The last NCAA football game I attended in person was November 10, 2007. It was my first at the Shoe, and will probably be my last. The 10-0 Buckeyes were #1 in the country and they...were...rolling. They had won only one game by less than 16 points and were heavy favorites against the visiting Illinois Fighting Illini.
Final score: Illinois 28, Ohio State 21. My brother and I didn't speak for at least 30 minutes following the conclusion of the game and it required many, many beers to get over it. It was devastating. The Buckeyes still ended up 11-1 and playing for a National Championship, but we all know how that turned out.
Yesterday, my boss mentioned he might have an extra ticket for the Cincinnati Bearcat game this Friday...
The 10-0 Bearcats...
At Home...
Against the Illinois Fighting Illini...
At Nippert Stadium, a stadium I haven't been to since my senior year at UC in 2003.
Superstitious as I am, I am going to have to decline that very generous offer in best football year in Cincinnati history.
There are some key differences. The 2007 Illini were 7-3 going into the Shoe. This team is 3-7 and not exactly on the up and up. The 2007 Juice Williams was crazy quick and elusive. Juice 2009...not so much. 6 TD's, 5 Ints and not lighting it up on the ground. Obviously this is a non-conference game and these Bearcats are probably not playing for a national championship even if they go 12-0. The Buckeyes may have been looking ahead to Ann Arbor...This could be a trap game for Cincy heading to Pitt December 5.
But these Bearcats are good...real good...aren't they? That's what I said in 2007 as I walked to the Shoe.
Is this Deja Vu for Ohio Football? I hope not.
Category: NCAAF
AFC Separation Sunday
I know we are only halfway through the season but there are a few games this weekend that could shape the rest of the season in the AFC.
Ravens/Bengals - Can the Ravens carry over momentum from a big win last week to split the season series with the Bengals or will the Bengals (who as of noon today had still not sold out) put a stranglehold on the division tie-breaker. The winner of this game is probably on their way to a Wild Card birth and the loser is probably golfing in January. I like the Ravens intensity from last week to carry over and win this game by double digits.
Texans/Colts - Undefeated Colts, Payton Manning, at home...Normally it should be no-brainer but the Colts D is beat up and Bob Sanders is done for the year. The Colts squeeked by at home against the 49ers last week and Houston's offense has been ridculous. I like their tandom of Moats/Slayton out of the backfield and believe that Kevin Walter will step up for the injured Owen Daniels in the red zone. I'll take the Texans by 6 in the upset.
Dolphins/Patriots - New England separates themselves from the rest of the AFC east with a win here. They are prone to the big play in the Wildcat formation but things are really coming together for them. Too many holes in Miami's D and Henne is going to struggle against the Patriots in New England. Patriost don't win by as much as they have in their last two games but they win by two touchdowns+.
Steelers/Broncos - Broncos Offense was flat against Baltimore and the Defense showed some holes in the second half. Pittsburg is on Fire winning 4 in a row and coming off a bye with 2 weeks to prepare. This is a big test for McDaniels and the Broncos, but I think they come through in another close one at home. The X-Factor will be Santonio Holmes vs. the Broncos special teams. If they can get their act together - which they will - they will be 7-1. Broncos by 3.
Ravens/Bengals - Can the Ravens carry over momentum from a big win last week to split the season series with the Bengals or will the Bengals (who as of noon today had still not sold out) put a stranglehold on the division tie-breaker. The winner of this game is probably on their way to a Wild Card birth and the loser is probably golfing in January. I like the Ravens intensity from last week to carry over and win this game by double digits.
Texans/Colts - Undefeated Colts, Payton Manning, at home...Normally it should be no-brainer but the Colts D is beat up and Bob Sanders is done for the year. The Colts squeeked by at home against the 49ers last week and Houston's offense has been ridculous. I like their tandom of Moats/Slayton out of the backfield and believe that Kevin Walter will step up for the injured Owen Daniels in the red zone. I'll take the Texans by 6 in the upset.
Dolphins/Patriots - New England separates themselves from the rest of the AFC east with a win here. They are prone to the big play in the Wildcat formation but things are really coming together for them. Too many holes in Miami's D and Henne is going to struggle against the Patriots in New England. Patriost don't win by as much as they have in their last two games but they win by two touchdowns+.
Steelers/Broncos - Broncos Offense was flat against Baltimore and the Defense showed some holes in the second half. Pittsburg is on Fire winning 4 in a row and coming off a bye with 2 weeks to prepare. This is a big test for McDaniels and the Broncos, but I think they come through in another close one at home. The X-Factor will be Santonio Holmes vs. the Broncos special teams. If they can get their act together - which they will - they will be 7-1. Broncos by 3.
Category: NFL
For the Love of Florida
Welcome to my first Blog. Let me start by saying I am hater of teams that win all the time...unless of course they are my teams.
