What happens first? This or this?
Answer:
Ridiculous. I am waiting for the walk-off broken bat home run hit by the pitcher.
Congratulations to some dude named Keegan. He won a major championship yesterday. And for all of those people saying, "Oh, we'll never hear from him again in a major." I say, first of all, how do you know? Secondly, who cares? Any time my man Keegan is on a leaderboard of any event, the Masters or the Booz Allen, people will think, "Oh yeah, that's the guy that won the PGA, that year."
So, I don't think Keegan much cares what you think. He is holding the giant trophy. I mean that thing is huge!
Doggone It. I didn't even know it started.
This individual won a straw poll in Iowa.
AHHHH! But hey, if they put me on the cover of Newsweek, I would likely have the same expression on my face, too...
Looks like Air Bud had a son.
No A&M to the SEC. SEC commissioner Mike Slive must read the blog.
I have no problem with the SEC trying to expand. It makes the great greater, but DON'T GO IN TO TEXAS. If they want to snatch Florida State or Clemson, and make the Florida-Florida State and/or Clemson-South Carolina game a conference game, I am fine with that, but don't go in to Texas, SEC. Make the rivalries that are the lifeblood of College Football more important. Don't break them up.
Still, you have to feel that the day where there are 4 conferences is coming fast.
Anyway, less than 3 weeks until we're teeing it up!
That makes me want to do this...
Except I would probably dance like that to the Michigan fight song.
You will not see the Maize and Blue in Numbers 20-16 in the MTA Poll, though:
20.) Iowa- I am back on the bandwagon. I had Ferentz' team playing for the National Championship, last season. Yep, they ended up in the Insight Bowl. I am not even in love with the talent the Hawkeyes have. Losing Ricky Stanzi, Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, Adam Robinson, Adrian Clayborn, Tyler Sash, Chuck Long, Merton Hanks and Alex Karras obviously won't help. Losing Johnson-Koulianos and Robinson to disciplinary reasons is a shot at a proud program that values doing things the right way.
However, Iowa could be favored in be favored in each of their first 9 games. Based on how the Hawkeyes have owned Penn State and the way they crushed Michigan State, last season, I would not be surprised at all to see Iowa sitting at 11-0 heading to Nebraska on Thanksgiving weekend. This is also the kind of season that Iowa relishes and always does well in. Much like Clemson, when expectations are high, they always struggle (ex:2010). When there are no expectations, the Hawkeyes thrive (ex:2009, 2002).
They are also not totally devoid of talent. Marcus Coker did a solid job backing up Adam Robinson, Marvin McNutt is back at wideout, and James Vandenberg did a solid job in the de facto Big 10 Championship game in Columbus in 2009. The Hawks also bring back 4 out of 5 offensive linemen.
Norm Parker always does a solid job with Iowa's Defense. DE Mike Daniels, CB Shaun Prater, and S Micah Hyde are back for what seems like their 11th season at Kinnick. If the Hawkeyes can buckle down in the 4th quarter, which was the definite bugaboo in '10 (they lost 4th quarter leads against Wisconsin, Northwestern and Minnesota), this could be a surprise National Title contender. So basically, look out.
Last Year: 8-5 (Beat Missouri in Insight Bowl, 27-24)
Key Losses: QB Ricky Stanzi, S Tyler Sash
Key Returnees: WR Marvin McNutt, S Micah Hyde
Key Game: November 12 v. Michigan State
Prediction: 10-2 (Outback Bowl)
19.) Texas- Perhaps this is theme day. Team with huge expectations, last season, bouncing back to contend, this season. Texas can't stay down for long, right? Well, we know this much, it will be a new look Longhorns coaching staff. Defensive coordinator "Crazy" Will Muschamp is off to Gainesville to coach Florida, so Mack Brown swiped Manny Diaz from the up-and-coming Mississippi State program.
UT went with an old friend to try to build the wretched Texas O, in former Burnt Orange QB, Major Applewhite. Major will share duties with Bryan Harsin, who was one of the masterminds of the great Boise State offense. So, it would seem that Texas has the coaching staff back in place, and if you look at the recruiting rankings, every year, the Longhorns would seem to always have the talent.
There are still questions at quarterback. Garrett Gilbert was thrust into the National Championship game in 2009, and he was viewed as "the future," then. But Case McCoy (you might have heard of his brother), and freshman Connor Wood have not made it easy for Gilbert to win the job, and based on Texas' O, last season, I am not sure Gilbert is the answer, either.
RBs Malcolm Brown and Fozzy Whittaker are back to assist whomever the QB is, as is WR Malcolm Williams, but it may not matter unless an underachieving offensive line can come through and improve. Texas' defense has less questions with Kheeston Randall back to anchor the d-line, Emmanuel Acho and Keenan Randall returning at linebacker and S Blake Gideon handling the secondary.
Oklahoma and Oklahoma State back to back on October will be tough. As will trips to Missouri, Texas A&M and Baylor, but Texas may be the most prideful program in the country, and Mack Brown did not just forget how to coach. Instead he brought in the aforementioned top coordinators. So I think this will be a big time bounceback/payback year in Austin.
Everyone doubted them before this game, too...
Last Year: 5-7 (No Bowl)
Key Losses: WR James Kirkendoll, DE Sam Acho
Key Returnees: WR Mike Davis, LB Keenan Robinson
Key Game: October 15 v. Oklahoma State
Prediction: 9-3 (Cotton Bowl)
18. Oklahoma State- Well, maybe all of that funding from T. Boone Pickens is paying off. The Pokes are coming off of a wildly successful, and equally surprising 11-2 season, where they discovered the new Zac Robinson (Brandon Weeden) and the new Dez Bryant (Justin Blackmon). But, it is still Oklahoma State. They had the ball in their court to win the Big 12 South, last season, and they came up short at home against the Sooners. Also, was it just a Dana Holgerson production, last season? If so, Holgerson is in Morgantown, WV, and the Cowboys may not be who everybody thinks they are.
