Category Archives: ncaa football

Big Ten Preview: Wisconsin Badgers

Wisconsin fans have always had a pretty decent-to-good product on the field over the last decade. Joe Pasquali tackles the Wisconsin Badgers in our Big Ten Preview. Who will take over for P.J. Hill this season? With their QB and all their WRS back, will they change their offense and rely on the pass? This season their team looks a little thin, but will a season of 7-5 be a success?

Finishing T-#6 in the Big Ten
Wisconsin Badgers (Predicted Finish 7-5)

Summary– This is a team that could surprise a lot of people this season. Penn State is off the schedule and they have a pretty favorable set up other than going to Columbus. I still can’t figure out why they are ending the season with a December 5th game in Hawaii. Maybe it will prove to keep the team bowl ready and prevent the huge layoff most Big Ten teams face. I wouldn’t be surprised if this team won 8 or 9 games, but they have too few returning men on the offensive and defensive line. B.B. ball relies heavily on both of those units functioning.

Offense (B-)– PJ Hill was the focal point of this offense last year and he will be missed. However, the new RB John Clay appears to be of the same build (6’2” 247 lbs.) and should be another big back that fits into the Wisconsin game plan. Wisconsin ranked 1st in the Big Ten in Rushing last season but 7th in passing. With Senior Dustin Sherer returning at QB and all of his WR’s, look for that to change. I expect Wisconsin to air it out a bit more this year, especially with only two starters returning to the O-Line.

Defense (B-)– Wisconsin ranked 4th last season in the Big Ten when it came to total defense but are only returning two out of their front seven. In a conference where a lot of teams like to run the football, this could prove bad for the Badgers. The secondary remains mostly intact and junior strong safety Jay Valai is a difference maker.

Special Teams (B)– Philip Welch and Brad Nortman return to do the kicking and punting duties respectively. Welch was 20-24 last year and was very solid, especially for a freshman.

Coaching (B+)– Bret Bielima has done very well in the post Barry Alvarez era and has quietly become one of the best coaches in the conference. With a favorable schedule it’ll be interesting to see what the Badgers do this year.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

Big Ten Preview: Illinois Fighting Illini

Ron Zook has had a few great recruiting years at Illinois, but when is the talent going to produce another Rose Bowl appearance? Illinois could go either way this year, if they stay healthy. Joe Pasquali is here to preview Illinois’ chances in the 2009 Big Ten season.

By the way, I wish I was named Juice.

Finishing T-#6 in the Big Ten
Illinois Fighting Illini (Predicted Finish 7-5)

Summary– 2008 was a disappointing season for the Fighting Illini and all signs point to them having a bit of a rebound in 2009. Juice Williams returns to lead a team that lost three straight games to end the season and kept Illinois home for bowl season. We’ll find out early on how good this team is, with Missouri, Penn State, Michigan State, and Ohio State all within their first five games. Not the way I’d want to start a season….

Offense (B+)– Juice Williams is one of the most exciting players to watch in the conference, showcasing his ability to run and pass every Saturday. Lining up with him will be another player equally as exciting in Arrelious Benn, a WR that every team has to plan for. Look for these two to hook up early and often in 2009.

Defense (C+)– Only two players of the front seven return to a defense that gave up way too many rushing yards last season (152 yards per game, 9th in Big Ten). The entire secondary returns, which is good news surprisingly for the rush defense as well. Ron Zook likes his safeties and nickelbacks to creep up to stop the run, experience back there should help the new defensive line and linebackers get acclimated.

Special Teams (B)– If Arrelious Benn returns kicks for Illinois, I’ll change my ranking to an A. He is that explosive. Matt Eller and Anthony Santella return to do the kicking and punting respectively. Both are fairly average.

Coaching (B+)– Ron Zook is an A+ recruiter but a pretty average big game coach. This will have to change for Illinois to get over the hump in the Big Ten. Don’t see it happening in 2009.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

Big Ten Preview: Michigan Wolverines

Joe Pasquali, our resident Michigan football fanatic, is back for another Big Ten Preview post. He is going to breakdown his favorite team and one thing jumps out and surprises us, he shows no bias in this post. This is a guy who stuck by Ryan Mallett and Lloyd Carr! The Wolverines really have nowhere to go but up, so where does Joe have them finishing this year in the Big Ten? Check it out.

Finishing #8 in the Big Ten
Michigan Wolverines (Predicted finish 6-6)

Summary– Only place to go is up for the Michigan Wolverines. Having their worst season EVER in 2008 has to make the Maize and Blue pessimistic for 2009, but fear not, it will be a better season. Last year was the first year of Rich Rodriguez’s new system, a system players do not learn overnight. Also, having their easiest schedule in ten years can’t do anything but help.

