I always wanted to make a ridiculously early top 10 list before anybody knows exactly who is staying and who is going. Here goes.
1. Florida
I thought the championship game would be the last time Percy Harvin and Brandon Spikes suited up for the Gators. I am not so sure now. Even if they don't come back, the Gators have a bunch of guys ready to step in. The defense might be even better next year than it was this year.
2. Texas
Texas was a young team this past season. Most thought they were a year away. With McCoy coming back they will be in good shape for a title run.
3. Oklahoma
They lose a lot on the offensive line, but the Big 12's defensive lines are pretty terrible so it shouldn't matter. If Bradford comes back, the Texas/OU game will probably be for a spot in the national championship game.
4. USC
Their whole defense is gone, but we all know USC's reserves are better than most team's starters. Sanchez will be back and the Pac 10 will still be bad. That said, USC will once again lose a game they shouldn't and be locked out of the title game.
5. Ohio State
Beanie and most of the defense will be playing in the NFL next season. That probably won't matter much. Tressel owns the Big 10 and that will continue. Pryor will be a much better player next season. I don't know if he'll ever develop into an elite passing QB, but his current skill set is still good enough to terrorize most of the Big 10. They'll probably make a BCS bowl and lose to either USC or the Texas/OU loser.
6. Virginia Tech
The ACC champs were supposed to be rebuilding this season. They lose a great CB in Victor Harris but not much else. If they can get passed 'Bama at the beginning of the season, they could go on a run similar to Penn State's this year.
7. Oklahoma State
Zach Robinson and Kendall Hunter will be coming back. Points will be scored. Lots of them.
8. Utah
They don't really belong here because they lose a lot of important seniors. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for now, I guess.
9. LSU
I really don't know what to make of this team. They could go undefeated or they could lose five games again. The defense will be much better under John Chavis, but they need to find someone who can make plays at the QB position.
10. Mississippii
Could Ole Miss be the best team in the SEC West? They return a lot of starters and they finished the season with a lot of momentum. Alabama loses a lot of senior leadership. See above for LSU. Auburn will be better but not by much. The combonation of Ed Orgeron's players and Houston Nutt's coaching ability is tough to beat.
Other teams that will probably appear in the top 10 at some point in the season: Penn State, Boise State, Alabama, TCU, Georgia Tech, Oregon.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Champs
Pretty strange game last night. I didn't think either defense would play as well as they did. Here's my observations:
1. The Gators used a simple formula to slow down the OU offense. They lined up correctly and they tackled well. OU's offense had been feasting all season on defenses that could not keep up with their fast pace, but with a month to prepare Florida's defense adjusted just fine. OU even slowed their offense down when they realized that they weren't going to be able to outpace the Gator defense. I think Oklahoma averaged something like 90 plays a game, but managed just 76 in this game. Watching replays of the game, it's kind of funny because Fox obviously had this whole thing setup with a clock to show how fast OU gets their plays off. I don't think we saw that clock again after half time.
2. What a monster play by Torrey Davis on that fourth and goal play. He shed TWO blockers AND made the tackle. That was about as good a play as you will ever see out of the DT position. Ahmad Black's interception was also outstanding. Black was a third string corner back going into spring practice, and now he is one of the best safeties in the nation.
3. The game ball has to go to Percy Harvin. He was maybe 80%-85%. Percy usually glides all over the field, but even on his long runs you could tell that the ankle was bothering him. Tebow will get most of the offensive credit, and he did pick up some key first downs, but the Gators don't win the game last night without Percy Harvin.
4. The refs were terrible in this game. Florida's defense was ready for OU's fast paced offense; the refs were not. Half the time they could not get the ball set on time and they continually had problems with the game clock. The excessive celebration/taunting penalties in college football are getting out of hand. It's not that they're calling too many of them, it's that there is no consistency. Louis Murphy gets flagged for making a first down signal, but there is no flag when Tebow is running and jumping all over the field while waving his hands up and down? This is like foul calls in the NBA. If you're a well known player you can celebrate all you want and not get penalized, but the other guys get flagged for the smallest things. It's been like this all season for every team, though, not just last night.
5. The Sooners really missed DeMarco Murray. I thought it was ridiculous when the media tried to act like him not being in the lineup was no big deal. His replacement, Chris Brown, had a very good game, but Brown is not the type of back that can get you points against this defense. Brown is a grind-it-out, move the chains kind of running back. The only way to score on this defense is with big plays. DeMarco Murray is OU's best playmaker. You can't methodically drive down the field on the Gator defense because they will eventually force a turnover or get you in a third and long situation. I believe the Gators are the best defense in terms of stopping teams on third down. If they're not #1 they're in the top 5.
