Oregon vs. LSU - Preview

Oregon vs. LSU
Saturday, September 3 - 8:00 p.m.
at Arlington, Texas
Oregon favored by 3.5

This was supposed to be a doozy of a match-up, and still will be, however, with the suspension of LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson, some of the luster is not there...senior Jarrett Lee will take over at QB...wide receiver Russell Sheppard is also out with a suspension...for a team that is expected to contend for the national title, its older players sure don't show any dedication and commitment...

Things aren't all glittery in Eugene, Oregon either...the Oregon football program is under investigation concerning possible illegal recruiting...anyway you look at it, this is match-up of two troubled programs...no matter, it will be exciting to see the Ducks' running back, LaMichael James (photo) in action...James is one of the leading contenders for the Heisman...

Other players of note:
Oregon - Cliff Harris, cb/kr; David Paulson, te; Josh Boyd, s
LSU - Morris Claiborne, cb; Rueben Randle, wr; Alex Hurst, ot

Oregon Notes
Head Coach - Chip Kelly, 3rd year (22-4 career mark)

Oregon Game Notes

Aaron Fentress of the Daily Oregonian writes how Ducks quarterback Darron Thomas feels the LSU game is bigger than last year's national title game... "The fuzzy math in that equation begged for a follow-up question as to why he felt that way. Thomas explained: “Because it’s our next upcoming game. It’s like the championship. If we lose this game, it’s a done season.” ...

Daily Oregonian

LSU Notes
Head Coach - Les Miles, 7th year (90-38 career mark)

LSU Game Notes

Gary Laney of the Baton Rouge Advocate writes how Les Miles and the Tigers are anxious to play football after all the off-the-field issues.... "Miles, addressing the media in the season’s first game-week press luncheon, said he felt “pent up,” and hopes his players feel the same . . ." ...

Baton Rouge Advocate

Jared Crick to lead Nebraska to BCS title game

Oklahoma and Alabama are the consensus teams to be in the BCS title game....but for some reason I am not buying into that...to me, this season is going to be wide open - there is not a clear dominant team...

Watch out for Florida State...I like the way Jimbo Fisher is turning that program around....God Bless Bobby Bowden, but the Seminoles greatness was slowly eroding way...one of the best games this year will take place on September 17th when Oklahoma travel to Florida State....the Sooners layed a whoopin on the Noles last season....if Florida State can get by this game, don't be surprised to see them run the table....

Below are my predictions which are a little different than most...but what the heck, what fun is it to not stick your neck out on some things...

Rose Bowl - Wisconsin vs. Stanford
Fiesta Bowl - Oklahoma vs. Oregon
Sugar Bowl - South Carolina vs. Texas A&M
Orange Bowl - South Florida vs. Florida State

BCS Title Game - Alabama vs. Nebraska - the Huskers shock the Big 10 by winning the first ever conference title game before heading to New Orleans to take on Alabama for the national title....I like how the Huskers schedule breaks this season....sure, they have to play at Wisconsin, Penn State, and Michigan, but they will manage to win those games because of defense....Jared Crick (photo) is the best defensive player in the country...the Huskers have been pounding on the door the last few years, this time they break through...

In New Orleans, the Huskers will take on Alabama...the Tide will make it there on the back of Trent Richardson and his freshman running mate Demetrius Hart...new quarterback A.J. McCarron will manage the game...the defense returns 10 players including All-Americans Dont'a Hightower (lb) and Mark Barron (s)....the Tide will Roll when it heads to The Big Easy...

Heisman Trophy winner - 1) Trent Richardson, rb, Alabama - I love this cat...he is a mean, mean, running machine...2) Andrew Luck, qb, Stanford - Luck will get reunited with Jim Harbaugh next season in the NFL...3) Kellen Moore, qb, Boise State - the BCS hates the Broncos, but the Heisman voters will send Moore to NYC...

Fantasy football wrap-up

Sunday night was our 16th annual fantasy football draft...wow, it is unbelievable that I have been doing this for 16 years, and for the most part, all with the same guys every year...