Offense (C+)– Michigan’s offense was dreadful last season, peaking with six lost fumbles at Notre Dame. Steven Threet was the starting QB most of last season but transferred away this past off-season along with RB Sam McGuffie. Freshmen Tate Forcier with share time with a couple other QB’s that will lead an offense that returns nine starters. At the RB and WR positions Michigan may have the most speed and depth in the Big Ten. It will just be a matter of the freshman QB can get the ball to them.

Defense (B+)– Five starters’ return to a defense that really wasn’t as bad as their numbers showed last season. The thing that hurt the Wolverines more than anything was being on the field most the game due to a impotent offense that turned the ball over a lot. Brandon Graham is a freak at DE/OLB and Donovan Warren is one of the better corners in the Big Ten. Look for the group as a whole to be better as long as the offense stays on the field.

Special Teams (A-)– Zoltan Mesko not only has one of the best names in the nation, but one of the best legs as well. The All American returns to boot the ball around the Big House for the Maize and Blue. If UM’s offense starts out slow, he could be one of the most important players on the team.

Coaching (B)– Rich Rodriguez will be judged heavily on what he does this year for UM. A program as big as Michigan should never have a rebuilding season that only produces 3 wins. If Michigan does not get to six wins this year, he will be on the hot seat.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

Big Ten Preview: Minnesota Gophers

The Minnesota Gophers probably wishes that Brett Favre could help their team as well. They had a decent year last season, but can they build on it or was it a flash in the pan? Joe Pasquali is back to discuss where Minnesota will finish in the Big Ten this season.

Finishing #9 in the Big Ten
Minnesota Gophers (Predicted finish 5-7)

Summary– Minnesota is one of those teams that looks really great on paper. All-Conference Quarterback in Adam Weber throwing to a pre-season All American in Eric Decker. Eight returning starters on defense and a schedule that has five games that Minnesota should definitely win. The problem with Gopher football is that Minnesota doesn’t win the games they should, and they’ll go 5-7.

Offense (C+)– The Weber and Decker show should be fun to watch this season, that’s if Minnesota’s offensive line can keep Weber on his feet. Senior Center Jeff Tow-Arnett is the lone starter to a line that allowed 90 sacks last season, second worst in the conference. Minnesota was 104th in the nation when it came to running the ball. Calling them one dimensional is a bit of an understatement. Unless you got Drew Brees back there, one dimensional won’t cut it this year.

Defense (C)– All conference corner Traye Simmons is the lone bright spot on a defense that was very subpar last season. They ranked 10th in the Big Ten last year in total defense, giving up 383 yards a game, 240 of those yards coming through the air. Lee Campbell (MLB) led the Gophers with 80 tackles last year and will have to improve on that if Minnesota is going to stop anyone.

Special teams (C-)– Minnesota did not have a kickoff or punt return for a touchdown last season. They have a brand new kicker and punter, though both are upper classmen. This is not a “special” special teams unit.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

Big Ten Preview: Indiana & Purdue

Friend of the White Boy, Joe Pasquali, starts off his 2009 Big Ten Preview with the lowest teams on the totem pole, Indiana and Purdue. One team starts out with a new coach (Purdue) and the other is stuck with an inept coach (Indiana). The 2009 season may be lost for these teams, but is there any hope for the near future, Joe discusses this and much more in this post.

Finishing #10 and #11 in the Big Ten
Indiana and Purdue (Predicted finish combined 5-19)

Summary– All twenty of you Purdue and IU football fans will surely be angry I combined your two storied (hahahaha) programs in my Big Ten breakdown, but I did for good reason. Both teams share so much in common that I couldn’t separate the two and was continually mixing them up as I tried to write. Both teams will not win a game September 19th EXCEPT for when they play each other November 21st. One of them has to win that game.. I hope..

Offense (D)– Purdue will once again throw the ball fifty times a game but all Boilermaker fans will be talking about what could have been since Justin Siller was suspended for the season. Purdue will be the worst team offensively in the conference…besides IU who could be worse. Dual threat QB Kellen Lewis was dismissed from the team and Ben Chappell will be taking over in his place. IU’s offensive line is very sketchy, and though Chappell has a strong arm he is not very mobile and will get hit. A lot.

Defense (C)– IU has two of the best defensive ends in the conference with Jammie Kirlew and Greg Middleton, both who received some national attention on All American lists. Austin Thomas and Nick Polk add legitimacy to the linebacker core and IU should actually be decent at stopping the run this season. Purdue is the exact opposite, with a weak front seven that should roll over like an obedient dog but a secondary that ranked 2nd in the Big Ten last season. The question is, did they rank so well because everyone just ran the ball on them? Probably, but I am trying to give them SOME credit.

