Post BCS Update

Alabama Wins Third Title in Four Years

 

     Nick Saban did what he does best. Give that man a month to prepare for any team in the nation and I am pretty sure we will see the same kind of results. Could the game have been any worse? If you thought last year was a lame game to watch, you were one of those people who turned this game off 10 seconds into the second quarter. Yeah, it was that bad. And you know, the whole reason I was looking forward to this game was to see Nick Saban flip out on the sidelines. I figured 'oh well, we'll never see it this game because of the huge lead.' Then there was the simple delay of game penalty.....That penalty made the game for me. Anyways, the question we have to ask ourselves now...... 'Is Alabama in the middle of their dynasty or is this just the start?'

 

    Here are some clues on the answer to that question. Alabama's recruiting hasn't slowed down in the least bit. The Crimson Tide's defense lost a bunch of players last season to the draft and they still put up some of the best numbers this season. So many people thought that Mark Ingram was one of a kind.....then there was Trent Richardson and again people thought 'oh okay, no way they follow it up with another great running back.' Well, this season there was Eddie Lacy. And just to hint at what Bama will have next season, Yeldon looks to be equal or greater than Lacy. Many think Lacy will head to the NFL this year, but that really won't hurt Bama's offense at all. So...... Can Bama make it three straight? I know it's early to even be talking about that but if there was any team that had the eadge at this point, it's a no brainer. AJ McCarron will be back and I believe he could easily be a Heisman front runner going into the 2013 season. Spoiler Alert....... Alabama will be the overwhelming preseason #1 team in the nation. I said it before the season even started (and if you don't believe me, scroll back to my preseason top 10 breakdown), I said that if Nick Saban had a chance at winning back-to-back Titles, this was his BEST chance at doing it.

 

    So Alabama won another National Title.....Meh. What about  everyone else? Who had the most disappointing season? Who over achieved? Who under achieved? Send your  thoughts / comments to jeremy.cf2d@yahoo.com. Check back later this week when I will share your thoughts / comments and give you a piece of my mind on the topic.

BCS Title Game

BCS Title Game

      It's finally here! Alabama vs Notre Dame. It should be an exciting game. Who will win? Who has the biggest advantages? Will the SEC make it SEVEN straight, and if so, does that make them the best conference in all of college football? Perhaps the most 'under the radar' topic could be Nick Saban's future; will he stay or will he give it another run in the NFL? Let's not get too far ahead here..... Let's talk BCS Title Game first.

 

       The Irish are coming off an amazing season. Before the season started ESPN, and really everyone in college football, talked about how Notre Dame had the toughest schedule this season. There was no question about it. Of course nobody saw USC having the struggles they had, nobody saw Michigan struggling, but in the end who cares? Notre Dame still played one of the toughest schedules this season. Factor in where they played some of their toughest games and that makes it even tougher. Playing at USC is never easy. Playing and winning at Oklahoma is no joke. Taking down a Stanford team that came out of nowhere and dominated the PAC12 wasn't easy. The Irish have done everything asked of them this season. Sure they had the nightmare against Pitt, but every team has that one or two games that they escape with a win if it's meant to be..... Think Alabama vs LSU this season. LSU had Bama by their throats but LSU couldn't finish. Pitt is no LSU, but again, it's one of those games you could call a trap game and the point is that Notre Dame overcame it and has played great since then.

 

     Alabama has had an interesting but exciting season. The opening win over Michigan had Bama fans stoked for another chance at a BCS Title. The legend grew even more while the Crimson Tide rolled over teams like Western Kentucky, Arkansas, Florida Atlantic, and Ole Miss......literally in that order. Many teams would look like a National Title Contender after playing through the first five games of Alabama's schedule. However, the schedule did get slightly tougher down the stretch. LSU had their chance, but Bama did what a good team was supposed to do in that situation.....they overcame it and pulled out the win. The very next week Texas A&M came into Bama's house and shocked the country. Maybe it was exactly what Bama needed to get them focused again. Or it's just a fact that a Big 12 team came into the SEC and showed the nation that the SEC is not all it's hyped to be this year. Who knows? That's what makes tonight so exciting. This could put all the debate to rest or it could stir it all up again....

