The time has finally come! The college football season has arrived. The season will officially begin tomorrow night. Here is a look at how I expect Week 1 to go down. (The rankings are based off of the AP Poll, the initial Ringer Poll will be revealed next week)
*Indicates the home team
**Indicates a neutral field
**1 Alabama over Virginia Tech 31-14
Bama -19.5
*2 Ohio State over Buffalo 41-14
OSU -35
*3 Oregon over Nicholls State 56-7
Ore -59
5 Georgia over *8 Clemson 28-26
UGA -1.5
*6 South Carolina over North Carolina 35-23
SC -13.5
*7 Texas A&M over Rice 41-20
TAM -26.5
*9 Louisville over Ohio 42-24
Lou - 20.5
*10 Florida over Toledo 37-17
Fla -23.5
11 Florida State over *Pittsburgh 28-17
FSU -10
**12 LSU over 20 TCU 21-20
LSU -4.5
**13 Oklahoma State over Mississippi State 35-27
OKSU -12.5
*14 Notre Dame over Temple 27-7
ND -29
*15 Texas over New Mexico State 40-17
Tex -42
*16 Oklahoma over UL-Monroe 41-24
Okla -22
*17 Michigan over Central Michigan 41-21
Mich -31.5
*18 Nebraska over Wyoming 38-20
Neb -29
19 Boise State over *Washington 29-24
Wash -3.5
*21 UCLA over Nevada 42-24
UCLA -20.5
22 Northwestern over *Cal 31-20
NW -5.5
*23 Wisconsin over UMass 37-14
Wis -44.5
24 USC over *Hawaii 34-13
USC -21.5
*25 Oregon State over Eastern Washington 49-10
ORST -27
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
2013 Heisman Trophy Watch List
Let the Heisman watch begin. It is inevitable that some of these young men will punch their ticket to New York City in December. Just like it is inevitable that some of them won't live up to the hype. But all of them had the numbers in 2012, and the skills to warrant Heisman consideration as we head into the 2013 campaign. Here is a look at the stars that I expect to shine the brightest during the 2013 college football season.
1. Braxton Miller QB/Ohio State
Miller is the reigning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, and my pick to win it again in 2013. He was dynamic in 2012 and figures to be even better this year. If the Buckeyes go undefeated as I've predicted, there is no doubt that Miller will receive an invite to NYC.
2. Jadaveon Clowney DE/South Carolina
No strictly defensive player has ever taken home the Heisman Trophy. That could change this year. The hype around Clowney already existed, but the YouTube sensation took it to another level when he completely blew up Vincent Smith in the 2013 Outback Bowl. If he lives up to the unbelievable hype this year, he will rewrite history.
3. Marcus Mariota QB/Oregon
Mariota isn't even the best playmaker on Oregon's offense. But he is what makes the Ducks click. He is a dual threat and is the leader on one of the nation's most potent offenses. If Oregon continues to ring up points like in year's past, there could certainly be a seat for Mariota at the Heisman ceremony.
4. Teddy Bridgewater QB/Louisville
Bridgewater had a breakout season in 2012. His Sugar Bowl performance against the vaunted Florida defense is what catapulted him to super stardom. He may be the best QB in the country, which often time leads to striking the Heisman pose. But Louisville's schedule is so weak I think they need to run the table to get Bridgewater the support.
5. Tajh Boyd QB/Clemson
Clemson has been underachievers over the years. I kind of expect the same this year. That doesn't mean that Tajh Boyd won't put up video game type numbers though. I see him being the Geno Smith of the 2013 season, only Clemson will be much better than West Virginia was. That should be enough to earn Boyd a trip to the Big Apple.
The next 5:
6. Lache Seastrunk RB/Baylor
I don't see Baylor being good enough to have a Heisman finalist, but Seastrunk will put up big numbers.
7. Todd Gurley RB/Georgia
I think that Gurley is the best RB in the country, but he still has to share the load with Keith Marshall.
8. Marquise Lee WR/USC
No WR in the country compares to Lee. He is a one-man highlight reel.
9. Johnny Manziel QB/Texas A&M
If his eligibility concerns disappear, the reigning Heisman winner will move up this list.
10. De'Anthony Thomas RB-WR/Oregon
Thomas is the most exciting player in the country, unfortunately he doesn't get enough touches.
Others to Watch:
Taylor Martinez QB/Nebraska
TJ Yeldon RB/Alabama
Aaron Murray QB/Georgia
Derek Carr QB/Fresno State
Jordan Lynch QB/Northern Illinois
1. Braxton Miller QB/Ohio State
Miller is the reigning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, and my pick to win it again in 2013. He was dynamic in 2012 and figures to be even better this year. If the Buckeyes go undefeated as I've predicted, there is no doubt that Miller will receive an invite to NYC.
2. Jadaveon Clowney DE/South Carolina
No strictly defensive player has ever taken home the Heisman Trophy. That could change this year. The hype around Clowney already existed, but the YouTube sensation took it to another level when he completely blew up Vincent Smith in the 2013 Outback Bowl. If he lives up to the unbelievable hype this year, he will rewrite history.
3. Marcus Mariota QB/Oregon
Mariota isn't even the best playmaker on Oregon's offense. But he is what makes the Ducks click. He is a dual threat and is the leader on one of the nation's most potent offenses. If Oregon continues to ring up points like in year's past, there could certainly be a seat for Mariota at the Heisman ceremony.
4. Teddy Bridgewater QB/Louisville
Bridgewater had a breakout season in 2012. His Sugar Bowl performance against the vaunted Florida defense is what catapulted him to super stardom. He may be the best QB in the country, which often time leads to striking the Heisman pose. But Louisville's schedule is so weak I think they need to run the table to get Bridgewater the support.
5. Tajh Boyd QB/Clemson
Clemson has been underachievers over the years. I kind of expect the same this year. That doesn't mean that Tajh Boyd won't put up video game type numbers though. I see him being the Geno Smith of the 2013 season, only Clemson will be much better than West Virginia was. That should be enough to earn Boyd a trip to the Big Apple.
The next 5:
6. Lache Seastrunk RB/Baylor
I don't see Baylor being good enough to have a Heisman finalist, but Seastrunk will put up big numbers.
7. Todd Gurley RB/Georgia
I think that Gurley is the best RB in the country, but he still has to share the load with Keith Marshall.
8. Marquise Lee WR/USC
No WR in the country compares to Lee. He is a one-man highlight reel.
9. Johnny Manziel QB/Texas A&M
If his eligibility concerns disappear, the reigning Heisman winner will move up this list.
10. De'Anthony Thomas RB-WR/Oregon
Thomas is the most exciting player in the country, unfortunately he doesn't get enough touches.
Others to Watch:
Taylor Martinez QB/Nebraska
TJ Yeldon RB/Alabama
Aaron Murray QB/Georgia
Derek Carr QB/Fresno State
Jordan Lynch QB/Northern Illinois
2013 NCAA Football Bowl Projections
As we begin to kickoff another college football season, we look forward to the end of the season and all of the bowl mania that will ensue. We certainly don't want to rush through the season, but it's always fun to look at potential bowl matchups. Our bowl projections have been finalized. The projections are based off of the conference predictions posted on Monday.
The SEC's dominance continued last season; more specifically Alabama's. The SEC has now won an astonishing 7 consecutive BCS championships. Alabama has won 3, Florida has won 2, and LSU and Auburn have each chipped in a title. Alabama is going for an unprecedented third consecutive title. The Crimson Tide are favored to do it again, despite losing a ton of talent to the NFL. AJ McCarron, TJ Yeldon, and Amari Cooper return to the skill positions to provide explosiveness to the offense. CJ Mosley leads a defense that is perennially one of the top units in the nation. Are there any teams from another conference that can end their bid for a 3-peat? Many think that Ohio State has the best chance. The Buckeyes finished the season undefeated in 2012, but due to a bowl ban had no chance to win the BCS title. Most of Urban Meyer's key players return, and he added a loaded freshmen class. Aside from Ohio State, Oregon, Stanford, and a hand full of other SEC teams figure to play a role in who plays for the crystal football in Pasadena.
Last year I made the mistake of not picking an SEC team to play in the BCS National Championship Game. I won't make that mistake again. After all, the SEC Championship has become a de facto National Semifinal. In fact I am not going out on much of a limb at all this year. I like Alabama to win the SEC and play in their 4th title game in 5 years. Their opponent will be the Ohio State Buckeyes. I know it is unlikely that the two teams that begin the season ranked #1 and #2 will end up that way, but these teams have the most talent from top to bottom and have manageable schedules.
I have Alabama and Ohio State battling it out in Pasadena on January 6th with a national title up for grabs. Who do I have winning it all? Haven't you seen this story play out before? Ohio State can't compete with the SEC. Not even with Urban Meyer on the sideline. At least not this year. I think Alabama wins a third straight national championship and keeps themselves and the SEC at the top of the college football mountain.
