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Cubs Preview Part 4: Prospects

2011-03-06T17:28:00.000-06:00

This is the fourth and final installment of my preview and it's on the players that are to come in the near future, as the team is getting older and older. For the first time in what seems like years, the Cubs farm system has players that are going to be able to come up and help them either in the near future or in a couple years down the road. The system was somewhat depleted in the trade for Garza, but the cupboard isn't bare.

Brett Jackson is probably the most well-known of the Cubs prospects. He is an outfield prospect that was the Cubs first round draft pick two years ago and he might be a staple in the Cubs lineup next year, if not even the end of this year. He played in his first full season last year and split time between Single A and Double A. He isn't one to hit for power, but he hits for a decent average and has some speed, swiping 30 bags last year.

With the trade of Chris Archer, Trey McNutt is the teams' top pitching prospect. Like Jackson, McNutt went through Single and Double A last season. In 25 starts between the two levels, he went 10-1 with a 2.48 ERA and held hitters to a .2217 average. He has an impressive K/BB numbers in 132/37.

Josh Vitters has been talked about for what seems like a decade as a replacement for third baseman Aramis Ramirez. One thing that has been a knock on Vitters is his fielding, as he is known for committing errors. His power may not be there yet, but he can hit for average and drives in runs fairly easily. He is coming off of a season-ending broken finger so how he comes back from that could be key.

After McNutt, three other pitchers look like they might be ready to make an impact on the major league level soon: Chris Carpenter, Jay Jackson and Hayden Simpson. While Carpenter has been used mainly as a starter, many think his place in the majors will be in the bullpen. What's nice about Carpenter is that he has about a 2:1 K/BB ratio. Jackson struggled in his first full year at Triple-A, but he has shown that he has the stuff to pitch at a high level. Like many of the Cubs pitchers, he has an impressive K:BB ratio. Simpson was a bit of a shock when the Cubs took him in the first round last year, especially since he was an unknown while pitching at Division-II Southern Arkansas. If he can put up numbers like he did there last year (13-1, 1.81 ERA, 131 K, 35 BB), the pick might not look so bad.

The last two are a couple more outfield prospects the team drafted last season, Reggie Golden and Matt Szczur. Golden finished his high school career with 36 home runs, 156 RBIs and 146 runs. Szczur was persuaded by the Cubs to forego an NFL career and play baseball.

Cubs Preview Part 3: Pitchers

2011-03-06T02:23:00.001-06:00

Now this is where the post gets a little long. I'll of course break it up into starters and bullpen guys to make it easier for everybody. Some of the guys might be fluctuating between the two so let's do this!

Rotation

The Cubs have a solid top three in Matt Garza, Ryan Dempster and Carlos Zambrano. After a club-record six consecutive Opening Day starts, Zambrano is not slated to be the Opening Day starter, Dempster is. And with his performance over the last three years, he has earned it. Three years ago, the Cubs made Dempster a starting pitcher for the second time in his career. Between the 2004-2007 seasons, Dempster was used primarily as a reliever, saving over 24 games three years in a row. Despite his 15-12 record a season ago, it is easy to say that he was the most consistent pitcher the team had the entire season. His 208 strikeouts were good for seventh overall in the National League. If the Cubs can continue to get 4.8 runs or more per game in Dempster's games, that win total can climb even higher.

The Cubs are hoping that Carlos Zambrano's days of angry tirades are behind him. If that is true, that has yet to be seen, but if he resembles the player that came back from a suspension at the end of last season, he may be the 'Big Z' Cubs fans have been looking for these past couple years. Over the last month and a half of the 2010 season, Zambrano went 8-0, giving up two runs or less in all 11 starts he made. The talent has always been there with Big Z. What has driven everyone crazy though, has been Zambrano's personality. If he is able to control himself, he is capable of great things. But until he can do that for an entire season, he will just be another player who never fulfilled his potential.

Matt Garza came over in a trade with the Rays on January 8th. Garza is a player who has pitched against some of the best players in the game, while in the AL East. In fact, he earned ALCS MVP honors in 2008, a year the Rays went to the World Series. Last season saw Garza put up some of the best numbers of his career, picking up a career-best 15 wins. His 3.91 ERA was the second-lowest in his career (of starting at least 20 games). He also struck out 150 batters. What can be troubling for the Cubs is that he gave up the most home runs in his career, 28, in 2010.

Despite what the incumbent fourth and fifth starters Randy Wells and Carlos Silva may think, they are not guaranteed spots in the 2011 rotation. They are fighting at least three others, Braden Looper, Andrew Cashner and James Russell, for those last two spots. Wells regressed in his sophomore campaign by going 8-14, compared to his 12-10 record his rookie campaign. His ERA went up almost a run and a half too. The Cubs hope that a third-year bounce back is in place. Silva started out the season amazingly. Starting the season 5-0, it looked as if Silva could be a diamond in the rough. Unfortunately, he went 5-6 the rest of the season. He is another hot-head and has already had an incident in the third spring training game where he had an argument with a teammate in the dugout.

Cashner, Looper and Russell are each good enough to be used as swingmen between the lineup and the bullpen. Looper was a life-long reliever until the Cardinals converted him into a starter in 2007 and he has started at least 30 games every year since. He didn't play last season, however. Cashner made his name as a closer in college at TCU, but was drafted to be as a starter by the Cubs. However, when he made his debut with the team last season, he was sent to the bullpen. Because of his power arm, he has the ability to be a top of the rotation guy or a closer.

Bullpen

The 2011 bullpen is highlighted by Carlos Marmol and the return of Kerry Wood. In his first season as a full-time closer, Marmol racked up 38 saves in 43 opportunities. He has some of the nastiest stuff people have seen in the sport and that is something that he has used to his advantage. His 16 K/9 IP is a ridiculous stat. Last season he had 138 strikeouts and also finished with a league-high 70 games finished.

Kerry Wood returns to the Cubs two years years after leaving as a free agent. He split last season, playing with both the Yankees and Indians at some points of the year. Wood returns to a city he has loved since day one and that was highlighted by the lesser deal he took to come back. He comes back as a setup man and the role seems to suit him as he gets older. The Cubs just need him to be a stable force at the back of their bullpen and who knows, if Marmol gets injured or starts to struggle, the team knows they have a player who has excelled in the closer role in the past.

For the first three or four years of Sean Marshall's career, the Cubs saw him as a starter. Unfortunately, he never panned out in that role and has been a key member of the bullpen the last two years. Last year, he was the main setup man for Marmol and that role fit him perfectly. 2010 saw him put up the best numbers of his career, as he had career-lows in ERA (2.65), strikeouts (90), batting average against (.210) and held left-handers to a .196 average.

The rest of the bullpen will be made up of those who don't make the rotation and youngsters. So the bullpen might also include Russell, Cashner, Silva, Wells and Casey Coleman. This is essentially a make it or break it year for Jeff Samardzija, who the Cubs gave a big contract to get him from going to the NFL. He hasn't lived up to expectations thus far.

Cubs Preview Part 2: Outfield

2011-03-03T18:08:00.001-06:00

   The Cubs bring back four outfielders from last year's squad that saw extensive playing time. The fifth outfielder spot is still up for grabs and it looks like it will be a tossup between two or three players, unless Mike Quade keeps six outfielders.

   It'd be very easy to say that Alfonso Soriano hasn't lived up to the eight-year $136 million contract he signed in November of 2006. And those people would be right. It seems like he has had more struggles and more injuries than humanly possible. But unfortunately for Cubs fans, he is still around for three more years. If he is not injured and not struggling at the plate, he has the opportunity to be one of the most feared hitters in the game. Now fielding, that's another issue...The crazy part about Soriano is no matter how many home runs he hits, he struggles to put up big RBI numbers. In fact in all his seasons in the majors, he has gone over 100 RBI just once, in 2005. Not even when he hit a career-high 46 home runs did he get to 100 runs batted in. He has come close numerous times, but hasn't been able to get over the hump.

   Unlike Soriano, who has not played up to his contract, Marlon Byrd, last year's big signee, arguably did more than that last year in his first season as a Cub. While his power numbers dropped slightly, his average rose 10 points. In fact, really the only big difference was the drop in power numbers. Byrd, however, is not looked upon to be one of the teams' big boppers and that will continue so even more this season with Carlos Pena's arrival. What will be interesting to see is if he can build on a year that saw him earn his first All-Star nod. How will working with Victor Conte effect him?

   Kosuke Fukudome enters the fourth and final year of yet another ridiculous contract GM Jim Hendry has handed out. He has had an up-and-down three years so far and that is what has bothered Cubs fans. With such a big contract (4 yrs/$48 mil.) and a great track record in Japan, Fukudome's game suits a player well for a lead-off spot, but his .193 average in that spot has caused managers to flip flop him around. While he had the most home runs he has had a major leaguer (13), his hit, RBI and walk totals were the lowest of his career. And while he doesn't strike out TOO much, he has yet to have a season where he has walked more than he has struck out.

   Fukudome better watch out tho, because if he even starts to struggle, he will lose his starting spot to youngster Tyler Colvin, who can play both corner outfield spots, as well as first base. Colvin had a heck of a rookie season last year, slugging 20 home runs and having a .500 slugging percentage in 358 at-bats. If he doesn't steal the job this year, it is easy to see Colvin grabbing the right field job for the foreseeable future and being a fixture in the Cubs lineup for years to come. He will also most likely serve as a backup to Carlos Pena at first, a position Colvin played in college at Clemson.

   Reed Johnson, a former Cub and Fernando Perez, a player who came over in the Matt Garza trade, will compete for the fifth outfielder spot. This would essentially be Perez's rookie season, as he only played in 41 games with the Rays. Quade has said that Perez is the fastest player in camp. Johnson played for the Cubs in the 2008 and 2009 seasons. He was with the Dodgers last year, where he saw action in 102 games. While never a power hitter, he brings stability to the lineup and the locker room.

Cubs Preview Part 1: Infield

2011-03-02T12:53:00.000-06:00

Well, it's that time of year again ladies and gentlemen. Baseball season is just around the corner and you can just feel spring coming up (well outside of the cold of course). So that means one thing...let's check out how our favorite teams are going to do! For this preview I'm going to break it up into four separate ones: infield, outfield, pitching and prospects.

Catcher: Geovany Soto broke out onto the scene three years ago, when he was named NL Rookie of the Year after having a monster first season as a major league starter. While he hasn't put up those ridiculous numbers since, last season was a step back in that direction after a tough sophomore campaign. He got his average back up to .280 last year. Although his power numbers (17 HR, 53 RBI) haven't gotten back to the levels of his rookie year, the power bats the team has put around him doesn't put the pressure on him to put up huge numbers again. The Cubs have multiple possibilities for Soto's backup, as they added Max Ramirez off waivers this winter. He is added to the already full stable of backstops including Wellington Castillo and Koyie Hill.

First Base: The Cubs signed Carlos Pena to a one-year $10 million contract in the offseason. The team is hoping that Pena has a bounce back year after hitting for only a .196 average last year. Now while Pena has never been one to hit for a great average, his power is something that intrigues teams. In the last four years he has hit 28 or more home runs, including three consecutive years between 31-46. One thing that could scare the team is the lack of a true backup. Tyler Colvin, who is now an outfielder, will be one of the backups, having played the position in college.

Second Base: Second base might be one of the weaker spots on the team, as neither of the candidates for the position (Jeff Baker and Blake DeWitt) jump out at you as a star player. DeWitt looks like he will be the starter and Baker a utility guy who can play three of four infield positions. DeWitt came over in a trade-deadline deal last season and hit .250 in 184 at bats with the Cubs.

Shortstop: With the emergence of Starlin Castro, the shortstop position is set for years to come. Yes, his defense needs some work (27 errors last season), but the possibility to improve is so great, the team is willing to put up with his growing pains. It's so easy to forget that Castro turns just 21 years old this spring. In his first season, 125 games played, he hit .300 with three home runs, 41 runs batted in and 10 stolen bases, all while fluctuating between where he was slotted in the lineup. With his speed, he is more suited to be a top of the lineup type of guy, but what manager Mike Quade does with him should be interesting.

Third base: A familiar face returns to man the hot corner: Aramis Ramirez. He will be hoping to get over injuries that have bugged him in the past and use his strong second half of last season to propel him to a normal Aramis Ramirez season. When healthy, Ramirez has been a feared hitter, who can hit around 30 home runs and well over 100 runs batted in. And outside of last season, his average has hovered around .300 as a Cub. He is the perfect middle of the order player who also can provide some verteran leadership for some of the younger players. However, if the Cubs are to be successful, he is going to have to avoid injuries. If he does, watch out NL.

As you can see, there is quite a lot of talent in the infield this year. Injuries will play a big role, especially with Ramirez. If everyone can stay healthy and Castro doesn't experience a sophomore slump, could be good times.

Ohio State-Penn State

2011-03-01T02:20:00.001-06:00

Ohio State at Penn State

   The Buckeyes can secure at least a share of the conference crown with a 15th straight win over the Nittany Lions on Tuesday night at the Bryce Jordan Center. Although the Buckeyes have won five straight on the road over Penn State and 14 consecutive overall matchups, they have lost their last two games outside of Columbus. Penn State has also knocked off three ranked teams at home this season and if it wasn't for a Jared Sullinger three-point play with 13 seconds left, they would have defeated the Buckeyes in their first meeting.

   After setting the college basketball world afire, Sullinger has slowed down in the past four games, scoring 12 or fewer points in three of the past four. Those 12 points are five below his season average of 17.4. He failed to make a field goal for the first time in his collegiate career Sunday against Indiana. Luckily for Ohio State, Sullinger is not the only big contributor on the team. William Buford (14 ppg, 4 rpg), David Lighty (13 ppg, 4 rpg), Jon Dielbler (11 ppg) and Aaron Craft (7 ppg, 4.6 apg) all play huge roles for the Buckeyes.

    Penn State is looking for a way to build its NCAA Tournament resume and a win against the top-ranked team in the nation would do wonders. The team is led by sensational senior guard Talor Battle, who is putting up 20.5 ppg, 4 rpg and three apg. He has been outstanding at home recently, averaging 24.8 points and shooting 44.4 percent from 3-point range in his last six at the Bryce Jordan Center.

   But like Ohio State and Sullinger, Penn State has multiple options. Jeff Brooks is averaging 13.6 ppg and a team high 6.6 rpg, while David Jackson is putting up 10 ppg and nearly five rpg. Prediction: Penn State keeps it close, but Ohio State wins 70-67

Illinois-Purdue

2011-03-01T02:05:00.000-06:00

Illinois at Purdue

   Once again, this game could be crucial for the Illini's NCAA hopes. A win here over a team that has won six straight and is still in the Big Ten title hunt would be HUGE for Illinois' stock. After coming up with a win over lowly Iowa, Illinois (18-11, 8-8) is looking to win consecutive games for the first time since winning its first three conference games. The Illini win over Iowa on Saturday, snapped a two-game losing streak.

   Demetri McCamey is finally starting to play like the player all Illini fans were envisioning at the beginning of the year. After a disappointing stretch, McCamey has been playing much better recently, averaging 16.5 points the last four games. Over the previous six games, he averaged 8.7 points while shooting 29.3 percent.

   The Boilermakers, on the other hand, have been one of the nation's hottest teams. In that six-game winning streak, some of their wins have been over this Illini squad, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Michigan State.

    JaJuan Johnson had 20 points, a career-high 17 rebounds and seven blocks in their win over the Spartans. Johnson's double-double was his second in four games. He's averaging 20.4 points and 8.1 rebounds this season. As he has been all season, E'Twaun Moore has been his sidekick, pouring in nearly 19 ppg.

   Illinois has lost four straight to Purdue and three of its last four visits to West Lafayette. Purdue is trying to sweep the season series against the Illini for a second straight year. Prediction: Sorry Illini fans, Purdue is just too good. 80-70

Villanova-ND

2011-02-28T01:45:00.000-06:00

Villanova at Notre Dame

Notre Dame (23-5, 12-4) has won nine of its last 10, all of which were Big East games. With a victory Monday, it would secure a double-bye in the conference tournament while staying in the thick of the race for the league title.

The ninth-ranked Irish will try to do so as they look to go undefeated at home for the first time in three years.

Ben Hansbrough leads the Irish in scoring with 18 ppg and averages a team-high foour apg as well. Tim Abromitas is averaging 15 ppg and six rpg. The third Notre Dame in double figures, Carleton Scott, is pouring in 11 ppg and a team-high seven rpg.

Villanova is doing the opposite of what Notre Dame has done. The Wildcats have lost four of their past six games and stumbled down the Big East standings after a strong start, just as it did last season. The Wildcats opened 2009-10 by winning 20 of 21 but lost five of their final nine regular-season games.

Leading scorer Corey Fisher has struggled badly over the past two games, totaling 10 points and shooting 4 of 26. Fisher is averaging 15.5 points, but has been held to 12 or fewer in four of the last five contests. Prediction: Notre Dame 86-77

Marquette-UConn

2011-02-24T00:41:00.000-06:00

Marquette at Connecticut

   It's been a tough week for the Huskies, first losing to Louisville Friday, then this week learning of NCAA sanctions following an investigation of the program since a report by Yahoo! Sports in March 2009 that former team manager Josh Nochimson helped guide recruit Nate Miles to the school, giving him lodging, transportation, meals and representation.

The Huskies will not receive a postseason ban, but the program was hit with scholarship reductions for three academic years, recruiting restrictions, permanent disassociation of a booster and three years probation. They will also be without coach Jim Calhoun this game, as he will be attending the funeral services for his sister-in-law.

   But what the Huskies will really need to focus on is stopping Jimmy Butler, who is averaging 18 ppg and 6 rpg against them in three career games.

   The Golden Eagles may need to improve on their 2-9 mark against AP Top 25 teams to gain an NCAA tournament berth. Six of those losses have been by five or fewer points. Prediction: Huskies win 75-69

Loyola-Valpo

2011-02-24T00:10:00.000-06:00

Loyola at Valparaiso

   This season has been common to recent years for the Ramblers. A hot start gives them confidence and their fans optimism, but then the conference part of the season rolls around and the fire seems to fizzle out as the season goes along.

   The Ramblers started the season 7-0 and looked to have a lot of momentum going into their game against national runner-up Butler. Although the Bulldogs squeaked by, it sent the Ramblers into a bit of a downspiral, as they lost eight of their next 11 games. While their 15-13 record doesn't exactly knock them out of any postseason race, a win here and against Butler (the third and second place teams) would go a long way.

   Geoff McCammon leads four Ramblers in double figures at 14 ppg. Ben Averkamp and Terrance Hill are right behind him at 12 and 11.5 ppg, respectively. Walter Gibler is the other double digit scorer at 10 ppg. Jordan Hicks, who broke his foot for the second time in two years, was averaging 12 ppg before his injury in early December.

   Valparaiso is one of three teams in the Horizon League that has amassed 20 or more victories (Butler and Cleveland State are the others). The thing that has led them to a 20-9 record and 11-5 conference record has been its offense efficiency. The Crusaders are in the top 75 in scoring, averaging over 73 ppg, 21st in assists with 16 apg and 14th in field goal percentage, hitting 48 percent of their shots.

   Brandon Wood leads four Crusaders in double figure scoring, pouring in 17 ppg. He has scored more than 20 points in the teams' last three games. Next are Cory Johnson (14 ppg), Ryan Broekhoff (11 ppg) and Howard Little (10 ppg). What is crazy statistically for Valpo is that those four are also the top rebounders, averaging between 4.2 and 4.8 boards per contest. Little and Broekhoff lead the team at 4.8 rpg a pop.          Prediction: Valpo wins 81-74

Bradley-Illinois State

2011-02-22T16:05:00.000-06:00

Bradley at Illinois State

Unlike recent seasons, this one has been a struggle for the downstate teams. In fact, this is a battle of the last place teams in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Bradley's struggles are somewhat confusing because they returned four of their starters from last season. Senior Andrew Warren is leading the team in scoring with 19 ppg and tied for the team-lead with Jordan Prosser for rebounds with 5.4 rpg. Dodie Dunson is the only other player averaging double digits in scoring, putting in 10 ppg. One positive for the Braves has been that they have won four of their last six games, after losing 11 straight.

Illinois State, on the other hand, lost Osiris Eldridge and Dinma Odiakosa from last year's squad, so it was somewhat expected to struggle, but whether it was this much, it is unknown. The Redbirds have lost 14 of their last 17, including their last six. After being explosive on offense in recent seasons, Illinois State has only one player, Austin Hill who is averaging over 10 ppg and he is only pouring in 10.6 ppg. Prediction: Bradley 67-60

Michigan State-Minnesota

2011-02-22T16:04:00.000-06:00

Michigan State at Minnesota

Talk about battle of the teams on the bubble for an NCAA tournament bid. Minnesota was expected to be at this point, Michigan State was not. The Spartans got a HUGE win Saturday against Illinois and will look to get another one, this time on the road when they face off with the Gophers. Tom Izzo even said himself that "this game (vs. Illinois) was bigger for us than for them. We needed this one." But if they are going to end up getting the win, Kalin Lucas is going to need help. He was the only one with more than nine points in the win vs. the Illini.

Minnesota has lost five of six and this one proves to eb just as vital for their tournament hopes, as it does for the Spartans. Turnovers and shaky shooting have been downfalls for the Gophers and they will need Blake Hoffarber and Trevor Mbakwe to keep up their stellar play. Prediction: Spartans win 80-70

Illinois at Ohio State

2011-02-22T16:03:00.000-06:00

Illinois at Ohio State

After starting the season 24-0, Ohio State has gone on a bit of a rough patch, losing two of their last three, to Wisconsin and Purdue, on the road. It has been the doings of a red-hot guard that has done them in each time. Jordan Taylor did it for Wisconsin and E'Twaun Moore for the Boilermakers. Now Illinois is hoping a third guard (Demetri McCamey? Brandon Paul?) will cause the Buckeyes some more problems as they head into their matchup in Columbus.

I seem to write this every time, but this game is of importance to the Illini, especially after their loss Saturday to Michigan State. They need at least a split in their final four games (OSU, IA, PUR, IND) to pretty much guarantee them a bid. One problem for the Illini has been winning on the road in conference, as they have dropped five of seven of those contests. Prediction: Ohio State wins 77-70

Weekend Predictions

2011-02-17T23:30:00.000-06:00

The following with be a bunch of previews, altho shorter than they usually are. Nobody wants to read ridiculously long posts. Learned that this summer.

Friday

Louisville vs. UConn
   UConn might have turned the corner late in the season with their win against Georgetown. The Huskies will try to get revenge against Louisville, who beat UConn in a crazy double overtime win at the end of January. Kemba Walker has been playing ridiculously, going for 31 pts and 10 assists against the Hoyas. Since that win against Georgetown, Louisville has struggled going 3-3 in their last six games, including a four point win against DePaul. Preston Knowles (15 ppg) and Peyton Siva (10 ppg and 5 apg) lead the Cardinals. Prediction: UConn 80-75

Saturday
Utah State at St. Mary's
   This is by far the highlight of the BracketBusters matchups this weekend. It is between the 23rd and 24th ranked teams in the country. Utah State is 24-3, but has won 19 of its last 20 games. Tai Wesley (14 ppg, 7 rpg), Brian Wilson (11 ppg) and Brockeith Payne (11 ppg) lead the Aggies. St. Mary's is coming off of an upset loss to San Diego on Wednesday, one that might knock them out of the rankings. The Gaels are led by four players who score in double figures: Mickey McConnell (17 ppg, 7 apg), Rob Jones (14 ppg, 8 rpg), Matthew Dellavedova (13 ppg, 5 apg) and Mitchell Young (10 ppg, 5 rpg). Prediction: Utah State wins on the road, 86-80

Illinois at Michigan State
   This game is HUGE for the Spartans. At 14-11, they might have to win out and win two games in the conference tournament to get into the NCAA's. What will help MSU is the four more teams in, as well as college basketball being down as a whole. The Spartans have been uncharacteristically shaky at home, already losing four times, but will need Kalin Lucas and his 16 ppg to win. The Illini are in the midst of possibly their hardest stretch of games this season and have a trip to Ohio State looming after this one. Prediction: Michigan State wins a needed game, 76-72

Michigan at Iowa
   Wednesday's loss to Illinois might have been bad for the Wolverines, who are fighting for an NCAA berth. Three of their next four games are winnable, but if they lose here, that might be a killer, one that sends the team to the NIT. Iowa, on the other hand, is just looking for the season to be over, while also looking to place spoiler to teams like Michigan. Prediction: Michigan 80-67

Northwestern at Indiana
   Like Michigan and Michigan State, a win here is crucial for the slim chance the Wildcats have at a spot in the NCAA. A win over Iowa put them at 15-10, but they will have to win their last four conference games to go .500 in conference play. Indiana is not an easy place to play, however, as both Minnesota and Illinois, who were both ranked at the time, lost in Bloomington. The Hoosiers are 11-5 at home. Prediction: Northwestern pulls out a win they wish could have come easier, 76-73

Iowa vs. Northwestern

2011-02-16T23:47:00.000-06:00

What once seemed like such a promising season for the Wildcats has turned to be the complete opposite. By losing five of their last six games, they have more than likely played their way out of an NCAA bid. They have allowed at least 49 percent shooting against in their last six games. They are getting out rebounded by almost eight in Big Ten Games. They allow conference opponents to shoot 50 percent from the floor and 39.5 percent on three-point attempts.

I know it seems as if nothing can go right for the 'Cats, but that is far from the truth. John Shurna, Drew Crawford and Michael Thompson are still the leaders of this team and when the shots are falling, NU is hard to beat. Four of the next five games (Iowa, Indiana, Minnesota, Penn State) are winnable and if the Cats can get close to that .500 mark and win a game in the conference tourney, that streak of never making it into the NCAA's might end. But they will need Shurna (17 ppg), Thompson (14 ppg) and Crawford (12 ppg) to do what they do best: score.

Iowa is 10-15, 3-10. They sit just one game behind NU in the conference standings. The Hawkeyes own big three of Matt Gatens, Bryce Cartright and Melsahn Basabe aren’t as explosive as the triumvirate at Northwester, but are more than capable of getting the job done.

Basabe averages 10.5 PPG and his 7.0 rebounds per game rank sixth in the conference. He is also fifth in the Big Ten in field goal percentage. Cartright ranks third in the Big Ten is assists and averages 11.0 PPG. Gatens leads the conference making over 90 percent of his free throw attempts. At 12.5 PPG, he is the Hawkeyes leading scorer. Prediction: Northwestern wins huge 80-65

Minnesota vs. Penn State

2011-02-16T21:47:00.000-06:00

Two weeks ago, Minnesota was looking pretty ranked in the top 20 at 16-4. Fast forward two weeks and the Gophers may ow be on the bubble after losing four of five and dropping to 17-8.

Trevor Mbakwe scored a season-high 24 points in Sunday's win over Iowa and the Gophers will need more of this to help Minnesota get back on track. They are going to have get their frontcourt to lead the way, as the health of point guard Blake Hoffarber will be in question as soreness and pain in a knee doesn't just go away like that. Ralph Sampson III, the other main clog in the middle, is coming off of his worst game of the year, one which saw him score only two points, will be looking to get back to the form that saw him score in double digits in the seven games prior to that.

Penn State, in its own right, might be playing for an NCAA bid. It's record (13-10) isn't too flashy, but if the Nittany Lions manage to win two or three of their remaining five games, possibly upset Wisconsin or Ohio State and win a game in the conference tourney, who knows what might happen? As they have been all year, Penn State is led by Talor Battle, who is still averaging over 20 ppg. Prediction: The Nittany Lions are 16-4 at home, but lose a squeaker, 75-73

Wisconsin vs. Purdue

2011-02-15T19:41:00.000-06:00

Wisconsin at Purdue (Purdue is a 4.5 pt favorite)

Wisconsin is coming off of the win of the year, after derailing Ohio State's route to an undefeated season. Their 32-10 run was one of the more impressive runs you'll see all year. Now they're stuck with a tough road game and it will be interesting to see if they regain focus or the high from the upset is still there.

With the win over the weekend, the Badgers have now won eight of their last 10 games, including a seven-point home win over the Boilermakers 15 days ago. Two players, Jon Leuer and Jordan Taylor, are still the only players averaging double figures in scoring, with Leuer at 19 and Taylor at 18. Taylor has been playing like one of the, if not the, top guards in the nation lately, scoring 30 and 27 points in two of the last three games, respectively.

Purdue's next two games will most likely determine how they finish in the Big Ten, as they host Wisconsin and Ohio State this week. They have yet to lose at home this season and will be looking for that home court advantage to fuel them to two upsets. As has been the case all season, JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore lead the team, with pint-sized point guard Lewis Jackson coming on strong as of late. Prediction: Purdue 79-78

Michigan at Illinois

2011-02-15T17:55:00.001-06:00

Michigan at Illinois (Illinois 9.5 favorite)

This game is huge for these two bubble teams, as they both come in needing to win to help improve their stock for the NCAA Tournament. Michigan comes in on a hot streak, having won five of their last six games, while the Illini have lost six of their last nine, including Sunday's game against Purdue, a game they led at halftime by 15.

Unlike other teams fighting for a tournament bid, three of the Wolverines top four players are either freshmen or sophomores. Guard Darius Morris leads the team in both points and assists with 15.4 and seven. Tim Hardaway Jr., sun of legend Tim Hardaway, is having quite the debut season, putting up 13 ppg and pulling down four boards. Zack Novak is scoring 9.3 points and a game and leads the team with six boards a game, while Jordan Morgan is getting nine and four.

Illinois needs to straighten up the ship now, because their time is running out. The main key is getting Demetri McCamey interested in playing basketball again. He seems to disappear in games and that's not what a team is looking for from its senior. Some good things for the Illini is that Brandon Paul, Jereme Richmond, Meyers Leonard and D.J. Richardson are now playing better and the future does look bright. After scoring in double digits only five times in the teams' first 17 games, Paul has now exploded by scoring in double digits in five of the last eight games, including three 20+ point outings. Prediction: Michigan pulls out a 78-75 road win

St. John's vs. Marquette

2011-02-14T23:30:00.001-06:00

St. John's has put together one heck of a tournament resume in their first year under Steve Lavin. They're one of the few teams that have defeated four top-15 teams, three of which came in blowouts.

The Red Storm is led by three seniors who average double figures in scoring. Dwight Hardy leads the team in scoring at 16.6 ppg and also hauls down three boards a game and dishes out two dimes. Justin Brownlee is scoring at a 12.6 point per game clip and is tied for second with five boards per game. D.J. Kennedy is the last senior in double digits throwing in 10 ppg and leads the team in rebounding with over five and a half per contest.

Marquette is ending an extremely tough stretch of its schedule, facing eight ranked teams in their last 10 contests. They've won four of those, but are led by four upperclassmen so it should help them in the future. Darius Johnson-Odom leads the team with over 16 points per game and is also pulling down three rebounds. Jimmy Butler is pouring in 15 points a game and second in rebounds with 6.3, while Jae Crowder is putting up 13 ppg and leads the team in rebounding with 6.6 a game. Dwight Buycks is averaging 10 ppg and leads the team in assists, dishing out four dimes a game. Prediction: Red Storm wins straight up 75-70

Michigan State vs, Ohio State

2011-02-14T23:06:00.001-06:00

Raise your hand if at the beginning of the season you thought Michigan State would have a 6-6 conference record and only a 14-10 record overall. Ok, you're a liar so put your hand down, but that has been the craziness of this years' college basketball season. Michigan State has been struggling like nobody's business the last seven games, losing five of them and eeking out a one-point overtime win at Indiana. The Spartans were expected to challenge the Buckeyes for the conference crown, if not win it themselves.

Michigan State is led by three players who are averaging double digits this year. Kalin Lucas leads the team with 16 ppg and is averaging 3.5 assists per game. Durrell Summers is putting up 13 ppg and over four rebounds per game. Draymond Green is averaging 13 points per game and leads the team in rebounding, with just over eight per contest.

