Tag Archive: Week


Here’s a Sneak Peak at Some of the Football Matches to be Held Next Week

Filed Under: Texas
Aug.27, 2010

Here’s a Sneak Peak at Some of the Football Matches to be Held Next Week

Droylsden will play against Stalybridge in the North Conference football match with Havant Waterlooville playing against Bishops Stortford in the South Conference England football match. The matches for Serie B and Serie C1 A will also play in Italy between Pisa vs. Rimini and Lecce vs. Pro Patria respectively.

Sivaspor will play against Denizlispor in the Turkey Cup Group C match which will be held in Turkey. 2 matches for Group 3 Bahrain Cup will also take place on 12 January between Al Tadhmon vs. Al Muharraq and Isa Town vs. Al Hadd at 19:00 hours both. Pierikos will play against Agrotikos Asteras in the Second Division match in Greece as well. 2 matches for the Group A International Friendship Youth Tournament will also take place between Qatar U19 vs. Belarus U19 and Uzbekistan U19 vs. Malaysia U19 football teams. The Premier League match will be held in Israel between Maccabi Netanya and Maccabi Tel Aviv and the last 2 matches to take place on this day are for Leumit League which will be held in Israel. They will be held between Hapoel Bnei Lod vs. Hapoel Raanana and Maccabi Herzeliya vs. Maccabi Irony Q. Ata.

Several different football matches will play on Tuesday 13 January 2009, which include the League One match between Millwal and Swindon, Copa Italia Round of 16 to be played in Italy between Inter and Genoa and FA Cup Round 3 match in Scotland between St. Johnstone and Rangers (Sco). 2 more matches will take place for North Conference in England between Gainsborough vs. Hinckley and Hucknall vs. Alfreton Town. 5 more matches will take place in Iran for Football League. These matches will be held between Aboomoslem vs. Mes Krman, Bargh Shiraz vs. Moghavemat Sepasi, Esteghlal Ahvaz vs. Foolad Khozestan, Malavan vs. Pas and Peykan vs. Payam.

The third day of the week will also see several football matches taking place between different football teams. The scheduled plan for Wednesday 14 January 2009 football matches are as follows: Round of 16 for Copa del Rey will take place in Spain between Almeria vs. Mallorca, Betis vs. Real Union, Deportivo La Coruna vs. Sevilla, Espanyol vs. Poli Ejido, Valencia vs. Racing Santander and Valladolid vs. Sporting Gijon. Round of 16 match for Sopa Italia will also be held in Italy between Juventus and Catania. 9 matches will be held in Turkey for A Lyga between Altay vs. Giresunspor, B. B. Gaziantep vs. Adanaspor, Boluspor vs. Ordurspor, Diyarbakirspor vs. Sakaryaspor, Karabukspor vs. Karsiyaka, Kasimpasa vs. Erciyesspor, Malatyaspor vs. Gungoren, Rizespor vs. Vestel Manisaspor and Samsunspor vs. Kartalspor. 4 more matches will take place in Iran for League football between Esteghal Tehran vs. Piroozi, Saba Batry vs. Damash, Saipa vs. Zob Ahan and Sepahan vs. Rah Ahan.

Peri Witny is an author of Sports Articles.

You can watch live football results online at ScoresPro.com.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
read more

Do you know any art festivals in ft lauderdale-miami that are going every week?

Filed Under: Music
Aug.20, 2010

Question by Ekaterina P: Do you know any art festivals in ft lauderdale-miami that are going every week?
Hi, I am artist from Hallandale,FL I’ve moved here recently and I heard a lot about art festivals on the beach in Ft. Lauderdale and in Miami area which are open every weekend.
But I can’t find any contacts.

Best answer:

Answer by Will
I live if coconut grove which tends to be an artsy town and i don’t know of any weekly festivals.

What do you think? Answer below!

Tags: , , , , ,
read more

Ed Bagley’s Top 25 Poll – Week 9 – Oregon Is Moving Up Fast

Filed Under: Texas
Aug.09, 2010

Ed Bagley’s Top 25 Poll – Week 9 – Oregon Is Moving Up Fast

Copyright © 2009 Ed Bagley

Oregon’s 47-20 upset victory over Southern California was beyond huge this week, causing a significant shift in who is where in my Top 25 Poll for college football’s 9th week of play. Here is how I see it:

1) Alabama (8-0) – The Crimson Tide was idle this week, and it was probably for the best as Florida won big, but I am not moving the Gators back to No. 1 yet. Let’s see how Alabama does when LSU comes to town next week.

2) Florida (8-0) – Did a number on Georgia, 41-17, while extending the nation’s longest winning streak to 18 games, and remains on track to meet unbeaten Alabama for the SEC title and chance to defend its 2008 national title in this year’s National Championship Game.

3) Oregon (7-1) – Upset favored Southern California in a dominating 47-20 performance worthy of real consideration for a national title shot if Alabama, Florida or Texas falters. Picked apart the USC defense for 613 total yards, not to be taken lightly. Oregon is as good as any team in the country right now.

4) Texas (8-0) – Longhorns move up after impressive 41-14 win on-the-road over 13th-ranked Oklahoma State. Texas led 41-7 after three quarters, and the Longhorn defense returned two interceptions for touchdowns.

5) Cincinnati (8-0) – Beats Syracuse 28-7 on-the-road, not that it is that big of a deal, except Cincy and coach Brian Kelly just keep on winning. Cincy had 10 wins two years ago and 11 wins last year.

6) Texas Christian (8-0) – Shut out UNLV, a nothing, 41 to nothing. Only 6 other teams remain unbeaten—Florida, Alabama, Texas, Cincinnati, Iowa and Boise State. Not too shabby company. Why shouldn’t TCU be No. 7?

7) Iowa (9-0) – First team in the country to go 9-0. Darn near lost again to a nothing team—Indiana—but rebounded with 4 fourth quarter touchdowns to finally win, 42-24.

8) Boise State (8-0) – Won easily again, ripping San Jose State 45-7 in a cakewalk.

9) LSU (7-1) – Shut out Tulane 42-zip, headed for fierce showdown at Alabama. Beat the Washington Huskies 31-23 while Southern California was upset by the Washington Huskies 16-13. USC will drop lower after being exposed at Oregon for their porous defense.

10) Georgia Tech (8-1) – Scored 28 points in second half to sting Vanderbilt 56-31. Gets Wake Forest next and should win. Has one less loss than USC.

11) Penn State (8-1) – Can’t stand Penn State and Joe Pa but Nittany Lions did beat Northwestern 34-13 on-the-road, that’s more than Southern Cal can say after its trip to Oregon.

12) Southern California (6-2) – Lost to Oregon. Nuff said. USC drops from 5th to 12th in my poll and would be lower if so many other teams were not so poor on the defensive side of the ball. Let’s all stop acting like the Southern California Trojans are a big deal this year, and put them where they deserve to be.

13) Houston (7-1) – Barely outlasted the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles, 50-43. The Houston Cougars could not defend against a stout bunch of angry grandmothers, but do provide excitement to the college football scene with their instant-scoring offense.

14) Ohio State (7-2) – Shut out an extremely weak New Mexico State team 45-zip. Travels to Penn State this week and either the Buckeyes or the Nittany Lions are going to look bad. What appears to be a huge defensive battle might well morph into a scoring contest if Penn State’s defense falters.