Here is a look at projections for all of the 2013-2014 bowl games (Projected Rankings listed).
December 21
Gildan New Mexico Bowl - San Jose State vs. Toledo
Las Vegas Bowl - 16 Boise State vs. 22 Oregon State
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl - Fresno State vs. Ohio
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl - Western Kentucky vs. Middle Tennessee
December 23
Beef O'Brady's Bowl - Wake Forest vs. Louisiana Tech
December 24
Sheraton Hawaii Bowl - Marshall vs. Utah State
December 26
Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl - Northern Illinois vs. Minnesota
San Diego CU Poinsettia Bowl - San Diego State vs. UTEP
December 27
Military Bowl - Pittsburgh vs. East Carolina
Texas Bowl - TCU vs. Iowa
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl - BYU vs. Washington
December 28
New Era Pinstripe Bowl - Baylor vs. UConn
Belk Bowl - 18 North Carolina vs. Rutgers
Russell Athletic Bowl - Miami vs. Cincinnati
Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl - 25 Northwestern vs. Texas Tech
December 30
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl - Navy vs. Air Force
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl - Vanderbilt vs. Georgia Tech
Valero Alamo Bowl - Oklahoma State vs. UCLA
Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl - 21 USC vs. 24 Kansas State
December 31
AdvoCare V100 Bowl - NC State vs. Mississippi State
Hyundai Sun Bowl - 23 Virginia Tech vs. Arizona
AutoZone Liberty Bowl - Tulsa vs. Ole Miss
Chick-fil-A Bowl - 17 Clemson vs. Tennessee
January 1
TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl - 15 LSU vs. Michigan State
Heart of Dallas Bowl - Rice vs. Wyoming
Capital One Bowl - 11 South Carolina vs. 19 Nebraska
Outback Bowl - 12 Georgia vs. 20 Wisconsin
Rose Bowl Game - 3 Oregon vs. 9 Michigan
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl - 5 Texas vs. 6 Stanford
January 2
Allstate Sugar Bowl - 4 Florida vs. 7 Louisville
January 3
AT&T Cotton Bowl - 10 Texas A&M vs. 13 Oklahoma
Discover Orange Bowl - 8 Florida State vs. 14 Notre Dame
January 4
BBVA Compass Bowl - UCF vs. Missouri
January 5
Godaddy Bowl - Ball State vs. UL-Lafayette
January 6
BCS National Championship Game - 1 Alabama vs. 2 Ohio State
The SEC's dominance continued last season; more specifically Alabama's. The SEC has now won an astonishing 7 consecutive BCS championships. Alabama has won 3, Florida has won 2, and LSU and Auburn have each chipped in a title. Alabama is going for an unprecedented third consecutive title. The Crimson Tide are favored to do it again, despite losing a ton of talent to the NFL. AJ McCarron, TJ Yeldon, and Amari Cooper return to the skill positions to provide explosiveness to the offense. CJ Mosley leads a defense that is perennially one of the top units in the nation. Are there any teams from another conference that can end their bid for a 3-peat? Many think that Ohio State has the best chance. The Buckeyes finished the season undefeated in 2012, but due to a bowl ban had no chance to win the BCS title. Most of Urban Meyer's key players return, and he added a loaded freshmen class. Aside from Ohio State, Oregon, Stanford, and a hand full of other SEC teams figure to play a role in who plays for the crystal football in Pasadena.
Last year I made the mistake of not picking an SEC team to play in the BCS National Championship Game. I won't make that mistake again. After all, the SEC Championship has become a de facto National Semifinal. In fact I am not going out on much of a limb at all this year. I like Alabama to win the SEC and play in their 4th title game in 5 years. Their opponent will be the Ohio State Buckeyes. I know it is unlikely that the two teams that begin the season ranked #1 and #2 will end up that way, but these teams have the most talent from top to bottom and have manageable schedules.
I have Alabama and Ohio State battling it out in Pasadena on January 6th with a national title up for grabs. Who do I have winning it all? Haven't you seen this story play out before? Ohio State can't compete with the SEC. Not even with Urban Meyer on the sideline. At least not this year. I think Alabama wins a third straight national championship and keeps themselves and the SEC at the top of the college football mountain.
Here is a look at projections for all of the 2013-2014 bowl games (Projected Rankings listed).
December 21
Gildan New Mexico Bowl - San Jose State vs. Toledo
Las Vegas Bowl - 16 Boise State vs. 22 Oregon State
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl - Fresno State vs. Ohio
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl - Western Kentucky vs. Middle Tennessee
December 23
Beef O'Brady's Bowl - Wake Forest vs. Louisiana Tech
December 24
Sheraton Hawaii Bowl - Marshall vs. Utah State
December 26
Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl - Northern Illinois vs. Minnesota
San Diego CU Poinsettia Bowl - San Diego State vs. UTEP
December 27
Military Bowl - Pittsburgh vs. East Carolina
Texas Bowl - TCU vs. Iowa
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl - BYU vs. Washington
December 28
New Era Pinstripe Bowl - Baylor vs. UConn
Belk Bowl - 18 North Carolina vs. Rutgers
Russell Athletic Bowl - Miami vs. Cincinnati
Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl - 25 Northwestern vs. Texas Tech
December 30
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl - Navy vs. Air Force
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl - Vanderbilt vs. Georgia Tech
Valero Alamo Bowl - Oklahoma State vs. UCLA
Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl - 21 USC vs. 24 Kansas State
December 31
AdvoCare V100 Bowl - NC State vs. Mississippi State