Ohio State is coming off of its first loss of the season, a road loss at Wisconsin. The dreams of recreating what the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers did -- the most recent Division I-A team to go through a season unbeaten -- were vaporized by the Badgers' scalding shooting in the second half.

The Buckeyes are led by stud freshman Jared Sullinger, who has probably exceeded everyone's expectations, maybe even his own. He leads the squad with 18 ppg and over 10 boards per game. But he is not the only OSU player putting up big numbers. Three others (David Lighty, William Buford and Jon Diebler) also average double figures, but none like Sullinger. Buford puts up nearly 14 ppg, Lighty with 12 and Diebler, 11. Prediction: Buckeyes win big 80-65

Illinois vs.Minnesota

2011-02-10T01:08:00.001-06:00

This is a crucial game for Illinois. Losing five of their last seven is putting them at great risk of not making the NCAA Tournament, a far cry from lofty expectations the team received early in the season. It's been a variety of things that has worked out for the Illini, including inconsistent play from its senior leaders, notably Demetri McCamey. Yes, he leads the team in scoring with over 14 per game, but in three of those five losses, he has not managed to score more than 10 points, twice finishing with five or six points, respectively. But the struggles don't all fall on his shoulders. D.J. Richardson, last year's Big Ten Freshman of the Year has struggled as well and of the highly regarded recruiting class, Jereme Richmond is the only one getting a lot of playing time and that has started recently, after Bruce Weber inserted him into the lineup.

The Illini still have a chance to go to the NCAA Tournament, but they will have to start playing up to the expectations placed upon them at the beginning of the season. Of their eight remaining games, four are at home and four on the road. Unfortunately, the toughest games (MSU, Minnesota, OSU, Purdue) are the four road games. They will need to lean on the experience of the seniors (McCamey, Mike Tisdale, Mike Davis). Davis and Tisdale will be especially crucial, because many of the remaining teams on the schedule have good big men, including this Minnesota team. Davis is second on the team with 12 ppg and is getting 6.7 boards per game. Tisdale is averaging nearly 10 ppg and 6.8 rpg.

Minnesota has been on a tough stretch as well, losing their last three games, two of which were on the road. Good news for the Gophers is that point guard Blake Hoffarber will play against Illinois. He had been struggling with a sore knee. He leads the team in three catehories, including points, assists and three-point field goal percentage. The Gophers' next top players are their two big men, Trevor Mbakwe and Ralph Sampson III. Mbakwe is averaging a double-double at 13 ppg and 10 rpg, while Sampson pours in 11 and grabs five boards.

Michigan State vs. Penn State

2011-02-10T01:08:00.000-06:00

Raise your hand if at the beginning of the season you thought Penn State and Michigan State would have identical 5-6 conference records and MSU with only one more win overall. Ok, you're a liar so put your hand down, but that has been the craziness of this year's college basketball season. Michigan State has been struggling like nobody's business the last six games, losing five of them and eeking out a one-point overtime win at Indiana.

Michigan State is led by three players who are averaging double digits this year. Kalin Lucas leads the team with 16 ppg and is averaging 3.5 assists per game. Durrell Summers is putting up 13.4 ppg and over four rebounds per game. Draymond Green is averaging 13 points per game and leads the team in rebounding, with just over eight per contest.

Penn State has been the definition of a cardiac-kid. It seems like almost every game they play is within 3-7 points. This game starts a stretch of games which could decide whether or not the Lions make the NCAA Tournament. After MSU, Penn State still has to Wisconsin, Northwestern and Minnesota, while hosting Northwestern, Minnesota and Ohio State. It seems as though the two teams in this preview might be ready for an exciting stretch run.

Penn State is led by Mr. Do-Everything Talor Battle, who seems to have been around for 10 years now. Battle is averaging 20.5 points a game, seven more than the next teammate, five rebounds and three assists. Jeff Brooks is pouring in 13.5 points a game and leads the team with seven boards a game. David Jackson rounds out the three double digit scorers with 10.5 ppg and almost five rebounds per game.

Indiana vs. Purdue

2011-02-08T00:46:00.000-06:00

The 14th-ranked Boilermakers look to remain undefeated at Mackey Arena and extend the Hoosiers' road losing streak to 14 on Tuesday night.

Allowing 58.0 points per game while going 12-0 at Mackey Arena, Purdue has won three straight at home versus Indiana by an average of 15.4 points. The Hoosiers last won in West Lafayette, 70-59 on March 1, 2006.

The Boilermakers have been on a bit of a skid lately, dropping four of their last seven. JaJuan Johnson continues to be a beast for them inside, averaging nearl 21 ppg and eight rebounds per game. Johnson has scored 20 points or more in his last seven games. He is supported by guard E'Twaun Moore, who is averaging 18 ppg. No other Purdue player is averaging over six points per game.

The Hoosiers, however, have not been playing like a team tied for last place. Over the last four games, Indiana beat then-No. 20 Illinois and then-No. 18 Minnesota at home and fell in overtime at previously ranked Michigan State before failing to secure a 10-point lead in Saturday's 64-63 home loss to Iowa.

The Hoosiers have stepped up on the defensive end during that four-game span, holding opponents to 63.5 points on 39.5 percent shooting.

Coach Tom Crean hopes his squad can remain stingy while trying to snap a 23-game road losing streak against Top 25 opponents since a 77-66 win over No. 13 Iowa on Jan. 13, 2002.
The Hoosiers are playing without their best player, Christian Watford, who is out after having wrist surgery. Watford was leading the team ins coring and rebounding at the time of his injury. Two players, Verdell Jones III and Jordan Hulls have stepped up. Jones is averaging 12.4 points per game, while Hulls is coming off of a game where he had a season-high 24 points.

Signing Day

2011-02-03T22:06:00.000-06:00

For college football knuckleheads, Signing Day is like Christmas. And that's been seen by not only the around the clock coverage on things like ESPN, but also sites like rivals and scout, which rank the players starting in their freshman years of high school. Now I admit, I look at those sites constantly, so I'm not really one to talk but giving out these "stars" is ridiculous.

The stars and rankings given to these kids are what going to ruin the high school sports world, if it hasn't already. But what is truly sad about it all, is whether it is the kids, the "experts,", coaches or PARENTS that are doing the "pimping out" of the student-athletes.

To be on one of those sites, someone needs to send in a video of the athlete, so he can be "evaluated" and then given a ranking or star. A five-star ranking means you are one of the top kids in the nation, a three-star means you are pretty much an average player, while anything lower usually means you are a fringe player. If a parent or athlete sees they are "only" s three-star and want to get better scholarship offers, which might mean doing anything going from extra lessons from professionals to possibly doing steroids. The extra push, however, can also burn out the kid.

The one thing the coaches, parents or kids seem not to realize is that all these stars, rankings and such are all other people's OPINIONS. There are time where the different sites disagree with how good of a kid is. I'll give you the example of Missouri, since it's my alma mater and a school that has been known for getting lesser rated kids and getting them to play better than those rankings. Let's look at the Tigers' last three first round draft picks, Jeremy Maclin, Sean Weatherspoon and Ziggy Hood. Sean Weatherspoon came to Mizzou as a two-star safety prospect and left as the third-highest tackler in school history with 413 tackles and a two-time All-American. Maclin was the highest rated of the three, garnering four stars from rivals and three from scout, but was rated the 70th best wideout by scout. All he did was leave as the school's all-time leader in all-purpose yards, third in career receiving yards and fourth in career receptions. All in two years. Hood is now a starter on the Super Bowl-bound Pittsburgh Steelers.

Of the 62 athletes that were given five stars by scout, 11 made it to the NFL or lived up to expectations. That's 17 percent. Now that may seem a lot, but let's not forget these were cream of the crop kids who people expect to come in and have a big effect on their teams. Well that wasn't the case for 52 of them. In a smaller sample size of 26 five stars, the 2006 class also had 11 players that made an impact of play(ed) in the NFL.

Now don't get me wrong, I truly appreciate and respect what all of the analysts who go out all across the country all year. But my problem is that everyone takes too much stock into these stinking rankings. Sure, most of the time it turns out to be right, as you see the Alabama's USC's, Florida's, etc. always getting top classes and succeeding. But what about the schools like TCU or Boise State and up to this year, Oregon? The rankings are good and all, but they're mainly there to make all the fans and those associated with the program go crazy. As long as a school gets players they need, that fit their system and those who they feel are perfect for the, who says they won't succeed?

College Basketball Previews

2011-01-28T17:23:00.002-06:00

While this weekend's matchups may not be as sexy as last week's there are some very intriguing games that might go a long way in determining how a team ends up in the conference. There are four games featuring ranked teams and those will be previewed here.

Game of the Week: Missouri vs. Texas

   Missouri comes into the game on a two-game winning streak, having defeated both Kansas State and Iowa State handily. The Tigers come in at 17-3, but two of their losses have been on the road (at Colorado and at Texas A&M by two points in overtime). Junior guard Marcus Denmon leads five Tigers in double figures with 17.3 points per game. Missouri uses a 10-man rotation and eight of the ten play 17 minutes per game or more (the other two play 11-12 mpg). The Tigers average 85 ppg, which is good for fifth nationally and dish out 18 ppg, which is good for sixth in the nation. Three players could be key factors in the game, besides Denmon. Ricardo Ratliffe, who is second on the team with 12 ppg and seven rpg, will be looked upon to neutralize the Texas big men. The other two keys are Kim English and Phil Pressey. English was expected to have a breakout season, but has struggled early in the season and Pressey has come back from an early season wrist injury to be second on the team in assists with nearly four dimes per game. Texas was featured in last week's preview as well. The team is led by the frontcourt duo of Justin Hamilton and Tristan Thompson. Cory Joseph will be the key for Texas in this game. How he reacts to the "Fastest Forty Minutes in Basketball" will be crucial. The Tigers love to press and create turnovers after made baskets so how he will be able to handle the pressure will be the difference. Joseph has only turned the ball over more than three times once and has had some of his cleanest games against UNC, UConn and USC. Prediction: Mizzou pulls the road upset: 78-76

Louisville at Connecticut

   The Cardinals come in having won three of their last five, including two buzzer beaters over Marquette and West Virginia. Louisville is led by Preston Knowles, who averages just over 15 points per game and is hitting 40 percent of his three point attempts. Two others, Peyton Siva and Chris Smith, are also averagibg double figures. Siva, who hit the game-winner against West Virginia, is going for nearly 11 points per game and a team-high five assists per game. Smith averages 10 ppg and leads the team, hitting nearly half of his three pointers. Three of Louisville's bog men (Rakeem Buckles, Jared Swopshire and Gorgui Dieng) are out with injuries. The key could be Kyle Kuric. He is an on and off player, who when he is hot, is able to put up 20 ppg but has also had five games of zero points. The Huskies rely on guard Kemba Walker and their inside presence, which is helping them average 41 rebounds per game. Walker is being considered as one of the top two contenders for NCAA POY, averaging 24 ppg, five rpg and four apg. Big man Alex Oriakhis is the only other Huskie averaging double figures at 11, but leads the team with nine boards per game. The key could be freshman Shabazz Napier, who is averaging 8.4 ppg and over three assists per game. Like Kuric, he is hot and cold, going for double digits in six games, including three this month. Prediction: The Huskies' depth and Louisville injuries help the Huskies pull out a 75-60 win.

Georgetown at Villanova

   Georgetown has been on a bit of a slide lately, going 4-4 in their last eight and are coming into a hostile environment on Saturday. The Hoyas are riding a three-game winning streak, however. They are led by Mr. Do-It-All Austin Freeman, who is averaging over 18 points per game. The senior guard has scored in double digits in all but two games and has scored 25 points or more in two of the last three. Georgetown has two others, Jason Clark and Chris Wright, who are averaging double digits. Clark is pouring in 13 points a game, while wright is averaging over 10 and leads the team with 5.6 assists per game. Guard play will be the key in this game. If one guard is having a rough night, there will have to be others to pick up the slack. And if the guards struggle, the frontcourt has to be able to bail them out too. After knocking off Syracuse on the road, Villanova got blown out in their game against Providence. Villanova has won two of the three, losing the last to Connecticut on a last-second shot by Kemba Walker. The Wildcats have three players who average double figures, including two seniors: Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes, both of whom are scoring 15 points per game. While Stokes leads the team in free throw (94) and three point (44) percentage, Fisher is second on the team in assists per game, with five. The other player in double figures, Maalik Wayans (13.5 ppg), also leads the team with 5.3 dimes per game. Prediction: Villanova is just too good and wins 80-65

Minnesota at Purdue

   Minnesota, on a four-game winning streak, started that streak with a home win against Purdue. A key piece from that win, Al Nolen, is out for the season with an injury however and that has caused Blake Hoffarber to take over PG duties. Three of the Gophers' four losses have been on the road. Hoffarber is one of three Minnesota players in double digits, averaging 14 points per game. He not only leads the team in assists with 4.4 per game, but also three-point percentage, knocking in 40 percent of his treys. Trevor Mbakwe is second in points with 13.4 and leads the team with 10.5 rebounds per contest. Ralph Sampson III is the other Gopher is double figures, throwing in 11 ppg. The key will be the play of Mbakwe and Sampson, as they will have to go up against the beasts of Purdue. The Boilermakers, on the other hand, have been on a bit of a skid lately, dropping three of their last five. JaJuan Johnson continues to be a beast for them inside, averaging nearly 21 ppg and eight rebounds per game. Johnson has scored 20 points or more in his last five games. He is supported by guard E'Twaun Moore, who is averaging 18 ppg. No other Purdue player is averaging over six points per game. The key here is for Johnson to continue his hot streak. Prediction: Purdue pulls out a squeaker, 67-64

Fiesta Bowl

2011-01-01T18:41:00.000-06:00

Oklahoma vs. Connecticut


   The Huskies could not have gotten a bigger challenge for their first appearance on college football's biggest stage than facing the powerful Sooners on Saturday night at Glendale, Ariz.

   Connecticut's path to Arizona began in 1997, when the school voted to accept the invite from the Big East Conference and upgrade from a I-AA program.

   The 25th-ranked Huskies (8-4) then joined the Big East for the 2004 season -- one year early -- after the Atlantic Coast Conference poached Miami and Virginia Tech in 2003. They earned their first bowl appearance that year, and the Fiesta Bowl will be their fourth consecutive postseason game.

   Oklahoma (11-2) is making its 12th bowl appearance in as many seasons under coach Bob Stoops and 44th overall. Its 25 victories are tied for fifth all-time, and the eighth BCS bowl appearance trails only Ohio State's nine. Unfiortunately, they have lost five consecutive BCS games -- two for the national championship -- since winning the 2003 Rose Bowl. Two other defeats, the 2007 and 2008 Fiesta Bowls, came when the Sooners were heavy favorites before losing to Boise State and West Virginia, respectively.

   If the Huskies have any hope in winning, their fate will ride on the legs of two-time 1,000-yard rusher Jordan Todman. The tailback had 1,574 yards and 14 TDs to earn Big East offensive player of the year honors and is second in the nation at 143.1 yards per game.

    With the Sooners likely to stack the box in an attempt to slow Todman, there will be pressure on Zach Frazer to keep Oklahoma's defense honest. The senior, though, topped 200 yards just once this season and completed only 52.7 percent of his 222 passes for 1,202 yards and five TDs.

   The Sooners are fourth among FBS teams in passing at 336.8 yards per game, 13th in total offense (478.1 ypg) and 17th in scoring (36.4 points per game).

   Landry Jones threw for 4,289 yards and 35 touchdowns, with receiver Ryan Broyles posting his second straight 1,000-yard season. He finished with career highs of 118 receptions and 1,452 yards to go with 13 touchdowns and is Oklahoma's all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards and receiving TDs.

   Five players had at least 26 receptions for the Sooners, and running back DeMarco Murray is one of them. He had 1,121 rushing yards and 14 TDs to go with 69 receptions, 595 yards and five receiving scores.

Prediction: As much as I would love to see the Huskies pull the upset, I really don't see them having the horses to do so. Oklahoma 31-10

Rose Bowl

2011-01-01T14:24:00.000-06:00

TCU vs. Wisconsin


   TCU didn't get to prove it deserved to play for the BCS title. A victory over Wisconsin in the Granddaddy of Them All could go a long way toward showing that it should have.

   The third-ranked Horned Frogs, owners of the nation's top defense, face a No. 4 Badgers team that reached the 70-point mark three times this season in the 97th Rose Bowl on New Year's Day.

   The Frogs, who went undefeated for the second straight regular season, will make their first appearance in perhaps the most prestigious and storied bowl in college football. TCU gets to play in Pasadena over a Pac-10 team -- the traditional selection to face the Big Ten representative -- because the Rose Bowl was obligated this year to select a team from a non-automatic BCS qualifying conference if one was eligible and not playing in the title game.

   TCU is allowing averages of 11.4 points, 126.3 passing yards and 215.4 total yards -- all tops in the FBS -- and 89.2 rushing yards, third-fewest in the country. The Frogs' speedy defense, though, should receive its biggest test of the season from the Badgers (11-1), who are tied for fourth in the nation with 43.3 points per game -- same as TCU.

    Scott Tolzien has passed for 2,300 yards, 16 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 74.3 percent of his throws -- best in the country.

   For TCU to keep the Badgers from an eighth straight win -- Wisconsin's seven consecutive victories have come by 26.1 points -- it will have to stop a trio of running backs that has piled up nearly 2,900 yards on the ground. James White (1,029), John Clay (936) and Montee Ball (864) running behind six All-Big Ten offensive linemen proved far too much for opponents to handle.

   TCU QB Andy Dalton is a 41-game winner as a starter. The senior has thrown for 2,638 yards, 26 touchdowns and six interceptions while running for 407 yards and five TDs this season.
Ed Wesley paces the nation's 12th-ranked rushing attack with 1,065 yards, while Matthew Tucker ran for 694.

   Josh Boyce leads the team in receiving yards with 602 on 33 catches and has six touchdowns, while Jeremy Kerley has 50 catches for 517 yards and 10 scores.

Prediction: TCU shows it should have gotten a chance to play for the title by shutting down Wisconsin and winning 42-14.

Capital One Bowl

2011-01-01T11:39:00.000-06:00

Alabama vs. Michigan State

   A share of its first conference championship in 20 years and a school record for wins apparently wasn't good enough for Michigan State (11-1) earn the program's first BCS invitation, finishing behind fellow Big Ten champions Ohio State and Wisconsin. So who better to play to see if you belong up there than last year's national champ, right?

   Kirk Cousins comes in with some gaudy stats but will have some challenges in this game. While he has thrown for 2,705 yards and 20 touchdowns. But five of his nine interceptions have come in the last four games. Leading receiver B.J. Cunningham is out after breaking his foot in practice Dec. 18. Cunningham led the team with 50 receptions for 611 yards and nine touchdowns. Michigan State does have other options, though. Mark Dell caught 49 passes for 761 yards, and Keshawn Martin added 29 catches.

   Running back Edwin Baker ranked third in the Big Ten with 1,187 yards, rushed for 6.1 yards per carry and 13 touchdowns.

   Alabama will counter with wide receiver and second-team All-American Julio Jones, who set school records with 75 receptions and 1,084 yards this season. Jones caught seven of Greg McElroy's 19 touchdown passes. McElroy has thrown for 2,767 yards.

   However, last season's Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram, who missed two games due to injury, has been held to less than 100 yards in eight straight contests after eclipsing that mark nine times in 2009. He has rushed for just over 800 yards and 11 touchdowns on the season.

Prediction: Alabama 24-21

Ticket City Bowl

2011-01-01T11:37:00.000-06:00

Northwestern vs. Texas Tech

   Northwestern has lost all seven bowl games it has played since winning its first one -- the 1949 Rose Bowl. The Wildcats (7-5) are making their third consecutive postseason appearance despite losing five of seven games after starting 5-0 for the second time in three years.

   The Wildcats will be without All-Big Ten quarterback Dan Persa after he suffered an Achilles' tendon injury in a victory over Iowa. So redshirt freshman Evan Watkins, who has started the two games since Persa went down, will be starting what is probably the biggest game of his young career. Watkins has thrown for 258 yards, a touchdown and four interceptions in those two games.

   While Watkins will likely target Jeremy Ebert, who led the Big Ten with 919 receiving yards, Northwestern could be without its top three rushers. Leader Mike Trumpy may sit out due to a wrist injury suffered in the Illinois loss, and the Wildcats definitely won't have Persa or Arby Fields, who led the team in rushing in 2009 but recently decided to transfer. But if Trumpy has to sit, Northwestern can rely on senior Stephen Simmons, junior Jacob Schmidt and true freshman Adonis Smith. Unfortunately the three have combined for only 419 yards and four touchdowns. Schmidt has all the touchdowns.

   Quarterback Taylor Potts is a big reason Texas Tech is making its 11th consecutive bowl appearance. He's completed 65.9 percent of his passes for 3,357 yards with 31 TDs and nine interceptions. The senior has helped Texas Tech rank eighth in the FBS in passing with 314.8 yards per game while averaging 32.1 points, including 99 over its final two games -- non-conference victories over Weber State and Houston.

   Northwestern also must contend with Potts' former teammate at Abilene High School, Lyle Leong. The senior has a team-high 808 receiving yards and is second in the FBS with 17 touchdown receptions. But he isn't the only big-play threat. Detron Lewis has a team-best 79 receptions for 803 yards and six scores. Lewis caught 10 passes for 114 yards and a TD in last season's bowl win.

   While Texas Tech is a pass-first team, this is the 11th straight season it has had a quarterback throw for at least 3,000 yards, it may be running backs Baron Batch and Eric Stephens who are the difference in the game against the Wildcats, who allowed 848 rushing yards and 10 TDs over the last two games.

Prediction: Watkins struggles against the Red Raiders and Potts leads an aerial attack that ambushes the Wildcats. Tech 35-14.

Alamo Bowl

2010-12-29T12:06:00.000-06:00

Oklahoma State vs. Arizona


   Oklahoma State looks to cap a memorable year with a school-record 11th victory in San Antonio's Alamo Bowl on Wednesday night when it squares off against an Arizona team hoping to salvage a win from a disappointing final two months of the season.

   The 16th-ranked Cowboys (10-2) were picked to finish fifth in the Big 12 South this season, but ended up tying for the division title and setting a school record with 10 regular-season wins. They are making a school-record fifth straight bowl appearance.

The Wildcats seemed like they might be headed to a BCS bowl earlier this year, climbing as high as ninth in the rankings, but four straight losses to close the regular season quickly ended those hopes. Arizona is still appearing in a third consecutive bowl game, matching the school's previous best string from 1992-94.

   Oklahoma State leads the FBS in total offense at 537.6 yards per game, ranks third in scoring at 44.9 points and boasts three skill position players named to the all-Big 12 first team.

   Justin Blackmon is the conference's player of the year, the Biletnikoff Award winner and a first-team All-American after leading the nation with 151.4 receiving yards per game and 18 touchdown catches. He needs eight yards against Arizona to break the NCAA sophomore receiving yards record of 1,672, set by Pittsburgh's Larry Fitzgerald in 2003. Blackmon has tied an NCAA record with 11 straight games of 100 yards receiving with a TD.

   Brandon Weeden was second in the country in yards passing per game (336.4) and fifth in touchdown passes (32). He has also thrown for 4,037 yards.

   Blackmon was joined on the All-American first team by running back Kendall Hunter. The senior is seventh in the nation with 126.3 rushing yards per game and ran for 16 TDs. He did all this while rushing for 1,516 yards.

   Since the start of November, the Wildcats have allowed an average of 456.0 yards, 20th-worst in the FBS, and an average of 36.0 points, 27th-worst. This is after a 7-1 start, where they were 10th nationally in points and yards allowed.


   While the Wildcats' defense needs to tighten up, the offense heads into the bowl playing some of its best football.

   Nick Foles has passed for 1,063 yards with nine touchdowns to just one interception in his last three games. He threw for 2,911 and 19 touchdowns the entire season. The junior leads the Pac-10 in passing with an average of 291.1 yards and his favorite target, first-team all-conference selection Juron Criner, led the league with 73 receptions and 1,186 yards.

Prediction: Oklahoma State 49, Arizona 41

Texas Bowl

2010-12-29T11:47:00.000-06:00

Illinois vs. Baylor

   Baylor clinched its first winning season since 1995 and earned a bowl bid for the first time since losing 10-3 to Washington State in the 1994 Alamo Bowl.

   Averaging 32.6 points and ranked 12th nationally in total yards per game (478.5), Baylor has the potential to present another challenge for the Illini, who give up an average of 24 ppg, but have had Michigan score 67 on them and Minnesota score 38.

   Bears quarterback Robert Griffin III ranks seventh in the country averaging 315.5 yards of total offense and has thrown for nearly 3,200 yards and 21 touchdowns.


   Senior Jay Finley's 1,155 yards rank second on Baylor's single-season rushing list. He ran for 250 yards on 26 caries in a 47-42 home win over Kansas State on Oct. 23. Kendall Wright's 66 receptions for a career-high 825 yards lead a group of four Bears receivers with at least 40 catches.

   Mikel Leshoure led all Big Ten running backs with 1,513 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. Leshoure ranks eighth in the country with 126.1 rushing yards per game.

   Nathan Scheelhaase has thrown for 1,583 yards and 17 touchdowns in his first collegiate season. He has shown why he was one of the country's best dual-threat quarterback recruits, as he has rushed for 815 yards and four touchdowns.

   A.J. Jenkins is Scheelhaase's favorite target, having caught 50 balls for 694 yards and seven touchdowns.

Prediction: Baylor 35, Illinois 21

Military Bowl

2010-12-29T11:21:00.000-06:00

East Carolina vs. Maryland

   This game makes for an interesting case as Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen will no longer be the coach of the Terps after the game. After winning ACC Coach of the Year in 2010, the Maryland Athletic Department decided to buy out Friedgen.

   Maryland (8-4) is back in a bowl game for the first time since beating Nevada 42-35 in the 2008 Humanitarian Bowl in Boise. Maryland's return to the postseason came after the Terps dropped their last seven games of 2009 and finished 2-10.

   The Pirates are centered around a passing game that is among the best in the nation, averaging 319.3 yards with 37 touchdowns.

   Dominique Davis shattered team records with 36 TD passes, 3,699 yards and 358 completions -- 99 more than the previous mark. The junior, in his first season at East Carolina, connected on 64.9 percent of his throws and had 14 interceptions.

   Davis threw 18 TDs and four picks while posting a 145.2 rating over the last five games.
Receivers Dwayne Harris and Lance Lewis are Davis' top targets. Harris has a Conference USA-high 93 receptions along with 1,055 yards and 10 touchdowns. Lewis' 78 catches are third in the league, and he has a team-best 13 TD receptions and 979 yards.

   While East Carolina's offensive power is clear, the defense has had major problems. The unit is the worst in the country, allowing averages of 43.4 points and 478.8 yards -- 220.8 rushing. The Pirates have given up 54.8 points per game over the last five contests.

   Terps freshman Danny O'Brien is coming off a stellar performance in the season finale, going 33 of 47 for 417 yards and throwing four touchdowns to Torrey Smith. O'Brien has thrown for 2,257 yards, 21 scoring passes and six interceptions.

   Torrey Smith is tied for the ACC lead with 12 TD catches and has 1,045 receiving yards.

Prediction: East Carolina 49, Maryland 40

Insight.com Bowl

2010-12-28T10:23:00.000-06:00

Missouri vs. Iowa

   This matchup features teams going in different directions. Iowa started the season ranked ninth and started the season 7-2, including a demolishing of then- fifth-ranked Michigan State. But the Hawkeyes struggled down the stretch, losing their last three and struggling to defeat Indiana. The Tigers, on the other hand, are on a three-game winning streak, one in which they have scored 35 points or more twice.

   Not only has Iowa had its problems on the field, but it has ended the season with some major off the field problems as well. All-time leading receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos was arrested on drug charges and therefore suspended by Coach Kirk Ferentz, Then Adam Robinson, the team's leading rusher who had rushed for nearly 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns was also suspended, he for failing to "comply with team expectations and policies." The two backup running backs also left the team, leaving true freshman Marcus Coker as the starter.

   Luckily for Iowa, they still have quarterback Ricky Stanzi, who threw for 2,804 yards and 25 touchdowns, while throwing a career-low four interceptions. With Johnson-Koulianos out, he will rely on St. Louis-native Marvin McNutt, who led the team with 51 grabs for 798 yards and eight touchdowns. Coker rushed for 403 yards and two touchdowns in limited duty.

   But it'd not only the offense that the Tigers need to worry about. The Iowa defense is quite stout itself being led by yet another St. Louis-native, defensive end Adrian Clayborn. Clayborn has 51 tackles, including seven for loss and three and a half sacks. The defensive backfield is also quite talented, led by Tyler Sash and Shaun Prater also were named first-team all-Big Ten. Sash was third on the Hawkeyes with 73 tackles and Prater tied for the team lead with four interceptions.

   Up to this year, Missouri had been known for its explosive offense. Well this year, the Tigers have their best defense in years and it is paying off for them. They are giving up only 15 ppg, which is fifth in the nation. Linebackers Andrew Gachkar and Zaviar Gooden lead the team with 81 and 79, tackles, respectively, while six players have two interceptions and four more with one. The team has forced 27 turnovers on the year.

   But that's not to say the Tiger offense hasn't been explosive. The team is averaging 30 points per game and has become a more balanced offense this year. While Blaine Gabbert has thrown for over 2,700 yards and 15 touchdowns, four Tigers, including Gabbert have rushed for 239 yards or more. The team is led by De'Vion Moore who has run for 485 yards and eight touchdowns.

   After losing starters Danario Alexander and Jared Perry, everyone wondered who would step up to be the next in a recent run of great receivers. Four receivers have 32 catches or more. T.J. Moe leads the squad with 77 catches for 893 yards and six touchdowns. Michael Egnew continues the line of recent Mackey Award finalists/winners and All-American tight ends after catching 83 balls for 698 yards and four touchdowns.

Prediction: Missouri 34, Iowa 21

Champs Sports Bowl

2010-12-28T10:21:00.000-06:00

NC State vs. West Virginia

   West Virginia ranks second in the FBS in scoring defense at 12.8 points, second in rush defense at 85.1 yards and third in total defense at 251.3 yards. The squad ended the regular season playing some of its best football, allowing four touchdowns over the last four games.

   The Mountaineers also have a skilled quarterback in Geno Smith, who was second in the Big East with 2,567 passing yards and 23 touchdowns, both second most in school history behind Marc Bulger's 3,607 yards and 31 TDs in 1998. Smith threw for a career-best 352 yards in the finale. He has one interception in his last five games. The running game is led by Noel Devine, who has had a rough senior season, rushing for only 886 yards and six touchdowns, far fewer than what was expected after last season's nearly 1,500 yard and 14 touchdown season.


   That defense will look to stop a North Carolina State offense that was second in the ACC with 32.6 points per game. The unit revolves around Russell Wilson, who led the conference with 3,288 passing yards and 26 touchdowns.

   Wilson, who finished two points shy of Virginia Tech's Tyrod Taylor for All-ACC first-team honors, had eight 300-yard passing games and attempted 60 passes in the regular-season finale. The junior is also a dangerous runner, rolling up 394 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground.

Prediction: N.C. State 31, West Virginia 27

Independence Bowl

2010-12-27T08:39:00.000-06:00

Georgia Tech vs. Air Force

   If you like running attacks, this is the game for you. Georgia Tech and Air Force are the nations No. 1 and 2 teams in terms of rushing, with the Jackets rushing for 327 ypg, while the Falcons rush for 318. The teams combined for 299 pass attempts.

   The Yellow Jackets, however, could be without their most versatile threat. Quarterback Joshua Nesbitt broke his arm against Virginia Tech on Nov. 4 and it's uncertain if he'll be ready to play. Sophomore Tevin Washington has filled in, but he hasn't been as productive.In nine games, Nesbitt, a first-team All-ACC selection last year when the Yellow Jackets won the conference, is second on the team with 737 rushing yards and a team-high 10 touchdowns. He's also passed for 674 yards and seven scores. Washington, meanwhile, rushed for 289 yards and three touchdowns while passing for 292 and two scores.

