The season record crawled above .500 with a 3-1 finish last week (way to be terrible on the field as well as in your uniforms, Maryland). Try to keep it rolling this weekend and improve on the 8-7 overall mark.
Penn State -14.5 at Indiana - I've written about how inept Penn State's offense is and giving two touchdowns on the road may be a lot, but the Hoosiers have lost to Ball State, Virginia and North Texas (let that sink in). No run defense or pass rush for Indiana and the Nittany Lions should be able to take advantage. It won't be pretty, but JoePa's boys should cover the number.
at Boise State -26.5 Nevada - Payback time. Nevada is not the team they were last year. They struggled to beat San Jose State, got absolutely torched by Oregon and blew a game late against Texas Tech last week. Boise State is going to be similar to Oregon as they pile up the points on the Wolfpack. If you can get a first half line under 18, take Boise to cover that as well. Kellen Moore will cut them up early and often.
Georgia Tech -10 at North Carolina State - Think NC State Coach Tom O'Brien would like to have Russell Wilson back? The Wolfpack has done well Liberty and South Alabama; teams with a pulse, nothing. The Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech rolls it up in Raleigh.
at Stanford -21.5 UCLA - UCLA beat San Jose State 27-17. Stanford beat San Jose State 57-3. UCLA hasn't beaten a good team in a long time. Stanford hasn't been in a close game against a bad team in a long time. And after a bye week, the Cardinal will want to get Andrew Luck's Heismann campaign back on track as they light up the over matched Bruins.
at Middle Tennessee State -22.5 Memphis - Bonus game this week. The Memphis Tigers are incredibly bad. Somehow, they managed to beat the Blue Raiders last year for their lone win of the year. Another case of payback and the Tigers will lose.
Great primetime games this weekend with Alabama vs Florida and Nebraska vs Wisconsin (like the Gators to pull the upset and the Badgers to get by the Huskers). Enjoy.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Friday, September 23, 2011
Picks for Sept. 24th Games
Record for the year moved to 5-6 after a 2-2 weekend. Boise State started the weekend off well and Oklahoma closed it nicely, but Central Florida and Nevada were sloppy. Four games for the weekend; enjoy a good day of games.
Oregon -15 at Arizona - The Ducks have shaken off that first game loss to LSU and Arizona is in trouble of letting their season get away from them if they fall to 1-3 after this one. Oregon has too much speed, too much offense and the Wildcats have given up 37 to Oklahoma State and Stanford in the last two games. Oregon by three touchdowns.
at Maryland -8.5 vs Temple - The Temple Owls have to be down after failing to close out Penn State for the first time since before Pearl Harbor. Maryland has to feel pretty good about the rally they staged against West Virginia after falling behind 34-10 and almost pulling it out. The Owls will be dazed by the ugly uniforms of the Terps and will fall behind early before they get their bearings. It will be too late and Maryland will roll to victory.
Georgia -9.5 at Mississippi - The Hot Seat Bowl. Mark Richt and Houston Nutt are both in danger of losing their jobs. The Bulldogs have at least been somewhat competitive and shown a little life on offense. The Rebles have been awful and it will continue on Saturday. Houston may be gone before October ends.
SMU -22.5 Memphis - Memphis is bad. Really, really bad. Definitely in the discussion for the worst team in Div-I football. SMU's offense isn't clicking the way head coach June Jones might like, but the Tigers porous defense should help rememdy that.
Oregon -15 at Arizona - The Ducks have shaken off that first game loss to LSU and Arizona is in trouble of letting their season get away from them if they fall to 1-3 after this one. Oregon has too much speed, too much offense and the Wildcats have given up 37 to Oklahoma State and Stanford in the last two games. Oregon by three touchdowns.
at Maryland -8.5 vs Temple - The Temple Owls have to be down after failing to close out Penn State for the first time since before Pearl Harbor. Maryland has to feel pretty good about the rally they staged against West Virginia after falling behind 34-10 and almost pulling it out. The Owls will be dazed by the ugly uniforms of the Terps and will fall behind early before they get their bearings. It will be too late and Maryland will roll to victory.
