Sunday, September 30, 2007

What a weekend

I know I say this every weekend, but it was a great sports weekend. Not so much for some of the teams I follow, but there was plenty to watch.

Even though this is a football blog, let me start with baseball. I've watched closely as the Mets and Padres have tanked their seasons over the last few days. ESPN covers it extensively and asks people to rank the Mets' collapse with other chokes. When I was on people put it at the top, which I find ridiculous, given the other choices.

At least the Padres get a chance at redemption tomorrow (7:30 Eastern on TBS). Likely Cy Young winner Jake Peavy takes the mound in Denver against Josh Fogg. That the Padres are only -145 favorites in this pitching match-up speaks volumes about the direction in which these teams are headed.

Isn't it ironic that Tony Gwynn's son might be responsible for keeping the Pads out of the playoffs?

Okay, back to football, the stated topic of our little blog.

On Friday, River Hill (Clarksville) continued to make their case to be the best team in the Baltimore area by posting a 57-0 win over Hammond (Columbia). They have now outscored their opponents 184-0 in four games. They take on Howard County's only other undefeated team, Wilde Lake (Columbia) this Friday. We'll have a preview of the key players on Thursday.

Michael Campanaro accounted for five TDs on Friday. Read more about this weekend's top performers here.

In the D.C. area, DeMatha rolled St. John's 35-6. Friendly (Fort Washington), likely the state's best team, beat McDonough(Pomfret) 40-0.

Call Saturday what you will —"upset Saturday," "train wreck Saturday" — five of the Top 10 went down. Of the five who did win, only Ohio State did so easily.

It would be easy to attribute several of these upsets to look-ahead games: LSU and Florida and Texas and Oklahoma all face off next week. In Texas' case, I just don't think the Longhorns are that good.

Of all the teams I've watched thus far, I am most impressed by Ohio State, who dominated Minnesota. Their defense is scary good. I'm not sure that Wisconsin will be able to score more than 20 against them.

That may not be enough fr a Wisky win, because the Badgers defense has been scary bad. When Jack Ikegwuonu has missed time, like against the Citadel and saturday's 37-34 close call against Michigan State, they seem incapable of making a stop. They did however come up with big third and fourth down stops against the Spartans.

Ike was suffering from an unidentified illness. The State Journal discusses the D0 here.

Wisconsin is off to Champaign this weekend to take on Illinois, who is really good. I don't know how Ron Zook talked all these kids into attending Illinois, but I expect they'll beat at least one more ranked team this year.

Before we leave the Big 10, I want everyone to see the uniforms the Gophers wore on Saturday by clicking on that link. Looks like they saw the Eagles' ugly challenge and raised.


Leaving the Big Ten behind, how wide open is the Big 12 now? I still feel like Oklahoma is the favorite. Missouri is probably the team to beat in the North, but it appears Colorado and Kansas State have the ability to push them.

In the ACC, how about Maryland's win at Rutgers? Nothing like a total meltdown to inspire you to upset a Top 10 team on the road the following week. I didn't watch a lot of this game, but I think the box score tells the story. Run the ball. Run it some more. 239 yards on the ground! Here's a Post story.


South Florida should request a patent on how to beat West Virginia. Rutgers' loss puts the Bulls in the Big East penthouse, but as Louisville and Rutgers found out last year, it's not always an easy place to stay.

Holy crap! It's midnight. Look for more this week.

--Nate Sandstrom

Friday, September 28, 2007

Lockdown -- Week 4

I bounced back last week going 2-1, but I'm still looking for perfection.

Saturday
Purdue (-21.5) vs. Notre Dame
If you just bet against Notre Dame all year, you could retire by now. I'm coming late to the game, but better late than never. Curtis Painter has a 16/1 TD ratio, and the Irish should allow him to add to his impressive stats.
Purdue 45 Notre Dame 10

Sunday
Over 40 Baltimore/Cleveland. Baltimore has played in games with totals over 40 twice and Cleveland has each week. Plus, the Ravens are banged up. I'm calling for a total of 50.
Cleveland 27 Baltimore 23

Monday
New England (-7.5) at Cincinnati.
The Patriots have been the model of consistency. They have won 38-14, 38-14 and 38-7. The Bengals D has given up 20 points or more in each of their games. Uh-oh. Usually when games look this easy I go the other way, but I think people might just be putting too much stock into the Bengals being at home.
New England 45 Cincinnati 21

Upset Special (10-point or more dog to win)
Indiana (+365/+10.5) at Iowa
This is the second straight week when I would rather pick no upset special, but like I said then, it's a weekly feature.
The fact that the Hoosiers caught the Hawks off-guard last year makes me even more skeptical, but the Hawks have had two narrow losses in a row and I'm hoping their heads are down.
The line has actually moved in Indiana's favor since it opened, so what they hey, here we go on the high payout:
Indiana 24 Iowa 23

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Mark's Week 4 Power Rankings

1. Patriots (1) - What is there to say?
2. Colts (2) - When was the last season they looked mortal in week 3?
3. Cowboys (4) - Somewhere beneath his facelift, Jerry Jones is smiling.
4. Steelers (3) - Didn't move them down so much as I moved the Cowboys up
5. Titans (16) - Madden curse my ass.
6. Ravens (6) - I'm honestly thinking Boller may be the right QB. That tells you how much trouble this team may be in.
7. Packers (9) - Crap. Another season of Favre love.
8. Seahawks (13) - Manilow liked Super Bowl XL
9. Chargers (5) - LT has fewer yards than Najeh Davenport. Get it together.
10. Jaguars (18) - Road win in Denver? We won't have Nate commited just yet.
11. Bears (12) - Let's hope Griese can get them back on track.
12. Texans (10) - The Texans are at # 12. Enough said.
13. Panthers (14) - Thank Smith.
14. Bucs (20) - Garcia is a white, efeminite Vince Young - he just wins
15. Bengals (21)- The poop hits the fans
16. Eagles (23) - Keep the throwbacks.
17. Broncos (8) - Colts 35 Broncos 6
18. Lions (11) - Griese's first test
19. Skins (7) - 1st and goal on the one?
20. Cardinals (17) - The Whiz has some tricks up his sleaves
21. Niners (15) - Truth comes to light when you play a real team
22. Jets (29) - J. E. T. S. ... S. U. C. K.
23. Giants (24) - Maybe if Strahan spent more time filming the opponent instead of his sister in law
24. Browns (25) - Jamal knows the Ravens' weaknesses? We'll see.
25. Vikings (22) - Need a QB
26. Raiders (28) - Culpepper gets the start against Dolphins.
27. Bills (27) - Craig Nall?
28. Saints (19) - Bush's approval rating is an all time low
29. Chiefs (31) - Who is ruining more fantasy teams - LJ or LT?
30. Rams ( )- they suck (we drew a blank)
31. Dolphins (30)- Joey Porter's guarantees are as much a lock as LaLo staying sober*
32. Falcons (32) - Now on the clock...

* Disclaimer - Carolyn helped with these

NFL QB Revenge Weekend

Three NFL quarterbacks will have a chance to get back at the teams that got rid of them this weekend.

None will likely be more motivated than Daunte Culpepper in his return to Miami. Billed as the answer and then the problem in his one season with the 'Phins, it was kind of convenient that McCown got injured before this game to elevate Daunte as the starter. Should be an interesting game, partly because both teams' highly-touted D's have played so poorly. I wouldn't want to touch a line of Miami -4. Pick: Miami 27 Oakland 21.

In Atlanta, fans are wishing that Vick's idiot cousin or whoever it was had been popped for selling drugs a few weeks earlier. Despite his bad rep, Harrington has a passer rating of 90.6 this season.

But Schaub is over 100, and Texans fans for the first time can dream of the playoffs.

Atlanta outyardaged the Panthers by more than 100 last weekend but still lost. This still strikes me as a good spot for Atlanta, but in this matchup, I'll take Houston. Pick: Houston 20 Atlanta 16

Finally, the Browns' Derek Anderson gets another shot at the team who drafted him, even though Jamal Lewis is the one really fired up to get back at the Ravens. The Ravens should have lost on this trip last year. Pick: Cleveland 27 Baltimore 23


Bonus revenge comes in the Pittsburgh-Arizona game. Former Steelers coaches Ken Whisenhunt and the snubbed Russ Grimm will have their Cardinals ready for the Steelers, who have run over all comers thus far. Before the year I marked this down as a Cards win, but I'm less confident now. Hines Ward was listed as doubtful today. Pick: Arizona 23 Pittsburgh 19

--Nate Sandstrom

Worst to First

One of my great childhood sports memories is the 1991 worst-to-first World Series between the Minnesota Twins and Atlanta Braves.

It's not such a special thing in the NFL, especially in the typically putrid NFC.

Each NFC team that finished last in their division last season has started this year in the thick of things.

The Bucs, 'skins and Lions are each 2-1, while Arizona is 1-2, but both their losses are by just three points.

Since the NFC went from three to four divisons in 2002, six teams have gone from last to first the following season -- a rate of 37.5%. Even more interesting, it has happened in the NFC South each year. Atlanta and New Orleans will really be racing for the bottom.

