Ahh yes, remember the historic novel The Iliad? Homer's beautiful poetic work and consequently a source for at least ten different teams to name themselves after warriors of a dead city (never quite understood that).
Here today, we find ourselves in a situation that baffles me more than anyone. Why are the Trojans of USC ranked so high? Who should be ranked higher? And why should they be?
The USC Trojans are ranked so high for the same reason that Bobbie Bowden and Joe Paterno are still coaching for FSU and Penn State respectively. Respect, as far as USC is concerned, the team that had Dwayne Jarrett, Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush played for is a team that was to be feared and honored as a fantastic squad (even though I was rooting for the Longhorns last year). Because the team has been nearly perfect over the past three years, it seems like the coaches, the AP and the BCS feel like they owe something to the Trojans of old by a continued low rank in their polls (currently 2, 3, and 3 respectively). One might levy this satement: "USC is just a power offense that tallies high points against any team." Unfortunately no, their only big win is against Arkansas (50-14) and from that point on they've beaten teams by about 11 points on average, these are not numbers of a team that brutalizes their opponents. But, USC is unbeaten...I will agree there, but so are West Virginia, Louisville, Boise State and Rutgers (not to mention Michigan and Ohio State). Is it true that USC is better than all these teams...let's take a look.
USC has played six games and has won six games against Arkansas, Nebraska, Arizona, Washington State, Washington and Arizona State. OOOOH! At the time, Nebraska and Arizona State I believe were ranked teams, but were high ranked teams (Nebraska was 18, ASU was 23). Yet the teams that gave them the most trouble were Washington State (NR), Arizona State (23), and Washington (NR). Somehow, USC pulled its butt out of the fire and won by 6, 7, 6 respectively. These are not difficult teams to play, these are the teams that should have been brutalized like Arkansas in the first game of the year. That is the first point of why USC is ranked too high. Now, and I'll eat my words here if I'm wrong, but USC has to get it together. They have Oregan (25), Cal (12), ND(11) not to mention Oregan State who ALWAYS brings a good game against USC and also, UCLA who has not forgotten about how they were humiliated by USC last year. These last few games of the year will be the proving ground of USC, and as far as I'm concerned, I predict losses to both Cal and ND. And this leads to my second point of why USC is overrated, their offense is just a bit slower, sure they complete each game with an average of 400 yards and a score of 30, but without the speed, strength and leadership that Leinart, Bush and White had for this squad, it slows them down just enough to be susceptible. On top of that, their defense is a bit cushy, allowing an average of 180 yards of passing a game is like an open invitation to Longshore of Cal or Quinn of ND to come on in pick the D apart. Also, the offense isn't bad, but Booty has come on lately after destroying the Razorbacks and thrown ten touchdowns and four interceptions. That is nearly a pick every two tds, and coming up against a shrewd defense like Cal's, which has tagged 18 interceptions in 8 games, meaning two a game. Can Booty throw against that kind of secondary? I don't think so. The defense and the offense just aren't enough to carry USC to a national championship, but maybe a BCS game if they are good little boys and Santy Clause gives them a gift.
Now, is there any team that should be ranked higher? Of course, here are several:
WV, the Mountaineers have been playing roughly the same difficulty of schedule as USC and are not only undefeated, but are waylaying their opponents. I will put a caveat on WV though, they have one real big test coming up in Louisville. If WV can push through the downright mean run defense of the Cardinals, I think they could be a big contender for the BCS games or even the national championship (cause they have the potential to go undefeated after Michigan and OSU cream each other). WV's general play and ability is what makes it better than USC.
Louisville by virtue of the fact that the Cardinals have a tough defense. Their offense isn't their strong point, but when that big mean defense gets into it, its hard to get the Cardinals off their balance. Louisville has realized this in encountering tougher opponents in its schedule like Miami and Syracuse. The wierd thing for Louisville is that defense will win games...and championships. If they can hold onto that explosive run game of WV, they could go undefeated. Louisville's incredible run defense is what keeps it above the Trojans for me.
Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights are even making me believe that Wyoming could become a contender soon enough. They have had a fairly easy schedule but with a dominating win over Navy, and a good one against Pittsburgh, it has reinforced their ability to score with the football, and also stop the run. Rutgers has two roadblocks coming up through, WV and Louisville. And I honestly think they'll have greater difficulty with Louisville by virtue of the fact they know they both can't rush against each other it will make for some very wierd play calls. Rutgers has a quick offense and a strong rush defense and that is what make it better than USC.
Boise State. The Broncos have made me a believer that the WAC still has some balls. Even though C-USA is the crapping grounds of NCAA FB, the WAC is still a disrespected conference. They have not had as hard a schedule as USC, but with a crushing 40 points a game 415 yards a game and 17 points scored on them on average, Boise State means business. Why are they really better than USC though? Because they WILL go undefeated. There is no team that can beat them, the only possible threat to Boise State's cindarella season is Nevada, but I'm not worried about them in the slightest. My hope is that Boise will get a BCS berth.
Without getting into too much detail, two other teams that should be ranked higher than USC are the Longhorns and the Golden Bears. Texas is still the better team that met up last year in the national championship and the Golden Bears I predict will win the PAC-10 championship against USC.
I decided not to talk too much about teams that had a digit in the loss column because people would then harp on the "perfection" of the Trojans.
In more local news, I was reading an article by Pete Fiutak on FoxSports.com and found myself enjoying it, why? Well, I like his sense of humor, but hate his constant bashing on my boy Brady Quinn. This time around, due to the brilliant comeback ND had against UCLA, he had to shut his yap. But also, he talked about the Wyoming Cowboys, which is a recognition I'd like to see more in any sports writers.
The Cowboys have gone 3-0 with Karsten Sween as their QB. Sween has thrown 66/106 for 789 yards, 7 tds and 3 ints, plus one running td. He has a QB rating of 140.9. It is easy to see why Head Coach Joe Glenn was so irritated wtih the Cowboys three weeks ago. Simply put, they are better than 1-4, and noticing this, he instead inserted Sween in for then starting QB Jacob Doss who had started to fall in stats after the Utah State game. He did this in the Syracuse matchup because he saw the game slipping away, Sween came in and got them into an overtime matchup which ended up being a loss after the Boys couldn't convert and catch the Orange in 2OT.
Since then, Sween has thrown 47/79 for 588 yds, 5 tds and two ints (with the rushing td) in three wins against New Mexico, Utah and CSU. These victories grew by increments in how badly the Cowboys defeated their opponents. I personally know Karsten and its amazing how well he is playing under this immense pressure, he is a student who is dedicated to his studies (in fact one night I stayed up til midnight trying to recover a Microsoft Word file of his for a class), is married, and faces pressure on the gridiron. But it seems when he gets out there, he is not bothered at all by the stress of running an offense. His field awareness, recognition and quick thinking help him out immensely. The way he progresses makes it nearly impossible for spies to pick up on him and make a play for the int.
However, this weekend Sween's stellar performance nearly came to a halt. In the first half, Sween could not harness the power of the Cowboys to march the field and score a td, they would settle for a field goal. It seemed that either the Rams had come to play hard nose defense, or that their coordinator was "doing something with those x's and o's." And thus it finally hit me, Sween was getting pressured like hell. He didn't have the time to the comfortable cool passer that I'd always known him to be. When the second half rolled around, either the Cowboy O-line woke up, or Sween had finally acknowledged the fact that he would have to play with the heat. He came alive, and by the final whistle had thrown 10/22 for 152 yards and 2 tds. This is one part of why I think the Cowboys are new and improved, because its obvious that Jacob Doss just doesn't have the skills that Karsten Sween does.
What is that other half? The Wyoming DEFENSE! They ARE marauders out there, they are third overall in the nation as far as defense goes. They are third in receiving yards, third in passing yards, somewhere in the 20s with points per game, and somewhere in the 20s for rushing yards. What does this translate to? The defense dominates! In the losses to other teams (besides Air Force) it seemed to be the Wyoming defense playing well that kept the Cowboys close to victory.
Now, my final statement: I am predicting that the Cowboys will win the MWC on the shoulders of its defense. There are two opposition pieces in this equation though: TCU and BYU. The Cowboys will defuse TCU in two ways: The Boys will decimate their run game (with 4-3 blitz packages) and force them to go to the pass early, when this happens, the Cowboys will just have to play smart on the pass and will shut down the TCU offense completely with that awesome pass defense (look for that 3-4 to really make a difference). Then, watch as Sween puts the ball into the air and makes it rain tds, TCU's pass offense isn't exactly shimmering and is waiting to be picked apart by Sween. Key for this game: STOP THE RUN!