   Luckily for Georgia Tech, running back Anthony Allen has stepped up his game as of late, averaging over 138 ypg the last four games. He has rushed for 1,225 yards and six scores on the season. Regardless of who starts at quarterback, the Yellow Jackets will be without leading receiver Stephen Hill, who was one of four players declared academically ineligible. Hill had 15 receptions for 291 yards and three touchdowns.

   Unlike Georgia Tech, Air Force seems to be peaking at the right time. The Falcons have won three in a row by a combined score of 125-65. They closed the regular season with a 35-20 victory at UNLV on Nov. 18.

   Air Force is led in rushing by junior Asher Clark, who ran for 1,001 yards and five touchdowns. Quarterback Tim Jefferson has a team-high 15 rushing touchdowns and 769 yards on the ground.

   The Falcons also could have another threat if Jared Tew is be cleared to play. He suffered a broken fibula against San Diego State on Oct. 16 after rushing for 540 yards and three touchdowns in seven games.

Little Caesar's Bowl

2010-12-26T15:57:00.000-06:00

Florida International vs. Toledo

The Rockets return to postseason play for the first time in five years in the Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl against FIU, which will be making the first bowl appearance in its history.

Toledo, who had lost 16 games over the previous two seasons, improved dramatically this year under second-year coach Tim Beckman. They finished second in the West Division of the Mid-American Conference, and three of their losses were to teams also playing in bowls -- Boise State, Northern Illinois and Arizona.

While reaching this bowl is a great reward for Toledo, it's a remarkable achievement for FIU, which is in just its ninth season of play at any level and sixth year in the FBS. The Golden Panthers' six wins this season comprise one-fifth of their 30 victories all-time.

The Golden Panthers averaged 38.0 points while winning four of their final five games. Their offense is led by running backs Darriet Perry (707 yards and 14 TDs in 2010) and Darrian Mallary (669 yards, two TDs). Quarterback Wesley Carroll, completed 61.8 percent of his passes for 2,483 yards with 15 TDs.

Toledo lost starting quarterback Austin Dantin to a shoulder injury during an Oct. 30 victory over Eastern Michigan, but replacement Terrance Owens doesn't seem to have missed a beat. A redshirt freshman, Owens has thrown 12 touchdown passes and only two interceptions. Owens will look to get the ball to sophomore wideout Eric Page, who had 94 receptions for 1,081 yards and eight TDs this season. The explosive Page also scored three touchdowns on kickoff returns.

Hawaii Bowl

2010-12-24T13:03:00.000-06:00

Hawaii vs. Tulsa

   If you like offense, this is the bowl for you. Both of these teams feature one of the top offense in the nation, with Hawaii ranking eighth nationally at 497 yards per game, while Tulsa is fifth at 504 yards per game.

   Hawaii is back ladies and gentlemen. After a rough two years, the Warriors are back on the national stage and going for their third 11-win season in five years. The resurgence is led by quarterback Bryant Moniz who, like former Warrior qb's Timmy Chang and Colt Brennan, loves to sling the ball around. Moniz has thrown for 4,629 yards and 36 touchdowns, while completing two-third of his passes. Greg Salas has caught 106 passes for 1,675 yards and 12 touchdowns. Kealoha Pilares has 88 catches for 1,306 yards and a team-high 15 touchdowns. While their main source of offense is through the air, their running game has been somewhat potent as well. Alex Green has run for 1,168 yards and 17 touchdowns.

   G.J. Kinne has been masterful running the spread offense and was named the Conference USA offensive player of the year. He threw for 3,307 yards and 28 touchdowns while rushing for a team-high 557 yards and seven scores. Kinne is fourth in the FBS in total offense at 322.0 yards per game, helping Tulsa rank fifth in total offense with 503.5 yards, 15th in rushing (219.3) and 16th in passing (284.2). Tulsa has four players with at least 333 rushing yards. One of them is the multi-threat Damaris Johnson, who may be the team's most dangerous player aside from Kinne. Johnson, a wide receiver, was the C-USA special teams player of the year and is the all-time FBS leader with 3,308 kickoff return yards. He is averaging 27.4 yards on kickoff returns and 12.5 on punt returns, scoring one touchdown in each fashion. He's also rushed for 462 yards and 9.2 per carry while adding team highs of 53 receptions and 771 yards. Johnson is averaging 191.8 yards of offense.

   Safety Mana Silva tied for the FBS lead with eight interceptions, helping Hawaii to a nation-best 23 INTs, and is the school's all-time leader with 14. Linebackers Corey Paredes and Aaron Brown combined for seven, with Brown running two of his three INTs back for touchdowns.

   Tulsa registered 19 picks, six each by defensive backs Dexter McCoil and Marco Nelson. The Golden Hurricane, though, rank 84th in scoring defense at 29.9 points per game and 107th in total defense with an average of 442.6 yards allowed.

Las Vegas Bowl

2010-12-22T13:01:00.000-06:00

Boise State vs. Utah

   Three weeks ago, Boise State was playing for a chance to go to the National Championship game. Today, they're playing in the Las Vegas Bowl against Utah, who themselves thought they could crash the BCS party in as late as October. Two missed field goals dropped the Broncos from number three in the polls into playing in the December 22nd bowl.

   Even in their loss to Nevada, the Broncos offense seemed too good to be true. Kellen Moore is completing 71 percent of his passes, while throwing for 3,506 yards, 33 touchdowns and a mere five interceptions. Doug Martin has rushed for 1,113 yards and 11 touchdowns. Backup Jeremy Avery, despite rushing 100 fewer times, has also rushed for 11 touchdowns. Moore has two studs to throw the ball to, in Titus Young and Austin Pettis. Young, an All-American, has caught 65 passes for 1,151 yards and nine touchdowns. Pettis, meanwhile, has caught 59 balls for 804 yards and nine touchdowns. Their nearly 47 ppg is second in the nation.

   Utah will be playing with their backup quarterback, Terrence Cain, who will be filling in for Jordan Wynn, who is out after having shoulder surgery. Luckily for the Utes, Cain has a 9-1 record as a starter. With this, Utah will probably have to rely on it's tandem of running backs, Eddie Wide (683 yards, 11 touchdowns) and Matt Asiata (673 yards, eight touchdowns). That's not necessarily a good thing, because they are going up against a Boise State team that allows 103 yards per game, sixth in the nation.

Beef O'Brady's Bowl Preview

2010-12-21T10:13:00.000-06:00

Southern Miss vs. Louisville

Southern Miss will play in its ninth straight postseason game, while Louisville is making their first bowl since their 2007 Orange Bowl appearance. The Cardinals improved from 65th to 12th in the FBS with 304.7 yards allowed per game, but will face a Southern Miss offense that ranks 15th in the FBS with 37.6 points and 458.2 yards per game.

Louisville will possibly go with three quarterbacks in the bowl game, as Justin Burke will start, but Adam Froman and Will Stein might also play. The one good thing for the Cardinal offense is that running back Bilal Powell is going to play. Coming off of an all-conference selection this season, he has rushed for 1,330 yards and 10 touchdowns. His 1,330 yards ranked second in the conference behind Uconn's Jordan Todman, who rushed for 1,574 yards this season.

Unlike the Cardinals, Southern Miss relies on its offense to win games. Seven of 12 games saw them score at least 40 points, while three more saw them score 31 points or more. Their 38 ppg is good for 15th in the country. Quarterback Austin Davis has thrown for 3,898 yards and 18 touchdowns, while also rushing for over 400 yards and a team-high 10 touchdowns. Junior Kelvin Bolden has made quite a splash in his collegiate debut, having caught 41 balls for 667 yards and six touchdowns.

Poinsettia Bowl

2010-12-20T16:32:00.001-06:00

San Diego State vs. Navy

   At first glance, you would think that this game was kind of an unfair advantage in favor of the Aztecs. Not only is the game being played in San Diego, but in SDSU's home stadium as well. But then when it is brought up that there is quite a Navy presence in the area, that theory is thrown out the window.

   Anyway, back to football. Coach Brady Hoke has led an incredible turnaround of the San Diego State program. Just last season, the team was 4-8. The Aztecs are playing in a bowl game for the first time since 1998, which coincidentally was the last time they had a winning record. The offense is led by quarterback Ryan Lindley, who led the Mountain West with 3,554 yards passing and 26 touchdowns, tied with TCU's Andy Dalton for most in the conference. And Lindley has two targets he loves in Vincent Brown and DeMarco Sampson. Brown has 61 catches for 1,187 yards and nine touchdowns, while Sampson has 65 grabs for 1,175 yards and eight scores. The running game isn't that shabby either, as it's led by Ronnie Hillman, who has over 1,300 yards and 14 touchdowns.

   As what has seemed like it has always been, the triple option is the bread and butter of the Navy offense. As a team, the Midshipmen have rushed for nearly 3,500 yards and 36 touchdowns, which comes out to 289 rushing yards per game, which ranks fifth nationally. Quarterback Ricky Dobbs is the catalyst of the offense, having run for 860 yards and 13 touchdowns. Alexander Teich is second on the team with 825 yards and five touchdowns. Dobbs has also thrown for 1,380 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Humanitarian Bowl Preview

2010-12-18T12:29:00.000-06:00

Northern Illinois vs. Fresno State

This game will be an interesting one in the fact that Northern Illinois will be playing with an interim coach because their head coach left to become the coach at Minnesota two days after their loss in the MAC title game to Miami (OH). How the team will react is to be seen.

After an unblemished 8-0 conference record in the regular season, the Huskies earned their first ranking since 2003 and second overall. It was very short-lived, however, as they suffered their first loss to a MAC team in the conference championship game. Soon after their coach, Jerry Kill, left to take over the head coaching duties in Minnesota. The Gophers are going to have to stop a vaunted Huskie rushing attack. Their 265 yards per game rank them seventh in the NCAA and their 38 ppg is 13th. The running attack is headed by the running back-quarterback tandem of Chad Spann (1,293 yds, 20 TD) and quarterback Chandler Harnish (764 rushing yards, five rushing touchdowns, 2.230 passing yards, 20 passing touchdowns and only five interceptions).

While the Bulldogs' statistics don't jump out at you like NIU's, they are a very balanced attack, throwing for 214 yards per game and rushing for 157. Ryan Colburn has thrown for 2,529 yards and 21 touchdowns, while his backfield mate Robbie Rouse has rushed for nearly 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns. The offense will be tested against a Northern Illinois defense that is giving up 19 points per game. In their wins, Fresno State is averaging 32.ppg, while scoring only 25 ppg in their four losses.

New Mexico Bowl Preview

2010-12-18T12:28:00.000-06:00

BYU vs. UTEP

The New Mexico Bowl features a team from the Mountain West (BYU) and Conference USA (UTEP). UTEP comes into this bowl as possibly one of the few teams that had a losing record in conference play, after finishing 3-5, en route to a 6-6 record. After starting the season 5-1, the Miners lost five of their next six games, including three games in which they lost by 10 points of fewer, two of those being by four and three points, respectively.

The Miners don't do anything amazing and are middle of the road in all of the major statistics. They are 60th in passing yards (220 yd/pg), 69th in rushing yards (150 yds/gm), 70th in scoring offense (26 pts/gm) and 58th in points allowed (25 pts/gm). The offense is led by quarterback Trevor Vittatoe, who has thrown for over 2,500 yards and 19 touchdowns. His favorite target is Kris Adams, who has 44 catches for 917 yards and 11 touchdowns.

BYU is the complete opposite of their opponents. They started 1-4, before winning five of their next seven to finish 6-6 and third in the Mountain West. The Cougars are led by their defense and running game. The defense is ranked 33rd in the country in total defense, after giving up only 339 yards per game.

The offense isn't too shabby either and has been quite stellar on third downs, converting on 45 percent of their opportunities, good enough for 27th in the country. And all of this is done behind freshman quarterback Jake Heaps. Heaps has thrown for 2,052 yards and 11 touchdowns in his rookie campaign. His favorite target is JJ Di Luigi, who is also the team's leading rusher. He has rushed for 819 yards and seven touchdowns, while hauling in 42 passes for 422 yards.

New Orleans Bowl Preview

2010-12-18T12:27:00.000-06:00

Ohio vs. Troy

Despite playing in the MAC, Ohio has got to be one of the hottest teams coming into the bowl season. Since October 2nd, the Bobcats have won six of their last seven games, their only setback coming in their season finale to Kent State. This is the second straight bowl appearance for Ohio,which has never won a bowl game (five all-time appearances).

The Bobcats rely on their running game. Their 169 ypg ranked 39th in the nation. It is spear-headed by a tandem of Vince Davidson (509 yards, six touchdowns) and Phil Bates (508 yards and three touchdowns). Three others have rushed for over 200 yards including quarterback Boo Jackson, who is third with 325 yards and leads the team with seven rushing touchdowns.

The Trojans, on the other hand, are one of the most prolific passing offenses in the country. Their 290 passing yards per game ranks 12th nationally and combined with their 151 rushing yards per ga,e they rank 24th in total offense with 441 yards per game. Corey Robinson leads the offensive attack, having thrown for 3,339 yards and 24 touchdowns, while completing 62 percent of his passes. The great thing about the offense is that they spread it out. The top four wide receivers have 489 receiving yards or more and three of the four have caught five touchdowns. Two others have caught three scores.

Cam Newton Reactions

2010-12-03T14:59:00.000-06:00

We all know the story about Cam Newton and for most people, it just seems to get more and more interesting as we go along. The NCAA delivered its opinion on the matter the other day and it could not have opened a bigger door for future violations.

The NCAA cleared Newton to compete without conditions, saying it was Cecil Newton and "an owner of a scouting service" — former Mississippi State player Kenny Rogers — who violated amateurism rules.

The NCAA became involved over the summer in investigating the pay-for-play scheme that was discussed during Newton's recruitment. Two Mississippi State boosters accused Cecil Newton and Rogers of trying to get up to $180,000 for Cam Newton to play for the Bulldogs while the quarterback was being recruited out of junior college last year.

"Based on the information available to the reinstatement staff at this time, we do not have sufficient evidence that Cam Newton or anyone from Auburn was aware of this activity, which led to his reinstatement," Kevin Lennon, NCAA vice president for academic and membership affairs, said in a news release.

You have got to be kidding me. The kid didn't actually know what his dad was doing? Why would Cecil ask for money from Mississippi State but no other school? Especially since Cam originally said that he wanted to go to MSU anyway? That just doesn't seem right does it?? The only problem is that this will open a big can of worms that will allow future players do this and get away with it without any repercussions.

If you remember, in the summer a basketball player from Chicago, Anthony Davis, was accused of taking money from the University of Kentucky to give Coach Calipari an oral commitment. Now, his dad, Anthony Davis Sr.,or other parents accused of doing the same thing have nothing to worry about because it can be claimed that the parent knew about the taking of the money and the player had no knowledge of it. But how believable is all of this??

Pay for play has been going on for years and now it seems as if it will continue to be going on. Unless this ruling is just one that is temporary until the NCAA is able to look further into the matter, it can be guaranteed that this practice will continue. Especially since coaches can recruit kids as young as seventh grade, what's to say they won't start then? If they do, one can only imagine the amount it can grow to until he gives whatever coach a commitment or letter of intent.

But have fun with this NCAA. Have fun realizing what this has done to the game and that it makes it even more corrupt. But don't forget, a kid NEVER knows what his parent is doing and is always the innocent one...

Rivalry Week Part 3

2010-11-24T14:55:00.000-06:00

USC-Notre Dame

   ND and USC games count for five of the ten most-watched college football games in television history. The teams play for the Jeweled Shillelagh, a trophy that goes home with the winning team each year. Notre Dame currently leads the series 42-33-5.

   The origin of the series is quite often recounted as a "conversation between wives" of Notre Dame head coach Knute Rockne and USC athletic director Gywnn Wilson. In fact, many sports writers often cite this popular story as the main reason the two schools decided to play one another. As the story goes, the rivalry began with USC looking for a national rival. USC dispatched Wilson and his wife to Lincoln, Nebraska, where Notre Dame was playing Nebraska on Thanksgiving Day. On that day, Knute Rockne resisted the idea of a home-and-home series with USC because of the travel involved, but Mrs. Wilson was able to persuade Mrs. Rockne that a trip every two years to sunny Southern California was better than one to snowy, hostile Nebraska. Mrs. Rockne spoke to her husband and on December 4, 1926, USC became an annual fixture on Notre Dame's schedule.

Notre Dame and USC played their first game in 1926, a 13-12 win for the Irish. Rockne was quoted as saying it was the greatest game he ever saw. The following year, Notre Dame and USC would play a memorable game at Soldier Field in Chicago, a slim 7-6 Irish victory. An estimated 120,000 people were in attendance, a crowd that is considered to be one of the largest attended games in NCAA history. USC's first win in the series also came during the same year they won their first national title in 1928. From 1928-1932, USC and Notre Dame combined to win the national title five straight years, with USC winning in 1928, 1931 and 1932, and Notre Dame winning in 1929 and 1930. During this period, there was some talk of canceling the series, due to the long amount of travel time it took by train from South Bend to Los Angeles. Rockne argued for the series against the Notre Dame faculty board and its chair, Father Mulcaire, countering that "he saw the day coming when most college teams will be going by air exclusively.

   Both schools combined have produced the most national titles (21), Heisman trophy winners (14), All-Americans, College Football Hall of Famers and future NFL Hall of Famers (21) than any other collegiate series.

Oklahoma-Oklahoma State


In 1900, in Oklahoma Territory, Oklahoma A&M (later Oklahoma State) veterinary medicine professor Dr. L.L. Lewis assembled a group of A&M students to participate in the first territorial Track and Field Meet. Held on May 4, 1900, the event included Alva Normal College, Central Normal of Edmond, Kingfisher College and the University of Oklahoma, along with OAMC. The prize of the tournament was a silver cup donated by a local jeweler named Douglas. Surprisingly, A&M won the meet and returned to Stillwater with the traveling trophy.

   In 1901, A&M won again, and a third consecutive win would mean permanent retirement of the Douglas Cup in Stillwater. The meet was held on May 23, 1902, with the Aggies amassing the most points. Oklahoma filed a protest based on the pole vault competition not having been completed due to darkness, however, Oklahoma A&M claimed the Douglas cup.

   The next day the Sooners held their own vault competition and declared themselves the victor. Several weeks later, the Douglas Cup was missing from its place in a glass case at the Oklahoma A&M chemistry lab. Suspecting that OU students had stolen the Cup, a group of A&M students retrieved the Cup from Norman, supposedly burying it under Old Central for safekeeping.

   Ten years later, when excavation was being done for A&M's Gundersen Hall, the trophy was found.


   The first Bedlam game was held at Island Park in Guthrie, Oklahoma. It was a cold, and very windy day with the temperatures well below the freezing mark. At one moment in the game when the Oklahoma A&M Aggies were punting, the wind carried the ball backwards behind the kicker. If the Oklahoma A&M squad recovered the ball it would be a touchback and if the University of Oklahoma squad recovered it, it would be a touchdown. The ball kept going backwards and rolled down a hill into the half-frozen creek. Since a touchdown was at stake, members of both teams dove into the icy waters to recover the ball. A member of the OU team came out with the ball and downed it for a touchdown, eventually winning the game 75-0. Thus was the beginning of Bedlam.

   Author Steve Budin, whose father was a New York bookie, has recently publicized the claim that the 1954 Bedlam Game was fixed by mobsters in his book Bets, Drugs, and Rock & Roll. Allegedly, the mobsters threatened and paid off a cook to slip laxatives into a soup eaten by many OU Sooner starting players, causing them to fall violently ill in the days leading up to the game. OU was victorious in the end, but their 14-0 win did not cover the 20-point spread they had in their favor. However, many people involved in the 1954 contest do not recall any incident like the one purported by Bodin to have occurred.

   Oklahoma currently leads the series 81-16-7.

Rivalry Week Part 2

2010-11-24T12:42:00.000-06:00

Michigan-Ohio State

   The annual match up between the two Midwest state schools has been held at the end of the regular season since 1935 (with exceptions in 1942, 1986, and 1998). Since 1918, the game's site has alternated between Columbus, Ohio, and Ann Arbor, Michigan, and has been played in Ohio Stadium since 1922 and Michigan Stadium since 1927. Through 2009, Ohio State and Michigan have decided the Big Ten Conference championship between themselves on 22 different occasions, and have affected the determination of the conference title an additional 26 times.

   The inaugural meeting between Ohio State and Michigan at Ann Arbor in 1897 resulted in a lopsided victory for Michigan, with the Wolverines posting a 34–0 win over Ohio State's Buckeyes. The first game foretold a long Michigan winning streak, with Michigan winning or tying every match from 1897 to 1912 and thereby compiling a 12–0–2 record before the contest was postponed for several years. The Ohio State Alma Mater "Carmen Ohio" was written on the train ride home to Columbus following the 1902 contest, which saw Ohio State losing to Michigan, 86–0. The lyrics and melody (Spanish Chant) have remained largely unchanged since its conception.

   The 1950 contest, known as the Snow Bowl, is perhaps the most famous game in the rivalry. Eighth-ranked Ohio State was scheduled to host the game on November 25 in Columbus amidst one of the worst blizzards on Ohio record. The Buckeyes, who led the Big Ten, were granted the option to cancel the game against Michigan, which would have, by default, given the Buckeyes the Big Ten title outright and won them a trip to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl. Ohio State refused, and the game was set to be played. Amid howling snow and wind, in what was probably the most literal example of a "field position" game, the teams exchanged 45 punts, often on first down, in hopes that the other team would fumble the ball near or into their own end zone. Ohio State's Vic Janowicz, who would claim the Heisman Trophy that year, punted 21 times for 685 yards and also kicked a field goal in the first quarter for the Buckeyes' only points. Michigan capitalized on two blocked punts, booting one out of the back of the end zone for a safety and recovering another one in the end zone for a touchdown just before halftime. Despite failing to gain a single first down or complete a single forward pass, Michigan gained a 9–3 victory, securing the Big Ten title and a Rose Bowl berth.

   While Michigan leads the series 57–43–6, OSU has won the last six meetings.

Florida-Florida State


The University of Florida has fielded an official varsity football team every season since 1906, with the exception of 1943. Although Florida State College (one of the predecessor institutions of Florida State University) sponsored a varsity football team from 1902 to 1904, the Florida Legislature converted Florida State College into the Florida Female College, the state's new all-women's college in 1905. The college's name was changed to "Florida State College for Women" in 1909, and it remained so until the college became co-educational in 1947, when the modern Florida State football team was established.

   Almost immediately, Florida State's football coach, players and students began calling for the Gators to play the new Florida State football team. The University of Florida, however, was reluctant to treat Florida State as an equal. A proposed bill mandating that Florida play Florida State in football and other sports was proposed in 1955 but was voted down in the Florida Legislature. However, Florida Governor LeRoy Collins asked president J. Wayne Reitz of the University of Florida to schedule a yearly football series between the two state universities, and the two schools' athletic directors eventually negotiated a contract that started the football series in 1958.

   In an otherwise unremarkable game coming in to this 8th annual contest between the burgeoning rivals, this game established the rivalry in full due to the controversy that surrounded its outcome. In a tight contest, UF led the Seminoles late in the game, 22-19. FSU had the ball at the Gator 45 yard line with 17 second left in the game. On first down, wide receiver Lane Fenner entered the game in place of FSU's star receiver Ron Sellers. FSU quarterback Gary Pajcic took the snap, Fenner got behind UF defenders, and Pajcic lofted a pass to Fenner in the front corner of the end zone for what appeared to be a game-winning FSU touchdown. However, referee Doug Moseley signaled that Fenner did not have control of the ball before rolling out of bounds and ruled the pass incomplete

   UF ended up holding on for a 22-19 win, but the controversy heated up after the game when photos that apparently showed Fenner making the catch in the endzone were published in state newspapers. Debate over whether or not the play should have been ruled a touchdown continues to this day.

   The Gators lead the overall series 33–19–2, though have only had an 18–17–1 record against the Seminoles since Bobby Bowden became FSU’s head coach in 1976.

Utah-BYU

   The University of Utah (Utah) and Brigham Young University (BYU) have a longstanding athletic rivalry that encompasses several sports. The annual college football game is frequently referred to as the Holy War. In the 1890s, when BYU was still known as Brigham Young Academy, the two schools started competing athletically. Both schools were founded by the LDS church, have significant percentages of LDS students and faculty as well as many historical and customary affiliations with Mormonism such as LDS institutes and dry campuses. As much as religion is a common historical foundation for the rivalry, it has also been a source of animosity and many have sought to downplay the aspect of religion. BYU (aka "the Y") is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ("LDS or Mormon Church"). The University of Utah (aka "the U") is a public state-owned school. Because this rivalry includes a "church vs. state" dimension, many fans of both schools use it as a forum to vent deeply held feelings and perceptions.

   Utah claims that the football rivalry began in the late 19th century, when Utah played the Brigham Young Academy six times between 1896–1899. BYU does not count these games in their official records, since it was not then known as BYU, but BYA. Furthermore, BYU claims that the first of those football games, a 12–4 Utah victory in April 1896, was in actuality a practice-scrimmage to prepare for the following fall season. But whether or not the game meant anything to the schools at the time, it certainly meant a great deal to the fans. At the end of the match, a fight broke out between fans of the two schools.

Georgia-Georgia Tech

   The two schools are separated by 70 miles (110 km) and have been heated rivals since 1893.

   The first known hostilities between the two schools trace back to 1891. The University of Georgia's literary magazine declared the school's colors to be "old gold, black, and crimson." Dr. Charles H. Herty, the first UGA football coach, felt that old gold was too similar to yellow and that yellow "symbolized cowardice.^" Also in 1891, a student vote chose old gold and white as Georgia Tech's school colors. After the 1893 football game against Tech, Herty removed old gold as an official school color. Tech would first use old gold for their uniforms, as a proverbial slap in the face to UGA, in their first unofficial football game against Auburn in 1891. Georgia Tech's school colors would henceforth be old gold and white.

   The game has been played 104 times according to Georgia Tech and only 102 times according to Georgia record books. Georgia discredits two games in 1943 and 1944 (both years in which Georgia Tech won) because many of their players went to fight in World War II, though official college football records include the games.

   The record between the two teams is 60 Georgia wins, 39 Georgia Tech wins, and 5 ties.

Rivalry Week Part 1

2010-11-23T16:20:00.001-06:00

The last couple of weeks of the college football season always brings us some of the nation's top rivalries, and that is the case again this year. There is a minimum of 13 rivalry games this weekend, highlighted by Missouri-Kansas, Texas-Texas A&M, Ohio State-Michigan and . Here's a look at some, if not all, of them.

Texas-Texas A&M

   This is the first time the teams have met without Texas (5-6, 2-5) ranked in the Top 25 since 1998, when the Longhorns defeated the then-No. 6 Aggies 26-24 on a late field goal. The Aggies started the season sluggishly, but have won five straight, pushing them into the top 20 in the country. The Longhorns were unable to recover from theirs and need a win to avoid missing a bowl game for the first time since 1997 -- also the last time they had a losing season.

   The football series between the two universities is the third longest running rivalry in all of college football.Since 1900, the last regular season football game is usually reserved for their matchup. Each school mentions the other in their fight song (Texas with "and it's goodbye to A&M" in Texas Fight and the Aggies singing about Texas for essentially the entire second verse of the Aggie War Hymn). In the past, mischief has preceded the annual game, such as "kidnapping" each other's mascots. The Longhorns lead the series 75-36-5.

Auburn-Alabama

   The Iron Bowl is a common name for the college football game between the Auburn University Tigers and the University of Alabama Crimson Tide. Auburn and Alabama played their first football game in Lakeview Park in Birmingham, Alabama, on February 22, 1893. Disagreement between the schools began immediately as Alabama considered the game to be the final matchup of the 1892 season and Auburn recorded it as the first of 1893. The series was indeed suspended after the 1907 game when the schools could not come to agreement over the amount of expenses to be paid players, as well as from where officials for the game should be obtained.

   In 1947 the Alabama House of Representatives passed a resolution encouraging the schools to "make possible the inauguration of a full athletic program between the two schools." Ralph B. Draughon, the president of Auburn (then named the Alabama Polytechnic Institute), and Alabama president John Gallalee decided during the winter and spring of 1948 to end the disagreement and renew the series. The games would be played in Birmingham because it had the largest stadium in the state, 44,000-seat Legion Field, and the tickets would be split evenly between the two schools. Alabama won the first game when the series renewed 55–0, the most lopsided victory of the series.

   Auburn desired to make the Iron Bowl a "home-and-home" series, and the schools reached an agreement where Auburn could play their home games for the Iron Bowl in Auburn starting in 1989 (except for the 1991 game, which was played at Legion Field), and Alabama would have a "home" ticket allocation for games in Legion Field. Since 1893, the Crimson Tide and Tigers have played 74 times. Alabama leads the all-time series, with 40 wins to Auburn's 33, with one tie. The game has been played in four cities: Auburn, Birmingham, Montgomery, and Tuscaloosa. Alabama leads the series in Birmingham (34–18–1). Auburn leads the series in Tuscaloosa (6–1–0) and Auburn (7–3–0). The series is tied in Montgomery (2–2–0).

Kansas-Missouri

   The intense rivalry between the two universities can be traced to the open violence involving anti-slavery and pro-slavery elements that took place in the Kansas Territory and the western frontier towns of Missouri throughout the 1850s. These incidents were attempts by Missouri (a slave state) to influence whether Kansas would enter the Union as a free or slave state. The term Bleeding Kansas is often used to refer to the pre-war conflict, culminating with the burning and looting of Osceola, Missouri in 1861 by James Lane's Kansas Jayhawkers, which was a contributing factor to the Lawrence Massacre reprisal two years later. The raid on Lawrence was led by William Quantrill, a Kansas citizen who had actually taught school in Lawrence prior to the Civil War. SI.com supervising producer Dan George summed up the rivalry by stating "It's more than the schools -- it's a state thing going back to before the Civil War, when William Quantrill's Confederate guerillas burned Lawrence and murdered nearly 200 people. Neither Missouri nor Kansas folks have forgotten it." Those on the Missouri side are quick to point out that the Jayhawkers were guilty of the same things - crossing into Missouri, leading brutal raids and burning towns, and that Quantrill was part of a group that almost burnt down Columbia due to it being a Union stronghold.

   The 2007 football season brought the origins of the rivalry between the two states back into the spotlight. A t-shirt created by a Missouri alumnus gained national attention with its reference to Quantrill's Raid of 1863. The shirt depicted the burning of Lawrence in 1863 following the raid of William Quantrill and his Bushwhackers against the Jayhawkers of Kansas. The image of Lawrence burning was paired with the word “Scoreboard” and a Mizzou logo. On the back of the shirts, William Quantrill was quoted, saying "Our cause is just, our enemies many." Some Kansas fans interpreted these shirts as supporting slavery. KU supporters returned fire with a shirt depicting abolitionist John Brown with the words, “Kansas: Protecting America from Missouri since 1854.”

The Missouri-Kansas football series is the second-most-played rivalry in college football history. The teams first matched up in football on October 31, 1891. There have been 9 ties in the 118 games played. On November 24, 2007, the two teams entered the game both ranked in the top five in the nation: Kansas at #2 and Missouri at #3. On the heels of #1 LSU's loss the day before, Missouri won the game 36-28 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, with a near-record 80,537 people (the second-largest crowd in stadium history) in attendance and the largest TV audience to watch any 2007 regular season game, and therefore became #1 in both the Bowl Championship Series and Associated Press polls.

Although 55-54-9 for MU is the official series result, there is an ongoing discussion about whether the 1960 games should have been counted as a win for Kansas, making the series 55-54-9 in their favor. The Big 8 forfeited the win to Missouri due to Kansas' ineligible player, Bert Coan. The University of Kansas still considers the game a Kansas win, fueling the controversy. Due to the Kansas win on the field, several other publications have also referenced the series record more to the favor of Kansas.