Georgia -9.5 at Mississippi - The Hot Seat Bowl. Mark Richt and Houston Nutt are both in danger of losing their jobs. The Bulldogs have at least been somewhat competitive and shown a little life on offense. The Rebles have been awful and it will continue on Saturday. Houston may be gone before October ends.
SMU -22.5 Memphis - Memphis is bad. Really, really bad. Definitely in the discussion for the worst team in Div-I football. SMU's offense isn't clicking the way head coach June Jones might like, but the Tigers porous defense should help rememdy that.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Thoughts after Week 3
LSU's defense is flat out nasty. And if the offense is able to keep them off the field so they're rested when they get back out there...well, that's just not fair. What they did to Mississippi State on Thursday night bordered on assault and their game this Saturday against West Virginia will solidify if this defense is ready to carry the Tigers to another National Title.
Ohio State, did you watch the Friday night game between Boise State and Toledo? See how a good team puts away lesser competition by three touchdowns? Your school president needs to keep his Buckeye hole closed this year.
Penn State is brutal on offense. Neither quarterback instills any kind of confidence that they can move the ball at all. They better make the most of the opportunity against Eastern Michigan next week, because I don't think they can get over 25 against any team in the Big Ten. Which is too bad, because the defense seems fairly good and is just getting wasted. The only positive I took away from the squeaker of a win against Temple was that Penn State's cheerleaders have improved dramatically. And Temple fans, you aren't looking too bad either.
UCLA...why does Kevin Prince continue to play quarterback for you? He completed as many passes to Texas as he completed to Bruins (3). Put the Bruins in a deep hole to start and no chance to rely on the running game to shorten the game down and beat the Longhorns. Coach Neuheisel can't be liking his chances of returning next year, but that will give him lots of time to set up his NCAA Basketball Tourney pools.
Wisconsin isn't a dark horse for the BCS Championship anymore. They have to be in the conversation. Russell Wilson gives them a dimesion at quarterback they haven't had in Madison and they are going to be tough to beat with the balance they bring to offense.
Florida might be back. It's only one game against a somewhat decent team, but the Gators looked very good against Tennessee. Their defense isn't up to LSU's standard, but it's pretty good. And most importantly, they seemed to have figured out how to get the ball from the center to the quarterback and QB John Brantley's decision making seems to have improved as well. They still commit way too many penalties, especially pass interference calls, and if they don't get that fixed, they're going to have problems against the best of the SEC.
Mississippi...how are you 2-5 against Vanderbilt since 2005?
Duke...save a copy of The Herald Sun tomorrow as you are in first place in the Coastal Division of the ACC. You'll get to sit there for two more weeks before you get back into conference play with a visit from Florida State.
Utah turned BYU into a bakery, creating seven turnovers and absolutley blitzing them 54-10 in the Holy War. Where has BYU's prolific passing attack of yesteryear gone?
Oklahoma State vs. Tulsa had to be one of the strangest games ever played. Not because the Cowboys routed Tulsa again, but because weather delays caused the game to start at almost midnight and it didn't end until after 3:30 in the morning. Like I mentioned to some friends a few weeks ago, "In my day, when I watched college football, they played in the rain." I understand the safety concerns and the liability issues but it sure seems like we're getting soft
Ohio State, did you watch the Friday night game between Boise State and Toledo? See how a good team puts away lesser competition by three touchdowns? Your school president needs to keep his Buckeye hole closed this year.
Penn State is brutal on offense. Neither quarterback instills any kind of confidence that they can move the ball at all. They better make the most of the opportunity against Eastern Michigan next week, because I don't think they can get over 25 against any team in the Big Ten. Which is too bad, because the defense seems fairly good and is just getting wasted. The only positive I took away from the squeaker of a win against Temple was that Penn State's cheerleaders have improved dramatically. And Temple fans, you aren't looking too bad either.
UCLA...why does Kevin Prince continue to play quarterback for you? He completed as many passes to Texas as he completed to Bruins (3). Put the Bruins in a deep hole to start and no chance to rely on the running game to shorten the game down and beat the Longhorns. Coach Neuheisel can't be liking his chances of returning next year, but that will give him lots of time to set up his NCAA Basketball Tourney pools.
