That right there everyone is what it is all about. The big crystal football atop the BCS College Football Championship Trophy.
Welcome everyone to another week of us talking about things we consider ourselves to be professionals about. There were a lot of things to talk about again this week including Mike Vick agreeing to the plea deal and pleading guilty, wondering if the Nextel Cup will ever be run, and the Miami Hurricanes moving out of the Orange Bowl. That actually is something we can talk a bit about, but only I will.
After seven decades, the Hurricanes will move out of the Orange Bowl after this season and into the newly, and currently being, renovated Dolphin Stadium. The place is just old and supposedly falling apart so it is time to head elsewhere. But that place has some serious history and without a permanent tenant now, it seems as if it is going to be on its way down or just straight-up deserted. Shame really, but progress is a bitch.
With that though we must progress and I ask you to please…
1.) Should college players be paid?
Paulie: But they’re getting free room and board! And a free edjumacation! And… and… and… they make the school shit tons of money. The football and men’s basketball teams pretty much make it so there CAN be other sports at schools. Give the boys a lil sumpin sumpin. At least the starters. The ones who pull the people into the games. If the sport turns a profit, give the starters a cut of the house. It’ll keep guys in school longer. It’ll be better for the programs. And it’ll give the added bonus of making the bench-riders work even harder to try and crack that starting lineup. WIN!
Charles Joseph: Hell no. Well, no more than they are already. Paulie said it…but I think he may have been joking there, they get free room and board, they get a free education, and they get to play football in front of 10 to 100 thousand people. Like you wouldn’t pay money to do that. The stars are already pampered enough, giving them money for college is just going to turn them into bigger divas, and we’ll have triple the number of athletes running around thinking they can do whatever they want. Keep the buggers poor.
Danny: There is no reason in hell these kids should be played to play sports. The reason you go to college is to get an education and if you are lucky enough to be good enough to make a team? Then consider your ass lucky. If you go through school and play sports and are good enough to make it to the pros, then and only then do you deserve to get played. CJ said it man…you travel around the country and play a game before hundreds of thousands of people. You are on national TV and can work your way into professional sports. No you don’t deserve to get paid now because you don’t have to play sports, you choose to.
2.) Preseason Top Five
Danny: It isn’t bias I swear to God. And on a side note, Texas was originally in my Top Five, but they are suffering so many injuries (especially at WR) which is going to make them drop a few early.
5.) Wisconsin Badgers – They’ll do it quietly, without big named players, and they’ll do it very well. A favorable schedule will really help them in that there biggest tests will be at Penn State and then Michigan although they get the Wolverines at home. Wisconsin is really going to show something this year and the Badgers will have themselves a BCS Bowl when all is said and done.
4.) West Virginia Mountaineers – They have the talent on both sides of the ball with the biggest being RB Steve Slaton and QB Pat White. The kicker for WVU is their schedule being so damn easy. Their non-conference schedule includes such games as Western Michigan, Mississippi State, and a trip to Marshall. Throw in the fact that the Big East only has two other good teams (Louisville and Rutgers) and it makes their entire schedule almost a cake walk.
3.) Michigan Wolverines – Early season number three and late season number two. This is going to be a very good team that will be led by Chad Henne and especially Mike Hart. Manningham is a unique talent meaning Henne won’t really miss Breaston now that he has gone onto the NFL. Their schedule has a few challengers in it but I see big dropoffs this year for both Ohio State and Notre Dame, so if Michigan can get past Wisconsin then they could go undefeated.
2.) USC Trojans – John David Booty is going to lead a very talented squad that gained a big time weapon in freshmen Joe McKnight. Sure they are going to be explosive and very good on defense, but I don’t believe this will be another year of them getting past Notre Dame, California, and UCLA. The rest of the schedule looks favorable for them, but I call two losses out of those three which may still land them in a BCS bowl.
1.) LSU Tigers – The Tigers lost a lot of players to the NFL and graduation, but I don’t think a single step is going to be lost. The defense has to be considered the best in the SEC and top 1 or 2 in the entire nation. Glenn Dorsey is the leader of a unit that will terrorize teams and keep the offense on the field. And speaking of the offense, Matt Flynn is no rookie and will bring about some nice aspects to the QB game that JaMarcus Russell couldn’t. Early Doucet and Brandon LaFell bring speed to the WR position like no others. The RB is deeper then ever and our Mini-Weapon in Trindon Holliday will scare many teams. This team can go undefeated if they can get past VaTech, Auburn, and Florida…and all three of those games are in Death Valley on a Saturday night. Geaux Tigers!
