Incoherent, Grammatically-Incorrect, Stream-of-Consciousness Thoughts on Opening Weekend

USC looked like they could be NFC East champions in their game against Virginia; Florida, Georgia, Ohio State and Oklahoma rolled over their easy-as-pie openers. Along the way, the Buckeyes might have lost Beanie Wells and Georgia lost DT Jeff Owens for the year. As if the schedule wasn't brutal enough, the Dawgs can't escape the injury bug. That'll put an even bigger damper on all the national title hype. Speaking of, if I was voting today, I would have to put the Trojans in the top spot for their all to easy, Death Star vs. Alderaan-esque destruction of a decent Cavs team - and they get a week to rest before their showdown with the Bucks. What does that mean? They'll beat OSU by 30 points. Of course, they'll get bored later in the season and lose a game to someone (maybe Oregon?). Oklahoma has arguably the most talent in the nation, but a tough schedule and late-season lackadaisical-ness could slow them down. I can definitely see them losing to OK State this year. Texas Tech will not be the giant killers so many think they will be, though, and the North is soft, so Texas will be the biggest hurdle in the conference. Fortunately for the 'Horns, they have a deep pool themselves and will make the Red River Rivalry very interesting indeed. The winner of that game will have their way cleared to beat slightly overrated Missouri in the Big-12 Title game (another team with an easy schedule). We all know LSU, UGA, UF and Auburn were going to be good this year, but what about South Carolina, Alabama and...Vandy? The Cock D shut down NC ST. and Bama's lines absolutely owned the trenches against Clemson. Nickson and the 'Dores looked impressive, but won't last all season in the meat-grinder. Outside of Miss St. and Arkansas, there's no easy game in the SEC. So, we'll all beat the shit out of each other and clear the way for two teams who hop-scotched their way to a nice, comfortable 11-1 record. My Utah-as-BCS-buster prediction is off to a great start as they won in the not-so-big house and, I think, they will beat BYU. Don't talk too much shit, yet, though about Michigan, because SEC fans shouldn't forget that the team that lost to App St. in last season's opener went on to beat Florida. Who knows who they'll surprise this year. I'd pay $1,000 for it to be Ohio State, though. I'd like there to be more order and organization to this, but I've a rough and wild opening weekend and want to get some rest.

The Sooners So Far...

Well, playing with a team that has REAL talent has been an eye opener. With actual O-linemen and players with speed and awareness, the Sooners feel like a weapon that I have no control over. I've added an option wrinkle to my already loose and wild offensive scheme and things have gotten NASTY. I was up 55-0 at the half in the season opener, simmed the second half and the computer ran up the score to the century mark. On the road at Wisconsin, my running backs were out of control and what I thought would be a fun, close, hard nosed game turned into a blowout. I lost to Tennessee and should have lost to Texas and OK St., but it doesn't seem to matter. This team's just charmed. It's quite refreshing, if not a little scary. Now I have back-to-back games against top-10 teams. We'll see how it goes, but I think this was the break Ace Journeyman needed in my little imaginary world of fake football. he could become the next Pete Carrol. Georgia should be calling in no time...

Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is the start of College Football. I'm so pumped! I'm not sure if I'll be enjoying as much first-hand football as usual, but it doesn't matter. As long as I have a few TV's and the Internet, I'll get by. It's my favorite, and possibly the briefest, of all sports seasons, and the most glorious. God truly does love us. A nice, cool, overcast fall day; a grill smoking in the background, good friends and great beer; the anticipation of the game and the electricity in the air before kickoff...Oh, man, it's going to be sweet.

In the spirit of the approach of the football storm, I'd like to discuss a little more football points. To save posts, I'll do both college and pro together.

Florida State will not be 7-5 again. They'll actually be 8-4. Hey, it's an improvement.

Boston College will win another bowl game and Notre Dame will be greatly improved.*

* Of course, it would be almost impossible for The Irish to get worse. Their schedule is the softest piece of cheesecake I've seen this side of BCS consideration and if they win 9 games, they'll get an Orange Bowl nod. It's pathetic.

Tennessee needs to be careful in L.A. Last year was a debacle in Berkley and SEC teams don't do well out west. Which leads me to...Georgia better be careful in Phoenix. Arizona State is dangerous. Let's just hope their O-Line's as soft as it was against Texas last year.