Wisconsin isn't a dark horse for the BCS Championship anymore. They have to be in the conversation. Russell Wilson gives them a dimesion at quarterback they haven't had in Madison and they are going to be tough to beat with the balance they bring to offense.
Mississippi...how are you 2-5 against Vanderbilt since 2005?
Duke...save a copy of The Herald Sun tomorrow as you are in first place in the Coastal Division of the ACC. You'll get to sit there for two more weeks before you get back into conference play with a visit from Florida State.
Utah turned BYU into a bakery, creating seven turnovers and absolutley blitzing them 54-10 in the Holy War. Where has BYU's prolific passing attack of yesteryear gone?
Oklahoma State vs. Tulsa had to be one of the strangest games ever played. Not because the Cowboys routed Tulsa again, but because weather delays caused the game to start at almost midnight and it didn't end until after 3:30 in the morning. Like I mentioned to some friends a few weeks ago, "In my day, when I watched college football, they played in the rain." I understand the safety concerns and the liability issues but it sure seems like we're getting soft
Friday, September 16, 2011
Picks for Sept. 16-17 Games
Rebounded a little bit last week, going 2-1 (thanks Iowa for not being able to hold a lead, or to make a 4th down stop, or finish off the Cyclones) and bringing the overall record to 3-4 for the season. Four games this week, starting with Friday night.
Boise State -20 at Toledo - Boise State loves these showcase games and tends to show the country what they can do against so called "Little Sisters of the Poor". The Broncos will steamroll Toledo at Toledo, a team Ohio State barely got by at home, and will get no credit for doing so. And we'll listen to the ESPN commentators comment about what a good college quarterback Kellen Moore is but that he doesn't have the size, speed or arm strength to make it in the NFL and that he's a system-quarterback. Hmmm...reminds me of another quarterback from the 80's who was a little short, a little slow, couldn't throw the long ball, was part of an offensive system. And like Moore, was deadly accurate, an assassin with the game on the line, and just kept winning until people finally had to take notice. How do you think the talking heads would view Joe Montana if he was playing college today?
Central Florida -5.5 at Florida International - Florida International got a nice win last week at Louisville. Unfortunately, beating the Cardinals isn't something to get too excited about. Central Florida went 11-3 last year with a bowl win over Georgia and has started off 2-0 this year. They will be too physical for the Golden Panthers and put them away early.
Oklahoma -3 at Florida State - I'm a little hesitant with this one because the Sooners seem to have their problems on the road. But with a veteran team led by quarterback Landry Jones and a solid defense going against EJ Manuel, I like the Oklahoma to buck the trend and take out the Seminoles. Interesting stat on this one: The ACC is 0 for their last 32 against Top 5 teams.
Nevada -6 at San Jose State - This number just seems too low, but then the people in the desert have made a lot of money off of people who think that the number seems too low. I just don't see it on this one. San Jose State is a really bad football team who made a decent showing against a not so good team last week (UCLA). The Spartans won't be able to keep up with the Wolfpack and this one will get out of hand in the first half if Nevada doesn't turn it over. Nevada will run wild and the sting of the ugly blowout loss to Oregon last week will be relieved some here.
Boise State -20 at Toledo - Boise State loves these showcase games and tends to show the country what they can do against so called "Little Sisters of the Poor". The Broncos will steamroll Toledo at Toledo, a team Ohio State barely got by at home, and will get no credit for doing so. And we'll listen to the ESPN commentators comment about what a good college quarterback Kellen Moore is but that he doesn't have the size, speed or arm strength to make it in the NFL and that he's a system-quarterback. Hmmm...reminds me of another quarterback from the 80's who was a little short, a little slow, couldn't throw the long ball, was part of an offensive system. And like Moore, was deadly accurate, an assassin with the game on the line, and just kept winning until people finally had to take notice. How do you think the talking heads would view Joe Montana if he was playing college today?
Central Florida -5.5 at Florida International - Florida International got a nice win last week at Louisville. Unfortunately, beating the Cardinals isn't something to get too excited about. Central Florida went 11-3 last year with a bowl win over Georgia and has started off 2-0 this year. They will be too physical for the Golden Panthers and put them away early.
