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Nebraska Preview
Friday 12-04-2009 10:53am CT
My life is a living hell
Thursday 11-26-2009 5:30pm CT
Here is my prediction for the UT-A&M game in College Station
Thursday 11-26-2009 8:04am CT
So as I make my prediction on how Texas will fare tonight against the Aggies I have to ask... which A&M team will the Horns face tonight? At home this season Texas A&M is 5-1 and scoring an average of 40 points per game. That one loss was by five points to an Oklahoma State team still hoping to land a BCS bid. But in their five games away from College Station they are 1-4 and have allowed an average of 48 points per game. I couldn't help but notice this game is at College Station.
The Aggies have two players you must account for, QB Jerrod Johnson and pass-rush specialist Von Miller. Johnson is good. The junior is huge at 6-foot-5, 243 pounds and has completed 59% of his passes for 2,874 yards, 24 TDs and 5 INTs... but he has been sacked 24 times this season. A QB is only as good as his O-line. Miller, needs no help, the junior will be a 1st-round pick if decides to enter the draft. He leads the nation in QB sacks and I think Texas will move Greg Smith to whichever side of the field Miller lines up on to help protect Colt McCoy. If A&M starts shifting Miller around Colt needs a back in there who can hear the audible and help block that guy... yeah, he can really impact a game. In my opinion, Tre Newton has shown an ability, even an affinity to block. That makes him a prime candidate to get the most snaps from the RB position tonight.
It's a 60-minute football game and adrenalin can only carry a team so far. Eventually a better texas team should emerge with a win, but unlike the team in 2007, which seemed to trail and come back all the time, this team hasn't had to weather adversity like that. What if they trail 21-0 tonight? Cold this texas defense allow itself to trail 21-0? Things happen... kickoff returns for TDs... deflected passes get taken back for INT TDs... a hail mary which finds a target for a TD... there are so many ways to score in football and Jerrod Johnson just might have that magic touch. My hope and my prediction is that texas will weather an early storm and that the defense will make a play to turn the tide. Johnson has been sacked 24 times this season and I think Will Muschamp will dial-up early blitzes to try to rattle the sophomore and not let him get into a flow. If the Aggies start to doubt themselves... school is out! The Aggies have lost 12 straight games against teams ranked in the top-ten. I am taking a more experienced, more talented, better-coached Texas team to make it 13 straight and to win in College Station 24-14. Any win over a rival is a very good win.
Sicne that 38-30 loss in College Station back in 2007, Colt McCoy's Longhorns are 24-1! I think that really sticks in Colt's craw and this game means more to him than he is letting on... hopefully we will see that tonight.
Yeah we pick texas games... but I also predict the NFL... click here for some enlightenment.
Saturday 11-21-2009 10:57am CT
Although my lead in our Wake-Up Call pick `em contest is a scant three games, it isn't the time to get conservative. Here are my NFL picks this weekend... and I happen to know that Brooks and I differ on five of these games:
The Bills last week became the first team in NFL history to be outscored by more than 21 points in the fourth quarter of consecutive games... so they fired head coach Dick Jauron. Buffalo will lose in Jacksonville as they struggle to determine what their new identity will be.
The Browns have scored only five offensive touchdowns over their last 15 games... the first NFL team since the 1933-34 Cincinnati Reds to struggle through a drought like that. The defense keeps them from getting embarrased each week but I like Detroit to beat them Sunday.
Jets have lost three-straight home games in which they led during the second half. The only other season the Jets did that was 1983, their final season at Shea Stadium. Randy Moss's 63-yard TD reception against the Colts was his 27th career TD of 50+ yards which ties Lance Alworth for second-most in NFL history behind Jerry Rice's 36. I think Moss gets #28 against the Jets in a Patriots win. But beware... New England is 6-3 with upcoming games against the Jets, Saints, Dolphins and Carolina.
How important is Michael Turner to the Falcons? The "Burner" is just the third player in NFL history to record three straight 100-yard rushing games, averaging at least 7.5 yards per carry in each one. The others were Jim Brown in 1958 and Franco Harris in 1972. They cannot overcome his absence in Sunday's loss to the Giants.