Hyundai Sun Bowl - 23 Virginia Tech vs. Arizona
AutoZone Liberty Bowl - Tulsa vs. Ole Miss
Chick-fil-A Bowl - 17 Clemson vs. Tennessee
January 1
TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl - 15 LSU vs. Michigan State
Heart of Dallas Bowl - Rice vs. Wyoming
Capital One Bowl - 11 South Carolina vs. 19 Nebraska
Outback Bowl - 12 Georgia vs. 20 Wisconsin
Rose Bowl Game - 3 Oregon vs. 9 Michigan
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl - 5 Texas vs. 6 Stanford
January 2
Allstate Sugar Bowl - 4 Florida vs. 7 Louisville
January 3
AT&T Cotton Bowl - 10 Texas A&M vs. 13 Oklahoma
Discover Orange Bowl - 8 Florida State vs. 14 Notre Dame
January 4
BBVA Compass Bowl - UCF vs. Missouri
January 5
Godaddy Bowl - Ball State vs. UL-Lafayette
January 6
BCS National Championship Game - 1 Alabama vs. 2 Ohio State
Monday, August 26, 2013
2013 NCAA Football Predictions
ACC
Atlantic
1. Florida State (11-2, 7-1)
2. Clemson (9-3, 7-1)
3. NC State (7-5, 3-5)
4. Wake Forest (6-6, 3-5)
5. Maryland (5-7, 2-6)
6. Syracuse (4-8, 2-6)
7. Boston College (4-8, 1-7)
Coastal
1. North Carolina (10-3, 7-1)
2. Virginia Tech (9-3, 6-2)
3. Miami (8-4, 5-3)
4. Georgia Tech (8-4, 5-3)
5. Pittsburgh (6-6, 3-5)
6. Virginia (5-7, 3-5)
7. Duke (5-7, 2-6)
ACC Championship - Florida State over North Carolina
Offensive POY - Tajh Boyd QB/Clemson
Defensive POY - Christian Jones LB/Florida State
Game of the Year - 10/19, Florida State at Clemson
American
1. Louisville (11-1, 7-1)
2. Rutgers (9-3, 6-2)
3. Cincinnati (9-3, 5-3)
4. UCF (7-5, 5-3)
5. UConn (7-5, 5-3)
6. Houston (5-7, 3-5)
7. South Florida (5-7, 3-5)
8. SMU (4-8, 3-5)
9. Memphis (5-7, 2-6)
10. Temple (4-8, 1-7)
Offensive POY - Teddy Bridgewater QB/Louisville
Defensive POY - Preston Brown LB/Louisville
Game of the Year - 10/10, Rutgers at Louisville
Big 12
1. Texas (11-1, 8-1)
2. Oklahoma (9-3, 7-2)
3. Kansas State (9-3, 6-3)
4. Oklahoma State (8-4, 5-4)
5. Texas Tech (8-4, 5-4)
6. TCU (7-5, 5-4)
7. Baylor (7-5, 4-5)
8. Kansas (5-7, 3-6)
9. West Virginia (5-7, 2-7)
10. Iowa State (3-9, 0-9)
Offensive POY - Lache Seastrunk RB/Baylor
Defensive POY - Jackson Jeffcoat DE/Texas
Game of the Year - 10/12, Texas vs Oklahoma @ Dallas
Big 10
Leaders
1. Ohio State (13-0, 8-0)
2. Wisconsin (9-3, 5-3)
3. Penn State (9-3, 5-3)
4. Indiana (5-7, 2-6)
5. Illinois (4-8, 2-6)
6. Purdue (3-9, 1-7)
Legends
1. Michigan (10-3, 6-2)
2. Nebraska (9-3, 5-3)
3. Northwestern (9-3, 5-3)
4. Michigan State (7-5, 4-4)
5. Iowa (6-6, 4-4)
6. Minnesota (6-6, 2-6)
Big 10 Championship - Ohio State over Michigan
Offensive POY - Braxton Miller QB/Ohio State
Defensive POY - Ryan Shazier LB/Ohio State
Game of the Year - 11/30, Ohio State at Michigan
Pac-12
North
1. Oregon (12-1, 8-1)
2. Stanford (10-2, 7-2)
3. Oregon State (9-3, 6-3)
4. Washington (7-5, 4-5)
5. Washington State (5-7, 3-6)
6. Cal (3-9, 2-7)
South
1. USC (9-4, 6-3)
2. UCLA (8-4, 6-3)
3. Arizona (7-5, 4-5)
4. Arizona State (5-7, 4-5)
5. Utah (5-7, 3-6)
6. Colorado (3-9, 1-8)
Pac-12 Championship - Oregon over USC
Offensive POY - Marcus Mariota QB/Oregon
Defensive POY - Ed Reynolds S/Stanford
Game of the Year - 11/7, Oregon at Stanford
SEC
East
1. Florida (11-2, 7-1)
2. South Carolina (9-3, 5-3)
3. Georgia (9-3, 5-3)
4. Vanderbilt (8-4, 4-4)
5. Tennessee (6-6, 3-5)
6. Missouri (6-6, 2-6)
7. Kentucky (4-8, 1-7)
West
1. Alabama (13-0, 8-0)
2. Texas A&M (9-3, 5-3)
3. LSU (9-3, 5-3)
4. Mississippi State (7-5, 4-4)
5. Ole Miss (7-5, 4-4)
6. Arkansas (5-7, 2-6)
7. Auburn (5-7, 1-7)
SEC Championship - Alabama over Florida
Offensive POY - Todd Gurley RB/Georgia
Defensive POY - CJ Moseley LB/Alabama
Game of the Year - 9/14, Alabama at Texas A&M
Mountain West
Mountain
1. Boise State (11-2, 7-1)
2. Utah State (7-5, 6-2)
3. Air Force (7-5, 5-3)
4. Wyoming (7-5, 4-4)
5. Colorado State (5-7, 4-4)
6. New Mexico (4-8, 2-6)
West
1. Fresno State (10-3, 6-2)
2. San Diego State (8-4, 6-2)
3. San Jose State (7-5, 5-3)
4. Nevada (3-9, 2-6)
5. UNLV (3-9, 1-7)
6. Hawaii (0-12, 0-8)
Mountain West Championship - Boise State over Fresno State
Offensive POY - Derek Carr QB/Fresno State
Defensive POY - Derron Smith S/Fresno State
Game of the Year - 9/20, Boise State at Fresno State
Conference USA
East
1. Marshall (9-4, 6-2)
2. East Carolina (7-5, 6-2)
3. Middle Tennessee (6-6, 5-3)
4. UAB (5-7, 4-4)
5. Florida Int'l (3-9, 2-6)
6. Southern Miss (2-10, 1-7)
7. Florida Atlantic (2-10, 1-7)
West
1. Tulsa (10-3, 7-1)
2. Rice (9-3, 6-2)
3. Louisiana Tech (8-4, 6-2)
4. UTEP (7-5, 4-4)
5. North Texas (5-7, 4-4)
6. Tulane (4-8, 2-6)
7. UTSA (2-10, 2-6)
Conference USA Championship - Tulsa over Marshall
Offensive POY - Rakeem Cato QB/Marshall
Defensive POY - Cody Bauer LB/Rice
Game of the Year - 11/14, Marshall at Tulsa
MAC
East
1. Ohio (9-4, 7-1)
2. Bowling Green (7-5, 6-2)
3. Kent State (7-5, 5-3)
4. Buffalo (5-7, 4-4)
5. Akron (5-7, 4-4)
6. Miami OH (1-11, 1-7)
7. UMass (1-11, 0-8)
West
1. Northern Illinois (11-2, 7-1)
2. Ball State (9-3, 6-2)
3. Toledo (7-5, 6-2)
4. Central Michigan (5-7, 4-4)
5. Western Michigan (3-9, 2-6)
6. Eastern Michigan (1-11, 0-8)
MAC Championship - Northern Illinois over Ohio
Offensive POY - Jordan Lynch QB/Northern Illinois
Defensive POY - Gabe Martin LB/Bowling Green
Game of the Year - 11/13, Ball State at Northern Illinois
Sun Belt
1. Western Kentucky (8-4, 6-1)
2. UL-Lafayette (8-4, 5-2)
3. UL-Monroe (6-6, 5-2)
4. Arkansas State (6-6, 4-3)
5. Troy (6-6, 4-3)
6. Texas State (4-8, 2-5)
7. South Alabama (3-9, 2-5)
8. Georgia State (3-9, 0-7)
Offensive POY - Kolton Browning QB/UL-Monroe
Defensive POY - Isaiah Newsome S/UL-Monroe
Game of the Year - 10/3, Western Kentucky at UL-Monroe
Independents
1. Notre Dame (9-3)
2. BYU (7-5)
3. Navy (6-6)
4. Army (3-9)
5. New Mexico State (2-10)
6. Idaho (1-11)
Atlantic