Oklahoma -3 at Florida State - I'm a little hesitant with this one because the Sooners seem to have their problems on the road. But with a veteran team led by quarterback Landry Jones and a solid defense going against EJ Manuel, I like the Oklahoma to buck the trend and take out the Seminoles. Interesting stat on this one: The ACC is 0 for their last 32 against Top 5 teams.
Nevada -6 at San Jose State - This number just seems too low, but then the people in the desert have made a lot of money off of people who think that the number seems too low. I just don't see it on this one. San Jose State is a really bad football team who made a decent showing against a not so good team last week (UCLA). The Spartans won't be able to keep up with the Wolfpack and this one will get out of hand in the first half if Nevada doesn't turn it over. Nevada will run wild and the sting of the ugly blowout loss to Oregon last week will be relieved some here.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Thoughts after week two
Some great games this past weekend, capped off by an instant ESPN Classic in Ann Arbor under the lights as Notre Dame and Michigan traded blows over the last two minutes before the Wovlerines won it at the end. I thought for sure Irish coach Brian Kelly was going to turn purple with rage this week, but he kept it under control.
Arizona State...I'm still not sold on you. Yes, you have a lot of returning starters. Yes, your quarterback seems to know what he's doing and your offense seems legitimate. But you still make the same stupid mistakes, still commit way too many penalties and still struggle to put teams away, as you proved again on Friday night with Missouri, needing overtime to finish a game that you were up 14 in the fourth quarter. As for your fans in the stands, well, I've been sold on them for a long time.
Penn State has issues, first and foremost is that they're boring. Alabama beating them was a surprise to maybe 14 people in the whole country, but it's the way they were beaten. They did nothing on offense and there never appeared to be the threat of anything happening on that side of the ball. One of the two quarterbacks needs to take charge and get the offense moving.
South Carolina is going to be fun to watch this year. Marcus Lattimore is an NFL-caliber back, Alshon Jeffery is a pass catching machine and defensive players Jadeveon Clowney and Melvin Ingram are game changers. If quarterback Stephen Garcia can keep it together for a full season and Coach Spurrier can figure out what happened to his secondary, and with no Alabama or LSU on the schedule, this could be a very special year in Columbia.
UCLA has problems. Losing to Houston on the road is one thing. Having San Jose State trailing only by 3 with under four minutes to play is quite another. Yes, the Bruins won, and a win is a win, but Rosy Cheek Rick's job security sure seems in jeopardy. I'd love for them to seriously look at Mike Leach. First, it would bring offense back to UCLA. Second, it would get Mike Leach out of the broadcast booth. Win-win.
Garrett Gilbert is out as Texas' starting quarterback. I'm a little surprised it took them this long to make the decision. He seemed completely overmatched in his first real game experience (granted, it was in the BCS Championship against Alabama's nasty defense), but he didn't seem to improve much last year as the starter and the first two games this season weren't looking much better. Another quarterback I'll put in that same category is Miami Hurricane Jacory Harris. When he's good, he's pretty good. But when he's bad, he is terrible and will lose the game for you. Based on backup Stephen Morris' performance against Maryland in the rain, I won't be surprised to see Jacory on in the same spot Garrett is in right now.
Matt Millen is an idiot, was a terrible judge of collegiate talent when he worked for the Detroit Lions, and I'm still stunned that ESPN would hire him as an analyst since he's such an obvious failure at judging talent. South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore is an absolute beast and helped take the Gamecocks to their first SEC East title last year. Millen believes he has a chink in his armor because "He can't take it to the next gear." Lattimore then proceeds to score a touchdown two plays later and Millen can't gush enough praise on how well he runs. Please fire this idiot.
As another week rolls by, another team decides to mess with their uniform. Michigan State unveiled their new Nike Pro Combat uniforms, which leads me to add another rule to the uniform guidelines:
6. You cannot add a color to your uniform that is not part of your normal color scheme (black and white being the occasional exception). Adding bronze to the traditional green and white of the Spartans makes no sense. They even have a cheer, "Go Green, Go White". After a hard day of tailgating, consuming adult beverages and years of practice chanting those four words, you expect fans to be able to now add "Go Bronze" on the end of it? What makes it worse is when I first saw them I thought it was a uniform for South Florida.