 

     So who has the biggest advantage in this game? Is it Alabama because they have the so called 'SEC Strength and Speed?' Or is it the Irish because of their amazing rush defense? Are there other advantages for either team not getting any attention? I can think of at least one that I have not heard anyone talk about in the weeks leading up to today..... Notre Dame has one major advantage that I think will play a major role in tonight's game. They have done something that nobody has done in decades. The Irish have sampled many of the most talented teams across the country and came out with ZERO losses. They sampled teams from the Big Ten, the Big 12, the ACC, and the PAC12. Notre Dame has seen every type of offense and defense you could imagine. Obviously the media and fans would have you believe that Alabama is a different animal but I think Bama is not that much different as far as who the Irish have played. Bama is a mixture of several teams the Irish have beaten this season.

 

    So what about Bama? What's their advantage? It's simple and very obvious if you aske me. Coaching. No other advantage holds the weight that this one does. Nick Saban is a mastermind in present day college football. He will gameplan like no other coach. If this game was played 3 weeks ago I wouldn't say it is as big of an advantage, but the fact is that Saban has had a month to prepare for this game (that should scare anyone and everyone). It would not surprise me in the least if Bama came in and shut the Irish down. Now, don't get me wrong, I want an interesting game. I don't want to feel like I am watching last year's BCS game all over again. That game was about as boring as watching 'Gone with the Wind' (or if you liked that movie, insert your own boring movie).

 

     Now for the prediction. Who do you go with? The Irish? (with their schedule and experience as their advantage) OR the Crimson Tide? (with Nick Saban at the controls in a BIG GAME) Wow it's hard to pick against Saban. On the other side of it, I have picked against the Irish two times this season and I was way wrong in both games. I said I learned my lesson earlier this season and that I wouldn't do it again......but who knew I would have to decide between these two for a National Champion. Does the luck of the Irish end tonight? We'll see, but I am going to try my luck with them tonight. I like the Irish by the score of......27-23. There may be a few fieldgoals kicked in this one.

January 2, 2013

New Year's Day Recap

 

       There were some great games on New Year's Day. Exactly what we all wanted to see in the Bowl games that matter. Most of the games came down to the final minutes. Lets check out what happened the last couple days.

 

        Another shout out to Vanderbilt for their win on Monday over NC State. Congrats on getting their 9th win and second bowl victory in a row.

 

        Georgia Tech took down USC. This was pretty ugly all the way to the end. Lane Kiffin may be on the hot seat heading into next season. This was a huge win for the ACC though, and congrats to the Yellow Jackets for salvaging a rough season. 

 

         Clemson defeated LSU. I picked the Tigers in this one (Hey, I couldn't go wrong with that pick, right?). Seriously though, I thought LSU's so called SEC talent would be the difference in this game...... I was wrong. Clemson had a great game and made, perhaps, the biggest impact for the ACC in bowl games this season. That put the ACC at a 3-2 record in bowl games heading into the Orange Bowl; where Florida State had a chance to win their first BCS Bowl since their 1999-2000 Sugar Bowl victory for the National Championship.

 

       South Carolina made some big plays down the stretch and beat the much improved Michigan Wolverines. This game was way closer than expected. I was really impressed with how the Wolverines played and represented the B1G Ten in this game. It was a great game to watch. It had a good taste of everything you want in a bowl game. From MONSTER hits (Clowney's massive hit after a controversial first down by Michigan), to last minute scores to win the game. And, if you are a fan of seeing Spurrier lose his mind for a couple minutes, then you loved watching this game. However, I have give credit where it is due; Spurrier had another incredible season with South Carolina. Congrats. 

 

        Georgia survives Nebraska. Yes, I used the word 'survives'. Nebraska had so many chances in this game to slam the door shut, but Georgia hung around long enough. Once Georgia got settled in the 4th qtr, there was no looking back for Richt and the Bulldogs. Nebraska represented the B1G Ten pretty well against the SEC, but in the end it comes down to W's and L's. And right now, the B1G Ten is having a terrible bowl season. Congrats to Georgia and Mark Richt on a great season.

