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Neither Oklahoma nor Texas Tech did Texas any favors and now the Longhorns get screwed!
How a team that beats another on A NEUTRAL FIELD gets jumped by that team is beyond me.
I understand that Tech beat Texas but it was AT TECH and in the last second. Where as Texas beat OU in DALLAS (which by the way is just about exactly halfway between Norman to Austin) by 10 in what was still the best game of the season in my eyes.
And OU's big win over Tech was AT HOME!!
But now, more than likely, OU will get to play for the "National Championship" against the SEC Champion.
And that is just wrong.
If you want a way to decide who goes just look at the losses and determine whose was closer. Texas lost by 6 on the road, Oklahoma's was by 10 at a neutral field, and Tech's was by 44 on the road.
So looking at that I say Texas should go to the Big 12 title game to play Missouri.
But they aren't so let's move on.
The GMs Top 10 is the pretty much the same as last week. So click here if you want to see it or just look at the sidebar.
The only change is Missouri is out since they lost to Kansas and Ball State is in since they went 12-0.
I will preview the conference title games later this week. But for now I offer this....
GO MISSOURI!!!! FIX THE PROBLEM FOR US!!!!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
College Basketball - Part 4
The 4th best conference in college basketball in my opinion this year is the PAC-10. This conference has at least 4 or 5 tourney teams with a couple more that have a legitimate shot at making it.
The thing that highlights this conference right now is UCLA is going for its 4th conference championship in a row. That hasn't been done since the late '80's early 90's when Sean Elliot played for Arizona.
The other thing is the coaches. I will be able to mention the name of every coach in this league and you will recognize the name for some reason. Almost every one of those reasons will be good.
This conference also features a few potential All-Americans along with potentially the freshman of the year in the country.
So here we go!
10. Oregon State Beavers - Craig Robinson. Ok, his name isn't very recognizable but he did win 19 games at Brown last year which seems pretty good. Oh, and he is Barack Obama's Brother-in-law. There isn't much to talk about with his team though. They were 6-25 overall and were 0-18 in the conference and I don't really see this season being much better in Corvallis. It may not get better for awhile either because there are no freshmen on the team. A few sophomores but more or less its seniors and juniors. Mr. Robinson, good luck!
9. Oregon Ducks - Ernie Kent. 2 years ago Oregon won 29 games and made it to the elite eight. That was probably Ernie's best team but this year, if this team does anything, will be his best coaching job. This team lost 60% of its scoring from last year and that's bad news for Ernie as he is rumored to be the coach on the hot seat in the PAC-10 this year. The roster in Eugene this year is made up of 7 freshmen and 5 upper-classman. Warranted or not, Ernie Kent is going to have to do a heck of a job to keep his job with the Ducks.
8. Stanford Cardinal - Johnny Dawkins. He was a star at Duke and became an assistant under coach K. This is his first year as a head coach but after learning from one of the best everything is going to be easy as pie, right? Not so fast, my friend. Lopez boys are both now playing in the NBA this team will have to rely on its backcourt to carry the load. They have 3 very solid players in Mitch Johnson, Lawrence Hill and Anthony Goods. But other then that not much. If those 3 players play like they are capable this could be a very respectable team, if they don't Dawkins' first season is going to be a long one.
7. California Golden Bears - Mike Montgomery. I know the people at Stanford remember this name because he was there for 18 years and won plenty of conference titles there. The people in the NBA might not remember him as well because after a season or two with Golden State he is back in college. At Stanford, he was great at getting his teams to overachieve. He is going to have to rely on this skill again. This team lost Ryan Anderson who was their main scoring option from last year. This is another team this year that will rely heavily on its backcourt and more specifically, Patrick Chistopher who is one of the better players in the conference.
6. Washington State Cougars - Tony Bennett. This is the guy you might have heard the least about so far. I think the appearance by this team in the regional semi's of last year's tournament really solidifies Bennett as a solid coach however. The huge problem Bennett faces this year however, is that he lost 3 of his top 5 players from last year. That's not easy for any coach to overcome. The expectations for this team should not be as high as last year. Taylor Rochestie is the best player they have coming back and could be the number 2 or 3 point guard in the conference. Another bid to the tourney would be a great season for this team.
