Football – Page 4 – Grad School Sports™

CFB Playoffs: #1 LSU vs #4 OU Preview

December 24, 2019June 2, 2020 by colewest86, posted in NCAA Football

It is almost that time of year: The College Football Playoffs. The playoffs start this Saturday at 3:00 CT. The undefeated LSU Tigers take on the 12-1 Oklahoma Sooners in the Chick- Fil- A Peach bowl. This will be the 4th appearance in the playoffs for the Sooners, while this is the first postseason appearance for the Tigers. Regardless, both teams are looking for their first playoff win as the Sooners are 0-3.

The Sooners may be 0-3 in the playoffs, so far but their transfer QB, Jalen Hurts, has nothing but wins and experience. Before transferring to OU in the 2019 season, Hurts played QB at Alabama where he led the Rolling Tide to the playoffs in 2016 and 2017 (he was the backup in the 2018 season). Hurts is 3-1 as a starter in the College Football Playoffs. Hurts also has experience beating the LSU Tigers, beating them two years in a row as a starter. That type of experience can go a long way for the Sooners.

On the other side is the LSU Tigers who have stormed through the regular season. Posting wins against Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and Auburn, it is no question that LSU has looked like the best team in the country. Now the Tigers are looking for their first win in the College Football Playoffs to send them to the national championship.

The biggest story this past week regarding these teams is the news that Oklahoma will be playing without three of their players. Oklahoma’s DE- Ronnie Perkins, RB- Rhamondre Stevenson, and WR- Trejan Bridges are suspended for the Peach Bowl. While it is still unclear what provoked the suspension, The Athletic’s, Jason Kersey, reported it as a “rules violation.” The biggest loss is DE, Ronnie Perkins. Perkins is considered the Sooners best pass rusher with six sacks, and 38 total tackles. This is now a major disadvantage for the Sooners as they try to stop Heisman winner, Joe Burrow, and his high-powered offense

The LSU Tigers have some bad news as well as running back Clyde Edwards- Helaire suffered a hamstring injury during practice last week. Edwards- Helaire is LSU’s leading rusher with 1,290 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns. LSU coach, Ed Orgeron, said Edwards- Helaire is questionable for the Peach Bowl. However if anyone knows hamstring injuries, they know how hard they are to recover from in football. If Edwards- Helaire does not play, running backs, Tyrion Davis-Price, John Emery Jr., and Chris Curry would assume the workload. Those three running backs have a combine 118 attempts and nine rushing touchdowns on the season. The replacements have some experience; however, it would still be a major blow if the Tigers were without their starting running back.

Keys to the Game

Oklahoma

1.Run the Football

This is arguably the most important factor for the Sooners on Saturday: the ability to run the football. OU comes into this football game 11th in the nation in rushing yards per game with over 240 yards a game. This would be huge for OU as it wears down the LSU defense, open up the passing game, and keep LSU’s high-powered offense off the field.

2. Win the Turnover Battle

Oklahoma comes into the game as 13.5 point underdogs. Something underdogs cannot do in a football game if they want to win is have turnovers; therefore, OU needs to win the turnover battle. Jalen Hurts has shown this season that he struggles to hold on to the football. That cannot be the case Saturday, or else LSU will take advantage and make OU pay for it. If OU’s defense can force turnovers, that will give the OU defense a lot of confidence, momentum, and maybe some points on the board for OU.

LSU

1.Convert on 3rd Downs

One of the keys to the game for LSU is to convert on 3rd downs. LSU currently converts on 3rd downs 49.67% of the time which ranks 7th in the nation. Converting on 3rd downs will allow LSU’s offense to stay on the field and wear and tear the OU defense. This will allow receivers such as JaMarr Chase and Justin Jefferson to get involved early as well as boost the confidence for the LSU offense. OU’s defense currently is 48th in the country on opponents points per game with allowing 25.4 points per game. For LSU’s offense who averages 46.3 points per game (ranked 3rd), they should be more than capable converting on 3rd downs to put up points on the scoreboard.

2. Stop/Limit the Run

I mentioned this earlier, but LSU must be able to stop or limit the run for the Sooners. The Sooners average over 240 rushing yards a game. They run a power-style run offense that can wear down defenses. OU can run it with Jalen Hurts who has 1,255 rushing yards or RB, Kennedy Brooks, who has 976 yards on the season. This is worst case scenario for LSU: that Oklahoma is able to run all over the LSU defense to extend drives, and more importantly keep Joe Burrow and LSU off the field.

This will be a big opportunity for OU and the Big-12 to make a statement if they were to pull off the upset because the College Football Playoff committee has traditionally not shown as much respect to Big-12 teams over the years compared to teams in the SEC or Big-10.

The SEC and Big-12 champions will meet in Atlanta on December, 28th at 3:00 CT on ESPN. Both teams will be competing for a chance to play in the national championship.

Top 10 College Football Moments of 2019

December 20, 2019June 2, 2020 by colewest86, posted in NCAA Football

Greetings, as we settle into the holidays and the new year, it is important that we all take time to reflect on the past year. Therefore, we should especially take some time to reflect on the College Football season. This college football season brought a lot of moments and plays to be grateful for. Here is an accumulated list of plays and moments that ranked among the top of the entire 2019 college football season.

10. Illinois Upsets #6 Wisconsin

Coming in at #10, is the upset for the Illinois Fighting Illini over undefeated Wisconsin, 24-23. Down 13 points near the end of the 3rd, the Fighting Illini stormed back and won the game with a game winning field goal. Illinois were 31 point underdogs, but shocked the nation by giving #6 Wisconsin their first loss of the season.