Weekend Observations

2010-11-15T13:22:00.000-06:00

Northwestern continues to be Iowa's kryptonite, winning five of the last six meetings. Unfortunately, the Wildcats lost QB Dan Persa for the season after he threw the game winning pass. He ruptured his Achilles and is out for the season.

Wisconsin scored 11 touchdowns against Indiana, the most in Wisconsin history and the second-most by a Big Ten team since World War II. The Badgers rolled up 83 points, the most Wisconsin has scored in a Big Ten game and tied for the third-most points scored in a Big Ten game. It was the most points scored by any team in a Big Ten game since Ohio State scored 83 against Iowa in 1950.

Cameron Gordon's 58-yd fumble return was the first defensive TD of the season for Michigan, whose defense ranked 114th (out of 120 teams) in yardage entering the game. Ryan Kerrigan set Big Ten and school records for career fumbles forced, with 14.

The win against Ole Miss snapped Tennessee's six-game losing streak against SEC West opponents. The Vols have never gone a season without an SEC win and have won at least three conference games every season since 1977.

Wake Forest (2-8, 1-6) lost its eighth straight game, its longest slide since dropping its last 10 in 1978.

Army became bowl eligible for the first time in 14 years. The Black Knights (6-4) continued their best season since going 10-2 in 1996 -- they were 35-115 over the next 13 years. All three service academies have winning records now, and only twice since 1960 have all three finished above .500: in 1963, Army was 7-3, Air Force 7-4 and Navy 9-2, and in 1996 it was Army at 10-2, Navy at 9-3 and Air Force at 6-5.

The Orange finished the regular season 4-0 on the road in Big East play and are bowl-eligible for the first time since 2004. And with a road win at Akron, Syracuse has five true road wins in a season for the first time since 1992. At 7-3 (with two regular-season home games left and a possible bowl game), the Orange are guaranteed to have their first winning season since 2001, when they finished 10-3. Doug Marrone now has more wins in less than two seasons at Syracuse (11) than Greg Robinson had in four seasons (10).

Ryan Broyles caught three TDs and now has 32 TD receptions in his career, most in school history.

Washington State snapped a 16-game conference losing streak with a 31-14 win over Oregon State.It was the Cougars' first Pac-10 win since a 16-13 overtime victory against Washington in the 2008 Apple Cup.

South Carolina won for the second time in 19 tries against Florida, snapped an 0-for-12 streak in Gainesville and earned a spot in the league title game for the first time since joining the SEC in 1992. The Gators lost to a division opponent for the first time in 17 games, dropped their third consecutive home game and proved they didn't deserve to play for a championship. It's the program's first three-game losing streak at home since 1989. Marcus Lattimore had the ninth 200-yd rushing game in South Carolina history; 1st since 2000 and 1st in SEC play.

Oklahoma State ended a 12-year losing streak to Texas with a 33-16 victory Saturday night. Oklahoma State won four straight road games for the first time since 1985. The Longhorns lost for the fourth time at home this year to equal the total amount of home losses for Texas since 2000. Texas lost four straight home games in the same season for the first time since 1956. Texas needs to win each of its final two games to become bowl eligible. It has not missed a bowl since 1997 and if they don't make a bowl, it will be the first time in the BCS era that a team playing in the title game doesn't make a bowl the following season.

Illinois Preview

2010-11-08T02:02:00.000-06:00

To say that the University of Illinois' Men's Basketball team has been under some major scrutiny since its title game appearance would be putting things nicely. Bruce Weber has been criticized for not winning an NCAA Tournament game since 2006 or poor recruiting (which has drastically changed in the past two years), fans have been unkind to Coach Weber. Until this year that is. Pretty much the entire team returns for the 2010-2011 season and Weber adds a trio of recruits who will see major playing time.

Backcourt: The leader of the backcourt, and the entire team, is returning first-team All-Big Ten point guard Demetri McCamey. McCamey led the nation in assists per game, averaging 7.1 dimes per contest. He will lead what is a very young backcourt, one that features two sophomores, two freshmen and a redshirt freshmen. Luckily for the Illini, the two sophomores, D.J. Richardson and Brandon Paul, both saw extensive action last season. Richardson was named co-Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

Paul can play numerous positions, ranging from the point to apparently the power forward position, Weber said. He played with one of the lower-level USA Basketball teams this summer and will look to improve on his 7.8 ppg and 3.1 rpg averages from a year ago. Richardson averaged 10.5 ppg last season.

Weber's two incoming freshman include a younger brother of one of the 2005 stars as well as a McDonald's All-American. Crandall Head, Luther's brother, is coming off of a knee injury, but if he is at full strength, and it has been reported he is, he should play a big role for the team. Jereme Richardson, the McDonald's AA is possibly the biggest recruit Weber has had. He got his commitment after Richmond played his first game of high school.

Frontcourt: As deep as the Illini are in the backcourt, they are just as much so in the frontcourt. The team returns multiple starters and others who have seen tons of playing time. Mike Davis returns at one forward after leading the Big Ten in rebounding with 9.2 per contest. He will be pushed by sophomore Tyler Griffey, who came on strong at the end of last season. Because of the depth, Bill Cole, a team captain, might see him role reduced. Mike Tisdale returns at the center position after averaginf 12 ppg and six rpg. But he will be pushed by freshman Meyers Leonard, a seven-foot blue-chip recruit, who has great handles, hops and runs the floor well for a big man.

Schedule: The team is going to be quite tested by the time conference play rolls around. They start the season in the Coaches vs Cancer Classic, where the potential final four teams could feature the Illini, Texas, Maryland and Pittsburgh. They also host North Carolina in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. They travel to Seattle to play Gonzaga and play Missouri in the Braggin' Rights game in St. Louis. In mid-January, the Illini have a three-game stretch where they travel to Wisconsin and host Michigan State and Ohio State. A month later, they have back-to-back games at MSU and OSU

Weekend Observations

2010-11-07T02:13:00.000-06:00

The Michigan-Illinois game (132 points) is the highest scoring game in FBS this season and the highest scoring game between two Big ten Conference opponents all-time. Roy Roundtree who finished with a Michigan school record 246 receiving yards. 65 points by Illinois is the most allowed in Michigan school history. Illinois' 65 points is two shy of FBS record for most by losing team (9th-most points scored in school history). Michigan: allowed 40+ pts in back-to-back games for 1st time in school history.

Army threw its first interception of the year against Air Force. That means every FBS team has now thrown an interception this year - Army was the last team alive without one.

Brandon Weeden threw for a school-record 435 yards and three scores and Oklahoma State set a new school mark for total offense for the second time this season by gaining 725 yards. Baylor has not won at Oklahoma State since 1939. The Cowboys improved to 11-1 against the Bears since 1999.

Damaris Johnson moved into first place in the Conference USA record books for career kickoff return yards.

Kansas scored 35 unanswered points after trailing 45-17 early in the fourth quarter. The 35 points are the second-most scored in the 4th quarter by a team to win in FBS History. The 35 points in the fourth quarter were the most in Jayhawks history.

North Carolina beat Florida State for the second time (2-15-1 all-time). The win made the Tar Heels bowl eligible. They've qualified for a bowl every year under Butch Davis. T.J. Yates threw for a school-record 439 yards

Boise State extended the FBS' longest active win streak to 22 games and 33 regular-season games. Kellen Moore threw for a career-high 507 yards and three touchdowns, which gives him a school-record 85 touchdowns. The team rolled up a school-record 737 total yards

Navy beat East Carolina 76-35 on Saturday, setting a school single-game scoring record and most since 1919. With the win, Navy qualified for a bowl game for the eighth straight season and will play in the Poinsettia Bowl against an opponent from the Mountain West Conference on Dec. 23. It was the most points scored by either East Carolina or an opponent in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, while Navy's 521 yards rushing were the most by an opponent here and the second-most allowed by the Pirates ever. It was also the second-most points ever allowed by East Carolina, trailing Guilford's 79 points in November 1932.

Joe Paterno joined John Gagliardi and the late Eddie Robinson as the only coaches in NCAA history with 400 wins and is the only FBS coach to do so. Only two other coaches have more wins. Robinson had 408 with FCS school Grambling State, while Gagliardi had 476 entering the weekend with Division III St. John's, Minn

Colin Kaepernick had 320 passing yards and five TDs as Nevada beat Idaho for the sixth straight time. Nevada had 844 total yards of offense, a school record. It was the most offense by any FBS school since 2004. Nevada had three players run for over 100 yards.

James Aho kicked a 38-yard field goal as time expired to lift New Mexico to a 34-31 victory over Wyoming and end a nine-game losing streak on Saturday. UNM had lost 23 of its last 24 games

Texas A&M broke a seven-game losing streak to Oklahoma. Texas A&M won its third straight overall and beat the Sooners for the first time since 2002. Oklahoma lost on the road for the second time in less than a month. Texas A&M earned its first win over a ranked team since defeating Texas in 2007.

Arkansas beat South Carolina for the fourth time in the last five games between the two schools. Since Bobby Petrino became head coach, Arkansas has thrown for at least 300 yards in 17 of 34 games. South Carolina had its six-game home winning streak stopped and it was just the Gamecocks' second loss in 15 games in Columbia.

Stanford matched its win total from last season and snapped Arizona's five-game road win streak. Stanford RB Stepfan Taylor ran for four TDs, outscoring Arizona by himself. Taylor hadn't scored more than two TDs in a game in his career. Arizona allowed at least 30 points for the first time this season.

The Longhorns, who played Alabama last season for the national championship, lost for the fifth time in six games and fell below .500 for the first time since losing their 1999 opener. They will have to win their last three games -- home against No. 19 Oklahoma State, Florida Atlantic and Texas A&M -- just to match Brown's lowest victory total since going 7-5 at North Carolina in 1995. Also in jeopardy is Brown's string of taking 18 consecutive teams to a bowl.

Ronnie Hillman became the third San Diego State freshman to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season, joining Marshall Faulk (1991) and Lionel Hamilton (1994).

With two rushing touchdowns Thursday, Josh Nesbitt ties Jonathan Dwyer for the 2nd-most rush TD in Georgia Tech history with 35 for his career. Robert Lavette leads with 45. With Nesbitt's 86 yards rushing Thursday, he passes Woody Dantzler for the most rushing yards by an ACC quarterback. He entered the game needing 42 yards to pass Dantlzer. Nesbitt now has 4 50-yard rushes this season. Since 2004, only Joe Webb (UAB) with 5 in 2009 has more in a single season by a quarterback.

Weekend Preview

2010-11-05T01:14:00.002-05:00

Wow talk about a lot of awesome games between ranked teams!

Big Ten games

Illinois @ Michigan

Both teams come in at 5-3, so a win earns them bowl eligibility. The road game starts a streak of three away games in the Illinois' last four contests. Quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase is coming off of a week which saw him be named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week. He completed 16-of-20 passes for 195 yards and four touchdowns, while rushing for 118 yards on 21 carries.

After starting the season 5-0, the Wolverines have lost their last three contests, with all being Big Ten games. They'll be looking to get back on the saddle against the Illini and as always, will look for Denard Robinson to lead them.

Illinois wins if...Scheelhaase plays as well as he has been lately. He seems to be flourishing as he becomes more comfortable in the college game. If they stop Robinson, they have a real chance of leaving with a win.

Michigan wins if...it shuts down the Illinois running game and it goes back to what was working the first five games of the year.

Northwestern @ Penn State

Joe Paterno can join John Gagliardi and Eddie Robinson as the only college football coaches to record 400 career victories, and he can become the first man in Division I-A/FBS history to do so. Who will they choose as their quarterback tho? Rob Bolden is back from a concussion, but Matt McGloin did well in his first start. Rumor is both will play.

Dan Persa, on the other hand, is coming back home. Growing up a Penn State fan and going to games at Beaver Stadium, he had grown up wanting to play for the Nittany Lions, but was passed up in the recruiting game. It will be his first start in State College and it comes at a time where the 'Cats are looking to get their mojo back.

Penn Stats wins if...it doesn;t let the thought of Paterno's 400th win get in the way. Choosing a quarterback is vital too. Both are good, but who will take the reigns.

Northwestern wins if...Persa is Persa. He was amazing for most of the Indiana game, but then suffered what seemed like a concussion. If he is over that and the emotions of his homecoming don't take over, the Wildcats might n Paterno's quest for 400.

National Games

TCU @ Utah

3 vs. 5. Last time the two will face as Mountain West foes. Undefeated. Chances at a National Title. That's all that's at stake in the game between these bitter rivals. It's the Mountain West's premier matchup, the first on league history pitting two ranked top-10 teams and one that will go a long way in deciding not only a conference champion but also who will remain a potential BCS buster. TCU has never won in three trips to Salt Lake City, including a 13-10 loss in 2008 that eventually propelled the Utes to a BCS bowl game -- knocking off Alabama in the Sugar -- and landing the Frogs in the Poinsettia Bowl, where they beat Boise State.

The Frogs are averaging nearly 41 ppg, while the Utes nearly 46. TCU has the top-ranked defense in the nation and is giving up just eight points per game. They've given up 16 points total in the last five games. They will have to shut down a Utes team that averages 450 yards per game. Oh yea, their defense is pretty good too.

TCU wins if...it shuts down the dynamic Utah offense. Their defense is tops in the nation, but their offense is just as great. Led by Andy Dalton, the team has been whooping everybody all year.

Utah wins if...it can score. They boast a good defense too and if they can stop the Horned Frogs, they might walk away with a win.

NCAA Week 9 Observations

2010-10-31T17:22:00.000-05:00

Miami starting QB Jacory Harris was knocked out of the game after being hit while throwing an interception in the second quarter. They got their first win of the season against a team from a BCS conference. They have also beaten Richmond and VMI of the Championship Subdivision and Eastern Michigan. Virginia's five interceptions matched its total in the first seven games combined.

Syracuse has now won 4 true road games in a season for the first time since 1996. The 6-2 start is their best since 2001, when they finished 10-3 -- the last time they had a winning record. The Cincinnati loss is its worst beating at home since a 38-0 loss to West Virginia in 2005.

Chandler Harnish found Willie Clark with a 21-yard TD pass with 3:42 to play to lift the Huskies to their six straight victory, their longest winning streak since 2004.

Marcus Lattimore rushed for 184 yards and a TD as South Carolina won for the fifth time in its last 29 games vs. Tennessee. Lattimore has 13 TDs this season, tied for the fifth-most by a freshman in SEC history. His 13 TDs are three shy of the South Carolina single-season record. The Gamecocks are 5-0 at home this season. Tennessee is 0-5 in the SEC. It's the first time the Volunteers have lost their first five conference games of a season since 1977.

Temple won its 10th straight home game to tie a school record and posted back-to-back shutouts for the first time since blanking Connecticut and Xavier during the 1971 season.

San Diego State is now eligible for a bowl for the first time since 1998 when the Aztecs played North Carolina in the Las Vegas Bowl. Its six wins this season surpass its win total in any of the last six seasons.

The loss by Notre Dame gives the current senior class 26 losses, the most in a four-year span at the school since 1900. Tulsa's win over Notre Dame was the Golden Hurricane's 1st over a BCS-AQ team since beating Iowa in 1996. It was Notre Dame's first loss to a current member of Conference USA since SMU (then a member of the Southwest Conference) beat the Irish in the 1984 Aloha Bowl. Tulsa's Damaris Johnson returned a punt 59 yards for TD and is 25 yards shy of becoming Conference USA's all-time leader in kickoff return yards.

Arizona improved to 7-1 this season and will enter November with fewer than two losses for the first time since 1998.

It was the first game between Florida and Georgia with both teams unranked since 1979. The Gators have won 18 of the last 21 games in the series. The loss snapped Georgia's three-game win streak.

Baylor ended a 12-game losing streak against Texas and won its first game at Texas since 1991. Baylor QB Robert Griffin III broke the school record for career passing TDs with 39. Texas has lost three straight home games in a season for the first time since 1997.

Stanford beat Washington for the third straight time. That hasn't happened since Stanford won 10 straight from 1967-76. This was Stanford's first road shutout since beating Oregon 17-0 in 1974. The Cardinal is 7-1 for the first time since 1970 when they started 8-1. Stanford's defense shut out Washington at home for the first time since 1976

College Basketball Preview: America East

2010-10-28T02:01:00.000-05:00

Yup, it's that time of year again! College basketball season. Like football, I'll be doing previews. For basketball, however, I'll be doing conference previews with a small preview of the colleges in that conference. I'm going to start with the smaller conferences alphabetically and work my way to the big conferences when I get closer to the season. So here we go...

Albany: The Danes will be led by their backcourt in the 2010-2011 season. Three starters, led by Tim Ambrose and Mike Black, return for a team that hasn't made the NCAA Tournament since 2007. The team returns just three upperclassmen (two seniors), so the team will be relatively young. They will look for many newcomers to make an immediate impact.

Binghamton: The Bearcats are still trying to remove the shadow of a scandal that took place when former coach Kevin Broadus used some shady methods in recruiting athletes to play at Binghamton. Greer Wright, who was a first-team all-conference selection, returns after averaging 15 points and six rebounds. Moussa Camara, who averaged nearly 11 points per game, also returns to take some of the pressure off of Wright.

Boston University: To say the Terriers will be relatively known until the middle of the season would be an understatement. Despite returning three starters, the team welcomes 11 newcomers, including three transfers, two of whom (Patrick Hazel and Matt Griffin) might be starters from Day 1. Boston returns last years' America East scoring leader in John Holland, who will look to become a three-time all-conference first-team selection, as well as just the second 2,000 point scorer in team history; he currently has 1,558 points.

Hartford: Hartford is hoping that bringing back all five starters will help them improve on last year's 8-22 record. New coach John Gallagher's motion offense will suit this team greatly, as two of their starters, Joe Zeglinski and Mogan Sabia are tops and third in career three-pointers at Hartford, respectively.

Maine: Maine brings back four starters and a boat load of experience from last year's squad that finished third in conference. The returnees are led by Gerald McLemore, who garnered all-conference first-team honors last season, after knocking down 102 three-pointers. Sean McNally returns to man the paint after averaging 10 points and seven rebounds per game.

New Hampshire: The Wildcats return three senior starters for a team that is looking for its first winning record since 1994-95. Alvin Abreu comes back after averaging 14 points per game and Tyrone Conley, who averaged 12 points per game, returns to anchor the backcourt. The frontcourt will be made up of Dane DiLiegro, Ferg Myrick and Brian Benson.

Stony Brook: In 11 years of Division I basketball, the Seawolves have qualified for a postseason tournament once, in 2010 (NIT). However, last year's regular season champs are hoping to make that step up and go to the NCAA's. The team returns four starters, including sharp-shooter Bryan Dougher. Tommy Brenton, last year's league rebounding champion, returns to anchor an experienced frontcourt. The team's lone starter lost from last year, however, was the league's Player of the Year, Muhammad El-Amin.

UMBC: The team is coming off of the program's worst season (4-26) and lost three starters and their sixth man from last year's squad. Point guard Chris De La Rosa will be the team leader after averaging nearly 12 points and five assists per game. If the team is able to come up with a decent frontcourt, the team has a chance of surprising some teams.

Vermont: Last year's conference champs might take a big step back from last year after losing four starters. One interesting aspect of this year's squad is that 10 of the players are 6'6 or taller. The Catamounts will look for Evan Fjeld, who shot better that 65 percent, scored nearly 11 points per game and six rebounds per game, to lead this year's squad. They will look to UMass transfer Matt Glass to provide more of a scoring punch.

College Football Week 8 Observations

2010-10-24T21:30:00.000-05:00

Oregon just continues to impress everybody. The team is averaging 55 points per game, tops in the nation. In four home games this season, the Ducks are averaging 63 points per game, while giving up 11. They have outscored their opponents with 33 touchdowns to five, are averaging 649 yards per game to their opponents' 263 and rushing for more than seven yards per carry, compared to 2.8

With its win over West Virginia, Syracuse is 5-2 for the first time since 2001. West Virginia's 12-game home winning streak came to an end -- it was its longest home win streak since a 12-game run from 1987-89. Syracuse threw for 63 yards but ended its eight-game losing streak vs. West Virginia.

It seems as if nobody wants to be the top-ranked team in the nation this year. According to the BCS standings, Oklahoma came into this weekend's game against Missouri as the top team. But just as Alabama and Ohio State, the top-ranked teams the past two weeks, the Sooners couldn't escape Columbia without a loss. For the third time in the BCS era, the team that debuts as No. 1 in initial BCS Standings loses that same week. The Sooners were involved in all 3 games. Sunday will mark the 5th time in the BCS era that we will have a new No. 1 in week 2 of the BCS standings. In 1998 (UCLA) and 2005 (USC), the No. 1 team dropped without losing.

It was a weekend of firsts for Missouri. For the first time ever, ESPN College GameDay was in Columbia. Coach Gary Pinkel won his first game against either Oklahoma or Texas (he had been 0-7 against OU). The fans helped the school skyrocket to the top of three GameDay lists: most people ever on the Saturday morning (18,000), most people ever on the Friday taping (2,000-3,000) and the most signs the crew had seen. But this win was more than just a win over the Sooners. It was one for the past, present and future of Tiger Nation.

Kirk Cousins threw for a season-high 331 yards and three touchdowns, and Michigan State rallied to beat Northwestern 35-27 and remain unbeaten on Saturday. Playing out of state for the first time this season, the Spartans scored 28 points in another strong second half. Coach Mark Dantonio was back on the sideline after working the previous two games from the press box following his mild heart attack last month.

Saturday's 49-0 win over Purdue is the largest shut out victory for Ohio State against the Boilermakers. It is the 12th time Ohio State has shut out Purdue, and first time since 1995 when the Buckeyes won 28-0. Last year in a loss to Purdue, Terrelle Pryor had 221 pass yards, a TD and 2 int. In the FIRST HALF, he had 270 pass yards and 3 TD

Alexander Robinson rushed for 119 yards and two scores as Iowa State held on for its first win over Texas. Texas is 4-3 and would need to win the Big 12 championship game or bowl game to extend its 10-win season streak to 10 straight.

Illinois is within two wins of qualifying for a bowl game and ending their two-year bowl drought. A bowl might be good enough to save coach Ron Zook's job

Navy has won three of the last four vs. Notre Dame after losing its previous 43 vs. the Irish dating back to 1964. Navy's 18-pt win is its largest over Notre Dame since the Midshipmen won by 21 47 years ago. The largest is 21, a 35-14 win in 1963. That was the last win before a 43-game losing streak to Notre Dame that ended in 2007.

Arkansas won in a game that took nearly five hours thanks to two lightning delays. Arkansas back Knile Davis ran for a career-high 176 yards and three TDs. Houston Nutt failed to beat his old team for the first time in three tries. The Razorbacks are 9-2 all-time vs. Ole Miss in Fayetteville and continued their best start under Bobby Petrino (5-2).

Cam Newton had 217 yards rushing. It is his 5th game with at least 170 yards rushing, passing Bo Jackson (1985) for the most such games in a season in Auburn history. Auburn gashed LSU on the ground Saturday, running for 440 yards. That is the most allowed in a single-game in LSU history. The old record was 422 by Mississippi State in 1991. LSU was 1st in the SEC and 6th in the nation in rush defense, allowing 83.6 YPG.

Taylor Martinez set career highs with 323 passing yards and five TDs and rushed for 112 more yards in the Cornhuskers' shootout win. Martinez entered the game with three passing TDs in six games and matched that total by halftime. Niles Paul caught nine of Martinez's passes for 131 yards and added a 100-yard kickoff return TD. A week after being held to 202 total yards in a loss to Texas, the Cornhuskers rolled up 540 yards vs. Oklahoma State and improved to 6-1 on the season and 2-1 in the Big 12. Nebraska ended a 17-game road losing streak vs. AP top-20 teams.

Baylor became bowl eligible for the first time since joining the Big 12, beating Kansas State 47-42 Saturday night. Baylor hasn't been to a bowl game since 1994, which is tied for the longest active drought among BCSIII's record of 225 yards against Washington St. in 2008) and added two touchdowns. The loss was the first for Kansas State against Baylor under Bill Snyder (previously 4-0).

John Clay ran for 91 yards and two touchdowns and Montee Ball scored the winner with just over a minute left for Wisconsin. It was the Badgers second straight win over a ranked team, the first time they've done that since 2004 (beat No. 1 Ohio State last week). Iowa lost for the third time at home in its last 19 games despite Ricky Stanzi's 258-yard, three-TD performance. The Hawkeyes were first in the nation in scoring defense entering last week's game but have allowed 58 points since. Wisconsin ended a two-game losing streak to Iowa and evened the all-time series 42-42-2 as they won back the Heartland Trophy.

Stanford is 6-1 for the first time since 1970, marking just the third time since World War II that Stanford has won six of its first seven games. Washington State dropped to 0-5 in Pac-10 play, its 14th consecutive conference loss and 22nd in its last 23rd such games.

Utah won its 21st straight home game. That's the third longest active streak in the nation. The Utes ran their record to 7-0 for the third time in the last seven years. Utah RB Matt Asiata ran for two TDs as the Utes piled up 648 yards of total offense. Colorado State has lost 12 straight against ranked teams. The Utes have rung up 50 points or more four times in their last five games.

Western Kentucky snapped the nation's longest losing streak on Saturday, beating Louisiana-Lafayette 54-21 on Saturday. The Hilltoppers, in their second year as a member of the Football Bowl Subdivision, had lost 26 straight games for the longest loss streak among all NCAA divisions.

South Carolina won for the ninth time in its last 11 games in Nashville. Vandy fell to 1-10 in its last 11 homecoming games. Its last win was 2002 vs. Connecticut.

Mississippi State clinched bowl eligibility. It has not been to a bowl game since 2007. The Bulldogs have won five straight games in a single season for the first time since 1999 and are 4-0 in nonconference games for the first time since 1990. UAB fell to 2-15 all-time vs. SEC teams. The Blazers have had four games decided by five points or fewer this season and are 1-3 in those games.

Jerrod Johnson broke Texas A&M's career record for total offense. With 139 yards passing and 28 rushing, he raised his career total to 8,888 yards, snapping the record of 8,876 Reggie McNeal compiled from 2002-05. The Jayhawks have been outscored in their last three games 159-24.

TCU surrendered its first conference touchdown on the season.

Week 7 College Football Observations

2010-10-18T00:59:00.001-05:00

For seven weeks, we have been waiting for the so called "Upset Saturday." Well this past Saturday, we all got what we have been waiting for: seven Top 25 teams were knocked off by opponents either ranked lower than them or not ranked at all. The latter was the case in six of the seven upsets.

For the second week in a row, the top-ranked team in the nation lost, this time Ohio State losing to Wisconsin on the Badgers' Homecoming date, 31-18. Wisconsin hadn't defeated a No. 1 since 1981, when the Badgers knocked off Michigan 21-14. For Ohio State, its national title hopes are in critical condition after a third straight loss as the No. 1 team in the country. The last two came in the 2007 season, to Illinois in the regular season and in the BCS title game to LSU. That season was also the last time No. 1 in the AP poll lost in consecutive weeks.

Florida lost consecutive home games for the first time since 2003 and dropped three in a row for the first time since the Steve Spurrier era. Urban Meyer has accomplished something that former coach Ron Zook never did. Mississippi State won in Gainesville for the first time since 1965. They snapped a 16-game losing streak at Florida Field. It is the first time since 2004 that the Gators have not been ranked.

Kansas State quarterback Carson Coffman completed 15 passes in 16 attempts Thursday in the Wildcats' 59-7 romp at Kansas. That 93.8 completion percentage is the best among FBS players this season (min. 15 attempts). Kansas lost 55-7 to Baylor last week and 59-7 to Kansas State tonight. Kansas has been playing football since 1890. Only once before in school history have they have allowed at least 55 points in consecutive games. In 1988 they lost 63-24 to Oklahoma State on November 12 and 55-17 to Missouri on November 19.

Missouri has allowed 65 points this season, including a shutout last week and nine points Saturday. That's the Tigers fewest through six games since 1973, when they allowed 49. It was the first time since 1967 that Missouri had held conference opponents scoreless for six straight quarters. Missouri is 6-0 for just the third time in the last 50 years and fifth ever.

The Texas defense held Nebraska to 202 yards as the Longhorns beat the Huskers for the ninth time in 10 games since joining the Big 12. Nebraska ran for 125 yards. It was averaging over 337 yards a game on the ground entering Saturday, which ranked second in the nation. Texas ran for 209 yards. It averaged less than 130 on the ground entering the game. Nebraska had not trailed all season. Counting sacks, QB Garrett Gilbert entered with 19 career rushing yards. He had 51 in the 1st quarter

Eastern Michigan head coach Ron English gets his 1st win. He started his career losing 18 straight games before finally winning on Saturday in overtime at Ball State. The Eagles trailed 28-7 in the second quarter, before scoring 28 unanswered points

Colorado State ended a 10-game conference losing streak with a 43-10 victory over UNLV on Saturday.

Auburn QB Cam Newton over 100 yards rushing for the 4th time in 7 games this season. In that same game, Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett left the game with a concussion

Matt Barkley passed for 352 yards and a school record-tying five touchdowns, and Southern California roared to a 42-point halftime lead while snapping its first losing streak in nine years with a 48-14 victory against California on Saturday. Cal hasn't won at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in a decade. USC hadn't lost back-to-back games since early in 2001, former coach Pete Carroll's first season. The Trojans' dominant performance brightened a gloomy, gray day at the Coliseum, where USC had lost three of its past five games after a 47-1 stretch.

Iowa won in Ann Arbor for the first time since 2002 despite allowing three fourth-quarter touchdowns. The Hawkeyes allowed more than seven points for the second time this season. Rich Rodriguez fell to 2-8 against AP top 25 teams as Michigan coach.

SMU ended up losing its 20th consecutive nonconference road game, a streak that began after a win against Navy in 1998.

Justin Blackmon had a career-high 207 yards receiving with a touchdown for Oklahoma State, who beat Texas Tech 34-17 on Saturday for its first win in Lubbock since 1944. Oklahoma State is 6-0 for the second time in three seasons. The Cowboys won their first seven games in 2008 before losing four of their last six. It was the first time the road team has won in this series since 2001 when the Red Raiders won in Stillwater.

Ross Jenkins threw for three touchdowns and ran for another, and Louisiana Tech had 678 yards of offense in a 48-35 win over Idaho on Saturday. The Bulldogs needed their fifth-highest offensive total in school history as the Vandals totaled 526 offensive yards.

Kentucky had its first win over a ranked team since beating then-No. 1 LSU in 2007. South Carolina's win over Alabama last week was the seventh win at home by a team ranked outside of the top 10 over a conference opponent ranked No. 1. The Gamecocks became the fourth straight such team to lose the following Saturday.

T.J. Yates threw for three touchdowns and North Carolina won for the first time since 1981 at Scott Stadium, beating Virginia 44-10 Saturday night.

North Texas is on their fourth starting quarterback of the season, after Chase Baine had to replace Riley Dodge two weeks ago. Dodge recently had surgery to insert a screw in his broken wrist.

The San Diego State Aztecs beat a ranked team for the first time since defeating No. 16 Wyoming 28-24 on Nov. 7, 1996. Since then, they'd lost 25 straight games to ranked opponents. Overall, SDSU is 6-55 against ranked teams dating to 1973.

San Jose State was outgained 537-80 by Boise State on the night, the fewest yards in a game for the Spartans since also getting 80 in a 13-12 win Stanford in 1971. The Broncos have the nation's longest active win streak at 20 straight games. They've also won 16 straight road games, 18 straight conference games, and 31 straight regular season games. All of their marks are the longest active streaks in the nation.

Alabama has won 10 straight home games vs. Ole Miss. It's 24-1 overall in Tuscaloosa against the Rebels.

After an upset loss at Hawaii, Nevada remains winless at Hawaii since joining the WAC in 2000, falling to 0-6 and hasn't won at Hawaii since 1948

College Football Week 3 Observations

2010-09-21T18:27:00.000-05:00

Week Three gave us some very exciting games, as at least 11 games were decided in the closing minute(s) of the game.

