Cal-USC Preview

USC defeated Cal last season, and has won four straight in the series since a loss at Berkley in 2003. The Trojans have also won 42 of their last 43 games at their home, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Every year it seems that that USC-Cal matchup is over hyped as USC has been dominant lately and should again reign supreme this year. The Trojans have, besides their nationally televised upset loss at Oregon State, played like a national title contender this season. Before getting caught up in any national title hype, though, it needs to first win the Pac-10 outright.

The Trojans, who are ranked 7th in the country look to win their sixth straight game on Saturday when they host No. 21. USC. Troy has won a share of the last six Pac-10 titles, and owns a half-game lead of the Pac-10 over the Golden Bears and Oregon State. The Beavers upset the then No. 1 Trojans 27-21 on Sept. 25, and USC has been taking out its frustration from that loss on each foe ever since. In last Saturday's 56-0 win over Washington, USC had 18 first downs and 325 yards of total offense in the first half, compared to two first downs and 35 yards for the Huskies. That is what you call complete domination.

With the victory, the Trojans improved to 24-0 in November games since Pete Carroll was hired as coach in 2001. The Bears have won four of five, and are coming off a win over Oregon last week. Nate Longshore passed for 136 yards and a touchdown in place of Kevin Riley, who suffered a concussion on a vicious hit late in the first quarter. California coach Jeff Tedford said Riley might be healthy enough to play this week, but has yet to name a starter. Longshore started for the Bears in 2006 and 2007 and has two career starts against the Trojans, as both were losses.

Carroll's defense is tops in the NCAA in total defense (211 yards per game), scoring defense (7.1 points per game) and opponent passer rating (82.3). This is the type of defense that should not be bet against under any circumstances. Furthermore, Cal has a history of not showing up against USC, in their annual clash in recent memory. Cal has a good mixture of talent and any offense coached by Jeff Tedford has a chance to win a game. However, look for the superior talent and speed of the USC defense to dominate this game and continue USC’s attempt to crash the BCS party. Trojans 48 Cal 27

Thanks, Claudious Minimus

BCS Ouija Board

The BCS mayhem that unfolds every year is upon America once again. Seemingly every year, in this crazy system that we call the BCS, there is more controversy that Dwight K. Schrute at a Battle Star Galactaca convention. Here is a simple rundown of how the teams left with a legitimate shot can get to the national title game and what has to happen to make it to the Orange Bowl on January 8, 2009.

Alabama is currently ranked number one in all national polls and the BCS ratings. Their road to Miami is simple win out and they are in. The major tests left for the Crimson Tide are this week's game at LSU, and the Iron Bowl on November 29 with Auburn, a team they have not beaten since 2001. If Nick Saban and the Tide can win both of these games, they would face arguably the hottest team in the nation Florida led by speed merchants Jeff Demps and Percy Harvin. The bottom line is Alabama has beat all comers this year and play better on the road than they do at home, however their biggest tests are yet to come. Auburn is less of a threat in a down year for the Tigers, but it is one of the biggest rivalries in the country and Tommy Tubberville could solidify his job position with a victory over the Tide. Six Mag gives the Tide a 75% chance to reach the title game based on their great ground game and stiff defense.

Texas Tech fresh off an upset of, the former # 1 ranked team Texas, is primed and ready to make a run at the school's first national title. What stands in the way of the pass-happy Techsters is a rugged season ending schedule. The Crabtrees' face Oklahoma State on the 8th and then get a bye week before heading to Norman to face the always good Sooners who have national title hopes as well. Afterwards they face a dangerous Baylor team that is playing as good as they have since their glory days in the 80's. Afterwards if they win those contests, they would most likely face Missouri for the Big 12 title and Missouri would love nothing more than to ruin the hopes of a team looking for its first at a national title ever. Tech has a chance behind their smooth field general, quarterback Graham Harrell, and All-Milky Way wide receiver Michael Crabtree. The key to Tech having a chance to reach the title game involves the critical bye week between facing both powers from Oklahoma. If they beat the Cowboys, they have two weeks to try to configure a plan to beat Oklahoma in Norman a feat that has only happened twice this century. Six Mag is giving Tech 45% chance to make the title game and the bye week gives Mike Leach the perfect situation to beat the odds and make it to Miami in January.