Along with that particular game and game-winning kick, what Love Smith has done to this program has been impressive. He has this program on the right track, and bowl bound for the first time in 4 seasons. A traditional basketball is starting to make some headway in the College Football realm.

9. Virginia Tech Over UNC in 6 OT

If the LSU- A&M 7 OT game was the flavor blasted Goldfish, than this game is the off-brand Goldfish you find in the back of a Walmart. While this game did not carry the hype of the shoot out in Kyle Field last year (mainly due to being a measly ACC matchup), it did provide a lot of entertainment, and suspense as the game went into 6 overtimes.

A person sees 6 overtimes, and thinks a lot of scoring, but the final score was only 43-41 Virginia Tech featuring only 22 combined points scored in the 6 overtime periods. This game would be higher up on the top moments of College Football the game carried more stakes.

8. Miss State Beats Ole Miss in Egg Bowl Fluke

I look back on this game, and thank this game for giving me entertainment on Thanksgiving day since the NFL game was a blowout. Mississippi State, and Ole Miss were in a classic turkey bowl battle for the state of Mississippi, where Ole Miss was down 7 in the 4th quarter. With 3 turnovers, Ole Miss has struggled offensively the entire game, but managed to mount a 82-yard drive that resulted in a 2-yard Ole Miss touchdown with 4 seconds left to give the PAT the chance to tie the game.

Immediately after catching the touchdown, Ole Miss WR, Elijah Moore, ran to the back of the end zone in Starkville, MS and celebrated the touchdown by imitating to be a dog, and take a leak/ go to the bathroom on the Miss. State field. While the celebration was hilarious especially in a rival game, it immediately drew a flag from the official for excessive celebration. Now all the pressure was on the Ole Miss kicker as a “gimme” PAT to tie it up just got moved back a daunting 15 yards. Like a scene of the movie, the Ole Miss kicker missed the game tying PAT, and Mississippi State came away a win in the Egg Bowl all because an Ole Miss WR wanted to pee like a dog in the end zone.

If you remember… after last year’s Sugar Bowl win and missing the College Football Playoffs, UT Quarterback, Sam Ehlinger, screamed into the microphone “Longhorn Nation, we’re backkkkkk’ during the postgame. For months, the nation has been baffled by this quote. What is the University of Texas back to? Mediocrity? Bowl eligibility? Well we found out this season as in the Longhorns went 7-5 after being ranked #10 to start the season. After every UT loss this year, people all over twitter spammed the video of Ehlinger saying “we’re back” to not let any UT or their fans forget it.

7. UT Being Back

When you reflect on this College Football season, the season would be incomplete if we forgot about the University of Texas “being back” phenomenon, as well as the “horns down” takeover.

Additionally, there seemed to be a lot of drama surrounding the “horns down” gesture this year. Last season, the Big-12 started to penalize teams for making the “horns down” hand sign. After this statement by the Big-12, this seemed to only inspire fans more to show the “horns down” out of mockery. It seemed like regardless of whether UT was playing in the stadium or not, a “horns down” sign was being thrown somewhere to make fun of the Austin school. It got to be such a big deal that College Gameday did a segment over it prior to Texas’s loss to LSU.

6. Baylor’s Incredible Turnaround

On the other hand, arguably the biggest surprise in College Football has been the Baylor Bears. After going 1-11 two seasons ago, Matt Rhule took the Bears to an impressive 11-2 record including a Big-12 championship appearance. Ranked at #7, Baylor has displayed one of the best turnarounds in College Football.

This was a team that lost to Liberty and UTSA at home in 2017, and then went on to beat every Big-12 team except Oklahoma in two years later. Matt Rhule has taken the Bears where no one thought they would be.

With a double-digit win season, Baylor is back in the Sugar Bowl for the first time since 1957.

5. UCLA Beats Washington 67-63 in Shootout

This game deserves to be in Top 10 moments of 2019 because it is a game that we all love to watch: offensive shootout. This game was the game college football fans dream to see on their TV when they are debating on whether to go to sleep or somehow watch Pac-12 football on a late Saturday night. A game that featured 14 passing TD’s and over 1300 yards of total offense, this is the game that we all took apart of in our NCAA 06 video game on the Play Station 2.

Down 49-17 at one point, UCLA stormed back to put up 50 points in the 2nd half including a game-winning touchdown from 15 yards out for UCLA. This game is in the top 10 for the combination of amount of offense displayed, and an incredible comeback.

4. BYU Hail Marry Against Tennessee

If Americans love anything in sports, its a good underdog team. Americans were the underdog in the revolutionary war, and ever since they find themselves rooting for the underdog. The up and coming BYU Cougars went up to face the historically acclaimed Tennessee Volunteers from the SEC. Down 3 with 18 seconds left in the 4th quarter, BYU faced a 3rd & 6 on their own 20 yard line. Tennessee is playing a prevent defense just to keep BYU from a field goal. Next play, BYU QB, Zach Wilson, connects with WR, Micah Simon, on a blown coverage for a 64-yard bomb putting them inside the red zone. This then leads to a clutch field goal from kicker, Jake Oldroyd from 33 yards out to send the game into overtime.

BYU then goes on to win the game in the 2nd overtime by scoring a touchdown. This was such a huge moment this season because it seemed like all was lost for the Cougars, but then they made a miracle play for 64 yards in the last seconds to give them another shot in overtime against a favored SEC team sending Tennessee to 0-2.

