over.  In all honesty, I still think we will make the Rose Bowl and salvage our season.  Yet, the eagerness for basketball season is due to Jordan Taylor being named Pre-Season All American. 

He is only the second Badger to be deemed this honor, the other being Michael Finley.  Due to the publicity of Russell and the football team, it almost seems like any hype for the BBall team has been cast aside.  However Taylor’s playmaking abilities equal Wilson’s providing faith to Badger fans that this season can be truly special. 

After last season, it is evident that one player can win you a national championship (KEMBAAA) as long as you have the right pieces around you.  Jordan is very capable in taking over games in which he displayed many times last year.  If he can stay hot going into the tourney, I believe the Badgers have the right pieces surrounding Taylor to make a run into the final four.  A place that is uncharted territory for Coach Bo Ryan.  If the Taylor can help end this 11 year drought for Bucky, both him and Bo will forever live in Badger lore.  

Weekend Rewind: 2 -3

I was a time out and one foot/a non-broken coverage away from going 4 – 1 on my weekend picks.  In my opinion, not too shabby.  Who knew the Badgers were going to play another average game and lose on another, it must not be named, play.  See my earlier post on everything the Badgers did wrong and what has to happen for Bucky to make the Big Ten Championship.  On to the other games:

Nebraska's D shut down
State's offense all day

Prediction Michigan State 24 – Nebraska 21:  It seemed like the emotional roller coaster finally got the best of the Spartans and came to an emergency halt.  The Spartans completely lacked any spark on offense and were held to only 187 yards on offense.  This was also the second straight game their defense gave up at least 24 points.  The bright side for Michigan State, they have an extremely easy schedule and are probably the odds on favorite to win the legends division.  Nebraska 24 – Michigan State 3

Prediction Georgia 27 – Florida 17:  Well, Georgia did not win as easily as I thought but their defense ended up delivering the W in the end.  After falling behind by two scores early in the second quarter it seemed like the Gators were going to stomp all over the Bulldogs.  However, Florida was only allowed a field goal for the rest of the game giving Georgia a much needed win to keep them in the SEC East race.  Now they just need to hope the Gamecocks lose in Arkansas this weekend. Georgia 24 – Florida 20

It was GT running game and not the Boyd-Watkins
 connection that stole the show Saturday

Prediction Georgia Tech 41 Clemson 38: This game was not as close and as high scoring as I imagined.  Yet, Georgia Tech took care of business crushing the dreams of another BCS title hopeful.  Sammy Watkins had his usual night with 159 yards and one touchdown but that was about all the offensive fire power Clemson had.  On the other hand, Georgia Tech did not do much through the air but completely dominated on the ground.  They had a total of 383 yards with six, yes SIX players having runs greater than ten yards.  Georgia Tech 31 – Clemson 17

Prediction USC 34 – Stanford 27:  The Saturday night games this season have been nothing but extraordinary.  I wish I had not been in a state of depression so I actually could have watched the end of this one.  The USC defense was one stand away from giving me my exact score. Luck was able to drive the Cardinal 76 yards and tie the game up with 38 seconds left.  Had the Trojans been able to get that last second time out, we might have seen a second undefeated team go down Saturday.  However, three overtimes later let Stanford live another day for the BCS Title.  Bottom line, a national championship caliber team will find ways to win and that is what Stanford did.  Something the Badgers should take notes on.  Stanford 56 – USC 48