Wednesday, August 31, 2011

NCAA Football - Week 1 Predictions

Tulsa +25 at (1) Oklahoma
Oklahoma opens the season as the #1 ranked team in the land. They definitely have more talent than Tulsa, but the Golden Hurricane can hang around in this game. Oklahoma has had a tendency in recent years to let lesser teams hang around. GJ Kinne will match Landry Jones for a half or so, but Oklahoma gets the win.

Prediction - Oklahoma 42 Tulsa 31

Kent St. +38 at (2) Alabama
The Crimson Tide open the season as the top ranked SEC team. With that comes expectations of a national title. Mark Ingram, Julio Jones, and Greg McElroy are gone on offense. But Trent Richardson and a nasty defense will lead the way to an easy win over Kent St.

Prediction - Alabama 42 Kent St. 3

(3) Oregon -3 vs. (4) LSU
It's rare that we see a game with national championship implications in Week 1, but we have just that in this game at Jerry's House in Arlington. Returning Heisman finalist, LaMichael James, returns to his home state to start another Heisman campaign. Oregon's high-octane offense will have to wear down a ferocious LSU defense. Jarrett Lee will get the start at QB for the suspended Jordan Jefferson for LSU. The bright lights will be too much for him to handle, and Oregon will be on their way to another BCS run.

Prediction - Oregon 34 LSU 24

(5) Boise St. -3.5 vs. (19) Georgia
For the second straight season Boise St. opens the year against a ranked BCS team on a "neutral" field. I say "neutral" because Georgia will certainly have the majority of the Georgia Dome crowd on their side. Kellen Moore could become the NCAA's all-time winningest QB this season, this game won't help him. Georgia is eager to turnaround last season's 6-7 record. They have tons of talent and will use their speed and athleticism to end Boise's BCS aspirations early.

Prediction - Georgia 30 Boise St. 28

UL-Monroe +29.5 at (6) Florida St.
The Seminoles are loaded on defense. They are sure to wreak havoc against a lowly UL-Monroe team. EJ Manuel eases his way into what could be a special season in Tallahassee.

Prediction - Florida St. 37 UL-Monroe 3

San Jose St. +28.5 at (7) Stanford
Everyone's Heisman favorite, Andrew Luck, opens his season versus San Jose St. Luck and his new head coach, David Shaw, will coast to victory in this one.

Prediction - Stanford 49 San Jose St. 7

SMU +15.5 at (8) Texas A&M
There are high expectations for the Aggies in 2011. This will be no easy contest though. SMU is my pick to win C-USA and I think they can give A&M trouble. This one will be close, but the Aggies survive the scare behind the running of Cyrus Gray.

Prediction - Texas A&M 35 SMU 27

UL-Lafayette +37.5 at (9) Oklahoma St.
OK State returns an explosive offense from last season. Record-setting duo Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon are back for more highlights at the QB and WR positions. They should have no problem passing over one of the worst teams in the FBS.

Prediction - Oklahoma St. 44 UL-Lafayette 14

Chattanooga +35.5 at (10) Nebraska
Nebraska will ease their way into their inaugural Big 10 season, by taking on an FCS school in Week 1. The Huskers should have one of the nastiest defenses in the nation. Don't expect Chattanooga to score much.

Prediction - Nebraska 56 Chattanooga 6

UNLV +35.5 at (11) Wisconsin
QB Russell Wilson makes his Badger debut against UNLV on Thursday night. He has one of the nation's best ground games to make his transition to the Big 10 a little smoother. Wisconsin should have no problem in this one.

Prediction - Wisconsin 48 UNLV 17

East Carolina +20.5 at (12) South Carolina
This could be Steve Spurrier's best team since leaving Florida. The Gamecocks have SEC title aspirations and have two All-Americans to lead the way in RB Marcus Lattimore and WR Alshon Jefferey.

Prediction - South Carolina 41 East Carolina 21

Appalachain St. +25.5 at (13) Virginia Tech
Could it happen again? Appalachain St. pulled off a major upset by beating Michigan a few years back. Virginia Tech then lost to James Madison last year. Could the FCS get another win over the FBS. Not in this one.

Prediction - Virginia Tech 38 Appalachain St. 13

(14) TCU -5.5 at Baylor
This is one of the best matchups of the opening weekend. TCU is attempting to replicate last season's performance that included a Rose Bowl victory. Baylor is attempting to go to back to back bowl games for the first time since 1991 and 1992.

Prediction - TCU 38 Baylor 27

Missouri St. +40.5 at (15) Arkansas
The Ryan Mallett era is over in Fayetteville and the Tyler Wilson era begins. Wilson has an All-American RB and one of the nation's top receiving corps to rely on.

Prediction - Arkansas 59 Missouri St. 7

South Florida +10.5 at (16) Notre Dame
Skip Holtz leads South Florida into South Bend to face his alma mater. Many believe that Notre Dame will be back in the national spotlight this year. They need to win this game if that is going to happen. Both of these teams could wind up in the BCS this year - USF as the Big East Champ, and Notre Dame as an at-large. That makes for one of the weekends most intriguing games.

Prediction - Notre Dame 28 South Florida 21

Youngstown St. +34.5 at (17) Michigan St.
Michigan St. could be a sleeper to crash the BCS party this year. They return QB Kirk Cousins and RB Edwin Baker to lead the way. Expect Sparty to breeze past the Penguins Friday night.

Prediction - Michigan St. 56 Youngstown St. 6

Akron +33.5 at (18) Ohio St.
The Buckeyes' tumultuous offseason can finally be put behind them as play begins this Saturday at the Horseshoe. Luke Fickell begins his head coaching career against the school that gave him his first assistant coaching job. Ohio St. may be missing the "Tattoo 5" but they will have no problem getting past the Zips.

Prediction - Ohio St. 42 Akron 7

(20) Mississippi St. -27.5 at Memphis
Dan Mullen is building a program down in Starkville. Mississippi St. has been an SEC bottom feeder for years. Times are changing though. The Bulldogs are ranked to begin the season for the first time since 2001. Chris Relf and company will win this one going away.

Prediction - Mississippi St. 48 Memphis 7

Miami (OH) +16.5 at (21) Missouri
Missouri has produced some great QBs in recent years and Saturday James Franklin attempts to become the next. He will lead a Missouri team that is looking to make some noise in the Big 12 against the defending MAC champ, Miami (OH). The Red Hawks will hang for a bit, but Mizzou is too talented to lose this one.

Prediction - Missouri 37 Miami (OH) 14

Florida Atlantic  +34.5 at (22) Florida
Urban Meyer is out and Will Muschamp is in as Florida's Head Coach. Muschamp begins his new job against Florida Atlantic. QB John Brantley will try to put last year behind him and prove he can be the man for the job in Gainesville.