3. Clemson Making the Playoffs Again

While Clemson’s season was generally overlooked mostly due to how flashy Ohio State and LSU looked, and the drama of the College Football Playoffs, Clemson still managed to have a very impressive season going undefeated for the 3rd time in 5 seasons. With their undefeated season, Clemson makes the College Football Playoffs yet again making this the 5th time in a row tied for most with Alabama.

This is an incredible achievement for Dabo Swinney and his team as they have made the playoffs for half the decade. This makes them one of the top College Football Dynasties of the decade (probably only behind Alabama). This achievement should be noted regardless of the Tigers’ questionable strength of schedule.

2. Bama Missing the Playoffs

What is better than a team making the playoffs for 5 years straight… a team that finally misses the playoffs after 5 years. Alabama will miss the playoffs for the first time since the College Football Playoffs were formed in 2014. Nearly the whole nation cheered when Alabama lost to Auburn in the iron bowl eliminating their playoff chances. A giant complaint in College Football was the lack of differentiation since Alabama has won the national championship 5 out of the last 10 years, and have been in the playoffs for the last 5 years.

Now nearly the whole country seems rejuvenated watching an NCAAF postseason without Nick Saban and crew.

1.Burreaux Mania & Company

Sitting at #1 College Football moment of 2019 had to be the Ed Orgeron and his Bayou Bengals of Louisiana. The LSU Tigers were the #1 story in college football this year between their new revamped offense, winning the SEC, and Joe Burrow’s Heisman run.

The nation seemed to fall in love with the university after they upset Alabama at home, and of course America’s sweetheart, Ed Orgeron. Beating two top-10 teams, and four top-15 teams made them the #1 seed in the College Football Playoffs, their first appearance since the playoffs origin in 2014.

Along with their team achievements, LSU’s players & staff won a myriad of personal awards including the Heisman, Maxwell, Davey O’Brien, Jim Thorpe, Biletnikoff, and coach of the year. The combination of these made LSU’s overarching success the #1 moment in College Football in 2019.

Battle for the NFC (L)east Preview

December 19, 2019June 2, 2020 by colewest86, posted in NFL

This Sunday at 3:25, the Dallas Cowboys travel to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles in a battle for the #1 spot in the NFC East. Both teams come into the matchup with a mediocre 7-7 record sitting at top of the division. What has been a rather underwhelming fight for the division will all come to an end this Sunday. If the Cowboys win, they will clinch the #1 seed in the NFC East making the Cowboys the NFC East champion for the two years in a row- first time in 8 years. On the other hand if the Eagles win, they do not clinch playoff berth, but control their own destiny sitting on top of the division.

Now both teams have had an underwhelming season since the Eagles and Cowboys were predicted to have 11 and 10 wins respectively when both teams can only get a maximum of 9 wins this season. They met previously in October in Arlington where the Cowboys beat the Eagles 37-10. The Cowboys in that game looked dominant and clearly the better team; however, that was nearly 2 months ago and a lot has happened since.

Since that game, the Cowboys have lost 4 out of their next 7 games losing to all teams above .500 except for the Rams. The media has swarmed them regarding the possibility of firing Jason Garrett after losing to the Bills on Thanksgiving, and the Bears in primetime. The Eagles have also experience their share of struggles losing 3 out of their next 7 games including the Dolphins, and nearly losing to the Redskins and Giants.

The Cowboys now come into this game ranked 2nd in passing averaging 300 yards a game, and are 6th in rushing averaging 134 yards a game. On the other side, the Eagles are 16th in passing with 231.5 yards a game, and 11th in rushing with 121.4 rushing yards a game. The Cowboys offense seems to have a little bit of an advantage; however their defenses are similar being next to each other in nearly every team defensive stat. The Cowboys have won 4 games against the Eagles in a row and are looking to add a 5th on Sunday.

Keys to the Game

The key to the game for the Cowboys is to run the ball. The Cowboys have looked the best they have looked recently last week when they beat the Rams, and running the ball was a huge part of it. They had over 250 yards on the ground in their win against the wins. Establishing run will not only open up the pass for quarterback, Dak Prescott, it will eat up the clock and keep the Eagles offense off the field majority of the game.

The key to the game for the Eagles is their defense and their ability to stop the run/force turnovers. The Eagles offense is banged up with only 2 healthy wide receivers, and their running backs are banged up. This offense has struggled to score in the first half the past few games. So if the Eagles defense can put pressure on Dak to force some bad throws, or even some turnovers, then that gives the offense the boost it needs in this rivalry game.

Prediction

Predicting a game that includes the Cowboys is always tough because you never know which team will show up. I think the Cowboys are the healthier, and more talented team. Normally, I would say the Eagles, but the Eagles have struggled against bad teams the past 3 weeks (Dolphins, Giants, Redskins). Additionally, the Cowboys always seem to play well against the Eagles (winning the last 4 games against them). I am going to go with the Cowboys over the Eagles 27-20.

Dallas and Philadelphia will square off 3:25 CT this Sunday on FOX. The winner will most likely win the NFC East, and be the #4 seed in the NFC playoffs. The NFC East champion will most likely host a playoff game against either the Seattle Seahawks or San Fransisco 49ers whichever team is the runner-up.

