Sunday, 18. October 2009
Ok, so we have seven teams remaining undefeated in college football.
Only two can play for the national championship come January 2010.
Which teams have the inside track?
Or better yet, which teams SHOULD meet at the Rose Bowl this January?
That is the question we will answer here now.
#7 Iowa
Ok…the Big 10/11 right now is about on par with the Big East. That may even be selling the Big East short. If you put a team like Michigan State in the Big 12 or SEC, they are bottom feeders. In the Big 10, they are pois3ed to win the conference with another key win in the next few weeks. The Big 10/11 is absolutely horrible this year. Iowa’s biggest marquee win of the year was over Penn State. Penn State has played a schedule full of the little sisters of the poor. Ohio State, the other alleged contender in the Big 10/11, got whooped up one side of the field and down the other by a 2-5 Purdue team this past weekend.
Iowa beat Northern Iowa by one point. I can let it slide if you are beating teams like Arkansas or South Carolina by a point here or there, but not Northern Iowa. They then go and beat Arkansas State by three. Iowa is 4th in the nation in turnover margin, which is a good stat to have. However, it also leads one to believe that they are doing it with smoke and mirrors. When the luck runs out, much like the Notre Dame teams from a few years back, they will get smoked in a game against a tough competitor that doesn’t turn it over. If Iowa somehow backs into the championship game, they will be rocked and steamrolled. They just don’t have the goods to play with the big boys.
#6 TCU
TCU has won games at Virginia and at Clemson. We don’t know a whole lot more about TCU than we do Iowa. We do know that when TCU has played scrub teams like Texas State or SMU, that they have beaten them by a lot more than one and three points.
Gary Patterson is a great defensive coach.
Iowa would be lucky to score in double digits against CU, so I would have to put TCU up above Iowa. Andy Dalton is a solid, if not spectacular, quarterback for the Horned Frogs. He has thrown eight touchdowns and only three interceptions on the year. TCU has the number four defense in the nation this year. They always have great defenses these days. They just do not have the offensive firepower to hang with the teams ahead of them in this list.
#5 Cincinnati
Cincinnati has a great quarterback. Tony Pike has thrown for over 1600 yards and 15 touchdowns this year while tossing only three interceptions. He is the main reason the Bearcats are undefeated at this point in the season. Cincinnati has faced a couple of tests in Oregon State and South Florida. They won both games by double digits. By the end of the year, the Bearcats will have faced a tougher schedule than Iowa and TCU. They have beaten tougher teams to this point in the season as well, which is why I put Cincinnati at number five on this list. The Bearcats have the 36th ranked defense in the nation, and this is while playing in the Big East. That defense would not hold up against the teams farther up this list.
#4 Boise State
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It is tough to put the Broncos this high, as I think we all know they would have two or three losses a year if they had to play the LSUs, Georgias and Auburns of the world every week. But, that is beside the point, because I do feel that the Broncos are better than the other undefeateds ranked below them here. The Broncos are a well coached, complete team even if they do lack the athletic ability of an SEC or Big 12 type team. Boise State always has a high powered offense. This year they probably have a better defense than they do offense. They were able to shut down Tulsa’s high octane offense pretty well. Of course Oklahoma shut Tulsa out completely, while Boise State did allow Tulsa 21 points. So, Boise State is not an elite defense, but solid nonethless. They have a more complete team than the ones listed below them here. Boise State also handled Oregon pretty well, beating them beating them 19-8 early in the year. Oregon is BSU’s key to respectability this year. If Oregon continues to win, the BSU win over them looks all the better. I have money on Oregon losing a game or two though, as they have really only looked like a good football team once this year against Cal. Oregon beat Utah, but I think we are far enough into the season to realize this Utes team is nothing like last year’s. Boise State has the luxury of really only having to play twice a year. The rest of their schedule amounts to a bunch of JV scrimmages.
#3 Florida
The Florida Gators would roll all over the teams that are listed below them in this list. Boise State would not have a chance against them. TCU could slow the Gators offense, but could not score on them much if at all. Florida would be sitting the starters by the third quarter against Iowa.