Sidney Rice caught seven passes for 201 yards last week, the second-highest yardage total any receiver has compiled in one game on completions from Brett Favre. Don Beebe caught 11 of Favre's passes for 220 yards against the 49ers in 1996. Brett Favre has thrown 17 TDs and only 3 INTs? The Vikings are on a roll and should continue that at home against Seattle.
How weak a franchise have the Cardinals been? Last week Beanie Wells became only the second rookie in team history with two TD runs of 10+ yards in the same game. The other was Dave Mann in an intercity rivalry game between the Bears and the Chicago Cardinals at Comiskey Park in 1955. They won't need Wells Sunday as Kurt Warner returns to the building which made him an NFL-star. Cardinals have scored 8 TDs in 8 quarters and will rout the Rams.
Pittsburgh owns one of the most amazing stats I have ever seen. They have allowed a return TD in 7 consecutive games... be it a kickoff, a fumble or an interception. The defense however is not allowing TDs and they should suffocate the Chiefs in Kansas City.
Saints improved to 9-0 despite a continued rash of turnovers. New Orleans has committed a total of 13 giveaways over its past four games, the highest total any team has recorded in four consecutive wins since the Rams had 13 turnovers in four straight wins in November 2003. I think that finally catches up with them in a shocking loss at Tampa Bay on Sunday.
So Green Bay is back because they shut down the Cowboys? They allowed 38 against the Vikings and Bucs the weeks prior to that... I think the 49ers sneak into Lambeau and catch Green Bay relaxing... Mike Singletary wins in a place he has won many times before.
Tennessee is on a roll since inserting Vince Young into the starting lineup. The Titans have scored 30, 34 and 41 points and now he is going home to Houston. Chris Johnson the last three games is averaging 165 yards on 25 carries and two TDs. The Texans are rested and if they are legit we will find out in the next four games when they have the Titans, Colts and Seahawks at home. I think VY and company may be flying too high right now... Titans win.
In 7 of the Bengals 9 games, Mike Zimmer's defense has allowed 20 points or less... Oakland doesn't have enough on offense to threaten that trend. In four games against the Steelers and Ravens the Bengals gave up just 53 points. They are 5-0 against the AFC North and have won five straight road games... Bengals win.
One of the Bengals' two losses was a flukey, last-second tip-drill against Denver. That is looking more and more like Broncos luck because Denver has lost three straight by double-digits... 23, 18 and 10 points. I think with Chris Simms under center now the Broncos get back to basics, running Knowshon Moreno... the Chargers have trouble stopping the run... Denver wins.
I mentioned I think the Saints fall from the unbeaten ranks this week, I think the Colts will too. Yes they are better than Baltimore but the Ravens are desperate and they will try to intimidate young WRs Garcon and Collier. Ravens keep their playoff hopes alive.
In three prime time games this season, Jay Cutler has thrown 11 interceptions... and he is suddenly supposed to figure it out Sunday night against Philly? I like the Eagles.
Finally... a caller this week blamed me for the Cowboys loss to Green Bay because "I" picked Dallas to win. Okay Cowboys' fans how about this... I pick the Redskins and that defensive front to expose Dallas O-line and harrass Tony Romo. Washington gets a 17-14 win.
Kansas predictions
Friday 11-20-2009 10:53am CT
Baylor preview
Saturday 11-14-2009 12:47pm CT
Get ready for a great weekend of college football
Friday 11-13-2009 12:37pm CT
Last weekend there were three programs which saw their hopes for reaching a BCS game dashed: Oregon, Iowa, Notre Dame and Penn State all lost games... and with those losses a chance to reach a big-money bowl game. Which teams fall from the ledge this weekend? Here are some conference tidbits which might be of interest:
Heading into Week 11 of the season, all Big 12, Big East and Big Ten teams are still mathematically in contention to become bowl eligible. The Big 12 is the only 12-team league able to make the claim.
