Last week capped off another so so week in the world of picking winners, hoping to get back on track this week and i've got two more upsets on the docket. Enjoy...
College
Colorado @Oklahoma
Florida St. @NC State
Northwestern @Indiana
Louisville @Pittsburgh
Michigan St. @Iowa
Arizona @UCLA
Missouri @Nebraska
NFL
Buffalo @Kansas City
Pittsburgh @New Orleans
Tennessee @San Diego
Houston @Indianapolis
Miami @Cincinnati
Last Week- 7-5
Season- 65-31
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Prediction Time...Week 8
Well I rebounded from my worst week yet to have another solid week at 8-4. None of my big upset picks came through for me though so ill have to do a better job of messing with the big dogs this week.
College
OU @Mizzou
South Florida @Cincinnati
Rutgers @Pittsburgh
LSU @Auburn
Wisconsin @Iowa
Nebraska @Oklahoma St.
Washington @Arizona
NFL
Jacksonville @Kansas City
San Francisco @Carolina
Arizona @Seattle
New England @San Diego
Minnesota @Green Bay
Last Week- 8-4
Season- 58-26
College
OU @Mizzou
South Florida @Cincinnati
Rutgers @Pittsburgh
LSU @Auburn
Wisconsin @Iowa
Nebraska @Oklahoma St.
Washington @Arizona
NFL
Jacksonville @Kansas City
San Francisco @Carolina
Arizona @Seattle
New England @San Diego
Minnesota @Green Bay
Last Week- 8-4
Season- 58-26
Demarco Murray- Great Career but how great of a player?
Demarco Murray began his career at The University of Oklahoma as a super-hyped bolt of energy and speed and did little during his freshman season to dispel that hype. By the time Demarco Murray finishes his eligibility in a few months he will hold several major records at OU including total Touchdowns and All purpose yards while most likely finishing in the top 5 in rushing yards and the top 2 in rushing touchdowns, if not #1. So why is it that we stand nearly halfway through Demarco's Senior season and I still have no idea where to place him amongst the All Time Greats at OU? It could be that despite all of the numbers that Demarco will pile up, he will never have a season that places him in the top 5 in rushing yardage for a season although he has a good shot to break the OU single season Touchdown record of 23.
It could be because of the age old question, "what could have been?" What would have happened if Demarco were healthy when OU lost by 10 to Florida in the 2008 National Championship? What if Demarco hadn't missed 4 full games and parts of several others in his career? What if he hadn't split carries with Chris Brown for much of his career? What if we hadn't seen Demarco virtually change the type of running back that he was at least 3 times? It is often intriguing to wonder 'what if' but in Demarco's case I think the better place to take the conversation is 'what now'? Demarco has atleast 7 games left in his OU career and possibly 8 if OU makes the Big 12 Title Game. What can Demarco do now to end his career that will help us to properly place him amongst the greats at OU?
It's now doubt that if you are judging Murray's career based off of the expectations he created his freshman year when he had the legendary run against Texas while averaging 6 yards per carry and scoring 17 total touchdowns throughout the season that you might say his career wasn't what it could have been. He never again averaged over 5.6 yards per carry and has only one 1000 yard season to his name, although it seems likely he will break that mark again this year barring injury.
So what if we talk about the way that Murray has continually re-invented his self, it's this part of his career that impresses me the most. Going from a speed demon his freshman year, a guy who could put any move on any player and win, a guy who could get the corner on any guy in the country and win, as well as a guy who could still occasionally run over someone. It appeared that once Murray was hurt in the 11th game of his freshman season he came back and decided that his top end speed may be gone so he overcompensated and bulked up the following two years.
Undoubtedly irritated by missing parts of all 3 of his seasons due to injuries, Murray made yet another change going into his Senior season. Dropping around 10lbs and doing more flexibility type of exercises, it appears that Murray has finally found the type of runner that he needs to be. While Murray still lacks some of that speed that he used to have and a few of the moves, we have seen glimpses of Greatness throughout his Senior season mixed very good play throughout.
As we near the end of what has no doubt been a great career from Demarco I think we should focus more on what he is than what he could have been. He may not be the best running back to ever play at OU but then again, there are so many Great ones at OU that you could probably never find a consensus #1 anyway. In my mind we are watching the twilight of one of the Greatest careers at OU ever, any position. What he now lacks in flash he makes up for in substance, reliability, in his high level of value. Murray means so much to this 2010 team that it really can't be measured in numbers. While the numbers may say he is one of the best and the eye test may say he is just pretty good and sometimes really good, there is no doubt in my mind that Murray will end his career at OU as one of the best running backs in school history and one of the most valuable players in OU history ever.