Penn State is sitting pretty in the polls but really, in my opinion, need both Alabama and Texas Tech to slip up in order to make it to the Orange Bowl. Historically, Penn State has had trouble making it to the championship game with undefeated teams. Does 1994 ring a bell? It has become clear that the Big Ten cannot compete with the talent from the other major conferences. The Big Ten is viewed publically as a slow weak conference and Ohio State's recent failure in big games only bolsters this perception, which has a direct impact when voters decide the top 25 (rankings). Furthermore, with its weak schedule, Penn State is likely to get jumped by a one loss SEC team such as Florida or even potential one loss contender from the Big 12 such as Texas. It all depends on how the last few games of the season shake out. If Penn State is the only undefeated team in the nation at the end of the season, it will be hard to argue that they don’t deserve a shot but the peripheral issues that surround the Big Ten and BCS may leave the Lions out in the Cold come January. Penn State faces no real tests before the end of the season, the only real threats are Iowa, which is surging as of late, and a tough nosed Michigan State team. Penn State losing either game would be a monumental upset. Six mag gives the Paterno's a 50/50 shot at making it to Miami.

Texas road to the BCS is a little more complicated. There is a very real possibility that if a Big 12 team represents their conference in the national title game, they could not be conference champions, similar to Nebraska in the Rose Bowl in January 2002. Texas could reach the championship by being the Big 12 conference champion, this means that Tech would have to lose twice and the Longhorns would run the table to beat Missouri again and possibly, depending who loses ahead of them or falls behind them, make it to Miami. This is the most realistic shot for the Longhorns as the Big 12 championship would give them another game for fans to see and boost their BCS rating. If Tech runs the table, they are in the championship game. However, if Tech was to lose the Big 12 title game to Missouri and Florida tops Alabama in the Sec Championship game, there is a chance the Horns could slip into the back jumping Penn State to make it to Miami. These are all long shot scenarios but Texas is still very much in the thick of things regarding the National Championship race. Give the horns a 40% chance to reach salvation

Florida is without a doubt the hottest team in the country. They have been swashbuckling a path of terror not seen in SEC country since Sherman's March. Florida's average margin of victory since the September loss to Ole Miss is 42 points against good competition. LSU was #4 and Georgia #6 when they played and the Gators beat them both by 30 plus points. Florida is still very much in control of their national title hopes. They are the hottest team in the country and still face a very good Florida State team and the winner from the SEC West, which is presumably Alabama. It is safe to say if Florida wins out they will be hard to keep out of the BCS championship picture. Furthermore, if Texas Tech falters, then the Gators have a really good chance of jumping the teams ahead of them and possibly winning their second National Title in three years. The key here is if Florida keeps blasting the competition, as they have been doing, expect them to make up enough ground to make the short trip from Gainesville to Miami. Here is where the margin of victory is supposedly not taken into account but is the main reason the Gators have such a good chance to finish in the top two in the BCS after what looked like a disastrous loss to Mississippi earlier in the year.

Oklahoma really is playing a waiting game in how the BCS plays out. Even though the Sooners have only lost one game, losing a late lead to Texas, they really are one of the more disadvantaged teams left as a legitimate contender to make it to Pro Player Stadium on the 8th. Oklahoma needs to beat Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, and Texas A&M to reach the title game. Texas A&M from time to time gives OU fits and even though the Aggies are down this year they have a good quarterback in Jerrod Johnson and decent talent around him. Oklahoma does not need to overlook this week's game if they are to have any chance. Oklahoma could find its way to Miami if Texas loses again and it would really help the Sooners if Florida lost in the regular season and beat Alabama in the SEC Championship game. Moreover, all this would have to happen with OU running the table and winning their conference championship game themselves. OU still has a chance but are going to need a lot of help from others in order to stamp its ticket to Miami. The Sooner's have about a 25% chance to reach the Orange Bowl.