The NFL Pro Bowlers are out and its a SHAM

December 18, 2019June 2, 2020 by Brian Murray, posted in NFL

Yesterday, the NFL released both the AFC and NFC rosters for the 2020 Pro-Bowl. Aka the 2020 nobody cares bowl. Highlighting the roster are 12 (TWELVE) Baltimore Ravens, 7 Saints and 6 Chiefs. Everyone knows that the Pro-Bowl selection process isn’t the most unbiased and just way to do things, but this years class of selections in particular really exposed the flaws. Keep reading for some of the most egregious snubs.

NFC QBs

Russell Wilson, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers. The 1st is having an MVP caliber season, Brees is currently ranked the 4th best QB in the NFL, and then we have Aaron Rodgers, who simply got a free pass because his name is Aaron Rodgers.

Rodgers is currently ranked the 17th best QB in the league, sandwiched between Jameis Winston (16th) and none other than Baker Mayfield (18th). Rodgers does lead the league with only 2 interceptions, but is a distant 9th and 11th when it comes to TDs and yards, respectively.

So, who should’ve got in before Rodgers? I think the signal callers with the best cases are Dak Prescott and Kirk Cousins. Prescott is currently ranked the 3rd best QB in the league, Cousins is 9th. Prescott is 2nd in yards and 4th in TDs. Statistically speaking he’s put together a much better year than Rodgers, and he’s been way more efficient while doing it. Cousins is top ten in all major categories, yards, TDs, INTs, and total QBR. He’s also put together a more impressive season on paper and in the metrics department.

I’m not a football data analyst or anything, but it looks like the voters got it wrong here. Rodgers got in because he’s Aaron Rodgers. He’s got the reputation, and way more State Farm commercials than Kirk will ever have.

AFC Safeties

Minkah Fitzpatrick, Jamal Adams, Earl Thomas. The first two I agree with, the last probably shouldn’t have made it.

Just yesterday I saw an article calling Tyrann Mathieu a candidate for defensive player of the year. How can he be a top candidate for that award, and not make the pro-bowl team?

Thomas is the Pro-Bowler with a stat line of 30 solo tackles, 2 INTs, 1.5 sacks, and 1 forced fumble.

On the other hand, Mathieu has 50 solo tackles, 3 INTs, and 2 sacks.

It gets worse though, folks.

Devin McCourty has 38 solo tackles, 5 INTs, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery.

These are just basic stats. I’m no statistician or big into stats at all, but when you sit down and look at the comparisons, it’s pretty ugly.

And the WORST Pro-Bowl selection of them all

Tyreek Hill. Mr. Hill has played in 10 of a possible 15 games for the Chiefs this year! He’s put together a truly impressive line of 49 receptions on 79 targets for 727 yards and 9 TDs. His stats really jump off the page don’t they?!

Well let me know what you think of Hill’s stats after you look at Julian Edelman’s, top receiver on the “terrible” Patriots offense.

92 receptions, 140 targets, 1,019 yards, 6 TDs.

So let me get this straight… Edelman has 45 more receptions, 61 more targets, 2 more TDs, and 292 more yards than Hill, but the latter is the Pro-Bowler? Got it. Oh yeah and since reputation is supposedly a factor in the voting process, let’s just throw in that Hill was the one with child abuse allegations this past off season, not Edelman.

Hey NFL, your Patriots bias is showing.

Of course, I’m cherry picking here comparing Hill to Edelman because I’m a big fan of Jules. But just so you know, there are 52 receivers who have more receptions than Tyreek Hill, 38 with more yards, 12 with more TDs, and 20 with a better yards per reception average. Sounds like a Pro-Bowl starter to me!

So let’s all raise our glass to another year of big Pro-Bowl snubs not just on the Pats but across the league and another year of no Patriot actually playing in the nobody cares bowl.

12/17/19 48 Hours Later: The State of the Patriots

December 17, 2019June 2, 2020 by Brian Murray, posted in NFL

We’re about 48 hours past the Pats getting back into W column and boy does it feel good. Defense balled out, offense was effective enough, but all in all it felt like the Pats did just enough to get back on track. My thoughts below.

Defense

This defense is absurd. The Pats currently have two of the best corners in the league on the roster. Everyone now knows Stephon Gilmore, candidate for defensive player of the year, and arguably the top corner in the league. He took home two interceptions, including a pick six on the day. He currently boasts a QB rating of 32 against him when receivers he is covering are targeted. This weekend he covered Tyler Boyd, who I pointed out in my game preview is putting together a pretty nice season. Gilmore held him to two catches for 24 yards, but somehow Boyd still thought he won most of their one on one match-ups. Hats off to you for the confidence, Tyler…I guess. Gilmore is currently tied for the league high in interceptions, with six.

His counterpart, J.C. Jackson, is probably a name that most fans of the NFL in general don’t know off the top of their head. J.C. is an undrafted DB out of the University of Maryland. He put together a really good rookie season last year and has only stepped it up from there. He currently touts a QB rating of 28 when receivers he is covering are targeted. Jackson also had two interceptions to add to his season total of 5. It’s pretty rare to find undrafted studs like J.C. The fact that he’s playing DB, one of the toughest individual positions in the sport in my opinion, makes it even more impressive.

It’s no wonder why Zac Taylor said he thought his receivers got “bullied” by the Patriots DB’s. The whole secondary was jumping routes and hitting hard all day long. It was awesome to watch, but even more funny to hear Taylor say that. A first year head coach (also the youngest head coach in the league) probably doesn’t need to be beating down his players at the end of a year like this. Oh well though.. Bengals gonna Bengal.