That said, I am going to do my best to be unbiased in my blogs.
The SEC is the best conference in College Football. I disputed it for years, participated in heated debates, made (and lost) wagers, created mathmatical formulas to try to disprove it, and watched Ohio State drop two straight to SEC powerhouses...in a bar full of Big 10 haters.
That said, my question to the 1 or 2 people who will read this...why is everyone so in love with Florida? Yes, they have won 2 of the last 3 national championships. Yes they have Tim Tebow, whom many in Florida (and on ESPN and CBS) are convinced is the second coming. Yes, they have Urban Meyer, who does nothing but win where every he goes. Yes, they have locked down 7 of the top 50 High School Recruits for 2010.
But what have they done this year to prove they are the clear #1 team in the country?
The answer: They've gone undefeated in the SEC...I guess
But let's take a look at their accomplishments...aside from the Brandon Spikes eye-gouging fiasco.
Their schedule to date:
Sep 5 Charleston Southern Won 62-3
Sep 12 Troy Won 56-6
Sep 19 Tennessee Won 23-13
Sep 26 @Kentucky Won 41-7
Oct 10 @LSU Won 13-3
Oct 17 Arkansas Won 23-20
Oct 24 @Mississippi St. Won 29-19
Oct 31 Georgia Won 41-17
They have one quality win, LSU. They have two wins over winning teams, LSU and Troy. Are Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi St., Kentucky and Tennessee under .500 because they are in the SEC? Maybe. But regardless of your conference, if you lose four games at the halfway point, in my opinion, I would not consider you a quality win.
Now for the remaining schedule:
Vanderbilt
South Carolina
FIU
Florida State
One team, South Carolina, has a winning record. FIU and Vandy are pushovers, and Florida State - their rivalry game - hasn't been good for years.
When Florida wins these four games - which they will, easily - they will play either Alabama or LSU for the SEC Championship. And if they win out, I will be the first to say, they are the undesputed #1 team because they went undefeated in the SEC and they deserve to play for the BCS championship. And, because Urban Meyer is a the master at gameplanning when he has 6 weeks to prepare, they will again win the BCS championship. But today, at this point in the season, with six other undefeated teams in the mix, and several one-loss teams with more quality wins...why?
All I am saying is: At this point in the season, why is everyone - the sports writers, the announcers, the coaches who vote in the poll - so in love with the Florida Gators?
That said, I am going to do my best to be unbiased in my blogs.
The SEC is the best conference in College Football. I disputed it for years, participated in heated debates, made (and lost) wagers, created mathmatical formulas to try to disprove it, and watched Ohio State drop two straight to SEC powerhouses...in a bar full of Big 10 haters.
That said, my question to the 1 or 2 people who will read this...why is everyone so in love with Florida? Yes, they have won 2 of the last 3 national championships. Yes they have Tim Tebow, whom many in Florida (and on ESPN and CBS) are convinced is the second coming. Yes, they have Urban Meyer, who does nothing but win where every he goes. Yes, they have locked down 7 of the top 50 High School Recruits for 2010.
But what have they done this year to prove they are the clear #1 team in the country?
The answer: They've gone undefeated in the SEC...I guess
But let's take a look at their accomplishments...aside from the Brandon Spikes eye-gouging fiasco.
Their schedule to date:
Sep 5 Charleston Southern Won 62-3
Sep 12 Troy Won 56-6
Sep 19 Tennessee Won 23-13
Sep 26 @Kentucky Won 41-7
Oct 10 @LSU Won 13-3
Oct 17 Arkansas Won 23-20
Oct 24 @Mississippi St. Won 29-19
Oct 31 Georgia Won 41-17
They have one quality win, LSU. They have two wins over winning teams, LSU and Troy. Are Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi St., Kentucky and Tennessee under .500 because they are in the SEC? Maybe. But regardless of your conference, if you lose four games at the halfway point, in my opinion, I would not consider you a quality win.
Now for the remaining schedule:
Vanderbilt
South Carolina
FIU
Florida State
One team, South Carolina, has a winning record. FIU and Vandy are pushovers, and Florida State - their rivalry game - hasn't been good for years.
When Florida wins these four games - which they will, easily - they will play either Alabama or LSU for the SEC Championship. And if they win out, I will be the first to say, they are the undesputed #1 team because they went undefeated in the SEC and they deserve to play for the BCS championship. And, because Urban Meyer is a the master at gameplanning when he has 6 weeks to prepare, they will again win the BCS championship. But today, at this point in the season, with six other undefeated teams in the mix, and several one-loss teams with more quality wins...why?
All I am saying is: At this point in the season, why is everyone - the sports writers, the announcers, the coaches who vote in the poll - so in love with the Florida Gators?