Prediction - Florida 38 Florida Atlantic 9

Utah St. +21.5 at (23) Auburn
The Auburn Tigers begin their national title defense against Utah St. this weekend. Gene Chizik's crew must replace a boatload of talent, including last year's Heisman winner Cam Newton. Will they be up for the challenge?

Prediction - Auburn 41 Utah St. 17

Marshall +20.5 at (24) West Virginia
This inner-state rival was a dandy last year. Marshall can only hope to be as fortunate this year. Geno Smith could have a breakout year in new Coach Dana Holgerson's system. Bruce Irvin and the Mountaineers D could be nasty too.

Prediction - West Virginia 35 Marshall 12

Minnesota +21.5 at (25) USC
USC is still another year away from returning to postseason play, but they still have plenty to play for. The Trojans want ti prove that they are better than last year's 8-5 team. QB Matt Barkley is poised to have a breakout season.

Prediction - USC 38 Minnesota 14

Here is what nest week's Top 25 could like if these predictions hold true:
1. Oklahoma
2. Alabama
3. Oregon
4. Florida St.
5. Stanford
6. Texas A&M
7. Oklahoma St.
8. Nebraska
9. Wisconsin
10. LSU
11. South Carolina
12. Virginia Tech
13. Georgia
14. TCU
15. Arkansas
16. Boise St.
17. Notre Dame
18. Michigan St.
19. Ohio St.
20. Mississippi St.
21. Missouri
22. Florida
23. Auburn
24. West Virginia
25. USC

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

2011 NFL Preview



















It takes a completely balanced team to win a Super Bowl. One weakness on your team can spell doom for title hopes. Last year, the Packers were thought to be weak in the running game and on the offensive line heading into the season. The offensive line meshed some youngsters with veterans and became a stable, cohesive unit by the end of the season. This allowed them to find enough of a consistent running game behind James Starks. Green Bay may not have been great at every position on the field, but they did not have any true weaknesses to exploit. The Packers found contributions from everywhere on the field to lead them a Super Bowl title. Here is a look at where your team ranks at every position heading into the 2011 season.

Quarterbacks
1. New England (Tom Brady)
2. Indianapolis (Peyton Manning)
3. Green Bay (Aaron Rodgers)
4. New Orleans (Drew Brees)
5. Pittsburgh (Ben Roethlisberger)
6. San Diego (Phillip Rivers)
7. Philadelphia (Michael Vick)
8. Atlanta (Matt Ryan)
9. NY Giants (Eli Manning)
10. Dallas (Tony Romo)
11. Baltimore (Joe Flacco)
12. Chicago (Jay Cutler)
13. Houston (Matt Schaub)
14. Kansas City (Matt Cassel)
15. St. Louis (Sam Bradford)
16. NY Jets (Mark Sanchez)
17. Arizona (Kevin Kolb)
18. Minnesota (Donovan McNabb)
19. Tennessee (Matt Hasselbeck)
20. Denver (Kyle Orton)
21. Jacksonville (David Garrard)
22. Tampa Bay (Josh Freeman)
23. Detroit (Matthew Stafford)
24. Oakland (Jason Campbell)
25. Buffalo (Ryan Fitzpatrick)
26. San Francisco (Alex Smith)
27. Cleveland (Colt McCoy)
28. Seattle (Tarvares Jackson)
29. Miami (Chad Henne)
30. Washington (John Beck)
31. Carolina (Cam Newton)
32. Cincinnati (Andy Dalton)

Running Backs
1. Minnesota (Adrian Peterson)
2. Tennessee (Chris Johnson)
3. Baltimore (Ray Rice)
4. Kansas City (Jamaal Charles)
5. Atlanta (Michael Turner)
6. Carolina (DeAngelo Williams)
7. Oakland (Darren McFadden)
8. Jacksonville (Maurice Jones-Drew)
9. St. Louis (Stephen Jackson)
10. Houston (Arian Foster)
11. NY Jets (Shonn Greene)
12. Philadelphia (LeSean McCoy)
13. Chicago (Matt Forte)
14. Pittsburgh (Rashard Mendenhall)
15. NY Giants (Ahmad Bradshaw)
16. San Francisco (Frank Gore)
17. Cleveland (Peyton Hillis)
18. Seattle (Marshawn Lynch)
19. New England (Benjarvis Green-Ellis)
20. Buffalo (Fred Jackson)
21. Tampa Bay (LaGarrette Blount)
22. Indianapolis (Joseph Addai)
23. Cincinnati (Cedric Benson)
24. Dallas (Felix Jones)
25. New Orleans (Pierre Thomas)
26. Arizona (Beanie Wells)
27. Green Bay (Ryan Grant)
28. San Diego (Ryan Matthews)
29. Denver (Knowshon Moreno)
30. Miami (Reggie Bush)
31. Washington (Tim Hightower)
32. Detroit (Jahvid Best)

Wide Receivers / Tight Ends
1. Indianapolis (Reggie Wayne)
2. Green Bay (Greg Jennings)
3. NY Jets (Santonio Holmes)
4. Pittsburgh (Mike Wallace)
5. New England (Wes Welker)
6. New Orleans (Marques Colston)
7. Philadelphia (DeSean Jackson)
8. Houston (Andre Johnson)
9. Dallas (Miles Austin)
10. Arizona (Larry Fitzgerald)
11. Atlanta (Roddy White)
12. Detroit (Calvin Johnson)
13. Kansas City (Dwayne Bowe)
14. Miami (Brandon Marshall)
15. NY Giants (Hakeem Nicks)
16. San Diego (Vincent Jackson)
17. Seattle (Sidney Rice)
18. Carolina (Steve Smith)
19. Baltimore (Anquan Boldin)
20. Minnesota (Percy Harvin)
21. San Francisco (Braylon Edwards)
22. Tampa Bay (Mike Williams)
23. Tennessee (Kenny Britt)
24. Chicago (Roy Williams)
25. St. Louis (Donnie Avery)
26. Denver (Brandon Lloyd)
27. Washington (Santana Moss)
28. Buffalo (Stevie Johnson)
29. Jacksonville (Mike Thomas)
30. Cincinnati (AJ Green)
31. Oakland (Louis Murphy)
32. Cleveland (Mohammed Massaquoi)