 

 

        Wisconsin falls short to Stanford. I really thought Wisconsin would be able to pull this game out. They had their chances but just couldn't get it done. Another game where B1G Ten fans can say they represented well.........but come on, you are starting to sound like Big East fans. Who cares how close the game was? They lost and that's all you need to remember about the game. Stanford finally got a Rose Bowl win (The Cardinal's first Rose Bowl win in 40 years). This marked only the second time in school history that Stanford got to 12 wins in a season. The other happened with some guy named Luck playing.... Not sure how long ago he played at Stanford.

 

      Florida State shuts down NIU in the Orange Bowl. Well, it was kind of expected, right? The Noles' defense proved to be superior in this game and shut down Jordan Lynch. Speaking of Lynch, Anyone else catch his comments leading up to this game? Something along the lines of "we will have them on their knees in the 4th qtr". Hmmmm..... Yeah, that worked out real well. In fact, I think he did have FSU on their knees in the 4th qtr......because FSU was laughing so hard..... Real talk though, NIU played it close for about 2 and half qtrs (which I wasn't surprised by). Florida State had the stronger and faster players. That was the difference in this game. The Seminoles' defense was focused from start to finish. The offense, however, looked sluggish; which shouldn't surprise anyone because that's how they have looked the entire second half of the season. Either way you look at it; Florida State got their first BCS win since their Sugar Bowl win over Virginia Tech for the BCS Title, and Fisher got his team to 12 victories which tied a school record. Congrats to the Noles.

 

    Sugar Bowl Prediction

 

      Florida takes on Louisville Wednesday night. Is this going to be the biggest snoozer of the BCS games? It sure looks that way; No disrespect to Florida by any means...... But Louisville doesn't stand a chance in this game. If you took this matchup and put it in the Music City Bowl, then yes I'd say it could be a good game because Florida wouldn't care about that bowl. This is the Sugar Bowl and Florida will be ready to play. I hope Louisville wears their 'try-hard' pants. The Gators' defense will be swarming. I'm sure the Gators will be ready to ram the ball right down the Cardinals' throats. There is no way to really put a positive spin on this one. Gators win, 41-17.

 

    Check back for more Bowl Predictions leading up to the BCS Championship game next week.

 

 

   

Bowl Game Predictions

Happy New Year's Eve!

Now for Some Bowl Games!

 

      I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday last week. Now that we have all the meaningless bowls out of the way, lets get into the big matchups.

 

      In action today:

 

   

      Vanderbilt vs NC State. It was a great showing for Vanderbilt earlier today. Vandy forced a season high FIVE turnovers and won their second straight bowl game. With this win it gave Vandy their 9th win of the season; which is the most wins for Vanderbilt since the early 1900's. Congrats to Vanderbilt and their fan base.

 

     Georgia Tech vs USC. Believe it or not, I knew Georgia Tech would have success against the Trojans' defense. As it stands at this point. It is in the 4th qtr and Georgia Tech has over 200 yards rushing and is ahead 21-7. This would be a huge statement for Georgia Tech even though USC is having a rough season. Perhaps more importantly, it would greatly help the ACC if the Yellow Jackets can come away with a win in this game.

 

      LSU vs Clemson. This is sure to be the most interesting game on New Year's Eve. On one side you have a high powered offense that can throw up points real fast, and on the other you have a very stingy defense. LSU is bringing the defense, and Clemson is bringing the offense..... Tigers vs Tigers. ACC vs SEC. Yet another chance for the ACC to salvage a little, and I emphasize a LITTLE, respect this season. The ACC had one of its worst seasons in over a decade. With a Georgia Tech win over the PAC-12 and a Clemson win over and SEC team, it would be a huge statement for the conference. It won't be easy. Clemson's only strength happens to work in favor of LSU's strength. Clemson's weakness? Well, it's in nearly every other part of their game. Clemson's defense has struggled all season. It will be a huge challenge for Clemson's defense. I am taking the Tigers in this one.... Tigers win 28-17.... No good? I guess I should clarify which Tigers... Nah, I will stick with the score and tell you which Tigers after the game.