Speaking of UCLA, they shouldn't have called out USC in the newspaper. They'll lose that game by 3 TD's and the Trojan linebackers will kick around Bruin QB heads like hacky-sacks before it's all done. Ivan Maisel is right: USC-UCLA is an overrated rivalry.

Still out west - Cal could be strong this year. Surprisingly strong.

Mark Schlabach said the Big 12 has better QB's than the NFC Central. They could also probably field an all-conference team that could beat the Atlanta Falcons.

In the Pros:

I need to change my power rankings, the NY Giants will not make the playoffs. Umenyiora is out for the year and Strahan finally decided to stay retired. Eli might be good, but it would have been the D that carried NY this year. Look for the Philadelphia Eagles to get the wild card instead.

Shawn Merriman is a badass.

That is all.

Boomer Sooner!

Ace Journeyman has left Utah to take the head coaching position at Oklahoma. The Sooners have had back-to-back 7 win seasons and that's just not good enough for the folks in Norman. Everyone's hoping that Journeyman has what it takes to lead Oklahoma back to the promised land, even though the schedule includes 3 preseason top-10 teams. While people in Salt Lake City are upset at losing the coach that took them to the PAC-10 and the Rose Bowl, the split was reportedly amicable. Journeyman entertained offers from several major schools, including Florida and Clemson, but chose OU for the oppurtunity to play against top level competition. The coach is looking ahead to the 2014 season and being involved with an established program that can recruit well and hang with the big-boys of college football. If he can recreate his model for success here, Ace Journeyman could win a BCS title inside of the three year contract he signed.

2013 At A Glance...

2013 Schedule
12-1 (8-1)

#12 West Virginia W 27-23
BYU W 38-24
N. Colorado W 72-6
Oregon L 31-34
#11 Arizona St. 34-21
at #9 USC W 34-18
#22 UCLA W 42-17
at Arizona W 59-17
at Oregon St. W 44-13
Washington W 31-13
at Washington St. W 37-17
#24 Cal W 33-31

BCS Rose Bowl
#7 Michigan W 38-31

UPSET!! Utes Win Rose!

The Utah Utes beat the Michigan Wolverines in the 2014 Rose Bowl by a final score of 38-31. HB Mike Smith was the star of the show, scoring 4 of Utah's 5 TD's, 3 on plays longer than 50 yards. In the second quarter, trailing 10-3, Smith took a swing pass up the sideline for 74 yards, then added a 58 yard rush for a score before the half, breaking several tackles along the way. A Wolverine INT return for a TD put Michigan up 24-17 at the half. The third quarter was all Utes, as Smith scored on a short run and Joseph hit Greer for a 17 yard score. Michigan scored in the fourth to tie, but Smith took a second pass from Joseph 66 yards for a score to put Utah up late. After a late Michigan turnover, the upset was complete and Joseph knelt out the clock on the Wolverine 4 yard line. Utah finished with a final #12 ranking. Expectations are high for next year, but losing Joseph and Smith is going to be tough for Journeyman. Rumors are flying that schools like Florida, Oklahoma, and USC are interested in Ace, but he might be holding out for an offer from Georgia. It's a tough decision whether to come back to a team losing its skill players or move on to a prestigious program that has fallen hard times.

More Addendums

Ben Mauk was turned down again today, but still has one appeal left on Thursday that will decide if he can come back. I'm kinda on his side, and enjoy watching him play, not to mention his bad ass scar and gutsy play-style make me want to see him out there gun slinging in the face of USF's pass rush. But, at this point, he won't be starting (Cincy actually plays that night) and could be on his way to distraction status. Cincy's status remains unchanged in my mind right now.

Oregon starter Nate Costa is out for about 8 or 9 weeks. At least we get the season altering injury before the Ducks get all the way to a number two ranking and break all of our hearts. Belloti says the offense won't change much with Roper. Well, maybe the play calls won't change, but their effectiveness might. Oregon could still be a tough team, but they will not finish #12 like I had them predicted, and though the D is solid, it won't be able to bail them out against a team like USC. I will cheer for Roper though, because he's a fellow Georgia boy. Look for the Ducks to quack their way into the bottom of the rankings by season's end.

The SEC:
South Carolina will be very tough this year. I'll probably move them into my top-20 before Thursday night. Welcome back Japser Brinkley - please do not murder Knowshon, sir.

Ole Miss will be a surprise and contend for the West. Or, at least third place in the west after LSU and Auburn (or, Auburn and LSU). Possible top-25.