USC is once again the victim to an unforeseen loss to a Pac-10 opponent, Oregon State, which was the case last year for the Trojans as well (Stanford). Besides these random losses to the bottom tier of the Pac-10, nobody else has touched the Trojans in recent years. Their biggest obstacle is themselves. This year, however, it would take a small miracle for the Trojans to make it to the big game. The Pac-10 is down this year, and this has left the perception across the nation that USC is the proverbial "Big Fish in a Small Pond." Furthermore, the one team to beat the Trojans, Oregon State, was pummeled 45-14 by Penn State just two weeks prior to upsetting USC. Based on this clear head-to-head comparison, I don't think the voters would give USC a shot over any other one-loss team in the country. Pete Carroll has been defensive about this recently calling for a change to the system. The truth is why does any team with one loss deserve to be shut out of the championship game? Especially a team with the experience and pedigree that USC has? If there was a playoff system in place, nobody and I repeat nobody would want USC on their side of the bracket! With the current system, if USC somehow made it to the championship game it would be a miracle. The Trojans could make the trip to Miami but only under the slimmest of margins Six Mag is giving Troy a 5% chance to play for all the marbles.

It is going to be very entertaining to see how the BCS turns out this year. There are a myriad of scenarios that could or could not play themselves out. The only thing for sure is that the game is going to be played on Jan. 8. No team mentioned in this article should count their eggs before they have hatched, sit back and relax and see if the BCS can once again give everyone in the country a reason to wonder what a playoff would be like.

Sincerely, Call My Secretary Clayborne

Opppppsss Pow Suprise: Big Hits in College Football 2008

Here are some of the most vicious hits that have happened this year in college football. Enjoy

Raiders Suck, Falcons Aren't the "Real Deal"....Yet

You don’t need to look any further than this past Sunday to know that the Raiders have been nothing short abysmal this season. Oakland went off for all of 77 yards of offense while getting blanked by the Falcons. The Raiders are last in the league, or close to it, in points per game (32nd), passing yards per game (29th) and overall yards per game (31st). You’d like to hang a lot of that on the quarterback, but that wouldn’t paint the whole picture for the problems the Raiders are having.

We all know JaMarcus Russell’s been greatly compensated with the physical tools needed to be a stud in the league, and that he hasn’t yet developed into the type of player most thought he would. But it’s not totally his fault. They also have a lot of guys who should be able to get it done at the skill positions. You could blame the O-line that’s played like a sieve, the trio of talented backs that are underachieving (also pointing back to the O-line), or a defense that can’t finish. But the real blame needs to be hoisted on the shoulders of owner/tyrant Al Davis.

In all his infinite football wisdom, Al Davis has succeeded only at destroying his organization. His absolute power approach to ownership may have worked in the day, but this isn’t the day. Effectively what’s happened is Davis has allowed the rest of the league to pass him by while he’s just been working on the strength of his iron grip. It’s no secret that as an organization the Raiders are light years behind others like the Colts and the Pats, but at least early in the season the Raiders looked competitive under Lane Kiffin. Davis can’t keep the coaching carousel spinning and expect to become a legitimate playoff contender. It’s also not the 70’s, and he may have to reach a little deeper into the pockets of his big boy pants to help produce a team worth watching, because right now the Raiders wouldn’t even look decent in the Canadian league.

In short, if the Raiders can’t shore up things in the front office it’s going to be pretty difficult for things on the field to fall into order. Don’t expect miracles anytime soon, as you know Oakland really has become a ‘black hole’.