However, this Florida team is not unbeatable, as has been shown a time or two already. The Gators have struggled a lot considering they haven’t really played anyone of substance yet. Arkansas played with the toe to toe thispast Saturday. Yes, this is the same Arkansas team that Alabam laid the wood to a few weeks back. This is the same Arkansas team that let an average Georgia team put 50 on them. Arkansas is an average team, yet they probably should have won in a game played at Florida. LSU is not very good this year, yet Florida had to hold on tight and win 13-3. LSU struggled, and was lucky to beat Mississippi State this year. LSU struggled and was lucky to beat Georgia. LSU will probably get beat by Auburn this week. LSU is a mediocre team this year that is ranked high entirely on reputation. The way Miss State handled them and bullied them around the field for the most psrt should have been our first clue. Florida struggling against LSU by itself is not a big deal, but when th eGators struggle against a horrible Tennessee team and a mediocre Arkansas team as well? That’s when the light should go on that this Florida team just isn’t as dominant as ESPN might want you to believe.
#2 Alabama
Alabama is another team that is a darn good team, but they are gaining a little too much respect around the nation mainly on reputation. They had this same phenomenon last year, but they were then hammered into submission by a pretty good Utah team in their bowl game. Let’s take a look at the legitimate teams that Alabama has played thus far. Ole Miss, South Carolina, Va Tech and Arkansas. Of those four teams, two of them were less than one score games deep into the 4th quarter. Arkansas and Ole Miss were pretty good whippings that Bama put on. Virginia Tech was within a touchdown deep into the 4th quarter. This is a Va Tech team that was beaten by Georgia Tech and had to pull one out late against a so-so Nebraska team at home. Virginia Tech is way overrated this year. Alabama did dominate on the stat sheet, so this one can be forgiven. The Hokies had a few bounces go their way. South Carolina simply is not a very good team. They had no business haning around in this one into the 4th quarter like they did. The Gamecocks struggled to a 7-3 win over NCSU. The same Wolfpack team got hammered by Duke, so North Carolina State is pretty much a pushover this year. South Carolina is a horrible team this year with a horrible offense. Alabama should have been able to put them away. The reason they could not?
Alabama does not have a quarterback. This will be the one that comes back and bites them. The Crimson Tide simply have a huge hole at this position that they have covered up really well thus far. McElroy will need to make some plays at some point, and we saw against the Gamecocks what happens when he tries to make plays. He makes mistakes. McElroy was 10-20 for less than 100 yards and 2 int’s in this game. When they run into an actual team later this year, that won’t cut it.
#1 Texas
Let me let you in on a little secret here ladies and gentlemen.
The Texas Longhorns have the best defense in the nation. If they played in the SEC, they may finish the year with less than 200 yards per game allowed. As it is they are in the offensive minded Big 12 and are 6th in the nation, giving up 246 yards per game and 10 td’s through 6 games. Texas gives up 3.62 yards per play, while Alabama gives up 3.67 yards per play and Florida over 3.8. This is the true gauge of how great a defense is. How many yards per play do you give up. Yards per game is of course going to depend on what type of offense you run, how much do you eat up the clock, etc. Yards per play though, that cuts rights to the heart of the matter.
What about turnovers? Good defenses have to create turnovers.
Texas has forced 19 turnovers, Alabama 15(in one more game) and Florida 9.
Texas has faced, at worst, offenses that are equally as good as the ones that Florida and Alabama have faced.
Texas has faced two offenses, in Oklahoma and Texas Tech, that are much more explosive than any that Florida or Alabama have faced.
Once you conclude that Texas has the best defense in the nation, bar none…
They argument is pretty much complete, as Florida and Alabama’s offenses pale in comparison to the Longhorns.
Expect to see this sight again soon.
Posted in Uncategorized by houstonlibrarian -
Wednesday, 7. October 2009
This is of course highly subjective, but here is my list of the greatest profesional running backs of all time, starting at ten and counting down to one.
10
Adrian Peterson
Two seasons, two pro bowls, one first team all pro selection. Peterson, barring injury, is well on his way on up higher on this list. It is too early in his career to put him much higher than this spot, but you have to put him ahead of a lot of guys just on sheer potential alone. Peterson has near sprinter speed and a violent attitude when he runs the ball. He can cut on a dime, he can spin, he can hurdle, he can do it all. He was born to play the position. He has over 3500 yards at 5.1 per carry in just a little over two seasons in the NFL.
9
LaDainian Tomlinson
Tomlinson has been in the league now for a little over eight years. He has made five pro bowls and three first team all pro selections. He has rushed for 11,830 yards and 142 touchdowns. His touchdown numbers are the most amazing part of his career thus far. It sppears that he may be slowing down now that he has hit the age of 30, but he was one of the most feared men in football for the majority of the past decade.
8
Emmitt Smith
Emmitt might be a lot higher on some people’s list. He is after all the leading rusher in the history of the NFL. He hung around in Arizona for a few years to get that record. He played on some dominant Cowboy teams in the 90’s. His yards per carry is one of the lowest on this list at 4.2 per carry. He is definitely one of the best running backs ever, I just feel that he is not in the top four or five that one might assume looking at his numbers.
7
Eric Dickerson
Dickerson was a little like Adrian Peterson before PEterson came along. I feel like Adrian has the potential to be better though. Dickerson did not have a lot of moves as a running back. What he had was size and speed to burn. He was a sprinter out of high school. He teamed with Craig James at SMU to form the Pony Express. He ran for over 2,000 yards in a season early in his professional career. He has over 13,000 yards at 4.4 per rush. He ran for 96 touchdowns. Make no mistake, Eric Dickerson was a dominant force.
6
OJ Simpson
Simpson was the first man to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season. He has surprisingly low touchdown numbers for his career considering how many yards he gained. He only scored 75 touchdowns in 11 seasons, and over half of those came in three seasons. He did rush for over 11,000 yards for some particularly horrible Bills teams in the 70’s. Had he been on a better team maybe his touchdowns scored would have gone up. A lot of people remember Simpson for his post-football life, but he was a sight to behold in the open field with the football in his hands.
5
Earl Campbell
Earl was a dominant force for the small amount of time that he was in the NFL. He was really good for the first five years, but the Oilers did not have anyone else but him. They wore him down, and he was a shell of his former self before he even hit 30 years old. Those first few years though…He was a five time pro bowler, three time first team all pro and two time offensive MVP. He was the most dominant force in the league for a three year stretch in the late 70’s and early 80’s. His overall numbers might not stack up to the other guys here, but overall numbers are a lot of times a product of longevity instead of elite ability.
4
Marshall Faulk
Faulk may raise some eyebrows being this high on the list, but it is hard to argue with the numbers that he put up in his 12 seasons with the Colts and Rams. He accounted for over 19,000 total yards from scrimmage when you include his rushing and receiving numbers. He scored 136 touchdowns. He went for 4.3 yards per carry in his career. He made seven pro bowls and three first team all pros. He was possibly the most important piece in one of the most prolific offenses of all time in the NFL with the St Louis Rams of the late 90’s and early 00’s. Faulk is 4th all time in yards from scrimmage in the NFL. During a four year stretch in the middle of his career, he averaged oveer 2200 yards from scrimmage per year.
3
Walter Payton
Payton is pretty much always a lock for the top three of any all time running backs list that anyone can possibly come up with. He spent his entire career with the Bears, making nine pro bowls and five first team all pro selections. He finished his career with 21,264 yards from scrimmage in his career. He won a Super Bowl. Payton retired as the leading rusher of all time. Payton’s brilliance was his tenacity and ferociousness when he ran. Defenders had to bring everything they had if they wanted to get him down. He was not going to run out of bounds, he was not going to find a place to fall down, he was going to square you up and try to run you over. It is amazing that his career lasted as long as it did with his smallish stature and violent running style.
2
Barry Sanders
Barry had the most remarkable year ever in college football to win the Heisman trophy. He picked up right where he left off when he arrived in Detroit to play for the Lions. He was in the league for ten years. He made the Pro Bowl ten times in those ten years. He was first team all pro six different times. He had 15,269 yards and then retired right in the prime of his career. Sanders played for some bad teams in Detroit. He was just about the only weapon they had. He still managed to gain five yards per carry for his career He scored 109 touchdowns in his career. Most people try to tear him down for his lack of ability to get into the endzone, but 109 touchdowns is a very high number for only ten years in the league. That is nearly 11 per year. For comparison’s sake, Emmitt Smith is considered to have a nose for the goal line, but he averaged between 11 and 12 per year for his career as well. Barry could make yards where there were none. Everyone in the league was worried that they would have to attempt to tackle him in the open field. He could make you look real bad.