Special teams (C)– Both teams have below average return games and place kickers who either did not get a chance to kick a lot of field goals (Purdue) or just missed a bunch (IU). Considering they have returning starters on special teams, this could prove to be a strong point. (insert applause)

Coaching (C-)– I am not saying Danny Hope (Purdue) and Bill Lynch are bad coaches, they will do as best as they can with the players they have, but they are not part of the Big Ten’s elite. Danny Hope is taking the reins from Purdue legend Joe Tiller and will catch a lot of flak for probably have a losing season, something Tiller only did twice in 12 seasons. Lynch had a great first season with IU at 7-5 but does not have the horses to make a dent in the Big Ten. Start hitting the recruiting trail.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

Ryan Perrilloux, I Give Up!

Ryan Perrilloux is becoming one of the most tragic figures in college football. The kid was the #1 prospect going into college football a few years ago. He signed with LSU and all was right with the world, but after a string of suspensions and rule violations, the program cut him loose. He ended up on Jacksonville State, a Football Championship Subdivision team (or D-II school for those who were born before 2006). He was able to play immediately, but now it looks like trouble has followed him again.

Perrilloux was suspended today for the team’s first game against Georgia Tech. They did not disclose what the rules violation was, but for a former blue-chipper to be suspended by a D-II school, it had to be bad. With this being his last year of eligibility, he needs as many marquee games as he can get into. Jacksonville State’s schedule isn’t loaded with too many teams that will get national coverage. They only have two games against D-I talent, Georgia Tech being the first game and then the next week they play Florida State. The team did say that Perrilloux will be able to play against the Seminoles, but I’m sure he would have liked a warm up game before facing them.

Many believe that Perrilloux signed with LSU because he was a local kid and he wanted to play for his own state school. I believe that he was talked into signing with LSU by his family, because they knew that he wasn’t mature enough to be away from home. He has proven me right time after time with his immaturity and the inable to stay out of trouble. It may have done him well if he gotten away from some of his “running buddies” and established himself somewhere that he couldn’t get in trouble. I’m sure Nebraska or Iowa would have loved to have him back in 2005, but the 2009 version of Perrilloux is barely able to hold on to a D-II QB position.

Everyone roots for the underdog and they want a feel-good redemption story. Josh Hamilton would be the “best-case” scenario for Perrilloux. If he can make it through this season with good numbers and keep his nose clean, maybe an NFL team would give him a shot. Mark Sanchez was in that class and Perrilloux was thought to be a better prospect than the future #5 pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. I doubt he’ll get drafted in fear of a slip-up and the eventual Roger Goodell punishment that would follow, but I’m rooting for the kid. I hope he comes out against Florida State and lights them up, ’cause everyone forgets about a player’s off-the-field issues, when he’s producing on-the-field. It’s a sad realization, but I really think this kid needs a Tony Dungy-like mentor to help him. But, until I see some sort of maturity out of you, I give up!

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

Ohio State Football – Rebuilding Year?

I have lived in Columbus, OH for three years and this will be my fourth football season that I will experience here. My first year here was when Ohio State played Michigan as the #1 vs. #2 teams in the country. Since it was a home game, this town was completely nuts. I couldn’t even use my cell phone, since so many people crammed into the city for the game. This year’s team is by far the worst Ohio State team in the last four season, even if die-hard Buckeye fans won’t admit it.

A lot of hype will surround Columbus on September 12th. The USC Trojans come here to play Ohio State, but both teams will only be a skeleton of themselves. USC and OSU lost most of their starters and will still be getting used to each other by the time they play. Ohio State is expecting a break-out season from Terelle Pryor, but they will definitely miss Chris Wells. Boom Herron and Brandon Saine will do their best to duplicate the impact Beanie had on move the chains, but it will be a huge task. Pryor may have to use his feet to gain yards, even more than last year. They also lose Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline to graduation/draft, two veteran targets will be missed. Dan Sanzenbacher and DeVier Posey will be the go-to receivers and if Ray Small can develop any offensive game, they may start to click by the time Big Ten season begins.

The defensive side of the ball could be the Buckeyes best attribute. I am looking for a big year from safety Kyle Coleman. I’m not saying that ’cause I’m friends with his brother and have met him on many occassions, he’s a great safety and is a playmaker. He will have to make plays in the secondary, since Malcolm Jenkins is no longer out there to intercept passes. They won’t miss Donald Washington, since he didn’t do much in college, but was still drafted early in the NFL Draft. They will miss James Laurenitis and Marcus Freeman from their linebacking corpse. Tyler Moeller, Ross Homan, and Austin Spitler will have to mature in a hurry. Luckily for them, when they play USC, they will be breaking in a new QB.