1. Florida State (11-2, 7-1)
2. Clemson (9-3, 7-1)
3. NC State (7-5, 3-5)
4. Wake Forest (6-6, 3-5)
5. Maryland (5-7, 2-6)
6. Syracuse (4-8, 2-6)
7. Boston College (4-8, 1-7)
Coastal
1. North Carolina (10-3, 7-1)
2. Virginia Tech (9-3, 6-2)
3. Miami (8-4, 5-3)
4. Georgia Tech (8-4, 5-3)
5. Pittsburgh (6-6, 3-5)
6. Virginia (5-7, 3-5)
7. Duke (5-7, 2-6)
ACC Championship - Florida State over North Carolina
Offensive POY - Tajh Boyd QB/Clemson
Defensive POY - Christian Jones LB/Florida State
Game of the Year - 10/19, Florida State at Clemson
American
1. Louisville (11-1, 7-1)
2. Rutgers (9-3, 6-2)
3. Cincinnati (9-3, 5-3)
4. UCF (7-5, 5-3)
5. UConn (7-5, 5-3)
6. Houston (5-7, 3-5)
7. South Florida (5-7, 3-5)
8. SMU (4-8, 3-5)
9. Memphis (5-7, 2-6)
10. Temple (4-8, 1-7)
Offensive POY - Teddy Bridgewater QB/Louisville
Defensive POY - Preston Brown LB/Louisville
Game of the Year - 10/10, Rutgers at Louisville
Big 12
1. Texas (11-1, 8-1)
2. Oklahoma (9-3, 7-2)
3. Kansas State (9-3, 6-3)
4. Oklahoma State (8-4, 5-4)
5. Texas Tech (8-4, 5-4)
6. TCU (7-5, 5-4)
7. Baylor (7-5, 4-5)
8. Kansas (5-7, 3-6)
9. West Virginia (5-7, 2-7)
10. Iowa State (3-9, 0-9)
Offensive POY - Lache Seastrunk RB/Baylor
Defensive POY - Jackson Jeffcoat DE/Texas
Game of the Year - 10/12, Texas vs Oklahoma @ Dallas
Big 10
Leaders
1. Ohio State (13-0, 8-0)
2. Wisconsin (9-3, 5-3)
3. Penn State (9-3, 5-3)
4. Indiana (5-7, 2-6)
5. Illinois (4-8, 2-6)
6. Purdue (3-9, 1-7)
Legends
1. Michigan (10-3, 6-2)
2. Nebraska (9-3, 5-3)
3. Northwestern (9-3, 5-3)
4. Michigan State (7-5, 4-4)
5. Iowa (6-6, 4-4)
6. Minnesota (6-6, 2-6)
Big 10 Championship - Ohio State over Michigan
Offensive POY - Braxton Miller QB/Ohio State
Defensive POY - Ryan Shazier LB/Ohio State
Game of the Year - 11/30, Ohio State at Michigan
Pac-12
North
1. Oregon (12-1, 8-1)
2. Stanford (10-2, 7-2)
3. Oregon State (9-3, 6-3)
4. Washington (7-5, 4-5)
5. Washington State (5-7, 3-6)
6. Cal (3-9, 2-7)
South
1. USC (9-4, 6-3)
2. UCLA (8-4, 6-3)
3. Arizona (7-5, 4-5)
4. Arizona State (5-7, 4-5)
5. Utah (5-7, 3-6)
6. Colorado (3-9, 1-8)
Pac-12 Championship - Oregon over USC
Offensive POY - Marcus Mariota QB/Oregon
Defensive POY - Ed Reynolds S/Stanford
Game of the Year - 11/7, Oregon at Stanford
SEC
East
1. Florida (11-2, 7-1)
2. South Carolina (9-3, 5-3)
3. Georgia (9-3, 5-3)
4. Vanderbilt (8-4, 4-4)
5. Tennessee (6-6, 3-5)
6. Missouri (6-6, 2-6)
7. Kentucky (4-8, 1-7)
West
1. Alabama (13-0, 8-0)
2. Texas A&M (9-3, 5-3)
3. LSU (9-3, 5-3)
4. Mississippi State (7-5, 4-4)
5. Ole Miss (7-5, 4-4)
6. Arkansas (5-7, 2-6)
7. Auburn (5-7, 1-7)
SEC Championship - Alabama over Florida
Offensive POY - Todd Gurley RB/Georgia
Defensive POY - CJ Moseley LB/Alabama
Game of the Year - 9/14, Alabama at Texas A&M
Mountain West
Mountain
1. Boise State (11-2, 7-1)
2. Utah State (7-5, 6-2)
3. Air Force (7-5, 5-3)
4. Wyoming (7-5, 4-4)
5. Colorado State (5-7, 4-4)
6. New Mexico (4-8, 2-6)
West
1. Fresno State (10-3, 6-2)
2. San Diego State (8-4, 6-2)
3. San Jose State (7-5, 5-3)
4. Nevada (3-9, 2-6)
5. UNLV (3-9, 1-7)
6. Hawaii (0-12, 0-8)
Mountain West Championship - Boise State over Fresno State
Offensive POY - Derek Carr QB/Fresno State
Defensive POY - Derron Smith S/Fresno State
Game of the Year - 9/20, Boise State at Fresno State
Conference USA
East
1. Marshall (9-4, 6-2)
2. East Carolina (7-5, 6-2)
3. Middle Tennessee (6-6, 5-3)
4. UAB (5-7, 4-4)
5. Florida Int'l (3-9, 2-6)
6. Southern Miss (2-10, 1-7)
7. Florida Atlantic (2-10, 1-7)
West
1. Tulsa (10-3, 7-1)
2. Rice (9-3, 6-2)
3. Louisiana Tech (8-4, 6-2)
4. UTEP (7-5, 4-4)
5. North Texas (5-7, 4-4)
6. Tulane (4-8, 2-6)
7. UTSA (2-10, 2-6)
Conference USA Championship - Tulsa over Marshall
Offensive POY - Rakeem Cato QB/Marshall
Defensive POY - Cody Bauer LB/Rice
Game of the Year - 11/14, Marshall at Tulsa
MAC
East
1. Ohio (9-4, 7-1)
2. Bowling Green (7-5, 6-2)
3. Kent State (7-5, 5-3)
4. Buffalo (5-7, 4-4)
5. Akron (5-7, 4-4)
6. Miami OH (1-11, 1-7)
7. UMass (1-11, 0-8)
West
1. Northern Illinois (11-2, 7-1)
2. Ball State (9-3, 6-2)
3. Toledo (7-5, 6-2)
4. Central Michigan (5-7, 4-4)
5. Western Michigan (3-9, 2-6)
6. Eastern Michigan (1-11, 0-8)
MAC Championship - Northern Illinois over Ohio
Offensive POY - Jordan Lynch QB/Northern Illinois
Defensive POY - Gabe Martin LB/Bowling Green
Game of the Year - 11/13, Ball State at Northern Illinois
Sun Belt
1. Western Kentucky (8-4, 6-1)
2. UL-Lafayette (8-4, 5-2)
3. UL-Monroe (6-6, 5-2)
4. Arkansas State (6-6, 4-3)
5. Troy (6-6, 4-3)
6. Texas State (4-8, 2-5)
7. South Alabama (3-9, 2-5)
8. Georgia State (3-9, 0-7)
Offensive POY - Kolton Browning QB/UL-Monroe
Defensive POY - Isaiah Newsome S/UL-Monroe
Game of the Year - 10/3, Western Kentucky at UL-Monroe
Independents
1. Notre Dame (9-3)
2. BYU (7-5)
3. Navy (6-6)
4. Army (3-9)
5. New Mexico State (2-10)
6. Idaho (1-11)
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
2013 NCAA Football Preview
Fall weather has already swept through much of the nation, which has football fans everywhere itching for the start of the 2013 season. Well we are just a couple weeks away. I have let it be known over the last few years that I believe there is a winning combination to be a championship caliber college football team. That combination is an elite QB, solid running game, stout D, and a top-notch coaching staff. Today we will take a look at how each team in the country stacks up in their respective conferences in those categories. This will eventually lead us to our projected conference standings and bowl games for the upcoming 2013 college football season. Here is your conference by conference look at how these positions rank. (The projected starters at QB and RB are listed in parenthesis)