1
Jim Brown
Brown was a man amongst boys back in his day. He reminds me a bit of what Wilt Chamberlain was to the NBA. Brown was bigger than some of the lineman, but he was twice as fast. He finished with nine pro bowls and eight first team all pro selections in his nine years of playing for the Cleveland Browns. He finished his career way out in front of everyone else in rushing yards. He had 12,312 at 5.2 yards per carry for his career. He also scored 126 touchdowns. Let’s not forget that he was playing 12 and 14 game seasons back then, so his nine year career is about equivalent to seven years in today’s NFL. Brown would still be dominant in today’s league, which is all that needs to be said.
Best of the rest
John Riggins – Good career numbers, never dominant
Jerome Bettis – 3.9 ypc for career not good enough
Curtis Martin – Nice longevity, not elite
Gale Sayers – Tough to leave off, but not enough to go on.
Marcus Allen – Better than Adrian Peterson? No way
Thurman Thomas – Good offense helped him out, but he ws a close call
Tony Dorsett – Simply not as good as the rest of the guys that made the list.
Posted in Uncategorized by houstonlibrarian -
Monday, 5. October 2009
The Longhorns will have one of their most talented teams ever this year. The decision by Damion James to come back for his senior year has really raised the expectations. J’Covan Brown finally qualifying for school has brought even more excitement.
Dogus Balbay 6′1″ 175 Junior
Dogus was possibly the best athlete on the team last year. He has good ballhandling skills. He can jump, and he can fly down the court with the ball. He is an excellent rebounding guard and can man up on defense. What he cannot do however is shoot the basketball. He can’t shoot the three. He can’t shoot the mid-range jumper. He can’t shoot free throws. He can’t even shoot layups that well some times. I think a lot of it was that he just never felt comfortable. He always seemed a bit jittery out there. I think you will see a huge improvement this year in all facets of Balbay’s game. I expect he will be the starter at point guard.
Avery Bradley 6′2″ 180 Freshman
Bradley was one of the top two or three recruits in the nation depending on which list you wanted to use. He made a remarkable leap from last year to this year in his ranking. His play really improved on the court. He can shoot the ball from outside adequately, but what really sets him apart is his freakish athleticism. I don’t think he will be running the team from the point guard position in college any time soon like he may have to in the NBA, but his size shouldn’t be too big of a disadvantage at this level. He will be the best dunker on the team from day one. If anyone has seen the pickup game footage from this past summer and fall, you have to be excited if you’re a Longhorn fan. This type of athleticism may have never been seen on a Texas basketball team before.
Damion James 6′7″ 225 Senior
Damion is a senior from Nacogdoches. He has improved by leaps and bounds since I first saw him play against LaMarque in the playoffs his senior year. He was an athletic specimen at the time, but he was no where near a fluid basketball player. He will never be mistaken for a natural basketball player, but he has improved in his on court IQ over the last four years. He is still an athlete to the nth degree. He can outjump most everyone on this level, and out fight most guys for rebounds. Texas should be able to dominate the boards this year in large part to Damion’s ability. He can shoot a spot up jumper when called upon. He will not break anyone down off the dribble. He will get his through the running game and picking up the trash in the lane.
Gary Johnson 6′6″ 238 Junior
Gary is a junior from Aldine. He is known has a relentless worker on the basketball court. He is a bit underiszed for the power forward position. He does not have elite athletic ability. He can shoot a pretty good spot up jumper from the mid-range. He can clean up the boards, more based on his work ethic and body positioning than his ability to jump. He never quits working while in the court. He will still be going full speed in the second half when the other team may want to take a break a time or two down the court. Gary is the type of player that every championship team needs.
Dexter Pittman 6′10″ 290 Senior
Dexter is now a slim,trim basketball playing machine. He may not be the most slim and trim guy on the team, but compared to what he was when he arrived in Austin, he has dropped a considerable amount of weight. His mobility is greatly improved. His footwork has improved. His stamina has improved, although it still shoulder be considered a liability in his overall game. Pittman won’t be facing up to the basket much. He is a large guy that is going to make his hay down low outmuscling people. He will use his considerable bulk to camp out down low and dominate the boards. Anything less than first team all big 12 for Dexter this year will be considered a disappointment.
Jay Mason 6′2″ 195 Senior
Mason is a senior from Amarillo that has probably regressed in his four years with the Longhorns. He was more of an offensive threat his first two years than he was last year. He really stayed away from shooting the ball last year at all. This was especially noticeable when Balbay was on the court as well, as both of them refused to shoot. Mason has some good athleticism. He is a hard worker. He is tenacious on defense. I think he will be more valuable this year, as his scoring will not be needed near as much with the new players coming on board.