Some big games this weekend with Oklahoma taking on Florida State (can the Seminoles avenge last year's beatdown and make a case for really belonging in the Top 5?), Michigan State vs Notre Dame (will the Irish start off 0-3? Will Brian Kelly blow a gasket if Sparty starts running them out of the building?), and Ohio State vs Miami (how many turnovers for Jacory Harris before he's pulled in favor of Stephen Morris? I'll put it at 2 first half turnovers and he's out.). And hopefully, we'll see the revival of what used to be a great game every year, Florida vs Tennessee. The Volunteers seem to have found a bit of offense and the Gators seem to have rediscovered their defense. Granted, both teams haven't really played anyone, but I have a feeling this one might bring back memories of yesteryear, when Spurrier was beating the Vols regularly and alluding to where Tennessee would be playing their bowl game after failing to beat the Gators again, delivered one of his classic quotes: "You can't spell Citrus Bowl without UT."
Penn State has issues, first and foremost is that they're boring. Alabama beating them was a surprise to maybe 14 people in the whole country, but it's the way they were beaten. They did nothing on offense and there never appeared to be the threat of anything happening on that side of the ball. One of the two quarterbacks needs to take charge and get the offense moving.
South Carolina is going to be fun to watch this year. Marcus Lattimore is an NFL-caliber back, Alshon Jeffery is a pass catching machine and defensive players Jadeveon Clowney and Melvin Ingram are game changers. If quarterback Stephen Garcia can keep it together for a full season and Coach Spurrier can figure out what happened to his secondary, and with no Alabama or LSU on the schedule, this could be a very special year in Columbia.
UCLA has problems. Losing to Houston on the road is one thing. Having San Jose State trailing only by 3 with under four minutes to play is quite another. Yes, the Bruins won, and a win is a win, but Rosy Cheek Rick's job security sure seems in jeopardy. I'd love for them to seriously look at Mike Leach. First, it would bring offense back to UCLA. Second, it would get Mike Leach out of the broadcast booth. Win-win.
Garrett Gilbert is out as Texas' starting quarterback. I'm a little surprised it took them this long to make the decision. He seemed completely overmatched in his first real game experience (granted, it was in the BCS Championship against Alabama's nasty defense), but he didn't seem to improve much last year as the starter and the first two games this season weren't looking much better. Another quarterback I'll put in that same category is Miami Hurricane Jacory Harris. When he's good, he's pretty good. But when he's bad, he is terrible and will lose the game for you. Based on backup Stephen Morris' performance against Maryland in the rain, I won't be surprised to see Jacory on in the same spot Garrett is in right now.
Matt Millen is an idiot, was a terrible judge of collegiate talent when he worked for the Detroit Lions, and I'm still stunned that ESPN would hire him as an analyst since he's such an obvious failure at judging talent. South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore is an absolute beast and helped take the Gamecocks to their first SEC East title last year. Millen believes he has a chink in his armor because "He can't take it to the next gear." Lattimore then proceeds to score a touchdown two plays later and Millen can't gush enough praise on how well he runs. Please fire this idiot.
As another week rolls by, another team decides to mess with their uniform. Michigan State unveiled their new Nike Pro Combat uniforms, which leads me to add another rule to the uniform guidelines:
Some big games this weekend with Oklahoma taking on Florida State (can the Seminoles avenge last year's beatdown and make a case for really belonging in the Top 5?), Michigan State vs Notre Dame (will the Irish start off 0-3? Will Brian Kelly blow a gasket if Sparty starts running them out of the building?), and Ohio State vs Miami (how many turnovers for Jacory Harris before he's pulled in favor of Stephen Morris? I'll put it at 2 first half turnovers and he's out.). And hopefully, we'll see the revival of what used to be a great game every year, Florida vs Tennessee. The Volunteers seem to have found a bit of offense and the Gators seem to have rediscovered their defense. Granted, both teams haven't really played anyone, but I have a feeling this one might bring back memories of yesteryear, when Spurrier was beating the Vols regularly and alluding to where Tennessee would be playing their bowl game after failing to beat the Gators again, delivered one of his classic quotes: "You can't spell Citrus Bowl without UT."