I'm also starting to think that Matt Stafford is going to be developed enough to lead UGA through their brutal schedule with efficiency, poise and leadership (though not undefeated). As long as he and Knowshon stay healthy, the Bulldog offense can sustain the game without Sturdivant. Bonus: Southerland should be back early. I might have to move them back to the BCS Title Game.

Finally!!

Utah stubbed their toe early against Oregon, but went on to own their PAC-10 competition, earning a conference title and a Rose Bowl birth against Michigan. The Utes gave up a last second TD to Oregon to record their only loss in 2013. They passed perennial thorn-in-the-side USC with an impressive 34-18 win and scraped their way to a a 33-31 win over Cal to end the season. QB Chris Joseph finished 4th in the Heisman balloting and won the Maxwell and O'Brien awards and placekicker Jake Raston won the Groza. Journeyman was a finalist for his third overall COTY award, but lost out late. This will be Journeyman's first opportunity on a national stage, but Michigan looks primed to knock off the upstart Utes. And, don't think that some Big-12, Big-10 and SEC schools aren't looking at the Ace and wondering, "what if..."

Another Trip to Las Vegas for Utah

Utah completed their second season through the PAC-10 in competitive fashion, finishing 6-3 in conference play for the second straight year. That earned Journeyman and the Utes another 4th place finish in the conference and a repeat appearance in the Las Vegas Bowl. The Utes whooped the horned Frogs of TCU, 49-17. Journeyman was offered a contract extension through 2018, but other schools are definitely keeping their eyes on the former back-to-back COTY.

2013 is looking to be a breakout year, with a big, season-opener against #12 West Virginia. If the Utes can win that and knock off one or more of the conference big-boys, they could contend for a January Bowl game.


2012 Schedule
9-4 (6 -3 PAC-10)

#9 Missouri L 24-48
at Oregon W 37-7
at Utah St. W 28-24
Washington St. W 28-20
at UCLA L 26-45
Arizona W 36-19
at # 12 Arizona St. L 14-30
#24 USC L 36-45
at Washington W 38-14
Oregon St. W 29-13
at Cal W 33-14
at BYU W 38-31

Las Vegas Bowl
#24 TCU W 49-17

The MAC Daddies (More Predictions)

I want to say something about MAC teams to look out for.

Ball State: Nate Davis is probably the most underrated player in the nation. He'll throw for a million yards, leading the Cardinals to a 9 or 10 win season. They will certainly scare Central Michigan, which leads me to...

Look out Georgia! Central Michigan is scary. Well, at least Dan Lafevour is. And, we all remember Troy last year. If we're not careful, the Chips will have quite the feather in their headdress as they roll to the MAC title.

Temple Owls: Solid defense in an offensive league and almost every starter returning. The Owls will be bowling in mid-December and gain some retribution for being booted form their old conference in such embarrassing fashion.

P.S. - If Pitt wants to be considered as a real tough team this year, they need to focus and get past Bowling Green in week one. A loss to the falcons would ruin any momentum they've built int he off-season and knock LeSean McCoy's slim Heisman hopes off track.

Addendums

I want to point out two teams that will be ranked at seasons' end if certain things happen.

1. Cincinnati - The NCAA is, once again, re-hearing Ben Mauk's case. If he wins, the Bearcats will compete in the Big East and probably fuck up my USF, WVU idea.

2. Notre Dame - If they can somehow turn their douchey teenage QB into a real football player and actually move the ball forward, the schedule for the Irish is soft enough for them to pull out a 9-3 season which will mean a top-1o ranking and a BCS Bowl, because "they're Notre Dame." What a pile of shit.

One last thing:

Soon, I will rank my top-25 according to just talent and coaching; the teams I really think are the best. The previous post was ranked according to where I think the teams will end up with a dash of reading the pollsters minds. I'll try to keep up with my rankings as the season progresses as well.