It could be because of the age old question, "what could have been?" What would have happened if Demarco were healthy when OU lost by 10 to Florida in the 2008 National Championship? What if Demarco hadn't missed 4 full games and parts of several others in his career? What if he hadn't split carries with Chris Brown for much of his career? What if we hadn't seen Demarco virtually change the type of running back that he was at least 3 times? It is often intriguing to wonder 'what if' but in Demarco's case I think the better place to take the conversation is 'what now'? Demarco has atleast 7 games left in his OU career and possibly 8 if OU makes the Big 12 Title Game. What can Demarco do now to end his career that will help us to properly place him amongst the greats at OU?
It's now doubt that if you are judging Murray's career based off of the expectations he created his freshman year when he had the legendary run against Texas while averaging 6 yards per carry and scoring 17 total touchdowns throughout the season that you might say his career wasn't what it could have been. He never again averaged over 5.6 yards per carry and has only one 1000 yard season to his name, although it seems likely he will break that mark again this year barring injury.
So what if we talk about the way that Murray has continually re-invented his self, it's this part of his career that impresses me the most. Going from a speed demon his freshman year, a guy who could put any move on any player and win, a guy who could get the corner on any guy in the country and win, as well as a guy who could still occasionally run over someone. It appeared that once Murray was hurt in the 11th game of his freshman season he came back and decided that his top end speed may be gone so he overcompensated and bulked up the following two years.
Undoubtedly irritated by missing parts of all 3 of his seasons due to injuries, Murray made yet another change going into his Senior season. Dropping around 10lbs and doing more flexibility type of exercises, it appears that Murray has finally found the type of runner that he needs to be. While Murray still lacks some of that speed that he used to have and a few of the moves, we have seen glimpses of Greatness throughout his Senior season mixed very good play throughout.
As we near the end of what has no doubt been a great career from Demarco I think we should focus more on what he is than what he could have been. He may not be the best running back to ever play at OU but then again, there are so many Great ones at OU that you could probably never find a consensus #1 anyway. In my mind we are watching the twilight of one of the Greatest careers at OU ever, any position. What he now lacks in flash he makes up for in substance, reliability, in his high level of value. Murray means so much to this 2010 team that it really can't be measured in numbers. While the numbers may say he is one of the best and the eye test may say he is just pretty good and sometimes really good, there is no doubt in my mind that Murray will end his career at OU as one of the best running backs in school history and one of the most valuable players in OU history ever.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Prediction Time...Week 7
So you know what they say about bragging right?...Coming off easily my best record last week at 10-2 I was feeling pretty confident, needless to say I was pretty bad this last week going 6-6. The thing that makes it easier to stomach is that I DID pick South Carolina over Bama and that makes my heart smile! Now on to the picks for the upcoming week.
College
Iowa st. @OU
Texas @Nebraska
Arkansas @Auburn
Iowa @Michigan
Baylor @Colorado
Ohio St. @Wisconsin
Cincinnati @Louisville
NFL
New Orleans @ Tampa Bay
Atlanta @ Philadelphia
Dallas @ Minnesota
Ny Jets @ Denver
Oakland @ San Francisco
Last Week- 6-6
Season- 50-22
College
Iowa st. @OU
Texas @Nebraska
Arkansas @Auburn
Iowa @Michigan
Baylor @Colorado
Ohio St. @Wisconsin
Cincinnati @Louisville
NFL
New Orleans @ Tampa Bay
Atlanta @ Philadelphia
Dallas @ Minnesota
Ny Jets @ Denver
Oakland @ San Francisco
Last Week- 6-6
Season- 50-22
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Prediction Time...Week 6
Im on a roll now, going 10-2 in week 5 including calling the Va Tech upset of NC State as well as Baltimore winning at Pittsburgh. It's just too bad that i'm not putting any money on the games, lol.
OU is off this week so I will be picking a random game in college to take their place, other than that, Here We Go!
College Football
Nebraska vs Kansas St
Alabama vs South Carolina
Michigan St vs Michigan
Pittsburgh vs Notre Dame
Florida St vs Miami
Clemson vs North Carolina
Syracuse vs South Florida
NFL
Tampa Bay vs Cincinnati
Kansas City vs Indianapolis
Philadelphia vs San Francisco
New Orleans vs Arizona
Green Bay vs Washington
Last Week- 10-2
Season- 44-16
OU is off this week so I will be picking a random game in college to take their place, other than that, Here We Go!