 

 

*******FINAL SCORE UPDATE*******

          Georgia Tech defeats USC 21-7

 

       New Year's Day Action

 

      January 1, 2013 will bring on some good games.

 

 

      Michigan vs South Carolina. Michigan has had some late season success, but I don't think it will be enough in this game to come up with a win. South Carolina's defense will be too much for the Wolverines. If Michigan fans haven't heard of a defensive end named Clowney, they will be sick of him by the end of the first qtr.  South Carolina wins, 27-10. Chalk up another Bowl Win for the SEC.

 

 

      Georgia vs Nebraska. This certainly wasn't the bowl game Georgia was hoping for about a month ago, but I don't think they will lose too much focus. Nebraska has to be the team that is a little 'hungover'. They were crushed by Wisconsin, and that ripped a sure Rose Bowl right out of their hands. This may not be a 'Big Bowl' game, but it is a chance for the Cornhuskers to make a statement for the B1G Ten. If you haven't caught on to the theme yet, it clearly is on the minds of a bunch of teams that are playing against SEC teams in Bowl Games. Everybody wants a piece of the SEC. Everybody wants to be able to say that they beat an SEC team. Nebraska will have their shot. Georgia may have a little trouble with Martinez early on, but in the end, Georgia gets the win. Bulldogs win, 35-20.

 

 

 

          Wisconsin vs Stanford. Yeah, that's right. Wisconsin is representing the B1G Ten in the Rose Bowl against Stanford. And what a mess it would create if Wisconsin came away with the win. Don't think for one minute that Wisconsin doesn't have it in them to win this game. In fact, I like Wisconsin in this matchup. It will be a very emotional game for them and that may be the difference in this game. The big boys at ESPN and Vegas experts are saying Stanford by 6.5 points.....not me, I am taking Wisconsin and they will win, 31-24.

 

        Florida State vs Northern Illinois. There are some big story-lines surrounding this game. Whether it is NIU cracking into the BCS, Mark Stoops leaving FSU to become the Head Coach at Kentucky, or the fact that FSU hasn't won a BCS Bowl since 1999 (Let alone played in one since 2005). Don't be surprised if NIU comes out and punches Florida State right in the mouth. FSU has the distractions of so many things happening. They won the ACC for the first time since 2005; are they satisfied with just being there? The Noles will be without Mark Stoops. Could be a good thing, right? Some fans think Stoops played too conservative.....Yet they have one of the best defenses in the country. One of the more 'under the radar' topics has to be how FSU has fallen since their loss to NC State back in October. The Noles have steadily declined since that game. Sure, there were a couple of key victories after that game, but as far as the big picure, they have struggled. This is a game where Jimbo Fisher must call on his seniors......and the seniors better answer the call. Fisher has a rough record in games that his team is favored in, and this is another one of those games that has fans a wreck.

         ESPN and Vegas are giving the Noles a 13 point spread in favor of the Noles. This is a game that Florida State's superior players should win, no matter how bad the play calling might be.......FSU's speed and strength should be the difference. Noles win, 38-21.

        Check back for the Sugar Bowl Matchup between the Florida Gators and the Louisville Cardinals.

 

      

 

      



FSU Defensive Coordinator Search

Search for FSU's New Defensive Coordinator Coming to an End?

      According to sources from within FSU and at ESPN, Jimbo Fisher has his man for the defensive coordinator job. The question that remains is: When will the official announcement be made? Fisher is on record saying that the announcement will be made when the time is right. So who is the guy? 

 

    Jeremy Pruitt coaches defensive backs under Nick Saban. While I have not been impressed with the 'Saban coaching tree', I will give him his fair shot (not that the decision came down to me or anything). Of the candidates that were mentioned, I feel better about Pruitt. Names like Sal Sunseri, Gene Chizik, and Bob Shoop were eliminated....some because they were just rumors, and others because it was innaccurate reporting.  Pruitt may have came in under the radar for some fans, but it should come as little surprise since Fisher has so much respect for Nick Saban. The real interesting part in this hire, if it happens, Pruitt is a 3-4 scheme minded guy, whereas, FSU is currently a 4-3 defensive style. Will there be a change to the base defense at Florida State? Fisher has said he wants a guy who will be more aggressive, and at the same time be mindful of the way the roster looks going into the spring. That being said, FSU may not switch over to a 3-4 right away but fans can expect to see a few different wrinkles.