15) Pittsburgh (7-1) – Idle this week, faces Syracuse next and should win easily if they have even a shred of substance.

16) Utah (7-1) – Managed to beat a weak Wyoming team 22-10. Utes record is much more impressive than their wins over opponents. All of this dinking around will stop when they face TCU and BYU.

This poll can go no farther than No. 16 and keep a straight face. The rest of the teams are like running in clowns during a circus act—the performers are not what they appear to be, winning big, losing big and remaining inconsistent and virtually unpredictable. There is not a nickel’s worth of difference between them. I am personally sick and tired of tracking the ups and downs of six 3-loss teams—Texas Tech, South Carolina, Auburn, Virginia Tech, Mississippi and Ohio—so they are now out of my poll.

There are at least 12 other teams with only 2 losses, and 8 of them can fill out the last 9 spots. Who is to say that one is better than another when none of them really stand out? So, here, in no particular order, are the last seven:

17) Wisconsin (6-2) – Shut out Purdue 37-0 after the Boilermakers upset Ohio State 26-18. Faces a not-so-hot Indiana team next.

18) California (6-2) – Beat Arizona State 23-21. Gets Southern Cal next. Wonder if the Bears can increase USC’s fall?

19) Arizona (5-2) – Has an offense and defense and could be a sleeper. Was idle this week, should easily beat Washington State next and build its stats.

20) Notre Dame (6-2) – Very popular nationally and did beat another 6-2 team—Boston College—20-16. Gets a 6-3 Navy team next.

21) Temple (6-2) – Lost its first two games and then has run off 6 straight wins. Could beat its last four opponents and end the year at 10-2. That would be amazing for Temple. Let’s reward success by making them No. 22, at least for the moment.

22) Rutgers (6-2) – Only two losses were to 8-0 Cincinnati and 7-1 Pittsburgh. Let’s see if they can beat 6-2 South Florida next.

23) Fill in your own favorite team—I’m tired, I need a break from this exhausting task.

24) Central Michigan (7-2) – Lost to Boston College 31-10 on-the-road, but other than the 7 unbeaten teams in major college football and teams that are already ranked in this poll, who else has 7 wins now? Only one other team—Idaho.

25) Idaho (7-2) – Just beat a really bad Louisiana Tech team 35-34, but who else has 7 wins?

Check out “Ed Bagley’s Top 25 Poll” for Week 9 and find out why the Oregon Ducks are getting the bum’s rush in the national ranking polls.
“College Football – A Season of 2 Games: One Becomes Abject Heartache, The Other Extreme Joy – Part 1″
http://www.edbagleyblog.com
http://www.edbagleyblog.com/Sports.html

Related Longhorns Articles

Tags: , , , , ,
read more

Ed Bagley’s Top 25 Poll – Week 10 – Oregon Is Moving Down Fast

Filed Under: Texas
Aug.09, 2010

Ed Bagley’s Top 25 Poll – Week 10 – Oregon Is Moving Down Fast

Copyright © 2009 Ed Bagley

Iowa, Oregon, Penn State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and California all lost ground in the AP Top 25 Poll this week. All of them also lost ground in my Top 25 Poll this week with the exception of Oklahoma—I kicked Oklahoma out of my Poll some time ago, and the Sooners will not find their way back into my Poll anytime soon. Here is how I see it this week:

1) Alabama (9-0) The Crimson Tide won a 24-15 signature victory over the 9th-ranked Louisiana State (LSU) Tigers this week. No team had a bigger win against a better opponent. With the pressure to perform on, Alabama came through to remain unbeaten. The Tide travels to Mississippi State this week.

2) Florida (9-0) The Gators beat a very weak, 119th-ranked, 2-8 Vanderbilt team this week, 27-3. They remain behind Alabama because this was not a killer performance.

3) Texas (9-0) The Longhorns remained unbeaten with a dominating 35-3 win over 83rd-ranked Central Florida; this is one reason why Texas will not be No. 1 or No. 2 in my Poll. Simply put, Texas has not played a really good team all season. Yes, they beat an extremely disappointing 5-4 Oklahoma team, and beat Oklahoma State 41-14 on-the-road, but the Longhorns’ strength of schedule is ranked 52nd by Sagarin whereas Florida is ranked 40th and Alabama 25th. Plus the Big 12 is nowhere near the SEC in competitiveness. Texas gets Baylor next, what a laugher.

4) Texas Christian (9-0) Moves ahead of Cincinnati because the Horned Frogs put a 55-12 drubbing on San Diego State. This is exactly what an unbeaten team should be doing this time of year. Next up is 14th-ranked Utah, a little stiffer competition.

5) Cincinnati (9-0) Remained undefeated by recording a really lame 47-45 squeaker over 52nd-ranked Connecticut. Gets 7-2, 23rd-ranked West Virginia at home this week.

6) Boise State (8-0) Won another 45-35 lame victory, this time over 96th-ranked Louisiana Tech (3-6), another nobody on the Broncos’ schedule. Has played no one all year except Oregon, who is now 7-2 and looking less impressive. The Broncos’ strength of schedule is a whopping 79th.

7) Georgia Tech (9-1) Needed overtime to notch a 30-27 victory over 55th-ranked Wake Forest. Gets Duke team next, and must face in-state rival Georgia in their last game.

8) Pittsburgh (8-1) Scored in every quarter to win 37-10 over 93rd-ranked Syracuse. Gets nod for 8th position because the Panthers have an offense (15th best in nation) and Iowa doesn’t (74th best). Hosts Notre Dame this week. Pittsburgh has a better scoring defense and should win. Moment of truth comes when the Panthers face Cincinnati in their last game.

9) Iowa (9-1) Had 13-game win streak broken on their home field by Northwestern 17-10 in a game the Hawkeyes should have never lost. The miracle comebacks and close wins have now ended as reality sets in. Iowa’s troubles are just starting—they travel to Ohio State this week and could get crushed by the Buckeyes.

10) LSU (7-2) Lost to Alabama 24-15 on-the-road. Alabama is the best team in the country at the moment. Not many teams can claim that their 2nd loss of the season was to the best team in the country. LSU will be heard from again. Next up is the Tigers’ homecoming game against Louisiana Tech; this could be very bad news for the general health of Louisiana Tech (now 3-6).

11) Ohio State (8-2) Upset 11th-ranked Penn State 24-7 on the Nittany Lions’ home field in Happy Valley, or shall we say Not-So-Happy-Valley. Nation’s top scoring defense was caught sucking some Louisiana Tech pond water between offensive possessions. Buckeye mojo is returning at just the right time. Ohio State gets Iowa at home this week, and the Buckeyes are seeing potential road kill. Should Ohio State be ranked 9th rather than 11th? I will let you know in my next Top 25 Poll.

From No. 12 on, this Poll is hard put to rank any team with a straight face. All of the contenders have been up and down like an unsteady clown on a pogo stick—great one week and lousy the next (prime example is Oregon).

12) Penn State (8-2) Can’t stand Penn State and they were upset at home by Ohio State, however, their only two losses are against Iowa and Ohio State. Southern Cal’s only two losses came against a 3-6 Washington team and Oregon, both away games. Penn State will handle Indiana and in all likelihood Michigan State and finish at 10-2.