5. Washington Huskies - Lorenzo Romar. I know this is a stretch here but 4 years ago this team won 29 games, was a number 1 seed in the tournament and made it to the sweet sixteen. The problem is that it was 4 years ago and Romar had Nate Robinson and Brandon Roy at the time. Not much has come from Seattle since then. 2006 produced 26 wins but since then 19 and 16. Not a good trend. Everything will have to fall into place for this team to make it back to 26. 19 seems a bit more realistic. They do have Jon Brockman who is a dominant force on the inside. He will help them win a few games with his scoring and rebounding but this is another team who will do well to make it into the tournament.
4. Arizona Wildcats - Not Lute Olsen. All signs pointed to the legend coming back, but a health set back made Lute retire. Now they have an interim coach in Russ Pennell. I don't know anything about this guy but he was an assistant under Olsen so at least he knows the players. Chase Buddinger is one of those players and a great one at that. They also have Jordan Hill who is darn good on the inside. A lot of people are picking this team to under-perform but I can see this being the team that surprises a lot of people in the PAC-10 and could very easily finish higher then this.
3. Arizona State Sun Devils - Herb Sendek. This is coach Sendek's third season at Arizona State after left NC State where he did a great job for many seasons. This team went from 8 wins in Sendek's first season to 21 last year which may be his best coaching job ever. They lost in the quarterfinals of the NIT to Florida which may turn into a quarterfinal spot in the NCAA's this year. James Harden is a potential All-American in the backcourt for the Sun Devil's who have a real chance at making a lot of noise in the PAC-1o as well as nationally this year.
2. USC Trojans - Tim Floyd. Floyd took an Iowa State team deep into the tournament and then went to Chicago where he failed miserably. The college game is where he is at his best and he is obviously a great recruiter. OJ Mayo is now in the NBA but was the best recruit before last season and this year he has DeMar DeRozan who is potentially the best recruit in this years class. This team has three returning good players in the frontcourt and with the addition of DeRozan to an already solid and experienced lineup this team could be better then last years which had a first round exit in the NCAA's.
1. UCLA Bruins - Ben Howland. Two straight final fours. Three straight PAC-10 titles. I don't really think I have to say much more about Mr. Howland. He has a stronghold on this conference and I don't see that changing anytime soon. I am not sure however, that the final four is likely again. Losing Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute really hurts. Darren Collison may be the best point guard in the country still but that is a lot of talent to overcome. They also still have Josh Shipp who is a darn good wing player. The do have three solid freshmen coming in highlighted by Jrue Holiday. This kid will be special. They already have a loss to Michigan this year which again is scary. This team will still go deep into March but its going to be interesting to see how deep.
That's the PAC-10 this year. Check back tomorrow to see who comes in at number 3.
The thing that highlights this conference right now is UCLA is going for its 4th conference championship in a row. That hasn't been done since the late '80's early 90's when Sean Elliot played for Arizona.
The other thing is the coaches. I will be able to mention the name of every coach in this league and you will recognize the name for some reason. Almost every one of those reasons will be good.
This conference also features a few potential All-Americans along with potentially the freshman of the year in the country.
So here we go!
10. Oregon State Beavers - Craig Robinson. Ok, his name isn't very recognizable but he did win 19 games at Brown last year which seems pretty good. Oh, and he is Barack Obama's Brother-in-law. There isn't much to talk about with his team though. They were 6-25 overall and were 0-18 in the conference and I don't really see this season being much better in Corvallis. It may not get better for awhile either because there are no freshmen on the team. A few sophomores but more or less its seniors and juniors. Mr. Robinson, good luck!
9. Oregon Ducks - Ernie Kent. 2 years ago Oregon won 29 games and made it to the elite eight. That was probably Ernie's best team but this year, if this team does anything, will be his best coaching job. This team lost 60% of its scoring from last year and that's bad news for Ernie as he is rumored to be the coach on the hot seat in the PAC-10 this year. The roster in Eugene this year is made up of 7 freshmen and 5 upper-classman. Warranted or not, Ernie Kent is going to have to do a heck of a job to keep his job with the Ducks.