 

      What does this mean for FSU in the long term? Well, the good news is that Jeremy Pruitt will not be looked at for a head coaching job for awhile. That means Fisher could get five or six seasons out of him if he does a good job. This would help bring some stability back to the coaching staff and that becomes very important on the recruiting trail. And again, if Jeremy Pruitt is the guy and he wants to run the 3-4 defense in the future, he will need at least two seasons to install his scheme (Recruiting will change, and there may be a few position changes as well).

 

     So I want to hear from the Nole Nation this week; Is this the guy you want? Send me your thoughts for our Wednesday Reader Questions Segment. jeremy.cf2d@yahoo.com.

 

 

Bowl Season is Finally Here!

     Now that Bowl Season is in full swing I can finally start throwing out some predictions. However, I am going to try to stick to the big games (or what I would consider big games). Not that there hasn't been any good games yet, but I am looking forward to the big time matchups a little more, I think.... Nevada and Arizona was a great game to watch, especially in the final minute of the game in which Arizona scored TWO TDs to win the game. I am hoping this is a sign of things to come and that there will be some instant classics. Check back later as I start to release my bowl picks. And as always, you can send me your questions/comments and/or predictions to jeremy.cf2d@yahoo.com. Wednesday is Reader Question Segment, so get yours in... 

Mid Week Update

Wednesday Mail-Blog

 

       It's time for the mid-week update and your questions. With the regular season and conference championships long gone, what's on the radar to talk about? The Heisman Trophy has been awarded. Coaching positions have been filled; or at least the important head coaching jobs have been. Then there are the rumors of more schools deciding to change conferences, but isn't that getting old now? And besides, who really cares if small schools are making the moves? We are only interested in the bigger schools moving now. So, what do we have to talk about? It's a little early to starting making predictions for bowl games and we are all tired of hearing about how Louisville, Wisconsin, and Northern Illinois shouldn't be in the BCS.

 

          I leave Wednesday's pretty wide open to answer your questions, react to your comments, and give you my thoughts on your predictions, etc. But I also want to at least find someting interesting to post. I could speculate on who Florida State and Jimbo Fisher are looking at for the defensive coordinator job, but again, it's speculation at this point. Then there is the mess at the 'U'. Miami is still waiting for the NCAA to finish its investigation and pass down their punishment. What about Bobby Petrino to Western Kentucky? What a hire that was, right?

 

      Oh well, this segment is on you anyway. I only received one question this week.....so lets see what one of you came up with.

 

 

Timothy writes: Enjoying the blog. I have emailed you a question or two before. One thing that I have been thinking about the last couple of weeks, The playoff system is coming, TV contracts are being ironed out, and teams are still thinking about moving to other conferences.... Where does the ACC fit in all this mess? It seems that at the rate they are going, the conference will be kicked to the curb and FSU, Clemson, Miami, and Virginia Tech will be forced to go elsewhere if they want to be relevant again.

 

       Thanks, Timothy. This is a very complicated and hard to predict situation. Yes, at the current rate, the ACC seems to be becoming less and less relevant in the big picture. However, the playoff system could salvage the ACC (or at least give it the boost it needs). The trouble with the ACC the last 8-9 seasons has been the traditional powers. Florida State, Miami, and Virginia Tech have been down. It was expected that adding Miami and Virginia Tech would help the conference's image because both those schools were performing at a high level. Miami played for a couple National Championships in 2001 and 2002. Virginia Tech had been a very consistent 'up and coming' team after their 1999 Sugar Bowl game for the National Championship (they lost to FSU).

     Anyways, I don't need to give you an entire history lesson..... At this point, Florida State seems to be headed back in the right direction and that will help the ACC. Clemson has finally started to be consistent, and they deserve some attention as well. I think the ACC will be fine. I'd say the biggest way they can help themselves is to make sure they get a team in the first playoff. If Florida State, Clemson, or Virginia Tech can claim one of those spots and COMPETE in the first season of the playoffs then the ACC won't be the punchline for many of the weak conference jokes.