Offensive Line
1. New Orleans (Jahri Evans)
2. San Diego (Marcus McNeill)
3. NY Jets (Nick Mangold)
4. New England (Logan Mankins)
5. Cleveland (Joe Thomas)
6. Carolina (Jordan Gross)
7. Tampa Bay (Davin Joseph)
8. Atlanta (Sam Baker)
9. Miami (Jake Long)
10. Indianapolis (Jeff Saturday)
11. NY Giants ( Chris Snee)
12. Tennessee (Mike Roos)
13. Dallas (Kyle Kosier)
14. Pittsburgh (Maurkice Pouncey)
15. Philadelphia (Jason Peters)
16. Seattle (John Moffitt)
17. San Francisco (Joe Staley)
18. Arizona (Levi Brown)
19. Baltimore (Michael Oher)
20. Denver (Ruan Clady)
21. Jacksonville (Earl Monroe)
22. Kansas City (Ryan Lilja)
23. Minnesota (Steve Hutchinson)
24. St. Louis (Harvey Dahl)
25. Oakland (Khalif Barnes)
26. Cincinnati (Andre Smith)
27. Washington (Trent Williams)
28. Detroit (Dominic Raiola)
29. Green Bay (Chad Clifton)
30. Houston (Eric Winston)
31. Buffalo (Andy Levitre)
32. Chicago (Chris Williams)

Defensive Line
1. NY Giants (Osi Umenyiora)
2. Detroit (Ndamokong Suh)
3. Indianapolis (Dwight Freeney)
4. Pittsburgh (Casey Hampton)
5. New Orleans (Will Smith)
6. Atlanta (John Abraham)
7. Baltimore (Haloti Ngata)
8. Dallas (Jay Ratliff)
9. Buffalo (Aaron Schoebel)
10. San Diego (Luis Castillo)
11. New England (Vince Wilfork)
12. Minnesota (Jared Allen)
13. Kansas City (Tyson Jackson)
14. Cincinnati (Domata Peko)
15. Philadelphia (Trent Cole)
16. Chicago (Julius Peppers)
17. Oakland (Richard Seymour)
18. Arizona (Darnell Dockett)
19. Carolina (Charles Johnson)
20. Tampa Bay (Gerald McCoy)
21. Jacksonville (Aaron Kampman)
22. NY Jets (Mike DeVito)
23. Green Bay (BJ Raji)
24. St. Louis (Chris Long)
25. Washington (Barry Cofield)
26. Seattle (Allen Branch)
27. Tennessee (Derrick Morgan)
28. San Francisco (Justin Smith)
29. Miami (Kendall Langford)
30. Denver (Jamal Williams)
31. Houston (Shaun Cody)
32. Cleveland (Athyba Rubin)

Linebackers
1. Pittsburgh (James Harrison)
2. Baltimore (Ray Lewis)
3. Chicago (Brian Urlacher)
4. Houston (DeMeco Ryans)
5. Dallas (DeMarcus Ware)
6. Green Bay (Clay Matthews)
7. Miami (Cameron Wake)
8. San Francisco (Patrick Willis)
9. NY Jets (Bart Scott)
10. Carolina (Jon Beason)
11. Washington (Brian Orakpo)
12. Buffalo (Nick Barnett)
13. Arizona (Joey Porter)
14. St. Louis (James Laurinitis)
15. Atlanta (Mike Peterson)
16. Cincinnati (Rey Maualuga)
17. Denver (DJ Williams)
18. New England (Jerrod Mayo)
19. New Orleans (Johnathan Vilma)
20. Kansas City (Derrick Johnson)
21. Seattle (Aaron Curry)
22. Oakland (Rolando McClain)
23. NY Giants (Mathias Kiwanuka)
24. San Diego (Shaun Phillips)
25. Minnesota (Chad Greenway)
26. Jacksonville (Paul Posluzny)
27. Indianapolis (Gary Brackett)
28. Tennessee (Barrett Ruud)
29. Cleveland (D'Qwell Jackson)
30. Tampa Bay (Geno Hayes)
31. Detroit (Stephen Tulloch)
32. Philadelphia (Jamar Cheney)

Defensive Backs
1. Philadelphia (Nnamdi Asomghua)
2. NY Jets (Darrelle Revis)
3. Green Bay (Charles Woodson)
4. Pittsburgh (Troy Polamalu)
5. New England (Devin McCourty)
6. Tampa Bay (Ronde Barber)
7. Denver (Champ Bailey)
8. Baltimore (Ed Reed)
9. Washington (DeAngelo Hall)
10. Kansas City (Eric Berry)
11. New Orleans (Jabari Greer)
12. San Diego (Quentin Jammer)
13. Cleveland (Joe Haden)
14. Cincinnati (Nate Clements)
15. NY Giants (Antrell Rolle)
16. Dallas (Mike Jenkins)
17. Buffalo (Jairus Byrd)
18. Houston (Johnathan Joseph)
19. Minnesota (Antoine Winfield)
20. Tennessee (Cortland Finnegan)
21. Jacksonville (Rashean Mathis)
22. Indianapolis (Antoine Bethea)
23. Seattle (Marcus Trufant)
24. Atlanta (Dunta Robinson)
25. Chicago (Charles Tillman)
26. Miami (Vontae Davis)
27. San Francisco (Carlos Rogers)
28. Arizona (Adrian Wilson)
29. St. Louis (Jeremetrius Butler)
30. Carolina (Chris Gamble)
31. Detroit (Nathan Vasher)
32. Oakland (Michael Huff)

Special Teams
1. Chicago
2. Minnesota
3. Arizona
4. San Diego
5. Tampa Bay
6. Buffalo
7. Cleveland
8. Miami
9. Seattle
10. Oakland
11. Atlanta
12. San Francisco
13. Detroit
14. Tennessee
15. Indianapolis
16. Dallas
17. NY Jets
18. Kansas City
19. Pittsburgh
20. New England
21. St. Louis
22. NY Giants
23. Houston
24. Denver
25. Green Bay
26. New Orleans
27. Jacksonville
28. Carolina
29. Baltimore
30. Washington
31. Cincinnati
32. Philadelphia

Coaching
1. New England (Bill Belechick)
2. Pittsburgh (Mike Tomlin)
3. New Orleans (Sean Payton)
4. Green Bay (Mike McCarthy)
5. Philadelphia (Andy Reid)
6. Washington (Mike Shanahan)
7. NY Giants (Tom Coughlin)
8. Denver (John Fox)
9. NY Jets (Rex Ryan)
10. Arizona (Ken Whisenhunt)
11. Baltimore (John Harbaugh)
12. Chicago (Lovie Smith)
13. Indianapolis (Jim Caldwell)
14. Atlanta (Mike Smith)
15. San Diego (Norv Turner)
16. Cincinnati (Marvin Lewis)
17. Kansas City (Todd Haley)
18. Seattle (Pete Carroll)
19. Jacksonville (Jack Del Rio)
20. Tampa Bay (Raheem Morris)
21. Miami (Tony Sparano)
22. Detroit (Jim Schwartz)
23. Houston (Gary Kubiak)
24. St. Louis (Steve Spagnuolo)
25. Buffalo (Chan Gailey)
26. Dallas (Jason Garrett)
27. Minnesota (Leslie Frazier)
28. Oakland (Hue Jackson)
29. San Francisco (Jim Harbaugh)
30. Carolina (Ron Rivera)
31. Cleveland (Pat Shurmur)
32. Tennessee (Mike Munchak)

Sunday, August 21, 2011

MLB - Home Stretch



















August is nearing an end, that means that we are heading into the final stretch of the 2011 MLB season. It seems as if the teams on top of their respective divisions are widening the gaps.  The pennant races mat not be as hotly contested as we once thought. There are only two divisions (AL Central and NL West) that are separated by less than five games.  We have a pretty good idea of who the teams still playing in October are going to be, but as you all know anything can happen when baseball starts the playoffs.  Here is how the rest of the season is projected to play out based on simulations.