College Football
Nebraska vs Kansas St
Alabama vs South Carolina
Michigan St vs Michigan
Pittsburgh vs Notre Dame
Florida St vs Miami
Clemson vs North Carolina
Syracuse vs South Florida
NFL
Tampa Bay vs Cincinnati
Kansas City vs Indianapolis
Philadelphia vs San Francisco
New Orleans vs Arizona
Green Bay vs Washington
Last Week- 10-2
Season- 44-16
Sunday, October 3, 2010
The Top 10 College Football Players of the last Decade
When compiling a list like this there are always going to be worthy athletes who are left off but I want to be clear that I am basing my list off of a particular players career and not one season. That's why you wont see someone like Vince Young on my list. He may well have had one of the top individual seasons of all-time in 2005 but he simply wasnt worthy based on his entire career in my opinion. Also, just to be clear, the time frame I am using is 1999-2009. With that said, let the debate begin...If you feel like someone is under ranked, over ranked, or I completely left someone off of the list, please chime in. Remember, this list isnt based strictly off of championships or individual accomplishments. This is who I thought was the best of the best based on their play on the field.
Lets start with those who just missed the top 10. Vince Young, Ndamukong Suh, Chris Weinke, Julius Peppers, Jason White, Eric Crouch, Adrian Peterson, Larry Fitzgerald
10: Bryant McKinnie
McKinnie left The University of Miami having not allowed a sack in 2 full seasons, he also finished 8th in the Heisman Voting as a Senior. Among his individual honors he was a 2 time All American, winner of the Outland Trophy, and was even named CNN Sports Illustrated's Player of the Year.
9: Michael Crabtree
Crabtree left Texas Tech as a two time Bieitnikoff Award Winner, two time 1st team All American, had back to back seasons of 1962 receiving yards and 22 TDs followed by 1165 receiving yards and 19 TDs. He also had a 5th place Heisman finish, and most notably he caught the most famous pass in Texas Tech history as his team upset #1 Texas at home.
8: Darren McFadden
McFadden was a scintillating college talent, rushing for over 1100 yards in all 3 seasons including over 1800 in his final season. He was a two time Doak Walker Award Winner as well as a 2 time Heisman Trophy Runner Up.
7: Colt Mccoy
McCoy is the NCAA's all time winningest QB at 45, he is the only collegiate QB to win 10 games in all four college seasons, he also has the highest single season completion percentage in NCAA history at 76.7%. McCoy is a two time Heisman Finalist and he lead his Longhorns to the 2009 Big 12 title and the National Title game where he would be hurt and have to leave the game in the 1st quarter.
6: Sam Bradford
Bradford came out of a tense QB battle for OU as a redshirt freshman and ended up leading the nation in passing efficiency. He would repeat this feat as a redshirt sophomore as he lead his Sooners to the National Title game while winning the Heisman Trophy along the way. For his career Bradford won 2 conference titles, lead his team to 2 BCS bowl games, and finished with 88 TDs, only 16 ints, and a 67% career completion percentage.
5: Reggie Bush
The first thing most people will say when seeing this is that Reggie Bush cheated and that is very true, having been stripped of his Heisman trophy and possibly costing his team a national championship down the road. When deciding if I would include Bush on this list I came to the conclusion that on the field, he was as dynamic of a player as we have seen in the last decade and there was no way I couldnt include him. Bush won the Heisman in 2005 as well as numerous other prestigous awards including the Doak Walker Award and the Walter Camp award, all have been vacated. You can take away all of the awards but at the end of the day, Reggie Bush was one of the most amazing college athletes that ive ever watched and his cheating doesnt change what he did on the field.
4: Ladanian Tomlinson
The Doak Walker Award winner in 2000, Tomlinson had a stellar college career. This was highlighted by a single game NCAA rushing record of 406 yards as well as back to back seasons of 1850 and 2158 rushing yards. Tomlinson also found himself in New York as a Heisman finalist where he would finish 4th.
3: Ron Dayne
The NCAA's all time career rushing leader as well as the 1999 Heisman Trophy Winner, Ron Dayne simply dominated for the Badgers. His career was book-ended by 1800 yard rushing seasons, 12 200 yard games, and is one of only 5 running backs in NCAA history to have 1000 yards rushing in all four seasons of his college career. Dayne was also a 2 time MVP of perhaps the most prestigious bowl game in college football, The Rose Bowl.