Missouri struggled with San Diego State, needing a last-minute Blaine Gabbert -to- T.J. Moe 68-yard touchdown pass to win 27-24. Gabbert seems to have found his two favorite recovers in Moe and Michael Egnew, who had 14 catches for over 130 yards.

Some believe that Georgia may be playing for Mark Richt's job this year. If they play as they did against Arkansas in the fourth quarter of last week's game, that may not be the case. Up 17-7 and 24-10 at one point, the Bulldogs tied the score and Arkansas needed a last minute Ryan Mallett touchdown to eek out the 31-24 win. And even after that, the game wasn't guaranteed a win, as the Razorbacks needed a sack at midfield to close out the game. Georgia has struggled without star receiver A.J. Green.

Temple is now 3-0 for the first time since 1979, when the Owls finished 10-2. It was the first win for the Owls over a BCS opponent since a 34-24 win over Syracuse on November 13, 2004.

North Texas is down to their third-string quarterback after losing the starter of that game for the second week in a row. Riley Dodge, son of coach Todd Dodge, takes over for the Mean Green, who haven't been too mean as of late. In his fourth season in Denton, Dodge is 5-34 as head coach.

Kansas State's Daniel Thomas is showing the country what the Big 12 already knew: He is one hell of a running back. Thomas has 552 yards through three games and has helped lead the Wildcats to their first 3-0 start since 2006.

With their win over Ole Miss, Vanderbilt snapped a 10-game conference losing streak dating back to 2008. The Commodores have beaten the Rebels four of the past six seasons.

Wisconsin has started 3-0 in every season under Bret Bielema. Wisconsin is 9-1 in its last 10 games against Pac-10 teams. The Badgers have won 27 straight nonconference regular-season games, the third-longest active streak (behind LSU and USC). Arizona State had 261 kick-return yards (including a 97-yarder and 95-yarder), more than either its rushing or passing total in the game. Yet Wisconsin needed a last-second blocked PAT to win.

Auburn came back from a 17-0 deficit to defeat Clemson in overtime. It is the Auburn's 14th straight win over Clemson. The game appeared headed to another OT when Chandler Catanzaro made a 27-yarder after a defensive stand kept Clemson shy of a winning touchdown. After a 5-yard illegal procedure penalty on the kick because center Dalton Freeman double-clutched the ball, the redshirt freshman's second attempt hooked wide left.

Ryan Nassib threw a school-record five touchdown passes, and Syracuse pulled away in the second half to beat Maine 38-14 on Saturday night in the Orange's home opener. Nassib was 19-for-28 for 260 yards.

With Dan Conroy lining up for a 46-yard field goal to tie the game in overtime and the play clock running low, holder Aaron Bates took the snap, stood up and waited for Charlie Gantt to come open downfield. The stunning fake worked to perfection, and Gantt's 29-yard touchdown catch gave the Spartans a 34-31 win Saturday night. The Spartans started 3-0 for the first time since 2007 and earned their third win over the Fighting Irish in four years. Saturday was the ninth time in the last 11 meetings between Notre Dame and Michigan State that the game was decided by seven points or less and it was the second OT affair since 2005. The Spartans' 28 victories against Notre Dame are the second most of any Irish opponent (USC has the most with 34).

Nick Foles hit William Wright with a late 4-yard touchdown pass and No. 24 Arizona held its ground in the national spotlight with a momentum-swinging 34-27 win over ninth-ranked Iowa. Keyed by their stingy defense and special teams, the Wildcats rushed out to a 27-7 halftime lead before having the Wright touchdown pick up the vital win. Arizona beat a nonconference opponent ranked in the top 10 at home for the first time since 1989. Iowa allowed at least 30 points for the first time since 2007 vs. Purdue, a span of 33 games. Iowa has lost six straight games when playing a regular season game west of the central time zone. The last win came in 1987. Arizona sacked Ricky Stanzi six times, including three straight times on Iowa's final drive.

North Texas isn't the only school with significant quarterback injuries this weekend. Houston lost their top two QB's, including Heisman hopeful Case Keenum, in the SAME GAME. They will now be forced to go to freshmen as their starters. With the win over Houston, UCLA avoided their first 0-3 start since 1971. Houston had scored at least 20 points in 29 straight games before Saturday's game.

Week 3 Preview

2010-09-17T13:08:00.001-05:00

Georgia Tech (1-1) at North Carolina (0-1)

   This is a game featuring two teams who are both looking to get back on track. Tech lost last week at Kansas and the Heels are trying to get back to their winning ways after suffering a heart-breaking loss to LSU in Week One. The Jackets feature a nice 1-2 running punch in Josh Nesbitt and Anthony Allen. The two spearhead an attack that is second in the nation in rushing yards per game with 332 yards per game. Nesbitt leads the team with 163 yards and five touchdowns, while Allen averages nearly seven yards per carry. North Carolina is led by quarterback T.J. Yates, who threw for 412 yards and three touchdowns. Jheranie Boyd leads the team with six catches for 221 yards. He had 12 catches for 214 yards as a freshman last season.

   Georgia Tech wins if...it can control the time of possession and play its stingy defense while running their attack to perfection.

   North Carolina wins if...it can continue to overcome the loss of six defensive starters. Al Groh, GT's new defensive coordinator, has been known to shut down the Heels so how they respond will be something to look for.

Arizona State (2-0) at Wisconsin (2-0)

   This will be the first true test for the Sun Devils, as they travel to the always-tough Camp Randall Stadium. Their offense is led by the quarterback-running back combo of Steven Threet and Cameron Marshall. Threet, a Michigan transfer, has completed 47-of-70 passes for 630 yards and five touchdowns, but has also thrown three interceptions. Marshall has 14 carries for 132 yards and four touchdowns.

   The Badgers come into the game after defeated UNLV and San Jose State in their first two games. Despite being known for their running game, quarterback Scott Tolzien has put up some impressive passing stats, completing 30-of-42 passes for 388 yards and one touchdown. The team already has two players, John Clay and Montee Ball, who have rushed for over 100 yards. Clay leads the team with 260 yards and four touchdowns, while Ball has 110 yards and two scores.

   ASU wins if...it can continue to throw the ball around. The Wisconsin defense is tougher than the Devils' first two opponents, but if Threet is on the same page with his receivers, they may be able to pull the surprise.

   Wisconsin wins if...it rushes the ball like it has been. The Sun Devils have given up 149 rushing yards per game to two FCS schools, so if the Badgers are on their game, it might be a long day for the ASU defense.

Clemson (2-0) at Auburn (2-0)

   The game at Auburn not only marks the first true test for the Tigers, but also starts a rough stretch of games, where four of five teams played in bowls and either are or have been ranked this year. The offense has been pretty balanced between the passing game and the running game. Quarterback Kyle Parker has thrown for 283 yards and four touchdowns. The rushing load has been split amongst Jamie Harper, Andre Ellington, Roderick McDowell and Daniel Barnes. Ellington leads the way with 133 yards and three scores.

   Cameron Newton has come in and run this offense in perfection. The quarterback has thrown for 322 yards and five touchdowns, while rushing for 241 and two more. His rushing total is almost 100 more yards than the next leading rusher.

   Clemson wins if...it contains the Auburn rushing game and gets a balanced game from all their players. Shut Newton down and you have a good shot at the win.

   Auburn wins if...they shut down the Clemson rushing game, which averages nearly 230 yards per game. If Auburn's own rushing attack is on, it might also be a long day for their opponents. Either way, look for a shootout.

Iowa (2-0) at Arizona (2-0)

   The Hawkeyes are coming off of a big win against in-state rival Iowa State and are only giving up seven points per game. Ricky Stanzi seems to be on a mission, completing 71 percent of his passes for 433 yards and three touchdowns. He has been aided by a running game anchored by Adam Robinson. Robinson has 265 yards and four touchdowns on the year, while averaging seven yards per carry.

   The Wildcats come into the game undefeated as well, and have one of the most prolific defenses and offenses in the country. The team is second in points allowed per game, with four per game and is averaging 47 points per game good for 12th nationally. The team is led by quarterback Nick Foles, who has completed 83 percent of his passes for 579\4 yards and three touchdowns.

   Iowa wins if...their defense is able to shut down the Arizona passing game, which is eighth nationally.The Wildcat defense hasn't really been tested, so it's up to the Hawkeyes to give them a good battle.

   Arizona wins if...Foles continues to sling the ball around. The defense, ones of the best in the nation, will have to stop the balanced attack of Iowa

My opinions about Reggie Bush

2010-09-15T17:07:00.000-05:00

   As everyone knows, the topic of the week has been Reggie Bush and what has been happening with what is going to happen to the Heisman Trophy and yesterday it was resolved. On Tuesday afternoon, Bush announced that he will forfeit his Heisman Trophy. On Wednesday afternoon, the Heisman Trust announced that the award will be vacated and NOT go to Vince Young, who finished second that year in the Heisman voting.

   Unlike voting for other events, the Heisman Trophy is an award that is based off of a player's performance that entire year. And there is no doubt that Reggie Bush put up stats that were more than deserving of the Trophy. Now, if the award had been handed out after the National Championship Game, it may have gone the other way, after the incredible game Young had against Bush's Trojans in an upset win. Bush accumulated 789 first place votes; Young had 79. Would the tally have been different had they done it in mid-January? Possibly and maybe probably, but there is no doubt that the 1,740 rushing yards, 16 rushing touchdowns, 4788 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns earned him the award. Oh, did I mention ZERO fumbles????

   Reggie Bush did the right thing. He gave up an award that should never been his. I know earlier I made it sound like he deserved it and in 2005-2006 he did. But that was 2005-2006. At the time, nobody but Bush and his family knew about the money and gifts that he chose to accept. So at the time, it made sense to award him the trophy. But now with all of the allegations (and apparently truths) that have surfaced, they have shown that in actuality Bush should have been declared ineligible to play, therefore nullifying all of the stats and awards he earned that season. Your numbers don't count if you shouldn't even be allowed to step onto the field. But as the Heisman Trust said, it's five years later. There is no way to re-do the vote. The best thing to do is keep the award vacated.

   The people to truly feel sorry for in this case are the current players at USC. Many of them probably came to USC because of Bush and the success they saw the team have while he was there. But now those players who came to follow in his footsteps are paying for his transgressions. To me and many others, it's an unfair thing that the NCAA Has done, but the university will have to live with the consequences, whether they knew what was going on or not. Going to a bowl game is one perk many players look forward to when they commit to a school and the fact that many of the current players won't have that opportunity for two years is something that will hurt recruiting. Not to mention the loss of 30 scholarships over the next three years.

   The sad thing is that this happens much more than we all know of, but not everyone gets caught. It's become a game of 'if you can do it w/o getting caught, continue doing it.' You would think that stories like this would give other athletes thoughts of stopping all of this because of all of the trouble it can cost them, but they also see that if they do do it, it most likely won't effect them or the school until they are long gone.

   But again, the issue was the Heisman Trophy and what to do with it. Reggie Bush did the right thing. And so did the Heisman Trust...

Week 2 Observations

2010-09-15T00:42:00.000-05:00

Week Two was one that many had circled on their calendars because of some of the perceived "big-time" matchups. But more about those later. Some of the earlier games turned out to be pretty good.

West Virginia provided for the first drama of the weekend when they faced off with in-state rival Marshall. Down 21-6 with six minutes left, the Mountaineers rallied for a 24-21 OT win. They scored the game-tying touchdown and two-point conversion with 12 seconds left in regulation.

Minnesota continued to struggle with teams from the FCS, as they lost to South Dakota 41-38. Junior Dante Walker, making only his second start at quarterback for the Coyotes, accounted for 433 yards, three passing touchdowns and two more rushing for South Dakota, which is just in its third year as an FCS program.

A week after being upset by North Dakota State, Kansas needed to bounce back against Georgia Tech. And bounce back they did, as the Jayhawks hung on for a 28-25 home win. The win snapped an eight-game losing streak. Freshman QB Jordan Webb threw for 179 yards, three TDs, and one interception in his first career start, while freshman RB James Sims ran for 101 yards and a TD in his college debut.

Last week, I told you to watch out for stud freshman Marcus Lattimore. Well, he more than lived up to the hype in South Carolina's 17-6 win vs. Georgia. He rushed the ball an astounding 37 times for 182 yards and two touchdowns. Welcome to the SEC.

The biggest upset of the week belonged to James Madison who upset Virginia Tech 21-16. The win against the Hokies, the team's second loss in five days, is just the second win for a lower-level opponent against a ranked team. Quarterback Drew Dudzik led the Dukes with two rushing touchdowns and also threw a 77-yard bomb for the team's first score.

Michigan-Notre Dame is the one prime game that actually ended up being pretty good, going down to the last seconds. Denard Robinson continues to look like the real deal, but might need to not carry the ball as much. He finished the game with a QB - school record 502 yards total offensive yards, including 252 rushing yards on 28 carries. He also happened to score with 27 seconds remaining to win the game and earlier had the longest run in Notre Dame Stadium history, an 87-yard touchdown.

Ohio State-Miami was supposed to be one of the big games. Well, it got a little out of hand, thanks to Jacory Harris' four interceptions. OSU used a 33-10 outburst in the second and third quarters to erase a 7-3 deficit after one quarter. Terrelle Pryor threw for 233 yards and a TD and ran for 113 yards and a TD as the Buckeyes improved to 27-2 at home under Jim Tressel against nonconference opponents. Dating back to last season, Harris has five touchdowns and 12 interceptions in the Hurricanes' last five losses.

Florida State also laid down a big one as they came to Oklahoma and got throttled by the Sooners 47-17. It was 44-7 after three quarters. Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones threw for 380 yards and four touchdowns against a defense coached by his coaches brother, Mark Stoops. The Sooners won their 32nd straight game at Owen Field, extending the nation's longest home winning streak. Jones finished 30 for 40 without an interception. His 321 yards by halftime were the second-most in a half in Oklahoma history, behind only 2008 Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford's 350 in the first half of a 79-10 blowout against North Texas in the 2007 season opener.

Mark Ingram missed his second straight game, but Alabama didn't miss a beat yet again, as they beat visiting Penn State 24-3. Trent Richardson bruised the Nittany Lion defense Saturday night, gaining 93 of his 144 rushing yards after contact with a defender. He also had a touchdown. Freshman quarterback Robert Bolden struggled in his first road start, completing 13-of-29 passes for 144 yards and two interceptions.

College Football Week 1 Observations cont'd.

2010-09-07T17:34:00.001-05:00

Jacksonville State is this year's Appalachian State after their double overtime win over Mississippi. The Gamecocks were down 31-10 at halftime, but scored five touchdowns in their next six possessions, including outscoring the Rebels 21-3 in the fourth quarter to force overtime. After trading touchdowns in the first overtime, Jax St. went for two in the second overtime and was rewarded on a play that looked like it would go nowhere as QB Coty Blanchard looked as if the play would go nowhere. But he lofted a pass to RB Calvin Middleton and gave the Gamecocks the upset of the weekend. The loss ruined the debut of Jeremiah Masoli, the controversial transfer from Oregon who was ruled eligible on a decision appeal just days prior to the game.

Kansas State's Daniel Thomas looked like he is going to be a force to be reckoned with after he rushed for 234 yards and two touchdowns against UCLA.

Kenjon Barner rushed for a career-high 147 yards and scored five touchdowns, all in the first half, as Oregon rolled to a 72-0 win over New Mexico. The Ducks rolled up a school-record 720 yards on the way to its biggest win ever over a FBS opponent.

Jacksonville State wasn't the only FCS school that upset a FBS school. North Dakota State shocked Kansas 6-3, ruining Turner Gill's debut as Jayhawks coach. The Bison shut out Kansas for the last three quarters and held their opponents to 293 total yards. While those 293 yards were 130 more than their opponents had, North Dakota State did just the right things to keep Kansas on a slide from last season, where they lost their last seven games of the year.

Leading up to game-time, the LSU-UNC game looked to be a let-down because of how many players UNC left at home. Well don't let the Tar Heels know that, as they woke up in the fourth quarter and made Tiger fans worry about their 31-10 halftime lead. UNC had the ball down seven on the LSU six with a second left, before a T.J. Yates pass fell incomplete, allowing LSU to escape with a 30-24 win. The Heels were able to shut out the Tigers in the second half.

In recent years, East Carolina has been known for a defensive team, but it was the offense that pulled out their crazy 51-49 win over Tulsa. In his first start as a Pirate, QB Dominique Davis lofted a 33-yard Hail Mary pass to 6'8 Justin Jones as time expired and catapulted East Carolina to the win.Davis threw for 383 yards and five touchdowns.

If anyone continues to say Boise State is a "Cinderella" or an overrated football team, they must not have seen Monday's game. Yes, the Broncos got off to a 17-0 lead and held only a 20-14 lead at the half. Yes, they gave up the lead and had to rally for a last-minute touchdown to win, but it is how they did it that was impressive. You could tell the team wasn't rattled by the pressure put on them, as they drove down the field calmly and scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:09. The defense then shut down Tyrod Taylor, who had been carving up the Bronco defense, and secured a win that strengthens their resume as they try to look to become the first school from a non-automatic BCS qualifying team to play for the National Championship.

College Football Week 1 Observations

2010-09-07T16:45:00.001-05:00

SEC teams better be very, very scared. South Carolina's Marcus Lattimore looks like he is the real deal. Yes, he rushed 14 times for only 54 yards, but his two touchdowns and the speed he showed coming off of his rushes will be something that Gamecock fans should get used to. The schedule gets harder than Southern Miss, but he looks as if he can live up to his high ranking he was given coming out of high school.

Utah won its 18th straight game and continually looks as if will be a force to reckoned with as they prepare for their exodus to the Pac 10. Their upset win over Pittsburgh showed again how stout their defense might be. However, if the Utes are to continue winning, they will need to learn to be able to keep a lead.

USC looks as if will be dominant again of offense, but their defense looked suspect against a mediocre Hawaii team. While the offense set records, the defense gave up 588 yards, which was even more than the Trojans gained (544). Matt Barkley went 18-for-23 for 257 yards and five touchdowns and no interceptions. Marc Tyler overtook Allen Bradford for the running back spot and showed he was worth the promotion after rushing for 154 yards on 17 carries.

The Illinois-Missouri game turned out to be better than expected. Illini QB Nathan Scheelhaase looks legit and had an impressive debut in his first ever collegiate game. His running ability will be something opponents will have to watch out for, as he has speed and moves like a running back or wide receiver. Missouri quarterback recovered from a slow start and looked very impressive, completing 34-of-48 passes for 281 yards. Receiver T.J. Moe looks like he might be the next in a long line of successful wide outs for the Tigers.

Florida looks as if it might still have some kinks to work out. Their offense looked dreadful against a MAC team that won a total of two games last year. They had only 44 yards through three quarters.

Robert Bolden, Penn State's first freshman starting quarterback since 1992, had a very impressive debut, completing 20-of-29 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns. He will have a tougher matchup this week though, as the Nittany Lions face off with Alabama.

Sophomore Denard Robinson made his first game as a starter a memorable one, becoming the sixth quarterback since 2005 to run and throw for 185 yards or more. His 197 rushing yards were the most ever by a Michigan quarterback in a single game. His style of play looks to fit more of Rich Rodriguez's style than last year's starter Tate Forcier.

Football Preview: Missouri

2010-09-02T00:26:00.001-05:00

In the early 2000's, an eight-win season would be considered a great success for the Missouri Tigers. But that isn't the case anymore and for a fan base that now expects nine wins or more, last season's 8-5 season could have been seen by some as a disappointment. But unlike last year, when the Tigers were one of the youngest teams in the country, the team brings back 16 starters and many others who have seen the field in their days in the Black and Gold.

   Offense - The team brings back seven starters from last year's squad, most notably quarterback Blaine Gabbert. But it is replacing who the offense lost that will define the season. Last year's top two receivers, Danario Alexander and Jared Perry, both have moved onto the NFL. The team will also be without two-year starting running back and co-captain Derrick Washington, as he has encountered some legal problems that have caused him to be permanently suspended.

   As of right now, Gabbert is the star of the offense and deservedly so. He is only the most recent quarterback at a school that has had some of the best quarterbacks in the nation since 2002. Gabbert is coming off a sophomore year where he threw for 3,593 yards, 24 touchdowns and only nine interceptions, despite playing with a severely injured ankle for half the season. As was the case last year, the quarterbacks will be very inexperienced behind Gabbert. Gabbert's backup is a true freshman from Texas, James Franklin, who has impressed coaches so much that he has moved past returning players Jimmy Costello and Ashton Glaser to win the backup role. In fact, Glaser, a redshirt freshman, has also moved past Costello, who was Gabbert's backup last season. The team also has Gabbert's younger brother, Tyler, who will be another highly recruited true freshman in the fall.

   The loss of Washington can be one that is devastating to the Tiger offense. It could also be a blessing in disguise, as it will give Mizzou an opportunity to see some of the younger players. The team will look to sophomore Kendial Lawrence or De'Vion Moore to carry the load. Lawrence was a Parade All-American in his senior year of high school and rushed for 219 yards as a true freshman. Moore is coming into his junior year after backing up Washington last year as well. He rushed for 258 yards and a touchdown in 2009. The other two players on the depth chart are true freshmen Henry Josey and Marcus Murphy.

   Replacing Perry and Alexander will be key for the Tiger offense. The two helped combine for 66 percent of the receiving yards lost. But the cupboard isn't bare in Columbia. The team does return numerous players who saw action last year, as well as a cast of young players who will be looking to make their mark. Wes Kemp started all 13 games for the Tigers last year and caught 23 balls for 418 yards and three touchdowns. The only other player with starting experience, Jerrell Jackson, is coming off of wrist surgery. Jackson, however, is the team's top returning receiver after he had 37 catches for 458 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore T.J. Moe will be the other starter in the Missouri spread attack. The Tigers also have redshirt freshmen L'Damian Washington and Jaleel Clark, sophomores Rolandis Woodland and Gahn McGaffie, as well as highly regarded true freshmen Bud Sasser and Marcus Lucas. The Tigers will be young at the receiver position but quite talented. The team is also one who uses the tight end in the spread offense and numerous players who have seen playing time return there as well. Michael Egnew will be looking to make his first start of the year as he replaces last year's starter, junior Andrew Jones.

   Defense - The defense returns eight starters from last year's team, one which finished 26th in rushing defense. The team does lose linebacker Sean Weatherspoon, but the teams' recruiting has prepared them to overcome such a great loss.

   End Aldon Smith, is back for his second time around in a Tiger uniform, and he’s looking to build on his redshirt freshman season from a year ago that saw him earn Big 12 Defensive Freshman & Newcomer of the Year, as well as 1st-Team Freshman All-American honors. Smith ended his freshman season with 64 tackles, including team-high totals in tackles for loss (19) and sacks (11.5). The sack total broke the MU single-season sacks record of 11.0 set in 2000 by All-American DE Justin Smith, who has been in the NFL for a decade now. Smith’s sack total led all of the NCAA’s freshmen in 2010, and ranked 9th among all players. Dominique Hamilton started 12 games last year and pitched in with 46 tackles. The other two starters on the line figure to be Terrell Resonno and Jacquies Smith.

   Replacing Weatherspoon's 111 tackles will be no easy task, but the Tigers will look to sophomore Zaviar Gooden, who saw action in all 13 games last season. Gooden has improved his speed this offseason and hopes to provide Missouri a spark at the third linebacker position. Andrew Gachkar returns as another linebacker after finishing second on the team in tackles with a career-high 80, in 2009. The middle linebacker position looked to be a battle between Luke Lambert and Will Ebner, until Ebner

   The defensive secondary boasts five players who have started games in their Missouri careers. Of those five, four are seniors. Jasper Simmons returns at the free safety position after finishing fourth on the team with 73 tackles, three tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. Corner Carl Gettis started every game last year for the Tigers, on the way to 61 tackles, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Fellow senior Kevin Rutland started opposite of Gettis in all 13 games. He came up with 47 tackles and a team-high two interceptions. Kenji Jackson and Jarrell Harrison split time at the strong safety spot and it looks as if they will continue to do the same in 2010. Harrison was in on 47 tackles and three passes broken up. He also chipped in with two tackles for loss, an interception and a sack. Jackson, on the other hand, had 41 tackles, one for loss and one pass broken up. A good but also potentially bad thing for the secondary is that there is little experience behind the starters, as most are either sophomores or redshirt freshmen.

   Recruiting - Missouri signed 23 recruits in it's 2010 class and nine of them will play this year. James Franklin checks in as the backup quarterback after having a stellar career in the state of Texas, a state Missouri has recruited very well. He comes in after being ranked no lower than No. 11 on any quarterback list. As a senior, he threw for 2,360 yards, rushed for 1,282 yards and accounted for 41 total touchdowns. Marcus Lucas and Bud Sasser are both third on the depth chart at receiver positions and deservedly so. Lucas comes in as a four star recruit and, despite being blanketed his senior year, still managed to come up with 38 catches for 819 yards and nine touchdowns. Sasser finished with 64 catches for 1,250 yards and a school-record 24 touchdowns. The only defensive player getting playing time will be defensive back E.J. Gaines. He had a monster senior season, as he ran for 1,500 yards and 20 touchdowns and caught 20 passes for 400 yards, while also starring in the secondary by making 72 tackles and 2 interceptions. This is after a junior season where he had 89 tackles and five interceptions and a sophomore year when he had 88 tackles and five picks as well.

   Schedule - As they have for the majority of the decade, the Tigers start the season with a game against Illinois in St. Louis. This, however, will be the last game of the Arch Rivalry for the foreseeable future. The team then gets its next four games at home, while preparing for the rough stretch of the season. The four games include tilts against McNeese State, San Diego State, Miami (Ohio) and Colorado. The Tigers have a good shot at being 5-0 as they head to a grueling four-game stretch which will ultimately decide what type of season it will be. The stretch starts off with a game at Texas A&M before the Homecoming game against Oklahoma. Did you know Missouri is home to the first-ever Homecoming? The team finishes the rough stretch with away games at Nebraska and Texas Tech. The Tigers then finish with a home game against Kansas State, a road game at Iowa State and the traditional regular season finale against Kansas in Kansas City.

Preview: Louisville

2010-08-31T01:23:00.000-05:00

After going to bowl games from 1998-2006, the Cardinals will look to get back to that plateau under new coach Charlie Strong. Strong comes to the Big East after serving as Urban Meyer's defensive coordinator at Florida. Strong inherits a team that brings back 15 starters.

   Offense - Nine of those starters comes from the offensive side of the ball and look to improve in 2010. The biggest question on offense will be at the quarterback position. Three players who saw action as starters last year all return for the upcoming season, but who will take a stronghold on the position will still be unknown. Adam Froman has the most experience after recording seven starts and throwing for 1,354 yards and six touchdown passes with five interceptions. Justin Burke battled injuries and threw for 654 yards and three scores. Will Stein threw for 450 yards in his two starts.

   Victor Anderson, Bilal Powell and Jeremy Wright give the Cardinals a very deep backfield. Anderson was the Cardinals’ leading rusher despite missing most of the season due to injury. After rushing for 1,047 yards in 2008, Anderson was hampered by a shoulder injury that limited him to 473 yards and five touchdowns.
Powell rushed for 392 yards and four touchdowns last season. He looks physically ready to be a force in the league and throughout the country. Wright is another talented running back who will fight for playing time.

The Cardinals are extremely thin at wide receiver with only six scholarship players returning. Senior Doug Beaumont is the premier receiver of the group, having caught over 100 passes for 1,265 yards in his career.
In 2009, Beaumont’s numbers dipped to 38 catches for 465 yards after catching 62 passes for 750 yards in 2008. Senior Troy Pascley caught just four passes for 35 yards a year ago. Sophomore Andrell Smith is a big wide receiver who will need to step up and be a guy the Cardinals can count on. Knowing the lack of depth, Strong and his staff, signed six wide receivers in this recruiting class.

   Defense - The defense brings back six starters from last year's squad. There is inexperience on each of the line, linebacker and secondary units.

   A lot of the questions, surrounding the 2010 Cardinals sit with the development of the defensive line. Strong has emphasized that to play winning football teams must be strong upfront. After 15 spring practices, the Cardinals are still trying to find answers along the defensive line. The spring showed that the Cardinals are going to need a lot of different combinations of players to step up if the defense is going to be successful. This group will be very young and inexperienced, but there is talent to build upon.

   Junior Greg Scruggs moved inside this spring to play tackle, but also did play some defensive end. He started all 12 games in 2009 and came up with 21 tackles, five and a half of which were for loss. Senior Tim High bulked up and improved his conditioning, and will be needed to take snaps along the defensive line. Coming from Hutchinson Community College, Randy Salmon will be counted on heavily in the fall to be a playmaker upfront. The Cardinals have some pretty good depth at the defensive end positions with senior Malcolm Tatum and junior William Savoy returning — both of whom started games in 2009. Tatum recorded 29 tackles in his first season, while playing both tackle and end, while Savoy was second on the team with five sacks. Both players will have to take on an expanded role for the Cardinals to be successful. Despite limited action, Savoy has recorded six sacks in his first two seasons.

The Cardinals do have some talented linebackers returning in seniors Brandon Heath and Antwone Canady, but it is a unit that does lack much-needed depth. Heath, who will play the weakside, recorded 48 tackles and a pair of interceptions, including one for a touchdown, while Canady, who will be in the middle, was credited with 34 stops. Heath also had three and a half sacks. Senior Eugene Sowell and red-shirt freshman Jacob Geffrad also worked at the weakside in the spring. At the strongside spot, junior Dexter Heyman moved back to linebacker after working at defensive end last season. Heyman played a little at linebacker as a freshman, before moving to defensive end in 2009. He had seven tackles and a fumble recovery last season.

   The secondary also has a lot of question marks entering the fall. One question that has a good answer is senior Johnny Patrick, who played all 12 games a year ago. He recorded 53 tackles and was tied for second on the team with a pair of interceptions. A pair of red-shirt freshman Zed Evans and Champ Lee will compete behind Patrick for playing time. Senior Bobby Burns, who played quite a bit last season, will compete for reps at the other corner spot, with Darius Ashley, who made the move to defense in the spring. Burns had nine tackles and a pick last year. At free safety, sophomore Shenard Holton has an opportunity to be a leader on defense. He played a lot towards the end of the year and showed that he has the potential to be an impact player for the next three seasons.

   Recruiting

   Schedule - The team starts off the season with two home games against in-state teams, Kentucky and Eastern Kentucky. They then travel to Oregon State and Arkansas State before having a three-game homestand. They welcome Memphis, Cincinnati and Connecticut to Papa John's Stadium in consecutive weeks. They then end the season with three of the final five games on the road. They start with road games at Pittsburgh and Syracuse before hosting back-to-back games against USF and West Virginia before traveling to Rutgers to end the season.

College Football Previews: Kansas

2010-08-26T00:58:00.000-05:00

   Two years after going 12-1 and getting an Orange Bowl win over Virginia Tech, the Jayhawks are looking to rebuild under new coach Turner Gill, who takes over for Mark Mangino after Mangino resigned amid mistreatment rumors. Gill comes from Buffalo after having turned one of the worst teams in college football into a conference champion.

   Offense - Despite returning eight starters, it may be the four that they lost that will be the most crucial. Gill will have to replace departed seniors quarterback Todd Reesing, wide receivers Dezmon Briscoe and Kerry Meier and running back Jake Sharp. It will be interesting to see how the team responds to Chuck Long's scheme.

   The loss of Reesing hurts the Jayhawks the most. Reesing threw for 3,616 yards on his way to breaking numerous school passing records. He leaves Kansas as the school leader in career passing yards (11,194), career attempts (1,461), career completions (932), career touchdown passes (90) and total offensive yards (11,840). The returnees, however, only threw for a combined 38 yards in 2009. That's not to say that there won't be any depth at the position tho. Kale Pick was four of five passing for 22 yards, while adding 167 rushing yards on 14 carries as a backup in 2009. Quinn Mecham is a junior college transfer who threw for 3,091 yards and 40 touchdowns at Snow Junior College in 2009. He is already on campus and will participate in spring practice. A trio of quarterbacks redshirted as freshmen in 2009 including Christian Matthews, Jacob Morse and Jordan Webb.