AL East
Boston 100-62
NY Yankees 99-63
Tampa Bay 88-74
Toronto 83-79
Baltimore 64-98

AL Central
Detroit 86-76
Chicago Sox 81-81
Cleveland 80-82
Minnesota 75-87
Kansas City 65-97

AL West
Texas 92-70
LA Angels 85-77
Oakland 75-87
Seattle 69-93

NL East
Philadelphia 104-58
Atlanta 94-68
NY Mets 77-85
Florida 76-86
Washington 76-86

NL Central
Milwaukee 93-69
St. Louis 85-77
Cincinnati 80-82
Pittsburgh 74-88
Chicago Cubs 73-89
Houston 59-103

NL West
San Francisco 87-74
Arizona 83-79
Colorado 79-83
LA Dodgers 77-85
San Diego 74-88

ALDS
Detroit over Boston 3-2
NY Yankees over Texas 3-1

NLDS
Philadelphia over San Francisco 3-0
Milwaukee over Atlanta 3-2

ALCS
NY Yankees over Detroit 4-3

NLCS
Philadelphia over Milwaukee 4-1

World Series
Philadelphia over NY Yankees 4-3

Though I still think the Red Sox are the best team in the AL, the simulations have the Yankees reaching the World Series.  The Phillies have played incredible baseball all season, and ever more so since the addition of Hunter Pence.  Expect the World Series to have a lot of East Coast flavor to it this year.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

2011 NCAA Football Bowl Projections



















Are you making travel plans for the holidays this year? You may want to check out where we think your favorite college football team will be playing their bowl game. Below we have listed our projections for every bowl game to be played. These projections are based on the conference predictions that were posted.

The Oregon Ducks came so close to taking home their first ever National Championship last season. They should be right back in the hunt this year as they return Heisman finalist LaMichael James at RB and QB Darron Thomas to a high-octane offense. They open the season against LSU and travel to Stanford later in the year. Those two games should be the only potential stumbling blocks on the schedule. If Oregon wins those games - which we think they will - they should be playing in their second consecutive National Championship Game.

The SEC has won an unprecedented five straight national championships. There are a handful of schools that could make that six this season. We think the most likely candidate is Alabama. The Crimson Tide will be breaking in a new QB, but they shouldn't need anything spectacular from that position. RB Trent Richardson finally gets his chance to take the bulk of the carries, and could run his way all the way to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony. The defense is loaded with NFL talent, lead by LB Donta Hightower and S Mark Barron. Nick Saban was not happy with the complacency his team showed following their 2009 National Championship and will push his players to the brink of another title.

When all is said and done - Oregon will break the SEC's streak of championships by beating Alabama in the Superdome.

December 17
New Mexico (Albuquerque, NM) - Wyoming vs. Western Michigan
Humanitarian (Boise, ID) - Northern Illinois vs. Nevada
New Orleans (New Orleans, LA) - Southern Miss vs. Florida International

December 20
Beef O'Brady's (St. Petersburg, FL) - Rutgers vs. Central Florida

December 21
Poinsettia (San Diego, CA) - San Diego St. vs. Fresno St.

December 22
Maaco (Las Vegas, NV) - 9 Boise St. vs. Utah

December 24
Hawaii (Honolulu, HI) - Hawaii vs. BYU

December 26
Independence (Shreveport, LA) - 19 TCU vs. Georgia Tech

December 27
Little Caesar's Pizza (Detroit, MI) - Northwestern vs. Toledo
Belk (Charlotte, NC) - Maryland vs. Pittsburgh

December 28
Military (Washington, DC) - North Carolina vs. Navy
Holiday (San Diego, CA) - 15 Oklahoma St. vs. Arizona St.

December 29
Champs Sports (Orlando, FL) - Miami vs. South Florida
Alamo (San Antonio, TX) - 24 Texas vs. Arizona

December 30
Armed Forces (Dallas, TX) - Tulsa vs. Air Force
Pinstripe (Bronx, NY) - 20 Notre Dame vs. UConn
Music City (Nashville, TN) - Clemson vs. Mississippi St.
Insight (Tempe, AZ) - 23 Missouri vs. Michigan

December 31
Meineke Car Care (Houston, TX) - Baylor vs. Iowa
Sun (El Paso, TX) - Boston College vs. Washington
Liberty (Memphis, TN) - Tennessee vs. SMU
Kraft Fight Hunger (San Francisco, CA) - Cal vs. Colorado St.
Chick-Fil-A (Atlanta, GA) - 21 NC State vs. Florida

January 2
Ticket City (Dallas, TX) - Illinois vs. Houston
Capital One (Orlando, FL) - 7 South Carolina vs. 12 Ohio St.
Gator (Jacksonville, FL) - 22 Auburn vs. 25 Penn St.
Outback (Tampa, FL) - 16 Michigan St. vs. 17 Georgia

January 6
Cotton (Arlington, TX) - 13 Texas A&M vs. 14 Arkansas

January 7
BBVA Compass (Birmingham, AL) - Cincinnati vs. Kentucky

TBD
Godaddy.com (Mobile, AL) - Ohio vs. Troy

BCS Bowls

January 2
Rose (Pasadena, CA) - 4 Stanford vs. 8 Nebraska

January 3
Sugar (New Orleans, LA) - 6 LSU vs. 11 Virginia Tech

January 4
Orange (Miami, FL) - 5 Florida St. vs. 18 West Virginia

January 5
Fiesta (Glendale, AZ) - 3 Oklahoma vs. 10 Wisconsin

January 9
BCS National Championship (New Orleans, LA) - 1 Oregon vs. 2 Alabama

2011 NCAA Football Predictions




















Here is a look at how I see the 2011 NCAA Football season unfolding.

