Oregon and Ohio St. Try to dethrone the Crimson Tide

Another college football season is upon us and the only question anyone wants to know is if someone can stop the SEC from winning another title?  Alabama has won the last two and are loaded to do it again.  They have the best leader in the game in Nick Saban. They have the veteran quarterback on offense and defense. They have a dynamic player in T.Y.  and  more top players sitting on the bench than the dream team.  They have a tough opener against Virginia Tech, but they are chomping at the bit to play Texas A&M on September 14th. If they get through those games, the annual tilt with LSU and Georgia could determine their fates. No one expects them to be tested. This is the SEC though. Texas A&M showed them that last year. The SEC is loaded. South Carolina is good.  Florida is quietly lurking in the swamp. Georgia has top five talent. L.S.U. does too. The story though is A&M and quarterback Johnny Manziel.  Manziel is being investigated for receiving improper benefits from signing autographs. He is the reigning He is an trophy winner. He has had the off season for ages. Court side seats at Heat games. Appearances at other sporting events, concerts, talk shows, other universities have made every either love him or hate him. He should be suspended if he did something wrong. We will save my thoughts on him till later.  If he plays all season the aggies will be a formidable opponent.  The SEC is ready for war. Let's see who can challenge them.
Every year I say that the Pac-12 conference has the team to dethrone the SEC and it never comes to fruition. USC every year has as much talent as anyone in the nation and just can't seem to get out of their own way. Stanford is the most physical team in the conference but every year loses or play down to a team like San Jose st and falls out of title picture. UCLA has a real good quarterback in Hundley but can they handle being the kings of L.A.? So that leaves only one team. Oregon. Oregon has a dynamic duo in Mariota and Thomas. They will score 500 points but can they stop anyone? Stanford punched them in the mouth last year and showed them the meaning of toughness. They have a favorable schedule. They have the speed to run with Alabama. Do they have the heart? A new coach may be what the doctor ordered.
The ACC has Five good teams that won't back down from a fight. Clemson has been underachieving over the last two seasons. They can play with anyone. Boyd and Watkins are a combo worth watching. They open with Georgia. This will make or break their season. A close win or loss may give them the confidence to go all the way. A blowout loss will crush them. FSU is starting a super phenom freshman so there will be great highs and lows. Virginia Tech has a NFL ready quarterback in Thomas. He had to play like one. Opening against Alabama will show far he has come. The Hokies want to be back on national stage. Miami has to get back to dominant defense days. If they can they have weapons on offense who can do damage. North Carolina has NFL quality on defense. The question is can they score enough to compete. South Carolina on opening night will answer some questions.  The ACC is taking on the big dogs to start the year. If they come out unscathed then we're mash have a something here. No one expects them to win a single game. I think Clemson will. Tech won't lie down for Alabama.
The big 12 has Oklahoma and revitalized Texas program. K-state shocked everyone last year. Coach Snyder is a living legend. Oklahoma St. Always finds a quarterback and a receiver that lights up the scoreboard. Can anyone in this conference play defense? Oklahoma and Texas used to win with balanced attacks on both offense and defense. A showdown with Notre Dame  will put them back on the map with a win. A down year for this conference.
The big east is all about Louisville. Teddy Bridgewater has the burden of carrying a conference that just simply does not have enough quality teams.  Louisville will be favored in every game by 10 points or more. They may unbeaten and not play in the title game. That's a shame...
The big ten is loaded and angry. Everyone picks on this conference because every year they have quality teams who get embarrassed in big national games. Ohio st. Is the pick to play for the title. They went unbeaten last year and a ton of people returned this year. Braxton Miller is the best player on the team and will win the He is an if they go undefeated. He is that good. No team in the big ten has as much talent returning like Ohio st. Michigan on offenses will be explosive, defensively they have a lot of new faces and unpredictable. Michigan st. Always finds a way to shoot itself in the foot. They will find a running attack but the quarterback position is a weakness. They play good defense. Penn st. Is still one big signing year away from getting back to the top. Nebraska is trying to erase the memory of the championship game. Wisconsin knows who they are and have the team to sneak up and bite someone.  The Buckeyes should rule this conference.