13) Southern California (7-2) Picked up tough 14-9 road win at Arizona State and finishes year against Stanford, UCLA and Arizona, another tough road to hoe to end the year at 10-2.

14) Oregon (7-2) Could not stand the success of upsetting 4th-ranked Southern Cal 47-20 last week. Showboating players got their butts kicked this week not by Stanford but by Stanford’s battering ram Toby Gerhart, who rushed for a school-record 223 yards and scored 3 touchdowns as the quack-quack Ducks were hammered at home 51-42 by The Cardinal. Life for the Ducks gets tougher as their last 3 opponents are Arizona State, Arizona and Oregon State. Good luck, quack quacks.

15) Utah (8-1) Hard to ignore Utah’s 8-1 record, but the Utes’ last victory was 45-14 over 164th-ranked and winless New Mexico (0-9). This is the sort of competition Utah faces most weeks during the season; in other words, no competition. The Utes travel to TCU this week to face the 9-0 Horned Frogs. It’s put up or shut up time for Utah this week. Should Utah get squashed by TCU, the Utes will drop in my Poll like a 100-pound sack of tomatoes thrown off a hundred-story building. Utah’s strength of schedule? Don’t even ask, it’s 95th and on the other side of Mars.

16) Houston (8-1) Hard to ignore Houston’s glossy 8-1 mark, but jeepers, their latest victory is a close 46-45 run-and-shoot with a 4-5 Tulsa team. The Cougars have the 2nd best scoring offense in the country, the 86th worst scoring defense, and 114th worst total defense among 120 major college teams. The rest of Houston’s schedule includes 5-4 Central Florida, 2-7 Memphis and 0-9 Rice. The Cougars could end up with an 11-1 mark and be one of the worst 11-1 teams in college football history.

17) Wisconsin (7-2) Took a field goal to get a 31-28 road win over a weak Indiana team last week. Badgers get Michigan next at home, travel to Northwestern and then finish their season with a trip to Hawaii, all of which is to say they could end up 9-3 or 10-2 if they are really on their game.

18) Arizona (6-2) Last seen beating up a pathetic 1-8 Washington State team 48-7 while becoming bowl eligible. Wildcats could be the best 6-2 team in the country, but do have some proving to do, and they have the chance to do it when they next face California, Oregon, Arizona State and Southern Cal in that order. Let’s see how deep down Arizona’s 22 best can dig on their way to better recognition.

19) Navy (7-3) Time for a fresh face. The Midshipmen upset 19th-ranked Notre Dame 23-21 on the home turf of the Fighting Irish, dropping Notre Dame to 6-3. Navy could be skating from here on in—they face 1-AA Delaware (6-3), Hawaii (3-6) and Army (3-6). If Navy wants any props at all, the Midshipmen must end the year at 10-3.

20) Oregon State (6-3) The Beavers are one of the dirtiest teams in the country and consider football games an excuse to legally hurt people. The Beavers were last seen upsetting California 31-14 on-the-road to become bowl eligible. The California Bears? They have made a career out of folding at the wrong time. Oregon State faces Washington (3-6) and Washington State (1-8) before ending their season at Oregon (7-2). Oregon State could be 8-4 or 9-3 when all is said and done.

21) Oklahoma State (7-2) Trashed a very average Iowa State team 34-7 last week, and finish the year against Texas Tech, Colorado and Oklahoma. Let’s see how many of these last 3 the Cowboys can win.

22) Temple (7-2) Lost its first two games and now has run off 7 straight victories after sneaking by Miami of Ohio 34-32. As Al Davis says, “Just win, baby, just win.” Temple finishes the year against Akron (2-7), Kent State (5-5) and Ohio (6-3). Temple could end the year at 9-3 or 10-2.

23) Rutgers (6-2) Only two losses were to 8-0 Cincinnati and 7-1 Pittsburgh. Let’s see if they can beat 6-2 South Florida next.

24) Central Michigan (7-2) Suffered its second loss on-the-road at Boston College 31-10. Ends year with Toledo (4-5), Ball State (1-8) and Northern Illinois (6-3). Could easily end up at 9-3 and even 10-2.

25) Brigham Young (7-2) Shut out a weak Wyoming team 52-zip. Cougars end their year with New Mexico (0-9), Air Force (6-4) and Utah (8-1). BYU will end the year at least 8-4 if not 9-3.

Check out “Ed Bagley’s Top 25 Poll” for Week 10 and find out why honesty and a little humor makes reading Top 25 polls so much more enjoyable.
“College Football Wrap-Up – Week 9 – Oregon, Texas & Iowa Notch Critical Wins in National Title Chase”
http://www.edbagleyblog.com
http://www.edbagleyblog.com/Sports.html

Find More Longhorns Articles

Tags: , , , , , ,
read more

Ed Bagley’s Top 25 Poll – Week 11 – All Unbeaten Teams Win Again

Filed Under: Texas
Aug.08, 2010

Ed Bagley’s Top 25 Poll – Week 11 – All Unbeaten Teams Win Again

Copyright © 2009 Ed Bagley

Stanford, North Carolina, Central Florida, California and Rutgers all recorded upset wins over ranked opponents in college football’s 11th week of play. These events caused changes in my Top 25 Poll. Here is how I see it this week:

1) Alabama (10-0) – The Crimson Tide followed up their signature victory over Louisiana State last week and continued to remain 1 of 6 unbeaten teams with a dominating 31-3 win at Mississippi State. The Tide hosts 163rd-ranked Chattanooga (6-4) this week. Chattanooga is a 1-AA team; if the Crimson Tide want to keep their national image intact, they had better kick Chattanooga back home as a big loser. A potential national championship team SHOULD NOT be playing a 1-AA team this late in the season, if at all.

2) Florida (10-0) – Acting very much like a national championship team, the Gators remained unbeaten by traveling to South Carolina and beating the Gamecocks, 24-14, completing their first perfect (8-0) SEC East title in 13 years. Florida hosts in-state rival Florida International this week, a 135th-ranked team with a 3-7 record. The Gators need a huge win to keep their mojo and rep in order.

3) Texas (10-0) – The Longhorns remained unbeaten by kicking around Baylor 47-14. Texas is like a snake—quietly, patiently slithering around, waiting to strike. Since Alabama and Florida are on course to clash in the SEC championship game, one will finish the season with at least one loss, and the other will likely face the Longhorns in the National Championship Game. Texas hosts Kansas next.

4) Texas Christian (10-0) – The Horned Frogs put to rest the myth that Utah (8-2) was the better team as they hosted and ran over the Utes, 55-28. You remember Utah, the Utes beat TCU 13-10 in their face-off last year, and were talking smack right up to the kickoff this year, complaining about being a 21-point underdog to TCU. Let’s see now, 28 and 21 equals 49, so it turned out that TCU should have been more than a 21-point favorite. Utah, it’s not your year, get over it. TCU travels to 104th-ranked Wyoming (5-5) next. Message to TCU: Do not screw up your perfect year by losing on the road to a nothing team.

5) Cincinnati (10-0) – Remained undefeated by beating West Virginia 24-21. The Bearcats are hardly looking awesome at the moment, but they have done something that only 5 other teams have done all season—win every bloody game. Cincinnati now hosts Illinois at home. Message to Cincinnati: Ditto the above.