BYU is a bit more challenging by virtue of the fact that they are a tough team. However, BYU's weakness is in the air, they use the run game to open up the pass which they practically abuse (305 yards a game). Now, the key is not stopping the run as before, but limiting it, don't let the run push the defense into playing bad blitz packages and giving good matchups for the BYU offense. If the Cowboys can do that, then that dominate pass defense can stack up well later into the game and cause some possible turnovers and three and outs. But the burden will lie on Sween and the Cowboy offense in the fact that they must operate well between the run and the pass. BYU's defense has eleven picks on the year so far, and so Sween must be very careful in how he throws, which means the line has to hold for him to do so. Look for Wynell Seldon and Devin Moore to be key components in this game as well. Seldon and Moore will do a good job by getting the BYU defense tired and disoriented, which will lead to rushing and passing tds. This one will be close, but I think the Cowboys can do it.
In closing *starts eating words*, looks like the Tigers didn't do it, and the Cardinals have managed to actually piss everyone in the MLB off, they had the worst record in the league and managed to win the World Series. There was a point when I'd say "Yay!" But screw you Cards...except Pujols...I like him.
Friday, October 27, 2006
Monday, October 16, 2006
A Change of Pace
Yup, that's right, I know many of you have been waiting long enough for me to say something political, and so here it is: I am horrified by the prospects of the 2008 presidential election.
As a democrat (yep, just lost half my readers), I hope they field someone who is not only qualified, but actually intelligent (don't want Kerry Round 2 here). Where rumors are concerned, I have heard news of John Edwards running again, but against Hillary Clinton is a death sentence for anyone involved (and there goes the rest of my audience). Probably the reason why I am so bothered by the whole process is that I have this awful feeling deep inside my belly that the two candidates for the Republican/Democratic parties will be Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice, at which point I pray to God that Nader has enough huevos to run again because I will campaign for him until I die.
I know many of you out there...well, the politically minded ones are saying I'm nuts for expecting Rice to run (at least I'm prepping for the worst here). Republicans are in a very precarious position this election around simply by virtue of the fact that anyone appearing to have political goals and ambitions not unlike those of George Bush Jr. WILL lose, so they either have to select a centrist (like McCain[please God!]) to at least try for the win, or they'll have to do more to gather the vote that they have never been able to tap before: minorities.
Placing someone like, Rice, an African-American female would boost minority voters for the Republican Party like nothing else on the planet (and that includes a comprehensive action to allow minorities to vote in key swing states from now on out[low? Yes, but funny]). Rice will lose the race to anyone, unless its a stick of deoderant, but the whole idea will be to form a precedent with American citizens that there is a party for the minorities of America, the Republican Party. And looking at the idiocy of the general populace, it is quite easy to see how this will help out in the future.
Looking more towards the near future: Wyoming elections. "Re-elect Gov. Dave", dead on with that statement I believe. I think that Dave has this thing wrapped up quite easily and that I am not worried about his victory over Hunkins. Down the rest of the board, I see Republican victory, because in many ways, they have the advantage. McBride for the Superintendent of Public Instruction is a shoe-in, sorry Hoffman, but I think he's just got it not only because he has an R next to his name, but because he is in so well with the Governor's office. However, these victories by Republicans in the state of Wyoming is nothing new, so why talk of the same old stuff? Sounds like you're giving the same odds in Wyoming for dems that you would give Satan to win in The Bible.
Here's what I want to talk about. Gary Trauner. I think this is the year that someone beats Barbara Cubin, which I will say, "it is about friggin' time." He is fired up, he has been up and down the campaign trail, which is something that Cubin hasn't done for years. Considering how close Akin was to defeating her, then Ladd, think about what a Wyomingite who has been giving pretty good arguments for her being replaced this term will do. A friend told me Cubin's strategy, and honestly, it is a brilliant one: "No one can beat an invisible candidate." That is to say that Cubin doesn't need to debate, she doesn't need to be in the public eye, because in doing so, she gives herself up to speculation and therefore comparison. It doesn't look like she's on a high horse, but I'll be if it doesn't give her some aura of invulnerability and respect with the voters. My response is basically this, you can only do that for so long, eventually, actions will speak louder than nothing. Those sorts of actions are the ways she's voted in Congress, her voting record (or lack thereof), her refusal to resign her position despite obvious family obligations that will not allow her to be an effectual leader.