Notre Dame had a lot of success last year. They beat you with defense one week. They beat you with ball control the next. Not having Golston will hurt them. Tommy Rees is a backup. Their defense is great on the defensive line. They have a brutal schedule as they do every year. Revenge is on the minds of Stanford,USC and Michigan. Should be fascinating.
Overall there are four teams that can challenge the SEC for the title. Ohio st. Must be solid on defense or they won't have chance. Stanford needs to find a play maker on offense who is a security blanket for the quarterback. Oregon has to stop someone and not turn the ball over playing too fast. Clemson has to compete for four quarters and BELIEVE they belong at the adult table. I think Ohio st. Will get it done.... The south has risen again, but it is time for the rest of the country to step up and be heard..

My favorite month of the year is September..

September 1st is New Years day to me.  I feel like the fall months of the calendar year is a time for rejuvenation and rebirth.  Enough of that nonsense, the reason why I love September is that College football and pro football commence, MLB pennant races heat up, U.S. Open tennis, and usually there is a great fight to watch.  The Nascar season winds down as the NHL gets started.  I cannot get enough of sports as you all know and if I had multiple televisons where i stay I would have a game on every channel. This September is no exception.  The college football season got off to a crazy start with blowouts, shocking results and Alabama showing us what a defending champ is supposed to do ona neutral field.  USC won as well and they really need to get to the title game and save college football.  We cannot have a seventh year in a row with a champion coming from the same conference..  It hurts college football because there is no growth in the game.  USC plays a completely different style of football than most of the SEC teams and their style of football translates better at the professional level.  Every year we keep hearing about pro teams wanting quarterbacks who can run and throw but at the end of each season, the Super bowl champ has quarterback that is pocket passer who can read coverages and pick defenses apart.  In fact only Steve Young and Aaron Rodgers who could also pocket pass well, have won super bowls.  Both of those qb's run well and could move out of the pocket.  Big Ben moves well in the pocket but he is not considered a running quarterback.  If you look at SEC football most of the teams run a a form of the Florida Gator offense from the shotgun and depend on their quarterbacks to either run or pass.  Geogia and Alabama this year have gone back to a little more traditional offense so they may be the exception.  Most of the nation runs that Florida offense.  The big difference between the SEC and the rest of the nation is the physical play on the defensive line.  When you dont have a fullback to help you block because you are in the shotgun single back set, your plays get blown up in the backfield.  Michigan could not get out of the backfield. Alabama and LSU make you play physical football and most schools do not have the schemes to handle these behemoths one on one.  So I am rooting harder than i ever to try to get a USC vs. SEC champ title game. Oklahoma showed me nothing on Saturday against UTEP.
The NFL starts with the Cowboys and Giants on Wedsnesday and the Cowboys are banged up and really don't know what to expect.  This season will either be a coming out party for new eleite teams or the same stuff different day.  I like Houston alot.  They have a soft schedule and a team that has a lot build on.  Foster, Johnson, Schaub,Daniels have to stay healthy on offense.  Wade Phillips has a fast defense who are hungry for a title.  The Patriots have the easiest schedule and would crave another shot at the Giants to give Brady his 4th ring.  The NFC is loaded.  At least 6 teams have the ability to win the title.  Packers, Giants, Niners, Saints, Eagles, Falcons, Bears, Lions, Cowboys can win in anyone's stadiums at any time if healthy. Should a wacky season.
The pennant chase in baseball has just gotten interesting. The Yankees are bailing water off of their ship.  They are so beat up and hope that returning star players like Arod and Andy Pettite will give them the boost to rejuvenate their season.  The Orioles are for real and the Rays have the best pitching. The Angels spent alot of money to get to the post season and succeed.  This series with Oakland will is important because they must take care of head to head games in order to gain ground.  The Tigers and White Sox just played an epic series where the Tigers earned a sweep.  Detroit has the veteran players to get this done based on pitching.  The White sox can hit homeruns but can they play to outscore their opponents or out pitch them?  The National League the intrigue is just as high.  The Dodgers created a Yankee style payroll  to win now.  They lose to too many bad teams though and I dont think they can get it done.  Billingsley was their hottest pitcher and he may be shelved for the season if shot in the arm does not work. Kemp needs to find April's magic and lead this team to the promise land.  Nationals are shutting down Strasburg and seemed poised to stay at top of N.L. east.  Chipper Jones final month as a Brave will make it interesting as the Braves don't want him to go out a loser.  After what happened last year, the Braves are going to make every team earn 27 outs.  The Reds are the real deal and if the game goes to bullpen, the game is over. Chapman is a beast.  Can you imagine facing a guy who throws 105 miles an hour in cold weather? Ouch babe..
