Boise State @ Purdue
Purdue is Boise State's toughest opponent all season. He is trying to back his way into a BCS bowl by scheduling almost nothing. Hopefully the Boilermakers can squash all BCS hopes for Hoos early on with a win here. Last year, Hoos went 1-3 OOC but still managed to win the anemic WAC. This year, you have to expect him to do the same, but he decided to take matters into his own hands by pulling a Sammy and not scheduling anyone OOC. Luckily I feel Purdue is up to the challenge to nip this problem in the bud before it gets out of control
Boise State 14 Purdue 23
ANK'S GAME OF THE WEEK!
Texas (Bigred) @ Florida (Nole)
WOW! The NDL season couldn't start off with a better game then the Horns at the Swamp.
Texas and Coach Bigred kick season 17 off with a trip to face Coach Nole and his Gators in Gainsville.
This matchup has all the makings of a offensive explosion...On one side you have Colt McCoy, Jordan Shipley and Malcolm Williams going against a fast and hard hitting secondary led by All-American Major Wright. On the other side you have All-World TimTebow with all his weapons going against an experienced Longhorn defense led by DE Sergio Kendle.
Keys when Florida has the ball
The Gators O-Line must give Tebow time to look over the field and explore his options. If Florida is in the spread watch for the backs out of the backfield..(Rainey, James, and Demps) if these guys make plays it will be a long night for the boys in burnt orange. I think the Horns have all kinds of problems coving the Gator WR's in the open field this might force alot of zone with a 3 man front which Coach Nole will eat alive.
Watch for WR #11 Riley Cooper to have a big day, if he don't have 100 yards I will call this a poor performance on his part.
Texas must stop Tebow from hurting them with his feet..attack him, spy him or whatever it takes to keep him in the pocket. Once out of the pocket he becomes Florida's most fearced runner.
Keys when Texas has the ball
Watch for Coach Bigred to put the ball in McCoys and tell him to go fetch him a win. For Texas to have any shot at the upset in the swamp McCoy must have a huge game. He has to get all of his wideouts in the game so UF can't focus on just Shipley. Texas has other wide receivers capable of producing huge numbers, watch for Brandon Collins and Jr. James Kirkendall have to make plays
The veteran O-line has to be poised to protect McCoy against on of the best front seven in the NDL. Although the Texas gameplan has to be pass the ball, I still look for the Horns to run the ball somewhat to keep the Gator front 4 from teeing off on the QB. Right now it looks like Texas and Coach Bigred will have a running back by committee...no big names, but all can step up and play big for the boys from Austin.
Lets wait and see if Coach Nole brings the pressure, his DB's can cover the Texas wideouts one on one with ease...this will free up more linebacker blitzing, making McCoy to make a quicker read and not being as accurate.
Tale of the Tape
Quarter-Back
McCoy vs Tebow----I call this a draw, McCoy is the better passer of the two, but Tim can murder a team with his speed and power once containment is broken.
Running-backs
Edge...Gators, they have 4 backs that could start at Texas, and well Coach Bigred really dont have a featured back yet.
O-Line
Edge--Horns...Texas returns 4 starters and 3 are well rounded Seniors. Not great at run blocking, but nice size combined with speed makes them outstanding at pass blocking.
Wide Receivers
Edge---Horns...Shipley and Cooper council one another out...but then look at the #2,3, and 4 receivers and Texas is just better and deeper.
D-Line
Edge...Florida..Dunlap, Marsh and Cunningham might be the best in the NDL (OU might argue) but they can put pressure on any QB in the league...So to me they might be the key to the game.
Linebackers
Edge Florida...Brandon Spikes is the leader of this unit and is a beast..throw in Hicks and Stamper and you got 3 future NFLer's.
Secondary
Edge..Florida..again there are 3-4 future pro players back there...They will be able to cover the UT wideouts 1 on 1 and give the front 7 of Forida the freedome to roam.
Player of the game
Joe Haden
Final Score
Florida 37---Texas 24
Its an early top 10 match-up that could determine a major player in the national title hunt.
Good Luck to both and have fun boys!
Game of the Week
#7 Oklahoma (nick_wadden_) @ #3 Penn St. (Steamrollr22)
The Sooners travel to Death Valley and take on the the 3rd ranked Nittany Lions. Both teams have head coaches that love to pound the ball so don't expect an offensive explosion. Last year, Coach nick_wadden finished 6-6 with Purdue, and Coach Steamrollr22 went 11-1 in the tough SEC with Tennessee.