BIG 12- Baylor snapped a 13-game road-losing streak winning at Missouri 40-32 last week. The Bears had scored just 34 points in their first four conference games prior to that win.
Colorado is still alive in the North after overcoming a 10-point, 4th-quarter deficit to beat Texas A&M 35-34.
Oklahoma State has held 4-of-the-last-6 opponents to 17 points or fewer. Cowboys trying to win 7+ games for the 4th straight season... which has not happened in its 109-year history.
Kansas Jayhawks have lost 4 straight games and have committed 10 turnovers in the last 10 quarters. The Kansas-Nebraska series will be played for the 104th consecutive year, making it the nation’s longest uninterrupted series. KU has won the last two meetings in Lawrence.
Oklahoma was inside the Nebraska 40-yard line 4 times in the 4th quarter yet still produced the lowest point total for a game under Bob Stoops in a 10-3 loss.
Texas Tech’s offense has scored 11 times this season in less than a minute and 18 times in less than two minutes. The Red Raiders have scored a touchdown on their initial drive in each of the last four games.
SEC- Can Alabama really remain undefeated? Before scoring two TDs in the second half against LSU the Crimson Tide had gone 12 quarters with one offensive TD... the "red-zone" offense is awful.
Tim Tebow has just 11 TD passes this season tied for 8th in the SEC... BUT... five times this season... the Florida Gators have not allowed a TD in a game.
PAC 10- Every Pac-10 team has at least two losses. Look at the schedules, compared to unbeaten teams like Florida, Alabama and Texas who have been criticized for weak non-conference affairs. Now which path makes the most sense?
BIG 10- The conference will likely land just one BCS bid for the first time since 2004. I know Rich Rodriguez is only in his 2nd year, but he is 3-11 against conference and among those wins is a two-point win over Wisconsin and a three-point win over Indiana.
ACC- For the second time in 3 weeks, Clemson RB C-J Spiller produced 300+ all-purpose yards. He has moved ahead of Reggie Bush for AP yards with 6,702 and has scored 20 TDs of 50+ yards.
Big East- Connecticut is 4-5 this season... the five losses are by a combined 15 points. And by the way I believe Pitt will lose to Notre Dame... then rebound to end Cincinnati's Cinderella run.
My dark-horse pick to get to the BCS title game remains Georgia Tech. Made that pick before the season began and for now... I will stick with it.
UCF is going down
Friday 11-06-2009 6:35pm CT
MY PICK FOR OKLAHOMA STATE GAME...
Friday 10-30-2009 9:39am CT
Trick-or-Treat... here come the Horns!
Tuesday 10-27-2009 10:09am CT
I thought the Horns put together their best performance of the season in beating Mizzou 41-7. Can they put together an encore this Saturday in Stillwater? That is a veru difficult place to play loaded with distractions. When I worked the sidelines I can recall it being difficult to even make my way around the field because the stands are right up on the backs of the players which line the sidelines. That is not an exaggeration! The team has been prone to slow starts but whatever Mack said in the pregame last week I hope he bottled it for this week also. While I have your attention here are some quick hits on college football from this past weekend: Iowa Hawkeyes are BCS darlings because they are 8-0 for the first time ever… so what, their resume’ includes wins over Northern Iowa and Arkansas State by a combined 4 points. Tennessee missed upsetting Alabama because they had two FG attempts blocked and a 47-yarder which fell short. Something tells me Lane Kiffin will hire a high-profile special teams coach next season. Tim Tebow had a chance to win his second Heisman… until he threw two INTs last weekend, both of which were returned for a TD. His team wins going away if not for those miscues. What happened to the USC defense? In their last two games they have allowed 63 points? Bo Pelini is getting shredded by fans and media for losing to Iowa State 9-7… the Cyclones’ first win in Lincoln since 1977. Bo doesn’t need me to defend him but I am pretty sure there was nothing in the game plan which asked Nebraska players to commit 8 turnovers… including 4 inside the 5-yard line?! Don’t look now but Iowa State needs one more win to become bowl eligible. Paul Rhodes can definitely coach… but Gene Chizik gathered some raw materials for the two seasons he was there.
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