   Toben Opurum led the team in rushing as a freshman, rushing for 554 yards and nine touchdowns in 2009. Rell Lewis saw limited time running for 72 yards on 13 carries. Angus Quigley, a running back at KU until playing linebacker last season, returns to his original position after gaining a medical hardship. Quigley ran for 309 yards in 2008.

   The Jayhawks lost the two most productive wide receivers in school history in Dezmon Briscoe, who declared for the NFL draft after his junior campaign, and Kerry Meier. In 2009, Briscoe caught 84 passes for 1,337 yards and nine touchdowns, while Meier pulled in 102 balls for 985 yards and eight scores. Johnathan Wilson had been the third option in his career and pulled in 35 receptions for 449 yards in 2009. Bradley McDougald started six games as the fourth wide receiver and caught 33 passes for 318 yards last year. Tertavian Ingram saw action a year ago and had two catches. Daymond Patterson, D.J. Beshears, Erick McGriff and Chris Omigie ,a pair of redshirt freshmen all could make an impact.

   Defense - A mix of experience and youth returns on the defensive side of the ball for Kansas, including seven starters. Among the returnees are All-Big 12 Honorable Mention players in defensive end Jake Laptad and linebacker Drew Dudley. Linebacker Huldon Tharp and safety Lubbock Smith earned Freshman All-America honors in 2009. Chris Harris has been a regular in the secondary for the past three seasons. In all, five of the top eight tackle leaders from 2009 return.

   All-Big 12 Honorable Mention players in defensive end Jake Laptad had 49 tackles, including a team-high 12 for loss and six and a half sacks. Quinton Woods, who saw limited time with four tackles, is the only other end with experience. Inside, John Williams started the final seven games of 2009 at tackle after moving from the offensive line. He replaced Richard Johnson in the starting lineup, but Johnson returns this season as well.

   Last season Kansas used two linebackers in its 4-2-5 alignment and two of the main three players in last year’s rotation return. Drew Dudley was second on the team with 88 tackles last year, while Huldon Tharp made 59 stops as a true freshman en route to earning some Freshman All-America honors. Justin Springer has been a key reserve and last year had 25 tackles.

   The 2009 secondary was a team effort as 10 different players started games during the season. KU lost two long-time regular safeties in Darrell Stuckey, who led the team with 93 tackles, and Justin Thornton, who registered 80 tackles in 2009. Chris Harris leads the returnees. Harris has played safety and cornerback in his career and last year was third on the team with 84 tackles, while leading the team with nine passes broken up.

   Recruiting - The Jayhawks signed a class of 18 in 2010, including 10 on the offensive side of the ball. Of those 10, four are wide receivers. Of the eight defenders, four are on the line. Kansas was able to pull Brandon Bourbon out of Missouri and boy did they get a player. On his way to being named the 3A Player of the Year, he amassed a school record 2,531 yards and 34 touchdowns. He finished his high school career with 5,551 rushing yards. On defense, the stud is linebacker Ed Fink. He registered 149 tackles and eight sacks as a senior.

   Schedule - This year's schedule is relatively tougher than last year's as two of their four nonconference opponents qualified for bowls, including a BCS bowl game. Three of the team's nonconference games are in Lawrence, as North Dakota State and Georgia Tech come to Lawrence, before the Jayhawks

College Previews: Iowa

2010-08-25T14:54:00.000-05:00

   The final results of the 2009 season were an 11-2 overall record and a second place Big Ten (6-2) finish. The Hawkeyes finished in the Big Ten’s upper division for the eighth time in nine years. The 11 wins equal the most (2002) wins ever by an Iowa team. Iowa finished seventh in the final rankings of both major polls. It was Iowa’s highest season-ending rank since 1960 (third). And, Iowa has now won successive January bowl games after an Orange Bowl win over Georgia Tech.

   Offense - Iowa brings back six starters from last year's squad, including quarterback Ricky Stanzi. The team averaged 23 points per game, eight more than their opponents.

   Stanzi has passed for 4,373 career yards to rank sixth on Iowa’s all-time list. Last season he was 171-304 for 2,417 yards and 17 touchdowns. He will have to cut down on his interceptions, however, as he threw 17 in 2009. Sophomore James Vandenberg (6-3, 212) replaced Stanzi following the ankle injury he suffered in the team's first loss of the season vs. Northwestern. His performance in the overtime loss at Ohio State and
the season ending win over Minnesota were impressive as he completed 42 of his 87 passes and had two touchdowns.

   The Hawkeyes began 2009 spring practice with sophomores Jewel Hampton and Jeff Brinson the top two contenders for the starting slot. Hampton was injured during the summer and Brinson played sparingly, because of injuries, in three games (one rush for seven yards). The Iowa running back situation was thin the rest of the season with redshirt freshman Adam Robinson, true freshman Brandon Wegher and senior Paki O’Meara left to carry the load. Robinson and Wegher also suffered injuries during the 2009 season that forced each to miss at least one game. But, the result turned in by the two freshmen was impressive. Robinson rushed for 834 yards, scored five touchdowns and had a 4.6 yards per carry average. Wegher rushed for 641 yards and a freshman record eight touchdowns.

   Senior Derrell Johnson-Koulianos was a second team all-Big Ten selection last year. He, along with junior Marvin McNutt, will be Iowa’s number one receivers. Johnson-Koulianos led the way with 45 catches for 750 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged 16.7 yards per catch. McNutt started five games, caught 34 passes for 674 yards and eight touchdowns in his first season as a wide receiver. He had previously been a quarterback. Listed behind McNutt are sophomore Keenan Davis and senior Paul Chaney, Jr. Davis caught four passes for 55 yards and a touchdown as a true freshman. Chaney was injured and missed the final seven games of the 2009 season. He caught seven passes for 50 yards before the injury. They will be looking for a replacement at tight end after Tony Moeaki graduated. He caught 30 balls for 387 yards and four touchdowns last season.

   Defense - As usual, the defense was quite good last year. They surrendered a mere 15 points per game and had 21 interceptions, fifth-most in the nation.

   The defensive line looks to be the strongest unit on defense, as it brings back all four starters, including All-American candidate defensive end Adrian Clayborn. He had 70 tackles last year, including 20 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks. He also forced four fumbles. Anchoring the starting end spot on the other side of the line will be junior Broderick Binns. He had 63 tackles in 2009. Seniors Karl Klug and Christian Ballard are the returning starters at defensive tackle. Ballard has career tackles. Klug had 65 tackles last year, along with 13 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. Ballard also had nine tackles for loss.

   Gone from last year's linebacking unit is first team all-American Pat Angerer (258 career tackles) and all-Big Ten outside linebacker A.J. Edds (226). Senior Jeremiha Hunter is Iowa’s lone returning starter at linebacker. The all-Big Ten candidate has 25 career starts and started all but the Minnesota game last year. He was Iowa’s second leading tackler in 2009, for the second straight year, with 89 tackles.

   The defensive backfield returns three of four starters in 2010. The 2009 pass defense was rated first in the Big Ten after allowing only 153 yards a game. That figure ranked fourth in NCAA statistics. The team’s 21 interceptions ranked second in the Big Ten and fifth nationally. Senior Brett Greenwood returns at the free safety position. A second team all-Big Ten selection, he had 55 tackles and three interceptions last year. Tyler Sash returns at strong safety. He was named third team 2009 all-American by the Associated Press and first team all-Big Ten. Sash was Iowa’s third leading tackler with 85 tackles. He intercepted a team leading six passes. One cornerback spot should be anchored by Shaun Prater. He totaled 41 tackles and two interceptions last year.

   Recruiting - The Hawkeyes bring in 21 student-athletes in its 2010 class, including four linebackers. Only seven of the recruits are on the offensive side of the ball. Linebacker Christian Kirksey comes in after having a monster senior season. He finished his senior campaign with a whopping 163 tackles, nine tackles for loss, three sacks and two interceptions. Defensive back B.J. Lowery comes in after putting up impressive numbers in his senior season as well. His senior season saw him in on 128.5 tackles and four interceptions. Jim Poggi comes in as a linebacker after putting up huge numbers as a senior too. His 2009 season saw him collect 137 tackles, 12 sacks, three fumble recoveries and three interceptions. C.J. Fiedorowicz comes in trying to replace Moeaki at tight end. Coincidentally, both are Illinois products. He had 44 catches for 921 yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior.

   Schedule - The Hawkeyes face seven of their 12 opponents at home in 2010. The Hawkeyes open with four of their first five games at home. Eight of the 2010 opponents appeared in bowl games last year. Three of the four non-conference games will be played in Iowa City. They start out with home games against Eastern Illinois and rival Iowa State before traveling to Arizona. The team then faces Ball State before starting Big Ten play by hosting Penn State. The PSU game is followed by a bye week and a trip to Michigan. The last six games of the year including road games at Northwestern, Indiana and Minnesota, while home games are against Ohio State, Michigan State and Wisconsin. So the team's three biggest conference games (Penn State, Wisconsin and Ohio State) are all at home.

Football Previews: Houston

2010-08-24T00:47:00.000-05:00

The Cougars finished the season at 10-4 and made their fifth straight appearance in a bowl contest in 2009.

   Offense - As the nation’s No. 1 team in total offense (563.4 ypg.), passing offense (433.7 ypg.) and scoring offense (42.2 ppg.) in 2009, the Cougars return nine starters from this record-breaking squad, including senior quarterback Case Keenum, who finished eighth in the Heisman Trophy voting and was a finalist for several other national honors.

   Keenum, enters his senior season as a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate and is on the cusp of setting every Houston, Conference USA and NCAA total offense and passing marks. In 2009, Keenum became only the second quarterback in NCAA history to throw for at least 5,000 yards twice (Texas Tech’s Graham
Harrell is the other), tossing for a career-best 5,671 yards and 44 touchdowns. His 5,671 yards were over 1,400 more than the second place finisher and he has amassed 13,741 total yards in his Cougar career. His 12,905 passing yards are about 4,000 less than all-time leader Timmy Chang. Keenum has thrown a touchdown pass in 30 straight games.

   Not many teams in America can boast they have back-to-back Freshmen of the Year in their backfield. The Cougars tout sophomore Charles Sims (2009 winner) and junior Bryce Beall (2008 winner) at running back, and both could be considered first-team running backs in Conference USA. Last season Sims burst on to the scene by rushing for 698 yards and nine touchdowns while hauling in 70 passes for 759 yards,
while Beall—once year removed for rushing for 1,247 yards and 13 scores—added 670 yards and seven touchdowns and had 32 catches for an additional 311 yards.

   The Cougars became only the fourth team in NCAA history to have three wide receivers with over 1,000 yards receiving. Throw in Keenum’s 5,000- plus yard passing and UH was only the third team to have the 5,000-yard passer, 1,000, 1,000, 1,000-yard receiving quartet. C-USA Newcomer of the Year James Cleveland led the Cougars in receiving with 104 catches for 1,214 yards and 14 touchdowns; this, despite missing two games with injuries. He is joined in the four-receiver set by juniors Tyron Carrier (91 catches, 1,029 yards, seven touchdowns) and Patrick Edwards (85 catches, 1,021 yards, six touchdowns) as well as senior Kierrie Johnson (16 catches, 237 yards).

   Defense - Brian Stewart assumes the role of Defensive Coordinator this year and plans to take advantage of the Houston speed and athleticism on defense to put non-stop pressure on opposing offenses with his new 3-4 scheme. Stewart has six returning starters to work with in 2010.

   Sophomore Zeke Riser and junior David Hunter return to battle for their spots. With the change in schemes, Riser holds on to one defensive end spot while Hunter shifts outside to man the other end spot. Hunter finished the year ninth on the team in tackles with 57. Of those eight and a half were for loss and four sacks. He also contributed with four pass breakups as well as three fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles, both of which were second on the team. Riser had 36 tackles, three and a half for loss, two and a half sacks and two fumble recoveries.

   With 259 total tackles in two years as a starter, junior linebacker Marcus McGraw has developed into one of the premier defenders in C-USA. Inserted into the starting lineup as a true freshman in 2008, McGraw has started 27 straight games and should add to that streak in 2010. He will man one inside spot while redshirt
freshman George Bamfo is listed at the other. Bamfo should be a nice compliment to veteran in the middle.
Sophomore Phillip Steward is slotted in at one outside spot, and after a trial by fire a year ago he should be a top-line defender this year. Another sophomore, Kelvin King III, is listed as the starter opposite Steward,
making the move this spring from defensive end to linebacker.

   Houston has two returning starters in the secondary, senior cornerback Jamal Robinson and junior free safety Nick Saenz. Saenz finished third on the team in tackles with 114 and should be the leader in the
secondary again this season. Robinson had 58 tackles, and a team-high five interceptions. He also added eight passes broken up and five tackles for loss. Heading into 2010, senior Loyce Means appears to have nailed down the other cornerback slot and his experience as a part-time starter over the past two seasons should help.

   Recruiting - The Cougars bring in 26 recruits in 2010, highlighted by two quarterbacks and four linebackers. Terrance Broadway comes in from Louisiana as a rivals.com four-star player, as well as the fifth-best dual threat quarterback. In his senior year, he threw for 2,140 yards and 20 touchdowns. The other quarterback comes from Texas powerhouse Southlake Carroll. In 2009, David Piland threw for 2,668 yards and 20 touchdowns.

   Efram Oliphant and Austin Wilson lead the four-man linebacker group. Each was a three-star recruit by rivals.com and had over 100 tackles as seniors. Oliphant finished his final season with 125 tackles, six sacks and 11 tackles for loss. Wilson had 108 tackles (60 solo), 10 tackles for loss, four sacks and two interceptions.

   Schedule - Houston opens the year with four of its first five games at home. The first two are against in-state rivals Texas State and UTEP. The UTEPSMU and Memphis. That's followed by two home games against UCF and Tulsa before finishing with road games at Southern Miss and Texas Tech. In all, nine of Houston's 12 teams are in the state of Texas.

Football Previews: Georgia Tech

2010-08-21T10:02:00.001-05:00

   The 2009 season was one of firsts for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. It marked their first-ever BCS appearance, first outright ACC title since 1990 and their first-ever win in Tallahassee against Florida State, amongst other feats. Despite losing some key pieces to the team, the Jackets will be looking to make it back to the lofty heights they did last season.

   Offense - The Ramblin' Wreck has adapted to Paul Johnson's spread option offense by producing the highest rushing totals in school history the past two years. Half of that outstanding duo, quarterback Josh Nesbitt, returns after running back Jonathan Dwyer left for the NFL. In fact, their 295.4 rushing yards per game was the highest in the ACC and second-best in the nation. Their total offense (442 yd/g) and scoring offense (33.8 ppg) totals were both best in the ACC and 11th best in the nation.

   Nesbitt returns for his senior season after rushing for 1,037 yards in 2009. His rushing total was the highest for a quarterback in Tech history and second highest in ACC history. His 2,069 career yards rushing make him the most prolific rushing quarterback in Tech history and ranks him second in ACC history. Despite only attempting 162 passes and completing 71, Nesbitt threw for 1,701 yards and 10 touchdowns. Combining his rushing and passing totals, Nebitt accounted for over 2,700 yards and 28 touchdowns.

   Despite losing their leading rusher in Dwyer, the team does return some experienced backs in Anthony Allen and Marcus Wright, each of whom played in all 14 games last season. Allen returns from last year's spot at the A-back position after rushing for 618 yards and six touchdowns. Wright was Dwyer's main backup and rushed for 190 yards and three touchdowns. Allen will look to combine with Nesbitt to become the second consecutive Jackets to each rush for over 1,000 yards after Dwyer and Nesbitt did it last year.

   Unfortunately for Nesbitt, his favorite target in 2009, Demariyus Thomas, left for the NFL, leaving a very young wide receiver core for the upcoming season. Last year's second and third-leading receivers return, but they combined for only 14 catches and two touchdowns. The coaches feef that Stephen Hill has to be a star.

   Defense - The defense got a major overhaul in the offseason, bringing in three new coaches, including defensive coordinator former Virginia head coach Al Groh. Groh brings in a new system however, as he favors the 3-4, so it will be interesting to see how the team reacts to the change.

   The linebacker and defensive back units comes back as the strongest parts of the defense. The linebackers are led by Brad Jefferson and Steven Sylvester, who finished first and eighth in tackles, respectively. Jefferson racked up 95 tackles, including eight for loss and had two forced fumbles. Sylvester was in on 40 tackles, four for loss and three sacks.

   The defensive backfield returns three of four starters from last year squad, including both cornerbacks. One of those corners, Jerrard Tarrant, was a pain for opposing receivers after coming up with 58 tackles, which was fourth on the team. He also added a tackles for loss, two fumble recoveries, two interceptions and a team-high six passes broken up. His partner across the field, Marcus Butler, wasn't far behind him in all of the stat categories either. Butler finished with 45 tackles, four and a half for loss, two interceptions and three passes broken up. Mario Edwards returns at one safety spot after starting the last five games of the year. He contributed to the cause with 36 tackles and two passes broken up.

   The defensive line also returns three starters, including both tackles, Ben Anderson and Logan Walls, as well as end Anthony Egbuniwe. Walls led the returnees with 25 tackles, three for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble. Egbuniwe was right behind him with 19 tackles, two and a half for loss, one and a half sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Anderson was in on 15 tackles, five for loss and two sacks.

   Recruiting - The Yellow Jackets bring in 18 kids in this year's signing class, including 14 from Georgia. They bring in a bunch of studs of defensive studs, including two linebackers and a defensive back. Jeremiah Attaochu had a monster senior season where he had 118 tackles and 14 sacks. They stole Quayshawn Nealy out of Florida after he had 121 tackles (85 solo), 25 tackles for loss, two interceptions and five sacks. Corner Louis Young comes in after being ranked in the top 20 of cornerbacks nationally by both scout.com and rivals.com. One offensive player to keep an eye on is Tony Zenon, who finished his senior season with 2,264 yards and 27 rushing touchdowns.

   Schedule - Georgia Tech starts the season with a home game against South Carolina State before going on the road for consecutive games at Kansas and North Carolina. Three of the next four games are as home as they host N.C. State, Virginia and Middle Tennessee State. They travel to Wake Forest between the N.C. State and Virginia games. The team's next five games will most likely be their toughest stretch as they travel to Clemson, Virginia Tech, host Miami and Duke, before finishing the season with their annual rivalry game against Georgia, this time in Athens.

Previews - Florida Atlantic

2010-08-18T01:57:00.000-05:00

   Everyone always wants to read about L.A.T. (Life After Tebow) or L.A.B.B. (Life After Bobby Bowden) so I thought I'd switch it up and give some love to one of the smaller schools in the state of Florida, Florida Atlantic. Despite finishing 5-7 last season, the Owls can look to build on winning three of their final four games. In fact, they were two two-point losses to Louisiana-Monroe and Wyoming from finishing 7-5 and qualifying for their third ever bowl.

Offense - There were some bright spots for last year's offense, as well as some not so bright spots. Games that saw the team score 35 (Arkansas State), 44 (North Texas) and 51 (Louisiana-Lafayette) were offset by games where they scored three (Nebraska) and 16 (South Carolina). Luckily for coach Howard Schellenberger, many key pieces return for the 2010 season.

The Owls bring back the most important player on the offense in quarterback Jeff Van Comp. Van Comp saw plenty of action last year, playing in 10 games. In those 10 games, he completed nearly 60 percent of his passes, while throwing for 1,372 yards and 12 touchdowns and throwing only two interceptions. David Kooi will have to fight off three other quarterbacks on the roster to earn the backup spot. He is the only one who has seen any game time, however, as he appeared in three games.

   The team also returns last year's starting running back in Alfred Morris. Morris led the team in rushing with 1,392 our of the team's 1,829 rushing yards and 11 of of 17 touchdowns.

   Unfortunately for Van Comp, his receiving unit will essentially be all new, as they lose their top six receivers from 2009. But luckily for the Owls, the three receivers from last year all saw playing time. The top returning wideout is senior Avery Holley. Holley caught 22 balls in 2009 for 224 yards and a touchdown. Tight end Darian Williams also returns after coming up with 14 receptions for 214 yards and two touchdowns.

   Defense - Like the offense, the defense had quite the uneven season and will have to improve their points per game average of nearly 34 points given up per game. The team did cause 17 turnovers last year though.

   The defensive backfield returns as the strongest part of the 2010 defense. Safety Marcus Bartels was last year's leading tackler and he returns for his junior year. He finished last year with 112 tackles, an interception and three passes broken up. His safety-mate, Ed Alexander, also returns after finishing last year fourth in tackles with 66 and a team-high five pass breakups. Corner Tavious Polo had 47 tackles, four for loss and an interception. Brantely Harstad led the team with two interceptions from his free safety spot.

   While the secondary might be the top defensive unit, the linebackers are not far behind. Senior Michael Lockley returns after finishing second on the team in tackles. The middle linebacker had 97 tackles, seven and a half for loss and two fumble recoveries. Malik Eugene also returns as a linebacker after being in on 34 tackles, four for loss and three fumble recoveries, a team-high. David Hinds backs up Lockley and put up 24 tackles, two for loss and a sack as a true freshman.

   The front four returns three starters from the 2009 squad, led by end Kevin Cyrille. Cyrille finished last year with 40 tackles, a team-high 11.5 for loss and tied for the team lead in sacks with three. Dino Cox started 10 games on his way to 24 tackles, five for loss and three sacks. Daniel Joseph had 23 tackles, four and a half for loss.

   Recruiting - The Owls bring in a small class, signing only 12 student-athletes. Of those 12, it is of seven offensive and five defensive players. Steven Curtis comes in as potentially the quarterback of the future (one of two QB signees) after a stellar career in South Carolina. He threw for 6,765 yards and 76 touchdowns, while rushing for 1,071 yards and 29 scores during his three-year career. Cortez Ash will continue the line of successful safeties. As a senior, he recorded 92 tackles, six sacks, two interceptions and eight blocked punts. Defensive tackle recruit Jerome McClain might challenge for playing time right away, as he comes to FAU after a senior year where he had 88 tackles, eight sacks, one interception and a touchdown.

   Schedule - The Owls go on the road for their first two games, traveling to UAB and playing Michigan State in a neutral site game in Detroit. After the two road games, the team jumps right into conference play as it hosts North Texas. The team will then take a break from conference play to travel to Tampa and face the Bulls of South Florida. Unfortunately after the USF game, three of the next four games, all conference games, are on the road. Back-to-back road games at Louisiana-Monroe and Arkansas State are followed by a home game against FIU and a road game at Western Kentucky, followed by a home game against Louisiana-Lafayette. The Owls then go into Austin to face the University of Texas, before ending their season with a conference road game at Middle Tennessee and a season-ending home game against Troy.

Change in Previews

2010-08-11T02:59:00.000-05:00

I won't be doing what I had mentioned in the first preview. Because of my sister's upcoming wedding I haven't had the opportunity to do the previews as I had wished, so instead from now on, I will be picking one or two teams from every remaining letter and doing a preview of those teams.

Thanks!

Football Preview: East Carolina

2010-08-02T21:57:00.008-05:00

The Pirates are coming off of their fourth consecutive winning season, a feat that had not been achieved since the 1970's. People all across the country realized the success East Carolina has had, as coach Skip Holtz was named Head Coach at the University of South Florida. So in comes former Pirate Ruffin McNeill, who was actually on those successful Pirate teams in the '70's. McNeill comes back after coaching at Texas Tech.

Offense - The major key in the offense that McNeill brings from Texas Tech is quarterback play. Unfortunately for the Pirates, the quarterbacks they have returning have little or no experience. Only sophomore Josh Jordan has any experience but that is limited as he has seen action in only three games and thrown seven passes.

The team also loses two of the the three starting receivers from last year. But luckily for whoever the starting quarterback ends up being, Dwayne Harris returns for his senior season after putting up some monster numbers in 2009. He caught 83 passes for 978 yards and seven touchdowns. However after Harris, junior Joe Womack is the next leading receiver and he only caught 12 balls for 141 yards. Coming out of spring ball, nine of the 17 wide receivers are underclassmen, so youth will be served.

The Pirates lose last year's top rusher, Dominique Lindsay, but return second-leading rusher Brandon Jackson. Jackson, who played in only nine games last season, rushed for 316 yards and three touchdowns. Giavani Ruffin also returns after running for 308 yards and five touchdowns, while Harris ran for 149 yards and five touchdowns.

Defense - Last year, saying that the defense excelled at forcing turnovers would be an understatement, as they forced 28 turnovers. Unfortunately, the defense only returns two starters from last year's squad, both cornerbacks. One good thing, however, is that there will be plenty of experience, as outside of the two returning starters, 21 defensive lettermen return.

Emanuel Davis returns for his junior campaign after finishing fifth on the team with 69 tackles, while being in a three-way tie for second with two interceptions. He also had four tackles for loss and led the team with 12 broken up passes. Travis Simmons is the other returning corner and he finished with 52 tackles.

Ironically, a player with a similar name to his position, Dustin Lineback, returns to anchor the linebackers. He finished the year with 29 tackles. Matt Thompson had 20 tackles in seven games. Steve Spence had 15 tackles, two sacks and two and a half tackles for loss.

Josh Smith returns for his senior year on the line after being in on 26 tackles, four and a half for loss and four sacks. Michael Brooks finished right below him with 24 tackles, three and a half of which were for loss.

Recruiting - Despite having around a month to recruit, the Pirates coaching staff was able to bring in 18 signees to compile its 2010 class. With such great turnover on the defensive side of the ball, it's no shock that 10 of the 18 recruits come from that side. Maurice Falls comes in as a defensive end prospect who enrolled early. In his senior campaign, he came up with 118 tackles.

While in high school, Jacob Geary played end, tackle and linebacker on the defensive side of the ball, but comes to East Carolina to play linebacker. He had quite an impressive senior campaign, as he tallied 162 tackles, eight sacks and two forced fumbles. Jeremy Grove also comes to ECU as a linebacker prospect and enrolled early after tackling 107 opponents, including 19 for loss. Lee Pegues was a four-year starter who had 90 tackles and 10 sacks as a senior.

Schedule - The Pirates jump right into conference play as they welcome both Tulsa and Memphis to Greeneville in the first two weeks of the season. The team will use those two games as warmups to their two hardest games of the year, when they face Virginia Tech and North Carolina in back-to-back weeks. The Pirates played both teams last season, losing to both, but keeping close with the Hokies. ECU completes its three-game road trip with a trip to Southern Miss, a team that gave the Pirates a fight last season. The team returns to three of its next four games at home, hosting N.C. State, Marshall and Navy, while traveling to UCF. ECU finishes the season with two of their last three games on the road, as they travel to UAB and Rice before hosting SMU to close the season.

College Football Preview: Duke

2010-08-02T14:49:00.004-05:00

In just two years, Head Coach David Cutcliffe has turned Duke into a school that just looked forward to basketball season to one that can challenge for a bowl berth every year. The Blue Devils came one game short of a 6-6 season which would have qualified them for a bowl. And fans have a lot to look forward to this year, as the team returns 18 starters from last year's squad.

Offense - The offense returns nine of 11 starters from last years' squad, which combined for nearly 370 yards per game. Unfortunately, one of those starters who aren't coming back are Thaddeus Lewis, who threw for 3,330 of the team's 3,660 yards and 20 of 24 passing touchdowns last season.

The only quarterback returning with any type of game experience is redshirt sophomore Sean Renfree, who threw for the other 330 yards and four touchdowns. Sean Schroeder is coming off of a freshman season where he redshirted, while Brandon Connette comes straight from high school but enrolled early and participated in spring ball.

Luckily for the Blue Devils, they return the majority of their top rushers. Although their rushing stats may not have been the most impressive, the experience of all the players, including Desmond Scott, who led the team in rushing, will help the ease of the new quarterback. Scott led the team with 262 yards and scored one of the teams' six rushing touchdowns. Jay Hollingsworth and Patrick Kurunwune also return after seeing a lot of game action last year.

By far the strongest part of the offense will be the wide receivers. The team's top receiver, junior Donovan Varner returns after catching 65 balls for 1.047 yards and eight touchdowns. The other two starters, Connor Vernon and Austin Kelly, also return. Vernon had quite a breakout freshman year after grabbing 55 passes for 746 yards and three touchdowns. Kelly had 54 catches for 625 yards and four touchdowns.

Defense - The defense returns six starters from last year's team, including two starters from each the defensive backfield, linebacker and defensive line units.

The defensive backfield's two returning starters, Matt Daniels and Chris Rwabukamba, both finished in the top six of tacklers from last year. Daniels finished third on the team in tackles with 83 and had three tackles for loss, six passes broken up and three forced fumbles. Rwabukamba, on the other hand, was sixth on the team with 46 tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack and seven passes broken up. After starting eight games at cornerback, Lee Butler moves over to one safety spot opposite of Daniels. Butler had 39 tackles and an interception last season. Butler's interception makes him the only one coming back after intercepting a pass last year, as all of the others are no longer members of the team.

The linebackers bring back some nice pieces as well in starters Damian Thornton and Abraham Kromah. Thornton finished fourth on the team with 60 tackles and fifth on the team with six tackles for loss. This year, however, the senior slides over from the Will Linebacker position, where he started 11 games last season. Despite playing in only seven games, Kromah finished seventh on the team in tackles with 40 and also had two and a half tackles for loss. Adam Banks (no not the player from the Mighty Ducks movies) looks to take the other linebacker spot after coming up with 33 stops in 2009.

Defensive end Patrick Egboh and nose guard Charlie Hatcher return to their starting spots again this year. Hatcher had 39 tackles last season and seven tackles for loss, which was fourth on the team. Egboh pitched in with 34 tackles and three tackles for loss, as well as a sack and two passes broken up.

Recruiting - This year's class consists of 19 student-athletes, including many who look to fill in holes on the roster. The Blue Devils brought in two quarterbacks, although Brandon Connette starts with more experience after enrolling early and playing in the spring. As a senior Connette threw for 1,961 yards and 18 touchdowns, while rushing for 462 yards and 12 more touchdowns. As a senior, Josh Snead rushed for 1,932 yards and 27 touchdowns.

Linebacker recruit Kelby Brown comes to Durham after a very impressive senior year. In his last year as a high schooler, he logged 105 tackles, five sacks, three fumble recoveries and two interceptions. Dezmond Johnson, a defensive line prospect, is coming off of a season where he posted 71 tackles, 18 sacks and three fumble recoveries.

Schedule - The development of the young players will be tested early as thus year's schedule us a bit stronger than last years. After starting the season with a home game against Elon and a road game at Wake Forest, defending champion Alabama comes to Durham to pay the Blue Devils a visit. The team ends the month with a home game against Army. October brings a visit from Miami, while trips to Maryland, Virginia Tech and Navy are also on the docket. The Miami and VA Tech games are back to back. Duke ends the season with three of its last four games at home. Virginia, Boston College visit Durham, while the Devils go to Georgia Tech. The rivalry game with North Carolina ends the season, with the Tar Heels coming to Duke.

College Football Preview: Colorado State

2010-07-31T11:58:00.003-05:00

The Rams are looking to get over last season's 3-9 debacle, which saw them start 3-0 before losing nine straight. Coach Steve Fairchild enters his third year as head coach and is looking for his team to overcome all the inconsistencies and injuries of last season.

Offense - Much uncertainty encompasses this year's offense. The strongest area will be the running backs, but the rest of the side of the ball is really up for grabs.

For the first time since 2004, Colorado State might start a freshman quarterback. Only one quarterback on this year's roster returns with starting experience and that is Jon Eastman. The Rams return 92 percent of their rushing yards from last year, including their top two rushers. Despite playing in only 10 games and not starting, Leonard Mason led the team with 766 yards in 2009. He also had two touchdowns. Last year's primary starter, John Mosure also returns after rushing for 650 yards and seven touchdowns. They will be pushed by sophomore Lou Greenwood or junior Raymond Carter, a transfer from UCLA.