What to watch for when Oklahoma has the ball: Coach nick_wadden had one of the top ranked run offenses last year at Purdue, and this year has a much better team. Steamrollr22, on the other hand, played very well against the run last season. Something has to give.
What to watch for when Penn St. has the ball: Coach Steamrollr22 will also run the ball with the best of them. Oklahoma has a great defensive line though, solid linebackers and a very good secondary. Nothing will come easily.
Who has the edge?
Quarterback: Oklahoma - They have Sam Bradford. Enough said.
Running back: Oklahoma - Demarco Murray has very good speed and All-American full back Matt Clapp give OU the edge.
Wide Receivers: Oklahoma - Tight End Jermaine Greshman makes this an easy choice, OU's wide receivers are a little better overall as well.
Offensive Line: Penn St. - But just barely. Both teams are solid across the line, with one outstanding lineman each, but PSU holds the slight advantage.
Defensive Line: Oklahoma - All American Gerald McCoy make the Sooners much more talented across the defensive line.
Linebackers: Penn St. - OU has an All-American linebacker, but PSU has two of their own.
Secondary: Push - Both teams have decent secondaries, but no standout individual players.
Coach: Penn St. - Coach Steamrollr has the overall advantage in coaching history. Not only did he go 11-1 last season with Tennessee, but was 13-0 the year before with Texas Tech.
Player of the game: Demarco Murray - The Sooners running back will get 25-30 carries, around 125 yards and 2 scores.
Prediction: Penn St. 27 Oklahoma 17 - The Nittany Lions will be too much. A late defensive score puts the game away.
Ank's Upset of the Week!
So who will it be? Who will be the first powerhouse to get shocked early in the season...Will it be Penn State, USC, Florida? Could Ohio State fall..might be Miami....Well its an SEC team..A team with a coach that knows them well, but a team that will overlook a lesser oppenent in week 1!
My Upset is Navy over Auburn!
Navy has a coach that runs the offense well and has ran it with other teams...they have Senior leadership..and they got Ross Pospisil at inside linebacker.
I know your saying 1 player can't stop Auburn and Quests' spread offense.......NOT SO FAST MY FRIEND!
Pospisil plays the perfect position to contain the FB or the middle run, the speed to get to the outside to either stop the pitch or force it back inside to the teeth of the Navy defense.
Auburn is prime for the upset...Quest will start Kodi Burns who is not a passer, which will make the Tigers one deminsional. This will let Navy cram the box and force wideouts Billings and Hawthorne to beat them.
Burns is not a consistant enough passer which will lead to turnovers and many 3 and outs during the game.
On offense Navy runs the best offense in the Nation....QB Ricky Dobbs is the perfect athlete to run this option...He will make the right read and keep the Auburn defense guessing all night long. Watch for Navy to shorten the game as much as possible with long time consuming drives. The midshipmen's state of mind...Is if Auburn don't have the ball they can't score. Basic football that is what Navy does best.
Quest and Auburn will move the ball, but watch for them to struggle inside the red zone and settle for field goals.
Navy won't have nearly the yards that their counterpart will obtain...but turnovers and time of possession will be the key to the upset in week 1.
Navy wins a close one with a late turnover by Auburn!
Navy 17----Auburn 13
Player to Watch
Navy FB #39 Alex Teich
Good Luck to both.
Week 2 Upset Alert: Arizona State at #18 Nebraska
Last year, Nebraska scheduled a very soft out-of-conference slate, and jumped out to a deceivingly-good start to the season. This year, they have added some meat to the platter, with West Virginia and Arizona State. The Sun Devils come to Lincoln and are primed to spring a trap. Arizona State matches up very well with Nebraska. QB Zack Lee will face an underrated ASU defense, led by senior DE Dexter Davis and CB Omar Bolden. The Sun Devils are led by a senior in QB Danny Sullivan, and with seniors at almost every starting offensive spot, they should be well equipped to handle the raucous sea of red in the stands. And if all else fails, well.....I'm sure a few well-placed ASU co-eds can help distract the Cornhusker players.
Seriously....like Lee will be able to think about reading the safeties if he sees this in the crowd.
Key Matchups:
ASU WR Kyle Williams vs Nebraska CB Anthony West: The Sun Devils will need Williams to use his speed to stretch the field and keep Nebraska's defense honest. West is a solid cover corner but will give up some speed to Williams, who is very elusive in the open field.
ASU TE Jovon Williams vs the Nebraska blackshirts: ASU's other Williams will also need to step up and occupy the Nebraska linebacking corp, both in the passing game as well as opening up lanes for HB Dmitri Nance. At 6'4" he will be an easy target for Sullivan if he is under pressure, and he has good speed in the open field.