6) Boise State (10-0) – In bounced the 7-win Idaho Vandals and out bounced the Vandals with their 4th loss, 63-25. The message: Idaho, not ready for prime time; Boise State, yes, our schedule has been lame, but if you want some, come get some. It is a good thing that Boise State has an easier schedule than other unbeaten teams; the Broncos have only 3 seniors among the 44 players on their two-deep roster. They travel to 107th-ranked Utah State (3-7) this week. Message to Boise State: Ditto the above.

7) Georgia Tech (10-1) – Stomped Duke 49-10 to clinch a spot in the ACC championship game. The Yellow Jackets do not play this week, and get a week of rest and strategy building before meeting in-state rival Georgia in their last game of the season two weeks from now. Message to Georgia Tech: Do not let Georgia mar your season.

8) Pittsburgh (9-1) – Hosted and beat Notre Dame (6-4), 27-22, after leading 20-3 at the start of the 4th quarter. The Panthers closed the game out and won, that is all that matters. Pittsburgh gets the week off before traveling to West Virginia a week from Friday (Nov. 27).

9) Ohio State (9-2) – Buckeyes showed up in prime time, beating Iowa 27-24 in overtime. No matter that neither Ohio State or Iowa chose to win the game in regulation time; the Buckeyes prevailed in their strategy and that is what winning teams do when it matters. Ohio State moves up in my poll because by winning, the Buckeyes earn at least a share of their 5th consecutive Big 10 title, get the Big Ten’s automatic BCS bid, and will go to the Rose Bowl for the first time in 13 years. Ohio State ends its season this week at Michigan.

10) Penn State (9-2) – My dislike for Penn State is well documented, and they beat Indiana 31-20 despite 4 first-half turnovers. I put them 10th because they are consistent in the sense that they lose to teams they could lose to—Iowa (9-2) and Ohio State (9-2)—rather than losing to a bunch of nobodies because they are not mentally prepared to do battle. Other teams may have 9 wins but they have lost to far weaker teams. Travels to Michigan State this week.

11) Wisconsin (8-2) – Took apart Michigan 45-24. Other teams may have as many wins as Wisconsin but they have lost to weaker teams. The Badgers travel to Northwestern this week. Message to Wisconsin: Northwestern (7-4) is better than its record indicates.

12) LSU (8-2) – Just beat in-state rival Louisiana Tech 24-16, a 3-7 team ranked 88th. Hardly impressive. That said, the Tigers’ only two losses have been to Florida and Alabama, not many teams can make that claim. Travels to Mississippi this week; should be an excellent chess game.

13) Stanford (7-3) – Has only 7 wins, but the Cardinal gets my vote for being the team to stop Southern Cal’s streaks of 7 straight BCS bowls, 7 straight 11-win seasons, 7 straight top-4 AP poll finishes, and a 7-year stranglehold on the Pac-10 Conference title. Stanford body slammed USC, 55-21, to finally end Southern Cal’s unchallenged dominance. Hosts California next.

14) Rutgers (7-2) – Shut out 23rd-ranked South Florida (6-3), 31-0. That was impressive. Rutgers only two losses were to Cincinnati (10-0) and Pittsburgh (9-1). Gets this week off, then travels to Syracuse.

15) Oklahoma State (8-2) – Beat Texas Tech 24-17. Only two losses were to Texas (10-0) and Houston (8-2). Cowboys host Colorado next.

16) Navy (8-3) – Picked up 8th win by beating 1-AA Delaware, 35-18. That’s not impressive at all, but the Midshipmen’s only losses have been to Pittsburgh (9-1), Ohio State (9-2) and Temple (8-2). When your losses come against teams with a combined 26-5 record, that’s not too shabby in my book. Navy gets shore leave this week and then travels to Hawaii.

17) Temple (8-2) – Speaking of Temple, why not rank them 17th? The Owls were caught sleeping in their first two outings against Villanova and Penn State, but then woke up and have won 8th straight. Temple’s 8th victory came over Akron, 56-17; that just might be a statement. Hosts Kent State next.

18) Central Michigan (8-2) – Beat Toledo 56-28. Two losses came against Arizona (6-3) and Boston College (7-3). Travels to Ball State next.

19) Iowa (9-2) – Lost to Ohio State 27-24. Needed to win badly following last week’s first loss of the season to Northwestern, 17-10. Getting less impressive as the season wears on; should be peaking and instead is dropping fast. Ends season hosting Minnesota this week.

20) Houston (8-2) – Lost to Central Florida 37-32; yes, that Central Florida, the one ranked 83rd with a 5-4 record going into the game. Houston has a great offense, well, not great enough to beat 83rd-ranked Central Florida, and no defense whatsoever. Houston has been vastly overrated all year, and I have said so over and over. Now you know why. Hosts Memphis next.

21) Brigham Young (8-2) – This 21st ranking is a gift following the Cougars ultra-lame 24-19 victory over a hapless, inept, winless 0-10 New Mexico team. Good grief, BYU should be in prayer and supplication after that effort. If they are caught sleeping on the field again, they should be forced to walk back to Provo. That had to be one of the sorriest performances all season by a ranked team. No wonder people rake on the Mountain West Conference; in many cases the criticism is so deserved.

22) Utah (8-2) – Took a major butt kicking by TCU 55-28, but at least the Utes were not playing New Mexico. Hosts San Diego State next.

23) California (7-3) – Upset 18th-ranked Arizona 24-16. I have been real hard on the Bears because they are so disappointing given their talent. Their only three losses were to Oregon, Oregon State and USC, three normally tough opponents. Bears travel to Stanford next. Let’s see how much gas is left in their tank.

24) Oregon (8-2) – Ripped Arizona State 44-21. The Ducks have only lost to Boise State, and then Stanford by 9 points, 51-42. Oregon travels to Arizona next; this could be a war.

25) Oregon State (7-3) – Beat Washington 48-21. Only losses are to Cincinnati (10-0), USC (7-3) and Arizona (6-3), teams with a combined 23-6 record.

Time out for some Jameson Irish whisky.

Check out “Ed Bagley’s Top 25 Poll” for Week 11 and find out why honesty and a little humor makes reading Top 25 polls so much more enjoyable.
“Internet Marketing – Affiliate Marketing Opportunities: Assessing Plug-In-Profit (PIP) – Part 1″
http://www.edbagleyblog.com
http://www.edbagleyblog.com/Sports.html

Find More Longhorn Articles

Tags: , , , , ,
read more

Ed Bagley’s Top 25 Poll – Week 13 – 6 Upsets Scramble the Rankings

Filed Under: Texas
Aug.08, 2010

Ed Bagley’s Top 25 Poll – Week 13 – 6 Upsets Scramble the Rankings

Six AP Top 25 teams can testify how dangerous road games are—all were upset during college football’s 13th week of play, and 2 of the 6 will be facing off in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game this week. The away losers included Georgia Tech, Clemson, Pittsburgh, Oklahoma State, Mississippi and North Carolina. These events caused changes in my Top 25 Poll. Here is how I see it this week:

1) Alabama (12-0) – Give the Crimson Tide credit. They went 8-0 to win the SEC West Division, and went 12-0 on the season after beating in-state rival Auburn on the road, 26-21. Alabama will now face SEC East Division winner Florida for the SEC title, and a shot at the national championship in a game probably against Texas. The Crimson Tide must now get done what they could not get done last year, beat Florida. Their unbeaten string last year was snapped by Florida, and the Tide never recovered mentally or emotionally, losing to Utah 31-17 in the Sugar Bowl.