That trend may continue. Of the four teams that finished last in their divisions in 2006, I think the Bucs, who may have their best defense since the Dungy years, have the best chance to win in 2007. I think the others could make a run, but I consider Dallas, Green Bay and Seattle far ahead of them.

--Nate Sandstrom

Does That Make Him Craaaaazy

Maybe it is my analytical English major mindset reading too much into this, but Samari Rolle may be about to pull a Barrett Robbins. Rolle came down with a sudden, undisclosed illness just before Sunday’s matchup against the Cardinals.

According Brian Billick, the medication that Rolle is now on to fight this illness has now caused him to be so lethargic that he has missed three practices and will not be active against the Browns this coming Sunday. It is known that some antidepressants have a lethargic effect. And when the coach uses the word “balance” when describing your medicine, it sounds like a red flag to me. Plus, Billick openly says that to tell anything specific would cause speculation and concern.

Read Billick’s quote for yourself and tell me what you think:

"It's evidently something that he is going to have to monitor for a while. I hesitate to make comparisons because everybody will go, 'Oh, my God, you mean he has ... ' No. But it takes medication, and you have to have the right balance. That's the best I can offer you."

This is pure speculation and I could be way off. However, Billick is known as a media savvy coach who knows what words to use and these words hint to me of some sort of non-traditional illness at the least.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Looking for contributions--

Hello to all the SoBo Football readers. We've been posting for about a month, and it's focused more on lists, rankings and predictions. There are two good reasons for that.

1) Because it's a little less time consuming
2) Because I thought it would generate some debate about what an idiot I am to predict those guys to win or to think these guys are #1.

However, few people have posted comments. Would those of you reading prefer to see more wirtten opinions, analysis or links? Do you want to talk about the popular topics like screaming Ok St. coaches? Or do you get enough of that from sports radio and come here to really read about on-the-field stuff?

I know that we could post more often, and we're working on it. I'm also not in love with the overall design.

Whatever thoughts you have, they are appreaciated — even if you think we suck. Post them here or e-mail us at sobofootball@gmail.com.

--Nate Sandstrom

Consider the Ravens

Reasons to Doubt

1. Billick. This is the coach that literally didn’t believe in two minute drills until last season. There is no reason to believe that he will suddenly start making good play calls or using the clock wisely. He’ll continue to stubbornly stand by players that aren’t getting the job done. Overall, he’s a good coach, but he’s got many tragic flaws to overcome in a serious title run.
2. Age. The team is old. They’re going to have to blow up next season. Injuries have already become an issue. McNair, especially. He looks every bit his 34 years old. However, this is one place where Billick comes in handy. One of his positives is his record of pacing the team and managing the veterans and their bodies.
3. Pittsburgh. I don’t care what anyone says about their opponents. They’re good. They had a down year last year, but at heart this is still the same team that has dominated since Roethlisberger’s arrival (and even before then). This is a watered down league with maybe four truly great teams. Not just any team would roll through these first three opponents. It’s the teams that win when they should and learn how to win convincingly (pay attention, Ravens) that perform down the stretch.
4. Defense. Still dominant, still intimidating. But where are the sacks and interceptions from a year ago? The pressure is about a half second behind where it needs to be. The reason this team is fading in the fourth quarter is b/c they have to play a solid four quarters as opposed to the ridiculous lights out first half with 3 sacks and an interception of last year. The nine sack Pittsburgh game from last year is a perfect example. This defense was built to knock you around and make you quit early, not play four perfect quarters.
5. Offense. If the offense scored touchdowns in the first quarter of the Cardinals game instead of field goals (after 14 play, 7 minute drive) the Cardinals would have been in a huge hole and wouldn’t have been able to come back. Same as the Jets game. The problem isn’t the 4th quarter. IT’S THE 1ST QUARTER! If you allow a team to hang around, it will believe and eventually score. The offense needs to find some long plays that score. Running the ball this well, there should be more effective play action.

Howard County Power Rankings -- Week 3 edition

TronBlaster's Howard County Power Rankings (Week 3 edition)

(Team, W-L, PF-PA, summary, last opopent, next

The elite
1. River Hill 3-0 127-0 The shutout streak reaches three. Campanaro's throwing touchdown passes now. What's he gonna do next? Ride a unicycle across the crossbar? (Last week: beat Glenelg 35-0; This week: Hammond at)
2. Wilde Lake 3-0 97-29 They showed they can even stop the pass against the Stangs. How long til Oct. 5 (when they play RH for the county championship.) (beat Marriotts Ridge 45-12; at Centennial)
3. Atholton 2-1 47-34 Kelechi Odocha is averaging almost 200 yards a game. He'll probably reach 1,000 yards on the season against an immobile Glenelg defense. (beat Howard 17-6; Glenelg at)

Could make the playoffs (Glenelg only cause they're 1A)
4. Reservoir 3-0 110-17 Yet to be challenged, but they can only play the teams on the schedule. I hope none of their players get detention like on Breakfast Club, because they'll face a stiff test Saturday at 1!!! (beat Oakland Mills 42-0; Howard at)
5. Howard 2-1 87-56 Chins up Lions, you played Atholton tough on the road, so you're not docked any slots in these prestigious power rankings (lost to Atholton 6-17; at Reservoir)
6. Glenelg 0-3 17-99 Even though they've had a hellish early schedule, (WL, Ho, RH, A) they've looked bad. Fat, slow and stupid is no way to go through life, sons. (lost to River Hill 0-35; at Atholton)

Could knock someone out of the playoffs
+7 (8). Long Reach 2-1 55-64 Team most likely to unseat Glenelg in the six spot now that Hughes has the 100-win monkey off his back. (beat Centennial 7-6; Mt. Hebron at)

-8 (7). Centennial 0-3 6-71 Scored for the first time this season on the opening kickoff return, then missed the extra point after a 15-yard penalty for celebrating. At least they didn't injure their selves banging their heads against the wall like Gus Frerotte (lost to Long Reach 6-7; Wilde Lake at)
9. Marriotts Ridge 2-1 78-93 They'll be 3-1 after this week, but those big bully teams above will probably still pick on them and shove them around and give them rear admirals (lost to Wilde Lake 12-45; Oakland Mills at)

Just go out there and have fun kids
10. Hammond 1-2 70-61 They looked like the Harlem Globetrotters of football against Hebron. Don't be surprised if they're the first team to crack the end zone on the Hawks. (beat Mt. Hebron 43-7; at River Hill)
11. Mt. Hebron 0-3 31-129 Everyone's teasing the Vikings. Luckily they can still get their revenge on their little brothers, Oakland Mills. (lost to Hammond 7-43; at Long Reach)
12. Oakland Mills 0-3 45-117 The Scorps looked good in the preseason passing tournament, but someone forgot to tell them in the regular season you can just take the ball and run with it. (lost to Reservoir 0-42; at Marriotts Ridge)

NFL Power Rankings Week 4

Okay, I’m drinking the Packer Kool-Aid and putting them #6. I thought they would start 0-4, and still finish 8-8 so they are in great position.

I can’t remember the last time I thought the NFC had five of the league’s 11 best teams. Maybe 1998?

Jacksonville and the Giants make this week’s biggest gains, while Bills continue free fall, down 11 spots.

(Record, Last week)
1. New England (3-0, 1): Scoring 38 points is so routine.
2. Indianapolis (3-0, 2): What happened to those blowouts?
3. Pittsburgh (3-0, 3): Outscored opponents 97-26.
4. Baltimore (2-1, 5): QB Platoon? Does Billick think he’s Spurrier?
5. Dallas (3-0, 9): I’ll stop calling them overrated.
6. Green Bay (3-0, 11): Won seven straight.
7. San Diego (1-2, 4): With their schedule, I expected 1-2.
8. Seattle (2-1, 7): Sticking with them as NFC Champ.
9. Philadelphia (1-2, 12): Should wear blue and gold all the time.
10. Houston (2-1, 10): Need Andre Johnson back.
11. Chicago (1-2, 8): Can’t Devin Hester play QB?
12. Tennessee (2-1, 13): Jeff Fisher, all-time underrated coach.
13. Cincinnati (1-2, 14): Next on chopping block for Pats.
14. Denver (2-1, 6): Needs a run defense.
15. Tampa Bay (2-1, 15): First to worst to first?
16. Jacksonville (1-2, 23): What do you know? Del Rio runs the ball and wins.
17. Carolina (2-1, 20): Will David Carr rewrite his legacy?
18. Washington (2-1, 16): Sunday collapse was the Redskins I know.
19. Detroit (2-1, 17): Nice while it lasted.
20. N.Y. Jets 91-2, 18): Pats' biggest challenger in AFC East. Ha!
21. Arizona (1-2, 21): Leinart takes a step back.
22. San Francisco (2-1, 22): Steelers provide reality check to Niners.
23. Cleveland (1-2, 25): Billick needs Anderson back for even better platoon.
24. N.Y. Giants (1-2, 31): Showed spirit in comeback.
25. New Orleans (0-3, 26): Brees will straighten things out.
26. Kansas City (1-2, 27): Larry Johnson loves checkers.
27. Minnesota (1-2, 24): Hope Dome can stop Favre.
28. Miami (0-3, 29): Once great franchise is just sad.
29. Oakland (1-2, 30): Pseudo-cheating with time outs evens out in the end.
30. Buffalo (0-3, 19): Lee Evans has five catches.
31. St. Louis (0-3, 28): Must be depressing to be Rams fan.
32. Atlanta (0-3, 32): Missed good chance to win.