8. Stanford Cardinal - Johnny Dawkins. He was a star at Duke and became an assistant under coach K. This is his first year as a head coach but after learning from one of the best everything is going to be easy as pie, right? Not so fast, my friend. Lopez boys are both now playing in the NBA this team will have to rely on its backcourt to carry the load. They have 3 very solid players in Mitch Johnson, Lawrence Hill and Anthony Goods. But other then that not much. If those 3 players play like they are capable this could be a very respectable team, if they don't Dawkins' first season is going to be a long one.
7. California Golden Bears - Mike Montgomery. I know the people at Stanford remember this name because he was there for 18 years and won plenty of conference titles there. The people in the NBA might not remember him as well because after a season or two with Golden State he is back in college. At Stanford, he was great at getting his teams to overachieve. He is going to have to rely on this skill again. This team lost Ryan Anderson who was their main scoring option from last year. This is another team this year that will rely heavily on its backcourt and more specifically, Patrick Chistopher who is one of the better players in the conference.
6. Washington State Cougars - Tony Bennett. This is the guy you might have heard the least about so far. I think the appearance by this team in the regional semi's of last year's tournament really solidifies Bennett as a solid coach however. The huge problem Bennett faces this year however, is that he lost 3 of his top 5 players from last year. That's not easy for any coach to overcome. The expectations for this team should not be as high as last year. Taylor Rochestie is the best player they have coming back and could be the number 2 or 3 point guard in the conference. Another bid to the tourney would be a great season for this team.
5. Washington Huskies - Lorenzo Romar. I know this is a stretch here but 4 years ago this team won 29 games, was a number 1 seed in the tournament and made it to the sweet sixteen. The problem is that it was 4 years ago and Romar had Nate Robinson and Brandon Roy at the time. Not much has come from Seattle since then. 2006 produced 26 wins but since then 19 and 16. Not a good trend. Everything will have to fall into place for this team to make it back to 26. 19 seems a bit more realistic. They do have Jon Brockman who is a dominant force on the inside. He will help them win a few games with his scoring and rebounding but this is another team who will do well to make it into the tournament.
4. Arizona Wildcats - Not Lute Olsen. All signs pointed to the legend coming back, but a health set back made Lute retire. Now they have an interim coach in Russ Pennell. I don't know anything about this guy but he was an assistant under Olsen so at least he knows the players. Chase Buddinger is one of those players and a great one at that. They also have Jordan Hill who is darn good on the inside. A lot of people are picking this team to under-perform but I can see this being the team that surprises a lot of people in the PAC-10 and could very easily finish higher then this.
3. Arizona State Sun Devils - Herb Sendek. This is coach Sendek's third season at Arizona State after left NC State where he did a great job for many seasons. This team went from 8 wins in Sendek's first season to 21 last year which may be his best coaching job ever. They lost in the quarterfinals of the NIT to Florida which may turn into a quarterfinal spot in the NCAA's this year. James Harden is a potential All-American in the backcourt for the Sun Devil's who have a real chance at making a lot of noise in the PAC-1o as well as nationally this year.
2. USC Trojans - Tim Floyd. Floyd took an Iowa State team deep into the tournament and then went to Chicago where he failed miserably. The college game is where he is at his best and he is obviously a great recruiter. OJ Mayo is now in the NBA but was the best recruit before last season and this year he has DeMar DeRozan who is potentially the best recruit in this years class. This team has three returning good players in the frontcourt and with the addition of DeRozan to an already solid and experienced lineup this team could be better then last years which had a first round exit in the NCAA's.
1. UCLA Bruins - Ben Howland. Two straight final fours. Three straight PAC-10 titles. I don't really think I have to say much more about Mr. Howland. He has a stronghold on this conference and I don't see that changing anytime soon. I am not sure however, that the final four is likely again. Losing Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute really hurts. Darren Collison may be the best point guard in the country still but that is a lot of talent to overcome. They also still have Josh Shipp who is a darn good wing player. The do have three solid freshmen coming in highlighted by Jrue Holiday. This kid will be special. They already have a loss to Michigan this year which again is scary. This team will still go deep into March but its going to be interesting to see how deep.