Paulie: BIAS! BIAS! Pft, like they play football between the eastern border of California and north and west of the Mason Dixon line. Didn’t people learn last year what happens when Michigan plays a real team? Or what happens when ANY Big 10 teams plays a real team for that matter. Stupid over rated Big 10. I also have a fundamental issue with preseason rankings. Knowing how easy it is to fall in the rankings but how insanely difficult it is to rise, I don’t believe any official rankings should be released until at least week 3 or 4 for fairness. And since when does LSU play in Death Valley? I always thought that was in South Carolina with a different set of Tigers. Dirty copy cats. But… if I MUST do some rankings… once again, in non-suspenseful order…
1.)USC Trojans – Danny, you speak as if Notre Dame is going to be like… good this year. I see them maybe dropping one to either Cal or UCLA. But this year, that’ll be enough to get them into the title game.
2.)LSU Tigers – The SEC is just too tough to hope to go undefeated. Perhaps if I could pronounce any of their players’ names without busting out laughing, I’d put them at #1. But I can’t. So I won’t. #2.
3.)Louisville Cardinals – It’s Brian Brohm’s last interview for his new coach in Atlanta next year. Cause that guy has no idea what he’s getting there or something.
4.)Florida Gators – The defending champs. Tim Tebow should develop into a more complete QB this year being able to get in the game sometime other than obvious QB running situations. They’ll lose a couple games this year thanks to a tough conference schedule, but they’re still going to be good and they won’t be quite so under the radar this time.
5.Texas Longhorns – They have a QB named Colt. COLT! You don’t get more Texas than that. And he’s all cowboy n shit back in the pocket.
Charles Joseph: Big Ten is NOT overrated. I read an article on ESPN today that called them UNDERRSTED. One team a year from the Big Ten that no one expects jumps from unranked to top 10. And the big 3, Michigan, OSU, Wisconsin can play with anyone in the nation. You don’t think the fact that Michigan/OSU was hyped up to be the real national championship game, and then the next month both teams being told how great they were didn’t lead to their bowl game collapses? Oh yeah, rankings, not Big Ten backing. And I am Biased.
5. LSU. Lost the best safety college football has ever known. And you lost the number 1 pick in the NFL Draft and what…2 receivers went in round 1? Speed doesn’t mean much if you can’t catch the ball. They’ll be good. But not undefeated, and not National Champs.
4. USC. They just don’t seem to have that aura around them this year. They’re explosive as always, but I just don’t see them coasting through this year like they have in the past. JDB is a good QB and McKnight is a good prospect and they always find receivers, but this ain’t their year.
3. Va. Tech. Defense and special teams. That’s what Va. Tech is built on, that’s what they’ll win on this year. They have the top linebacking core in the country led by Xavier Adibi, they also have a great secondary. Combine that with a solid running game and a veteran QB, and you have the makings of a National Championship contender.
2. Michigan. Va. Tech has the Defense, Michigan has the Offense. Chad Henne, Mario Manningham, Hart, Long. They’ve got everything an offense could possibly want. They’ll routinely put up 40 this year. They lost some guys on defense, but I think at this level defense is easier to replace than offense. And when you’re scoring 40 a game, you don’t need much D.
1. Florida. They ended last year number 1. They start number 1 for me this year. I don’t think they hold it very long. But they have a good team. Caldwell, Tebow should be an explosive hook up this year, just don’t expect them to copy the Basketball team and go back to back.
3.) Heisman Hopefuls
Charles Joseph: 1. Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas. Big. Strong. Fast. When you build fake running backs in Madden or NCAA, you build McFadden.
2. Michigan’s Offense. Henne, Hart, Long, Manningham, one of those 4 will be there at the end.
3. Andre Caldwell, WR, Florida. Fast, good size, and a decent QB throwing the ball his way. He should have a big year.
4. Colt Brennan, QB, Hawaii. Good arm, GREAT system. It’ll be hard to overlook 4000yds, and 40 TD’s.
5. Brian Brohm, QB, Atlanta Falco..ooops, that’s next year, Louisville. As accurate of a passer as you’ll find. Very smart too. He’ll adjust to the new system fine, the revert back to the old system next year.
Danny: The Heisman Trophy is not always the easiest thing to judge for early on in the season. There are a few hopefuls though and none of them are USC Trojans…good.
5.) Mike Hart, RB, Michigan – He’s been amazing and if he can stay healthy, then I fully expect to see him at the trophy presentation. If not, then as CJ said someone from Michigan’s offense will be there and I would say if not Hart, then Henne.