Friday, September 9, 2011
Picks for Sept. 10th Games
A bad start to the season last week, going 1-3. Will try to pick it up this week with three road teams who should all take their opponent to the woodshed.
Stanford -20.5 at Duke - Stanford has was too much talent to allow Duke to even be in this game. If the Cardinal stay focused, they'll have this number covered by the half as they cruise to a 30+ point win.
TCU +1 at Air Force - Think the Horned Frogs are a little ticked at how their defense was shredded by Baylor on opening weekend? Air Force can't throw it like Baylor did, TCU wants to show they're still an elite team, and the Horned Frogs are going to be nasty this weekend.
Iowa -6.5 at Iowa State - Hawkeyes have beaten the Cyclones convincingly the last few years and this year should be no different. Iowa may not be as good as they've been in the past couple of years, but they should have more than enough to win tomorrow.
Stanford -20.5 at Duke - Stanford has was too much talent to allow Duke to even be in this game. If the Cardinal stay focused, they'll have this number covered by the half as they cruise to a 30+ point win.
TCU +1 at Air Force - Think the Horned Frogs are a little ticked at how their defense was shredded by Baylor on opening weekend? Air Force can't throw it like Baylor did, TCU wants to show they're still an elite team, and the Horned Frogs are going to be nasty this weekend.
Iowa -6.5 at Iowa State - Hawkeyes have beaten the Cyclones convincingly the last few years and this year should be no different. Iowa may not be as good as they've been in the past couple of years, but they should have more than enough to win tomorrow.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the the universe.” - Albert Einstein
A lot of dumb things happened between the end of last season and the opening weekend of this season. And no, I'm not talking about all the off the field shenanigans that schools like Ohio State, Oregon, LSU, Georgia Tech, Miami, etc. were involved with. For starters, the conferences.
Big 12...you have ten teams (at least this week) and are still calling yourself the Big 12. Big Ten...you have twelve teams and are still calling yourself the Big Ten. And you have without a doubt the dumbest division names in football; Legends and Leaders. The reaction to your announcement of the division names probably stunned people so much that they forgot to question you about still calling yourself the Big Ten. Both of these conferences need to figure out how to count or just rename themselves something like the Big East or SEC so you don't have to worry about the number of teams you have (or don't have).
Next, uniforms. Okay, just because some sports apparel manufacturer can make you a new uniform, doesn't mean you have to say yes. Oregon, you've been hideous for a few years now, but you're in the Pacific Northwest, so we let you slide being a little quirky and Nike head Phil Knight is a big supporter and he gets press for the goofy looks he puts on you. But now you're spreading your plague to other teams and they're ruining classic uniforms.
Finally, the last little piece of idiocy comes from Kansas State and their mascot EcoKat. The idea may have been nice (a "Green" competition against in-state rival Kansas), the execution was terrible and justifiably ridiculed. Anyone who knows me, knows I love the 80's, and while EcoKat has that 80's hair down and that "Wonder Twins powers, activate!" design, and she might actually be kind of hot under that costume, she has no place being in the same location as Willie the Wildcat.
So, now that we've gotten the first week jitters out of the way and realize that drinking a bottle of Jager with a chaser of Boone's Farm Watermelon wasn't such a good idea, let's stop the stupidity and get back to the game on the field.
Big 12...you have ten teams (at least this week) and are still calling yourself the Big 12. Big Ten...you have twelve teams and are still calling yourself the Big Ten. And you have without a doubt the dumbest division names in football; Legends and Leaders. The reaction to your announcement of the division names probably stunned people so much that they forgot to question you about still calling yourself the Big Ten. Both of these conferences need to figure out how to count or just rename themselves something like the Big East or SEC so you don't have to worry about the number of teams you have (or don't have).
Next, uniforms. Okay, just because some sports apparel manufacturer can make you a new uniform, doesn't mean you have to say yes. Oregon, you've been hideous for a few years now, but you're in the Pacific Northwest, so we let you slide being a little quirky and Nike head Phil Knight is a big supporter and he gets press for the goofy looks he puts on you. But now you're spreading your plague to other teams and they're ruining classic uniforms.