Like Ricky Ricardo would say, "let me splain"...our league is an 8 team league in which you are allowed to start two quarterbacks...with that being said, I had the 4th overall pick and did not hesitate to take Aaron Rodgers...I had him last year and he was gold...

The first pick in the draft went to James Hunter and he snatched Adrian Peterson...Arian Foster and Jamaal Charles went next...after I took Rodgers, the following players were taken to close out the first round: LeSean McCoy, Ray Rice, Rashard Mendenhall, Chris Johnson...

Here is how the second round played out:
Rick Ellis - Michael Turner
Jamie Persino - Andre Johnson
Salt Edmonds - Calvin Johnson
Jason Lehman - Roddy White
Rick George - Drew Brees
John Valentine - Michael Vick
T-Dawg - Maurice Jones-Drew
James Hunter - Matt Forte

Second round thoughts
I passed on a running back again because quarterbacks get more points...and again, I had Drew Brees last season...I would rather go with a Brees or Tom Brady instead of a second or third tier back at this point...

However, this strategy forced my hand in taking Peyton Hillis in round three....at this point, 12 running backs were off the board...I wanted Larry Fitzgerald, but by the time it would come back to me in the 4th round, I would have a 4th tiered running back...

The one player I wanted who I didn't get was Calvin Johnson...expect at least 15 TDs from this monster this year...I also wanted Mark Ingram because I think the Saints are going to use him inside the 20 which give him double digit TDs...

Here is my team with the round selected:
QBs - Aaron Rodgers (1), Drew Brees (2)
RB - Peyton Hillis (3), Shon Greene (5), James Starks (7), Marshawn Lynch (9), Mike Tolbert (10), Delone Carter (15), Danny Woodhead (18), Kendall Hunter (21)
WR - DeSean Jackson (4), Chad Ochocinco (6), Mario Manningham (8), Braylon Edwards (13), Hines Ward (14), Jordan Shipley (19), Stevie Breaston (20)
K- Sebastian Janikowski (11), Rob Bironas (16)
Def - Lions (12)
ST - Browns (17)

The U will never regain its swagger

The U is done...

Ever since losing to Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl back in 2003, The U has been on a steady decline...former head coach Larry Coker did not have the chutzpah as the lead man...sure they won the BCS title in 2002, but it was with Butch Davis' players...every season thereafter, The U regressed...Coker's lack of leadership as a head coach also spilled over off the field as many of his players were "allegedly" getting paid and hanging out with hookers among other illegal activities...

Coker's replacement, former player, Randy Shannon, always seemed lost on the sideline...he looked overwhelmed as a head coach...

This past offseason, The U went out and hired former Temple head coach Al Golden to try and lead the Hurricanes back to his glory days...Golden was the right hire because he stressed the fundamentals that The U lacked: fewer penalties, solid tackling, and running the ball...

Over the last week or so, it looks like Golden will not have the opportunity to try and resurrect this program after all the "alleged" allegations...after the NCAA gets through with its investigation, Miami (Fla) football will never recover...it will be living off its history of the 1980s and late 1990s...it will never again be the force it once was...

As for Golden, as soon as Joe Paterno leaves (or dies) at Penn State, the job will be his...Golden is a graduate of Penn State and did extremely well as the head coach at Temple...in the end, this situation at The U will not be held against Golden...

Gambian pouched rat caught in New York City

Whether you like New York City or not, you have to admit they grow some impressive rats - like this three footer... "Animal experts who viewed the picture identified the animal as a Gambian pouched rat, which is a fairly common pet rat. They're nocturnal, can grow to three feet and four pounds or more, and live seven or eight years." ...

New York Daily News

Trent Richardson: the 2011 Heisman Trophy winner

For anyone who hasn't guessed, I am a Michigan fan, therefore would be ecstatic if Denard Robinson won the Heisman Trophy....but my money is going on Alabama running back Trent Richardson...

Richardson is a 5'11", 220 lb power back for the Crimson Tide...incredibly, Alabama's only Heisman Trophy winner came two years ago when Richardson's running mate, Mark Ingram brought home the coveted award...