4.) Ray Rice, RB, Rutgers – Finishing seventh last season in the voting with close to 1,800 yards and 20 TD’s, Rice is going to need to be a bit more involved in the passing game to get more votes, but he can do it. An overall great talent with good agility and speed, Rice is going to be a star.
3.) Steve Slaton, RB, West Virginia – Slaton is going to be running behind a revamped offensive line and he’ll need them to come together so he can have a big year. Not many realize it but he ran for over 1,700 yards last year and 16 TD’s (2 more receiving). The silent assassin could take the trophy if the Mountaineers have as good a year as expected.
2.) Colt Brennan, QB, Hawaii – Hawaii just frickin churns out the quarterbacks that seem to throw for 500 yards every damn game don’t they? Brennan could really be a runaway winner in this thing if his team helps him out. Because I don’t care how good you are, if you end up on a three loss team…then forget about the Heisman. Brennan can’t do it by himself here.
1.) Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas – I’ve watched this kid play and he is simply fantastic and the only reason I have worried that Arkansas can beat my Tigers the day after Thanksgiving. The Hogs’ offense is built around McFadden and deservedly so. This is his trophy to lose, straight up.
Paulie: The Heisman list this year could sound like a redneck family reunion. A couple of Colts, a John David, a dude from Arkansas, a couple dudes from West Virginia…FIND ME A GOOD PLAYER NAMED BOBBY JOE! You know these guys. I’m not gonna regurgitate all the crap that’s been said about them. My 5 or 6 early Heisman candidates, in no particular order:
John David Booty
Steve Slaton
Darren McFadden
Colt Brennan
Colt McCoy
Brian Brohm
4.) Preseason #’s 6 – 10
Paulie: More ranking! I rank your rankings as numbah two!
6.)Va Tech – But only because they get to play a weak ass ACC schedule.
7./8)West Virginia/Rutgers – Flip a coin. Whoever wins the head to head gets the higher ranking.
9.)Oklahoma – I don’t know why. It just doesn’t feel right to leave Oklahoma out of a top 10 list.
10.)NC State Wolfpack – If Steve Spurrier can rank Duke 25th on his preseason poll, I can give my boys a courtesy nod in my own. But do look for these guys in the top 20. They’ll be better than they have been now that they have a real coach.
Charles Joseph: 10. Hawaii. Colt Brennan is throwing for 4-5 hundred yards a game, and they have a cake walk through their conference with the only challenge being Boise State, and Boise has to fly all the way out to Hawaii for that one. Hawaii will go undefeated.
9. Wisconsin. I’m not drinking the Kool-Aid like everyone else seems to. They’re a good team, and they’ll beat up on the lower rungs of the Big Ten to be in the top 10 at the end of the year, but they won’t be title contenders.
8. Penn State. They’ve got some lethal young playmakers on that team. They host both Wisconsin and OSU and they’re only tough game on the road is at Michigan. They should go 11-1 10-2 and be in the top 10 by seasons end.
7. TCU. This is a team on the rise. They could be a perennial top 10 team, thanks mostly to that Tomlinson fella that went there a few years ago. They’ve got a fantastic defense and one of them easy schedules. They’re at Texas early, but after that its smooth sailing. If they can topple Texas before the receivers get healthy, they’ll go undefeated and have a claim to the NC game.
6. Texas. They’ll be good once the receivers get healthy and acclimated. They’ve got that test at home against TCU and the always fierce showdown with Oklahoma. They also have a trip to underrated Oklahoma State this year which had Texas beat 2 years ago until Vince Young did his they, OSU will be looking for payback on their home turf. Texas will be good, but not a Contender.
Danny: You’ll make picks and like it Paulie. But seriously fellas, NC State and Hawaii in the top ten? Really?
10.) Louisville Cardinals – Brian Brohm is going to lead this team to a very high ranking throughout the season and end up being possibly the number one pick in the draft. That is of course if the Falcons end up with the first pick.
9.) Florida Gators – They lost a lot of players and I don’t think that Tim Tebow is ready to be a leader of a National Championship team. With LSU and Georgia on the road while FSU and Tennessee coming to the Swamp, the Gators will end up in the Top 25 but nowhere near this spot by season’s end.
8.) Texas Longhorns – A lot of injuries especially at wide receiver could really spell trouble for the Hook ‘Em Horns since TCU will be paying a visit in the second week of the season. Once the injuries subside though, their schedule doesn’t look too damn tough down the stretch and they should end up with a BCS bowl game.