    Outside of FSU, Clemson, Virginia Tech, and Miami, the rest of the conference needs to step up. North Carolina seems to be right on the edge of being a solid program. The addition of Louisville will help as long as they keep winning, of course. Surprisingly, Pitt could develope into a pretty good team as well. Pitt and Syracuse should be joining the conference as early as next season, if I'm not mistaken. The ACC may look rough right now, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Notre Dame is the other wild-card in all of this. Notre Dame will be partial members to the ACC here real soon, and I share the same theory that many others have. Notre Dame's football will join a conference within the next 5 seasons. And one thing is for sure, the ACC won't allow Notre Dame to be a member of another conference in football and still hold their partial membership to the ACC. It's not too far fetched.....Really it's not. The Academics line up with what the ACC stands for and the sports fit really well.

      So in the near future, the ACC needs Virginia Tech and Clemson to be in the top 15 consistently, Florida State and Notre Dame need to perform at a high level and be in the top 10 consistently, and Louisville needs to stay in the top 25. Will this solve all of their problems? No, but it will certainly help. The rest of the conference needs to start pulling their weight. Thanks again, Timothy, for your question.

 

       Don't forget you can send me your comments/questions to jeremy.cf2d@yahoo.com. Check us out on Facebook and give us a 'LIKE'. Check back later this week for more updates.  

Monday Update

Johnny 'Football' Wins Heisman 

      Johnny Manziel made history. He became the only first year player to win the Heisman Trophy. Was it really a surprise though? His numbers are better than Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton. Nobody else in the country means more to their team.

      

      The question on the horizon now, is can he do it again? Will he be able to have another season like this one? For a freshman to play as well as he has this season I think it's certainly possible. Obviously he has the greatest chance to repeat because he has three more years left. And, I'm not saying that he has to top this year's numbers in order to do it. He simply could put up equal numbers and that may be enough to do it again. I am looking forward to seeing more of Johnny 'Football' Manziel in the SEC in years to come. He is a very exciting player to watch and the scary thing is that he still has room for improvement. Just imagine if A&M can develope more weapons around him...... Only time will tell.
 

 

 

  Tennessee Hires Butch Jones

 

    Yes, this really happened. After the whole Charlie Strong mess; UT finally hired their new head coach. I'm sure many Tennessee fans were scratching their heads when this was announced. Butch Jones was Cincinnati's head coach. The good news for Tennessee is that he has a good record, unlike Derek Dooley. Up to this point, Jones has been a winner. He is 50-27 in six seasons as a head coach. That stat alone should have UT fans really excited seeing as they are used to a losing record over the last two or three seasons.

  

     Butch Jones is now scrambling to put his staff together. Former UT QB, Tee Martin, is in Knoxville today to meet with Jones, according to sources. He was UT's QB when the Vols won the 1998 National Championship. Martin served on Lane Kiffin's staff this season at USC as the receivers coach. It would be a huge plus for Jones to take Tee Martin. The former QB could really help with recruiting. Tee Martin won't be the only former Vol player to be on staff. Jay Graham, who served on Dooley's staff this season, will remain the running backs coach.

 

      Other names that look like they will serve on Jones' staff are secondary coach Willie Martinez, and linebackers coach Tommy Thigpen. Both served on Auburn's defensive staff this season. Jones' hasn't forgotten about some his guys at Cincinnatti, though. It is reported (according to ESPN) that he will be bringing in his offensive coordinator Mike Bejakian, and defensive coordinator John Jancek.

 

      Tennessee should be very excited, but in a cautious way. It's very promising to see him put together his staff so quickly. This will help tremendously on the recruiting trail. I wouldn't expect a huge improvement in the first season, but the second season under this staff could be the most exciting season for UT in six years. I know that doesn't sound great, but UT is looking for signs of hope and I believe this will be the coach that can restore UT's program.

 

     That's it for today. Don't forget that every Wednesday is Reader Question Segment. Feel free to send anything college football.....any team, any conference.                                          Send to jeremy.cf2d@yahoo.com. Also check us out on Facebook at www.facebook.com/collegefootball2day.