ACC
Quarterback
1. Clemson (Tajh Boyd)
2. North Carolina (Bryn Renner)
3. Virginia Tech (Logan Thomas)
4. Miami (Stephen Morris)
5. Wake Forest (Tanner Price)
6. Florida State (Jameis Winston)
7. Georgia Tech (Vad Lee)
8. Boston College (Chase Rettig)
9. Pittsburgh (Tom Savage)
10. Maryland (CJ Brown)
11. Virginia (David Watford)
12. Duke (Anthony Boone)
13. NC State (Pete Thomas)
14. Syracuse (Drew Allen)
Running Back
1. Miami (Duke Johnson)
2. Syracuse (Jerome Smith)
3. Florida State (James Wilder Jr.)
4. Virginia (Kevin Parks)
5. North Carolina (AJ Blue)
6. Georgia Tech (David Sims)
7. Clemson (Roderick McDowell)
8. NC State (Shadrach Thornton)
9. Wake Forest (Josh Harris)
10. Virginia Tech (JC Coleman)
11. Duke (Jela Duncan)
12. Maryland (Wes Brown)
13. Pittsburgh (Issac Bennett)
14. Boston College (Andre Williams)
Defense
1. Florida State
2. Virginia Tech
3. Clemson
4. Georgia Tech
5. Pittsburgh
6. Miami
7. Virginia
8. Wake Forest
9. North Carolina
10. NC State
11. Syracuse
12. Maryland
13. Boston College
14. Duke
Coach
1. Virginia Tech (Frank Beamer)
2. Florida State (Jimbo Fisher)
3. Clemson (Dabo Swinney)
4. Wake Forest (Jim Grobe)
5. Georgia Tech (Paul Johnson)
6. Maryland (Randy Edsall)
7. NC State (Dave Doeren)
8. Duke (David Cutcliffe)
9. Miami (Al Golden)
10. North Carolina (Larry Fedora)
11. Boston College (Steve Addazio)
12. Virginia (Mike London)
13. Pittsburgh (Paul Chryst)
14. Syracuse (Scott Shafer)
American
Quarterback
1. Louisville (Teddy Bridgewater)
2. UCF (Blake Bortles)
3. Rutgers (Gary Nova)
4. SMU (Garrett Gilbert)
5. Houston (David Piland)
6. Cincinnati (Brandon Kay)
7. UConn (Chandler Whitmer)
8. Memphis (Jacob Caram)
9. South Florida (Bobby Eveld)
10. Temple (Connor Reilly)
Running Back
1. UConn (Lyle McCombs)
2. UCF (Storm Johnson)
3. Rutgers (Savon Huggins)
4. Louisville (Dominique Brown)
5. Cincinnati (Ralph Abernathy IV)
6. Houston (Kenneth Farrow)
7. Memphis (Brandon Hayes)
8. SMU (Traylon Shead)
9. Temple (Kenny Harper)
10. South Florida (Marcus Shaw)
Defense
1. Louisville
2. Cincinnati
3. Rutgers
4. UConn
5. South Florida
6. Temple
7. SMU
8. UCF
9. Memphis
10. Houston
Coach
1. Cincinnati (Tommy Tuberville)
2. Louisville (Charlie Strong)
3. SMU (June Jones)
4. UCF (George O'Leary)
5. Rutgers (Kyle Flood)
6. UConn (Paul Pasqualoni)
7. South Florida (Willie Taggart)
8. Memphis (Justin Fuente)
9. Houston (Tony Levine)
10. Temple (Matt Rhule)
Big 12
Quarterback
1. Oklahoma State (Clint Chelf)
2. TCU (Casey Pachall)
3. Oklahoma (Blake Bell)
4. Texas (David Ash)
5. Kansas State (Daniel Sams)
6. Kansas (Jake Heaps)
7. Texas Tech (Michael Brewer)
8. Baylor (Bryce Petty)
9. West Virginia (Paul Millard)
10. Iowa State (Sam Richardson)
Running Back
1. Baylor (Lache Seastrunk)
2. Kansas (James Sims)
3. Texas (Johnathan Gray)
4. Oklahoma State (Jeremy Smith)
5. West Virginia (Charles Sims)
6. Oklahoma (Damien Williams)
7. Kansas State (John Hubert)
8. TCU (Waymon James)
9. Texas Tech (Kenny Williams)
10. Iowa State (James White)
Defense
1. Texas
2. TCU
3. Oklahoma State
4. Baylor
5. Oklahoma
6. Texas Tech
7. Kansas State
8. Iowa State
9. West Virginia
10. Kansas
Coach
1. Oklahoma (Bob Stoops)
2. Texas (Mack Brown)
3. Kansas State (Bill Snyder)
4. TCU (Gary Patterson)
5. Oklahoma State (Mike Gundy)
6. West Virginia (Dana Holgersen)
7. Kansas (Charlie Weis)
8. Baylor (Art Briles)
9. Iowa State (Paul Rhoads)
10. Texas Tech (Kliff Kingsbury)
Big 10
Quarterback
1. Ohio State (Braxton Miller)
2. Nebraska (Taylor Martinez)
3. Michigan (Devin Gardner)
4. Northwestern (Kain Colter)
5. Michigan State (Andrew Maxwell)
6. Penn State (Christian Hackenberg)
7. Illinois (Nathan Scheelhaase)
8. Indiana (Tre Roberson)
9. Wisconsin (Joel Stave)
10. Minnesota (Phillip Nelson)
11. Purdue (Rob Henry)
12. Iowa (Jake Rudock)
Running Back
1. Nebraska (Ameer Abdullah)
2. Northwestern (Venric Mark)
3. Wisconsin (James White)
4. Ohio State (Carlos Hyde)
5. Penn State (Zach Zwinak)
6. Michigan (Fitzgerald Toussaint)
7. Iowa (Mark Weisman)
8. Indiana (Stephen Houston)
9. Illinois (Donovan Young)
10. Minnesota (Donnell Kirkwood)
11. Michigan State (Riley Bullogh)
12. Purdue (Akeem Hunt)
Defense
1. Ohio State
2. Michigan State
3. Northwestern
4. Penn State
5. Wisconsin
6. Michigan
7. Nebraska
8. Iowa
9. Purdue
10. Minnesota
11. Illinois
12. Indiana
Coach
1. Ohio State (Urban Meyer)
2. Iowa (Kirk Ferentz)
3. Michigan (Brady Hoke)
4. Michigan State (Mark Dantonio)
5. Northwestern (Pat Fitzgerald)
6. Penn State (Bill O'Brien)
7. Nebraska (Bo Pelini)\
8. Minnesota (Jerry Kill)
9. Illinois (Tim Beckman)
10. Wisconsin (Gary Andersen)
11. Purdue (Darrell Hazell)
12. Indiana (Kevin Wilson)
Pac-12
Quarterback
1. Oregon (Marcus Mariota)
2. UCLA (Brett Hundley)
3. Arizona State (Taylor Kelly)
4. Washington (Keith Price)
5. Stanford (Kevin Hogan)
6. Oregon State (Cody Vaz)
7. USC (Max Wittek)
8. Arizona (BJ Denker)
9. Washington State (Connor Holliday)
10. Utah (Travis Wilson)
11. Cal (Jared Goff)
12. Colorado (Connor Wood)
Running Back
1. Arizona (Ka'Deem Carey)
2. Oregon (De'Anthony Thomas)
3. Washington (Bishop Sankey)
4. USC (Silas Redd)
5. Arizona State (Marion Grice)
6. Oregon State (Storm Woods)
7. Stanford (Anthony Wilkerson)
8. UCLA (Paul Perkins)
9. Cal (Brendan Bigelow)
10. Colorado (Christian Powell)
11. Utah (Kelvin York)
12. Washington State (Teondray Caldwell)
Defense
1. Stanford
2. Oregon
3. USC
4. Arizona State
5. UCLA
6. Oregon State
7. Washington
8. Arizona
9. Cal
10. Washington State
11. Utah
12. Colorado
Coach
1. Stanford (David Shaw)
2. Arizona (Rich Rodriguez)
3. Utah (Kyle Whittingham)
4. Oregon State (Mike Riley)
5. Washington State (Mike Leach)
6. UCLA (Jim Mora Jr.)
7. USC (Lane Kiffin)
8. Arizona State (Todd Graham)
9. Washington (Steve Sarkisian)
10. Cal (Sonny Dykes)
11. Colorado (Mike MacIntyre)
12. Oregon (Mark Helfrich)
SEC
Quarterback
1. Texas A&M (Johnny Manziel)
2. Alabama (AJ McCarron)
3. Georgia (Aaron Murray)
4. South Carolina (Connor Shaw)
5. Mississippi State (Tyler Russell)
6. Ole Miss (Bo Wallace)
7. LSU (Zach Mettenberger)
8. Florida (Jeff Driskel)
9. Missouri (James Franklin)
10. Auburn (Kiehl Frazier)
11. Vanderbilt (Austyn Carta-Samuels)
12. Tennessee (Justin Worley)
13. Arkansas (Brandon Allen)
14. Kentucky (Jalen Whitlow)
Running Back
1. Georgia (Todd Gurley)
2. Alabama (TJ Yeldon)
3. LSU (Jeremy Hill)
4. Texas A&M (Ben Malena)
5. Mississippi State (LaDarius Perkins)
6. Tennessee (Raijon Neal)
7. Auburn (Tre Mason)
8. Ole Miss (Jeff Scott)
9. Vanderbilt (Wesley Tate)
10. Missouri (Henry Josey)
11. South Carolina (Mike Davis)
12. Florida (Matt Jones)
13. Kentucky (Raymond Sanders)
14. Arkansas (Jonathan Williams)
Defense
1. Alabama
2. Florida
3. LSU
4. Vanderbilt
5. Ole Miss
6. South Carolina
7. Mississippi State
8. Georgia
9. Arkansas
10. Tennessee
11. Texas A&M
12. Auburn
13. Kentucky
14. Missouri
Coach
1. Alabama (Nick Saban)
2. LSU (Les Miles)
3. South Carolina (Steve Spurrier)
4. Georgia (Mark Richt)