Still, it is hard to deny the talent that Gundy has. It is rare to bring back a major award winner, but Okie State has Biletnikoff winner, WR Justin Blackmon, a QB in Brandon Weeden who had a 4-1 TD-INT ratio, RB Jeremy Smith who chipped in 7 TDs, and RB Joseph Randle who was 2nd on the team in rushing. With all of the points that OSU will likely put up on offense, their defense looks solid enough to win enough 40-30-type games. S Markelle Martin is an All-America candidate in the secondary, Richetti Jones and Jaime Blatnick are great edge rushers at DE, and LB Shaun Lewis is coming off a sold freshman year.
In the end, there is just a mental block on my end. I cannot picture Oklahoma State rising higher than Oklahoma, Texas or even Texas A&M, this season. Still, if I need any convincing, I should just look to the head coach for guidance.
Last Season: 11-2 (Beat Arizona in Alamo Bowl, 36-10)
Key Losses: RB Kendall Hunter, LB Orie Lemon
Key Returnees: WR Justin Blackmon, S Markelle Martin
Key Game: September 24 @Texas A&M
Prediction: 9-3 (Alamo Bowl)
17.) Texas Christian- Going to go out on a limb, here again, and say that they won't finish with the same record they had in 2010. The Frogs may fall, but they won't fall far. Gary Patterson is way too good of a coach to let that happen. Nobody takes average or slightly above average talent and gets more out of them than Patterson. However, they may go through a season of reloading, this season, much like what Boise may face in 2012.
Andy Dalton is gone. As is his red hair. Jeremy Kerley is gone. As is Jimmy Young and Bart Johnson. But RB Ed Wesley is no slouch, and the guy who actually led the team in receiving yards, WR Josh Boyce is back as well, and keep an eye on WR Skye Dawson, who may be the next Kerley. The season may come down to the offensive line and how they protect the new QB, Casey Pachall.
Still, it may not matter how many points the Frogs score because the defense will be strong. Again. LBs Tank Carder and Tanner Brock were guys that nobody (especially the Badgers) knew until the Rose Bowl. Now Carder, Brock, Stansly Maponga and Greg McCoy are being touted like the '85 Bears. Maybe because they are. In TCU's last 9 games, they gave up more than 20 points only once. So, basically, Mr. Pachall, get to 20, and we win.
There are few more intriguing games this season than the November 12 game between TCU and Boise on the blue field. To me, Boise is impossible to beat at home, and I think that will continue, but the Frogs will definitely fall off the map. Not when your punter tips the scales at 280 lbs.
Last Year: 13-0 (Beat Wisconsin in Rose Bowl, 21-19)
Key Losses: QB Andy Dalton, DE Wayne Daniels
Key Returnees: RB Ed Wesley, LB Tank Carder
Key Game: November 12 @Boise State
Prediction: 10-2 (Las Vegas Bowl)
16. Ohio State- So, here they are. Nobody, but nobody, had as tumultuous of an off-season as the Buckeyes. They went from basking in the glow of beating a real, actual SEC team in a BCS game to having their coach resign in disgrace and their do-it-all, lightning rod quarterback run away, too. Maybe they should bring back John Cooper and Stanley Jackson to fill in. No program in the country gets under the skin of so many quite like OSU (at least now that Notre Dame has become a national afterthought). So, everybody has be having fun at Ohio State's expense.
Here is the problem, though. Now, instead of being head and shoulders above their Big 10 brethren, now Ohio State is just head above the Big 10. They are still super-talented, and until someone in the Big 10 can actually prove they can beat the Buckeyes, they remain one of the safest bets in the country.
Just remember the name Braxton Miller. As soon as you think Terrelle Pryor has walked out the door, in walks a new Pryor in Mr. Miller. The only problem is that Ohio State is still a very old school program, (remember Todd Boeckman starting over Pryor?) and nobody will be surprised if Joe Bauserman gets the start on opening day.
While Pryor is the biggest fish amongst those suspended, make no mistake that not having DeVier Posey, Dan Herron, and Mike Adams for 5 games will hurt the Buckeyes perhaps even moreso. But, as has been discussed ad nauseum, Ohio State may only be tested in 1 or 2 of those games. It will be hard to just drop these guys in on the road against Nebraska in the first game that they are eligible, but I still have a hard time seeing THE Ohio State University sliding that far.
The defense does not return a ton, losing their top 4 tacklers. However, new head coach Luke Fickell is a defensive guy, and Jim Heacock coached Jack Tatum and Jim Stillwagon in Columbus, I believe. The defensive line brings back solid ends, Nathan Williams and John Simon. LBs Etienne Sabino and Andrew Sweat also return on the front 7. The secondary is much more of a question mark bring back only Orhian Johnson. But it is still the Big 10 where they are only coming around to the forward pass. So, don't look for much of a drop-off, there.
Ultimately, if Ohio State can make it out of the 5 game cloud that they are under to start the season, this could still be a team that wins the Big 10 (again).
Last Year: 12-1 (Beat Arkansas in Sugar Bowl, 31-26)
Key Losses: QB Terrelle Pryor, LB Brian Rolle
Key Returnees: C Mike Brewster, DE Nathan Williams
Key Game: October 8 @ Nebraska
Prediction: 10-2 (Capital One Bowl)
So, we are halfway through the list. Any questions or concerns? If so, my answer will be "turkey."
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