Special Teams

The special teams group has balled out all season and this game was no different. Jake Bailey added to his stellar rookie season, consistently pinning the Bengals in unfavorable field position. Nate Ebner almost blocked another kick, and the duo of Matthew Slater and Justin Bethel is any special teams coaches’ dream. Since the addition of Bethel, the Pats have not given up a punt return of more than ten yards. That’s truly remarkable when you consider the rate at which the Pats are punting – currently 3rd in the league with 5.4 per game.

Matthew Slater caused a fumble on a punt which turned out to be a big turning point in the game. It was caused by some lucky timing by Slater’s right arm/hand, and a Bengals blocker ever so slightly pushing Slater into the punt returner, which negated a possible penalty for punt interference. The Bengals were furious that nothing was called, and the team really seemed defeated after it happened. Who recovered it you ask? None other than Justin Bethel.

Offense

If you just look at the stats you’d probably think the offense had another lackluster performance. Brady only had 129 yards, Michel had 89 (one of his higher totals for the year), but as a whole, the Pats had 175+ yards on the ground, and the passing game showed a good bit of improvement.

The one big bright spot in the offense was the usage of N’Keal Harry. The rookie only had two catches for 15 yards, but made an awesome diving catch in the back of the end zone, and showed unreal athleticism making a diving over the shoulder catch that was negated due to a penalty. While Harry may not have put up eye popping numbers, it was encouraging to see him out there for a majority of the snaps, and his confidence seemed to be at a high point during this game. I’m looking for him to emerge as a real number two threat down the stretch, he could be really big for this team.

I mentioned one of the keys to this game being the offensive line. The big guys certainly had a better outing than the Chiefs game, but there’s still room for improvement. Marcus Cannon got beat several times by Carlos Dunlap and Sam Hubbard, who both sacked Brady and hit him multiple times. Isaiah Wynn and Joe Thuney led the way and showed off their versatility. Much like my hope for Harry, I still think this group can be way better than they have showed so far.

On the negative side, Mohamed Sanu continues to disappoint. He dropped a pivotal pass on third down, and only caught two passes for 13 yards in total. Phillip Dorsett played nine snaps, as his position as a go to option in this offense seems to be over. Edelman and Brady showed some rare miscommunication as a few passes either missed Edelman or hit off his fingers. I’m sure we’ll never know the extent of his injuries this season, but it’s pretty obvious that Jules is hurting.

On to Buffalo

Buffalo comes to Foxborough this Saturday for the second of three games that will be played on Saturday. It’s a short week for both teams, but I don’t expect that to negatively effect anybody on either side as both realize that this is a pretty big game for both teams.

The Pats need to win this game to retain the 2nd spot in the AFC, if they lose they risk dropping behind the Chiefs, who have the head to head advantage. Unfortunately, the Super Bowl still goes through Baltimore.

For Buffalo, it’d be huge for their confidence going into the playoffs, and further solidify the great season they’re having so far. They’re coming off a huge win in Pittsburgh, Josh Allen is playing well, the defense is the strength of their team, and they’re without a doubt hyped up to go into New England and get a shot at dethroning the Pats.

I’m expecting a dog fight in Gillette. The Bills are going to come out swinging, they’re going to be hyped up, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Pats down early. But it’s going to come down to who can execute when it matters, who wins in the trenches, and who can get open consistently. This will probably be a low scoring defensive battle – wouldn’t want it any other way in December.

Go Pats

My Bowl Picks vs A Coin Flip

December 13, 2019June 2, 2020 by jonesg17, posted in NCAA Football

On any given Saturday between late August and early December, you can find me on a couch watching college football. I would like to think my knowledge of the sport is quite comprehensive but unfortunately it has not translated over to my picks during bowl season. In almost 10 years, I cannot recall a year in which I haven’t given up by the Hawaii bowl. This season I will be comparing my own bowl picks to a coin flip and see which one has greater success. If the coin wins I will be implementing it in my 2020 strategy.

From what I remember from 7th grade and the scientific method, I need a hypothesis. My hypothesis is that the coin will win in a landslide. My materials are a standard US Quarter and a poorly formatted excel spreadsheet. After flipping the coin 40 times and annoying my brother trying to watch TV in the living room here are the results

BOWL	Match up	MY Pick	Coin Pick
Bahamas	Buffalo vs Charlotte	Buffalo	Buffalo
Frisco	Utah St vs Kent State	Utah State	Utah State
Celebration	Alcorn St vs NC A&T	NC A&T	Alcorn St
New Mexico	SDSU vs Cent Mich	CMU	SDSU
Cure Bowl	Georgia Southern vs Liberty	GSU	Liberty
Boca Raton	SMU vs FAU	SMU	SMU
Camellia	Ark St. vs FIU	AKST	FIU
Las Vegas	Washington vs. Boise St	BSU	BSU
New Orleans	App St. vs UAB	App St	UAB
Gasparilla	UCF vs Marshall	UCF	Marshall
Hawaii	BYU vs Hawaii	Hawaii	Hawaii
Independence	Miami vs LA Tech	LA Tech	LA Tech
Quick Lane	PITT vs EMU	PITT	PITT
Military	UNC vs Temple	UNC	Temple
Pinstripe	Mich St vs Wake	MSU	Wake
Texas	TAMU vs OK ST	OSU	OSU
Holiday	Iowa vs USC	Iowa	Iowa
Cheez-IT	AFA vs Wash St	AFA	WSU
Camping World	Notre Dame vs Iowa St	ISU	ISU
Cotton	Penn St vs Memphis	PSU	PSU
Peach	LSU vs OU	LSU	LSU
Fiesta	Clemson vs Ohio St	Clem	Clem
First Responder	Western Kent vs Western Mich	WKU	WMU
Music City	Miss St vs Louisville	MSU	L’ville
Redbox	Cal vs Illinois	Cal	Illini
Orange	Florida vs Virginia	UF	UVA
Belk	Virginia Tech vs Kentucky	VT	VT
Sun	ASU vs FSU	ASU	FSU
Liberty	K-State vs Navy	Navy	Navy
Arizona	Wyoming vs Georgia State	WYO	WYO
Alamo	Utah vs Texas	Utah	Texas
Citrus	Bama vs Michigan	Bama	Bama
Outback	Auburn vs Minnesota	Minn	Minn
Rose	Wisconsin vs. Oregon	Wisc	Ore
Sugar	Georgia vs Baylor	UGA	Bay
Birmingham	Cincinnati vs Boston College	Cinci	BC
Gator	Tennesee vs Indiana	Indiana	Indiana
Idaho Potato	Ohio vs Nevada	Ohio	Ohio
Armed Forces	Tulane vs Southern Miss	Tulane	Tulane
Lending Tree	ULL vs Miami (OH)	ULL	MIOH