Varez Ward 6′2″ 192 Sophomore
Varez was another guy that was supposed to be in the Jay Mason mold. Ward was a defensive stopper in high school. That was supposed to be his calling card. I don’t think he was quite the defensive wizard he was built up to be. He was a very good defender though. He has athleticism and long arms. What he did bring to the table that was surprising was an ability to drive to the basket, especially late in the year and in the NCAA tournament against Duke. He got to the hole at will against the Blue Devils. Ward is not a great shooter from outside, and I doubt he gets so many opportunities to go one on one in the same manner that he did against Duke. Ward will get his by running the floor and getting to the basket.
Clint Chapman 6′10″ 239 Junior
Clint has some good height on him. He has not made a huge impression on many games thus far, but you can see the potential there at times. He can get up and down the floor for someone his size. With Atchlet gone, Chapman will be called upon to provide a few more minutes this year than last year. He has not shown a whole lot of offensive ability, so he will have to provide defense and rebounding to get minutes.
Alexis Wangmene 6′7″ 241 Sophomore
Alexis had a bad break last year. He tore his ACL very early in the season. He was just starting to break into the rotation and get comfortable out on the court. Wangmene brings a little of the same thing that Gary Johnson brings minus the shooting touch. I feel that Alexis is a better athlete and has a more fluid game though, so he should be able to work his way back into the rotation this year assuming his knee is complete healthy.
Matt Hill 6′10″ 240 Junior
Hill has never really found his niche with the Longhorns. Matt provides some good hustle and tries hard, but he just does not have the goods to be a big contributor on an elite college basketball team. He has good height, but does not have very good mobility or much jumping ability. If he gets much time, I think the Horns are in trouble.
Jai Lucas 5′10″ 150 Junior
Jai is a transfer from Florida. He played his high school ball at Bellaire in Houston. He is the son of John Lucas, the former Rocket and Maryland Terp. He is the brother of John Lucas, the former Oklahoma State Cowboy. Lucas is an excellent shooter. He plays point guard, but he is more of a shoot first type of point. He is small, a bit undersized, but quick as a cat. He is a lot like his older brother in the way he plays. He can do nothing but help the Horns. Other than AJ Abrmas, the Longhorns were the gang that couldn’t shoot straight last year, so Jai will be a big help in this area.
Jordan Hamilton 6′7″ 226 Freshman
Jordan was another highly touted freshman. He is supposed to have a really smooth game. Hamilton brings a bit of everything to the table. He is tall, has long arms, can get up and down the court. Nbradraft.net compares him to Jeff Green formerly of Georgetown. Many feel that Hamilton will be a one and done type player. He is what the Horns have been missing the last few years. A guy on the wing that can defend a taller wing player and get up and down the court.
J’Covan Brown 6′1″ 185 Freshman
Brown is another highly touted freshman coming in this year. He was kicked off his high school team at Port Arthur Memorial. He was relentless in his desire to get into the University of Texas. It took him over a year, and several attempts, but he was finally admitted into school and is now a part of the team. Brown is a combo guard that can run a team, but he also can score with the best of them. He may not be a pure shooter, but he can get to the basket and he can get hot from the outside. He is what most would call a scorer, not a shooter. To be honest, he may contribute the most of any of the freshman even though he is the lowest rated. His game is not about potential, he is a polished scorer and overall basketball player that is ready to play from day one.
Shawn Williams 6′6″ 215 Freshman
Williams is the last of the freshman coming in. I think he will play either a limited amount or not at all. He could redshirt, and he probably needs it.
I feel like this is the most talented Texas team since Barnes took over for Penders. There is talent and experience at every position. The only issue to watch for will be to see what happens at the point guard position. I think Balbay has the inside track here, but Brown could come in and take over if he plays well. Lucas is too one dimensional. Ward is not a true point guard, though he did do well in the Duke game last year in his limited time there. A starting lineup of Balbay, Bradley, James, Johnson and Pittman looks pretty stout. Three of those guys are locks to play in the NBA. You then have Hamilton, Brown, Lucas, Chapman and Wangmene coming off the bench to provide relief. Texas has not had a second unit like this ever. This second unit is as talented as some of the starting lineups they have put out there over the years.
A sweet sixteen is probably the worst case scenario as far as what should be expected from this team. After that, it is all about matchups.
Posted in Uncategorized by houstonlibrarian -