That's the PAC-10 this year. Check back tomorrow to see who comes in at number 3.
Monday, December 1, 2008
College Basketball - Part 3
Ok, so today is part 3 of the college basketball preview which means its the conference I have ranked at number 5.
I know I am a little late today with this post but to be honest the GM's post about football was good so you should read his too. I worked at 3 a.m. this morning and have been busy and sleeping and what not until now.
I know its no excuse. I promise this will be the latest that any of these posts go up.
Anyway, back to the preview. The conference I have ranked at number 5 this year is the SEC.
The overall summary of this league is that there are no real standout teams. The highest ranking of any team in the preseason was Tennessee at 12. The reason I have this conference ahead of the Big Ten is that the middle group in this conference is pretty solid in comparison to the Big Ten. They are really interchangeable here so you take your pick. I pick the SEC as being a little bit better.
The SEC has two divisions so I have decided to rank each division and I will give my pick as the conference champion once I have summarized each division. Here we go!
SEC East
6. Georgia Bulldogs - I know the dawgs went on a crazy run in the SEC tournament to make it to the dance but really, no one saw it coming and its only going to happen again if they come out of nowhere. This team finished last in the regular season and I expect they will do the same again.
5. South Carolina Gamecocks - Devan Downey is pretty darn good but that's about all I have for the Gamecocks. They lost more then they won last year overall and that may improve to around .500 this year but I can't see this team doing much better then that. Downey will win a few for them but overall this team isn't very good. They have a bunch of juniors and seniors so a run could happen but I highly doubt it.
4. Vanderbilt Commordores - 26-8 overall and 10-6 in the conference was darn good. What wasn't, however, was the 21 point lost to Siena in the first round. I would say the real Vandy team was the solid team during the regular season this is one of the teams I talked about above when I said the middle of the SEC is much better then the middle of the Big Ten. A.J. Ogilvy is a big man out of Australia and was a very good player for this team last year. Expect more of the same and with one season under his belt look for bigger and better things from the Aussie.
3. Kentucky Wildcats - Patrick Patterson is a force on the inside. He plays big and grabs tons of rebounds. This team played better in conference then out of conference last year. Remember the loss to Gardner-Webb last year? It happened again already this year when they lost to VMI. Billy Gillespie has the talent to be a solid force in the SEC this year he just needs to keep the troops focused. If they stay focused this team may contend for the SEC East crown.
2. Florida Gators - 24 wins after back to back National Championships with all the players he lost might have been Billy Donovan's best coaching job. It will be a little easier this year with all the talent having another year under their belts but this team is still incredibly young. Only 3 players on the entire roster are in their third or fourth year. That's crazy which means this team could either be really great or also could turn out very badly. I say its closer to great with a NCAA bid at the end of this season.
1. Tennessee Volunteers - I know Chris Lofton is gone but I think this makes this team better. They still have Wayne Chism and Tyler Smith from last year. Both of these guys are really good and with not having Lofton all the other guys will know they have to step up their game. Bruce Pearl is a good coach but sometimes I think he is better at creating hype then actually coaching. This will be one of his best coaching jobs ever and I think he will get this team into the top 5 at some point this season and will end up as a 2 or 3 seed when it comes tourney time.
SEC West
6. Arkansas Razorbacks - This team went 23-12 overall last year and made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament. That was with 6 seniors. Guess how many seniors are on this years team? That's right. ZERO! I obviously have no confidence that the Razorbacks will be anywhere near where they were last year!
5. Auburn Tigers - Korvotney Barber is the key to this team. Well, kind of anyway. He will be the difference between a .500 record and something less then that. He is a solid player and could play for all the other teams in the SEC. He is a big health concern however. As I said, I can't see this team get more then 17 or so wins even if Barber is healthy.