2: Matt Leinart
The biggest number to me is 37-2, that's Leinarts record as a starting QB. Once you get past that you will see 1 BCS National Title, 1 AP National Title, 99 TDs and only 25 ints, as well as a Heisman Trophy. He was a two time Heisman Finalist.
1: Tim Tebow
A Three time All American, 2 time National Champion, a Two time Heisman Finalist and One time Heisman winner, Tebow basically owned college football while he played. He is the only player in NCAA history to have 20 passing and rushing TDs in one season.
Lets start with those who just missed the top 10. Vince Young, Ndamukong Suh, Chris Weinke, Julius Peppers, Jason White, Eric Crouch, Adrian Peterson, Larry Fitzgerald
10: Bryant McKinnie
McKinnie left The University of Miami having not allowed a sack in 2 full seasons, he also finished 8th in the Heisman Voting as a Senior. Among his individual honors he was a 2 time All American, winner of the Outland Trophy, and was even named CNN Sports Illustrated's Player of the Year.
9: Michael Crabtree
Crabtree left Texas Tech as a two time Bieitnikoff Award Winner, two time 1st team All American, had back to back seasons of 1962 receiving yards and 22 TDs followed by 1165 receiving yards and 19 TDs. He also had a 5th place Heisman finish, and most notably he caught the most famous pass in Texas Tech history as his team upset #1 Texas at home.
8: Darren McFadden
McFadden was a scintillating college talent, rushing for over 1100 yards in all 3 seasons including over 1800 in his final season. He was a two time Doak Walker Award Winner as well as a 2 time Heisman Trophy Runner Up.
7: Colt Mccoy
McCoy is the NCAA's all time winningest QB at 45, he is the only collegiate QB to win 10 games in all four college seasons, he also has the highest single season completion percentage in NCAA history at 76.7%. McCoy is a two time Heisman Finalist and he lead his Longhorns to the 2009 Big 12 title and the National Title game where he would be hurt and have to leave the game in the 1st quarter.
6: Sam Bradford
Bradford came out of a tense QB battle for OU as a redshirt freshman and ended up leading the nation in passing efficiency. He would repeat this feat as a redshirt sophomore as he lead his Sooners to the National Title game while winning the Heisman Trophy along the way. For his career Bradford won 2 conference titles, lead his team to 2 BCS bowl games, and finished with 88 TDs, only 16 ints, and a 67% career completion percentage.
5: Reggie Bush
The first thing most people will say when seeing this is that Reggie Bush cheated and that is very true, having been stripped of his Heisman trophy and possibly costing his team a national championship down the road. When deciding if I would include Bush on this list I came to the conclusion that on the field, he was as dynamic of a player as we have seen in the last decade and there was no way I couldnt include him. Bush won the Heisman in 2005 as well as numerous other prestigous awards including the Doak Walker Award and the Walter Camp award, all have been vacated. You can take away all of the awards but at the end of the day, Reggie Bush was one of the most amazing college athletes that ive ever watched and his cheating doesnt change what he did on the field.
4: Ladanian Tomlinson
The Doak Walker Award winner in 2000, Tomlinson had a stellar college career. This was highlighted by a single game NCAA rushing record of 406 yards as well as back to back seasons of 1850 and 2158 rushing yards. Tomlinson also found himself in New York as a Heisman finalist where he would finish 4th.
3: Ron Dayne
The NCAA's all time career rushing leader as well as the 1999 Heisman Trophy Winner, Ron Dayne simply dominated for the Badgers. His career was book-ended by 1800 yard rushing seasons, 12 200 yard games, and is one of only 5 running backs in NCAA history to have 1000 yards rushing in all four seasons of his college career. Dayne was also a 2 time MVP of perhaps the most prestigious bowl game in college football, The Rose Bowl.
2: Matt Leinart
The biggest number to me is 37-2, that's Leinarts record as a starting QB. Once you get past that you will see 1 BCS National Title, 1 AP National Title, 99 TDs and only 25 ints, as well as a Heisman Trophy. He was a two time Heisman Finalist.
1: Tim Tebow
A Three time All American, 2 time National Champion, a Two time Heisman Finalist and One time Heisman winner, Tebow basically owned college football while he played. He is the only player in NCAA history to have 20 passing and rushing TDs in one season.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)