2) Florida (12-0) – Give the Gators credit. They went 8-0 to win the SEC East Division and went 12-0 on the season after sending in-state rival Florida State back home with a 37-10 loss. Florida will now face SEC West Division winner Alabama for the SEC title, and another shot at the national championship in a game probably against Texas. The Florida Gators are the defending national champions, having defeated Oklahoma 24-14 for the title last year.

3) Texas (12-0) – Give the Longhorns credit. They went 8-0 to win the Big 12 South Division and went 12-0 on the season by outlasting in-state rival Texas A&M, 49-39. Just win baby, just win, and Longhorns did. Texas will now face Big 12 North Division winner Nebraska (6-2 in conference and 9-3 overall) for the Big 12 title, and a shot at the national championship game against either Alabama or Florida. No one expects Nebraska to upset Texas, and if the Cornhuskers do, TCU would likely replace Texas in the national championship game.

4) Texas Christian (12-0) – Give the Horned Frogs credit. They went 8-0 to win the Mountain West Conference title, and 12-0 on the season by opening a can of whup-um on New Mexico, 51-10, to wrap up TCU’s first undefeated regular season in 71 years. The Horned Frogs are now hoping that Nebraska does the impossible so their stock will rise. They will play in a BCS game, if not for all the marbles.

5) Cincinnati (11-0) – Still unbeaten after beating up Illinois 49-36 in a poor showing, and still must face a pretty good Pittsburgh team this week. The Panthers (9-2) catch Cincinnati at home and cannot wait to hand the Bearcats their first loss of the year. Cincinnati Coach Brian Kelly led the Bearcats to 10 wins in his first year, and 11 wins last year. He already has 11 more wins this year. Let’s see, how does that counting go: 10, 11 and then 12. Be ready, Panthers, Bearcats are pretty scrappy too.

6) Boise State (12-0) – Still unbeaten after outscoring Nevada 44-33 in a poor showing, and now gets a cupcake pass against New Mexico State at home this week. Yikes, it is not a good week to be a 3-9 New Mexico State team. The Aggies have no, repeat no, chance to beat Boise State on their turf.

Note: There may never be another time in the next 50 years when 6 major college teams are still unbeaten at this point in the season.

7) Oregon (9-2) – Idle this week. The Ducks set themselves up to earn a Pac-10 title and Rose Bowl berth against Ohio State (10-2) if they beat the visiting Oregon State Beavers (8-3) in a winner-take-all Civil War showdown in Eugene. The up again-down again Oregon Ducks have only lost two away games—to 11-0 Boise State and 7-4 Stanford, and they have played the 5th toughest schedule in the country among 245 Division I teams.

8) Oregon State (8-3) – Idle this week. The Beavers have only lost to Cincinnati (10-0), USC (7-3) and Arizona (6-4), and have played the 28th toughest schedule in the country. The Oregon Ducks view the Oregon State Beavers as road kill. The Beavers, one of the dirtiest playing teams in college football, are hardly impressed; they plan to legally hurt a lot of Ducks while hunting for a Pac-10 title share and trip to the Rose Bowl to face Ohio State. Despite the Beavers’ dirty, the advantage is to the Ducks.

9) Ohio State (10-2) – Won the Big Ten title outright. Next stop for the Buckeyes is the Rose Bowl against either Oregon or Oregon State.

10) Pittsburgh (9-2) – Managed to lose on-the-road to an 8-3 West Virginia team, 19-16, on a Mountaineer field goal as time ran out. Give West Virginia’s defense some credit, they kept the Panthers out of the end zone on 5 Pittsburgh drives inside the Mountaineers’ 30-yard line.

11) Penn State (10-2) – Idle this week. Just waiting to see if they get a bid to a BCS game. It is not a lock that the Nittany Lions will as they have played the second weakest schedule (85th) among Jeff Sagarin’s top 35 teams. Only Boise State from the so-weak-my-grandmother-wails Western Athletic Conference (WAC) has played a weaker schedule (91st). This is why Cincinnati, if the Bearcats beat Pittsburgh, should get a BCS shot in front of unbeaten Boise State. Penn State’s only two losses were to Ohio State and Iowa.

12) Iowa (10-2) – Idle this week. The Hawkeyes are waiting in prayer and supplication for a BCS bowl bid, which they may not get. Iowa’s only two losses were to Ohio State and Northwestern; Iowa beat Penn State.

13) Brigham Young (10-2) – Beat a 9-3 Utah team 26-23 in overtime, became the runner-up to TCU in the Mountain West Conference race.

14) Houston (10-2) – Stomped a mud hole in in-state rival Rice, 73-14, to tie Southern Methodist (SMU) for the Conference USA West Division title at 6-2, and notch the Cougars’ 10th win for the season. Since Houston beat SMU 38-15, they should face off against East Carolina (7-1 in conference and 8-4 overall) for the Conference USA championship. Houston has the nation’s best scoring offense (45 ppg) and the 83rd best scoring defense among 120 major college teams.

15) LSU (9-3) – Beat Arkansas 33-30 in overtime. Waiting for a bowl bid. Finishes as runner-up to Alabama in the SEC West Division.

16) California (8-3) – Idle this week. Travels to Washington this week. The Bears, who have only lost to Oregon, Oregon State and Southern Cal, have played the 19th toughest schedule this year.

17) Georgia Tech (10-2) – Lost on-the-road to Georgia 30-24. Won the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Coastal Division with a 7-1 mark, and will face Clemson, the ACC’s Atlantic Division winner, for the ACC title. Played 17th toughest schedule.

18) Clemson (8-4) – Lost on-the-road to South Carolina 34-17 to end the year. Won the AAC’s Atlantic Division with a 6-2 mark and will face Georgia Tech for the ACC title. Lost to Georgia Tech 30-27 in an away game during the regular season. The Tigers have played the 29th toughest schedule.

19) Utah (9-3) – Lost to Brigham Young (10-2), 26-23, in overtime. Finishes 3rd to TCU and BYU in the Mountain West Conference.

20) Virginia Tech (9-3) – Slammed in-state rival Virginia 42-13. Finishes as runner-up to Georgia Tech in the ACC’s Coastal Division.

21) Miami Florida (9-3) – Pounded in-state rival Florida State and Bobby Bowden, 37-10.

22) Stanford (8-4) – Nipped Notre Dame 45-38. Could be the best 8-4 team in the country. Played the 16th toughest schedule in its climb back to national recognition. Recorded signature wins over Oregon (51-42) and Southern California (55-21).

23) Southern California (8-3) – Beat in-state rival UCLA 28-7. Ends season by hosting Arizona. Only losses were to Oregon, Stanford and Washington.