4. Mississippi Rebels - This team has had 2 20 win seasons in a row. Coach Andy Kennedy believes this team is special and can't make a real run at the NCAA tournament. I have to disagree with him however. The backcourt for this team is deep and talented but the top returning started in the frontcourt average 2.2 points per game. That's not very good. A good backcourt can go a long way in the college game but that's nothing inside and that hurts a lot!
3. Alabama Crimson Tide - Ronald Steele and Alonzo Gee are very good players. This team has the talent to be the 20 win team it was 2 years ago. It could also turn into the 17-16 team it was last year. Injuries or the lack there of will be a huge difference maker here. If they can stay healthy look out for this team.
2. Mississippi State Bulldogs - This team went 23-11 and almost beat Memphis in the tournament last year. Jarvis Varnado is a stud inside and will dominate some games in this league. The reason I can't pick them to win the West this year is that they lost the top 3 scorers from last years championship team. That's a lot to lose and still expect to repeat. I still think this team is good enough to make it to the tourney again.
1. LSU Tigers - This team wen to the final four in 2006 but have gone down in wins both seasons since then. The good news is that they have 8 players that are seniors or juniors and most of them are solid players in the rotation. This team definitely has the talent to make a good run in this league and in the tournament.
When it comes down to it, the East is much better then the West this year and as a result I really think the Tennessee Volunteers will be the best team in the SEC all season and will win the SEC championship.
I know I am a little late today with this post but to be honest the GM's post about football was good so you should read his too. I worked at 3 a.m. this morning and have been busy and sleeping and what not until now.
I know its no excuse. I promise this will be the latest that any of these posts go up.
Anyway, back to the preview. The conference I have ranked at number 5 this year is the SEC.
The overall summary of this league is that there are no real standout teams. The highest ranking of any team in the preseason was Tennessee at 12. The reason I have this conference ahead of the Big Ten is that the middle group in this conference is pretty solid in comparison to the Big Ten. They are really interchangeable here so you take your pick. I pick the SEC as being a little bit better.
The SEC has two divisions so I have decided to rank each division and I will give my pick as the conference champion once I have summarized each division. Here we go!
SEC East
6. Georgia Bulldogs - I know the dawgs went on a crazy run in the SEC tournament to make it to the dance but really, no one saw it coming and its only going to happen again if they come out of nowhere. This team finished last in the regular season and I expect they will do the same again.
5. South Carolina Gamecocks - Devan Downey is pretty darn good but that's about all I have for the Gamecocks. They lost more then they won last year overall and that may improve to around .500 this year but I can't see this team doing much better then that. Downey will win a few for them but overall this team isn't very good. They have a bunch of juniors and seniors so a run could happen but I highly doubt it.
4. Vanderbilt Commordores - 26-8 overall and 10-6 in the conference was darn good. What wasn't, however, was the 21 point lost to Siena in the first round. I would say the real Vandy team was the solid team during the regular season this is one of the teams I talked about above when I said the middle of the SEC is much better then the middle of the Big Ten. A.J. Ogilvy is a big man out of Australia and was a very good player for this team last year. Expect more of the same and with one season under his belt look for bigger and better things from the Aussie.
3. Kentucky Wildcats - Patrick Patterson is a force on the inside. He plays big and grabs tons of rebounds. This team played better in conference then out of conference last year. Remember the loss to Gardner-Webb last year? It happened again already this year when they lost to VMI. Billy Gillespie has the talent to be a solid force in the SEC this year he just needs to keep the troops focused. If they stay focused this team may contend for the SEC East crown.
2. Florida Gators - 24 wins after back to back National Championships with all the players he lost might have been Billy Donovan's best coaching job. It will be a little easier this year with all the talent having another year under their belts but this team is still incredibly young. Only 3 players on the entire roster are in their third or fourth year. That's crazy which means this team could either be really great or also could turn out very badly. I say its closer to great with a NCAA bid at the end of this season.
1. Tennessee Volunteers - I know Chris Lofton is gone but I think this makes this team better. They still have Wayne Chism and Tyler Smith from last year. Both of these guys are really good and with not having Lofton all the other guys will know they have to step up their game. Bruce Pearl is a good coach but sometimes I think he is better at creating hype then actually coaching. This will be one of his best coaching jobs ever and I think he will get this team into the top 5 at some point this season and will end up as a 2 or 3 seed when it comes tourney time.