U.S. open tennis is in its final week and Serena and Maria are on a collision course. So are Federer and Djokovic. Andy Roddicks surprise retirement announcement has buoyed ratings but tonight could be his demise.  DelPotro hits a big ball and can overpower most opponents.  Andy must serve well and steal a few concentration lapse games from Del Potro in order to advance.  I will blog about Roddick later this week.  Tennis lost Kim Clijsters last week as the young Brit robson showed some flashes of brilliance.  Robson also defeated Li Na.  Also there are two italian women playing in the quarters for the first time at the U.S. open.  Serena is lurking in their quarter if she beat Ivanovic and after winnin 6-0 6-0, in her last match she is driven to reclaim America's prize.
Chad Dawson wants to be a star in boxing, but his fights leave you not wanting to see him fight anymore.  He beat Hopkins in an unspired performance but Hopkins is like 50.  Sergio Martinez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. are about to get it on soon as well and we shall see who is the pound for pound best middleweight is.  Martinez is the gold standard but Chavez, Jr. is unbeaten and has grown up right in front of out eyes.  Also Jones and Machida will be explosive in MMA. I know everyone wanted Jones to fight Sonnen but this fight will have some great moments.
Denny Hamlins win last week gave him four for the season and he wants this title real bad.  The story is whether or not Jeff Gordon or Kyle Busch qualify for the playoffs.  This weekend in Texas will be exciting.  Gordon had the car last week to win but could not catch Hamlin on the last lap after the restart. Busch has had a quiet season. Normally right now he has had a few wins and has ticked off some other drivers.
Did I mention Golf?  The Ryder Cup is in America this time around and Hunter Nahan wants revenge.  Mcilroy is number 1 in the world but Tiger is starting to re discover his form on the weekends.  Yesterdays perfomance on the final will give him a ton to build on as the season ends.  Both are now vying for player of the year honors.  Two events left for the Fedex cup.
I COULD TALK ABOUT MORE..
HOCKEY WILL DIE if THEY LOCKOUT THE PLAYERS...
NOW YOU KNOW WHY I lOVE September?

My final football post of the pre season..

So lets finish the discussion about football before thegames begin in both College and the NFL.  They stories in College are extremely intriguing.  What kind of season will Penn St. have?  They will be the most scrutinized team this year and now the story wont go away.  I blogged how disappointed I was that the school did not fight for their rights, and now the members of the trustees are finally stepping up and in.  It is bad for the school because everyone just wants to sweep the situation under the "football rug". The school is uniting in  all sports  to show that Penn St. has moved forward and cannot control what happens off the field.  The students make the University and hopefull this fall they will represent their families, friends, and themselves with class and dignity.  I feel for the victims, but no one can fix what happened.  Good Luck Penn St.
Another story is several college athletes came back to college for one more year for a chance at a title.  Matt Barkeley would have been a first round pick.  Montee Ball and Landry Jones too. They have the world on their shoulders this season and relish the opportunity to get it done this fall.  Expectations are extremely high at those Universities this fall.   Tyrann Matthieu came back as well but addiction has ruined his college career.  It is tragic and hopefully he will get the help he needs. 
Speaking of the SEC will they win another BCS title?  Georgia, is joining the fray this year as they have the quarterback in Murray to compete with the big boys. If South Carolina can control their turnover problems of years past they will be their as well.  USC, Clemson, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon feel like they have enough to end the run of the SEC.  Florida St. and Virginia Tech always possess potent defenses and good enough players to play with the SEC schools.  I think the reign comes to an end this year.