ASU C Garth Gerhart vs Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh: The one weak spot of the Arizona State offense will face off with the strongest part of Nebraska's defense in the man-child Suh. The sophomore C will need to handle the crowd noise and will need to at least hold his own with Suh for ASU to pull off this upset.
Garth Gerhart and Co. will have to neutralize Ndamukong Suh for the Sun Devils to pull the upset.
Prediction: Arizona State has the tools on both sides of the ball to pull off the upset. Their front four has the talent to put pressure on Lee without a lot of blitzing, and they have the weapons on offense to keep Lee off the field. Arizona State will need to rely on Nance to keep the chains moving and open up the passing game. Look for Nance to rush for over 100 yds and a pair of scores, as Arizona State head back to the desert with a 27-21 victory.
Game of the Weak: #14 Illinois at Western Kentucky
There is no doubt about how this game will end--an Illinois win by a large margin of victory. The only question is, will Juice Williams need to throw a pass? Williams is faster than almost everybody on the Hilltopper defense, so he may just practice running past them. Rumor has it that WKU petitioned the NCAA to allow Big Red on the field to help spy him (the petition was denied, much to the chagrin of fans everywhere....who wouldn't want to see him running around out there?), as they know they are going to struggle mightily with a fast and explosive Fighting Illini offense. The starting WR for Illinois are faster than every player on the Hilltopper roster, which does not bode well. The Juice will definitely be loose, as he should get his Heisman campaign off to a great start. That is, if his coach doesn't bench him at the half.
Illinois 41, Western Kentucky 6.
Here is the 2nd installment of the always exciting Interception Challenge. Last year's winner was Tim Tebow, even though the prediction was thrown out that he would throw a pick in week 1 and be eliminated immediately.
My Top 5 predictions to win the challenge are:
1.Sam Bradford (Oklahoma)
[imghttp://cdn.content.easports.com/media2/ncaa10/10479/991A0001_1_JPEG_SCREENSHOT_GgW.jpg[/img]
2. Daryl Clark (Penn St.)
3. Jake Locker (Washington)
4. Jarrett Brown (West Virginia)
5. Josh Nesbit (Georgia Tech)
Flavorful 8
8. Florida Gators: The newest biggest Gator Fan .. Coach Nole took the best team in the game for season 17. He said it was "Year of the Nole", is this Nole Bobby Bowden or Joe Pa and returning to college football prominance.
7. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: All we hear is trash talk from this guy, pimpen we gonna run all over you, pimpen you cant stop my 3 head monter, pimpen watch me cheesey flex offense run to the ACC title. But in his latest trash talk he backed it up in the Rose Bowl against Penn St and Shel, can he back it up this season and win the ACC.
6. Missiouri Tigers: What can I say, when Big Mike told me he was leaving to Florida Coach these boys, I was shocked, and just a bit skeptical although it did make sense. But come draft day he did what he said, depsite the Ohio St and USC avatars, he took the Tigers and instantly the masses has made the Tigers a top 10 team and even receiving 7 first place votes. The Hype alone around this team makes them Flavorful.
5. Florida State Seminoles: I expect big things from this team this year, and call be crazy but I believe they may end up being the best team in Florida this year. Yes that was not a mistake.. Better then FIU, better then FAU.. Best team in Florida.. Oh yeah and better then the Tebowains and Da Thugs.
4. Texas Christian University Horned Frogs: In the Last 4 seasons TCU has won 2 conference championships and have gone 37-11 under Coach Wasik, and they cracked they Busted the BCS I expect much of the same as their only contender in the MWC is once again SDSU Aztecs.
3. Lousyana State Tigers: Just a gut feeling but something tells me this is your SEC winner right here. LSU has a favorable SEC schedule this season with Bama, Mississippi and Georgia at Home, with only Florida away. LSU SEC champs, as Judy would say book it.
2. West Virginia Mountaineers: This team is going to burst on the scene this year, As I forsee Devine averaging 200 plus yards a game. I know the Big East is no push over but look out Big East your gonna have your hands full.
1. Southern Cal Trojans: Well I picking Shel and USC as the most flavorful team in the nation, because it tends to be the trendy thing to do lately. But mostly I m doing it just to add more pressure to the cooker and see if Shel cracks under all the hoopla around him and his teams. Also how can I not pick him, after he was heard saying I m biggest thing to happen to USC, bigger then Pete Carrol, better than that chump Coach Nole, and I wont fold in the title game like WJ did... twice.. I m the shit I am the Man I am the bulley Shel.
For the preseason installment of the Bottom 10, I asked our owner is favorite band, he was hard pressed to come up with one, so I asked one of the other members of our board of a singer A. Jalves (with a soft J) enjoys, he choose Madonna.
10. Buffalo- Frozen: No Bottom 10 is complete without Trendon holding down the 10 spot. He usually starts out ice cold in non-conference before turning it around in conference.
9. Iowa State- Ray of Light: Utah State's old coach survived and his consolation? playing in a loaded Big 12. The improvement gives him hope for the future though.
8. Ohio/Miami (OH) - Deeper and Deeper:Roommates, one is named Jeffdaddy, the other Harder. There must be something behind that, Jeffdaddy must at some point scream, "give it to me Harder!". I digress, both owners don't appear likely to win many games.
7. Northern Illinois - I'll Remember: New owner, same team. When did they become a whipping boy of the MAC? It seemed they were a bowl team a few years ago.
6. Connecticut- Bedtime Stories: His non-conference is brutal, the Big East isn't going to give him any favors, is this the end for Driccio at Connecticut?
5. Boise State's non-conference schedule- True Blue: Boise showed his true colors (coward) when he scheduled SMU, Purdue, Mississippi State and Akron as his non-conference foes, are you fucking kidding me?!?! the WAC already blows and he goes and tries to pull this to get into a BCS bowl game? You can bet your sweet ass I am going to spend the season campaigning against Boise State if their are talks of him in a BCS game.
4. UL-Pick'em-Causing a Commotion: One of these teams is not like the other, usually one of them is good for a near bowl season while the other becomes a Bottom 10 staple.
3. Eastern Michigan- Rescue Me: New owner had a choice between here and Utah State. Either way lstee is in for a long season.
2. SMU- Like a Virgin: Dolemite went AWOL last season due to a girl and ends up with this piece of work team as a consulation... oh and he didn't even get any from her.
1. Ball State- Rescue Me: Our beloved commish was at the bottom of the barrel last season. He left the tough Big 12 to the MAC in hopes of redeeming himself, but a sub .500 season seems to be waiting.
Nick needs to be coddled like a baby, constantly needing reassurance from mother.
Oh and Weasel got blown by a dude.
This week's Island Fever is the Wadden Watch for the top non-BCS Players, and the top Heisman hopefulls from the 6.
The "Wadden" Watch
- Implemented by the NDL: ESPN crew as well as NDL Inc, the Wadden is given to the best player in the country in a non BCS conference. Each week we will a top 5 ranking of the players who are currently in the race for the Wadden.
1. Rusty Smith - QB - Florida Atlantic
At number one on our list for the Wadden trophy is the quarterback from Florida Atlantic, Rusty Smith. In Season 16 of the NDL, Smith had 3689 passing yards on 229 completions (16 yards per completion) as well as 34 touchdowns (tied for 1st in the NDL). Look for Rusty to continue those big numbers this season as Ice is the coach of the Owls. Ice is a very pass oriented coach so if he lives up to the expectation, don't expect anyone to challenge Rusty Smith for the top spot in the Wadden watch.
2. Bryce Beall - HB - Houston
Sitting at second this week is the half back from Houston, Bryce Beall. Last season with the Cougars, Randawg made sure he got the ball early and often. Promoting a run philosophy to the team, the Cougars lived and died by Beall. When it was all said and done Beall had over 1800 rushing yards on less than 250 carries with 27 fumbles. The big number Beall will need to improve on is his fumbles. Beall coughed up the ball 12 times last year and if he wants to climb to number one he better keep that number down.
3. Kris Adams - WR - UTEP
Next on the list sitting at number three is Kris Adams, a wide receiver from Texas El-Paso. Adams led his team in receptions and was tied for fourth in the nation with 68 catches. He also dragged in 1360 yards and a league leading 16 touchdowns for the Miners. This year a new sheriff is in town for the Miners and it's Untouchable8. Coming over from West Virginia, Untouchable is used to a more running approach to the offense so look for Adams number of receptions to decrease but as long as he keeps the receiving yards and touchdowns up, he will remain in this list.
4. Chris Masson - QB - Louisiana Lafayette
At number 4 in the preseason preview, we have our second quarterback, Chris Masson from Louisiana Lafayette. The Rajun Cajun was absolutely incredible last year as he rivaled Rusty Smith in stats (3648 pass yards and tied with 34 touchdowns). The reason that Rusty sits at number one and Masson at number four is the fact FAU is a favourite to win the conference. This leaves breathing room for Coach Jadedone and his team. If they can pull off some early upsets, expect Masson to rise the charts.