In a final note, I would like to salute Wyoming, whether or not I end up here, this is the best place to be into politics, because it gives you an open avenue towards pursuing your goals by allowing you to meet key members of the parties, the government and of course a thriving public base. It is quite succinct, you don't have the opportunities everywhere else that you do here.
I'll try to give you guys a sports blog tomorrow, which will include, but not be limited to Miami-FIU, Auburn-Florida, and of course Karsten Sween's amazing performance against the Utes saturday.
As a democrat (yep, just lost half my readers), I hope they field someone who is not only qualified, but actually intelligent (don't want Kerry Round 2 here). Where rumors are concerned, I have heard news of John Edwards running again, but against Hillary Clinton is a death sentence for anyone involved (and there goes the rest of my audience). Probably the reason why I am so bothered by the whole process is that I have this awful feeling deep inside my belly that the two candidates for the Republican/Democratic parties will be Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice, at which point I pray to God that Nader has enough huevos to run again because I will campaign for him until I die.
I know many of you out there...well, the politically minded ones are saying I'm nuts for expecting Rice to run (at least I'm prepping for the worst here). Republicans are in a very precarious position this election around simply by virtue of the fact that anyone appearing to have political goals and ambitions not unlike those of George Bush Jr. WILL lose, so they either have to select a centrist (like McCain[please God!]) to at least try for the win, or they'll have to do more to gather the vote that they have never been able to tap before: minorities.
Placing someone like, Rice, an African-American female would boost minority voters for the Republican Party like nothing else on the planet (and that includes a comprehensive action to allow minorities to vote in key swing states from now on out[low? Yes, but funny]). Rice will lose the race to anyone, unless its a stick of deoderant, but the whole idea will be to form a precedent with American citizens that there is a party for the minorities of America, the Republican Party. And looking at the idiocy of the general populace, it is quite easy to see how this will help out in the future.
Looking more towards the near future: Wyoming elections. "Re-elect Gov. Dave", dead on with that statement I believe. I think that Dave has this thing wrapped up quite easily and that I am not worried about his victory over Hunkins. Down the rest of the board, I see Republican victory, because in many ways, they have the advantage. McBride for the Superintendent of Public Instruction is a shoe-in, sorry Hoffman, but I think he's just got it not only because he has an R next to his name, but because he is in so well with the Governor's office. However, these victories by Republicans in the state of Wyoming is nothing new, so why talk of the same old stuff? Sounds like you're giving the same odds in Wyoming for dems that you would give Satan to win in The Bible.
Here's what I want to talk about. Gary Trauner. I think this is the year that someone beats Barbara Cubin, which I will say, "it is about friggin' time." He is fired up, he has been up and down the campaign trail, which is something that Cubin hasn't done for years. Considering how close Akin was to defeating her, then Ladd, think about what a Wyomingite who has been giving pretty good arguments for her being replaced this term will do. A friend told me Cubin's strategy, and honestly, it is a brilliant one: "No one can beat an invisible candidate." That is to say that Cubin doesn't need to debate, she doesn't need to be in the public eye, because in doing so, she gives herself up to speculation and therefore comparison. It doesn't look like she's on a high horse, but I'll be if it doesn't give her some aura of invulnerability and respect with the voters. My response is basically this, you can only do that for so long, eventually, actions will speak louder than nothing. Those sorts of actions are the ways she's voted in Congress, her voting record (or lack thereof), her refusal to resign her position despite obvious family obligations that will not allow her to be an effectual leader.
In a final note, I would like to salute Wyoming, whether or not I end up here, this is the best place to be into politics, because it gives you an open avenue towards pursuing your goals by allowing you to meet key members of the parties, the government and of course a thriving public base. It is quite succinct, you don't have the opportunities everywhere else that you do here.
I'll try to give you guys a sports blog tomorrow, which will include, but not be limited to Miami-FIU, Auburn-Florida, and of course Karsten Sween's amazing performance against the Utes saturday.