ACC
Atlantic
1. Florida St. (12-1, 7-1)
2. NC State (9-3, 6-2)
3. Maryland (7-5, 5-3)
4. Boston College (6-6, 4-4)
5. Clemson (6-6, 4-4)
6. Wake Forest (3-9, 1-7)
Coastal
1. Virginia Tech (11-2, 7-1)
2. Miami (7-5, 5-3)
3. Georgia Tech (7-5, 4-4)
4. North Carolina (6-6, 3-5)
5. Virginia (5-7, 1-7)
6. Duke (4-8, 1-7)

ACC Championship - Florida St. over Virginia Tech

Big East
1. West Virginia (10-2, 6-1)
2. Pittsburgh (8-4, 5-2)
3. UConn (9-3, 4-3)
4. South Florida (8-4, 4-3)
5. Cincinnati (7-5, 3-4)
6. Rutgers (6-6, 2-5)
7. Louisville (5-7, 2-5)
8. Syracuse (5-7, 1-6)

Big 12
1. Oklahoma (11-1, 9-0)
2. Texas A&M (10-2, 8-1)
3. Oklahoma St. (9-3, 6-3)
4. Missouri (8-4, 6-3)
5. Texas (8-4, 5-4)
6. Baylor (6-6, 4-5)
7. Kansas St. (5-7, 3-6)
8. Texas Tech (5-7, 2-7)
9. Kansas (2-10, 1-8)
10. Iowa St. (1-11, 0-9)

Big 10
Leaders
1. Wisconsin (11-2, 7-1)
2. Ohio St. (10-2, 6-2)
3. Penn St. (8-4, 5-3)
4. Illinois (8-4, 4-4)
5. Purdue (5-7, 2-6)
6. Indiana (4-8, 1-7)
Legends
1. Nebraska (11-2, 6-2)
2. Michigan St. (9-3, 6-2)
3. Iowa (8-4, 4-4)
4. Michigan (7-5, 3-5)
5. Northwestern (6-6, 3-5)
6. Minnesota (4-8, 1-7)

Big 10 Championship - Nebraska over Wisconsin

Pac-12
North
1. Oregon (13-0, 9-0)
2. Stanford (11-1, 8-1)
3. Cal (7-5, 4-5)
4. Washington (6-6, 4-5)
5. Oregon St. (5-7, 3-6)
6. Washington St. (2-10, 0-9)
South
1. Arizona St. (8-5, 6-3)
2. USC (8-4, 6-3)
3. Utah (7-5, 5-4)
4. Arizona (7-5, 5-4)
5. UCLA (5-7, 3-6)
6. Colorado (2-11, 1-8)

Pac-12 Championship - Oregon over Arizona St.

SEC
East
1. South Carolina (11-2, 7-1)
2. Georgia (9-3, 5-3)
3. Florida (7-5, 4-4)
4. Tennessee (7-5, 3-5)
5. Kentucky (6-6, 2-6)
6. Vanderbilt (2-10, 0-8)
West
1. Alabama (12-1, 7-1)
2. LSU (10-2, 7-1)
3. Arkansas (9-3, 6-2)
4. Auburn (8-4, 4-4)
5. Mississippi St. (7-5, 3-5)
6. Ole Miss (4-8, 1-7)

SEC Championship - Alabama over South Carolina

C-USA
East
1. Southern Miss (9-4, 7-1)
2. Central Florida (9-3, 6-2)
3. Marshall (5-7, 4-4)
4. UAB (3-9, 2-6)
5. East Carolina (3-9, 2-6)
6. Memphis (3-9, 0-8)
West
1. SMU (10-3, 7-1)
2. Houston (9-3, 6-2)
3. Tulsa (7-5, 4-4)
4. Tulane (5-8, 4-4)
5. UTEP (4-8, 2-6)
6. Rice (2-10, 2-6)

C-USA Championship - SMU over Southern Miss

MAC
East
1. Ohio (8-5, 6-2)
2. Temple (6-6, 4-4)
3. Miami (OH) (5-7, 4-4)
4. Kent St. (5-7, 3-5)
5. Akron (3-9, 2-6)
6. Bowling Green (2-10, 1-7)
7. Buffalo (1-11, 0-8)
West
1. Toledo (9-4, 7-1)
2. Northern Illinois (9-3, 7-1)
3. Western Michigan (7-5, 6-2)
4. Central Michigan (6-6, 5-3)
5. Ball St. (4-8, 4-4)
6. Eastern Michigan (4-8, 2-6)

MAC Championship - Toledo over Ohio

Mountain West
1. Boise St. (11-1, 7-0)
2. TCU (10-2, 6-1)
3. San Diego St. (9-3, 5-2)
4. Air Force (8-4, 4-3)
5. Wyoming (6-6, 3-4)
6. Colorado St. (6-6, 2-5)
7. UNLV (2-10, 1-6)
8. New Mexico (2-10, 0-7)

Sun Belt
1. Florida International (8-4, 7-1)
2. Troy (8-4, 7-1)
3. Arkansas St. (6-6, 5-3)
4. North Texas (5-7, 5-3)
5. Middle Tennessee (4-8, 4-4)
6. UL-Monroe (4-8, 3-5)
7. Western Kentucky (3-9, 2-6)
8. Florida Atlantic (1-11, 1-7)
9. UL-Lafayette (1-11, 0-8)

WAC
1. Hawaii (10-3, 6-1)
2. Fresno St. (7-6, 5-2)
3. Nevada (7-5, 5-2)
4. Louisiana Tech (5-7, 4-3)
5. Utah St. (5-7, 3-4)
6. Idaho (5-7, 3-4)
7. San Jose St. (1-11, 1-6)
8. New Mexico St. (1-11, 1-6)

Independents
1. Notre Dame (9-3)
2. BYU (8-4)
3. Navy (8-4)
4. Army (4-8)

Saturday, August 6, 2011

2011 NCAA Football Preview - Coaches



















Coaching plays a pivotal role in any championship ingredients. The college ranks can be swayed dramatically if one team has a coaching edge. In cases where the talent is comparable on both sides of the ball, one call from the coaches box can decide the outcome.

Here is a conference by conference look at the best coaching staffs (Head Coach in parenthesis):

ACC
1. Virginia Tech (Frank Beamer)
2. Maryland (Randy Edsall)
3. Wake Forest (Jim Grobe)
4. Georgia Tech (Paul Johnson)
5. Florida St. (Jimbo Fisher)
6. NC State (Tom O'Brien)
7. Miami (Al Golden)
8. Duke (David Cutcliffe)
9. Boson College (Frank Spaziani)
10. Clemson (Dabo Swinney)
11. Virginia (Mike London)
12. North Carolina (Everett Withers)

Big East
1. Rutgers (Greg Schiano)
2. South Florida (Skip Holtz)
3. Pittsburgh (Todd Graham)
4. UConn (Paul Pasqualoni)
5. Louisville (Charlie Strong)
6. Syracuse (Doug Marrone)
7. Cincinnati (Butch Jones)
8. West Virginia (Dana Holgerson)

Big 12
1. Oklahoma (Bob Stoops)
2. Texas (Mack Brown)
3. Missouri (Gary Pinkle)
4. Kansas St. (Bill Snyder)
5. Texas Tech (Tommy Tuberville)
6. Oklahoma St. (Mike Gundy)
7. Texas A&M (Mike Sherman)
8. Baylor (Art Briles)
9. Kansas (Turner Gill)
10. Iowa St. (Paul Rhoads)