Out of the 40 bowls that have been picked, the coin and my selection differ a total of 20 times. With 1 out of 2 bowls differing I (hypothetically speaking) could lose in an absolute landslide. If that is the case I may just need to retire from anything related to college football and stick to the NFL.

The 6 NFL Teams You Do Not Want to Face in the Playoffs

December 10, 2019June 2, 2020 by colewest86, posted in NFL

The National Football League just concluded it 14th week of the season meaning its almost time for playoffs. With only a few more weeks, NFL fans have a pretty good idea who will make a deep run in the playoffs. Here are the 6 NFL teams you do not want to face in the playoffs in order:

1.Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens do three things exceptionally well: run the ball, time of possession, and defense. They are #1 in the league in rushing with 200 rushing yards per game, #1 in time of possession, and have held teams to less than 18 points in 5 straight games. That is a great formula to win a Superbowl. They wear and tear defenses, keep the ball out of the opposing offenses’ hands, and play defense. Not to mention, they have the most versatile QB in the game right now continues to confuse defenses week in and week out.

2. New England Patriots

The two reasons to fear the New England Patriots have been the reasons that have been constant for the past two decades: Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, arguably the best NFL coach and QB in history. Regardless that the Patriots lost last week, they are still one of the top-2 teams to be feared in the playoffs. Each year, the Patriots are a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs as long as they have Belichick and Brady who by far have the most playoff experience in the NFL. Additionally, they have the best defense and special teams the Patriots have had this decade. They are averaging 2.76 combined interceptions and forced fumbles a game.

3. New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints are another team to be feared. For starters, they are a team that is hungry for a Super Bowl. Being snubbed the past two years (regardless of reason) has made this team out for blood this post season. Regardless of losing this past weekend, the Saints are to be feared because they got experience and an offense that can compete with any team in the league. They got an experienced coach in Sean Payton, and QB in Drews Brees. Experience goes a long way in the playoffs. That is why you hardly ever see QB’s win the superbowl on their first playoff run. Their offense has also put up 26+ points in six straight games showing they can compete with anyone in the league.

4. San Fransisco 49ers

The 49ers are an interesting team. While they do not have a flashy offense like some of the other teams on this list, they just find ways to win games. They just beat the Saints in a thriller on the road in their best offensive performance yet. They also have one of the best defenses in the league behind DE, Joey Bosa, and CB, Richard Sherman. The one question mark is the inexperience in their QB, Jimmy Garoppolo. Garoppolo has been nothing exciting this season until this past few games. However, he still lacks experience, which could show come postseason.

5. Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks are another interesting group. Last weekend, they lost to the Rams where they did not look good at all scoring only 12 points to a division rival. This seems to be more of a fluke game than a patter though. Before this game, the Seahawks 6 out of 7 of their previous games by a TD or a less showing that they win close games. That will be huge come the postseason. Additionally they have a great run game averaging 140+ yards rushing a game along with an experienced QB in Russell Wilson who has won a Super Bowl. This is a team with an experienced coach and QB that knows how to win close games.

6. Kansas City Chiefs

This team may be a little bit more obvious as no team wants to play Mahomes and their high powered offense. Coming off a 23-16 win over the Patriots, the Chiefs are gearing up for a playoff run. This team can put up 28 points in a single quarter behind the league’s reigning MVP. While the Chief’s offense is one of the best in the league, their defense has been playing significantly better allowing 17 or less points in 3 straight games, and having 7 interceptions over the last 3 games. The Chiefs could become a whole different monster if their defense keeps this type of play up.

48 Hours Later: The State of the Patriots 12/10/19

December 10, 2019June 2, 2020 by Brian Murray, posted in NFL

Well.. the Pats lost. It was an excruciatingly frustrating game to watch. Ugly offense, abominable officiating, and a disappointing performance all around for a Pats team that has now dropped two in a row to division leaders. Sure, the Pats have struggled in years past, just last year for example, they were at one point 9-5 and written off by the masses. But this time around it just feels different. The frustration from Brady is palpable, nobody seems capable of stepping up, but then again.. the real season hasn’t started yet. So, all frustration aside, let’s dive into the game a little bit.