5. Spencer Smith - SS - Hawaii
The final player in our top 5 is our first defensive player. Spencer Smith, the strong safety for Hawaii, was a monster last season for thedonkeysho. When the season was done, he finished with 110 tackles, 5+ interceptions and key plays on defense. Although I am not as biased as the Heisman award, it will take an incredible performance for me to consider Smith for the Wadden, but anythings possible.
Heisman Hopefuls Pre Season Edition
1. Noel Divine, West Virginia : This year heading the way of heisman hopefuls is Noel Divine. After a tough Season 16 WVU looks to get back in the Big East Championship picture and ultimately maybe National Championship. How far they go is up to how far the speedster back can take them, from Devine's performace in WVU round 1 cup game (200 yards rushing 2 TDs), big things could be in store for WVU and Noel Devine.
2. Bill Stull, Pittsburgh: There was no one more excited to hear about the new Head Coach hire at Pitt then this man. Coach Doc, the previous year took lemons and made lemonade as Mason passed his way into ULL record books and shared the Ware award with fellow Sun Belt QB Rusty Smith. Little did Bill know with this hire also brought expectations. There is no deny that Coach Doc can coach up any offense, and now he has a better qb in Stull to work with. Expect Stull to burst on to the seen this year with 3500 yards plus passing and 35 touchdowns, but the key to his Heisman run will be to limit the errors.
3. Tim Tebow, Florida: My loathing for this player urged me to leave him off this list, but unfortenately I could not. DAMNN.. Mostly because Coach Nole would have a heartattack and swear up and down he now had bulliten board material. While I dont expect Tebow to have the eye popping numbers he has last year under the tutalage of Coach Big Mike, I do expect Heisman Worthy numbers non the less during the the self proclaimed "Year of the Nole Era."
4. Christian Ponder, Florida State: Word around Tallahassee is they are revamping the whole offensive system and putting the show in the hands of the Junior Qb Christian Ponder. I talked to Coach Daw1git and he spoke highly of his qb and his decision making, and said I can tell you for certainty he will have a good season. I asked would it be Heisman worthy and he said you will have to just tune in a watch on Saturdays, but one thing is for sure you will enjoy watching this years' Florida State Offense.
5. Wes Kemp, Missouri: There has not been this much buzz at Missouri since Coach JC thought he was taking them to the promise land. I talked to current coach Big Mike, and he told me this guy just fits the mold, I am very impressed with his abilities and the big plays he is capable of doing. This 6 foot 4 225 pound monster should be a focal point and one of Gabberts primary targets this season. Watch for this kid to torch Big 12 defenses.
6. John Clay, Wisconsin: There is an outlaw hiding in Wisconsin and posing as Coach of the Badgers. But dont to expect to see any shootouts with this team. As John Clay will be the work horse this season for the Badger team. Outlaw has Coach Javid Best to two straight Walker awards and looks to do the same with Brusier Clay. I see Clay rushing for around 1600 yards.
7. DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma: No one has heard a peep out of DeMarco since his frosh year in Oklahoma, but he is now playing for a run first coach. Coach Nick worked Jacen Taylor to death with a league leading 299 carries while I dont see DeMarco Murray with quite the same number of carries. With more weapons around Murry than Taylor, making it harder for defenses to key in on the run game; look for Murray to have a big season.
8. Bryce Beall, Houston: Bryce Beall finished second for the walker award and finished second to only Javid Best for the season's rushing title eclipsing 2000 yards. Also not talked about but Beall was a big play punt returner leading the nation in punt return yards and punt returned for six (3). Normally you would find a 2000 yard back higher on the Heisman watch list but playing in non bcs conference sometimes hurts. If Beall is able to come up with great performaces against California, Kansas, and Louisville, it could do wonders for his Heisman Hype.
9.Kirk Cousins, Michigan State: No one talked about Kirk last season, but I will give him a little love to begin season 17. Last Kirk finished the season #1 in completions and passing yards, and #4 in Touchdown passes with 28..The downside was Cousins threw almost as many picks as he did touchdowns, if Cousins can limit the times he complete the pass to the team in the other jersey, this is definately a qb we will be talking about all season long.
10. Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State: Not sure what it is, but something tells me he has a break out season. Really too much talent rating wise and around him. Look for Pryor to have 30 Total Touchdowns.