Ohio State is either a 10-2 or a 9-3 team this year. Their losses will be at the hands of USC and Penn State. The bubble loss could come against Illinois, they had a bad year last season, but Ron Zook has recruited well the last two seasons. You would think that those players will have to mature this season. The Big Ten is down again this year and a 10-2 or 9-3 season could land them in the Rose Bowl, if Penn State is playing for the National Championship. I think Penn State will have a good team, it just depends how down the Big Ten really is. If they lose one game this year, it could knock them down pretty far in the polls and a weak Big Ten schedule would make it hard to make a jump up.

I know that I am going to get grilled by Ohio State fans, since they are extremely rabid and passionate. A 10-2 or 9-3 season wouldn’t be a bad season for this team. They are very young and it is something that they could build upon for the 2010-11 season. If Ohio State could pull off a win against USC, then the season could change and they could yet again be vying for a spot in the BCS Championship game. A lot will be determined by the game on September 12th, but which team will fall down to normal expectations and which team will be catapulted into the elite.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

I Don’t Care About Alabama

Alabama football is a religion in the Southeast, but I am not a follower. They were as big as USC, Florida, and Notre Dame just a few seasons ago. They did have a great season last year, but it was made into a joke by getting trounced by Utah in the bowl game. The NCAA ruled that they have to vacate 21 wins from 2005-2007, which shouldn’t mean much to their overall record. Alabama wasn’t exactly lighting up the scoreboard those seasons.

Alabama is in the middle of a textbook scandal, not a “textbook scandal” as in they executed the perfect scandal, but actually a scandal with textbooks. The students that were on full scholarship were able to just sign up for textbooks and get them from the bookstore. The athletes were found guilty of signing up for books for their friends and selling them. This has to be the lamest NCAA infraction in the history of college athletics.

I would think that ‘Bama would be caught in the middle of a Krispy Kreme scandal, more than a textbook variety.

Yeah, Andre Smith looks horrible.

The NCAA ruling will not interfere with the current students, since Alabama will not lose any scholarships or be banned from television. I like the ruling, but I don’t really see how this is really hurting Alabama at all.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

Lazy Saturday

After a long week of looking at Excel spreadsheets and dealing with office politics, I needed a nice day of watching sports and eating junk food. I was looking forward to today since around this time of years there are great college basketball games and the college bowl seasons begins. I was very encouraged by the college basketball games, but extremely sad about the bowl games taking place today. First off let’s talk about the lackluster bowl games of the day.

Eagle Bank Bowl – Wake Forest vs. Navy – I’ve never heard of Eagle Bank and probably won’t after today. I predicted that Wake Forest would win this game and it wasn’t really much of a game. I turned away from the game after the first quarter.

New Mexico Bowl – Fresno State vs. Colorado State – This is a pretty sad name for the game, I guess the state of New Mexico needed to put their name on a Bowl game to boost tourism. I can’t think of one reason why I would want to visit New Mexico, even after I used wikipedia and google.

MagicJack St. Petersburg Bowl – South Florida vs. Memphis – First, MagicJack is a product that you see advertised around 2:30am on Sunday nights. You plug it in your computer and you suddenly have a landline phone, this product will be gone by this time next year. Secondly, this game was played at Tropicana Field, probably the worst place to play a baseball game and now probably the worst place to play a football game. I watched the first half of this game and kids were hitting the turf and coming away with knee injuries ever 5 minutes. The highlight of the game was the sideline reporting work of Rob Stone. I’ll take a dude sideline reporter instead of Erin Andrews if he brings the funny. Do you think George Selvie is a solid NFL prospect or just a product of playing B talent on a year-round basis? Just curious, discuss this with friends.

Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl – BYU vs. Arizona – This game hasn’t came on yet, but I will predict a blowout by BYU. Also, it has been snowing in Las Vegas, so sadly there will not be any showgirls on the sidelines.

After seeing those Bowl games, I instantly went to look at the college basketball schedule and same some gems. I thought that this day would be saved by some college hoops, but as of 6:30pm, it has been very bad. (Note: I didn’t get the Michigan State vs. Texas game in my region)

Duke vs. Xavier – This was supposed to be a marquee match-up with the number six team facing the number seven team in the country. Either Duke is the real deal or Xavier is horrible. This wasn’t even a game, I started watching the next game.