Peace-

New Top 25 for 2008

It’s time for my new, revised, and finalized (at least until I want to change it) College Football rankings. Big changes all over from last time. With suspensions and injuries plaguing my last two front-runners, I had to look and see who would fill the gap. It’s not a popular choice among most people I know, but this is my top-25, and I can rank whomever I want. Anyone else can feel free to make their own rankings and spark a real conversation, or just shut the fuck up. I’m taking into consideration schedules, when/where big games are played, trend and intangibles as well as the basics of talent and coaching. All that considered, this is close to where I think these teams will end up in the major polls before the January bowls. I’ve got some crazy looking shit in here, I know. But, I’m a genius, so trust me. And, yes, Ohio State is my new number one (uggh). I actually think it’s their year. I hope it’s not, and I hope Georgia wins it all, but I’ve got to be a realist. USC is out a slew of players early on, clearing the way for the Buckeyes to win that one, and they won’t be challenged again until late. USC should recover and win out and I see Florida making it out of the SEC slaughterhouse with one loss. Oklahoma will two losses, probably one to Texas, who will drop a couple here or there on their way to the top-10. My big surprise: Utah. The Utes could beat Michigan, and be riding high going into BYU. A win there will vault them up the polls while forcing BYU down the list. South Florida will end up with one loss and beat West Virginia – again. Alabama will be better than expected, Wake Forest will win the ACC, and Oregon might just be one loss shy of winning the PAC-10. Or, this could all be crap. Here’s the list. Enjoy.

joaj34’s 2008 Preseason Top-25:

1. Ohio State
2. Florida
3. USC
4. Georgia
5. Oklahoma
6. Utah
7. Texas
8. LSU
9. Auburn
10. South Florida
11. Missouri
12. Oregon
13. Wisconsin
14. Tennessee
15. Clemson
16. West Virginia
17. Wake Forest
18. Alabama
19. BYU
20. Arizona State
21. Michigan
22. Virginia Tech
23. Illinois
24. Pitt
25. Texas Tech

Others to look out for:
Kansas
South Carolina
Ole Miss
Boston College
Florida State

You Don't Have To Call Me Darlin'...

I'm a fan of all types of different music, but recently I've been on a country kick. Many people do not like country, but I think they're missing out on a passionate, poetic form of music. I don't mean newer, pop-country or these hack-ass, chop-less Nashville bred wannabes, either. I mean, great artists and powerful, painful expression. I did not discover country music until after high school, but I am the better for it and I think there's something in it for everyone. In the joaj34 tradition of lists, I am going to embrace my roots and my playlists and make a list of what I think are the 25 Greatest Country Music Songs of All Time. These will not be my favorites, but what I've judged to be the best ever, ranked from 1-25. Enjoy.

1. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry - Hank Williams
2. He Stopped Loving Her Today - George Jones
3. Crazy - Patsy Cline
4. Mama Tried - Merle Haggard
5. Ring of Fire - Johnny Cash
6. Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies (Grow Up To Be Cowboys) - Willie and Waylon
7. Your Cheating Heart - Hank Williams
8. Coal Miner's Daughter - Loretta Lynn
9. Walk The Line - Johnny Cash
10. Always On My Mind - Willie Nelson
11. Hello Darlin' - Conway Twitty
12. Stand By Your Man - Tammy Wynette
13. Folsom Prison Blues - Johnny Cash
14. Lovesick Blues - Hank Williams
15. Kaw Liga - This is a simple song, but it's been sung by everyone.
16. Pancho and Lefty - WIllie Nelson and Merle Haggard
17. Luckenbach, Texas - Willie and Waylon
18. Me and Bobby McGee - Written by Kris Kristofferson, but famous by Janis Joplin
19. Blue Moon of Kentucky - Bill Monroe
20. Blue Eyes Cryin' In The Rain - Willie Nelson
21. Friends in Low Places - Garth Brooks
22. Okie From Muscogee - Merle Haggard
23. Walkin' After Midnight - Patsy Cline
24. Amarillo By Morning - George Strait
25. House of the Rising Sun - Everyone from Acuff to The Animals

Others considered:

Family Tradition - Hank Williams, Jr.
Delta Dawn - Made famous by Tanya Tucker, sang by many different folks, though
Will the Circle Be Unbroken - Carter Family, among others
Forever and Ever, Amen - Randy Travis
Fall to Pieces - Patsy Cline

The PAC-10's gotten soft...

...no wonder they wanted Utah. The Utes went an average 8-5, but a solid 6-3 in the 'BCS' PAC-10. Half the conference had losing records (Note: USC and Cal were very good). It was embarrassing. Notre Dame thumped Utah pretty good, and they lost to BYU in a bowl rematch of week 2. Other than that, it was a pretty solid season and Journeyman has a lot to build on for next season.