SEC West
6. Arkansas Razorbacks - This team went 23-12 overall last year and made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament. That was with 6 seniors. Guess how many seniors are on this years team? That's right. ZERO! I obviously have no confidence that the Razorbacks will be anywhere near where they were last year!
5. Auburn Tigers - Korvotney Barber is the key to this team. Well, kind of anyway. He will be the difference between a .500 record and something less then that. He is a solid player and could play for all the other teams in the SEC. He is a big health concern however. As I said, I can't see this team get more then 17 or so wins even if Barber is healthy.
4. Mississippi Rebels - This team has had 2 20 win seasons in a row. Coach Andy Kennedy believes this team is special and can't make a real run at the NCAA tournament. I have to disagree with him however. The backcourt for this team is deep and talented but the top returning started in the frontcourt average 2.2 points per game. That's not very good. A good backcourt can go a long way in the college game but that's nothing inside and that hurts a lot!
3. Alabama Crimson Tide - Ronald Steele and Alonzo Gee are very good players. This team has the talent to be the 20 win team it was 2 years ago. It could also turn into the 17-16 team it was last year. Injuries or the lack there of will be a huge difference maker here. If they can stay healthy look out for this team.
2. Mississippi State Bulldogs - This team went 23-11 and almost beat Memphis in the tournament last year. Jarvis Varnado is a stud inside and will dominate some games in this league. The reason I can't pick them to win the West this year is that they lost the top 3 scorers from last years championship team. That's a lot to lose and still expect to repeat. I still think this team is good enough to make it to the tourney again.
1. LSU Tigers - This team wen to the final four in 2006 but have gone down in wins both seasons since then. The good news is that they have 8 players that are seniors or juniors and most of them are solid players in the rotation. This team definitely has the talent to make a good run in this league and in the tournament.
When it comes down to it, the East is much better then the West this year and as a result I really think the Tennessee Volunteers will be the best team in the SEC all season and will win the SEC championship.
Another Awesome (read: yawn) Football Weekend!
The college games weren't terrible but they weren't really good either and the NFL........well let's just say I was happy to be leaving to go to a hockey game on Sunday instead of sitting through more of that!
I got the Ravens vs Bengals and Giants vs Redskins games. YIPPEE FOR ME!!!
Anyways...
Let's see what happened in the world of football this weekend, shall we.....
On to the NFL:
I got the Ravens vs Bengals and Giants vs Redskins games. YIPPEE FOR ME!!!
Anyways...
Let's see what happened in the world of football this weekend, shall we.....
- Florida is probably the best team in the country but FSU moved the ball on them they just couldn't find the endzone. That could mean trouble for the Gators this weekend. I say watch out Florida...Bama isn't that bad.
- Oregon did everyone a favor by whooping the Beavers. Now we get to see PSU vs USC. That will draw a few viewers I think.
- An exciting Iron Bowl this year.....for Bama fans.
- Charlie Weis could be out as head coach at Notre Dame as early as next week.
- Texas got ROBBED!!!!!!!!!!
- The OU/Okie State game was closer than the score but it was enough to get OU into the Big 12 title game.....I hope they lose so Texas can go to the National Title game.
- Lane Kiffin will be the next coach at Tennessee. And his dad Monte (longtime Bucs d-coordinator) will join him next season. I say good hire by the Vols.
- Clemson announced today that Dabo Swinney is the new head coach. Questionable but maybe he can prove me wrong. But I say Dabo is gone within 4 years.
On to the NFL:
- Verb sucks at betting. Never take his best bet pick....it never works out!
- The Jets AREN'T as good as everyone thought they were.
- Or maybe the Broncos are getting better.....
- Plaxico Burress is an idiot
- Romeo Crennel is rumored to need a miracle to be retained after this season.....and now starting for the Browns....Ken Dorsey.....nice miracle!
- Oh and the Giants ARE STILL the best team in the league...
- And the Redskins are NOT a playoff team
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