--Nate Sandstrom

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Heisman Watch — Post-Week 4

Darren McFadden and DeSean Jackson, my top two all year, fall out this week. McFadden keeps racking up yards, but Arkansas keeps losing. Jackson's injured thumb meanwhile seems to be limiting his production to the point where he's falling out of consideration. A big game against Oregon this week could bring him back.

Steve Slaton and Pat White have a chance to make their respective cases in a big time showdown against a top defense in South Florida on Friday.

1. Steve Slaton, RB, West Virginia. 617 yards from scrimmage, 10 TDs and a long highlight reel.
2. Tim Tebow, QB, Florida. 8 TDS in the air, 5 on the ground and a passer rating of 197.96! We'll see if he can keep it up in a tough SEC schedule.
3. Pat White, QB, West Virginia. Completed 18 of 20 passes in route of ECU. Has 6 TDs through the air and on the ground. Passer rating is now 174.82.
4. Jonathan Stewart, RB, Oregon. Defenses don't find anything funny about what he has done to them. Went over 150 for the second straight week against Stanford. In four games has racked up 503 yards for 7.7 ypc and 4 TDs. Chance to raise profile against Cal.
5. Kevin Smith, RB, C. Florida. Continues to rack up yards in the Knights offense. In three games, has posted 490 yards for 5.8 ypc, 7 TDs. May not have strength of schedule to stay up here.

Rising — P.J. Hill, RB, Wisconsin; Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech

Heisman Pundit keeps McFadden on top.

--Nate Sandstrom

Monday, September 24, 2007

Top 25 Rankings, Post-Week 4

LSU's is in my top spot for the first time this year. Not that it really mattes in September. Two wins over teams in my Top 25 give the Tigers the edge. A trio of 4-0 teams also appear in this poll for the first time this year — Cincinnati, Arizona State and Kentucky. Michigan is also getting closer to a return to the poll after beating Penn State who falls out of the Top 25.

1. LSU (4-0). Trying to schedule Atlanta Falcons.
2. Oklahoma (4-0). Will Sooners look past Colorado to Texas? Does it matter?
3. USC (3-0). Ball St. undermines Trojan performance at Lincoln.
4. West Virginia (4-0). Looks for revenge against South Florida on Friday.
5. Florida (4-0). Auburn gave Gators their only loss last year. No repeat this week.
6. Ohio State (4-0). Defense continues to dominate.
7. Oregon (4-0). Broke 50 for the second straight week. Cal is next.
8. Wisconsin (4-0). Keep winning, even if it's ugly.
9. South Carolina (3-1). Must try to avoid hangover versus upstart Miss. St.
10. Texas (4-0). Rice gives Horns the blowout they've been looking for.
11. Rutgers (3-0). Maryland provides first real test this weekend.
12. Georgia (3-1). Big road win at 'Bama.
13. California (4-0). Ready for shootout with Ducks.
14. Clemson (4-0). Davis/Spiller continue to dominate.
15. South Florida (3-0). Will try to prove their D is faster than W.Va's O.
16. Boston College (4-0). Takes on I-AA's top team, UMass, for homecoming this week.
17. Missouri (4-0). Off this week before showdown with Huskers.
18. Alabama(3-1). Needs to refocus as they head to Tallahassee.
19. Miami (3-1). The swagger was back in blowout over A&M.
20. Cincinnati (4-0). Blowouts keep coming for Bearcats.
21. Virginia Tech (3-1). Hokies finally dominate a team, even if it was William&Mary.
22. Arizona State (4-0). Football is back in Tempe.
23. Purdue (4-0). Offense keeps piling up the points.
24. Tennessee (2-2). Needs win vs. Georgia to get back in BCS picture.
25. Kentucky (4-0). # 7 SEC team is #25 in nation.

AP and USA Today posted under comments.
--Nate Sandstrom

Friday, September 21, 2007

Mark's Jessup Lockdown of the Week

Washington (-3.5) vs. NY Giants

The giants are in disarray. As usual. There is no reason to expect a divisional road win out of them. Unless they can manage to rally around a good old pre-game Tiki bashing, they’ll have a long Sunday.

Expect the Redskins to easily shut down the Giants’ running game. With the load clearly on his sore shoulders, Eli will pout and throw poor pass after poor pass, leaving his receivers as target practice for Landry and Taylor. It will be a rout by the third quarter.

Clemson (-7.5) at NC State

Clemson looks focused this year. Cullen is throwing with 72% accuracy. He has 700 yards, ten touchdowns and no picks. The Wolfpack have a strong pass defense. But is that because teams are able to run for over 200 yards against them? Clemson will use the run to set up the pass and pick apart NC State.

Besides that, Clemson has won the past three meetings by an average of eleven points.
Clemson will win in an offensive shootout. 34 – 20.

Lockdown -- Week 3

What a rough weekend Week 2 was. In the nine-man picks league I'm in, I finished with the weekend's top record at 12-12-2.

In this feature, I pulled a big goose egg. That brings my locks of the week down to 2-4, and my upset specials down to 0-2. Playing my picks to win $100 each and a $50 parlay translates into -540.

It's frustrating because I bumped two good picks (FAU +7 and TB +3) in the end for losers UConn and Indy.

Last weekend showed every 'dog has its day, so here's hoping my picks for this weekend get better.

Buffalo (+3) vs. Baylor
Get this one while you still get the field goal, not that I think it will matter. For years the Bison have been doormats in the MAC, but with nearly every starter back from a team that made progress, I like the Bison a lot.

Baylor is 2-1, but their wins come against a I-AA school and a team that lost to a I-AA school.

Buffalo is 1-2, but their losses come at Penn St. and at Rutgers. They actually finished the Penn State game with a slight yardage edge.
The Bison will show up a Big 12 team I expect to be overconfident.

Buffalo 35 Baylor 20

Wake Forest (-3) vs. Maryland
Prior to the Deacs drubbing the Terps in College Park last year, Maryland had covered seven straight in this rivalry. Expect the reversal trend to continue this weekend.

Maryland had a few extra days of prep time after falling to W. Virginia on Thursday. But this seems like a spot for a let down after their annual rivalry game with the 'Neers.

Wake Forest meanwhile is off to a 1-2 start, but they gave BC the toughest fight they've had all year in Boston and easily could've beat Nebraska. Wake QB Skinner is listed as probable this weekend, although they will win even if he doesn't play.

Wake Forest 31 Maryland 17

Pittsburgh (-9) at San Francisco
The Steelers have blown out both their opponents this year, and I expect that trend to continue. The Niners are 2-0 and were labeled a sleeper by so many people they can hardly be called a sleeper. But I don't think they have enough outside of Frank Gore to compete with one of the leagues top teams.

Pittsburgh 27 San Francisco 10

Upset special (+10 or more to win)
Air Force (+400) at BYU
The Falcons have had everything go right. They look to sweep the Mountain West's top three talented teams in the first four weeks of the year Saturday.

They'll need a little luck, as the Cougars should be fired up after stumbling to a 1-2 start. BYU has superior talent and home field advantage.

But I've kind of committed to picking one of these upsets a week, so why not call for luck to remain on the AFA's side. It was between them and New Mexico St. at Aurburn and Oregon St. at Arizona State.

By default: Air Force 34 BYU 31

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Mark's Week 3 Power Rankings

1. Patriots - Mangini may have woken a sleeping giant
2. Colts - Has Peyton ever declined a commercial?
3. Steelers - Say what you want about their opponents - good teams win when they should
4. Cowboys - Beware of the Redskins
5. Chargers - This spot is based on talent. But I just feel like they're missing something they had last year
6. Ravens - The fact that it isn't crazy to think they may lose to the Cardinals says it all
7. Redskins - Good D and a strong running game. It wins.
8. Broncos - Cutler is playing smart.
9. Packers - It makes a huge difference when your QB doesn't throw 3 picks a game
10. Texans - How different this year would be if Vick had been indicted prior to Schaub being traded
11. Lions - They may just start to believe in themselves
12. Bears - Even though he's white, Grossman is still being criticized.
13. Seahawks - They'll find a groove. They're going to get at least 7 home wins
14. Panthers - They'll take this division. But their D needs to improve
15. Niners - This is low for a 2-0 team. They need to find some explosion
16. Titans - They backed up their words (even with a loss) against the Colts
17. Cardinals - Matt Leinart gets a big test this week
18. Jaguars - Barely beating the Falcons? They should be fined a draft pick
19. Saints - I think Drew Brees will eventually find a rhythm. Soon the questions are going to be on Bush
20. Bucs - If it looks like a rat... Jeff Garcia is a winner
21. Bengals - From here down, the league blows at this point.
22. Vikings - Bring in Holcomb and they'll win 3 more games than they would with Jackson (I'm not a racist!)
23. Eagles - Defense is solid, but the offense has done nothing. This team is destined for a tailspin this season. See the 2005 Ravens
24. Giants - How does the defense get pushed around with that talent up front?
25. Browns - Where was that Jamal last year?
26. Rams - At some point Stephen Jackson will fit the billing. Won't he?
27. Bills - If they could have scored a touchdown early, they would have had a shot against the Steelers
28. Raiderrs - At least they're playing exciting games this year.
29. Jets - They just don't have that much elite talent. But Kellen Clemens is the future
30. Dolphins - They traded for Trent Green. We all knew their season was over then
31. Chiefs - Did anyone really believe in Damon Huard?
32. Falcons - Could Michael Vick have made that much of a difference?