Friday, October 13, 2006
Gettin' Down in Mo-Town
That's right ladies and gents, Detroit is on its way to sweeping the ALCS. After an impressive showing against the Yanks, Detroit is managing to dismantle the Athletics like its nothing. I predict that the NY Mets are going to prove to be a little more than a handful as the World Series commences. However, I do have a little sad news, that's right, as soon as the Tigers cap off this amazing season they're having, win or lose, they will not get back to the big show again...at least not for a while. Just in the same way that teams have done in the past few years, one team with a large desire and a lot of hard play will show up and take it all, the next year they'll do okay, but not proceed much further in the postseason if at all. Despite the fact that we love underdog teams that come out of nowhere to knock the block off of top dogs, they'll never be the top dogs. And that is exactly why the top dogs are the top dogs. That is why the Yankees are stellar, that is why you will see many of the same teams making the postseason, that is why the Cardinals still are making it to the postseason (despite how terrible the NL Central was this year). A shining example of a top dog is the Atlanta Braves, who have managed to make the postseason for the past fifteen years (this year they finally lost out), and I tip my cap to their ability to continually do so well.
Another baseball note: Torre not getting fired is Steinbrenner's best decision EVER, Torre is not a bad manager at all and you do NOT fire your manager because he managed to get you the best record in baseball and a spot in the AL playoffs. The people who sparked rumors of his getting canned are imbiciles and I don't think they respect George's intelligence enough.
The Lions...that's right, the misfit team of Detroit. It seemed like as soon as Barry Sanders retired, the Lions lost their roar. The ailing 0-5 Lions are seeking to claim a victory this weekend while facing the Buffalo Bills, will they get it this weekend? No, of course not, The Bills have their number as well as a chance to take a wildcard spot in the playoffs. Despite a lousy offense, a lousy defense, bad coaching staff and the like...the Lions still can say one thing loud and clear: "We are not the worst team in the NFL." We have played the Rams (4-1), Bears (5-0), Packers (yeah, I know), Seahawks(3-1) and Vikings(3-2), these are not easy teams to beat (exception of the Packers), our 0-5 is hard earned.
Oakland on the other hand has managed to screw the pooch against awful teams. Against the worst defense in the league, Andrew Walter was able to go ahead and throw a couple interceptions to the 49er defense which has hands that more or less resemble flippers. I remember Al Davis saying that this kid was gonna' be the future of the Raiders organization, the ideal passer who would be drafted and taught the game...yeah, and the Yankees just won the Series. I was reading a story earlier this year about the Raiders picking up Jeff George, that's right Jeff "hasn't thrown a ball in 3 years" George, and for some reason, they got rid of him. Here is my question, why? Sure, he's old, he doesn't have the speed or field awareness that many qbs have, but he at least won four games with the Raiders, which is something that an overpaid injury case like Aaron Brooks can't do and a hopeless rookie like Walter can't do. Hey Al, go to the same grocery store Kurt Warner was in, I'm sure you can find a female cashier who throws better ball than either of these bozos.
Another baseball note: Torre not getting fired is Steinbrenner's best decision EVER, Torre is not a bad manager at all and you do NOT fire your manager because he managed to get you the best record in baseball and a spot in the AL playoffs. The people who sparked rumors of his getting canned are imbiciles and I don't think they respect George's intelligence enough.
The Lions...that's right, the misfit team of Detroit. It seemed like as soon as Barry Sanders retired, the Lions lost their roar. The ailing 0-5 Lions are seeking to claim a victory this weekend while facing the Buffalo Bills, will they get it this weekend? No, of course not, The Bills have their number as well as a chance to take a wildcard spot in the playoffs. Despite a lousy offense, a lousy defense, bad coaching staff and the like...the Lions still can say one thing loud and clear: "We are not the worst team in the NFL." We have played the Rams (4-1), Bears (5-0), Packers (yeah, I know), Seahawks(3-1) and Vikings(3-2), these are not easy teams to beat (exception of the Packers), our 0-5 is hard earned.