6. Tebow is not ready for the NFL. He played his worst or second worst half (first half of Auburn 2007 being the other stinker) of football to open the game. The only reason he was effective in the second half was because he decided if his primary receiver wasn't open he was just going to tuck it and run. This works great in college (Vince Young did the same thing against USC a few years ago), but it's not going to fly in the NFL.
On a side note, Nic Harris is a total douche bag. What an embarrassment. He intentionally used Tebow's head as a stepping stool to get off the ground once. There was no doubt that he did this on purpose. He also held on to Harvin's legs on the play Harvin tweaked his ankle. I don't think it had anything to do with the injury, but it was still a bush league move. You know he must have been playing dirty for Tebow to taunt him at the end the way he did. I don't think Tebow is as saintly as everyone makes him out to be, but Tebow would not do what he did unless Harris really deserved it.
1. The Gators used a simple formula to slow down the OU offense. They lined up correctly and they tackled well. OU's offense had been feasting all season on defenses that could not keep up with their fast pace, but with a month to prepare Florida's defense adjusted just fine. OU even slowed their offense down when they realized that they weren't going to be able to outpace the Gator defense. I think Oklahoma averaged something like 90 plays a game, but managed just 76 in this game. Watching replays of the game, it's kind of funny because Fox obviously had this whole thing setup with a clock to show how fast OU gets their plays off. I don't think we saw that clock again after half time.
2. What a monster play by Torrey Davis on that fourth and goal play. He shed TWO blockers AND made the tackle. That was about as good a play as you will ever see out of the DT position. Ahmad Black's interception was also outstanding. Black was a third string corner back going into spring practice, and now he is one of the best safeties in the nation.
3. The game ball has to go to Percy Harvin. He was maybe 80%-85%. Percy usually glides all over the field, but even on his long runs you could tell that the ankle was bothering him. Tebow will get most of the offensive credit, and he did pick up some key first downs, but the Gators don't win the game last night without Percy Harvin.
4. The refs were terrible in this game. Florida's defense was ready for OU's fast paced offense; the refs were not. Half the time they could not get the ball set on time and they continually had problems with the game clock. The excessive celebration/taunting penalties in college football are getting out of hand. It's not that they're calling too many of them, it's that there is no consistency. Louis Murphy gets flagged for making a first down signal, but there is no flag when Tebow is running and jumping all over the field while waving his hands up and down? This is like foul calls in the NBA. If you're a well known player you can celebrate all you want and not get penalized, but the other guys get flagged for the smallest things. It's been like this all season for every team, though, not just last night.
5. The Sooners really missed DeMarco Murray. I thought it was ridiculous when the media tried to act like him not being in the lineup was no big deal. His replacement, Chris Brown, had a very good game, but Brown is not the type of back that can get you points against this defense. Brown is a grind-it-out, move the chains kind of running back. The only way to score on this defense is with big plays. DeMarco Murray is OU's best playmaker. You can't methodically drive down the field on the Gator defense because they will eventually force a turnover or get you in a third and long situation. I believe the Gators are the best defense in terms of stopping teams on third down. If they're not #1 they're in the top 5.
6. Tebow is not ready for the NFL. He played his worst or second worst half (first half of Auburn 2007 being the other stinker) of football to open the game. The only reason he was effective in the second half was because he decided if his primary receiver wasn't open he was just going to tuck it and run. This works great in college (Vince Young did the same thing against USC a few years ago), but it's not going to fly in the NFL.
On a side note, Nic Harris is a total douche bag. What an embarrassment. He intentionally used Tebow's head as a stepping stool to get off the ground once. There was no doubt that he did this on purpose. He also held on to Harvin's legs on the play Harvin tweaked his ankle. I don't think it had anything to do with the injury, but it was still a bush league move. You know he must have been playing dirty for Tebow to taunt him at the end the way he did. I don't think Tebow is as saintly as everyone makes him out to be, but Tebow would not do what he did unless Harris really deserved it.
Monday, January 5, 2009
STOP IT
Just noticed Terelle Pryor is sporting the initials on the back of his arms. THIS ISN'T COOL NOW AND IT'S NOT GOING TO BE COOL 40 YEARS FROM NOW.
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