Big 10
1. Penn St. (Joe Paterno)
2. Iowa (Kirk Ferentz)
3. Wisconsin (Brett Bielema)
4. Michigan St. (Mark Dantonio)
5. Nebraska (Bo Pellini)
6. Illinois (Ron Zook)
7. Northwestern (Pat Fitzgerald)
8. Michigan (Brady Hoke)
9. Minnesota (Jerry Kill)
10. Ohio St. (Luke Fickell)
11. Purdue (Danny Hope)
12. Indiana (Kevin Wilson)

Pac-12
1. Oregon (Chip Kelly)
2. Utah (Kyle Whittingham)
3. Oregon St. (Mike Riley)
4. Cal (Jeff Tedford)
5. Arizona St. (Dennis Erickson)
6. UCLA (Rick Neuheisel)
7. Arizona (Mike Stoops)
8. USC (Lane Kiffin)
9. Washington (Steve Sarkisian)
10. Stanford (David Shaw)
11. Washington St. (Paul Wulff)
12. Colorado (Jon Embree)

SEC
1. Alabama (Nick Saban)
2. LSU (Les Miles)
3. South Carolina (Steve Spurrier)
4. Auburn (Gene Chizik)
5. Arkansas (Bobby Petrino)
6. Georgia (Mark Richt)
7. Ole Miss (Houston Nutt)
8. Mississippi St. (Dan Mullen)
9. Tennessee (Derek Dooley)
10. Kentucky (Joker Phillips)
11. Florida (Will Muschamp)
12. Vanderbilt (James Franklin)

C-USA
1. SMU (June Jones)
2. Central Florida (George O'Leary)
3. Houston (Kevin Sumlin)
4. Southern Miss (Larry Fedora)
5. UTEP (Mike Price)
6. Tulane (Bob Toledo)
7. Rice (David Bailiff)
8. East Carolina (Ruffin McNeill)
9. Marshall (Doc Holliday)
10. UAB (Neil Callaway)
11. Memphis (Larry Porter)
12. Tulsa (Bill Blankenship)

MAC
1. Ohio (Frank Solich)
2. Toledo (Tim Beckman)
3. Western Michigan (Bill Cubit)
4. Eastern Michigan (Ron English)
5. Bowling Green (Dave Clawson)
6. Central Michigan (Dan Enos)
7. Akron (Rob Ianello)
8. Buffalo (Jeff Quinn)
9. Temple (Steve Addazio)
10. Kent St. (Darrell Hazzell)
11. Northern Illinois (Dave Doeren)
12. Miami (OH) (Don Treadwell)
13. Ball St. (Pete Lembo)

MWC
1. Boise St. (Chris Peterson)
2. TCU (Gary Patterson)
3. Air Force (Troy Calhoun)
4. San Diego St. (Rocky Long)
5. Wyoming (Dave Christensen)
6. Colorado St. (Steve Fairchild)
7. UNLV (Bobby Hauck)
8. New Mexico (Mike Locksley)

Sun Belt
1. Florida Atlantic (Howard Schnellenberger)
2. Troy (Larry Blakeney)
3. Florida International (Mario Cristobal)
4. North Texas (Dan McCarney)
5. Middle Tennessee (Rick Stockstill)
6. Western Kentucky (Willie Taggart)
7. UL-Monroe (Todd Berry)
8. Arkansas St. (Hugh Freeze)
9. UL-Lafayette (Mark Hudspeth)

WAC
1. Nevada (Chris Ault)
2. Fresno St. (Pat Hill)
3. Hawaii (Greg McMacklin)
4. Idaho (Robb Akey)
5. Louisiana Tech (Sonny Dykes)
6. Utah St. (Gary Andersen)
7. New Mexico St. (DeWayne Walker)
8. San Jose St. (Mike MacIntyre)

Independents
1. Notre Dame (Brian Kelly)
2. BYU (Bronco Mendenhall)
3. Navy (Ken Niumatalolo)
4. Army (Jerry Ellerson)

2011 NCAA Football Preview - Defense



















You have heard the saying before - "defense wins championships". This saying is indeed true. You don't have to be a dominating defense that shuts the opponent down every week. You do need to have some playmakers and come up big when it matters most.

Here is a conference by conference look at where the team defenses rank:

ACC
1. Florida St.
2. Miami
3. North Carolina
4. Boston College
5. Virginia Tech
6. Maryland
7. Clemson
8. NC State
9. Virginia
10. Georgia Tech
11. Wake Forest
12. Duke

Big East
1. West Virginia
2. UConn
3. South Florida
4. Pittsburgh
5. Rutgers
6. Cincinnati
7. Syracuse
8. Louisville

Big 12
1. Oklahoma
2. Texas
3. Texas A&M
4. Missouri
5. Oklahoma St.
6. Iowa St.
7. Kansas St.
8. Texas Tech
9. Kansas
10. Baylor

Big 10
1. Nebraska
2. Ohio St.
3. Wisconsin
4. Penn St.
5. Michigan St.
6. Iowa
7. Purdue
8. Illinois
9. Michigan
10. Northwestern
11. Minnesota
12. Indiana

Pac-12
1. Oregon
2. Arizona St.
3. USC
4. Stanford
5. Cal
6. Washington
7. Arizona
8. Utah
9. UCLA
10. Oregon St.
11. Colorado
12. Washington St.

SEC
1. Alabama
2. Arkansas
3. LSU
4. Florida
5. South Carolina
6. Georgia
7. Tennessee
8. Mississippi St.
9. Kentucky
10. Auburn
11. Vanderbilt
12. Ole Miss

C-USA
1. SMU
2. Southern Miss
3. Central Florida
4. Tulsa
5. Marshall
6. Houston
7. UAB
8. Tulane
9. UTEP
10. Memphis
11. East Carolina
12. Rice

MAC
1. Miami (OH)
2. Ball St.
3. Western Michigan
4. Northern Illinois
5. Kent St.
6. Toledo
7. Temple
8. Ohio
9. Central Michigan
10. Akron
11. Eastern Michigan
12. Buffalo
13. Bowling Green

MWC
1. Boise St.
2. TCU
3. San Diego St.
4. Air Force
5. Wyoming
6. Colorado St.
7. New Mexico
8. UNLV

Sun Belt
1. Arkansas St.
2. Florida International
3. UL-Monroe
4. Middle Tennessee
5. Troy
6. North Texas
7. Western Kentucky
8. UL-Lafayette
9. Florida Atlantic

WAC
1. Hawaii
2. Nevada
3. Fresno St.
4. Utah St.
5. Louisiana Tech
6. San Jose St.
7. Idaho
8. New Mexico St.