I think the title game will be USC and Oklahoma. Bama and LSU have a lot of unanswered questions on both sides of the ball.  They are both giving way too many new players an opportunity to be great this year.  Look out next year though..
Denard Robinson will win the Heisman.  He will combine for more than 50 touchdowns this year.  Geno Smith in West Virginia may as well. West Virginia is a sleep team to win the title as well.  they have a sick offense coming back.  They scored 70 points in a bowl game last year and were just in year 1 of learning the offense of the new coaching staff.  I cannot wait to see how it unfolds..
How about teams changing leagues just to make more money and a chance toplay for a title.  Texas A&M in the SEC. Boise St. to the Big East.  Missouri in the SEC. Just to name a few.  Doesn't Pittsburgh, Syracuse move to the ACC soon? How about new coaches at schools?  Charlie Weiss in Kansas? Kevin Sumlin in Texas A&M.  Mike Leach at WSU? Bill Obrien at Penn St.? Urban Meyer at Ohio St.? Who will win more games?  Ohio St. has sanctions coming.  Can Texas rebound from last years meltdown?  Notre Dame is playing the most brutal schedule I have ever seen.  No cupcakes anywhere.  They start the year in Ireland against Navy and then all breaks loose with their schedule. 
In the NFL.. I gave you my predictions of who will win the divisions.  I think New England, Baltimore, Houston, and Denver should prevail in AFC with Pittsburgh and San Diego making the playoffs.  I think that Houston and New England will play for AFC title and Houston will emerge as champion.  Houston has the defense and schedule to be really good this year.  Home field advantage will be their launching pad to the Super Bowl. 
I think Andrew Luck will be AFC rookie of the year and will not disappoint.
The NFC I think that the Niners, Giants, Packers, Saints win divisions.  I think Philly and Chicago get wild cards.  I am wavering on the wild card picks because Atlanta is very good.  Detroit is as well.  I just think Atlanta has the wrong success model.  They keep bringing in the wrong veteran players.  Asante Samuel has been on three teams now in the last five years because he cannot cover like he believes he can.  The Falcons can score with anyone. can they stop anyone? Detroit needs a running game to gurantee that Stafford will be on the field this year for 16 games.  He showed last year that if healthy he can put up huge numbers and be a superstar.  I think that their defense is one year away from greatness but off the field matters will haunt this team.  This team will be great in 2013 mark my word.  Maturity wins titles.  They will be forced to grow up pretty quickly.  The NFC is much better than the AFC this year.  There are more teams that have playoff ability in that conference.  Dallas is better than most AFC teams and will be at home watching the post season.  I already mentioned Atlanta and Detroit.  Carolina is up and coming and Seattle will be a pleasant surprise.  The final two in the NFC will be Green Bay v New Orleans.  New Orleans will become the first team to host the super bowl. 
The referee lockout is a disgrace to the league.  The NFL make 9 billion dollars a year and they do not want give a raise to the men who give the games its integrity? The replacement refs will do a good enough job that wont cause a calamity, but why risk it?  Yes every week we hear the pundits criticzie the refs for blown calls and it repercussions for teams, coaches and players.  I understand that noone is perfect but at least we kindof understand when a ref misses a call. We dont understand when a ref misses a basic rule.  the replacement refs had a game this preseason where they thought the 4 yard line was the end zone line.  They marked a penalty 11 yards that was to be 15 or cannot explain why a call was made to the audience.  They have even faced the wrong way talking to the camera.  I wonder what is going to happen if in week 1 the Niners play Green Bay and blown call gives the game to one team and they lose out on homefield advantage 15 weeks down the road.  A hefty price to pay when the refs are only asking to be compensated because everyone else involved in football is getting raises.  We hope the best even though we know this is going to be ugly..
My super bowl of Houston and New Orleans will be fun to bet on and attend.  The Saints will win and tell the league to kiss their *** when they are praising Sean Payton for organizing such a fine team.  Brees is your M.V.P. .. Let the games begin

Will someone stop the SEC in footbal this year?