On the flip, the Falcons are another team that’s been less than good (since the Michael Vick debacle), but are starting to turn it around. A lot of it has to do with getting some stability back in the organization with an experienced head coach in Mike Smith, but it also has to do with a great first-round pick this past draft in quarterback Matt Ryan out of Boston College. Would I call the Falcons the ‘real deal’? Not yet. Their offense has blossomed a bit under the first year QB, and they’ve seen the emergence of a few playmakers (other than Roddy White) in Jerious Norwood and Michael Turner. They’ve also been able to win a couple games against a few decent teams, but most of the Falcons wins have come against the NFL’s basement squads.

Also, while Ryan has been a pleasant surprise, his numbers are far from those of league leaders at his position. Actually, Ryan ranks 19th currently among NFL QBs. While Ryan will progress with time, it’s the rest of the team that leaves me reluctant to give them the ‘seal of approval’ just yet. While Norwood, Turner and White have stepped up nicely in the A, it’s going to take more than one good season together for me to be convinced. The Falcons will also need to work on a defense that’s currently giving up almost 330 yards per game, and ranks in the middle of the league. If they can build on the current campaign, they should be able to put the Vick era in the past and become a serious contender again in the NFC.

Peace,

J-Dix
True Frosh sub 4.4

Pac 10 and Big 10, Come to this Century

Okay before I sound like an idiot and rip both of the conferences for not having a conference playoff, I did a little research and found out it is an NCAA rule that a conference must have 12 teams. Pac -10 has ten teams and the Big 10 has eleven teams. Big 10 really needs to scoop up Notre Dame to make it 12 teams so they can have a playoff.

The Pac-10 does a nice job I guess, with their round robin system, but if you have a 3-way tie at the top there will be hell to pay to those left out.

I was going to go on a huge rant about how these conferences are stupid and need to give up the Rose Bowl tradition if that is keeping them from having conference championships, but its not.

Who does the blame go to? The NCAA, they are more sleazy than oil men. I have yet to go on my NCAA sports rant of how it truly is modern slavery in its most sophisticated form. We are gonna leave that conversation to December, when the BCS chaos is at its highest and players are getting dumped left and right from teams for academic issues. 'Til then....see you when I see you.

Peace,

Ricky Writer

OK State vs Texas Tech Preview

Texas Tech has to have the best fusion leap(vertical and long jump combined) of any team in the nation. A home victory catapulted them from 7th in the BCS to 2nd. Wow. What do you do for an encore? You welcome the Oklahoma State Cowboys to Lubbock this weekend.

Unless you have been living under a rock, OK State is good, scary good. They exposed Mizzou for who they really are, and have shattered that teams' confidence for the rest of the year. They gave UT all they could handle in Austin, and should have won that game had it not been for a stupid middle screen on 4th down call. They have baby Crabtree in Dez Bryant and Zac Robinson is proving Mike Gundy to be a genius in going with Robinson over the highly hyped Bobby Reid last year.

Tech isn't too shabby themselves. We all know Tech can sling it and put up points with even your mom at quarterback. But these Red Raiders have a defense and running game. A defense that held Colt McCooy to 59% completions when he came in the game with 82% completion rate. Their run defense is 10th nationally 0nly allowing 98 yards per game.

OSU's rush offense ranks 5th nationally with 274 yards per game. The battle will be won in the trenches, and I give the edge to Tech's humongous offensive line and fiery defensive line. Dez Bryant will impress again and outshine Crabtree. But Graham Harrell will all but seal his bid to the Downtown Athletic Club in New York City by leading his team to victory. 38-24.

Alabama vs LSU Preview

Stats do not matter. No really, stats do not matter in this game. Only the facts. Saban coached at LSU and led them to a championship, only to make an abrupt departure to the Miami Dolphins for one year and then return to college football. Tiger fans didn't appreciate that from Saban. They moved on quite nicely by hiring former OSU Cowboy head coach Les Miles and three years later, winning a championship last year with Miles.