Independents
1. Notre Dame
2. Navy
3. BYU
4. Army

Thursday, August 4, 2011

2011 NCAA Football Preview - Running Backs



















Yesterday we ranked the QBs from top to bottom in every FBS conference in the nation. Today we will look at the RB position. RBs are an equally important part of winning a title. There are plenty of terrific athletes at this position that are ready to make an impact on conference and national championship races.

Here is a conference by conference look at how the RBs rank (The projected starter in parenthesis):

ACC
1. Boston College (Montel Harris)
2. Clemson (Andre Ellington)
3. Virginia Tech (David Wilson)
4. Miami (Lamar Miller)
5. NC State (Mustafa Greene)
6. Florida St. (Chris Thompson)
7. Georgia Tech (Roddy Jones)
8. Maryland (Davin Meggett)
9. Virginia (Perry Jones)
10. North Carolina (Ryan Houston)
11. Wake Forest (Josh Harris)
12. Duke (Desmond Scott)

Big East
1. Louisville (Victor Anderson)
2. Pittsburgh (Ray Graham)
3. Cincinnati (Isaiah Pead)
4. South Florida (Demetrius Murray)
5. Syracuse (Antwon Bailey)
6. West Virginia (Shawne Alston)
7. Rutgers (Jeremy Deering)
8. UConn (DJ Shoemate)

Big 10
1. Wisconsin (Montee Ball)
2. Michigan St. (Edwin Baker)
3. Ohio St. (Jaamal Berry)
4. Nebraska (Rex Burkhead)
5. Illinois (Jason Ford)
6. Penn St. (Silas Redd)
7. Iowa (Marcus Coker)
8. Purdue (Ralph Bolden)
9. Michigan (Vincent Smith)
10. Indiana (Darius Willis)
11. Northwestern (Mike Trumpy)
12. Minnesota (Duane Bennett)

Big 12
1. Texas A&M (Cyrus Gray)
2. Texas (Fozzy Whitaker)
3. Oklahoma St. (Joseph Randle)
4. Oklahoma (Brennan Clay)
5. Kansas St. (Bryce Brown)
6. Kansas (James Sims)
7. Missouri (Kendial Lawrence)
8. Texas Tech (Ronnie Daniels)
9. Baylor (Jarred Salubi)
10. Iowa St. (Shontrelle Johnson)

Pac-12
1. Oregon (LaMichael James)
2. Washington (Chris Polk)
3. Stanford (Stepfan Taylor)
4. UCLA (Johnathan Franklin)
5. USC (Marc Tyler)
6. Cal (Isi Sofele)
7. Arizona (Keola Antolin)
8. Colorado (Rodney Stewart)
9. Arizona St. (Cameron Marshall)
10. Oregon St. (Ryan McCants)
11. Utah (Harvey Langi)
12. Washington St. (Logwone Mitz)

SEC
1. Alabama (Trent Richardson)
2. South Carolina (Marcus Lattimore)
3. Arkansas (Knile Davis)
4. Auburn (Michael Dyer)
5. Mississippi St. (Vic Ballard)
6. Tennessee (Taurean Poole)
7. Florida (Chris Rainey)
8. Georgia (Isaiah Crowell)
9. LSU (Spencer Ware)
10. Vanderbilt (Warren Norman)
11. Ole Miss (Brandon Bolden)
12. Kentucky (Raymond Sanders)

C-USA
1. Houston (Bryce Beall)
2. Southern Miss (Kendrick Hardy)
3. SMU (Zach Line)
4. Tulane (Orleans Darkwa)
5. Rice (Sam McGuffie)
6. Central Florida (Latavius Murray)
7. UAB (Pat Shed)
8. UTEP (Joe Banyard)
9. Marshall (Tron Martinez)
10. Tulsa (Trey Watts)
11. Memphis (Jerrell Rhodes)
12. East Carolina (Michael Dobson)

MAC
1. Temple (Bernard Pierce)
2. Toledo (Adonis Thomas)
3. Ball St. (Eric Williams)
4. Northern Illinois (Jasmin Hopkins)
5. Central Michigan (Paris Cotton)
6. Ohio (Donte Harden)
7. Western Michigan (Tevin Drake)
8. Kent St. (Jacquise Terry)
9. Eastern Michigan (Javonti Greene)
10. Bowling Green
11. Miami (OH) (Tracy Woods)
12. Buffalo (Branden Oliver)
13. Akron (Alex Allen)

MWC
1. San Diego St. (Ronnie Hillman)
2. Boise St. (Doug Martin)
3. TCU (Ed Wesley)
4. Air Force (Asher Clark)
5. UNLV (Tim Cornett)
6. Colorado St. (Raymond Carter)
7. Wyoming (Alvester Alexander)
8. New Mexico (Kasey Carrier)

Sun Belt
1. North Texas (Lance Dunbar)
2. Western Kentucky (Bobby Rainey)
3. Florida International (Darriet Perry)
4. Florida Atlantic (Alfred Morris)
5. Troy (Shawn Southward)
6. Middle Tennessee (DD Kyles)
7. Arkansas St. (Derek Lawson)
8. UL-Monroe (Jyruss Edwards)
9. UL-Lafayette (Aaron Spikes)

WAC
1. Louisiana Tech (Lennon Creer)
2. Utah St. (Robert Turbin)
3. Fresno St. (Robbie Rouse)
4. Nevada (Lampford Mark)
5. Idaho (Ryan Bass)
6. New Mexico St. (Kenny Turner)
7. San Jose St. (Brandon Rutley)
8. Hawaii (Sterling Jackson)

Independents
1. BYU (JJ DiLuigi)
2. Navy (Alexander Teich)
3. Notre Dame (Cierre Wood)
4. Army (Jared Hassin)

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

2011 NCAA Football Preview - Quarterbacks



















Today we will begin a 4-part series leading us in to our predictions for the 2011 NCAA Football season. There is no doubt that every position on the football field is important. All pieces of the puzzle must come together to form a championship ball club. But at the collegiate level it appears that having playmakers at certain positions is more essential.

The offensive backfield is of utmost importance. There is a reason that the last 12 Heisman winners and 17 of the last 18 have been a QB or RB. If you have talent at these positions you have a chance to win every week.

Teams with championship aspirations must also have a stout defense. Auburn gave up its share of points last year, but came up big at the biggest moments (like holding on to beat Alabama by 1 in the Iron Bowl and holding the potent Oregon offense to 19 points in the BCS National Championship).

Last but not least is the glue that holds it all together. You must have an elite Head Coach. There are plenty of coaches who can recruit, but if you can't coach them up you can't win it all. Football is a game of inches and so many times in college football a great coach can make a difference.

We will break down these positions/units by conference over the next 4 days, beginning with the QBs.