24) Central Michigan (10-2) – Turned back Northern Illinois, 45-31, to win the Mid American Conference West Division with an 8-0 mark and finish the season at 10-2. The Chippewas made some noise this year, and will face Ohio, the Mid American’s East Division champion (7-1 in conference and 9-3 overall), for the Mid American Conference championship. Central Michigan played a far easier schedule than other teams in this Top 25 Poll, but did win 10 games.

25) Fill in your own favorite team. Doing my own Top 25 this season has been fun, but it has also been a lot of work. After pretty much staying out of trouble thus far, I noticed that last week I ranked Oklahoma State both 13th and 22nd. Mistakes can happen. In my defense, Oklahoma State promptly went out and was upset by in-state rival Oklahoma, 27-0. Clearly, my 22nd ranking for Oklahoma State was the more correct one.

Check out “Ed Bagley’s Top 25 Poll” for Week 13 and find out why honesty and a little humor makes reading Top 25 polls so much more enjoyable.
“College Football Wrap-Up – Week 12 – In a Topsy-Turvy Season, Ohio State and Oregon Earn Big Victories to Stay on Top”
http://www.edbagleyblog.com
http://www.edbagleyblog.com/Sports.html

Find More Longhorn Articles

Tags: , , , , ,
read more

College Football Wrap-Up Week 1 – BYU, Boise State, Alabama & Oklahoma State Are Huge Winners

Filed Under: Texas
Aug.04, 2010

College Football Wrap-Up Week 1 – BYU, Boise State, Alabama & Oklahoma State Are Huge Winners

Copyright © 2009 Ed Bagley

(Editor’s Note: All of the team rankings for this opening article are based on the Top 25 Preseason Coaches’ Poll, and the Sagarin Ratings, Jeff Sagarin’s factual, mathematical ratings among competition between all 245 Division 1 teams.)

Brigham Young, Boise State, Alabama and Oklahoma State were college football’s biggest winners in the opening week of the NCAA season.

No. 20-ranked Brigham Young (BYU) used a late 4th quarter touchdown to upset No. 3-ranked Oklahoma, 14-13, and all but obliterated Oklahoma’s hopes for a dream season. The Sooners, who lost to Florida 24-14 in last year’s National Championship Game, returned the 2008 Heisman Trophy winner—quarterback Sam Bradford.

Bradford strained his throwing shoulder in the closing seconds of the first half on a hard, clean, highlight-reel hit by BYU linebacker Coleby Clawson; Bradford watched the second half from the sidelines. Bradford’s backup, Landry Jones, could not get Oklahoma’s offense moving enough to protect its 10-7 halftime lead.

BYU quarterback Max Hall was 26-of-38 for 329 yards and 2 touchdowns. Yes, Hall did give up 2 interceptions and he was sacked 4 times, but when it counted, he led the Cougars on a 16-play, 78-yard scoring drive that broke Oklahoma’s back.

After converting on a 4th-and-4 play from the Sooners’ 29 yard line, Hall completed a 7-yard TD pass to a wide-open McKay Jacobson in the back of the end zone with 3:03 remaining. BYU’s victory was huge, not just because Oklahoma was ranked No. 3, but also because the Cougars won on the road.

There is no way on God’s green Earth that Oklahoma should be ranked No. 3 in this week’s poll, and Brigham Young should most certainly be ranked higher than No. 20.

Some fans may blame Sam Bradford for not generating enough offense in the first half because Oklahoma led the nation in scoring last year with 51+ points per game. However, Bradford did not give up BYU’s go-ahead touchdown—the Oklahoma defense allowed the score, the same defense that ranked 58th in scoring defense last year.

There are reasons why Oklahoma lost the national championship to Florida last year, and the biggest reason was the Sooners’ scoring defense—they were a whole lot better on offense than defense. Sooner fans do not want to accept this, but that is their problem.

BYU’s victory would have gotten even bigger press if were not for No. 14-ranked Boise State’s most excellent 19-8 victory at home over No. 16-ranked Oregon. The Broncos shut out Oregon in the first half, 13-0, and then made it stick in the second half.

Oregon won the sucker-punch contest thanks to the Ducks’ out-of-control, 1,000-yard-plus senior running back LeGarrette Blount slugging Boise State’s Byron Hout after Boise State’s win, but the Broncos won the contest, and the bragging rights.

Blount was kicked off the Oregon team for the rest of the season. He has run his last handoff for the Ducks, and quite possibly blown away big bucks and an NFL career opportunity. After throwing his sucker punch, Blount apparently also slapped a teammate. Unfortunately, on his way up, Blount has apparently not figured out that mugging and thugging are street activities, and not part of college football.

Neither team played well, but the Broncos made an early-season statement about the state of the mid-level conferences.

Entering their games, both BYU from the Mountain West Conference, and Boise State from the Western Athletic Conference, are rarely mentioned in the same breath as teams from the 6 major conferences that get automatic bids to the 6 major bowl games, which includes the National Championship Game.

The 6 major conferences include the Southeastern Conference (SEC), Big Ten, Pacific 10 (Pac-10), Big 12, Big East, and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

Last year Utah from the Mountain West Conference ran the table with a perfect 13-0 record, and was not even considered as a worthy opponent for Florida in the National Championship Game.

Utah promptly trashed Alabama 31-17 in the BCS Sugar Bowl, and a one-loss Oklahoma got the face Florida. Oklahoma’s 45-35 defeat came at the hands of another one-loss team, the Texas Longhorns, who were beaten by Texas Tech 39-33 on Michael Crabtree’s great last-second TD catch. The Longhorns were upset that they were not selected to play Florida for the title.

After going 12-0, Alabama lost to Florida 31-20 in the SEC Championship Game, and then never got over it, losing badly to Utah. Had the Alabama Crimson Tide been given the chance to face Florida Gators, they would have done better; the Crimson Tide viewed Utah as half an opponent, that was Alabama’s mistake.

Apparently No. 5-ranked Alabama has now recovered as the Crimson Tide rolled over the No. 7-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies 34-24 Saturday at home, scoring 18 points in the last quarter to seal the deal. The game was huge as it is rare when two Top 10 teams face off in a season opener.

The No. 9-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys, who went 5-0 last year as a home favorite, picked up a great victory at home against the visiting Georgia Bulldogs, 24-10. Top ranked teams must beat other top ranked teams to climb in the polls, and Oklahoma State did just that, scoring touchdowns in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarters as Georgia’s offense sputtered, and its defense gave up too many points.

Now let’s review some blowout victories by Top 25 and unranked teams over cupcake opponents just collecting a big paycheck for an expected defeat, and hoping they do not suffer a lot of injuries before going into league play:

No. 1 Florida by 59 points at home over 1-AA Charleston Southern, ranked 201 among 245 teams by Sagarin, 62-3.

Air Force (ranked 55) by 72 points at home over 1-AA Nicholls State, ranked 176, 72-0.

Arkansas State (ranked 119) by 61 points at home over 1-AA Mississippi Valley State, ranked 237 among 245 teams, 61-0.

Southern Mississippi (ranked 65) by 52 points at home over 1-AA Alcorn State, ranked 232 among 245 teams, 52-0.

Fresno State (ranked 71) by 51 points at home over 1-AA UC Davis (the University of California at Davis), ranked 146, 51-0.

Houston (ranked 66) by 48 points at home over 1-AA Northwestern State, ranked 178, 55-7.