2011 ReCap:
8-5 (6-3 PAC-10)

#8 Notre Dame L 15-29
BYU W 28-24
Oregon W 17-10
#20 Arizona State W 48-23
at #2 USC L 10-35
UCLA W 44-17
at Arizona L 17-21
at Oregon State W 21-14
Washington W 45-29
at Washington St. W 40-24
#19 Cal L 12-42
at Utah St. 38-14

Las Vegas Bowl
BYU L 28-34

It's just (Phelps) against the world...

Honestly, I don't usually care about the Olympics. They're just this thing that's on TV, taking up time and space during the summer when I should be able to watch syndicated sit-com re-runs. And, most people don't honestly care as much about them as they say they do. Everybody has a few sports they want to watch, because they like those sports, but those guys that watch the entire Olympics, like they really care, and then talk about them later (especially when they're guys who never themselves played any sports) are probably just posers. Global sports posers; like the hipsters of international athletics. However, all that anti-Olympiad feeling aside, Michael Phelps is AWESOME!Is there any reason he should be that good? It's ridiculous. He makes the Olympics interesting while at the same time making every other swimmer on the planet look like a complete douche. I don't know who he's raping worse, the competition or the record book. God Bless America.

Side-note: Michael Phelps' middle name is...I swear to God...'Fred.' That's horribly unfortunate. If you don't know who Fred Phelps is, good for you. He's probably one of the worst human beings in America.

Side-side-note: Michael Phelps' father's name is also Fred. That's not who I'm talking about. I'm talking about the angry, rasict, homo-phobic, anti-American, Westboro B.C. guy. Sorry for any confusion.

Conclusion: Michael Phelps is awesome. But, I still don't forgive the Olympics for ruining my summer every four years when I was a kid. I mean, honestly, you were preempting Charles-in-Charge re-runs for Christ's sake. Who does that?

Ahh...such honorable, learn-ed traditions...

Anyone who knows me knows I love history. Anyone who knows me knows that I also love drinking. And, when you mix 'em together? Mm-Mm-Mm good! So, it's only natural that I would be drawn to "Drunken History." Created by Derek Waters and Jeremy Konner, this is some of the funniest shit I've seen in a while. Please, do yourself a favor and check these out. Below I've included the first one, but there are several others. But please, if you're gonna watch, do it responsibly.

See more Michael Cera videos at Funny or Die

Things won't be any easier...

Well, Ace Journeyman passed up an opportunity to coach a PAC-10 team (Oregon State), so the entire, mutha-fuckin' PAC-1o came to him! Tired of all the wannabe Ivy League egg-heads, the wondrous West Coast Conference has booted Stanford and replaced them with...Utah! That's right, folks, the Utes are in a BCS conference. And, the schedule looks TOUGH. Utah inherits Stanford's game with Notre Dame for some reason, and rounds out their non-conf. slate with their Holy War rivals, BYU and Utah State. Everyone else is a real-live, BCS-conference foe. No Div 1-AA (I refuse to use FCS) cup-cakes, no WAC walkthroughs or road trips to 12,00 seat stadiums. We're with the big boys now and I have a feeling we are going to have a rough go of things. On a side note, Journeyman has turned California into a pipeline state for Utah recruiting. That might help. Maybe. Truthfully, Ace still holds out a dream to coach at his alma mater, but the challenge now is to turn Utah into a BCS competitor.

Highs and Lows (or, games aren't played on paper)

Wow! The Utes knocked off two powerful, ranked opponents in back-to-back games. First, the dramatic, last second win vs. #3 BYU and then beating #24 TCU, 31-24. Awesome! But, in the season capper against little ol' Utah State (6-6), Journeyman couldn't get the guys pumped up and Utah lost, embarrassingly, 10-27. So, I guess the Holy War Boot Trophy gets split 3-ways. The Aggies shouldn't have even hung around in the game, but that's what over confidence will do to you. Oh well, at least Utah won the MWC and a bid to the Las Vegas Bowl against #17 Arizona State. The Utes lost a close one to the Devils, 24-27, but Journeyman won Coach of the Year again. He even turned down an interview at Oregon State to stay in Salt Lake City (but, don't expect him here too long if a better program, especially UGA, comes calling).

As always, you can follow Ace's career progress trough the Dynasty Tracker to the right.