Howard County Power Rankings -- Week 3

TronBlaster's Howard County Power Rankings
The elite
1. River Hill 2-0 Outscoring opponents 92-0 so far. When do the playoffs start? (Last week: beat Centennial 44-0; This week: at Glenelg)
2. Wilde Lake 2-0 Won statement game against Atholton, there's clear separation between the county's top three. (beat Atholton 28-10; at Marriotts Ridge)
3. Atholton 1-1 Kelechi Odocha is like Barry Sanders, only more Kelechier (lost to Wilde Lake 10-28; Howard at)

Could make the playoffs
4. Reservoir 2-0 They don't play anyone good until week four, are they paper tigers? (beat Hammond 26-3; at Oakland Mills)
+5 (7). Howard 2-0 Handled Glenelg convincingly on their field, won the Elgard trophy (beat Glenelg 40-10; at Atholton)
-6 (5). Glenelg 0-2 This spot is up for grabs. How far will they slide? Butch Schaffer isn't a sorcerer... (lost to Howard 10-40; River Hill at)

Could knock someone out of the playoffs
-7 (6). Centennial 0-2 Two tough opponents, but they've been outscored 64-0 so far. Big chance to make a fist this week. (lost to River Hill 0-44; at Long Reach)
8. Long Reach 1-1 How much does a win over Oakland Mills mean? This week's grudge match will be telling. (beat Oakland Mills 34-16; Centennial at)
9. Marriotts Ridge 2-0 Uh oh, when do we have to start taking the Stangs seriously? (beat Mt. Hebron 38-24; Wilde Lake at)

Just go out there and have fun kids
10. Hammond 0-2 The best athletes of the county's worst trio of teams (lost to Reservoir 3-26; Mt. Hebron at)
11. Mt. Hebron 0-2 Schultz better start throwing like he's playing arena football, but who will be his Bobby Sippio? (lost to Marriotts Ridge 24-38; at Hammond)
12. Oakland Mills 0-2 They're scoring more points last year, but still leaking them like a sieve. (lost to Long Reach 16-34; Reservoir at)

NFL Power Rankings — Week 3

Two weeks in and the cream definitely appears to be rising to the top. But there's 14 weeks left and many chances for injuries, so we'll see what happens.

(Record, Last week)
1. New England (2-0, 1): On their way to 19-0. Why play the season?
2. Indianapolis (2-0, 3): Showed they can win close ones too.
3. Pittsburgh (2-0, 7): Looking for their weakness.
4. San Diego (1-1, 2): Were beaten by Pats from the first drive.
5. Baltimore (1-1, 5): Defense is still top notch.
6. Denver (2-0, 6): Rather be lucky than good.
7. Seattle (1-1, 8): Hard to move up a team that loses to Arizona. Need to work on handoffs.
8. Chicago (1-1, 9): Why would anybody kick to Devin Hester?
9. Dallas (2-0, 12): How long until Garrett becomes head coach?
10. Houston (2-0, 21): Will drop fast if Andre Johnson is gone too long.
11. Green Bay (2-0, 13): Is it 2007 or 1997?
12. Philadelphia (0-2, 11): Best winless team in football.
13. Tennessee (1-1, 23): Almost jumped to 2-0 division start.
14. Cincinnati (1-1,5): Paging the Bengals defense.
15. Tampa Bay (1-1, 19): Best in the NFC South.
16. Washington (2-0, 20): LBs making huge strides.
17. Detroit (2-0, 24): It’s like the Wayne Fontes winning era.
18. N.Y. Jets (0-2, 18): Nearly rallied for big win.
19. Buffalo (0-2, 10): I though the defenses was supposed to be the problem.
20. Carolina (1-1, 15): Texans provide reality check.
21. Arizona (1-1, 25): Seahawks pulled a Cardinals.
22. San Francisco (2-0, 26): Win this week and I’m a believer.
23. Jacksonville (1-1, 14): Coach, you have Jones-Drew and Taylor.
24. Minnesota (1-1, 22): Adrian Peterson is really good.
25. Cleveland (1-1, 31): Seven points. Fifty-one points. Same old consistent Browns.
26. New Orleans (0-2, 17): At least I didn’t pick them to be a Super Bowl team.
27. Kansas City (0-2, 29): Showed signs of life.
28. St. Louis (0-2, 16): Yuck. I thought this team was good.
29. Miami (0-2, 28): Trent Green will end the QB con…never mind.
30. Oakland (0-2, 30): Won, then lost.
31. N.Y. Giants (0-2, 27): Florida is nice this time of year coach.
32. Atlanta (0-2, 32): Please trade for Brunell.


--Nate Sandstrom

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Heisman Watch — Week 3

I've got a new #1. Even though Arkansas lost, Darren McFadden was a major reason the Hogs rallied back from down 21-0. DeSean Jackson was limited by injury and drops to number two.

Last weeks ranking in parentheses.

1. Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas. (2) Went for 195 yards on the ground and two TDs against 'Bama. He and Felix Jones ran the Tide ragged, although 'Bama eventually rallied in a see-saw game. For the year, McFadden has rushed 346 yards on the ground in two games and has also caught five passes and tossed a 42-yard TD.
McFadden hype site here.
2. DeSean Jackson, WR, Cal. (1) Not much of a stat line against La. Tech as he is nursing a sprained thumb. He has just 112 receiving yards but also two 70-yard plus TDs this year, one on a reverse and another on a punt return. He has the highlight reel to impress voters.
3. Tim Tebow, QB, Florida. (NR) What a difference a 39-point win over Tennesse makes. Everyone has loved Tebow's talent, but look at his numbers! He's completed 73.8 percent of his passes for a rating of 228.76. By the way, he's rushed for 192 yards. If Gators keep winning, Tebow will move up.
4. Steve Slaton, RB, W. Virginia. (3) Slaton sliced through the Maryland defense again last week, posting 137 yards rushing and 2 TDs. That brings his total for the year to an I-A-leading 9 TDs. He shares the ball with the many other players in the 'Neers offense, but you have to consider Slaton threat #1.
5. Kevin Smith, RB, C. Florida. (5) I keep Smith in the dark horse position, even though the Knights upset bid against Texas fell short. Racked up a total of 366 yards and 4 TDs on the ground against N.C. State and the Longhorns. Could really pad the stats when he gets into C-USA schedule.


Click here for ESPN's take. Heisman Pundit also has McFadden on top.

--Nate Sandstrom

Monday, September 17, 2007

Billick Throws Belichick a Bone

Brian Billick hinted today at where he stands on the Pats cheating scandal.

Refering to the Jets' defensive practice of shouting false signals, Billick used the word "illegal" at least three times. Is it any coincidence that the week after the Patriots get caught cheating, Billick accuses the team that caught them of illegal procedures? Doubtful.

Billick's statements give weight to the thought that cheating is prevalent in professional sports and that the real tool in this situation is Eric Mangini. The pereception of Mangini is that he has done what it's taken to get to where he is. And he may have taken it too far by betraying the coach's club that got him the top spot in New York.

Mark Goldman

Top 25 rankings - Week 3

1. Oklahoma (3-0). Who says you can't win with a freshman QB?
2. USC (2-0). Reggie who? Dwayne what? They just reload.
3. LSU (3-0). Just keeps dominating. Big game against the other SC this weekend.
4. West Virginia (3-0). Speed kills.
5. Florida (3-0). At what point do you stop worrying about them losing 9 starters on D.
6. Penn State (3-0). Have lost eight straight to Michigan. Is this their year?
7. Wisconsin (3-0). Can not afford slow starts in Big 10 play.
8. Ohio State (3-0). Laurinaitis leads one of nation's top Ds.
9. S. Carolina (3-0). Mitchell can not turn ball over at LSU.
10. Oregon (3-0). Dominated a strong schedule.
11. Texas (3-0). Regardless of score, they keep winning.
12. Texas A&M (3-0). First road trip of year is at Miami on Thursday.
13. Rutgers (3-0). Dominating bad teams.
14. Georgia (2-1). Good team in better conference.
15. Alabama (3-0). Gritty performance against Arkansas, but lucky to escape.
16. South Florida (2-0). Must avoid looking past UNC to W. Va.
17. Arkansas (1-1). Tough loss for hogs, but they rebounded from early setback last year.
18. Cal (3-0). Most dangerous special teams in the country.
19. Missouri (3-0). How long will Tigers remain under the radar?
20. Clemson (3-0). Still riding FSU win.
21. Boston College (3-0). That's 3-0 in the ACC.
22. Purdue (3-0). Haven't looked this good since 2004. No matter how that ended.
23. Hawaii (3-0). Keep piling on the points.
24. Virginia Tech (3-0). Need a signature win. And offensive line.
25. Air Force (3-0). Wins over Utah and TCU put Falcons in MWC driver's seat.