Saban is doing his thing in Bama, and is two years ahead of schedule having his team #1 in the BCS. Bama defeated an over-hyped Clemson team at the beginning of the year as well as a not as good as advertised Georgia team. Is Bama feeling themselves? Probably not with Saban at the helm, but as the "Rock" used to say, "It doesn't matter what you name is!"

Bottom line is this, Les Miles is a hell of a coach. If he was in Ann Arbor right now, Michigan's bowl streak would be continuing point blank. Ask Bob Stoops how good Miles is. Miles gave Stoops hell in the Big 12 South with the OSU Cowboys. He defeated Bob Stoops top 5 ranked Sooners two years in a row with far lesser talent. It was always said, what in the world would Miles do once he got blue chip talent. Well, he won a national title in 3 seasons recruting out of the blue chip friendly LSU.

Les Miles with talent versus Nick Saban with Young Jedi's who aren't quite there yet? I'll take LSU in a defensive struggle 10-7. Tiger Bait!

Peace,

Rajean Pierre Louis

BCS Busters Showdown

TCU and Utah meet this Thursday on the Utes home field in a meeting that will likely decide which team will get an at large bid into a BCS game in January.

TCU is 9-1 overall and 6-0 in conference play. The only blemish coming a top 5 ranked Oklahoma team early in the season. Since then the Horned Frogs have five straight games including a romping of then #8 ranked BYU. The Frogs will be looking for revenge since they last year's meeting with the Utes and a BCS berth is on the line.

The Utes are off to their best start since 2004 when they got their first BCS berth and didn't dissappoint with a defeat of then Big East Champion, Pittsburgh. Utah has won four of the last five meetings against the Horned Frogs and will use that mental edge to win on Thursday.

TCU ranks third in the nation in scoring defense (10.8 points per game), and second in total defense (214.5 ypg). Its run defense, which leads the nation with 38.9 yards allowed per game. Although Utah has rushed for 520 yards in its last two games that was to sorry New Mexio and Colorado State squads.

I give the edge to TCU in a close one, 17-14.

Peace,

Ricky Writer

JIMMY AWARDS Week 10

Here are the Jimmy Awards for the 10th football week of football

College JIMMYS

Michael Crabtree, WR Texas Tech

Screw the stats. They were great, but the don't matter, we'll mention them for the sake of it, but trust me, they do not matter. 10 catches for 127 yards and 1TD that just happened to be the game winning Moss/tight rope down the sidelines to defeat the #1 ranked Texas Longhorns.

LeSean McCoy, RB Pitt

McCoy carried the load as the Panthers defeated the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame with 32 carries, 169 yard and a touchdown.

Brendan Smith, SS Northwestern

Picked off a pass in the final minute of the game and returned it 48 yards to the house to the give the Wildcats the victory over the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Percy Harvin, WR Florida

He was indeed the icyiest player this weekend. The Gators dawned the white on white look. Percy did his thing with the classic mid-white socks and white shoes with the orange trim. He topped it off with white knee bands. I am not a fan of white accessories in football at all, but this was definitely a good look by Mr. Harvin.


NFL JIMMYS

Donovan McNabb, QB Eagles

D-Mac got busy against the Seahawks and threw 28 for 43 times for 349 yards and 2TDs


Darrell Revis, CB Jets

Revis contributed five tackles, a sack and an interception in the Jets' 26–17 win over the Buffalo Bills. Revis also forced and recovered a fumble that led to a field goal.

John Abraham, DE Falcons

Abraham led Atlanta’s defensive effort with five tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble as the Falcons recorded their first shutout in six years, beating the host Raiders, 24–0.

Fred Smoot of the Redskins, Carlos Rogers of the Redskins, and Keiwan Ratliff of the Indianapolis Colts all get JIMMYS for being the most stylish NFL players this weekend. Smoot did what he does best and bucked the system and wore no white in his socks just the maroon legins and black tape on his shoes. Rogers was wearing orange/yellow soccer cleats which looked fly. Ratliff brought it back to the old school with double high white socks this past Sunday night for the Colts.