2010 Re-Cap:

MWC Champs
Back-to-Back Coach of the Year Honors

Weber State W 65-14
Oregon St. W 37-14
at #20 Kansas St. L 21-27 (OT)
at Air Force W 24-7
Colorado St. W 35-10
at San Diego St. W 23-10
UNLV W 20-7
at Wyoming W 31-16
at New Mexico W 31-21
#3 BYU W 29-28#24
TCU W 31-24
at Utah State L 10-27

Las Vegas Bowl
#17 Arizona State L 24-27

Oh yeah...One last thing tonight:

I never planned to actually post three times today, but the other two posts are already up and I had to say one last thing. Thank you to everyone who was around for my Birthday or sent me some type of greetings or good wishes. I really have awesome friends...and bartenders. I got taken to Aqua Linda and Porterhouse, and poolboy and the gang made sure I had two great nights out. Jinx and LP got me the USA Today College Football Encyclopedia and The Moviegoer gave me something with which to hone my Bulldog-ology skills. Thanks again to everybody!

HOLY WAR!!!

Ace Journeyman just won the most dramatic victory of his short career, leading Utah to a last second, come-from-behind, 29-28 victory over 3rd ranked BYU. In the three-way, in-state rivalry between Utah, Utah State and BYU, known as the Holy War, Journeyman's Utes have the edge heading down the stretch to the season ending game with State. The most powerful aspect of the game, though, was knocking off such a highly ranked team. The Cougars, ranked third in both polls, are the highest ranked oppnents Journeyman has faced. Down 28-23 with 27 seconds left and the ball on their won 3, Utah looked hopelessly defeated. However, QB Mark Lamb led a 4-play, 97 yard scoring drive to seal the win with 4 seconds left. The Utes still have #24 TCU left before they face the Aggies in the final installment of the 2010 Holy War. While still not ranked, Utah, 9-1 (7-0 MWC) is turning some heads nationally, and many Ute fans are worried that Journeyman could indeed be gone after one season here, lured on to an even bigger, more prestigious program.

Well, this could change thigs a bit...

Starting Georgia left tackle Trinton Sturdivant is out for the season. We really needed him. He started every game last season as a freshman and probably graded out as our best offensive lineman. Not to mention he was our LT, protecting Stafford's blind side. Now that Sturdiavant's gone, we only return two starters to the O-line and, my god, we really need them to stay healthy. So, FB Southerland's out for half the season and Sturdivant's gone all year. Bummer. Most fans might not know those two guys, but they were essential to the offense. People who don't really understand football might not get it, but losing a left tackle can destroy a season. So, we'll shuffle some folks around and hopefully find a worthy replacement. Throw in all the stupidity and suspensions, and this off season is kicking our ass. So, now UGA sits at number one in the coaches poll, but with all the personnel loss, they probably don't deserve it. Whether you want to admit it or not, this really does change things. Christ, summers can be brutal. The Bulldogs were apparently invaded by Russia recently, as well. We can't catch a break.

Moving on: Things like this only reaffirm that preseason polls are nigh on pointless, but I love 'em. So, stay tuned for my reconsidered, re-done, touched-up, and topped off top-25 preseason poll. There are some new entries and some shifting positions and probably a new number one. Maybe. We'll see. I think UGA will still be a top-5 team, but the recent laughing stock and butt of all BCS jokes (Ohio State, uggh) might actually get my no. 1 nod.

In case you forgot, here's my original top-25.

Another (revised) Look at the NFL

Well, there has been a shake-up of sorts in the NFL recently, and that got me rethinking my initial thoughts on what the top teams are heading into the 2008 season. If Favre had returned to Green Bay, I would have put them on the list, probably around five or six. However, he went to the Jets and I do not think they are top-10 material, even with the new, dramatic addition. The Packers, however, might still be top-10 caliber even without the old gunslinger at the helm. I also think I initially had the Eagles too high, put a lot of faith in the Saints and just kind of ignored the Vikings.

So, here’s a new list for the beginning of pre-season ball:

1. New England Patriots
No change here.

2. Indianapolis Colts
Peyton Manning will be the greatest QB of all time when he’s done in the NFL.

3. Dallas Cowboys
My pick to rep the NFC in the Super Bowl.

4. San Diego Chargers
I really hope I can get Ladanian in my fantasy draft…

5. New York Giants
Good luck with the Cowboys.

6. Jacksonville Jaguars
A good team, but it’ll be hard to knock off the Colts in Indy.

7. Pittsburgh Steelers
Division champs and always dangerous in the post season.

8. Seattle Seahawks
I wonder if they’ll actually be as good as their record will indicate?

9. Minnesota Vikings
Favre won’t be a problem when the Vikes play Green Bay anymore and there’s enough talent here to advance in the playoffs.