Wide receiver will also be a position of question as they lose both their starters and lose 1,227 yards and four touchdowns. Among the group of receivers who are returning, they have a combined 27 catches, led by walk-on Tyson Liggett's 20. Liggett caught 17 passes for 253 yards and three touchdowns. Byron Steele looks to be the starter outside of Liggett, but he will be pushed by younger members of the team such as Vernon Scott or Marquise Law.

Defense - Unlike the offense, the defense returns nine starters and looks to be the stronger unit on the team.

The linebacker spot brings back three of the top five tacklers from last season, including top gun Mychal Sisson, who is coming off of a second-team all-conference season. Sisson had 91 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss and six sacks last season. His six sacks were a team-high. Chris Gipson had quite an impressive redshirt freshman season, finishing with 56 tackles, four tackles for loss and three sacks. Alex Williams looks to overcome injuries to both knees as he returns to take his middle linebacker spot. In only nine games, he pitched in with 55 tackles and three and a half tackles for loss.

While the secondary might be young, they are anything but inexperienced. Many of the younger players got major playing time due to injuries. An upperclassman who returns for his junior season, Elijah-Blu Smith, finished second on the team in tackles with 74, His three interceptions were also second on the team. Two players who saw major playing time, junior safety Ivory Herd and senior DeAngelo Wilkinson, return for their first chance to win the starting job. Momo Thomas returns opposite Wilkinson after coming up with 43 tackles and an interception.

The defensive line also comes back with tons of experience. End Cory Macon and tackle Guy Miller return to their starting spots. Miller stopped 39 opponents last year, including six and a half tackles for loss and two sacks. Macon had 35 tackles, five tackles for loss and two and a half sacks.

Recruiting - Colorado State raided Florida for a good number of their top recruits. Possibly their top recruit, Pete Thomas, comes from California as a rivals.com and scout.com four-star quarterback. As a senior he threw for 2,392 yards and 24 touchdowns. He will push for early playing time after enrolling early and taking part in spring practice.

Eric Niederberger comes in as one of the top defensive recruits after an impressive career in California. He played a little bit of everything but had a nice stat line as a senior linebacker. He finished the 2009 season with 107 tackles, nine sacks two forced fumbles and an interception for a touchdown. He was named the Delta Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year as a senior.

Schedule - The team starts the season with three games away from home. The annual rivalry game against Colorado is in Denver, while back-to-back games against Nevada and Miami (Ohio) are at the respective schools home fields. The teams' first home game is against another WAC team, Idaho. Then the team jumps right into conference play against possibly their toughest opponent of the year, TCU. Luckily for the Rams, they get the Horned Frogs at home. Including the game against TCU, the team does not play consecutive games on the road or home for the rest of the season.

Preview: Colorado

2010-07-29T17:12:00.005-05:00

The 2010 season is one of great importance for the Colorado football team and more specifically their coach Dan Hawkins. It has been known that Coach Hawkins is on the hot seat and needs to have a drastic improvement from their 3-9 season in 2009. It also might be the last year for Colorado in the Big 12, as they are set to move to the Pac 10 either next year or the year after.

Offense - To improve, however, Hawkins will need to choose a starting quarterback. Tyler Hansen and Cody Hawkins, his son, started seven and five games, respectively, last season. Luckily for either of the two, seven other starters return on offense, including all five offensive linemen. Hansen, a junior, completed 56 percent of his passes last season for 1,440 yards and eight touchdowns. Unfortunately he also threw seven interceptions and was sacked 33 times. Hawkins, a senior, put up similar stats so it is easy to see why they are in a dead heat coming into the fall. Hawkins threw for 1,277 yards and 10 touchdowns.

The running game will be bolstered by the return of Rodney Stewart, who returns as the lead back yet again. As the leading rusher in 2009, Stewart rushed for 804 yards and nine touchdowns. Behind him, however, there is not much experience as both the second and third leading rushers do not return for the 2010 season. Hansen is the next returning rusher after running for 61 yards, although the total would have been much higher if he wasn't sacked 33 times.

The receiver picture can be just as gloomy for the Buffs, as they return only one of last year's top five receivers. Luckily that one, Scotty McKnight, was last year's top receiver after catching 76 balls for 893 yards and six touchdowns. To show you how much experience the receivers lost, the second leading receiver had only 13 catches, 136 yards and the only other receiving touchdown returning. But what the lack of experience does is give players such as Will Jefferson, Jason Espinoza, Kendrick Celestine and Ryan Deehan to become more prominent figures in the offense.

Defense - The secondary was the strong part of last year's team as they allowed only 201 passing yards per game, which was good for fourth in the conference and 34th nationally. Four of the top five returning tackler leaders are members of the secondary, led by free safety Anthony Perkins. Perkins finished last season with 78 tackles and was tied for the team lead with two interceptions. Cornerbacks Jimmy Smith and Jalil Brown were right behind him, as Smith finished with 70 tackles and Brown 66. Both also had two interceptions each.

The linebacker spot looks to be tough again, led by senior Michael Sipili. Sipili led the returning linebackers in tackles with 39 tackles in the 2009 season. B.J. Beatty also returns for his senior year after being in on 30 tackles and two and a half sacks, despite playing in only 10 games.

The defensive line was very young last season, and while that might still be the case in 2010, the experience the core earned last year will be vital in their development. Curtis Cunningham comes into his junior year after tackling 41 opponents and being in on two sacks. The returning sack leader from last year is senior Marquez Herrod, who had six sacks to go along with his 38 tackles. Will Pericak saw action in all 12 games in his freshman season and contributed with 36 tackles and three sacks.

Recruiting - The Buffaloes bring in 20 high school signees and two junior college kids to make up the 2010 class of 22. 15 of the signees are on the offensive side of the ball, including four running backs and tight ends apiece. Wide receiver Donnie Duncan had quite the senior year as he played primarily WR/DB. He caught 77 passes for 1,691 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also added three rushing touchdowns, two passing, two kick returns for touchdowns and a punt return touchdown. On defense he had 50 tackles and 10 interceptions, three on which he brought back for touchdowns. Tony Jones comes to Boulder after being named the New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year. As a senior he rushed for 1,387 yards and 34 touchdowns. Trea Jones rushed for 1,652 yards and 17 touchdowns, while averaging nearly seven yards per carry and 127 yards per game. Chidera Uzo-Diribe is a standout defensive end coming to Colorado. As a senior he had 69 tackles, seven and a half sacks and two forced fumbles.

Schedule - As per usual, the season starts out with the rivalry game against in-state Colorado State. The Buffs then travel to play the host Cal Bears and attempt to break a 2-2 series tie between the two schools. The team's home opener is a matchup against Hawaii, followed by an off week before they host the Georgia Bulldogs. Colorado will be looking to pick up their first victory against both schools in those games. The Georgia game starts a stretch of five tough games where they jump right into conference play with games at Missouri, back-to-back home games against Baylor and Texas Tech. Consecutive away games at Oklahoma and Kansas follow before the home slate is closed with Iowa State and Kansas State coming to town. The season ends, as it always does, with the annual day after Thanksgiving game against Nebraska, this year in Lincoln.

Preview: Clemson

2010-07-28T21:25:00.002-05:00

Clemson brings back 13 starters from last year's 9-5 Music City Bowl winning team. Third year coach Dabo Swinney will try to get his team back into the ACC Championship Game, a year after they lost to Georgia Tech in the title game.

Offense - The question since the end of last season has been 'What will Clemson do without C.J. Spiller?' However, up until last week, a bigger problem may have been coming around, as starting quarterback Kyle Parker was struggling with the decision of signing with the Colorado Rockies, who made him a first-round draft pick in the MLB draft, or come back and play another season of college football. July 20th, he decided...to come back to Clemson.

Parker had quite the debut last year as he threw for 2,526 yards and 20 touchdowns. He also ended up as the fourth highest rusher with 135 yards and a touchdown. All the passing stats are freshman records at Clemson. However, the quarterbacks behind him are very inexperienced. Parker's backup is set to be redshirt freshman Tajh Boyd, who came to the Tigers as a highly touted prospect. Third string will be handled by Mike Wade, who will also see time at safety.

Set to replace Spiller will be the two-headed tandem of Andre Ellington and Jamie Harper. The redshirt sophomore Ellington is the returning rusher after running for 491 yards and an average of 7.22 yards per carry. He also had four touchdowns. Harper, on the other hand, rushed for 418 yards and had four touchdowns as well. His 69-yard touchdown scamper was the longest rush by any Clemson rusher in the 2009 season.

The Tigers lose their top three receivers from last year and little experience returns. The next six receivers combined for 67 catches amongst them. Senior Xavier Dye is the leading pass catcher after hauling 14 passes for 236 yards and three touchdowns. Terrence Ashe hopes to become the starter opposite Dye after catching 11 passes for 124 yards. Last year, the tight end position was more prominent in the Clemson offense and there is no sign that trend will be reversed. Dwayne Allen returns after starting six games at the tight end position. He finished the year with 10 catches, 108 yards and three touchdowns.

Defense - The defense returns six starters from last year's squad that gave up only 20.4 points per game. They forced 30 turnovers, including 21 interceptions.

The leader of the the strength of the defense, the secondary, will be DeAndre McDaniel, who may have had one of the best seasons by a defensive back in school history. McDaniel ended the season with 102 tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks and eight interceptions, one of which he brought back for a touchdown. His interception total led the ACC, was tied for third in the nation and tied for the most in school history. Joining him in the defensive backfield will be senior strong safety Marcus Gilchrist. He finished the season second in tackles with 107and two tackles for loss. Sophomore Rashard Hall comes back after having a strong freshman season. He finished with 63 tackles and six interceptions, second on the team behind McDaniel.

The defensive line will also be a strong point of the defense this year. Defensive tackles Jarvis Jenkins and Brandon Thompson return for their third season starting together. Jenkins led defensive linemen with 69 tackles, including 11 for loss. Thompson had 50 tackles. Da'Quan Bowers returns as a defensive end starter. He had 58 tackles in 12 games, including 11 for loss and three sacks. Two more talented defensive ends with experience return as well. Mallicah Goodman was a freshman All-ACC performer who had 31 tackles, five for loss and two sacks. Andre Branch had 46 tackles, eight for loss and two sacks.

Brandon Maye, like in 2009, leads the linebacker corps this season. His 103 tackles were third on the team and added seven tackles for loss and three sacks. After Maye, no linebacker comes back after seeing extensive playing time. Scotty Cooper had 16 tackles last season and has seen action in 37 games over three seasons, including six starts.

Recruiting - This year's class brings in 23 student-athletes, the highest since 2008 when the team signed 25. It consists of six defensive backs, four offensive linemen, three wide receivers and two defensive tackles, linebackers, running backs tight ends and defensive ends each.

Two of the top three recruits, Martavis Bryant and DeAndre Hopkins, are wide receivers. Bryant was ranked as the No. 10 wide receiver and No. 84 overall player in the nation by rivals.com. He finished with 70 receptions for 722 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior. Hopkins was ranked just two spots lower in the wide receiver rankings by rivals.com. He had seven receiving touchdowns, two INT touchdown returns, three punt return touchdowns, one o a kickoff return and one on a fumble recovery as well. Justin Parker comes in as the highest rayed defensive player after being ranked as the No. 13 middle linebacker in the nation by scout.com. He had 140 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and seven sacks as a senior.

Schedule - In 2010, Clemson plays seven teams that played in bowl games last year. The Tigers open the season with two home games against North Texas and Presbyterian. It is the first time facing North Texas and first time since 1957 against Presbyterian. They next go on the road to face Auburn, the first regular season matchup since 1971. After a bye week, the team plays eight consecutive conference games, starting with a home date against Miami, a team the Tigers defeated last year. Clemson then travels to North Carolina to face the Tar Heels, in their first trip to Chapel Hill in eight years. Next comes back-to-back home games against Maryland and Georgia Tech before traveling to Boston College. A home date against N.C. State precedes consecutive road games at Florida State and Wake Forest. The team then ends the season with their annual game against in-state rival South Carolina.

College Football Preview: C

2010-07-12T22:09:00.021-05:00

California - The Bears are coming off of an 8-5 season, which ended with a 37-27 loss to Utah in the Poinsettia Bowl. While the season may not have been as successful as those in the past, the Bears are ready to get back to being one of the most feared teams not only in the Pac 10, but the entire nation.

Offense - The offense brings back nine starters from last year's squad. Despite starting all 13 games last season, senior Kevin Riley opens fall camp in an open competition with two other returnees. Riley threw for 2,850 yards and 18 touchdowns, while only throwing up eight picks. In fact Riley's 2,850 passing yards in a season are the fourth-most in Cal history. His backups, Brock Mansion and Beau Sweeney, both return but did not see much action.

Anytime you have to replace an NFL first round draft pick, you know it won't be easy. Trying to replace Jahvid Best, however, might not be as challenging as it seems. Shane Vereen returns after starting the last four games of the season because Best suffered a season-ending injury in Week 8. He ended up leading the team in rushing with 952 yards and tied Best in touchdowns with 12. Covaughn DeBoskie-Johnson and Isi Sofele also return to backup Vereen.

Marvin Jones returns for his junior year after putting up some nice receiving stats last season. He caught 43 balls for 651 yards and six touchdowns, all career-highs and team bests. The second-most productive returnee, Jeremy Ross, might be one of the fastest players on the team. Ross caught 22 balls for 344 yards and a touchdown. However, only one other returner saw significant playing time, so it will be up to many unproven and younger players to help out whoever the quarterback will be.

Defense - The defense brings back seven starters from last year's team. The linebackers brings back three starters who started six games or more. The unit is led by All-Pac 10 First Team member Mike Mohamed, who started every game last season. His 112 tackles not only led the team, but the entire conference as well. He also had eight tackles for loss, two sacks, three interceptions and a forced fumble. Michael Kendricks started six games last year but his 71 tackles are the second most tackles of all the defensive returnees. He added six tackles for loss, two fumble recoveries and an interception, sack and forced fumble each. D.J. Holt returns after starting eight games at linebacker last year, when he tackles 37 opponents, including three and a half for loss.

Despite losing three starters, the Bears bring back a lot of experience in the secondary. All three players who started at one CB position return for another year. Darian Hagan, Josh Hill and Bryant Nnabuife combined for the 13 starts, with Hill starting five and the others four each. Hill led the three with 34 tackles, two interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Sean Cattouse started the last six games at safety on his way to being named Honorable-Mention All-Pac 10. He accumulated 37 tackles and an interception last season. Three other players who saw game action last year return but will be tested by the younger players for playing time.

Cameron Jordan started all 13 games at defensive end in 2009. He recorded 48 tackles, nine and a half tackles for loss and six sacks. Derrick Hill (18 tackles, 4.5 Tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 8 starts), Aaron Tipoti (21 tackles, 0.5 Tackles for loss, 4 starts) and Kendrick Payne (13 tackles, 4.0 Tackles for loss, one sack, 1 fumble recovery, 2 starts) combined for the remainder of the 2009 starts on the defensive line.

Recruiting - The Bears bring in 20 recruits in this year's class, highlighted by 10 All-Americans. They bring in five wide receivers, highlighted by Keenan Allen. Allen, who is brought in as a WR/S, comes in after earning five-star status from ESPN, Scout and Rivals. Rivals had him as the No. 5 overall player in the entire class. He had a monster senior year, including 145 tackles, eight interceptions, 53 offensive touchdowns and 976 receiving yards. Quarterback Austin Hinder comes from Colorado and was named his state's Gatorade Player of the Year. He threw for 2,205 yards and 25 touchdowns while rushing for 889 yards and 14 touchdowns.

The team loaded up on linebackers in this class, bringing in five, four of which were four-star players and the other a five-star. One of the four-stars, Cecil Whiteside, was ranked as the fourth best linebacker by both rivals.com and scout.com. He accumulated 108 tackles and nine sacks as a senior. The five-star recruit, Chris Martin, also comes from Colorado and was in rivals' and scouts' Top 20 overall lists. He recorded 97 tackles, 11 sacks, five forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in 2009.

Schedule - The Bears play seven of their 12 games at home this year, including the first two against UC Davis and Colorado. That's followed by two deceivingly tough road games at Nevada and Arizona. They come home for a matchup against UCLA before traveling to USC. A home game against Arizona State comes before back-to-back trips to Oregon State and Washington State. The team then gets three straight home games to close out the season. The games against Oregon, Stanford and Washington might determine how well the Bears end up in their 2010 campaign.

Central Michigan - Central Michigan is coming off of the most successful season in school history, one that saw them win a school-record 12 wins, go undefeated in conference play, make their fourth consecutive bowl appearance, as well as finish ranked in the Top 25. This year will be quite different for the Chippewas, as they lose their coach and starting quarterback.

Offense - Outside of the loss of coach Butch Jones (who left for Cincinnati), the biggest departure and hardest hole to fill, will be that of quarterback Dan LeFevour. LeFevour leaves as one of the most successful quarterbacks in NCAA football history. He is the only player in NCAA history with over 12,000 passing yards and 2,500 rushing yards and second all-time in total offensive yards. His 149 total touchdowns are an NCAA Division 1 record.

Replacing LeFevour will be a tough task, especially for players who haven't seen much playing time in the past. Ryan Radcliff returns as the only experienced quarterback, but he only attempted 21 passes last season. Two other quarterbacks are on the roster, including Radcliff, redshirt freshman A.J. Westendorp and junior Derek Rifenbury.

Unfortunately for the Chippewas, they also lose three of their top four rushers from last year. Those three combined for 23 of the team's 29 rushing touchdowns. Carl Volny is the team's leading returning rusher with 390 yards and three touchdowns. Paris Cotton also returns after rushing for 220 yards and a touchdown. Five other running backs will fight to see playing time.

The air attack will take a bigger hit than just losing LeFevour. The team also loses its top two receivers from last year. What's good for the new quarterback, whoever he may be, is that the third-leading receiver returns. Kito Poblah returns returns for his senior year after catching 53 balls for 691 yards and four touchdowns. Other key returnees include Cody Wilson and David Blackburn. The team will also look for younger players to step up into bigger roles.

Defense - Unlike their offensive counterparts, the defense brings back a good chunk of their core. Five of last year's top six tacklers return, including the top two.

Linebacker will be the strength of the defense again, as the top two returning tacklers, Nick Bellore and Matt Berning, both returning for their senior year at two linebacker spots. Bellore led the team in tackles last year with 132. His 13 tackles for loss were also a team-high, while his two interceptions tied for the team lead. He also had three sacks and two forced fumbles. His teammate, Berning, was right behind Bellore with 108 tackles and three sacks as well. He also had eight and a half tackles for loss and seven passes broken up, which was good for second on the team. The only other returning linebacker who saw extensive action is Mike Petrucci, who played in 10 games. Petrucci pitched in with 20 tackles.

The defensive backfield will also be a strong part of the defense as both Bobby Seay and Dannie Bolden return. The two finished as last year's fourth and fifth leading tacklers. Seay led the two with 60 tackles and also had two passes broken up. Bolden had 51 tackles and two interceptions. He also had two passes broken up and a fumble recovery. Vince Agnew returns for his senior year after posting 35 tackles, five passes broken up, a fumble recovery and two blocked kicks.

The defensive line looks to have taken the biggest hit. After Sean Murnane, who had 59 tackles last year, no returning lineman accounted for over 29 tackles. Murnane also finished second on the team in sacks with three and a half sacks and also broke up five passes. John Williams, another returning lineman, saw action in 14 games, where he put up a stat line of 29 tackles, five and a half tackles for loss and two and a half sacks.

Recruiting - Central Michigan brings in a class of 20 recruits. Exactly half are on offense and the other half defense. While the class may only have one true headliner in quarterback Kyle Smith, this class provides the team with plenty of depth as they move forward. Smith comes in after being racking up a nice list of awards and accolades. His 2,757 yards and 50 touchdowns as a senior earned him a spot on EA Sports' Third-Team All-American list, as well being named Mr. Football in Pennsylvania and winning the Gatorade Player of the Year award for his state. He leaves the state after becoming Pennsylvania's all-time leader in passing yards (8,544), career touchdown passes (118) and single-season touchdown passes (50). That's an impressive career, especially since the state of Pennsylvania has produced quarterbacks such as Joe Namath, Dan Marino, Joe Montana, Johnny Unitas, George Blanda and Jim Kelly, to name a few.

Schedule - The team will be on the road for most of the year, with seven of their 12 games away from Mount Pleasant. That includes a seven week stretch that sees the Chippewas travel to Temple, Eastern Michigan and Northwestern in consecutive weeks before hosting Ball State and traveling to Virginia Tech. The team finishes with games at home against Miami, Bowling Green and Western Michigan, while traveling to Northern Illinois, Navy and Toledo.

Cincinnati - The Bearcats are coming off of the beat season in school history, one which saw them reach No. 4 in the rankings twice and win their second consecutive Big East title. The team brings back 16 starters so the experience should help new coach Butch Jones easily transition from Central Michigan. The team lost Head Coach Brian Kelly to Notre Dame and got Jones, the second consecutive CMU to coach at Cincinnati, after Jones compiled a 27-13 record, including a 22-3 conference record, two conference titles and three consecutive bowl game appearances.

Offense - Despite bringing back eight starters, the team loses two major playmakers in quarterback Tony Pike and Mardy Ginyard. Ginyard leaves after accounting for 2,690 all-purpose yards, including 1,281 kick return yards.

Despite losing Pike, the Bearcats will not be led by an inexperienced quarterback. Zach Collaros played in all 13 games last season, including four starts when Pike went down with an injury. In that time, Collaros threw for 1,434 yards and 10 touchdowns, while only throwing two interceptions. He also rushed for 344 yards and four touchdowns. Both his backups, Chazz Anderson and Brendon Kay, saw minimal action in 2009.

Jones is happy to know that three of last years' top five rushers return, including leading rusher Isaiah Pead. Pead led the team with 806 rushing yards last season and nine touchdowns. Collaros, who is more mobile than Pike was, rushed for 344 yards and four touchdowns himself.

The receiver unit brings back 61 percent of its receiving yards and 62 percent of its receiving touchdowns. The unit will be led by wide receiver Armon Binns and tight end Ben Guidugli, both of whom were named all-league selections last year. Binns caught 61 balls for 888 yards and 11 touchdowns, which tied Ginyard for the team lead. Junior DJ Woods also returns after being a big part of last year's offense. Woods had 51 catches for 640 yards and four touchdowns. Guidugli comes back after coming up with 27 catches, 364 yards and three touchdowns.

Defense - Unlike their offensive teammates, the defense only returns six of 11 starters from last year's squad. However, the team does see 20 players who saw extensive playing time return from a team that gave up 23 points per game.

The linebackers seem to be a strength of this year's squad. Last year's second-leading tackler, JK Schaffer, returns for his junior year. His sophomore year was quite a success as he was in on 100 tackles, five and a half tackles for loss, one and a half sacks, second on the team with three interceptions and three passes broken up. Walter Syewart also returns at another linebacker spot after racking up 59 tackles, eight and a half tackles for loss, four and a half sacks, an interception and a forced fumble.

The defensive backfield will also be a strong point as they return starters Drew Frey and Dominique Battle. Frey had 64 tackles, including three and a half for loss. He also added four passes broken up to his two interceptions. Battle had almost identical stats as he put up 60 tackles, four for loss, two interceptions and four passes broken up as well. He also had a forced fumble.

The defensive line brings back two players who saw action in all 13 games. Despite being a reserve, Dan Giordano had 42 tackles, seven for loss and two sacks. Derek Wolfe, who started all 13 games, had 41 tackles, eight for loss, five sacks and a fumble recovery and forced fumble each.

Recruiting - Normally, when a school goes through a coaching change, the recruiting that season will suffer as some recruits back out because they wanted to play for a certain coach or certain system. That doesn't seem to be the case with the Bearcats, luckily because the team will be running a similar type of offense. The team signed 22 student-athletes for the upcoming season, 12 of which are on the defensive side of the ball. They loaded up on defensive backs with five, including three from the talent-laden state of Florida. None may be more impressive that wide receiver recruit Dyjuan Lewis, who the team stole out of Indiana. The three-year starter at Pike High School, he earned a four-star ranking by both rivals.com and scout.com. He finished with 1,111 yards receiving and 13 touchdowns.

Schedule - With a year like the one the team had last year, it would be expected that the schedule become a little tougher and that's exactly what happens. The 'Cats play only two of their five non-conference games at home, as they open by traveling to Fresno State, hosting Indiana State, traveling to NC State and playing an Oklahoma team in Cincinnati, but at Paul Brown Stadium, home of the Browns. The non-con season ends with a home date against Miami (Ohio). Luckily for Cincinnati, four of their seven Big East games are at home, although what will probably be the toughest matchup, against West Virginia is in Morgantown on November 13th. Other than that, potential tough games against USF, Rutgers and Pitt are all at home

College Football Preview: B cont'd

2010-07-10T00:18:00.015-05:00

Buffalo - Buffalo will have a new look on the sidelines this year, as Jeff Quinn takes over for Turner Gill, who is the new coach at Kansas. Quinn comes to Buffalo from Cincinnati where he was an assistant under Brian Kelly who is the new coach at Notre Dame. Quinn oversaw a no-huddle spread offense that was responsible for 7.28 yards per play -- second in the nation to Nevada. The Bulls will be looking to go to their second bowl in three years after finishing 5-7 last season.

Offense - The offense will be under new direction, because the 2009 starter doesn't return this year, leaving only Jerry Davis as the only quarterback who has seen collegiate action. Davis, a sophomore, saw action in five games last season, completing eight of 15 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown. Alex Dennison redshirted last year and will look to come in and challenge Davis for the starting role.

Fortunately for the Bulls, they return an experienced trio of running backs from last year. Ike Nduka broke out onto the scene in a big way. Nduka, then a junior, had not had any carries in his entire career before taking over for an injured James Starks and rushing for 598 yards and six touchdowns on 96 carries. Another senior, Brandon Thermilus, is coming off of a successful junior campaign as well, after rushing for 560 yards and four touchdowns.

The hardest replacements will come in the wide receiver corps, where they have to replace both starters, both of whom were All-MAC receivers. Terrell Jackson returns after a sophomore campaign where he caught 25 balls for 250 yards, but no touchdowns. Thermilus is the second leading receiver returning after he caught a mere nine balls for 99 yards. Marcus Rivers, Ed Young and Saron Hood, among other redshirt freshman, will be fighting for playing time as well.

Defense - The defense brings back eight starters from a team that gave up 342 yards per game and 23.8 points per game. They also forced 18 turnovers.

Just looking at the stats, it would be easy to say that the defensive backfield is the position of strength in this year's defense and, in this case, that would be true. Five of last year's seven top tacklers were defensive backs, and four return, including three starters. Davont Shannon, a three-time All-MAC First Team member, returns for his senior season after leading the team in tackles in 2009. He not only led the team in tackles with 97, but also had a team-high 8.5 tackles for loss as well as being a co-leader with two interceptions. The Bulls return both their cornerbacks in Dominic Cook and Josh Thomas. Last season, Cook had 55 tackles and a team-high 10 pass breakups, while Thomas had 45 tackles, nine pass breakups and a forced fumble and fumble recovery each.

Another strong part of the defense will be their linebacker corps, where they return their entire corps. Looking to lead the squad will be Justin Winters who finished third on the squad with 79 tackles. Seven of those tackles were for loss. He also had four and a half sacks, which ranked second on the squad. Scott Pettigrew also returns after finishing fourth on the team in tackles. He enters his junior season after being in on 55 stops, one and a half sacks, three fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles last year. Raphael Akobundu started the last two games of his junior season and looks to steal the third starting spot for good this year. He finished with 37 tackles last year.

The defensive line brings back two starters, but brings back tons of experience. Anel Montanez returns at the tackle position after starting all 26 games the past two seasons. The senior had 35 tackles, including four for loss last season. End Steven Means returns after turning in a successful freshman campaign where he led the team with five sacks and six and a half of his 25 tackles were for loss.

Recruiting - Th 2010 recruiting class is made of 22 student-athletes, 12 of whom are slated to play on the offensive side of the ball. Aaron Walters comes up to Buffalo from South Carolina after posting some staggering numbers as a high school senior. The wide receiver caught 71 balls for 1,200 yards and 19 touchdowns in his last year. Kendall Roberson comes up from the Peach State as a linebacker. His senior season saw him put up a stat line of 66 tackles, seven sacks, three fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and an interception.

Schedule - The Bulls start the season against Rhode Island before facing three consecutive tough non-conference opponents in Baylor, UCF and UCONN. The UCONN games marks a stretch in the middle of the season that sees Buffalo play three road games in a row, with a bye week sandwiched in between. After an October 16th games against NIU, however, the Bulls then have four of their next six at home, including a home date with Temple, who figures to be one of the favorites in the MAC. Three of the final four games will also be broadcast on ESPNU.

BYU - The Cougars are coming off of an 11-2 season that saw the team defeat three ranked team, including a 44-20 shellacking of Oregon State in the Las Vegas Bowl. The team will need to have many younger players stand out if they want to return to last year's form, as many of the important players from last year's squad have departed.

Offense - The Cougars are going to have to replace Max Hall, who finished last season with some ridiculous stats. Hall, who is now in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals, completed 67 percent of his passes for over 3,500 yards and 33 touchdowns. Riley Nelson returns as the only quarterback who has seen any college football action, so the team will look to its younger freshmen to put up a fight for the wide-open starting position.

As if losing your stud quarterback wasn't enough, BYU also loses it's starting running back from last year. Last year's starter, Harvey Unga, rushed for 1,087 of the Cougars' 1,894 rushing yards and 11 of 26 touchdowns last season. However, the team does bring back the next four top rushers. JJ Di Luigi returns after rushing for 248 yards and three touchdowns, while Manase Tonga leads the returnees with four touchdowns.

No matter who the quarterback is, he will have the luxury of having six of the top eight receivers from last year return. McKay Jacobson leads the team in returning yards with 556 and is tied with three others with four touchdowns last season. Jacobson averaged over 24 yards per catch, while all other receivers except one averaged double digit yards per catch.

Defense - As impressive as the offense was, the defense was equally so. The defense gave up 21.5 points per game and only allowed 329 yards per game, nearly 100 yards less than what their offense averaged.

Like their offense, the defense loses many of the starters from last year. Only four of the top 10 tacklers return. Luckily for the defensive secondary, two of the four return after finishing first and fourth on the team respectfully. Andrew Rich returns for his senior season after leading the team with 85 tackles and tying for the team lead in interceptions with four. Brandon Bradley, the fourth highest tackler, also returns in the secondary. He added 64 tackles, four passes broken up and two forced fumbles. Brian Logan is coming off of an impressive season in which he started 12 games. He finished the season with 44 tackles and three interceptions as well as an astounding 14 passes broken up.

Two returning linebackers played in double digit games last season. Jordan Pendelton played in 13 games and started 10 during the 2009 season. He finished the year with 52 tackles, six tackles for loss and three sacks. He also had three passes broken up. His tackles for loss and sack totals lead all returnees. Brandon Ogletree also returns after playing in 10 games in 2009. He will fight for a starting spot after being in on 19 tackles.

Recruiting - The Cougars bring in 26 players in the 2010 recruiting class that has been ranked in the top 25 of at least one ranking list. Jake Heaps comes in as the No. 1 quarterback in the nation and will look to fight for the starting nod. As a senior, Heaps threw for 3,191 yards and 45 touchdowns on his way to a state title win. But Heaps isn't the only highly-rated recruit in this year's class. Eight signees are ranked in the top 25 at their positions. Alani Fua comes in as the No. 25 weakside defensive end after coming up with 71 tackles, nine sacks, two fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles. Zac Stout comes in as the No. 8 middle linebacker and put up incredible stats in his senior season. He totaled 112 tackles, including 81 solo stops.

Schedule - The schedule doesn't look as daunting as it did last year, as Washington replaces Oklahoma, but that can be deceiving. The Huskies will be getting stud quarterback Jake Locker back after he suffered an injury last year. Luckily for BYU that game is at home. Unfortunately for the team, however, three of their next four games are on the road, including a game at Florida State. The Cougars' two toughest MWC games against TCU and Utah are both on the road, including a season-ending game in Salt Lake City.