AP And USA Today polls posted under comments.

--Nate Sandstrom

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Sunday night postings

What a weekend. I saw three games decided in the final 30 seconds last night, then today watched some wild finishes in Detroit and Denver. It was first my Sunday with NFL Ticket at home and it was awesome.

I've got links to a blog for every AFC team under fan sites, and I am just about out of energy. My Top 25 poll is done, but I'm not going to post it until tomorrow morning.

Good night.

--Nate Sandstrom

Saturday, September 15, 2007

"Don't know the words, don't know the words!"

That's the song we always sang at Jack Trice stadium to celebrate Cyclone achievement. There hadn't been much so far this season for formerly 0-2 Iowa State, but that turned around on Saturday.

The Cyclones beat hated rival Iowa 15-13 behind a dominating first half performance. In the second half the Hawks looked superior, but the Cyclones made two big plays when needed.

Christopher Lyle blocked an Iowa field goal attempt in the fourth quarter, and Bret Meyer connected on a pass to back-up QB Phillip Bates to set up the game-winning kick.

When Meyer threw that pass I was like "no-no-no-no-yes!" The Cyclones almost snatched defeat from the jaws of victory by kicking it deep with 1 second left. Iowa returned the ball to the ISU 25 before the kick returner was tackled.

Hear post-game audio and more here.

The biggest shocker of the day for me was the hurting Utah put on UCLA.

I only watched portions of this game, but UCLA looked bad.

After the ISU win, I mostly watched Ohio State dominate Washington. The Huskies actually led this game at half and looked good on their first drive of the second half. But after driving deep into Buckeye territory, Ohio State sacked Washington QB Jake Locker three straight downs and then blocked a field goal attempt.

Momentum swung and Locker was not the same the rest of the day.

Florida showed a lot with a 39-point demolition of Tennessee. I watched almost none of this game, but I'll definitely be moving the Gators up on my ballot on Monday.

More on the night games tomorrow.

--Nate Sandstrom

Early games

Why have instant replay when you still don't make the right call? That's what happened in today's Temple-UConn game.

On 4th & 7 at the UConn 15(ish) and trailing 22-17 with about 40 seconds left, Temple ran a reverse with a pass option. The receiver tossed it into the end zone. A Connecticut defender tipped it away — to a Temple receiver who appeared to drag one foot in the back of the end zone for the game winning TD.

The ref ruled it incomplete. It was reviewed. The official said the call stands, with no explanation (i.e. did not have control).

Poor Temple. Even though it would have added embarrassment to me on how wrong my UConn lock of the week was, it would have been a rousing win.

Om other early action, UVa. stopped a two-point conversion attempt by UNC to hold on to a 22-20 win. Pitt converted on a 4th & 18, but still came up short at Michigan St., 17-13. Citadel played close to Wisconsin, who lost All-American corner Jack Ikegwuonu in the game's first minute.

I mostly watched the Wisconsin game, they may be in trouble if Ike's injury is serious. Citadel moved the ball pretty much at will in the first half. The Badgers rallied in the second half, but for the third time this year, I was underwhelmed with their results.

At the same time, they seemed to be trying a lot of different things, including an odd play on a 3rd and 1 in which they split out P.J. Hill and Donovan tried to sneak it in. It didn't work, they got a false start on the next play and had to settle for a FG.

Hill tied a school record with 5 TDs. Brian Calhoun did it at Illinois in 2005, a game I was at.

Their next game is against Iowa, who got dominated by Iowa State in the first half. They've come out on fire in the second half, but we'll see if they dug themselves in too deep a hole.

More updates after the 3:30 game.

--Nate Sandstrom

Know what sucks?

The Sun's coverage of high school football. Two game stories? Hire some stringers. This is how the last paper I worked at does it.

But it's all I got.

River Hill rolled on with a 44-0 win at Centennial. Campanaro scored three TDs for the second straight week, including an 86-yard punt return. See highlights of his first game here.

Also in Howard County, Wilde Lake took a firm hold as HoCo's #2 team with a 28-10 win over Atholton. No mention of likely future Terrapin Cody Blue in the Post story.

Expect more from TronBlaster later this week.

Here's the Washington Post's Top 20 results.

The biggest game of the weekend is actually today, when Friendly, the fastest team in the state, takes on Forrestville.

--Nate Sandstrom

Friday, September 14, 2007

Lockdown -- Week 2

Well, my locks of the week only went 2-1 last weekend, and even though I hit the Cowboys for a win, I defnitely had the tone of the game wrong. My upset special (10 point or more dog I think will win outright), N.C. State also fell flat after taking an early lead.

Fifty percent won't take you far, but I'll bounce back.

Saturday
Connecticut (-29.5) vs. Temple. The Owls put up a good show against Navy in their opener, but were then runover by Buffalo last weekend. Connecticut is not messing around with weaker teams, beating Duke by 31 and Maine by 38. Expect the Huskies to run up the score again on Saturday.

--Connecticut 48 Temple 7

Louisville (-5.5) at Kentucky. Kentucky QB Dre Woodson has the hype behind him, and the Louisville D is under fire after giving up 42 to Middle Tennessee. The 'ville has also dropped from a -6.5 fav since opening and the 'Cats are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 home games.

But I think the Cardinals will be fired up by the criticism, as if the in-state rivalry wasn't enough. They've won the last four meetings between these schools. Also, note that despite beating Kent St. by 36, the Wildcats only outyardaged them by 31.

--Louisville 45 Kentucky 27

Sunday
Indianapolis (-7.5) at Tennessee. Titans won last meeting, but Colts won previous 7. I expect another big showing. Peyton Manning will probably have a little more success against Tennessee's secondary than David Garrard.

--Indianapolis 31 Tennessee 13


Upset Special
Buffalo (+10/+370) at Pittsburgh. Steelers have covered the last eight meetings of this series. Are the Bills due?

I expect many teams to do to the Browns what Pittsburgh did this week. Super Bowl talk is back in the Steel City and I think they may be looking past the Bills. Hines Ward seems to be more worried about the Patriots videotaping his team than the Bills D.

Buffalo came close to knocking off Denver and I think they will pull the upset this week.

--Buffalo 23 Pittsburgh 20

--Nate Sandstrom

Thursday, September 13, 2007

High School-Week 2 Poll

I've got a new contributing writer, who, at least for now, will go by the moniker TronBlaster. Tron will be picking up much of the high school beat because of his expertise, although I will continue to provide links and comments on Saturdays.

As his introduction, he has provided his rankings of public Howard County high school teams,

--Nate Sandstrom

TronBlaster's Howard County Power Rankings
1. River Hill 1-0 Michael Campanaro + Zach Martin = Trouble
2. Wilde Lake 1-0 A better quarterback gives Wilde Lake the edge over Atholton, but this will be decided on the field Friday night
3. Atholton 1-0 Kelichi Odocha is no joke
4. Reservoir 1-0 Ready for prime time, looked very impressive against Long Reach
5. Glenelg 0-1 Butch Schaffer tried to tell everyone, Glenelg is down this season
6. Centennial 0-1 Struggling to rebuild as well, but a good coaching staff will keep them from plummeting
7. Howard 1-0 Winning a shoot out over Oakland Mills doesn't prove much, but they've got some good players
8. Long Reach 0-1 Exposed by Reservoir, Long Reach is in for a long season
9. Marriotts Ridge 1-0 Still a little undersized, but Seker is one of the best passers in the league, and he's got some good targets
10. Hammond 0-1 They've got some studs in skill positions, so I can't explain their loss to MR, unless MR is just that good...
11. Mt. Hebron 0-1 Hard to glean anything from a 48-0 shutout to River Hill
12. Oakland Mills 0-1 They're better this season, but can they get out of the basement?

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Taking your team seriously

At Wisconsin games, fans chant "asshole" at teams wearing the opposing team's gear. But a guy in Oklahoma took things way too far last summer, according to an AP report.

Basically, a guy wearing a Texas Longhorns T-shirt in an Oklahoma City bar was "nearly castrated" by a 53-year-old church deacon who is a Sooner fan.

An excerpt:
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — To some Oklahoma football fans, there are things that just aren't done in the heart of Sooner Nation, and one of them is to walk into a bar wearing a Texas Longhorns T-shirt.