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| Butt Ugly Bulldogs |
Georgia - What the hell was that atrocity you put on opening night against Boise State? I'm talking about the uniforms right now, not your terrible play against the Broncos in what was essentially a home game for the Bulldogs. I like Head Coach Mark Richt, but he probably needs to be fired if he doesn't have the power to stop whoever had the idea to put those awful things on a tradition-rich program like Georgia.
Oklahoma State - Your new uniform combinations aren't edgy. Having 48 different combinations of colors and logos isn't cool; it's confusing. Your program has been good and nearing very good for the last few years. You have an exciting offense. You should be trying to establish your brand, not making people try to figure out what exactly it is. For help on this, check out Coca-Cola. That logo hasn't changed in nearly 100 years and they're known worldwide. Or just try looking across the state at how Oklahoma does things. I bet I can count their uniform combinations on one hand and still have a finger or two left over.
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| Turtle Shell Helmet |
Maryland - I don't even know where to begin with these things. First, you have the warm-up helmets with the turtle shell design. All right, kind of quaint, but also sort of stealing the TCU Horned Frogs scaled helmet style, so not real original. Oh, but for game time, you decide to bring an explosion of color to the helmet, taking part of the Maryland flag and putting it on the helmet, then letting some of it run down to the shoulders, a little more going down to those players who wanted to wear sleeves and then capping it off with shoes only a pimp would be caught dead wearing. These things are a mess and I can't believe that impressionable 17-18 year-olds who are looking to play collegiate football are lining up to go to Maryland after seeing those outfits on Monday night. I took away from the game that the University of Maryland has opened a new clown college and free costumes are available for those on the football team.
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| My eyes..it burns...it burns!!! |
Apparently, there is no one overseeing the creation of uniforms anymore, so I'm electing myself to the post. And I'll start with some rules:
- If you are one of the classic teams of college football, you don't get to run through the tunnel onto the field wearing something that looks like it was created by a kid with a 64-count box of Crayons after he just finished off a pound of Snickers and washed it down with a 44oz Mountain Dew Slurpee. I'm looking at you specifically here, Georgia. Follow the lead of Oklahoma, Penn State, USC, Nebraska, UCLA, etc. You're better than that and you don't need to be gimmicky.
- If you are one of the classic teams of college football, and you get a wild hair up your ass that you want to be like everyone else with another jersey to sell, at least do it right. That means it has a reason for existing and you don't get to trot it out every other week. LSU's all white helmet and uniform with the pelicans (state bird) on the shoulder after Katrina is acceptable. Notre Dame breaking out the green jerseys for a big rivalry game every now and then is okay as well, though it seems like they've come out a lot more lately. Ohio State's throwback uniforms with the even bigger numbers on them are fine. Even South Carolina's semi-camouflage uniform with names on the back replaced by "Duty", "Courage", "Honor", etc. is okay, since the basic color style of the uniform remains the same.
- If you're a team who is relatively new to the college football hierarchy, get a logo and color scheme down and stick with it. I'm looking at you now, Boise State and TCU. Quit changing up your helmet color scheme, quit changing the logo on the side of the helmet. You have a logo...embrace it, identify with it, love it.
- Exception to the helmet/logo rule above is for classic bowl games and if you're able to do something unique using the bowl logo and your own. TCU, you did an incredible job with your helmet last year in the Rose Bowl with the Horned Frog holding a rose in his teeth. Without a doubt, my favorite helmet of all time. Other schools, you're allowed to do something like this as well, provided the bowl logo and your logo work together. Examples of acceptable combinations:
Any school in the Rose Bowl with initials on the side of their helmet can use the rose through it (Nebraska, Washington, UCLA).
Schools without a logo on the side of their helmet can have a small bowl logo on the back of their helmet (Penn State, Notre Dame, Michigan). You cannot put one on the side.