Oakland on the other hand has managed to screw the pooch against awful teams. Against the worst defense in the league, Andrew Walter was able to go ahead and throw a couple interceptions to the 49er defense which has hands that more or less resemble flippers. I remember Al Davis saying that this kid was gonna' be the future of the Raiders organization, the ideal passer who would be drafted and taught the game...yeah, and the Yankees just won the Series. I was reading a story earlier this year about the Raiders picking up Jeff George, that's right Jeff "hasn't thrown a ball in 3 years" George, and for some reason, they got rid of him. Here is my question, why? Sure, he's old, he doesn't have the speed or field awareness that many qbs have, but he at least won four games with the Raiders, which is something that an overpaid injury case like Aaron Brooks can't do and a hopeless rookie like Walter can't do. Hey Al, go to the same grocery store Kurt Warner was in, I'm sure you can find a female cashier who throws better ball than either of these bozos.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Will Oakland win a game this season...and then some
Speaking as a diehard Oakland Raider's fan, I find myself surprised at the failure by the management to draft a young and able quarterback. Al Davis was staring into space when he had the prospect of selecting Matt Leinart as a quarterback for the Raiders and instead picked a safety. Oakland's defense certainly isn't top notch, but it can be argued that their offense is about as hopeless as a sit in at a Neo-Nazi training ground.
So, that lead me to this question, will the Oakland Raiders of the AFC West put up at least a one under the win column this year? My answer is yes, based entirely under the pretense that eventually someone will get sloppy and allow Oakland to skid to its worst record...ever. At first I thought Art Shell was a godsend, now I'm starting to question my sanity.
In other football news, props to Boise State who may very well become one of the only undefeated teams in NCAA football this year.
Many people are betting the farm on Ohio State, Michigan or Florida to go undefeated, unfortunately for them, Florida will play Arkansas and Auburn who may yet put a digit under Florida's loss column. Ohio State has a tougher schedule sitting in front of them soon enough and finally, whoever hasn't suffered a loss yet will when Ohio State and Michigan face off at the end of the year.
But what about USC...? That's right, I forgot about the unstoppable Trojans, I predict their loss to the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame and if not them, Cal has shown itself (since losing horribly to Tennessee) to be worthy of knocking them off their high horse.
My final thought of this blog is "Where have all the Cowboys gone...?" The Wyoming Cowboys have had a tough time of it this year, losing to teams by seven points or less in each losing outing. Since last year the Cowboys have had a looming shadow of failure on the road and at home, up until this last week (with a victory over New Mexico by 4) I would've believed all the garbage that was talked about them in the MWC. However, the arrival of a fresh young arm and cunning mind on the field at quarterback in Karsten Sween has eased my mind about the future of the Cowboys for this season. Though a bowl game seems out of the question, Sween appears to have the field awareness to take the Cowboys out of the MWC "Lobo"-house.
So, that lead me to this question, will the Oakland Raiders of the AFC West put up at least a one under the win column this year? My answer is yes, based entirely under the pretense that eventually someone will get sloppy and allow Oakland to skid to its worst record...ever. At first I thought Art Shell was a godsend, now I'm starting to question my sanity.
In other football news, props to Boise State who may very well become one of the only undefeated teams in NCAA football this year.
Many people are betting the farm on Ohio State, Michigan or Florida to go undefeated, unfortunately for them, Florida will play Arkansas and Auburn who may yet put a digit under Florida's loss column. Ohio State has a tougher schedule sitting in front of them soon enough and finally, whoever hasn't suffered a loss yet will when Ohio State and Michigan face off at the end of the year.
But what about USC...? That's right, I forgot about the unstoppable Trojans, I predict their loss to the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame and if not them, Cal has shown itself (since losing horribly to Tennessee) to be worthy of knocking them off their high horse.
My final thought of this blog is "Where have all the Cowboys gone...?" The Wyoming Cowboys have had a tough time of it this year, losing to teams by seven points or less in each losing outing. Since last year the Cowboys have had a looming shadow of failure on the road and at home, up until this last week (with a victory over New Mexico by 4) I would've believed all the garbage that was talked about them in the MWC. However, the arrival of a fresh young arm and cunning mind on the field at quarterback in Karsten Sween has eased my mind about the future of the Cowboys for this season. Though a bowl game seems out of the question, Sween appears to have the field awareness to take the Cowboys out of the MWC "Lobo"-house.
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