Minnesota vs. Louisville – This game was one of the best of the day. Louisville came into the game ranked #9 and Minnesota was undefeated, but haven’t played any elite teams. I like to think that this game was the battle of the ex-Kentucky coaches. I wanted to see Ralph Sampson’s kid, but he doesn’t play a lot, but the way Minnesota played, they didn’t really need him. It was a good game and both of these teams should have solid seasons.

Davidson vs. Purdue – I’m a big Stephen Curry fan, but maybe a bigger Sonya Curry fan, just kidding. I started this blog about the time that Curry was going off in the NCAA tournament last year. I haven’t had the chance to see him play this year and I was excited to see him play against Purdue…my excitement ended with a 21-0 Purdue run to begin the game. Davidson looked like a team undeserving of the hype and Purdue looked like a team finally “getting it.”

UConn vs. Gonzaga – I actually wasn’t supposed to get this game, but since the Davidson/Purdue game was a blow-out, they switched over to this game of a game. My favorite announcer, Gus Johnson, was on the mic and throwing down some memorable lines. He blamed the officials for being “overly-officious,” if that’s even a word, and he said that one of the players was a pitching prospect for the “Kansas City Chiefs,” clearly Gus Johnson doesn’t broadcast baseball. This game turned out to be the kind of game that I was waiting for all day. Gonzaga had the advantage throughout the game, but Jim Calhoun worked his magic and got the line-up in the game that got them back in it. After A.J. Price blew it on the free-throw line (I found out that he’s only a 37% free throw shooter, that’s worse than Shaq and Chris Dudley), he made an amazing 3-pointer to force the game into overtime. I need to find this moment on YouTube, because Gus Johnson blew a load. UConn dominated in overtime and they won the game, which was surprised me, the game was in Seattle and the Huskies had issues even getting there.

Memphis vs. Syracuse – I am watching this game now and it is a good one. I actually wanted to watch this game to see Tyreke Evans. He was supposed to go to Kentucky, but decided on Memphis. Memphis misses Derrick Rose and Joey Dorsey, but they are loaded with young talent again this season. These teams should both have decent seasons and make the NCAA tourney easily.

Oklahoma vs. VCU – This is the late game of the day, I want to see Eric Maynor and Blake Griffin, they are both going to be playing in the NBA next year. Griffin will most likely be a top three pick and Maynor will playing in the NBA somewhere, but his draft stock is still to be determined. Maynor has turned it up against talented teams and first made a name for himself a couple seasons ago in the NCAA tournament against Duke. VCU has a good team this year with a win against Kentucky under their belt. Oklahoma was my pre-season pick to make the Final Four this season, they probably won’t win it all with North Carolina looking unbeatable, but they will have a memorable season.

Since I do not have the NFL Network I will be unable to watch the Dallas Cowboys vs. Baltimore Ravens game. It will probably be a good game and I hope Tony Romo and Jason Witten have monster games, my fantasy football championship depends on it. I will probably end up watching some NHL hockey, the Columbus Blue Jackets play at the Phoenix Coyotes, I hope the Columbus BJs play well(something that I call them and hope it catches on). Here is to a weak Saturday of sports to all my fellow couch potatoes.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

Tennessee Hires Kiffin For His Wife

The University of Tennessee hired former Oakland Raiders coach, Lane Kiffin, as their new coach. Anyone who watched the news conference didn’t even notice Lane Kiffin, his wife Layla should have been the one answering questions. My questions would be “Really? Lane Kiffin?, “Lane and Layla Kiffin, did you guys just make up those names?” and “How does it feel to be married to the man who will be getting beat by Spurrier, Meyer, and Miles on a weekly basis?”

Lane Kiffin isn’t new to the college game, he was a mid-level assistant at USC before taking the Oakland Raiders head coaching job. It is rumored that he is bringing his father, defensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along to run the defense at Tennessee. I wouldn’t have just taken Lane Kiffin either, it was a smart move by either the university or by Lane’s people to get his father involved in getting him the job. Tampa Bay has had a great defense since Kiffin’s father has been the defensive coordinator and should bring another exciting defense to the SEC. In two or three years it should be fun to watch the Vols play teams like LSU, Florida, and Alabama. I’m not sold on Lane Kiffin’s head coaching ability, but with his father there, I’m sure he will be able to delegate responsibility to qualified coaches.

Enough talking about Lane Kiffin, I’m sure about 95% people who are reading this just wants to know about Layla Kiffin. It looks like she has a couple cookie-cutter kids and that’s about all the information we could find. When Tennessee starts the season next fall, look for a lot of camera time for Layla Kiffin. Remember when the Cubs and Marlins were playing the “Bartman Series” and they kept showing Kerry Wood’s wife in the stands, expect that same camera work in 2009 and beyond.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.