That's exactly what touched off a bloody skirmish that left a Texas-shirt-wearing fan nearly castrated and an Oklahoma fan facing aggravated assault charges that could put him in prison for up to five years.

The shocking case has set off a raging debate in this football-crazed region about the extreme passions behind a bitter rivalry. Some legal observers have even questioned whether this case could ever truly have an impartial jury.

"I've actually heard callers on talk radio say that this guy deserved what he got for wearing a Texas T-shirt into a bar in the middle of Sooner country," said Irven Box, an attorney in this city 20 miles from Oklahoma's campus in Norman.

According to police, 32-year-old Texas fan Brian Christopher Thomas walked into Henry Hudson's Pub on June 17 wearing a Longhorns T-shirt and quickly became the focus of football "trash talk" from another regular, 53-year-old Oklahoma fan Allen Michael Beckett.

Thomas told police that when he decided to leave and went to the bar to pay his tab, Beckett grabbed him in the crotch, pulled him to the ground and wouldn't let go, even as bar patrons tried to break it up. When the two men were separated, Thomas looked down and realized the extent of his injuries.

"He could see both of his testicles hanging on the outside of his body," said Thomas' attorney, Carl Hughes. "He was wearing a pair of white shorts, which made it that much worse."


Wow! That may be one of the most disgusting things I've ever heard.

Next time you go to Oklahoma...er, just don't go. Who knows what a nun might think of that hat on your head?

--Nate Sandstrom

Videogate

In sports, I've always subscribed, to an extent, to the theory that "if you ain't cheating, you ain't trying."

That's why I didn't expect the accusation about the Patriots using video to the steal the Jets' defensive signals on Sunday to become such a controversy.

Belechick today apologized, though he didn't really say for what, in a statement and the NFL is now considering a penalty.

Over the course of the news cycle, several more football teams have piled on with accusations, including the Packers, Steelers and Jags,

Additionally, more commentators than I care to link to are striking up moral indignation.

I'm no Pats fan. But if all these teams knew New England was stealing their signs, why didn't they do a better job disguising their calls? You ever see those guys in baseball on the third base line making all the signals? There's a reason their signs are complicated.

Do the cameras question the Pats integrity? Yes. Does it question the team's dynasty? Not to me.

Isn't the rumor that Bobby Thomson was tipped off to the pitch on the "shot heard round the world?" Weren't the two-time AL Champ Indians teams of the late 90s corking their bats? And lots more cheating here.

Teams look for advantages in sports all the time. The Pats got caught and will pay the price, but let's keep their crime in perspective.

The Patriots must be punished. But they're still three-time Super Bowl Champs, and will likely win again this year.

And it won't put a stop to cheating in the NFL, as Mike Freeman writes.

And after this trist, is anyone surprised that the hoody-wearing Belichick cheats on the field?

--Nate Sandstrom

Redskins notes

The Redskins pick up New England cast off Reche Caldwell, and Jon Jansen is officially out for the year, the Post reports.

Also, Marcus Mason was cut to make room for a secondary addition, but is expected to sign with practice squad.

More than a loss

The Ravens lost far more than a football game on Monday night. B.J. Sams is out for the year, Ogden is out indefinitely and McNair's and Ray Lewis' status are uncertain, the Sun reports.

Luckily for Baltimore, the early schedule is soft. Even if neither McNair or Ray play against the Jets, I think the Baltimore D can preserve a win for them.

NFL Power Rankings: Post-Week 2

Mark appears to have been right about me overrating the Jags. The fallout from a week where I posted just an 8-6-2 against the spread.
(Record, Last week)
1. New England (1-0, 1): Randy Moss is trying. Uh-oh.
2. San Diego (1-0, 2): They didn't put up 30, but they did get the win.
3. Indianapolis (1-0, 6): Apparently, the Colts knew what they were doing when they let all those guys go.
4. Baltimore (0-1, 3): Fire Billick and I may move them up a spot. Seriously, anyone ever heard of running the ball inside the 10? Still, they turned the ball over six times on the road and only lost by 7. Personnel shifts this weekend?
5. Cincinnati (1-0, 7): A win is a win. I expect 10 more.
6. Denver (1-0, 5): See a win is a win. Watch for more good things from this much-maligned D.
7. Pittsburgh (1-0, 9): I would've been more impressed if they had played LSU on Sunday.
8. Seattle (1-0, 10): Shaun Alexander starts a new year the best way, a 100-yard day.
9. Chicago (0-1, 8): Defense will win a lot of games, especially in NFC.
10. Buffalo (0-1, 14): Lee Evans didn't do much, but they could've beat Denver.
11. Philadelphia (0-1, 13): Moved to address punt return problem.
12. Dallas (1-0, 16): Offense impressed. Defense? Ugh.
13. Green Bat (1-0, 18): Is Pack back? Few remember they were 8-8 last year.
14. Jacksonville (0-1, 4): 13 carries for Jones-Drew and Taylor. Del Rio should be cut.
15. Carolina (1-0, 21): Let the hype begin.
16. St. Louis (0-1, 11): I bought into that offense?
17. New Orleans (0-1, 12): Can use the long week.
18. N.Y. Jets (0-1, 15): And they have to play the Patriots again.
19. Tampa Bay (0-1, 17): Everyone loses at Seattle.
20. Washington (1-0, 21): Linebackers looked great.
21. Houston (1-0, 22): Schaub era begins with a win. Doubt it will end that way.
22. Minnesota (1-0, 25): It was the Falcons.
23. Tennessee (1-0, 29): Maybe they do have a defense.http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
24. Detroit (0-1, 27): Trailed Oakland for much of last weeks game.
25. Arizona (0-1, 19): The 49ers are who we thought they were!
26. San Francisco (1-0, 26): I'm not buying last minute home win against Cards.
27. N.Y. Giants (0-1, 30): The first team offense can score, now to see what backups can do.
28. Miami (0-1, 24): Despite ugly performance, almost won.
29. Kansas City (0-1, 23): Can LJ play QB?
30. Oakland (0-1, 28): Vaunted defense torched at end of last week.
31. Cleveland (0-1, 31): Are they worth talking about?
32. Atlanta (0-1, 32): Three-touchdown loss to Minnesota is not going to help you move up.

--Nate Sandstrom

Heisman Watch: Post-Week 2

No change in the top, but I move in some preseason favorites.

Last weeks ranking in parentheses.

1. DeSean Jackson, WR, Cal. (1) Jackson maintains the top spot because he keeps making big plays. Jackson took a reverse 73 yards to the house in Cal's 34-28 win over Colorado St. on Saturday. So far, he has 9 rec for 84 yards and 3 rushes for 99 yards. Expect another dynamite play against La. Tech's siv defense this week.
2. Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas. (2) Can't drop McFadden for a week off. 151 yds rushing for a TD and threw a 42-yd TD against Troy, but big test is this week at 'bama.Check out this site for more McFadden hype.
3. Steve Slaton, RB, West Virginia.(NR) Slaton gets his annual crack at the team that didn't want him on Thursday. Last year against Maryland he rushed for 195 and 2 TDs.Expect his to make the Terps D pay. Here's a Steve Slaton hype site. So far he has racked up 255 yards on the ground and 6 overall TDs
4. Colt Brennan, QB, Hawaii. (NR) The Rainbows could go undefeated this year, but may have lost Saturday without Brennan. In Hawaii's gun-slinging offense, Brennan has posted mind-boggling number, completing 76 percent of his passes for 964 yards and 10 TDs. Should face his toughest opponent yet this Saturday against UNLV.
5. Kevin Smith, RB, C. Florida. (5) 217 yds, 2 TD in upset win over N.C. State two weeks ago, but will have a bigger chance to show his skills against Texas on Saturday.


To see a USA Today poll on the Heisman race, click here, ESPN's take.

--Nate Sandstrom

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Second Top 25 rankings

Well, I picked Oklahoma to win it this year, and after Saturday's blowout over Miami, I'm moving them to the top spot.

1. Oklahoma (2-0)
2. LSU (2-0)
3. USC (1-0)
4. West Virginia (2-0)
5. Louisville (2-0)
6. Wisconsin (2-0)
7. Penn State (2-0)
8. South Carolina (2-0)
9. Texas (2-0)
10. Florida (2-0)
11. UCLA (2-0)
12. Ohio State (2-0)
13. Texas A&M (2-0)
14. Georgia (1-1)
15. Iowa (2-0)
16. South Florida (2-0)
17. Arkansas (1-0)
18. Missouri (2-0)
19. Rutgers (2-0)
20. Nebraska (2-0)
21. Virginia Tech (1-1)
22. California (2-0)
23. Clemson (2-0)
24. Boston College (2-0)
25. Alabama (2-0)

--Nate Sandstrom
I'm putting the other polls under the comments section.

Monday, September 10, 2007

slipping

I wound up being in NYC on Sunday way later than I thought so sorry for no posts. Gotta run again this morning. There's a lot to talk about from the weekend, so I'm leaving this open for any comments

Saturday, September 8, 2007

River Hill — Best of Baltimore?