5. Arkansas (Brett Bielema)
6. Texas A&M (Kevin Sumlin)
7. Missouri (Gary Pinkel)
8. Mississippi State (Dan Mullen)
9. Florida (Will Muschamp)
10. Vanderbilt (James Franklin)
11. Ole Miss (Hugh Freeze)
12. Tennessee (Butch Jones)
13. Auburn (Gus Malzahn)
14. Kentucky (Mark Stoops)
Mountain West
Quarterback
1. Fresno State (Derek Carr)
2. San Jose State (David Fales)
3. Utah State (Chuckie Keeton)
4. Nevada (Cody Fajardo)
5. Wyoming (Brett Smith)
6. Boise State (Joe Southwick)
7. UNLV (Nick Sherry)
8. San Diego State (Adam Dingwell)
9. Hawaii (Taylor Graham)
10. Air Force (Kale Pearson)
11. Colorado State (Garrett Grayson)
12. New Mexico (Cole Gautsche)
Running Back
1. New Mexico (Kasey Carrier)
2. San Diego State (Adam Muema)
3. Boise State (Jay Ajayi)
4. UNLV (Tim Cornett)
5. Colorado State (Donnell Alexander)
6. Fresno State (Josh Quezada)
7. Air Force (Jon Lee)
8. Wyoming (DJ May)
9. San Jose State (Tyler Ervin)
10. Utah State (Joe Hill)
11. Hawaii (Joey Iosefa)
12. Nevada (Don Jackson)
Defense
1. Fresno State
2. San Diego State
3. Boise State
4. Utah State
5. San Jose State
6. Colorado State
7. Hawaii
8. Air Force
9. Nevada
10. UNLV
11. Wyoming
12. New Mexico
Coach
1. Boise State (Chris Petersen)
2. San Diego State (Rocky Long)
3. Air Force (Troy Calhoun)
4. New Mexico (Bob Davie)
5. Wyoming (Dave Christensen)
6. Fresno State (Tim DeRuyter)
7. Colorado State (Jim McElwain)
8. Hawaii (Norm Chow)
9. UNLV (Bobby Hauck)
10. Nevada (Brian Polian)
11. Utah State (Matt Wells)
12. San Jose State (Ron Caragher)
Conference USA
Quarterback
1. Marshall (Rakeem Cato)
2. East Carolina (Shane Carden)
3. Tulsa (Cody Green)
4. Rice (Taylor McHargue)
5. Middle Tennessee (Logan Kilgore)
6. UTEP (Jamiell Showers)
7. FIU (Jake Medlock)
8. UTSA (Eric Soza)
9. UAB (Austin Brown)
10. Tulane (Nick Montana)
11. North Texas (Derek Thompson)
12. Louisiana Tech (Scotty Young)
13. Southern Miss (Kyle Sloter)
14. Florida Atlantic (Melvin German III)
Running Back
1. Tulsa (Trey Watts)
2. Louisiana Tech (Kenneth Dixon)
3. UAB (Darrin Reaves)
4. East Carolina (Vintavious Cooper)
5. UTEP (Nathan Jeffery)
6. Rice (Charles Ross)
7. Marshall (Kevin Grooms)
8. Tulane (Orleans Darkwa)
9. North Texas (Brandin Byrd)
10. Middle Tennessee (Jordan Parker)
11. FIU (Kedrick Rhodes)
12. Florida Atlantic (Jonathan Wallace)
13. UTSA (David Glasco III)
14. Southern Miss (Tyre Bracken)
Defense
1. Rice
2. East Carolina
3. Southern Miss
4. Marshall
5. Tulsa
6. North Texas
7. Tulane
8. UTEP
9. Florida Atlantic
10. Middle Tennessee
11. UAB
12. Louisiana Tech
13. FIU
14. UTSA
Coach
1. UTSA (Larry Coker)
2. Louisiana Tech (Skip Holtz)
3. Tulsa (Bill Blankenship)
4. East Carolina (Ruffin McNeill)
5. Middle Tennessee (Rick Stockstill)
6. Marshall (Doc Holliday)
7. North Texas (Dan McCarney)
8. Rice (David Bailiff)
9. Florida Atlantic (Carl Pelini)
10. FIU (Ron Turner)
11. UAB (Garrick McGee)
12. Tulane (Curtis Johnson)
13. Southern Miss (Todd Monken)
14. UTEP (Sean Kugler)
MAC
Quarterback
1. Northern Illinois (Jordan Lynch)
2. Ball State (Keith Wenning)
3. Ohio (Tyler Tettleton)
4. Bowling Green (Matt Schilz)
5. Toledo (Terrance Owens)
6. Miami (OH) (Austin Boucher)
7. Western Michigan (Tyler Van Tubbergen)
8. Kent State (David Fisher)
9. Akron (Kyle Pohl)
10. Central Michigan (Cooper Rush)
11. Buffalo (Joe Licata)
12. Eastern Michigan (Tyler Benz)
13. UMass (Mike Wegzyn)
Running Back
1. Kent State (Dri Archer)
2. Toledo (David Fluellen)
3. Ohio (Beau Blankenship)
4. Central Michigan (Zurlon Tipton)
5. Ball State (Jahwan Edwards)
6. Buffalo (Branden Oliver)
7. Northern Illinois (Akeem Daniels)
8. Akron (Jawon Chisholm)
9. Eastern Michigan (Bronson Hill)
10. Western Michigan (Dareyon Chance)
11. Bowling Green (Andre Givens)
12. Miami (OH) (Jamire Westbrook)
13. UMass (Jordan Broadnax)
Defense
1. Bowling Green
2. Ohio
3. Northern Illinois
4. Buffalo
5. Kent State
6. Western Michigan
7. Ball State
8. Toledo
9. Central Michigan
10. Miami (OH)
11. Akron
12. Eastern Michigan
13. UMass
Coach
1. Ohio (Frank Solich)
2. Ball State (Pete Lembo)
3. Akron (Terry Bowden)
4. Toledo (Matt Campbell)
5. Bowling Green (Dave Clawson)
6. Central Michigan (Dan Enos)
7. Eastern Michigan (Ron English)
8. Miami (OH) (Don Treadwell)
9. Buffalo (Jeff Quinn)
10. UMass (Charley Molnar)
11. Northern Illinois (Rod Carey)
12. Kent State (Paul Haynes)
13. Western Michigan (PJ Fleck)
Sun Belt
Quarterback
1. UL-Monroe (Kolton Browning)
2. UL-Lafayette (Terrance Broadway)
3. Troy (Corey Robinson)
4. Arkansas State (Adam Kennedy)
5. Western Kentucky (Brandon Doughty)
6. South Alabama (Ross Metheny)
7. Texas State (Tyler Arndt)
8. Georgia State (Ben McLane)
Running Back
1. Western Kentucky (Antonio Andrews)
2. Arkansas State (David Oku)
3. UL-Lafayette (Alonzo Harris)
4. UL-Monroe (Jyruss Edwards)
5. South Alabama (Jay Jones)
6. Troy (Khary Franklin)
7. Texas State (Robert Lowe)
8. Georgia State (Gerald Howse)
Defense
1. UL-Monroe
2. Western Kentucky
3. Arkansas State
4. UL-Lafayette
5. Texas State
6. South Alabama
7. Troy
8. Georgia State
Coach
1. Western Kentucky (Bobby Petrino)
2. Troy (Larry Blakeney)
3. Texas State (Dennis Franchione)
4. UL-Lafayette (David Hudspeth)
5. UL-Monroe (Todd Berry)
6. South Alabama (Joey Jones)
7. Arkansas State (Bryan Harsin)
8. Georgia State (Trent Miles)
Independents
Quarterback
1. Notre Dame (Tommy Rees)
2. Navy (Keenan Reynolds)
3. New Mexico State (Andrew Manley)
4. BYU (Taysom Hill)
5. Army (AJ Schurr)
6. Idaho (Chad Chalich)
Running Back
1. Army (Raymond Maples)
2. BYU (Jamaal Williams)
3. Navy (Noah Copeland)
4. Notre Dame (George Atkinson III)
5. New Mexico State (Germi Morrisson)
6. Idaho (Jerrel Brown)
Defense
1. Notre Dame
2. BYU
3. Navy
4. Army
5. New Mexico State
6. Idaho
Coach
1. Notre Dame (Brian Kelly)
2. BYU (Bronco Mendenhall)
3. Navy (Ken Niumatololo)
4. Army (Rich Ellerson)
5. New Mexico State (Doug Martin)
6. Idaho (Paul Petrino)
ACC
Quarterback
1. Clemson (Tajh Boyd)
2. North Carolina (Bryn Renner)
3. Virginia Tech (Logan Thomas)
4. Miami (Stephen Morris)
5. Wake Forest (Tanner Price)
6. Florida State (Jameis Winston)
7. Georgia Tech (Vad Lee)
8. Boston College (Chase Rettig)
9. Pittsburgh (Tom Savage)
10. Maryland (CJ Brown)
11. Virginia (David Watford)
12. Duke (Anthony Boone)
13. NC State (Pete Thomas)
14. Syracuse (Drew Allen)
Running Back
1. Miami (Duke Johnson)
2. Syracuse (Jerome Smith)
3. Florida State (James Wilder Jr.)
4. Virginia (Kevin Parks)
5. North Carolina (AJ Blue)
6. Georgia Tech (David Sims)
7. Clemson (Roderick McDowell)
8. NC State (Shadrach Thornton)
9. Wake Forest (Josh Harris)
10. Virginia Tech (JC Coleman)
11. Duke (Jela Duncan)
12. Maryland (Wes Brown)
13. Pittsburgh (Issac Bennett)
14. Boston College (Andre Williams)
Defense
1. Florida State
2. Virginia Tech
3. Clemson
4. Georgia Tech
5. Pittsburgh
6. Miami
7. Virginia
8. Wake Forest
9. North Carolina
10. NC State
11. Syracuse
12. Maryland
13. Boston College
14. Duke
Coach
1. Virginia Tech (Frank Beamer)