The Offense

First and foremost, I want to come right out and say – boy was I wrong about how the game would go. I predicted an optimistic 31-24 victory.. wrong. I predicted that Sony Michel would be relied on throughout the game.. he had 9 carries. I predicted that this could be the game that Mohammed Sanu finally stepped up and established himself as the number two receiver.. wrong again.

I saw two main problems with the Pats offensive attack yesterday and they aren’t new problems. The offensive line allowed rushers to disrupt Brady all night long, and there was no reliable second option for Brady to target.

On the offensive line, I have to say it was just disappointing all night long. Shaq Mason has not had a good year after putting together a great season last year and getting paid, and Isiah Wynn, while an upgrade from Marshall Newhouse (no idea how that guy lasted as many weeks as he did) has not lived up to the 1st round draft pick we used on him. To top it off, we’re on our third string center, who unfortunately had to go up against Chris Jones, one of the premier defensive linemen in the NFL. All in all, not a great performance, and it certainly affected Brady’s ability to throw.

On the receiver side, Edelman continues to be an absolute stud. The dude is 33 years old, constantly takes big hits, but somehow continues to put up huge numbers. He’s currently on a streak of 43 games in a row with at least 3 receptions for 25 yards or more. Unreal is the only way to put it. Other than that though, there are zero positives to speak of. Our first round draft pick, N’Keal Harry, was a non-factor. Our de-facto 2020 2nd round draft pick, Mohammed Sanu, whom everyone said was an “ideal fit” in New England, was a non-factor. And our rookie UDFA, Jakobi Meyers, who has admirably worked so hard to put himself in this situation, cannot catch a ball. I mean Brady threw him a perfect back hip ball in the end zone, Meyers turns to catch it, the ball hits him square in the chest and drops straight to the ground. I don’t catch many balls anymore, but when I do, I like to use my hands. I guess the only thing we can do from here on out is pray that someone puts it together and steps up.

It’s simply too easy for competent defenses right now. Blitz Brady, double Edelman, and you’ve got at least a 75% chance that the Pats do nothing.

The Defense

I was 0-3 on offensive predictions, and I was 0-1 on my defensive predictions as Jason McCourty hardly played in his return to the lineup.

I think the defense played great minus the busted coverage play in which Mecole Hardman scored the TD. This is the second week in a row Johnathan Jones has gotten beat deep, but other than that he played well and did a good job containing Tyreek Hill.

It was a tough first half to watch as the Chiefs held the ball for much of the half and had long methodical drives down the field. However, the Pats regrouped after the break, and held the Chiefs to three points, 97 yards, and allowed Mahomes a measly 57 yards through the air in the 2nd half. That second half performance alone deserves a football version of the Bronze Star or something.

The Officials

Name one other profession in the world (other than commissioner of the NFL and NCAA) where you can make so many blatant mistakes and keep your job. These dudes shouldn’t even be allowed to ref Pop-Warner football.

A Look Ahead

We’re onto Cincinnati. Which is eerily similar to the 2014 blowout in Kansas City.

It’ll be interesting to see if the offense can handle a 1-12 Bengals team. I’m sure the defense will ball out, but if the offense can’t get it done again the panic button will definitely be out from the garage and placed right in the living room.

Keep the faith.

LFG

A Pair of Under-The-Radar Bowl Games

December 9, 2019June 2, 2020 by jonesg17, posted in NCAA Football

Air Force (10-2) vs. Washington St (6-6) Cheez-It Bowl (Dec 27^th) Phoenix, AZ

The name value of this bowl alone piques my interest along with the infamous 2018 version of the Cheez-It Bowl, a barnburner that featured TCU defeating Cal 10-7 where there were nine combined interceptions. I would like to guess that this year’s game will be a lot different with both teams bringing two of the most explosive offenses in the country, but each doing so in drastically different ways.

Air Force Falcons

The Cadets from Colorado Springs will roll into Phoenix off a 10-2 campaign with their only losses coming to Mountain West champion Boise State and possible Commander-In-Chief Trophy winner Navy. Since head coach Troy Calhoun took the helm in 2007, this is his third 10-win season and the first time he has won seven conference games.

What makes this matchup so intriguing is the fact Air Force runs the triple option and Washington State runs the Air Raid. Air Force ranks 3^rd in the country in rushing yards per game only behind Army and Navy. Led by Junior QB Donald Hammond III and the three headed monster of Kadin Remsberg, Timothy Jackson and Taven Birdow, the Falcons have no shortage of weapons out of the backfield. What makes this offense so hard to defend is that all the backs are utilized with regularity as all of them have over 100 carries this season. They will match up against a porous Cougar defense that ranks 113^th in the country in total defense. Air Force is also the least penalized team in the country averaging under 4 per game.

Washington State Cougars

Mike Leach’s squad has disappointed this year falling to 6-6 after a very successful 11-2 season last year, capped with a victory in the Alamo Bowl. This will be a fifth straight bowl appearance for the Cougars and they’re looking to win back-to-back bowl games for the first time in program history. This is also the first time the cougars have won fewer than 8 games since 2014.

As long as Mike Leach is the head coach you know the team will throw the ball, and throw the ball a lot. The Washington State passing game is as potent as ever with Senior QB Anthony Gordon shattering the PAC 12 passing record set in 2018 by his predecessor Gardner Minshew. Gordon’s ability to throw the ball was on display all season but never more than the September 21^st meltdown loss to UCLA. Gordon threw for 570 yards and record 9 touchdown. The Cougars also feature a multi-purpose back in Max Borghi who has over 1,300 total yards and 15 touchdowns. They will be matched up against an Air Force Pass defense that ranks 40^th nationally.