Vanderbilt (ranked 54) by 45 points at home over 1-AA Western Carolina, ranked 182, 45-0.

I am personally ignoring any Top 25 or unranked team that played a 1-AA school and did not win by at least 45 points. Let some other media give them ink.

Here are some good wins by Top 25 and unranked teams:

No. 4 Southern California (USC) by 53 points at home over San Jose State, ranked 109, 56-3.

No. 12 California by 45 points at home over Maryland, ranked 45, 52-13,

No. 23 Notre Dame by 35 points at home over Nevada, ranked 77, 35-0.

No. 24 Nebraska by 46 points at home over Florida Atlantic, ranked 112, 49-3.

No. 25 Kansas by 46 points at home over Northern Colorado, ranked 198, 49-3.

Baylor (ranked 85) on the road over Wake Forest, ranked 30, 24-21. Missouri (unranked by the AP and Coaches’ Polls but ranked No. 18 by Sagarin) on the road over Illinois (ranked 63), 37-9. South Carolina (ranked 31) on the road over North Carolina State, ranked 58, 7-3, in the lowest scoring game of the first weekend. Here are some really unimpressive wins by Top 25 and unranked teams during the first week of play:

Topping the list is No. 19-ranked Utah’s home victory over in-state rival Utah State, ranked 131, 35-17.The Utah Utes were 13-0 last year; the Utah State Aggies were 3-9.

No. 2 Texas at home over Louisiana-Monroe, ranked 127, 59-20. Dude, the Longhorns should have done better against last year’s 4-8 Warhawk team.

No. 6 Ohio State at home over Navy, ranked 59, 31-27. The Buckeyes were outscored 13-11 in the 4th quarter by the Midshipmen, who went 8-5 last year and lost 29-19 to Wake Forest in the EagleBank Bowl. What is it about Ohio State Buckeyes that every year they are given a pass in the final rankings? The Buckeyes lost to Florida 41-14 in the 2006 National Championship Game, lost to LSU 38-24 in the 2007 National Championship Game, and lost to Texas 24-21 in the 2008 BCS Fiesta Bowl.

Face it, man, the Buckeyes are weak. Would you believe Ohio State was 6-6 against the spread last year, and a paltry 1-4 against the spread as a home favorite? No wonder they have fallen out of favor with the betting public.

No. 11 LSU on the road over Washington, ranked 80, 31-23. This game could have easily gotten away from the LSU Tigers. The Washington Huskies, winless last year at 0-12, are much, much better this year under new coach Steve Sarkisian and defensive coordinator Nick Holt. Take away an errant pass that led to a 29-yard touchdown by LSU’s defensive unit, and a 45-yard Tiger TD pass and catch with a missed tackle that Husky free safety Greg Walker misplayed on a one-on-one, and Washington wins the game, 23-17.

Get this: Washington ran 83 plays to LSU’s 48, out-gained the Tigers 478 yards to 321, and 11 Husky drives went beyond midfield and into Tiger territory.

Read more of my football coverage, including:
Check out “Ed Bagley’s Top 25 Poll” for Week 4—you get rankings plus humor.
“College Football Wrap-Up – Week 3 – Dream Season Ends for Southern Cal, Brigham Young, Utah and Georgia Tech”
“Dawgs Show Their Fangs, Washington Upsets 3rd-Ranked USC Trojans, 16-13″
http://www.edbagleyblog.com
http://www.edbagleyblog.com/Sports.html

More Longhorns Articles

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
read more

Ed Bagley’s Top 25 Poll – Week 7

Filed Under: Texas
Aug.04, 2010
longhorns
by KB35

Ed Bagley’s Top 25 Poll – Week 7

Copyright © 2009 Ed Bagley

It was a good week to be Florida, Alabama, Texas, Cincinnati, Boise State, Iowa and TCU—all won, and all are the only unbeaten major teams left in the nation. Every one of them are beatable, the only monster thing about any of them are the college publicity departments that promote them. Here’s my Top 25 for the 7th week:

1) Alabama (7-0) – Hosted and beat a really game 5-1 South Carolina team 20-6, and is on track for a head-on collision with Florida for the SEC championship and a shot at the national title. Guess who has the best total defense in the nation? Answer: Alabama.

2) Florida (6-0) – Needed a 27-yard field goal at home with 9 seconds left to beat a 3-2 Arkansas team, 23-20, and keep the Razorbacks from pulling off the biggest upset of the year. Florida can be beat. Gators are still the defending national champions. Alabama beat Arkansas 35-7 at home. Guess who has the second best total defense in the nation? Answer: Florida.

3) Oregon (5-1) – Caught napping and lost its season opener on-the-road to Boise State 19-8, but has since ripped off 5 straight wins and made it clear that the Ducks (such a weak nickname for a football team) will be dealt with. Travels to hated rival Washington next. The Huskies have last-second upset victories over USC (16-13) and Arizona (36-33). It seems obvious, but who is tougher, Huskies or Ducks? This is why we will watch the game.

4) Cincinnati (6-0) – Tough to know who is better, Cincinnati or Southern California. What I do know is that Cincy is unbeaten and could achieve a perfect 12-0 record if they really are a No. 4 team since West Virginia (5-1) and Pittsburgh (6-1) are their only big challenges in the last 6 games.

5) Southern California (5-1) – Will not soon forget the 16-13 loss on-the-road to Washington, but has won at least 11 games a year for the last 7 years. Having said that, USC is beatable and has victories that were too close over Ohio State (18-15) and Notre Dame (34-27), both came on the road. USC has a daunting schedule left with road trips to Oregon and Arizona State, and home game against Stanford, UCLA, Arizona and Oregon State (the Trojans only loss last year was 27-21 on-the-road to the Beavers).

6) Texas (6-0) – I have a lot of misgivings about the Longhorns. Yes, they managed to beat a 3-3 Oklahoma team 16-13 at home, but needed a last-minute field goal to do it. Texas knocked out Sooner QB Sam Bradford in the 1st quarter, yet the Oklahoma defense dominated the 1st half and the Sooners led 6-3 at halftime. Keep in mind that Oklahoma lost to Brigham Young and Miami (FL) before facing Texas, and Texas ran up a 5-0 mark playing no one worth mentioning before Oklahoma. Now the Longhorns get Central Florida, Baylor, Kansas and Texas A&M in their last 4 games; this does not sound to me like Texas should play in the national championship game even if the Longhorns end up at 12-0, which is likely.

7) Texas Christian (6-0) – TCU has feasted on such powerhouses as Virginia, 1-AA Texas State, Clemson, Southern Methodist, Air Force and Colorado State (note the sarcasm). Is TCU suspect? You better believe it. Kansas looked good while playing cupcakes too. Let’s see if BYU or Utah slows TCU down. If not, then perhaps I shall think a little better of the Horned Frogs.

8) Iowa (7-0) – Hawkeyes have won three games by 3 points or less, but have put Penn State, Michigan and Wisconsin behind their taillights. Only Michigan State and Ohio State stand in their way of running up the best Hawkeye record probably ever.