2. Florida State (Jimbo Fisher)
3. Clemson (Dabo Swinney)
4. Wake Forest (Jim Grobe)
5. Georgia Tech (Paul Johnson)
6. Maryland (Randy Edsall)
7. NC State (Dave Doeren)
8. Duke (David Cutcliffe)
9. Miami (Al Golden)
10. North Carolina (Larry Fedora)
11. Boston College (Steve Addazio)
12. Virginia (Mike London)
13. Pittsburgh (Paul Chryst)
14. Syracuse (Scott Shafer)
American
Quarterback
1. Louisville (Teddy Bridgewater)
2. UCF (Blake Bortles)
3. Rutgers (Gary Nova)
4. SMU (Garrett Gilbert)
5. Houston (David Piland)
6. Cincinnati (Brandon Kay)
7. UConn (Chandler Whitmer)
8. Memphis (Jacob Caram)
9. South Florida (Bobby Eveld)
10. Temple (Connor Reilly)
Running Back
1. UConn (Lyle McCombs)
2. UCF (Storm Johnson)
3. Rutgers (Savon Huggins)
4. Louisville (Dominique Brown)
5. Cincinnati (Ralph Abernathy IV)
6. Houston (Kenneth Farrow)
7. Memphis (Brandon Hayes)
8. SMU (Traylon Shead)
9. Temple (Kenny Harper)
10. South Florida (Marcus Shaw)
Defense
1. Louisville
2. Cincinnati
3. Rutgers
4. UConn
5. South Florida
6. Temple
7. SMU
8. UCF
9. Memphis
10. Houston
Coach
1. Cincinnati (Tommy Tuberville)
2. Louisville (Charlie Strong)
3. SMU (June Jones)
4. UCF (George O'Leary)
5. Rutgers (Kyle Flood)
6. UConn (Paul Pasqualoni)
7. South Florida (Willie Taggart)
8. Memphis (Justin Fuente)
9. Houston (Tony Levine)
10. Temple (Matt Rhule)
Big 12
Quarterback
1. Oklahoma State (Clint Chelf)
2. TCU (Casey Pachall)
3. Oklahoma (Blake Bell)
4. Texas (David Ash)
5. Kansas State (Daniel Sams)
6. Kansas (Jake Heaps)
7. Texas Tech (Michael Brewer)
8. Baylor (Bryce Petty)
9. West Virginia (Paul Millard)
10. Iowa State (Sam Richardson)
Running Back
1. Baylor (Lache Seastrunk)
2. Kansas (James Sims)
3. Texas (Johnathan Gray)
4. Oklahoma State (Jeremy Smith)
5. West Virginia (Charles Sims)
6. Oklahoma (Damien Williams)
7. Kansas State (John Hubert)
8. TCU (Waymon James)
9. Texas Tech (Kenny Williams)
10. Iowa State (James White)
Defense
1. Texas
2. TCU
3. Oklahoma State
4. Baylor
5. Oklahoma
6. Texas Tech
7. Kansas State
8. Iowa State
9. West Virginia
10. Kansas
Coach
1. Oklahoma (Bob Stoops)
2. Texas (Mack Brown)
3. Kansas State (Bill Snyder)
4. TCU (Gary Patterson)
5. Oklahoma State (Mike Gundy)
6. West Virginia (Dana Holgersen)
7. Kansas (Charlie Weis)
8. Baylor (Art Briles)
9. Iowa State (Paul Rhoads)
10. Texas Tech (Kliff Kingsbury)
Big 10
Quarterback
1. Ohio State (Braxton Miller)
2. Nebraska (Taylor Martinez)
3. Michigan (Devin Gardner)
4. Northwestern (Kain Colter)
5. Michigan State (Andrew Maxwell)
6. Penn State (Christian Hackenberg)
7. Illinois (Nathan Scheelhaase)
8. Indiana (Tre Roberson)
9. Wisconsin (Joel Stave)
10. Minnesota (Phillip Nelson)
11. Purdue (Rob Henry)
12. Iowa (Jake Rudock)
Running Back
1. Nebraska (Ameer Abdullah)
2. Northwestern (Venric Mark)
3. Wisconsin (James White)
4. Ohio State (Carlos Hyde)
5. Penn State (Zach Zwinak)
6. Michigan (Fitzgerald Toussaint)
7. Iowa (Mark Weisman)
8. Indiana (Stephen Houston)
9. Illinois (Donovan Young)
10. Minnesota (Donnell Kirkwood)
11. Michigan State (Riley Bullogh)
12. Purdue (Akeem Hunt)
Defense
1. Ohio State
2. Michigan State
3. Northwestern
4. Penn State
5. Wisconsin
6. Michigan
7. Nebraska
8. Iowa
9. Purdue
10. Minnesota
11. Illinois
12. Indiana
Coach
1. Ohio State (Urban Meyer)
2. Iowa (Kirk Ferentz)
3. Michigan (Brady Hoke)
4. Michigan State (Mark Dantonio)
5. Northwestern (Pat Fitzgerald)
6. Penn State (Bill O'Brien)
7. Nebraska (Bo Pelini)\
8. Minnesota (Jerry Kill)
9. Illinois (Tim Beckman)
10. Wisconsin (Gary Andersen)
11. Purdue (Darrell Hazell)
12. Indiana (Kevin Wilson)
Pac-12
Quarterback
1. Oregon (Marcus Mariota)
2. UCLA (Brett Hundley)
3. Arizona State (Taylor Kelly)
4. Washington (Keith Price)
5. Stanford (Kevin Hogan)
6. Oregon State (Cody Vaz)
7. USC (Max Wittek)
8. Arizona (BJ Denker)
9. Washington State (Connor Holliday)
10. Utah (Travis Wilson)
11. Cal (Jared Goff)
12. Colorado (Connor Wood)
Running Back
1. Arizona (Ka'Deem Carey)
2. Oregon (De'Anthony Thomas)
3. Washington (Bishop Sankey)
4. USC (Silas Redd)
5. Arizona State (Marion Grice)
6. Oregon State (Storm Woods)
7. Stanford (Anthony Wilkerson)
8. UCLA (Paul Perkins)
9. Cal (Brendan Bigelow)
10. Colorado (Christian Powell)
11. Utah (Kelvin York)
12. Washington State (Teondray Caldwell)
Defense
1. Stanford
2. Oregon
3. USC
4. Arizona State
5. UCLA
6. Oregon State
7. Washington
8. Arizona
9. Cal
10. Washington State
11. Utah
12. Colorado
Coach
1. Stanford (David Shaw)
2. Arizona (Rich Rodriguez)
3. Utah (Kyle Whittingham)
4. Oregon State (Mike Riley)
5. Washington State (Mike Leach)
6. UCLA (Jim Mora Jr.)
7. USC (Lane Kiffin)
8. Arizona State (Todd Graham)
9. Washington (Steve Sarkisian)
10. Cal (Sonny Dykes)
11. Colorado (Mike MacIntyre)
12. Oregon (Mark Helfrich)
SEC
Quarterback
1. Texas A&M (Johnny Manziel)
2. Alabama (AJ McCarron)
3. Georgia (Aaron Murray)
4. South Carolina (Connor Shaw)
5. Mississippi State (Tyler Russell)
6. Ole Miss (Bo Wallace)
7. LSU (Zach Mettenberger)
8. Florida (Jeff Driskel)
9. Missouri (James Franklin)
10. Auburn (Kiehl Frazier)
11. Vanderbilt (Austyn Carta-Samuels)
12. Tennessee (Justin Worley)
13. Arkansas (Brandon Allen)
14. Kentucky (Jalen Whitlow)
Running Back
1. Georgia (Todd Gurley)
2. Alabama (TJ Yeldon)
3. LSU (Jeremy Hill)
4. Texas A&M (Ben Malena)
5. Mississippi State (LaDarius Perkins)
6. Tennessee (Raijon Neal)
7. Auburn (Tre Mason)
8. Ole Miss (Jeff Scott)
9. Vanderbilt (Wesley Tate)
10. Missouri (Henry Josey)
11. South Carolina (Mike Davis)
12. Florida (Matt Jones)
13. Kentucky (Raymond Sanders)
14. Arkansas (Jonathan Williams)
Defense
1. Alabama
2. Florida
3. LSU
4. Vanderbilt
5. Ole Miss
6. South Carolina
7. Mississippi State
8. Georgia
9. Arkansas
10. Tennessee
11. Texas A&M
12. Auburn
13. Kentucky
14. Missouri
Coach
1. Alabama (Nick Saban)
2. LSU (Les Miles)
3. South Carolina (Steve Spurrier)
4. Georgia (Mark Richt)
5. Arkansas (Brett Bielema)
6. Texas A&M (Kevin Sumlin)
7. Missouri (Gary Pinkel)
8. Mississippi State (Dan Mullen)
9. Florida (Will Muschamp)
10. Vanderbilt (James Franklin)
11. Ole Miss (Hugh Freeze)
12. Tennessee (Butch Jones)
13. Auburn (Gus Malzahn)
14. Kentucky (Mark Stoops)
Mountain West
Quarterback
1. Fresno State (Derek Carr)
2. San Jose State (David Fales)
3. Utah State (Chuckie Keeton)
4. Nevada (Cody Fajardo)
5. Wyoming (Brett Smith)
6. Boise State (Joe Southwick)
7. UNLV (Nick Sherry)
8. San Diego State (Adam Dingwell)
9. Hawaii (Taylor Graham)
10. Air Force (Kale Pearson)
11. Colorado State (Garrett Grayson)
12. New Mexico (Cole Gautsche)
Running Back
1. New Mexico (Kasey Carrier)
2. San Diego State (Adam Muema)
3. Boise State (Jay Ajayi)
4. UNLV (Tim Cornett)
5. Colorado State (Donnell Alexander)
6. Fresno State (Josh Quezada)
7. Air Force (Jon Lee)
8. Wyoming (DJ May)
9. San Jose State (Tyler Ervin)
10. Utah State (Joe Hill)
11. Hawaii (Joey Iosefa)
12. Nevada (Don Jackson)
Defense
1. Fresno State
2. San Diego State
3. Boise State
4. Utah State