Here is a conference by conference look at how the QBs rank (The projected starter in parenthesis):

ACC
1. Florida St. (EJ Manuel)
2. Maryland (Danny O'Brien)
3. NC State (Mike Glennon)
4. Miami (Jacory Harris)
5. Virginia Tech (Logan Thomas)
6. Duke (Sean Renfree)
7. North Carolina (Bryn Renner)
8. Clemson (Tajh Boyd)
9. Georgia Tech (Tevin Washington)
10. Boston College (Chase Rettig)
11. Wake Forest (Tanner Price)
12. Virginia (Ross Metheny)

Big East
1. West Virginia (Geno Smith)
2. Cincinnati (Zach Callaros)
3. South Florida (BJ Daniels)
4. Syracuse (Ryan Nassib)
5. Pittsburgh (Tino Sunseri)
6. Rutgers (Chas Dodd)
7. Louisville (Will Stein)
8. UConn (Mike Box)

Big 10
1. Michigan (Denard Robinson)
2. Wisconsin (Russell Wilson)
3. Northwestern (Dan Persa)
4. Michigan St. (Kirk Cosuins)
5. Nebraska (Taylor Martinez)
6. Illinois (Nathan Scheelhaase)
7. Penn St. (Matt McGloin)
8. Minnesota (MarQueis Gray)
9. Purdue (Rob Henry)
10. Ohio St. (Joe Bauserman)
11. Iowa (James Vandenberg)
12. Indiana (Dusty Kiel)

Big 12
1. Oklahoma (Landry Jones)
2. Baylor (Robert Griffin)
3. Oklahoma St. (Brandon Weeden)
4. Texas A&M (Ryan Tannehill)
5. Texas (Garrett Gilbert)
6. Texas Tech (Seth Doege)
7. Missouri (James Franklin)
8. Kansas St. (Collin Klein)
9. Iowa St. (Jerome Tiller)
10. Kansas (Jordan Webb)

Pac-12
1. Stanford (Andrew Luck)
2. Oregon (Darron Thomas)
3. USC (Matt Barkley)
4. Arizona (Nick Foles)
5. Utah (Jordan Wynn)
6. Arizona St. (Brock Osweiler)
7. Washington St. (Jeff Tuel)
8. Oregon St. (Ryan Katz)
9. Colorado (Tyler Hansen)
10. Washington (Keith Price)
11. UCLA (Richard Brehaut)
12. Cal (Brock Mansion)

SEC
1. Georgia (Aaron Murray)
2. South Carolina (Stephen Garcia)
3. Mississippi St. (Chris Relf)
4. Florida (John Brantley)
5. Arkansas (Tyler Wilson)
6. Tennessee (Tyler Bray)
7. LSU (Jordan Jefferson)
8. Alabama (AJ McCarron)
9. Kentucky (Morgan Newton)
10. Auburn (Barrett Trotter)
11. Ole Miss (Randall Mackley)
12. Vanderbilt (Larry Smith)

C-USA
1. Houston (Case Keenum)
2. Tulsa (GJ Kinne)
3. Southen Miss (Austin Davis)
4. Central Florida (Jeff Godfrey)
5. SMU (Kyle Padron)
6. Eat Carolina (Dominique Davis)
7. UAB (Bryan Ellis)
8. Rice (Taylor McHargue)
9. Marshall (AJ Graham)
10. Tulane (Taylor Griffin)
11. UTEP (Tate Smith)
12. Memphis (Andy Summerlin)

MAC
1. Northern Illinois (Chandler Harnish)
2. Western Michigan (Alex Carder)
3. Miami (OH) (Zac Dysert)
4. Toledo (Austin Dantin)
5. Central Michigan (Ryan Radcliff)
6. Bowling Green (Matt Schilz)
7. Kent St. (Spencer Keith)
8. Ball St. (Keith Wenning)
9. Eastern Michigan (Alex Gillett)
10. Ohio (Phil Bates)
11. Akron (Patrick Nicely)
12. Temple (Clinton Granger)
13. Buffalo (Alex Zordich)

MWC
1. Boise St. (Kellen Moore)
2. San Diego St. (Ryan Lindley)
3. Air Force (Tim Jefferson)
4. TCU (Casey Pachall)
5. Colorado St. (Pete Thomas)
6. New Mexico (Stump Godfrey)
7. Wyoming (Emory Miller)
8. UNLV (Caleb Herring)

Sun Belt
1. Arkansas St. (Ryan Aplin)
2. Troy (Corey Robinson)
3. UL-Monroe (Kenton Browning)
4. Florida International (Wesley Carroll)
5. UL-Lafayette (Chris Masson)
6. Middle Tennessee (Logan Kilgore)
7. Western Kentucky (Kewaun Jakes)
8. North Texas (Derek Thompson)
9. Florida Atlantic (David Kooi)

WAC
1. Hawaii (Bryant Moniz)
2. Fresno St. (Derek Carr)
3. Nevada (Tyler Lantrip)
4. Idaho (Brian Reader)
5. Louisiana Tech (Colby Cameron)
6. Utah St. (Diondre Borel)
7. New Mexico St. (Matt Christian)
8. San Jose St. (Joe Gray)

Independents
1. Notre Dame (Dayne Crist)
2. BYU (Jake Heaps)
3. Army (Trent Steelman)
4. Navy (Kriss Proctor)

Monday, August 1, 2011

MLB - At The Trading Deadline



















The trading deadline has now passed in MLB. This puts us about 2/3 of the way through the season. The summer is heating up and so are the pennant races. The trading deadline saw some of the rich get richer - as the Philadlephia Phillies landed All-Star Hunter Pence from Houston - and some teams made a last ditch effort to keep their head above water - as the Cleveland Indians traded for OF Kosuke Fukudome and former All-Star RHP Ubaldo Jimenez. These moves are sure to impact the Hunt for October. Here is a look at how the season is projected to play out.

AL East
Boston 100-62
NY Yankees 97-65
Tampa Bay 85-77
Toronto 83-79
Baltimore 66-96

AL Central
Detroit 85-77
Chicago Sox 83-79
Minnesota 80-82
Cleveland 79-83
Kansas City 67-95

AL West
Texas 90-72
LA Angels 85-77
Oakland 76-86
Seattle 68-94

NL East
Philadelphia 100-62
Atlanta 92-70
NY Mets 81-81
Florida 80-82
Washington 73-89

NL Central
Milwaukee 87-75
St. Louis 86-76
Cincinnati 79-83
Pittsburgh 77-85
Chicago Cubs 69-93
Houston 60-102

NL West
San Francisco 94-68
Arizona 81-81
Colorado 80-82
Los Angeles 77-85
San Diego 72-90

ALDS
Boston over Detroit 3-0
NY Yankees over Texas 3-2

NLDS
Philadelphia over Milwaukee 3-2
Atlanta over San Francisco 3-2

ALCS
Boston over NY Yankees 4-1

NLCS
Philadelphia over Atlanta 4-0

World Series
Philadelphia over Boston 4-3

All signs point toward a Phillies-Sox World Series