Key to the Game

This game will come down to the Air Force offense and their ability to chew clock and punch it into the end zone. Both teams will run up the score and if Air Force is able to limit the amount of possessions Anthony Gordon has they will be in good shape to take this game.

#15 Notre Dame (10-2) vs Iowa State (7-5) Camping World Bowl (Dec 28^th) Orlando, FL

The Camping World Bowl will feature two teams falling short of 2019 expectations. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish came into the season with CFP expectations or worst case a NY6 appearance. Having their third 10-win season in a row, I would still call it a very successful season in South Bend. Iowa State came off 2018 with an Alamo Bowl appearance and tied for third in the Big 12. Many expected them to make the jump and play Oklahoma in Arlington, TX for the conference title and end up in the Sugar Bowl. Losing 5 games by one or two points makes it very difficult to move up that ladder and instead Baylor is in New Orleans.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Even though Notre Dame plays on NBC every weekend it seems like they have flown under the radar this season as far as the national spotlight. They fell in their two biggest games of the year and after they were embarrassed in Ann Arbor on October 26^th, everyone put them on the back burner. Don’t be fooled though, this is still a very good team. The Irish come into this game having won five in a row and are 6-2 against bowl-bound teams in 2019.

The Fighting Irish boast one of the better dual threat QB’s in the country in Ian Book. His 33 passing touchdowns are tied for sixth in the country and adds four more on the ground. His favorite target is senior WR Chase Claypool who has 891 yards and 12 touchdowns on the season. Overall the Irish offense is above average and they rely on their 21^st ranked defense to step up and generate turnovers. They are tied for 3^rd nationally with a +15 turnover margin and their ability to protect the football has propelled them to their 10-2 record.

Iowa State Cyclones

Matt Campbell has done one of the most impressive jobs as far as building a competitive program. He has taken a perennial big 12 doormat to three straight winning seasons and as many bowl games. Since the Big 12 moved to 10 teams in 2012, Iowa State had never had a recruiting class finish higher than 8^th in the conference according to 247sports class rankings. Counting 2017 as his first full year of recruiting, he as finished 7^th, 7^th , 6^th and currently is ranked 4^th for the recruiting cycle of 2020. He is building a winning culture in Ames and it is starting to show.

The MVP of this Iowa State team has to be Brock Purdy. As only a sophomore, he is closing in on 4,000 passing yards this season with 27 touchdowns. He was described as a pocket passer out of Gilbert, AZ but he has 8 rushing touchdowns this year as well. With a team that ranks 9^th in the country in passing offense the Cyclones will need Purdy to drive this offense if they are to compete with a fundamentally sound Notre Dame squad.

Key to the Game

The winner of the game will be the winner of Brock Purdy and the Cyclones pass offense vs. The Notre Dame pass defense. Checking in as the 3^rd best in the country, Purdy will have his hands full against Kyle Hamilton and the ball-hawking Notre Dame secondary. If Purdy is able to play like he has this season it would not shock me to see Iowa State pull off the upset.

Why LSU Undoubtedly Deserved the #1 Seed

December 9, 2019June 2, 2020 by colewest86, posted in NCAA Football

Yesterday, Sunday, December 8th, the College Football Playoff selection show released the top-4 playoff teams to compete for a national championship. The rankings were:

LSU
Ohio State
Clemson
Oklahoma

The selection show did not hold as much drama this year, as the top-4 were generally agreed upon since Utah lost to Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship. However, the one spot that surprised some people was that LSU jumped Ohio State for the #1 spot. LSU beat Georgia 37-10 in the SEC championship to surpass Ohio State who beat Wisconsin 34-21 in the Big 10 Championship. Some college football fans did not agree with the committees decision, but here is why LSU undoubtedly deserved to be ranked #1.

1.Ranked Wins

LSU’s wins against final ranked opponents (opponents currently ranked in the top-25) were more impressive than Ohio State.

LSU’s wins vs final ranked opponents:

#5 Georgia
#9 Florida
#12 Auburn
#13 Alabama

Ohio State’s wins vs final ranked opponents

#8 Wisconsin (twice)
#10 Penn State
#14 Michigan
#21 Cincinati

While both teams had incredible wins over final ranked wins, it is apparent that LSU has the edge. The win over #5 Georgia gave LSU the boost over Ohio State since the Buckeyes have no top-5 wins, and not as many top-15 wins as LSU.

2.The Final Statement

In the past, it is obvious the College Football Playoff Committee takes in account teams’ “final statement” on their last game of the regular season

In 2014, Ohio State jumped a spot to get in the College Football playoffs over TCU because they made a statement by beating #11 Wisconsin 59-0 in their final Big-10 game. Ohio State made a statement to the committee on why they should be in the playoffs.

LSU put a beatdown on Georgia this past weekend 37-10. From the the start of the game, LSU got the lead and only added to their lead posting almost 200 more total yards than Georgia, and winning the turnover battle. It was 34-3 in the fourth quarter, and all the fans knew this game was just about over.

Meanwhile, Ohio State beat Wisconsin this week, but did not put on as impressive of a performance. Ohio State was down two scores at halftime, and had to climb their way back to beat Wisconsin. While Ohio State’s win over Wisconsin was very impressive, it was not dominant like LSU’s win.

LSU winning in a dominant fashion showed the committee their final statement, on why they should be the #1 need.

LSU will go on to face Oklahoma in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta, while Ohio State will go one to face Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl.