Thursday, November 11, 2004

A Look Back At My NCAA Pigskin Picks

I’ve taken a gander at my NFL PREVIEW and posted my hits and misses. Now, on to my “Elite Eight” preseason College Football picks that seemed controversial at the time. Here we go.

1-USC TROJANS.    2--OKLAHOMA SOONERS. These two schools are sitting right there at #1 and #2.…though Oklahoma has had some scares of late. Those big games I mentioned, the Sooners all won. And that Leinart + Bush combo does seem to be a nice combo, don’t ya think???

3-GEORGIA BULLDOGS. Currently, Georgia is ranked #5 with their lone defeat coming at the hands of Tennessee. Despite that close loss…I still like the Dawgs to win the whole thing….but they need one of the top teams to get knocked off. BIG game against Auburn this week.

4-MIAMI HURRICANES. . Two weeks ago….I’d be sitting pretty here. Then, Miami has lost to North Carolina and AT HOME to Clemson in back-to-back weeks. This week, they have to go to Virginia. So much for “cruising thru the ACC”.

5-LSU TIGERS. LSU got off to a rocky start…but are 6-2 and sitting at a #15 ranking. Their final two games are winnable.

6-FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLESMan, those Noles. They lose to Miami….then on the same weekend Miami loses for the first time…they get tripped up by the Terps. That key, Chris Rix, is now on the outside looking in.

7-TEXAS LONGHORNS Well, Texas’ only loss was to the Sooners…and they were shut out no less. Currently ranked, um, #7.

8-FLORIDA GATORS My stretch pick hasn’t worked out. Zook’s hot seat has smoldered and the program seems to be in a state of flux.

So….there ya go. A breakdown of my picks. Oh, yeah….I did say that they were “controversial” didn’t I?? That’s because I got a nice pack of detractors that chimed in with their takes. So, let me look at their takes and see if they did any better [and, mind you, not on such a wide scale].

Rutgers will finish with one loss and finish in the top ten!!!!
Comment from
petria7 - 9/6/04 9:33 AM

Wow…..great pick there.

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I have seen like alot of other people, that you have no Big 10 teams in your list, instead you have teams like Miami, FSU, Texas(where on earth do you get them in the top ten?!?!), and Florida?!?!. 4 teams that didn't make it too the Big game last year, Miami is the closest to that, and they are very overrated by EVERYBODY. FSU doesn't have a Quarterback, Texas hasn't ever beaten the Sooners in the past couple of years(in fact i think they were blown out last year). They also dont play well enough to be that good. And Florida? You've got to be kidding me, what were they 8-5 last year? The days of Florida domminence are gone, with the loss of Miami's Seniors over the past two years, the loss of Steve S. from Florida, and the fact that FSU got beat by CLEMSON last year, kinda shows that. I'll give you a top 10 that's more like this:

1. University of Southern Cal
2. University of Georgia
3. Oklahoma
4. (tie) University of Michigan
(tie) The Ohio State University
6. LSU
7. University of Miami(OH)
8. University of Miami(FL)
9. West Virginia
10. Purdue
Comment from
billymoon1 - 9/6/04 9:09 AM

I will say this…I was really down on the Big Ten….and I think it is justified. Yeah, Wisconsin [the team MANY people here slept on] seems to be legit. But I don’t like Michigan…people who picked Ohio State are just as guilt as me in picking Florida for bad judgement. So is having Miami-OH up there. Purdue has fallen off a cliff.

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Florida and LSU will not/should not be "elite". This may be a sleeper year--like Fresno State type. Not having a Big Ten Team is nuts--Michigan, Ohio State, Purdue have great defensive athletes, with Purdue having a very experienced QB.
Comment from
billykopf - 9/6/04 8:15 AM

You turned out to be correct. Florida nor LSU are “elite”….but they are pretty, alright. Again…I may be nuts for not having a Big Ten team…but none of the teams you mentioned are in the top 8 either.

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you need to drink more of what you have been drinking, the big ten should have two teams in what you call the top 8.
you had to be drunk when you watched games this week end or what we all think is true, that you really don't have an idea of what you are saying.
Comment from
pete101945 - 9/6/04 4:46 AM

Aside from Florida….all the teams I picked are doing quite well.

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Texas???..........like you said Texas needs to win the BIG game.......last one they won was in 1970...... replace Texas with say a long shot........West Virginia...
Comment from
wcincyreds57 - 9/5/04 10:38 PM

West Virginia is a good long shot….especially with their easy schedule [only one ranked opponent]. But, despite people’s hatred for Texas…there are still in the hunt for a BCS bid.

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Keep your eyes on Washington State... Their identity as an offensively strong team that fights with bare fists to the bitter end is already solitified... The shear size and ability of Swogger alone is making this Alumni looking for top 10 ratings...(and a beer)
Comment from
wherestjohnson - 9/5/04 10:37 PM

The Cougars are 4-5 and are in the lower tier of the Pac-10.

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What about the Wolverines? They got to be in the top 8. I know they have a young QB but they still have to be there.
Comment from
kemfam1 - 9/5/04 10:02 PM

With two games left…they could be a Top 8 team. They still have to go to Ohio State, and despite their sub-par season….can beat the Wolverines.

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I see the Buckeyes.....are not noted in the mix.....ya gotta love it....
It's a CANE thing!!!!
Comment from
miamidolfan1972 - 9/5/04 7:47 PM

I agree with you here….until my Tar Heels surprisingly beat your Canes. Miami’s defense is a big problem. They could, feasibly lose to more games this season [Virginia and V-tech].

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Please would everyone quit picking schools from the big 12. They lost just about every bowl game they played last year. Okalohoma plays a patsy schedule Nebraska and colorodo are not near as good as they used to be And K State struggled against E. Kentucky. My bet is someone from the SEC will emerge to play Usc for the title game. Also winner of Fla state Miami game could have a sayat the end of the year. The big 12 conference winner no matter who it is should be banned from title game for lack of a schedule outside of their conference.
Comment from
sus86310 - 9/5/04 7:44 PM

The Big XII North is completely horrible. IOWA STATE is leading!!!!! That’s right…a possible Iowa State-Oklahoma Big XII title game!!!! But, Oklahoma and Texas are right there in the top 8...with Texas Tech playing quite well [2 of their 3 losses were against OU and UT].

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Most of you are right. The Big Ten (11) rarely gets the respect they deserve. Anyone following college football in recent years would see Ohio State and Michigan in this "top 8" group. GO BUCKS!!!
Comment from
holtcd - 9/5/04 1:31 PM

Nope….and, like I said…no one mentions Wisconsin.

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LSU is not the team it was last year.....as we saw this past Saturday....Oregon State is again a "spoiler team".....and will hurt many other bowl bound teams.... of course the PAC10 was again ignored....except for USC......the top two teams in the PAC10, USC and OREGON will battle for the ROSE BOWL....but unfortuantely, they do not play each other this year......
Comment from
uniburg - 9/5/04 1:18 PM

Cal and Arizona State have had nice seasons in the Pac-10. People tend to forget about them. Oregon isn’t going to threaten the Rose Bowl bid.

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You can tell who ever did this has no football sence what so ever, where is MICHIGAN, Washington, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Iowa, Why do you guys keep picking all those Florida teams? Just so you can look like IDIOTS at the end of the year. MICHIGAN just man handled a team that had a 14 game,(the longest) win streak in the nation. AHHH DUHH!!! You will see..........................................
Comment from
vladi97169 - 9/5/04 11:51 AM

Alas….someonesaid Wisconsin! But, they also said Michigan manhandled a team that won 14 games in a row last year. Yeah, and the QB that won those games is currently winning in the NFL for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Also…let’s look at another team on that list….WASHINGTON!?!?!! The Huskies are 1-8 [0-6 in the Pac-10] and were beaten by Arizona. And you have the NERVE to call people “idiots”????????????????

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Where are all of you Big Ten Teams? The Big Ten is just as strong as ever and several teams should be up in that mix including Ohio State, Michigan, and Iowa. Ohio State may have lost some players on both sides of the ball but it looks as if they are going to be just as strong as before. Ohio State all the way!
Comment from
dnlserafini - 9/5/04 10:31 AM

Now, the Big Ten is “strong“….not great. Wisconsin has two tough road games…and if they win them they are, at least, in the Rose Bowl [possibly the Orange Bowl].

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you forgot the best team in the big 10 and that would be MICHIGAN, very very good football team on both sides of the ball. they have very good quarterbacks (3) all who can start, great recievers, great defence, the running game needs a little work, but still solid. MICHIGAN can beat anybody in the nation. GOOOOO BLUEEEEE. tbear329
Comment from
tbear329 - 9/5/04 9:09 AM

I did forget the best team in the Big 10.….Wisconsin.

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USC has only only two games that might pose a problem, Cal and UCLA. Cal is a good team that gives them fits every year. UCLA is just an unpredictable game. Not having Mike Williams and Keary Kolbert is bad for Matt Leinart. Reggie Bush is a great player, but you can't rest your offense on a two player combo. LenDale White is the X factor on that offense. With Norm Chow leading the offense and Pete Carroll leading the defense, there isn't a coach out there that will out coach those two this season. Great season for the Trojans,a national championship well within there grasp, especially with there mediocre schedule. Also, Michigan is so much better than Florida. Florida teams get too much credit. The Gators are overrated every year. Michigan gets no respect, yet still wins. Michigan needs to be on the list, higher than Florida, higher than FSU!
Comment from
teufel314 - 9/5/04 7:36 AM

UCLA will be a tough game…but I think USC will beat them and get to the Orange Bowl.

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The Oklahoma Sooners are back and better than ever. Jason White is healthy again (was badly hurt in last two games of last year), is now able to play without last years knee braces. Can you believe in winning the Heisman last year he threw for 4,000 yards, 40 TD's and only 10 INT's with braces on both legs? OU's running game is back (pulled a Bush and went AWOL last year), as well as a tight end receiver corps. Should Jason go down, OU has 3 excellent QB's backing him up. Running back position is also loaded with Jones, Adrian Peterson, and Wolfe (last years #1 and #4 national recruits) White passed for 238 yards today, 21 of 31, 3 TD's and probably had 5 passes dropped that were perfect. Jones ran for 158 yards, and Peterson 100 in his debut against a very good Bowling Green team which won 11 games last season, beat Purdue and Northwestern, should have beaten Ohio State, and returned 19 starters. Look for OU in Miami against weak scheduled Southern Cal, or maybe Florida State in a 4th rematch.
Comment from
kmacg125 - 9/5/04 3:30 AM

Great breakdown.

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GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GATORS!!!! GOOD PICK
Comment from
jggonz1 - 9/5/04 1:19 AM

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO it wasn’t.

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MICHIGAN WILL PLAY USC THIS YEAR IN THE ROSE BOWL OR EITHER OF THE TWO WILL BE NATIONAL CHAMPION.
Comment from
crflame13 - 9/5/04 1:15 AM

Michigan may play in the Rose Bowl….as Wisconsin plays USC in the Orange Bowl.

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You, as all others (so, dont feel bad) have overlooked, once again, the BUCKEYES. That is all that is needed to be said. Time will prove you, like the many others in the past, that the BUCKEYES are contenders for the Top 5, if not the Top 1. Dont underestimate a BUCKEYE! Don't you read History books???
Comment from
cleavengerh - 9/4/04 11:41 PM

You should have stopped at “that is all that is needed to be said”. The BUCKEYES are NOT contenders for the Top 5. Maybe the Top 5 of the Big Ten.

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Where did you get your alleged knowledge of football??? From listen to Terry Bow-Down on TV or reading the releases from these schools' SIDs.

Come on...show a little moxie and don't stick with the obvious choices...and thank God you didn't throw ND into the mix.
Comment from
mariner410 - 9/4/04 9:34 PM

Yeah….thank God I didn‘t throw Notre Dame in there…since they‘ve beaten the Almighty Michigan that everyone here has chimed on about. They also beat Tennessee in Knoxville and could sneak up a give USC a run for their money.

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A common denominator in top ranked teams is DE-FENCE....Ohio State is a young, hungry team with super athletes on D....looks like a repeat of 2002 and another national championship
Comment from
swadbuckeye45 - 9/4/04 5:47 PM

Or not.

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You know nothing about college football. You give no respect to LSU but all kinds of respect to weak teams like USC and Miami(Fl). They play in weaker conferences and you talk like it is the second coming. Be a little more objective. LSU is the NATIONAL CHAMPIONS.
Comment from
airjockie - 9/4/04 2:47 PM

I now know your opinion is useless. I gave LSU respect….more than it deserved, it seems. USC gets respect because they do play a lesser schedule. See, things like that factor when you talk about getting to these high rankings. And the closer, LSU WAS the National Champions.

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Obviously you dont know too much about college football! Michigan is a top 5 team, and with the light schedule this year, except for minor potential stumbling blocks against Purdue, Iowa, and Ohio St. they are a Orange Bowl lock!
Comment from
tballard05 - 9/4/04 10:54 AM

This is hilarious. Michigan has a “light schedule”??? They’ve played Miami-OH, Notre Dame, Iowa, Minnesota, Purdue and have Ohio State left. All those teams could/should be in a bowl game. Granted, none will be in a bowl game that matters. I’m putting my money on that Ohio State/Orange Bowl lock.

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Looks like the same typical stuff that all the other sports fans put out. Of course this list excluded any team from the Big 10, but again, nothing new. Georgia will end up losing 3 games this year though.
Comment from
darby2v - 9/4/04 10:25 AM

Possibly. They’ve lost one already…and have a tough one this week. Then, they could lose in the SEC title game or a prominent bowl game. There are your three losses.

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Not bad but a joke when Michigan is not in the top 8. A power program that no matter who they lose...reloads and still wins. Florida in not even in same class with Michigan this year. Nice try!!
Comment from
mreal9504 - 9/4/04 8:42 AM

Florida isn‘t in Michigan‘s class. And right now, Michigan isn‘t in the Top 8‘s class.

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Where is Ohio Sate Buckeyes?
Comment from
dizantboi - 9/4/04 3:47 AM

Exactly.

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