Clearly, Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck is the favorite going into the starting gate, but there are often unforeseen issues that come about during the course of a season....

Being a junior, this will probably be Richardson's last year at Alabama as he will more than likely be toting the football in the NFL next season...when doing some research, I discovered that he has two daughters, age three and five...so, he will be looking for the payday next season...

Richardson must shine when Alabama plays Penn State on September 10th being most of the nation will be watching this game...this will set the tempo and show that he is a true contender...

An in-state rivalry worth paying attention to

First Down - Alabama has come off two big wins: at Arkansas and a solid thumping of Florida...but this week the Tide goes into a beehive as they play at South Carolina...the Tide better be on upset alert...

Second Down - the next three weeks Michigan hosts Michigan State, Iowa, then travel to Penn State...realistically, I am expecting a loss when they play Iowa...but if they even want a chance to win against both State teams, the pass defense has to get better...that was one of the most pathetic pass defense performances in Michigan history...I understand the secondary is young, but this was unacceptable...

Third Down - Joe Paterno is 83-years-old but he has a good young team with a bright future...the Nittany Lions will get better over the next few years...freshman quarterback Robert Bolden has the tools to become a quality quarterback...JoePa is taking his lumps this season, but Penn State will be back in the Big 10 title hunt in the next year or two...

Fourth Down - this week New Mexico plays at New Mexico State...this may be the battle to determine the worst team in college football...both football programs are gosh awful...in their weekly power rankings, Point Wise has New Mexico as a 16 and New Mexico State as a 15...by comparison, Ohio State is 66, Michigan is 52, and Akron is 21...so make sure ya'll check out the score...

Another Big 10 team can't win out west

First Down - A few weeks back I wrote the following about the Iowa "the schedule breaks favorably for Iowa as they only have four away games...Penn State, Ohio State, Wisconsin, and in-state rival Iowa State all come to Iowa City this year...the only major hurdle comes on September 18th when Iowa plays at Arizona....Wildcats head coach and Iowa graduate Mike Stoops could cost his alma mater a shot at the national title"...this was just smelled of an upset...I still believe Iowa will run the table and win the Big Ten...

Second Down - Michigan's 42-37 win over U.Mass seems more like a loss than a win...Denard Robinson had another solid game as the Wolverines offense rolled after a sluggish start...but it's the defense that is a cause for concern...allowing 37 points to a I-AA team does not bode well...

Third Down - Don't count out Mark Ingram for the Heisman just yet...with a couple of impressive performances in the SEC, Ingram can jump right back into the race...and it starts this week when they play at Arkansas...

Fourth Down - Got my first look at Auburn QB Cam Newton...Newton is 6'6" with a solid built...he was good, but I was not that impressed with him...Newton still needs a lot of seasoning before he can live up to his potential...

Wesley Brown: 103 year old federal judge

A.G. Sulzberger of The New York Times writes about a 103-year-old federal judge... "Judge Brown is so old, in fact, that in less than a year, should he survive, he will become the oldest practicing federal judge in the history of the United States." ...

A.G. Sulzberger

Terry Bradshaw jealous of Big Ben?

Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes how he thinks Terry Bradshaw is jealous of Big Ben... "But Bradshaw, who won four Super Bowls as the Steelers' quarterback in the 1970s and made the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989, won't let the Roethlisberger thing go. His act is getting old, to the point it makes you -- OK, me -- wonder what his motive is." ...

Ron Cook

Pele and Bobby Moore photo

Bob Hughes of The New York Times writes about the historic soccer photo taken of Pele and Bobby Moore after their World Cup match in 1970... "But can you see joy and despair? Or do you see in their touch, their smiles, their eyes something that means so much more than who won and who lost the game?" ...

Bob Hughes

Mark Viera of The New York Times writes an interesting article of how the workers at the New Meadowlands Stadium converted it from the Giants to the Jets in 24 hours... "Four computers hummed in the Oz-like control room, displaying all manner of information about New Meadowlands Stadium, including the temperatures inside the suites and surveillance video of the loading dock. " ...

Mark Viera