7.) Virginia Tech Hokies – Oh look, it’s America’s Team that is going to be playing with the spirit of all those lost behind them. I really hate that whole thing…and as horrible as everything was, let those lost please rest in peace and let us not try to relive the shootings every damn time VaTech steps out onto the field. An early loss to LSU will hurt, but they will rebound in a weak ACC later on.
6.) Rutgers Scarlet Knights – The Cinderella team of last year will do it again this year with Ray Rice paving the way. They went 11-2 last year and got kinda shafted on the voting especially after destroying Kansas in their bowl game. Eyes will be on them this year and show that it was no fluke.
5.) BCS Championship Game Predictions
Charles Joseph: Lets make sure I get my bias in here, Representin’ the Big Ten conference will be Michigan. Tons of offense, they’ll be almost impossible to stop. And in the college football book I subscribe too, defense is easier to replace than offense. But, defense wins championships, especially when the defense is the caliber of this year’s Va. Tech Hokies. They have a tough game at LSU early, but then they get a walk of a schedule until FSU/Miami back to back weeks, and neither of those schools are the powers they once were. I think Tech wins the national championship with the support of the whole country.
Danny: Blah blah bullshit with the whole Virginia Tech doing it with the spirit of those slain behind them. Don’t get me wrong because I think that tragedy was a shock and just downright horrific. But being someone who watched a team deal with that being “America’s Team†thing (Saints after Hurricane Katrina) just gets old fast. While I think Beamer has a good team in the Hokies, I don’t think he has a good enough team to win the whole thing.
Please believe me that this is not about bias because it isn’t, but I see an LSU Vs. Michigan BCS Title game in New Orleans. The Wolverines defense is great and should be able to contain all their opponents so their offense can run it up. And yes it is Michigan’s offense that is going to be phenomenal and it will be that explosiveness meeting up with LSU’s awesome defense. See, ask me last year and I don’t think LSU has the capability of winning it all. But even with the loss of Russell, Davis, Bowe, and others…this team is better. The Tigers are stacked deep on the offensive side of the ball and have a favorable home schedule that should make for a fun season.
I don’t see this being a USC/LSU title game as many predict because this is the year I don’t see USC getting past both California and then UCLA in that final game of the season.
Paulie: Virginia Tech? Really Corky? They may walk to an ACC title due to the conference being a diluted piece of monkey crap this season. But they ain’t makin the title game. I’m gong with that USC/LSU title game. Because I still disbelieve in the Big 10.
You like movies, I know you do. So head over to The DVD Lounge where there are a lot of good people watching a lot of crap so you don’t have to. And for a person who has over 1300 DVDs and watches every movie imaginable, Travis really finds some things that even I have never heard of.
Popcorn Junkies is a place you really need to go check out as well because there are great people like Caroline, Ping, Michaelangelo, Kubryk, and more bringing you news and movie reviews at all hours of the night and day.
Kevin Wong over in Reality Dish has gotten the scoop on one of the great reality shows and found out the contestants for Survivor: China.
Make way over to Pulse Wrestling for the thirty-fourth edition of Ian Burnside’s Pulse Wrestling Answers. This week he tackles the epic wrestling phenomenon known as Xanta Claus.
That is it and we are done with you. Yet I would like to say that the college football season starts on Thursday, August 30 with a lot of teams getting their first games out of the way early. The most important game is of course LSU Vs. Mississippi State which will be at 8PM EST on ESPN. Enjoy it as my Tigers start off the season by kicking the shit out of the Bulldogs.
NFL Football is a passion of mine, but nothing quite gets my blood pumping like college football. Seriously, it just really is one of the greatest sports in the world. That is another reason that I think it is good the kids don’t get paid in college. The pros play and a lot of the damn times they are doing it for selfish reasons and that is to make sure their next contract is huge. These kids in college are playing to see if they can “work” their way into the pros and because they love the game. It is real. It is awesome.
Go here in the forums or e-mail us with any concerns you may have, or if you’d like to bitch at us, or even give us an idea for a topic or something to talk about. Rumor has it that we are all meeting at Matt’s house next year for our fantasy football draft. I supposedly have to pick up Paulie on my drive up North. That should be interesting.
Speaking of the NFL, the regular season is a mere two weeks away and we can’t help but preview it next week so check back for what is sure to be a super-sized edition of PTP next week. You think you’ve seen bias?? Wait until next week!
Have a great rest of the week everyone and hope your weekend is excellent too. And mark my words, I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that Duke will win a college football game this year…either against North Carolina, Navy, or in a freakish upset of Clemson. You heard it here first! PEACE!