Schools in a bowl game that has not been around at least 25 years may not use the bowls logo in any way on their helmet. No Arkansas Razorback eating at the Beef O'Brady logo; no Iowa Hawkeye munching on a piece of Little Caesar's Pizza. - No shoes that give people a headache to look at or cause them to try and adjust the brightness/contrast of their television. I didn't get HD to have my eyes seared out by the neon yellow oregon shoes. This also includes: Fire Engine Red, Nuclear Orange, anything with the state flag on it. You get to wear black, white, your primary color or your secondary color.
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| Helmet modification done corrrectly |
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| EcoKat and Willie the Wildcat |
So, now that we've gotten the first week jitters out of the way and realize that drinking a bottle of Jager with a chaser of Boone's Farm Watermelon wasn't such a good idea, let's stop the stupidity and get back to the game on the field.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Picks for Opening Weekend of 2011
Every week I'll pick 3 to 4 games for recreational purposes only. There's a lot of ugly games on the schedule this week with a lot of the major teams playing some sort of directional school that you won't hear about again until the opening weekend of next year (or week 2 in the SEC). So, let's get it started with some of the better games on the slate this weekend.
TCU -4 at Baylor - The Horned Frogs lost quarterback Andy Dalton to the NFL, but they still have head coach Gary Patterson and running back Ed Wesley and a ferocious defense led by Rose Bowl hero Tank Carder. They might not be perfect this year, but they'll extend the winning streak against the Bears.
Oregon -3.5 LSU - The Ducks got a look at an SEC defense in the BCS Championship last year and that will pay off this year. If this was at Death Valley at night, I'd lean towards the Tigers, but at a neutral site the edge is with the Ducks. LSU's defense should be exceptional this year, but the quarterback position will be spotty and the Ducks will roll. Bonus in this game will be the cheerleaders on both sidelines as both teams have top 10 talent patrolling the sidelines.
Boise State -3 at Georgia - The idea that this is a neutral site game is a bit of a joke and it's the second straight year that the Broncos have gone east to a neutral site game that is really a home game for their opponent. They came out smoking last year against Virgina Tech before cooling off and having to rally against the Hokies for the win. With Kellen Moore back at quarterback and Doug Martin at running back, the offense will put up the points and the defense, which is overlooked every year, will be nasty again. The grumbling to get rid of Bulldog coach Mark Richt will heat up after this game and a loss to South Carolina next week will really make it tough on Georgia.
at USC -23.5 Minnesota - You might hate him, especially if you're a Volunteer fan, but Lane Kiffin has done an amazing job of recruiting with the sanctions imposed on them. The Golden Gophers are not very good and like most Big Ten teams who travel west to take on the Trojans, they won't fare well. USC only won by 11 last year at Minnesota, but that was a little misleading as the Gophers scored a meaningless touchdown with 11 seconds left. In Southern California, the Trojans roll.
Oregon -3.5 LSU - The Ducks got a look at an SEC defense in the BCS Championship last year and that will pay off this year. If this was at Death Valley at night, I'd lean towards the Tigers, but at a neutral site the edge is with the Ducks. LSU's defense should be exceptional this year, but the quarterback position will be spotty and the Ducks will roll. Bonus in this game will be the cheerleaders on both sidelines as both teams have top 10 talent patrolling the sidelines.
Boise State -3 at Georgia - The idea that this is a neutral site game is a bit of a joke and it's the second straight year that the Broncos have gone east to a neutral site game that is really a home game for their opponent. They came out smoking last year against Virgina Tech before cooling off and having to rally against the Hokies for the win. With Kellen Moore back at quarterback and Doug Martin at running back, the offense will put up the points and the defense, which is overlooked every year, will be nasty again. The grumbling to get rid of Bulldog coach Mark Richt will heat up after this game and a loss to South Carolina next week will really make it tough on Georgia.
at USC -23.5 Minnesota - You might hate him, especially if you're a Volunteer fan, but Lane Kiffin has done an amazing job of recruiting with the sanctions imposed on them. The Golden Gophers are not very good and like most Big Ten teams who travel west to take on the Trojans, they won't fare well. USC only won by 11 last year at Minnesota, but that was a little misleading as the Gophers scored a meaningless touchdown with 11 seconds left. In Southern California, the Trojans roll.
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