The SEC football conference is really full of itself.  Three days of media coverage to hear the "good ol'" boy network talk about their teams and upcoming season was nauseating.  Les Miles, Nick Saban, and Steve Spurrier are paraded around college football like they invented the game.  Yes Alabama and LSU have won championships in recent years  and yes the SEC schools have won the last six titles.  They have every reason to feel like their "s*** doesn't stink".  Who can argue against the achievements of the players in the conference. Cam Newton, Tim Tebow, Mark Ingram all won Heisman trophies in the last six years.  They put the most 1st and second round players in the NFL. They win most bowl games they play in all over the country.  Why not give them the championship now before the season starts?  Why not just have the SEC games be the entire season of college football because no other conference matters?  At the end of the last six seasons at least one SEC coach has come out and stated that without equivocation an SEC team will be playing in the championship game. He has been right and they have not disappointed.  Florida, LSU, Alabama and Auburn have been your champions over the past 6 seasons.  Will it change this year?  Lets see...
I have a feeling this year I will get to see the matchup that I have wanted to see for years.  Don't you find it odd that the upper echelon SEC schools wont play USC? USC is the only school in the BCS era that can put its number and accolades up there with the SEC schools.  Texas and Oklahoma have been great in the BCS era but USC can match any school in the SEC for all they have done.  The last time an SEC school played USC, they were ambushed and embarrased.  Arkansas played USC twice and lost 51-14 and 70 -17.  Both of those Arkansas teams challenged for SEC titles and played in New Years day bowl games.  Before Arkansas did, Auburn welcomed an unknown quarterback named Matt Leinart into Jordan Hare Stadium and got embarrassed.  This year USC returns the most high powered"legal" offense that have had since the Leinart days.  In fact as much as the SEC likes to put Tim Tebow(there's that man again) out there as the greatest college footballer ever people need to remember that Matt Leinart only lost two games in his college career.  A triple overtime game at CAL when his kicker missed a chippy field goal and the greatest college game of the last 25 years in the title tilt against Texas.  Leinart was brlliant in the game.  The SEC teams have feasted on the Big Ten over the BCS era.  The Big Ten has not put up much of a fight against any conference over the BCS era.  Ohio State has taken the whippin' over the past 15 years but at least they can say that they have been in the big game right? The story of college football should be how someone can take down the mighty SEC.  Matt Barkeley of course has to stay healthy and out of trouble off of the field.  His receivers are big and fast and his tight ends can get down the field against any safety or linebacker.  They have what it takes to score on any defense any time and any place.  The schedule is not tough as it usaully is for them to make a run. Most of the "tough" games are at home.  It wont be easy but I am penciling them in as the team to end the SEC's run in BCS title game.
The other teams to watch this year are Oklahoma, Clemson, Florida St. and Michigan.  Michigan gets Alabama in the first game of the season and that game could set the tone for the entire season.Michigan has a lot of players returning from last years team that played in a BCS game and can make people think that this season is the re-introduction of the Big Ten.  If Robinson wins this game he will undoubtedly be the front runner to the Heisman until they lose.  Clemson has the best team coming back on offense that they have had had in years.  Their quarterback Boyd and receiver Watkins are fast and potent.  They have Auburn to start the year.  Last year Clemson defeated Auburn in a epic contest of speed and big plays.  This game could define their entire season.  Oklahoma and Florida St. have the talent to beat anyone.  Both return quarterback who could play on Sundays in the near future.  Florida St. has great receivers back but just suffered a huge setback when one of their main star players was suspended for "knuckleheaded behavior".  I don't understand why college football players get themselves in trouble with the law when every school caters to their needs.  Oklahoma has to regain the defensive form that made them great in the beginning of the BCS era.  Offensively they can score 50 on anyone.
In the end until someone knocks the SEC off its perch atop the BCS we have to suffer listening to their constituents tell us how great they are.  The SEC wins with great defense and power running and no one seems to be able to stop their avalanche.  This year however, I believe there are a few teams ready to take their chances against them.  USC has the offense and physical defense to match up with the SEC anywhere and anytime.  Lets get it on as we look forward to a fun college football season..