10. New Orleans Saints
I’m keeping them in it! But, the Eagles or Browns could take this spot just as easily.

I’m still keeping my Falcons in last place, but they’ll be challenged in futility by the recently gutted Dolphins. Oh yeah, Oakland will be pretty awful, too.

I would also like to clear up what I said about Cleveland in the earlier post. I think the Browns will be very improved and have a great deal of talent. I just do not think they will win their division and with the rest of their daunting schedule, they might not even make the playoffs (even though I have them picked to get the wild card over the Jets). So, while they might be a top-12 team, they will not be able to do much with it and a 10-6 record will not really be a surprise. I still think the 49’ers will be much improved, maybe like eight wins or so. I know that’s a shaky limb, but…

Here’s how it’ll shake out:

NFC East: Dallas
NY Giants – Wild Card
NFC North: Minnesota
Green Bay – Wild Card
NFC South: New Orleans
NFC West: Seattle

AFC East: New England
AFC North: Pittsburgh
Cleveland – Wild Card
AFC South: Indianapolis
Jacksonville – Wild Card
AFC West: San Diego

Idaho wins...and loses.

Well, the Idaho Vandals enjoyed their trip to Hawaii, winning their bowl game by thumping the Rice Owls, 48-7. However, fans had not celebrated very long when it was announced that coach Ace Journeyman would be moving on to the University of Utah. Journeyman accepted the deal over similar offers from Boise State, Hawaii, and Wake Forest. There were also rumors of interest from Notre Dame, Missouri and Michigan. The interest to coach a big time program, maybe even his alma mater, Georgia, is undeniable, but for right now, the reigning Coach of the Year is happy in Salt Lake City. In his debut as head coach, Journeyman's Utah Utes downed FCS opponent Weber State, 65-14.

2009 Results: 11-2 (7-1)
WAC Title
National Coach of the Year
at USC L 10-35
E. Washington W 66-10
Hawai'i L 35-42
Utah St. W 35-10
North Texas W 31-28
at Nevada W 14-13
at UCLA W 41-34
Fresno St. W 20-3
at New Mex. St. W 38-28
LA Tech W 35-13
at Boise St. W 41-7
at San Jose St. W 30-13

Hawaii Bowl
vs. Rice W 48-7

Blue Turf Blowout (or, the WAC-ness)

Well, the 2009 season wound up on a high note for the Idaho Vandals. Ace Journeyman led his team to a 10-2 record and a WAC championship on his way to earning Coach of the Year honors. The Vandals also received an invitation to play Rice in the Hawaii Bowl. The team goals of winning the WAC and playing in a bowl have been met, and as a perk, the Vandals won their in-state rivalry in blowout fashion, thumping the Boise State Broncos on their blue turf, 41-7. Rumor has it that bigger schools are interested in Journeyman, but right now, coach and team are focused on the bowl game.

Alright, Youtube viewers...

I am addicted to Kige Ramsey videos. He seriously needs his own television show. He's charismatic, insightful, enunciate and a master of the dramatic pause. I think the world is a little brighter because of the work Kige does. He's worthy of an anchor spot on ESPN, but his work transcends the world of sports alone. I highly recommend his back to school tips for any student returning to the classroom. And, for any college co-eds planning spring break, he has a highly informative video for you, too. Please, do yourself a favor and check him out on youtube, he just might change your life.

Finally...knocking off a big boy!

Well, the Vandals have seen it all this year; both ends of blowouts, offensive shootouts, heartbreak losses and defensive wins. And now, finally, they get to relish a win over a BCS foe. Sure, UCLA was down this year (0-5), but they're still UCLA and Idaho's still a traditional WAC cellar-dweller. It wasn't easy. The Bruins jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the first, but the Vandals owned the second to go to the the break up 20-17. It was a shootout through the second half, but Idaho scored last to go up 41-34 with seconds left. A pick secured the win and now Coach Ace Journeyman has some real success to build off of. The Vandals sit at 5-2 overall, 2-1 in the WAC, with a showdown against Fresno State looming this week for first in the conference. The season-goal of winning the WAC is pretty far away, but a bowl bid is closer than ever.