The River Hill (Clarksville) Hawks, last year's 3A runner-up and the top team in the Baltimore Examiner's high school poll, ran over the Mount Hebron (Ellicott City) Vikings on Friday, 48-0.

Junior Michael Campanaro, who split time at QB and RB last night, led the way with TD runs of 68, 87 and 40 yards. The 40-yarder may have been the most impressive, when Campanaro ran to the right side of the field, then reversed course to the left side of the field breaking past everyone but a safety who he cut right past. It reminded me of Marshall Faulk.

Junior Malek Redd also scored three TDs on the ground, but dropped one through the air that likely would have gone the distance. On defense, he looked much faster than the 4.47 40 time Scout lists for him.

Senior Zach Martin scored the other River Hill TD, but was even more dominant blitzing Hebron QB Ricky Schultz.

River Hill dominated the game in the trenches, and was clearly just much faster than Hebron.

Martin made a couple of impressive passes under pressure, throwing on the run. He also made two nice scrambles to pick up first downs.

But he also overthrew receivers on at least three occasions, one of which went for an INT (and receivers dropped several more passes).

--Nate Sandstrom

Friday, September 7, 2007

Extended Release

The Ravens have officially signed Kyle Boller to a one-year extension.

For the Ravens, the move is wise. There isn't much of a commitment on their behalf. And they get a quality backup. As horrendous as Boller is, this is still the league that is starting Tarvaris Jackson, Joey Harrington, and Charlie Frye.

I'd like to know what Boller is thinking. Is he afraid to test the market? Is he scared of being a starter again? Does he actually think that this town can tolerate him at QB after McNair leaves?

Mark's Locks of the Week

Pittsburgh (-4.5) at Cleveland -
Charlie Frye or Derek Anderson? Would you rather burn or drown? Go blind or deaf? Herpes or genital warts? Crennel can’t even sit on the run as Jamal Lewis historically underperforms against the Steelers. Pittsburgh couldn’t have drawn a better opening match. They’ll storm out of the gates this season. Then again, maybe I’m jaded because I’ve been sleeping in a room that looks like Steely McBeam got drunk and puked all over.

Penn State (-16) vs. Notre Dame -
Notre Dame looked sluggish last week. They'll look even slower this week on the road. Michigan's loss was able to take some of the spotlight off of them, but this was going to be a tough game even before they laid an egg against Georgia Tech. By half time Joe Paterno will be able to start daydreaming about Ovaltine and dominos.

Not such a hot ticket.

Obviously Jacksonville and Minnesota fans are not as excited about their teams as I am. Both faced having their games blacked out in local markets, the (Minneapolis) Star Tribune reports.

Both need to sell more than 1,000 seats by Friday afternoon.

Growing up in Minnesota, I know the Vikings have had this problem before. I'm not as sure about the Jags.

--Nate Sandstrom

Lockdown

Well, I took the lead in my picks pool last week going 7-3 in weekend college football action. Here are my locks for the weekend, one for each day. I am not responsible for your mortgage payment. Picking three favorites doesn't bode well.

Rutgers (-15.5) vs. Navy
Rutgers won at Navy 34-0 last year. Navy only beat Temple 30-19 last week, although they did out-yardage the Owls by 166 yards.
The Scarlet Knights should be focused. This game is sandwiched between Buffalo and Norfolk St.
Rutgers 35 Navy 14

Nebraska (-8) at Wake Forest
Nebraska won 31-3 in ’05 meeting, but game was closer than the score (3 defensive TDs on turnovers) and the drop off from injured Wake QB Riley Skinner to Brett Hodges may not be too much.
But Nebraska looked scary good against Nevada, and the Wake defense against an overrated BC squad? Not so much.
Nebraska 41 Wake Forest 21

Dallas (-6) vs. N.Y. Giants
I think Dallas is the most overrated team in the league. This is how little I think of the Giants.
The last two between have been high-scoring affairs, but I foresee defense playing a bigger role in this game. I don’t know how the Giants are going to move the ball without Tiki, who clearly knows everything.
If it matters, I’m going against a trend of the Giants covering in their last three trips to Dallas.
Dallas 20 N.Y. Giants 6

Upset Special
N.C. State (+14.5) at Boston College
Yes, they lost to C. Florida. Yes, they lost Toney Baker and Anthony Hill for the season. But I love former coaches taking on their old team.
Tom O’Brien returns to Alumni Stadium wearing Wolfpack Red, with a team that edged a much better B.C. team on a 34-yd TD pass with eight seconds left last year.
N.C. State’s rush defense got gouged last week, but running the ball is not exactly the Eagles strength.
N.C. State 27 Boston College 24

--Nate Sandstrom

Thursday, September 6, 2007

Dems, Republicans, monkeys and football

We all know the saying "a trained monkey can do that." The Examiner puts that theory to the test this year by having a monkey pick against local celebrities.

Former Gov. Bob Ehrlich and House Speaker Michael Busch may not agree on slots, but they both picked the Ravens and Skins to win their openers.

--Nate Sandstrom

Better Power Ratings

Mark, Mark, Mark. Actually I don't disagree with your posts that much. I think you've overrated the Cowboys and injury-prone Panthers.


NFL Power ratings — Preseason
(With predicted records)
1. New England (14-2): Too much talent.
2. San Diego (11-5): With all the new coaches, I want to put them lower.
3. Baltimore (10-6): Should petition for a new schedule.
4. Jacksonville (11-5): Byron who? Just hand the ball off.
5. Denver (11-5): Champ and Dre will make it hard to pass against this team.
6. Indianapolis (11-5): Lost a lot from a defense that was already bad.
7. Cincinnati (11-5): Third place schedule is a boost.
8. Chicago (11-5): Finally, an NFC team.
9. Pittsburgh (9-7): Can Mike Tomlin continue the legacy.
10. Seattle (10-6): Bounce-back year in overhyped NFC West.
11. St. Louis (9-7): Offense should be nearly as good as Super Bowl teams.
12. New Orleans (8-8): They were only 10-6 last year, playing a last place sked.
13. Philadelphia (9-7): When will Philly fans start booing McNabb?
14. Buffalo (9-7): I love Lee Evans.
15. New York Jets (8-8): Is Thomas Jones the answer? No.
16. Dallas (8-8): They were bad at the end of last year.
17. Tampa Bay (9-7): Bucs won the division two years ago. Ride that Caddy.
18. Green Bay (8-8): Building a strong defense.
19. Arizona (8-8): Bounce back year for the Edge.
20. Washington (8-8): Can't be as bad as last year.
21. Carolina (7-9): Should lead the league in starters missing games.
22. Houston (6-10): Good thing they didn't draft Reggie Bush!
23. Kansas City (7-9): Expect a year-long QB controversy.
24. Miami (5-11): Could be a playoff contender in the NFC.
25. Minnesota (8-8): Adrian Peterson is that good.
26. San Francisco (6-10): Over-rated! Over-rated! Gore never stays healthy.
27. Detroit (6-10): Where's Charlie Rogers?
28. Oakland (4-12): If the defense can figure out ways to score.....
29. Tennessee (5-11): The Vince Youngs will win a couple games.
30. New York Giants (5-11): Maybe Tiki should coach the team.
31. Cleveland (4-12): Go Charlie Frye!
32. Atlanta (2-14): Bark! Bark! Bark!

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Pro-Boller

The Ravens and Kyle Boller are talking about an extension.

This would be a horrific move for both parties. The only positive would be that it would kill any talk of signing Byron Leftwich.

It's a consensus around the office that the drafting of Boller will go down as the single most major setback in Ravens history. Outside of QB, the Ravens have had one of the most talented rosters in the NFL since we drafted the Shotputter.

Those who don't learn from history...

Mark's Preseason Power Rankings

1. New England: Tom Brady is a golden god
2. San Diego: Nobody could stop LT last year. Can Norv Turner?
3. Colts: Guaranteed playoff spot
4. Bears: Weak conference, weaker division
5. Steelers: I'm officially panicking. But this clip helps me sleep.
6. Ravens: My motto - "It's better to jump ship before it leaves shore than wait until you're out at sea"
7. Saints: Another weak division
8. Bengals: AFC North has three teams in the top ten? Something's gotta break. Probably the Bengals D.
9. Cowboys: Best offseason pickup - someone to hold the kicks
10. Seahawks: Green pants aside
11. Jaguars: Nate's insane
12. Eagles: Perennial Contender
13. Panthers: If Steve Smith is healthy this year, Delhomme can keep Carr on the bench
14. Bills: Good young talent - will suprise a lot of people
15. Rams: When will they get old?
16. Broncos: Trent Green could get 500 yards at RB there
17. Jets: Mangina won't repeat his success this year. Bills take 2nd in the division
18. Packers: Nobody is more fun to watch throwing interceptions than Favre
19. Cardinals: Golden god in training
20. Giants: Eli blows
21. Bucs: I'm not a believer in Garcia
22. Texans: Schaub should be better than Carr
23. Lions: Will be fun to watch
24. Raiders: My boldest pick, but they haven't signed their 1st pick. Does Angelos own this team?
25. Chiefs: Their motto - "Showing Baltimore how to lose to the Colts"
26. Niners: Alex Smith stinks
27. Dolphins: Trent Green runs like my dad
28. Skins: Gibbs' final year. I don't think the Bailey for Portis trade is as regrettable as people are making it out to be
29. Titans: I'm still mad about the USC/Texas game
30. Vikings: Peterson/Taylor is a good combo, but that's all they have
31. Falcons: I'm calling for Chris Redman
32. Browns: Who cares?