College Football Preview: B cont'd

2010-07-06T17:23:00.009-05:00

Boston College - The Eagles are coming off an 8-5 season under first-year coach Frank Spaziani. The team lost an Emerald Bowl battle with USC 24-13.

Offense - The offense returns eight starters from a team that averaged nearly 25 points. The team scored on 89 percent of its red-zone attempts, including 27 touchdowns.

For the first time since Matt Ryan was quarterback, the Eagles have their starting quarterback returning for the next season. Dave Shinskie comes off a freshman season in which he threw for 2,049 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Luckily for the Eagles, two of the top three rushing leaders from last year , including top rusher Montel Harris. Harris led the team with 1,457 yards and 14 touchdowns. He averaged 112 yards per game and nearly five yards per carry.

Back to help Shinskie out are his second and third favorite receivers from last year. Second leading receiver Colin Larmond Jr. returns after catching 29 balls for 596 yards and five touchdowns. His 29 catches for 596 yards comes out to a 20.6 yards per catch average. The next highest receiver is Chris Pantale, who had 25 catches for 223 yards. The team is bringing in three wide receivers in their recruiting class, some of whom may be looked upon to help right away.

Defense - The Eagle defense returns six starters from last year's squad which gave up only 19.8 points per game. It returns seven of the top 10 tacklers from last year's squad.

The linebacker corps comes back as possibly the strongest unit on the team. Luke Kuechly comes back for his sophomore year after putting up monster stats in his first year of college football. He was named ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year after posting a stat line of 158 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, and one interception, sack and fumble recovery each. A second starter, Mike Morrissey also returns after being in on 37 tackles last season.

Three of last year's top six tacklers are defensive backs and each returns for another season with the Eagles. Donnie Fletcher returns at one cornerback spot after being in on 51 tackles and one interception. DeLeon Glause will be looking to lock up the other corner position after he had 49 tackles last year. Free safety Wes Davis returns after leading the team in interceptions with three and tackling 46 opponents.

The defensive line returns two starters from last season. Alex Albright and Brad Newman both saw time starting at the left end spot and the thought is that Newman will either slide over to the tackle position or take over the right end spot. Newman led all defensive line players in tackles with 45. Tackle Damik Scafe added 35 tackles, six and a half tackles for loss and two sacks, wile Albright had 32 tackles and eight and a half tackles for loss.

Recruiting - The Eagles bring in two Gatorade Players of the Year, as well as the No.21 pro-style quarterback. CJ Jones was named Delaware's Gatorade Player of the Year after starring as both a QB and CB. He was more known for his feet than his arm after rushing for more than 1,000 yards and averaging 13.7 yards per carry. Kevin Pierre-Louis comes to Boston College as Connecticut's reigning Gatorade Player of the Year. He had 88 tackles and averaged 17.3 tackles on his way to being rated the tenth-best outside linebacker by rivals.com. Chase Rettig comes to the Eagles after being ranked the No.21 pro-style QB by rivals.com. He threw for 1,740 yards and 18 touchdowns as a senior.

Schedule - The Eagles start with two winnable games, Weber State and Kent State, both at home. Their next two games, also at home, will be a little more challenging as they welcome Virginia Tech and Notre Dame to Chestnut Hill. The Irish will be re-tooling after firing Charlie Weis. After the four non-con games, they start their road conference schedule with two ACC away games against N.C. State and Florida State, both of which are winnable. FSU is bringing in a new coach, Jimbo Fisher, who although has been at the school for what seems forever, is in his first season as a head coach. After hosting their next two opponents, Maryland and Clemson, which could be a tough match up, the Eagles go on the road for three of their final four games of the year. They finish at Wake Forest, Duke and Syracuse on the road, with a home game with Virginia in between the Duke and Syracuse games.

Bowling Green -Bowling Green is coming off of what has to be one of the craziest endings to a bowl game seen in a long time. The Falcons scored a touchdown with 32 seconds remaining to take a 42-35 lead and thought they had won the game. The Idaho Vandals, however, had other thoughts as they went 66 yards in three plays before converting a two-point conversion to take the 43-42 Humanitarian Bowl victory.

Offense - This year's offense will look very very different from last year's as only four offensive starters return. Unfortunately, wide receiver Freddie Barnes, who set an NCAA record with 155 catches in a season, graduated and has gone on to the NFL. They'll also have to replace the starting quarterback. Aaron Pankratz returns as the only quarterback who has seen any college football action and has only played in one game in his career, throwing for 52 yards on five completions.

One bright spot for the offense is that it returns starting running back Willie Geter who had 705 yards and none touchdowns last year, both career highs. He had 92 yards and two TD's in the bowl loss. John Pettigrew, Erique Geiger and Mark Mays return to back Geter up. Of the three only Pettigrew has collegiate experience after he rushed for 24 yards in 11 games as a freshman last season.

Losing a record-setting player can be an extremely tough task to overcome, but when that player had 109 more catches and 17 more touchdowns than the leading returning receiver, it will be harder than most people expect. Adrian Hodges returns after catching 46 passes for 417 yards and two touchdowns. In fact, other than Barnes who had 19 touchdowns, no other receiver had more than two. Ray Hutson, Justus Jones and Tyrone Pronty all return after seeing significant time, while the Falcons will look to four redshirt freshman to provide depth.

Defense - The defense also has four starters returning, but that may be a blessing in disguise for the young squad, as last year it could rely on the offense to keep them in a shootout, but with a young offense with many new starters, much is unknown.

The strength of the defense will be the defensive line, where the Falcons return three starters. The line will rely heavily on two seniors, Angelo Magnone and Darius Smith, while two sophomores and juniors return as well. Magnone collected 43 tackles, four tackles for loss and two and a half sacks, while Smith added 36 tackles.

The linebacker corps will be all new, as all three starters graduated from last year's squad. Eugene Fells is the top returning tackler amongst the linebackers, after totaling 44 tackles and three and a half sacks. Dwayne Woods also returns after coming up with 24 tackles.

The defensive backfield will also be replacing three starters and Adrien Spencer is the lone returning starter. Spencer made 42 stops and had one interception last season. Coming back to fight for a chance to start is Keith Morgan who led the DB returnees with 68 tackles and five passes broken up last year. He also had an interception.

Recruiting - The Falcons hit it big with replacements at defensive back and wide receiver in this year's 25-man class. Devon McKoy comes to Bowling Green as a safety from in-state Reynoldsburg High and had quite an impressive senior season. His 2009 season consisted of 75 tackles, three interceptions and eight pass breakups. Ryland Ward, another safety recruit, had seven interceptions in 2009. Marcus Beaurem comes to the Falcons from Michigan. Beaurem comes in after catching 74 balls for 1,100 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior.

Schedule - Bowling Green starts the season with five of their first seven games on the road, including the first two at Troy and Tulsa. Marshall comes to Perry Stadium before the Falcons go to Michigan to play their biggest non-conference game of the year, against the Wolverines. After a home game against Buffalo and road games at Ohio and Temple, the Falcons finish with three of their last five at home. Kent State, Miami (Ohio) and Western Michigan come to Bowling Green, while the team travels to Central Michigan and Toledo.

Football Preview: B

2010-07-02T20:00:00.018-05:00

Ball State - A year after winning the MAC West Division, the Cardinals struggled mightily, stumbling to a 2-10 record in Stan Parrish's first year at the helm. But luckily for the Cardinals, they bring back 17 starters, including 10 on offense.

Offense - As stated above, 10 starters return including 2nd-Team All-MAC running back MiQuale Lewis. Lewis led the team with 871 yards rushing and five touchdowns last year. Outside of Lewis, Ball State also returns their other top three rushers, Cory Sykes, Eric Williams and Kelly Page. Sykes finished second on the team with 559 yards and three touchdowns, while Williams had 362 and four.

Kelly Page started the first game of his college career in last season's season opener and the now-redshirt sophomore didn't let go of it until he injured his thumb in the seventh game of the year against Bowling Green. In seven games, all starts, he completed just over half of his passes, throwing for 1,019 yards and seven touchdowns. Unlike last season where Page's quarterback was a senior, if something happens to Page, there are no experienced quarterbacks on the roster. His two backups are redshirt freshmen and the Cardinals also bring in a true freshman.

Luckily for Page, he will have all of his top receivers from last year at his disposal. The Cardinals bring back the team's top seven receivers from last season. Briggs Orsbon comes back after catching 51 passes for 461 yards and one touchdown. Despite only starting four games last year, Torieal Gibson comes back as the second leading receiver, piling up 337 yards, while leading the team in receiving touchdowns with three.

Defense - The defense brings back seven players who started a minimum of six games last year. They will need the experience because they gave up almost 30 point per game last year.

The linebacker position is the strongest by far for this year's Ball State squad. The top two tacklers, Davyd Jones and Travis Freeman, from last year are both linebackers and return for another season of wrecking havoc on opponents. Jones piled up 100 tackles, eight tackles for loss and two forced fumbles in the 12 games he started. Freeman finished second in tackles with 93 stops and had one interception as well.

Outside of linebacker, the defensive secondary is the best unit as they return three of four starters. Charlie Todd, last year's fourth-leading tackler, returns for his senior season at the right cornerback position. He came up with 80 stops, one interception, three passes broken up and a forced fumble. Sean Baker returns at one of the safety spots, where he started 11 games last season. Baker came up with 61 tackles, three and a half tackles for loss and led the team with four interceptions. Despite Koreen Burch having 43 tackles and nine passes broken up, he comes into fall camp as a backup to Jason Pinkston for the right to line up opposite of Todd.

The defensive line brings back two starters, both of whom have are entering their final seasons. Defensive end Robert Eddins returns for his fifth year. The 6'3 242 lb-er from Detroit was sixth on the team with 55 tackles, His 13.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks were both team highs. Rene Perry also returns at nose guard after starting 11 games and coming up with 26 stops.

Recruiting - The Cardinals focused on defense in this year's class, as 13 of the 21 are slotted for some sort of defensive position, including seven defensive backs. Brian Jones enters Ball State from Morgan Park, a Chicago Public School, where he managed 75 tackles, six sacks and five interceptions as a senior. Aaron Morris comes in from Ohio powerhouse Glenville, where he put up a stat line that read 91 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, four sacks and three interceptions and forced fumbles each as a senior.

Schedule - The Cardinals start the season with two very winnable games against SE Missouri State as well as Liberty. The two games should be a warmup for the next two, which are road games at Big Ten schools Purdue and Iowa. Right after, Ball State takes care of the Michigan schools, when they travel to Central Michigan before hosting Western and Eastern Michigan. The Cardinals end the season with three of their last five games on the road, including road games at Toledo, Kent State and Buffalo, while hosting Akron and Northern Illinois in the last game of the year.

Baylor - The Bears are coming off of two consecutive 4-8 seasons and will look to get to .500 or above in Coach Art Briles's third season at the helm. Despite their record, the team was within 14 points in three of their losses, including two games where they lost by 10 points or fewer.

Offense - The offense is going to depend on the return of Robert Griffin III as he comes back from a torn ACL suffered in the third game of the year. The dual-threat star will look to get back to his Freshman All-American form he displayed in 2008 as a true freshman. Even in three games last year, he completed 65 percent of his passes for 481 yards and four touchdowns, while rushing for 77 yards and two more touchdowns. His backup, Nick Florence, comes back after seeing extensive experience in his true freshman season last year. After the top two quarterbacks got injured, Florence stepped in and ended up throwing for nearly 1,800 yards and six touchdowns in nine games.

Jay Finley returns for his senior year after struggling with an ankle surgery which limited him to nine 2009 games. Despite only playing in nine games, he still managed to lead the team in rushing yards with 370. Last year's rushing touchdowns leader, Terrance Ganaway, also returns. Ganaway rushed for five touchdowns and finished third in rushing yards with 200.

The receivers will be bolstered by the return of last year's leading receiver, Kendall Wright. Wright led all players in receiving yards (740) and receiving touchdowns (four). The rest of the receiver corps will be made up of younger players who will need to step up and replace last year's second and third leading receivers. Lanear Sampson is coming off of a season where he was named to the All-Big 12 Freshman team. He ended the 2009 season with 29 catches for 297 yards and two touchdowns.

Defense - Only five starters return from last years' defensive unit. Among the seven players not returning is All-American linebacker Joe Pawelek, who led the team in tackles with 109.

Upperclassmen "Cousin Phil" Taylor and Zac Scotton return to lead the defensive line. Despite suffering from turf toe, Taylor managed to chip in with 25 stops and two blocked kicks. Tracy Robinson returns at tackle after leading the team with three sacks while also having five tackles for loss.

Linebacker Antonio Johnson returns as the leading tackler after piling up 77 stops, two sacks, a 56-yard interception return and two fumble recoveries. Elliot Coffey returns as the leading candidate to take over at the other outside linebacker spot after finishing the season with 35 stops. Chris Francis and Chris McAllister will have to try to fill the big shoes left by Pawelek. Francis is coming into his senior year after tackling 45 opponents last year. McAllister is a big redshirt freshman, listed at 6-2, 240.

Tim Atchinson will be moving back to his natural safety spot after starting all 12 games last year at cornerback. Atchinson added 42 tackles and an interception last year. Chance Casey returns as a starter who started at cornerback last year. He led the team in interceptions with two last year and added 36 tackles. Senior Byron Landor returns after starting three games at one safety spot last year. Landor led the returning secondary players with 46 tackles last season.

Recruiting - To say the defensive backfield is the strength of this recruiting class would be an understatement. The six DB's make up a position that was ranked the fifth best DB class by rivals.com. Ahmad Dixon and Tyler Stephenson are the studs of the DB class. Dixon was rated the tenth-best safety in the nation by both rivals.com and scout.com. He registered over 300 tackles in his high school career. Stephenson doesn't come in with as much fanfare but was ranked the No.18 corner by rivals.com and No. 39 by scout.com. He registered 63 tackles and five interceptions as a senior.

Schedule - The Bears have a possibility to get off to a strong start, as three of their first four games are against Sam Houston State, Buffalo and Rice. In between the Buffalo and Rice games is a game against in-state TCU, who is projected to be a Top 10 team in the nation. Baylor's first four games in conference are winnable as well. They start out at home against Kansas, who is bringing in a new coach and having to replace numerous offensive record-breakers. Next is a game against Texas Tech at the Cotton Bowl. The Red Raiders are also bringing in a new coach in Tommy Tuberville. Next is a road game at Colorado followed by Kansas State. The Bears will be tested in their last four games as they travel to Texas and Oklahoma State before hosting Texas A&M and Oklahoma to close the season.

Boise State - Boise State is one of the best teams in the nation and it is to no one's surprise that many college previews have them in the top five, some even as high as number two in the country. What some people do not realize is the amount of starters the Broncos have coming bac. Both the defense and offense have 10 starters returning. Ten. Twenty total starters returning, 19 of which are upperclassmen.

Offense - As always, a football team goes as their quarterback goes. When you bring back an All-American quarterback, the likelihood is that your squad is in good hands. That is what is happening this year in Boise, as Kellen Moore returns for his junior season. Moore put up stats most players can only dream of after completing 64 percent of his passes for 3,536 yards and 39 touchdowns, while only throwing three interceptions through 14 games.

Despite the gaudy passing statistics, the Broncos rushed for over 2,600 yards as a team, led by Jeremy Avery. Avery comes back for his senior year after rushing for 1,151 yards and six touchdowns. His backup, Doug Martin also returns after an impressive sophomore campaign. Although he was a backup, he still managed to rush for 765 yards in all 14 games. His 15 rushing touchdowns led the team. The Broncos will look for big things from junior DJ Harper who rushed for 284 yards and three touchdowns in three games.

Moore will be lucky as he returns nine of last year's top 10 receivers. Titus Young returns after catching 79 passes for 1,041 yards and 10 touchdowns. Just as in rushing, the second-leading player led the team in touchdowns. Austin Pettis caught 14 of his 63 balls for touchdowns, all on his way to an 855-receiving yards campaign. Boise State had seven players record over 100 yards receiving and each one returns for the 2010-2011 season.

Defense - If you thought the offense returns a lot, wait until you see what the defense brings back. 26 of the team's top 27 tacklers are back for a team that finished 14th nationally in total defense. Their stingy defense helped them outscore their opponents by 25 points (42.2-17.1). The Broncos forced 35 total turnovers, including 18 fumbles, 11 of which were lost and 24 interceptions.

The secondary is pretty much all intact, as it only loses cornerback Kyle Wilson. Safety Jeron Johnson returns after leading the team in tackles last season, totaling 91 and a team-leading six passes broken up and four interceptions. Winston Venable finished third on the team in tackles with 63, including eight tackles for loss. He also pulled down two interceptions, one of which he brought back for a touchdown. Brandyn Thompson led the team in interceptions with six, one of which was a touchdown. Thompson added 45 tackles and three passes broken up.

The linebacker position comes back fully intact and has the luxury of having multiple options at the two starting positions in the Broncos 4-2-5 defense. JC Percy returns for his sophomore year, an impressive freshman year that saw him come up with 64 stops, including four and a half tackles for loss. Percy added half a sack and one forced fumble and fumble recovery each. Aaron Tevis also returns after finishing fourth on the team in tackles with 54.

The defensive line brings back some star power as all of the returnees bring back impressive stats. Defensive tackles Billy Winn returns for his junior season after having a season with 44 tackles and six sacks. His counterpart, senior end Ryan Winterswyk, added 41 tackles, including 17 tackles for loss and none sacks, both team highs.

Recruiting - Because of most of the players returning from last year's squad, the recruiting class of 10 should come as no surprise. The team signed two defensive ends, two wide receievsr, two defensive backs, two tight ends, one quarterback and one linebacker. The team brings in two stars, QB Grant Hedrick and S Jeremy Ioane. Hedrick comes to Boise after being named the Oregon High School State Player of the Year as a senior. In his final season he threw for over 2,500 yards, 34 touchdowns, and only one interception. He also rushed for over 1,500 yards and 17 touchdowns. Ioane comes after being named the ninth best prospect in Hawaii. He played safety, running back, quarterback, wide receiver and linebacker during his high school career. Rivals.com rated him as the 74th best safety in the nation.

Schedule - As in previous years, the Broncos load up on teams that will prepare them for conference and postseason play. They open the season against perennial power Virginia Tech at a neutral site in Landover, Maryland. The opening weekend game will be ESPN's feature game on Labor Day. It will also be one of at least six games that will be broadcast on the ESPN network. After a week off, the team travels to Wyoming to face a Cowboy team coming off of a bowl season. Next comes a home game against Oregon State, a year after a controversial end to the game. After last season's BSU win, Oregon RB LeGarrette Blount punched a Bronco player and said something that was not revealed. He was suspended for the season for that incident but was later reinstated. The team finishes the regular season with five more home games and four on the road. The Broncos will play four games during the week instead of Saturdays, including a three week stretch that will see them play three Fridays in a row.

College Preview: A cont'd.

2010-06-29T22:10:00.008-05:00

Arizona State - The Sun Devils will be looking to get back to contending for bowl games after struggling to a 4-8 record last season. Despite the record, the team did come close in many of their games, losing five of their eight games by a combined 23 points, including a two-point loss to Cal and a three-point loss to Georgia. Needless to say, the talent is there for a quick turnaround.

Offense - If the offense is going to be successful, it is going to be under the guidance of a new quarterback. The Sun Devils will turn to either Brock Osweiler or Michigan transfer Steven Threet, who have combined for one start at Arizona State. After spring practice they go for a fall practice battle to earn the starting nod. Osweiler passed for 249 yards and two touchdowns in the six games he appeared in. Threet comes to ASU after starting eight games for Michigan in 2008 where he completed 102-of-200 passes for 1,105 yards and nine touchdowns, as well as rushing for 201 yards and two touchdowns.

Second-leading rusher Cameron Marshall returns for his sophomore season after rushing for 280 yards and two touchdowns. Outside of Marshall, the stable of running backs will be inexperienced. The Sun Devils will have to look to one of five newcomers to help Marshall with the workload.

ASU will go to more of a spread-type of offense this year, which will need receivers to step up in the short, mid-range and long passing routes. Unfortunately for the Sun Devils, the wide receivers will be much like the rest of their offense: inexperienced. The team loses its top four receivers from last year. Senior Kerry Taylor brings the most experience of any receiver, having started 14 games in his career, grabbing 58 balls for 734 yards in that time. He returns after catching 23 passes for 276 yards. Gerrell Robinson is the leading returning pass catcher from last year, having caught 26 passes for 261 yards. The WR's will also look to numerous newcomers to help them out.

Defense - ASU's defense lead the Pac-10 in virtually every defensive category last year and was in the top 30 nationally for many categories. They were 13th in total defense (297.58 ypg), 19th in rushing defense (108.6 ypg) and 26th in scoring defense (21.1 ppg), amongst other categories. Twelve players that started at least one game last season return.

It would be fair to say that the strong part of the defense would have to be the defensive line, where the Sun Devils lose only one player from its three-deep roster and 14 of 16 linemen return. Lawrence Guy led the team with 4.5 sacks and added 37 tackles and one fumble recovery. James Brooks looks to be the strong-side defensive end, a year after coming up with 3.5 sacks, 17 tackles, seven tackles for loss and one interception.

Despite losing two All-Pac 10 linebackers, ASU welcomes back Pac-10 Defensive Freshman of the Year and Freshman All-American Vontaze Burfict. Burfict had quite the debut as he ranked second in tackles (leading returnee) with 69, had seven tackles for loss, and two sacks, fumble recoveries and forced fumbles each. Brandon Magee looks to take over an outside linebacker spot as he comes off of a campaign that saw him put up 34 tackles, seven tackles for loss, two sacks and an interception, all as a reserve. Shelly Lyons comes into the season atop the strong side linebacker depth chart after posting 17 tackles last year.

The cornerback position is full of experienced players. They may not have the gaudy stats some others have, but their steady play has been a good asset for the younger players. Omar Bolden and Deveron Carr come back after starting at least three games each last year. Carr had 10 tackles and three passes broken up before he got injured towards the end of the year. Clint Floyd and Keelan Johnson are poised to take over the safety spots. The depth behind the two is full of youngsters who will be looking to prove their worth.

Recruiting - The Sun Devils signed 26 players in this year's signing class, including 15 offensive players, nine defensive players and two all-purpose athletes. One of those athletes, Ramon Abreu, comes in after putting up some crazy numbers as a senior. His stats included 141 tackles, six pass deflections, four interceptions, three sacks, 898 rushing yards, 16 touchdowns, 500 receiving yards and two touchdown catches. George Bell comes as a junior college transfer after picking up a four-star rating and 805 receiving yards and five touchdowns last year. Deantre Lewis comes to ASU as a four-star running back prospect who is coming off of a senior season where he rushed for 2,383 yards and 31 touchdowns.

Schedule - Arizona State starts off the season at home with two easy games against Portland State and Northern Arizona. They get their first test when they travel to Wisconsin on Sept. 18 for a game with the Badgers. After starting the conference season with a home game against Oregon, the Sun Devils travel to OSU, Washington and Cal in consecutive weeks. They next get four consecutive home games against WSU, USC, Stanford and USC before ending the season with rival Arizona.

Arkansas - The Razorbacks return 18 starters from an 8-5 team that defeated East Carolina 20-17 in the Liberty Bowl last season. They return nine starters from offense, including three wide receivers and quarterback Ryan Mallett. The defense returns seven players including two linebackers, two defensive linemen and three defensive backs.

Offense - Ryan Mallett returns after putting up numbers most players would love to have. He threw for 3,624 yards and 30 touchdowns, while throwing only seven interceptions. He suffered a knee injury in February but should be ready for fall practice. His backup is Tyler Wilson, who appeared in five games, throwing for 218 yards.

Four of last year's top five rushers return this year. Broderick Green returns as the leading rusher after starting three games and rushing for 442 yards and 11 touchdowns. The team saw freshmen Ronnie Wingo Jr. and Knile Davis contribute right away. Wingo rushed for 319 yards and three touchdowns while Davis added 163 yards and four touchdowns.

Each of the top five receivers returns for Mallett's disposal. Greg Childs had 894 yards receiving and seven touchdowns despite only catching 48 passes. Jarius Wright added 681 yards and five touchdowns while Joe Adams caught seven touchdowns and had 568 yards receiving.

Defense - The defense returns five of its top seven tacklers, including Jerry Franklin who ahs led the team in tackles the last two seasons, including 97 last season.

Jake Bequette and Zach Stadther return after starting on the defensive line last season. Bequette led the team in sacks with 5.5 sacks, adding 39 tackles and two fumble recoveries and forced fumbles each. Stadther returns after posting 42 tackles. Tenarius Wright returns at one defensive end spot after posting 34 tackles, seven tackles for loss, a sack and a half and three forced fumbles.

To say the linebacker returnees would be the strength of the defense would be an understatement. Along with Franklin, the team returns Jerico Nelson who is second-leading returning tackler after having 74 tackles, one interception, two and a half sacks and one forced fumble and fumble recovery each. In addition to his 97 tackles, Franklin also had three interceptions and two fumble recoveries.

The team returns three starters in the defensive backfield. Cornerback Ramon Broadway returns after posting 55 tackles. Rudell Crim had 43 tackles, two tackles for loss and four pass break-ups. Elton Ford leads the secondary returnees with 65 tackles, one tackle for loss, two pass break-ups and one fumble recovery.

Recruiting - The Hogs bring in a class of 25 talented players. Eric Bennett comes in as an athlete after playing quarterback, running back, receiver and cornerback. In seven games as a senior he threw for 873 yards and nine touchdowns while rushing for 581 yards and five touchdowns. Safety Daunte Carr had 104 tackles, three interceptions and two forced fumbles as a senior. Braylon Mitchell comes in as a RB/LB after rushing for 1,691 yards and 26 touchdowns, as well as collecting 91 tackles, two sacks, three forced fumbles and one recovered fumble. Defensive end Chris Smith accounted for 98 tackles, 16.5 sacks and three forced fumbles.

Schedule - The Hogs start off with two winnable games against Tennessee Tech and Louisiana-Monroe before getting into a horrid five game stretch which could end up determining their season. In five consecutive games, Arkansas travels to Georgia, hosts Alabama, travels to Texas A&M and Auburn, before hosting Ole Miss.

Arkansas State - Despite a disappointing 4-8 season, the Red Wolves will be looking to build on a season-ending two-game winning streak as they come into the 2010-2011 season.

Offense - If Arkansas State is to improve on its 22.6 ppg last season, it will have to happen under some new leadership. Ryan Aplin returns at quarterback after completing 65 percent of his passes for 889 yards and three touchdowns. However, he will have to cut down on his interceptions as he threw a total of six.

Aplin also returns as the Red Wolves' leading rusher after rushing for 253 yards and four touchdowns. Derek Lawson also returns, a year after running for 244 yards.

Unless some freshmen and newcomers step up right away, ASU will be hard-pressed to duplicate last year's 2,323 yards. The team loses its top five receivers from last year's squad, as redshirt sophomore Taylor Stockemer returns w/ a team leading 16 catches and 347 yards. The good thing is that altho they might not be as experienced as they would like, there is plenty of depth, youth and athleticism to provide for some excitement.

Defense - Although the team gave up over 23 points per game, the defense could turn their fortunes around, as they bring back half of their top ten tackles last year, including the top four. The secondary and linebackers will be this season's strongest positions.

Demario Davis returns after putting up some impressive numbers during the 2009 season. Davis led the team with 80 tackles, eight tackles for loss, three forced fumbles and adding three sacks and an interception as well. But Davis isn't alone. Javon McKinnon returns for his senior season at another LB spot. McKinnon added 53 tackles last season, finishing fourth on the team.

The secondary will be just as good and after giving up over 218 yards per game, they will have to be. M.D. Jennings returns as the second-leading tackler with 64. He also one interception and three fumble recoveries. Third-leading tackler Kelcie McCray returns after having 58 tackles and four and a half tackles for loss. He also led the team with four interceptions and three fumble recoveries.

Recruiting - The Red Wolves bring in 26 players to comprise this year's recruiting class. Of the 26, 11 are of the offensive side of the ball and 13 on the defensive. The team brings in four wide receivers, a position of need, as well as two running backs and two quarterbacks. Five players are expected to play either cornerback or safety. Two of the top recruits are JC WR Dwayne Frampton and freshman running back Frankie Jackson. Frampton led his team with 77 catches, 1,230 yards and seven touchdowns in his last year of junior college ball. To say Jackson had a phenomenal senior season would be quite an understatement. He rushed for 2,545 yards and 34 touchdowns, on his way to three-star status by rivals.com.

Schedule - The Red Wolves start off w/ a road game at Auburn before jumping right into conference play. The home schedule is highlighted by visits from Louisville, Western Kentucky, Florida Atlantic, Louisiana-Monroe and Middle Tennessee State. Road games, besides Auburn, are at Indiana, North Texas, Louisiana-Lafayette, Florida International, Navy and Troy.

Army - The Black Knights were one point away from finishing 6-6 and qualifying for a bowl in Rich Ellerson's first year. Essentially a 17-16 loss to Tulane at the beginning of October was the difference between a 5-7 season and a 6-6 year. Luckily for Army, they return eight starters on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.

Offense - Ellerson brought the triple option offense with him when he arrived last year and the Black Knights caught on and ran with it (pun intended). The team brings back their top six rushers from last year.

Quarterback Trent Steelman returns for the Black Knights after having quite the collegiate debut in 2009. Not only did he start all 12 games he led the team in passing AND rushing. Steelman rushed for 706 yards and five touchdowns. In the triple option he was not needed to pass much but he still threw for 637 yards and three touchdowns.

Army employs two slotbacks in their offense and luckily for them, they have both starters returning. Patrick Mealy finished second on the team in rushing with 673 yards and three touchdowns. Mealy led the team with 6.1 yards per carry. Jameson Carter returns for his senior year after rushing for 238 yards and two touchdowns.

The Black Knights lose their top receiver, Ali Villanueva, from last year whose 522 yards receiving were over three times as many as the second receiver (162). Villanueva also had all five of the receiving touchdowns.

Defense - The defense also returns eight starters including their top six tacklers and eight of the top 10. Army gave up 304.67 yards per game last year, which was good enough for 16th in the nation and gave up fewer than 22 points per game, which ranked 35th.

Two important pieces of the defensive line return, including record-setting end Josh McNary. McNary returns after finishing fifth on the team with 65 tackles. His 22.5 tackles for loss led the team and 12 sacks is an Army record. He also added one fumble recovery and two forced fumbles. The other important piece is Mike Gann. Gann returns after coming up with 34 tackles and seven tackles for loss.

The Black Knights return their entire linebacker corps. The most important piece is "whip" linebacker Andrew Rodriguez who led the team in tackles with 85 and added two interceptions, fumble recoveries and forced fumbles each. The second leading tackler, middle linebacker Stephen Anderson, also returns after coming up with 83 tackles, nine tackles for loss and two and a half sacks all in nine games. The third linebacker Steve Erzinger also returns after finishing tied for third in tackles with 71. Erzinger added seven and a half tackles for loss. Anderson's season-ending surgery caused him to miss spring practice, therefore causing last year's starting fullback and third-leading rusher Kingsley Ehie to move to middle linebacker.

Three starting defensive backs return from a squad that was third-best in the country in pass defense after allowing only 152.83 yards per game. Free safety Donovan Travis tied with Erzinger with 71 tackles and also led the team in interceptions with four, one of which was brought back for a touchdown. Starting strong safety Donnie Dixon also returns after tackling 29 opponents. Antuan Aaron returns at one cornerback spot after finishing with 52 tackles and an interception.

Schedule - Being an independent allows Army to have their pick of who they would like to play and this years' schedule is mixed with big-time programs and some "mid-major" ones as well. The Black Knights welcome Hawaii, North Texas, Temple, VMI and Air Force to Michie Stadium while traveling to Eastern Michigan, Duke, Tulane, Rutgers and Kent State. They will also play in two neutral site games, against Navy in Philadelphia and Notre Dame in the first-ever college football game at the new Yankee Stadium. The team went 3-6 last season against teams on this year's schedule.