5. San Jose State
6. Colorado State
7. Hawaii
8. Air Force
9. Nevada
10. UNLV
11. Wyoming
12. New Mexico
Coach
1. Boise State (Chris Petersen)
2. San Diego State (Rocky Long)
3. Air Force (Troy Calhoun)
4. New Mexico (Bob Davie)
5. Wyoming (Dave Christensen)
6. Fresno State (Tim DeRuyter)
7. Colorado State (Jim McElwain)
8. Hawaii (Norm Chow)
9. UNLV (Bobby Hauck)
10. Nevada (Brian Polian)
11. Utah State (Matt Wells)
12. San Jose State (Ron Caragher)
Conference USA
Quarterback
1. Marshall (Rakeem Cato)
2. East Carolina (Shane Carden)
3. Tulsa (Cody Green)
4. Rice (Taylor McHargue)
5. Middle Tennessee (Logan Kilgore)
6. UTEP (Jamiell Showers)
7. FIU (Jake Medlock)
8. UTSA (Eric Soza)
9. UAB (Austin Brown)
10. Tulane (Nick Montana)
11. North Texas (Derek Thompson)
12. Louisiana Tech (Scotty Young)
13. Southern Miss (Kyle Sloter)
14. Florida Atlantic (Melvin German III)
Running Back
1. Tulsa (Trey Watts)
2. Louisiana Tech (Kenneth Dixon)
3. UAB (Darrin Reaves)
4. East Carolina (Vintavious Cooper)
5. UTEP (Nathan Jeffery)
6. Rice (Charles Ross)
7. Marshall (Kevin Grooms)
8. Tulane (Orleans Darkwa)
9. North Texas (Brandin Byrd)
10. Middle Tennessee (Jordan Parker)
11. FIU (Kedrick Rhodes)
12. Florida Atlantic (Jonathan Wallace)
13. UTSA (David Glasco III)
14. Southern Miss (Tyre Bracken)
Defense
1. Rice
2. East Carolina
3. Southern Miss
4. Marshall
5. Tulsa
6. North Texas
7. Tulane
8. UTEP
9. Florida Atlantic
10. Middle Tennessee
11. UAB
12. Louisiana Tech
13. FIU
14. UTSA
Coach
1. UTSA (Larry Coker)
2. Louisiana Tech (Skip Holtz)
3. Tulsa (Bill Blankenship)
4. East Carolina (Ruffin McNeill)
5. Middle Tennessee (Rick Stockstill)
6. Marshall (Doc Holliday)
7. North Texas (Dan McCarney)
8. Rice (David Bailiff)
9. Florida Atlantic (Carl Pelini)
10. FIU (Ron Turner)
11. UAB (Garrick McGee)
12. Tulane (Curtis Johnson)
13. Southern Miss (Todd Monken)
14. UTEP (Sean Kugler)
MAC
Quarterback
1. Northern Illinois (Jordan Lynch)
2. Ball State (Keith Wenning)
3. Ohio (Tyler Tettleton)
4. Bowling Green (Matt Schilz)
5. Toledo (Terrance Owens)
6. Miami (OH) (Austin Boucher)
7. Western Michigan (Tyler Van Tubbergen)
8. Kent State (David Fisher)
9. Akron (Kyle Pohl)
10. Central Michigan (Cooper Rush)
11. Buffalo (Joe Licata)
12. Eastern Michigan (Tyler Benz)
13. UMass (Mike Wegzyn)
Running Back
1. Kent State (Dri Archer)
2. Toledo (David Fluellen)
3. Ohio (Beau Blankenship)
4. Central Michigan (Zurlon Tipton)
5. Ball State (Jahwan Edwards)
6. Buffalo (Branden Oliver)
7. Northern Illinois (Akeem Daniels)
8. Akron (Jawon Chisholm)
9. Eastern Michigan (Bronson Hill)
10. Western Michigan (Dareyon Chance)
11. Bowling Green (Andre Givens)
12. Miami (OH) (Jamire Westbrook)
13. UMass (Jordan Broadnax)
Defense
1. Bowling Green
2. Ohio
3. Northern Illinois
4. Buffalo
5. Kent State
6. Western Michigan
7. Ball State
8. Toledo
9. Central Michigan
10. Miami (OH)
11. Akron
12. Eastern Michigan
13. UMass
Coach
1. Ohio (Frank Solich)
2. Ball State (Pete Lembo)
3. Akron (Terry Bowden)
4. Toledo (Matt Campbell)
5. Bowling Green (Dave Clawson)
6. Central Michigan (Dan Enos)
7. Eastern Michigan (Ron English)
8. Miami (OH) (Don Treadwell)
9. Buffalo (Jeff Quinn)
10. UMass (Charley Molnar)
11. Northern Illinois (Rod Carey)
12. Kent State (Paul Haynes)
13. Western Michigan (PJ Fleck)
Sun Belt
Quarterback
1. UL-Monroe (Kolton Browning)
2. UL-Lafayette (Terrance Broadway)
3. Troy (Corey Robinson)
4. Arkansas State (Adam Kennedy)
5. Western Kentucky (Brandon Doughty)
6. South Alabama (Ross Metheny)
7. Texas State (Tyler Arndt)
8. Georgia State (Ben McLane)
Running Back
1. Western Kentucky (Antonio Andrews)
2. Arkansas State (David Oku)
3. UL-Lafayette (Alonzo Harris)
4. UL-Monroe (Jyruss Edwards)
5. South Alabama (Jay Jones)
6. Troy (Khary Franklin)
7. Texas State (Robert Lowe)
8. Georgia State (Gerald Howse)
Defense
1. UL-Monroe
2. Western Kentucky
3. Arkansas State
4. UL-Lafayette
5. Texas State
6. South Alabama
7. Troy
8. Georgia State
Coach
1. Western Kentucky (Bobby Petrino)
2. Troy (Larry Blakeney)
3. Texas State (Dennis Franchione)
4. UL-Lafayette (David Hudspeth)
5. UL-Monroe (Todd Berry)
6. South Alabama (Joey Jones)
7. Arkansas State (Bryan Harsin)
8. Georgia State (Trent Miles)
Independents
Quarterback
1. Notre Dame (Tommy Rees)
2. Navy (Keenan Reynolds)
3. New Mexico State (Andrew Manley)
4. BYU (Taysom Hill)
5. Army (AJ Schurr)
6. Idaho (Chad Chalich)
Running Back
1. Army (Raymond Maples)
2. BYU (Jamaal Williams)
3. Navy (Noah Copeland)
4. Notre Dame (George Atkinson III)
5. New Mexico State (Germi Morrisson)
6. Idaho (Jerrel Brown)
Defense
1. Notre Dame
2. BYU
3. Navy
4. Army
5. New Mexico State
6. Idaho
Coach
1. Notre Dame (Brian Kelly)
2. BYU (Bronco Mendenhall)
3. Navy (Ken Niumatololo)
4. Army (Rich Ellerson)
5. New Mexico State (Doug Martin)
6. Idaho (Paul Petrino)
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
2013 PGA Championship Preview
Golf's major championship season comes to a close this weekend as the best players in the world head to Oak Hill CC in Rochester, NY. The East Course will host the PGA Championship for the first time since 2003. A decade ago, it was Shaun Micheel coming out of nowhere to shock the golf world by winning the PGA Championship. In the last 20 majors, there have been 18 different champions. The only two men to win multiple majors are Rory McIlroy (the defending PGA champion) and Phil Mickleson (the most recent major champion). Neither of those Men are the favorite this week though. You guessed it. Tiger Woods is the oddsmakers favorite yet again. Tiger was dominant at the Bridgestone Invitational last weekend. He looks primed to break his skid. There are a lot of men capable of capturing the Wanamaker Trophy this year. Here is a look at my Top 10 favorites to win golf's final major of 2013.
1. Zach Johnson - USA (35/1)
World Golf Ranking: 26th
Best PGA Finish: T3 (2010)
Average 2013 Score: 71.162. Tiger Woods - USA (4/1)
World Golf Ranking: 1st
Best PGA Finish: Champion (1999, 2000, 2006, 2007)
Average 2013 Score: 70.00
3. Jason Dufner - USA (38/1)
World Golf Ranking: 21st
Best PGA Finish: 2nd (2011)
Average 2013 Score: 71.00
4. Lee Westwood - England (28/1)
World Golf Ranking: 12th
Best PGA Finish: T3 (2009)
Average 2013 Score: 71.06
5. Adam Scott - Australia (18/1)
World Golf Ranking: 5th
Best PGA Finish: T3 (2006)
Average 2013 Score: 70.75
6. Steve Stricker - USA (50/1)
World Golf Ranking: 13th
Best PGA Finish: 2nd (1998)
Average 2013 Score: 69.90
7. Martin Kaymer - Germany (50/1)
Best PGA Finish: Champion (2010)
Average 2013 Score: 72.12
8. Luke Donald - England (40/1)
World Golf Raking: 9th
Best PGA Finish: T3 (2006)
Average 2013 Score: 71.05
9. Jason Day - Australia (40/1)
World Golf Ranking: 20th
Best PGA Finish: T10 (2010)
Average 2013 Score: 70.95
10. Rory McIlroy - Northern Ireland (35/1)
World Golf Ranking: 3rd
Best PGA Finish: Champion (2012)
Average 2013 Score: 71.46
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