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Michigan out of the polls

Should we have expected this? Probably, a lot of teams are 1-0 and Michigan aint one of them.

How is blue nation taking it? mgoblog has turned to reminiscing about all of Michigan's other losses (including my favorite, to Wisconsin) and kittens.

The Ann Arbor News' John Heuser leaves them off his ballot

The Sporting News' Mike DeCourcy says they shouldn't have gotten anyone's vote.

Anyone else think Auburn is overrated? Kansas State had them on the ropes at their house before the wheels fell off and the Tigers scored two late touchdowns.

MajorWager.com however thinks K-State is the team that comes out of the game overrated:
Few gave Kansas State a chance in this game, installing them as 2-touchdown underdogs. Yet they shocked bettors by leading for much of the game before giving up 17 unanswered points in the second half to cruise to a loss. However, the win was due mostly to some serious problems in the Auburn offense, and Kansas State will likely end up overrated in the public eye and a possible go-against team in the coming weeks. While Auburn certainly has problems in on offense, particularly the line, opening as only a touchdown favorite over South Florida seems low. South Florida wasn't particularly impressive against cupcake Elon in their opener, so it looks like Auburn's offensive struggles may be weighted too heavily in this week's lines.


Nonetheless, they're a 7 point favorite at Jim Feist. Give me the Bulls and their strong defense this Saturday. I would go for the homerun with a +235 money line.

I posted the full polls under the comments section of my Top 25 poll.

--Nate

"We suck"

So say those associated with Hilliard Darby High School in Ohio after they were duped by an opposing fan.

A selection:

HILLIARD, Ohio (AP) -- A high school student who tricked football fans from a crosstown rival school into holding up squares of construction paper at a stadium that together spelled out, "We Suck," was suspended for the prank, students said.

Kyle Garchar, a senior at Hilliard Davidson High School in suburban Columbus, said he spent about 20 hours over three days plotting the trick, which was captured on video and posted on the video-sharing Web site YouTube.

Garchar said he was inspired by a similar prank pulled by Yale students in 2004, when Harvard fans were duped into holding up cards with the same message.

At the end of the video, Garchar wryly thanks the 800 parents, staff and alumni from Hillard Darby High School who raised the cards at the start of the third quarter during last Friday's game played at Crew Stadium, home of Columbus' Major League Soccer team.

"It couldn't have been done without you," reads the closing frame of the video, which had been viewed more than 4,400 times by Thursday.


Suspended for a great prank? This kid should be homecoming king.

--Nate

Heisman watch

It's a little silly to start debating the Heisman winner after the first weekend of college football, but it will be a regular feature so I'm going to get in the habit of posting on Tuesdays.

Based on Saturday...
1. DeSean Jackson, WR, Cal. A human highlight reel. 45 receiving yards, a 21 yard run and a 77-yard punt return TD in Cal's revenge game against Tennessee.
2. Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas. 151 yds rushing for a TD and threw a 42-yd TD against Troy.
3. Marlon Lucky, RB, Nebraksa. 233 yds, 2 TD's in a Husker rout over Nevada.
4. Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College. 408 yds and 2 TD in a key win against Wake.
5. Kevin Smith, RB, C. Florida. 217 yds, 2 TD in upset win over N.C. State.

Once teams like Louisville and Florida start playing real teams, expect Tim Tebow, Brian Brohm and others to show up.

--Nate

First Top 25 Poll

Did Florida State look awful last night or what? I see they almost came back, I fell asleep.

Here's my first Top 25 rankings, a day late because of the Labor Day games.

1. USC (1-0)
2. Oklahoma (1-0)
3. LSU (1-0)
4. Wisconsin (1-0)
5. Louisville (1-0)
6. West Virginia (1-0)
7. Penn State (1-0)
8. Virginia Tech (1-0)
9. South Carolina (1-0)
10. Georgia (1-0)
11. Texas A&M (1-0)
12. UCLA (1-0)
13. Ohio State (1-0)
14. Texas (1-0)
15. Florida (1-0)
16. Iowa (1-0)
17. Arkansas (1-0)
18. Missouri (1-0)
19. South Florida (1-0)
20. Hawaii (1-0)
21. Nebraska (1-0)
22. Rutgers (1-0)
23. California (1-0)
24. Clemson (1-0)
25. TCU (1-0)

--Nate

Monday, September 3, 2007

College football wrapup

By this point, everyone is I'm sure sick of talking about Appalachian State beating Michigan.... but how awesome was that?

I think the win was good for college football and shows the gains that the I-AA (I'm not getting into this FCS/FBS crap) teams are making.

To (deservedly) less fanfare, I-AA Nicholls State topped I-A Rice, a bowl team last year, 16-14. Expect Northern Iowa to give the Big 12's Iowa State all they can handle next week. Last year they lost to ISU by 1.

That said, Ohio State pounded Youngstown State and Alabama whipped W. Carolina.

This is exactly why I don't want a college football playoff. This game takes on far more significance because it has effectively ended Michigan's chance of a national title.

The Sun-Times's Herb Gould, among many others, finds the loss historic. The headline from his weekend wrap-up calls the loss a "permanent scar" on the program.

I think we'll see it again sometime in the next 3-4 years.

How about economic impacts? App. St. apparel orders are coming in from Ohio, reports the New York Times.

Elsewhere in college football:

**For being the "greatest team ever," USC wasn't overly impressive in their 38-10 win against Idaho.

**After a disastrous start to last season (19-10 loss to Montana State), Colorado starts out with a comeback win over Colorado State. Woody Paige sees improvement.

**Speaking of comeback seasons, Miami is trying to forget last year's 7-6 disaster. Randy Shannon's club gets off to a good start, but Oklahoma looms next week.

**Oklahoma, who I have predicted to be this year's national champ, could have scored 100 Saturday against North Texas. I watched a small amount of this game, but wound up focusing my viewing on Cal-Tennessee.

**DeSean Jackson is sick.If you didn't see his punt return TD, go to YouTube and look up "DeSean Jackson" and Tennessee.

**It appears that under new coach Tim Brewster, Minnesota will avoid record-breaking collapses by falling behind right away.

I'll post my Top 25 after tonight's FSU-Clemson game.


---Nate

(A lack of) High School Football on Labor Day weekend

I've had the rerun of DeMatha (Hyattsville)-St. Xavier (Ohio) on in the background this afternoon, and it seems St. X had few problems moving the ball.

Nonetheless, they remained on top of MDVarsity.com's private school rankings released today. There were few other games to speak of.

My alma mater, Cedar Falls (Iowa) High School, topped Dubuque (Iowa) Senior 34-7 on Thursday.

I promise high school coverage will get better as the year goes on.


--Nate

On Wisconsin

On Wisconsin! On Wisconsin!

I haven't posted all weekend because I was in Wisconsin for the Wisconsin-Washington State game on Saturday. Wisconsin won 42-21 and could've put in another TD at garbage time if they wanted. Despite that, Washington St. RB Dwight Tardy frequently rushed past pursuit and long-shot Heisman candidate RB P.J. Hill struggled, at least for him. Lance Smith ran well in the second half.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that Coach Bielema also sees room to grow.

I give WR Luke Swan Badger of the game, although QB Tyler Donovan won co-Big 10 Player of the Week.

Tailgating lived up to expectations, as I enjoyed a delicious brat.

Elsewhere ... about the only two stories covered from the past college football weekend were Michigan getting upset (big story) and Notre Dame getting whupped (less than surprising). I'll hit other college football notes later today.

Saturday, September 1, 2007

Renaissance Man

Ladies, Will Demps is now a free agent. His time in New York was short-lived. But don't cry for him. He is now free to pursue his true dream - modeling boxer briefs.

Leftwich Left Off Roster

The Jaguars plan to release or trade Byron Leftwich, Peter King reports. This move comes as a shock and puts serious questions into Nate's absurd prediction that the Jaguars are going to top the Colts to take the division.

Despite a D-Line that includes a giant man-eater, the Jags are still helmed by a graduate of the Paul Bunyan Coaching School, whose decisions - including bringing a battle axe into the locker room - will always prevent them from taking the next step toward becoming a serious title contender.

The timing of the move is questionable. The Jags have no leverage in a trade on the eve of the season. They may claim that they wanted to give Leftwich one last chance to claim the team, but the way the QB situation was handled last year gives me reason to believe they haven't had faith in Leftwich for some time.

I applaud them for having the nerve to cut bait with their first round draft pick - a move most franchises are unwilling to make. I just would have liked to see them make more out of it. They most likely could have pulled a mid-round draft pick from the Raiders before they picked up Culpepper.

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