9) Boise State (6-0) – If you think TCU might be a little lame at 6-0, try Boise State. The Broncos just beat Tulsa 28-21 on-the-road. To listen to coach Chris Petersen talk his way out of another weak victory, you would think he just played Alabama in ‘Bama and beat the Crimson Tide 28-21. So here is Boise State 6-0, and who do you think the next 6 “explosive playmakers” are that the Broncos will play? Try this awesome lineup: 112th-ranked Hawaii (2-4), 93rd-ranked San Jose State (1-5), 95th-ranked Louisiana Tech (3-3), 51st ranked Idaho (6-1), 128th-ranked Utah State (1-5), 87th-ranked Nevada (3-3) and 152nd-ranked New Mexico State (3-4). They have a combined team record of 19-25 and an average ranking of 120. Did I mention that the entire 1-A Division is made up of only 120 teams? Yup, that’s Boise State—the higher they are ranked and the tougher they are, the better the Broncos like it. No longer wonder why major conference champions get opt-ins to BCS games—at least they earn the recognition. Only Idaho has anything going for it in Boise State’s last 6 games.

10) LSU (5-1) – Took Florida to the mat before the Gators escaped 13-3. Other than Oregon and USC, could be the best 5-1 team in the country. Must now beat 5-2 Auburn at home or risk losing top 10 status. Life does not get any easier, just more interesting.

You have perhaps figured out by now that there are not 10 great football teams at work this season. I put my next 14 picks in a Halloween basket, shook it vigorously, and pulled them out one at a time to fill the next 14 slots because I do not believe there is that much difference between them. Some play much tougher opponents but none of them have much to crow about at the moment. I saved the team I personally hate the worst for the 25th spot—they do not know how lucky they are to even make my top 25.

11) Brigham Young (6-1) – Runs into TCU next.

12) West Virginia (5-1) – Has victories over 1-AA Liberty, East Carolina, Colorado, Syracuse and Marshall. No wonder they are not getting much notice. Their good fortune to be picked 2nd out of the pumpkin.

13) Ohio State (5-2) – Went to Purdue and got their Buckeye butts handed to them by a 1-5 Boilermaker team, 26-18. I hope you appreciate why Ohio State can be so disappointing.

14) Oklahoma State (5-1) – On their best day, the Cowboys may be better than their rival Oklahoma Sooners, whom they play in their last game.

15) South Florida (5-1) – Travel to Pittsburgh and had better be ready.

16) Miami, FL (5-1) – Have beaten Florida State, Georgia Tech and Oklahoma, that’s more than Boise State, TCU and Texas can said given their first-half schedules.

17) South Carolina (5-2) – I like the Gamecocks and their coach Steve Spurrier. Coaching at South Carolina is no easy task; the Gamecocks are not very high on the pecking order when recruiting against Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, LSU and Auburn. Hard to build a consistent winner with the leftovers.

18) Notre Dame (4-2) – A lot of history, luck, smoke and mirrors have netted them 3 victories by a total of 13 points; that is living pretty close to the edge, especially when you are giving up 29 points a game to your last 5 opponents.

19) Idaho (6-1) – Give coach Robb Akey and his Vandals some props; Idaho has been in the pits for years and is now on the rise, meaning there really is no “Achy Breaky Heart” in Moscow (Idaho, not Russia).

20) Central Michigan (6-1) – On target to win the Mid American title.

21) Georgia Tech (6-1) – A very warm summer brought out the Yellow Jackets.

22) Houston (5-1) – Ranks 3rd in the nation in scoring offense (40 ppg), and 88th in scoring defense (28 ppg). If you want to see a shootout, skip the ranch and go directly to a Houston game.

23) Pittsburgh (6-1) – The Panthers are Dave Wannstedt’s magnum opus. There will never be another Pittsburgh for Wannstedt, and he will not go to his grave until his Panthers return to the glory days of when he was blocking for future Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett. If Wannstedt was not on the football field, he would be deep into a coal mine.

24) Virginia Tech (5-2) – Did a number on Miami (FL) and Boston College, then lost to a 6-1 Georgia Tech team in an away game.

Gosh, putting those last 14 team names in a pumpkin and pulling them out was fun! It actually caused me to re-consider some of my future choices.

25) Penn State (6-1) – Has compiled signature wins over Akron, Syracuse, Temple, Illinois, 1-AA Eastern Iilinois and Minnesota (a combined record of 17-21), and then ran into a lousy 7-0 Iowa team and promptly lost at home 21-10.

Don’t ya just love college football? The reason the pros are less likeable is that they are exciting but too predictable.

Check out “Ed Bagley’s Top 25 Poll” for Week 7—you get rankings plus humor.
“College Football Wrap-Up – Week 6 – Florida Stays No. 1, Beats LSU 13-3, 4 More Teams Suffer Their First Loss”
“College Football – The Sagarin Ratings – What They Are, How to Read Them & What to Do With Them”
http://www.edbagleyblog.com
http://www.edbagleyblog.com/Sports.html

Tags: , ,
read more

Sydney Opera House close up, Australia, vivid Sydney festival week

Filed Under: Music
Aug.02, 2010

Some cool festivals images:

Sydney Opera House close up, Australia, vivid Sydney festival week
festivals

Image by Linh_rOm

Tags: , , , , , , ,
read more

Jakes Take – NFL Week 1 News

Filed Under: Dallas
Aug.02, 2010

Jakes Take – NFL Week 1 News

WOW what an opening week 1 of the 09 NFL season. Starting with the defensive struggle in Pittsburgh (both teams should be playing in January) where Roethlisberger engineered another winning drive in the last 2 minutes and ending with Philip Rivers fooling everybody with a draw up the middle at the goal line. Sproles went in untouched. Letâ??s not forget another amazing performance by Brady.

It will be interesting to see if Oakland and Buffalo can bounce back from devastating losses. I think they both will be better this year. How about Sanchez? He looked like a seasoned pro out there in his debut.

Ravens finally have a QB that can win games instead of playing not lose games. Steelers will have a tough fight ahead for division and they better get some production out of the running game.

Fans in Carolina and Cincinnati should be concerned. Jake Delhomme needs Dr. Phil and why is Marvin Lewis still a head coach?

Jay Cutler proved that he is a pussy and Denver will be better off without him in the long run. He wonâ??t last in a working class town like Chicago. The problem is the QB bar in Chicago has been set so low they will give him a chance. They havenâ??t had a good QB since Sid Luckman.

Atlanta played great as did New Orleans. Worried about the Saints defense. Brres canâ??t throw 6 TDâ??s a game or can he.  Miami needs a rebound win this Sunday but Colts are no day at the beach. Interesting move in Philly bringing in Garcia with McNabb hurt and Vick able to play next week. Looks Like Andy Reid has zero faith in Kolb. Might be time for Kolb to pack his bags.

Dallas and Giants look tough along with Eagles it is toughest division in the league because Washington is no slouch and they are considered the worst team in the division. Zorn is still making rookie coaching mistakes.

Cards look nothing like Superbowl team from last year will have tough time winning division. Seattle and Frisco are both improved. Frisco is one of my sleepers this year. There is something about Singletary that I like.

Long seasons again for the fans of Cleveland, Houston, Tampa and Detroit.

For more information on sporting tips, analysis, sporting pools visit www.sportspoolsonline.com

Jakes take is the author of sports articles on sports pools online

Find More Dallas News Articles

Tags: , , ,
read more
Powered by WordPress and Motion by 85ideas.

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

Powered by WP Robot