Sportaholic College Football Weekend Setup

Conference play is finally here and the first thing that catches my attention on the schedule are three heavyweight showdowns in the ACC, SEC and Big 10. Fresh off their victory over Florida State, Clemson takes on Virginia Tech as the Tigers have no time to celebrate or rest on there laurels. It doesn’t get any better than Florida vs. Alabama in the SEC. This could be a possible preview of the SEC championship game as both teams have looked strong and this should be the stiffest test Florida has seen thus far. Nebraska’s inaugural Big 10 game is a doozy as well as the Huskers take on the favorite to win the conference in my opinion Wisconsin. This is week 5 already and the games are only getting better each week. This slate this weekend will have a lot to say about where some of the top programs really stand and as a fan I can’t wait to see who rises to the top. Can Florida find a way to break Bama’s impenetrable defense? Is Clemson for real or will they flake out against the more experienced Hokies? How will Nebraska’s superior D handle Wisconsin’s Russell Wilson and their ball control offense? A lot of questions that won’t be answered until the games are played but before they are lets break them down and see who has the edge.

#12 Florida (3-0) vs. #3 Alabama (3-0) – In the annual SEC showdown of the week, the Gators travel to get ol Tuscaloosa to take on the Tide. This one should be a tantalizing one for multiple reasons. The match-ups are crazy when you think about Florida’s speed demons Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps going against Bama’s rock solid front 7 with the like of stud LB Don’t’a Hightower and defensive linemen Courtney Upshaw. Charlie Weis has had success this year by mixing in screens and quick tosses to get his speedsters the edge but it will almost impossible against Bama as they have one of the fastest group of LBs in the nation. Weis also has coddled Jeff Brantley’s confidence by simplifying the offense and giving him a lot of short safe throws. If Florida is to win this game, Brantley will have to be able to complete some deep balls to his receiver because Bama will load the box to stop Rainey and Demps. Florida’s defense isn’t too shabby either as they have their own ferocious front 7 as well. Trent Richardson is bread and butter of the offense for the Tide of course but just like Florida won’t be able to break a lot of those big gainers, I think the same will hold for Alabama. A.J. McCarron will have to make some plays for his team in this one. He does have a better receiving core around him than Brantley does. Marquise Maze seems to always make a play for his QB when he needs it the most and this game shouldn’t be any different. This is one of those games where you throw out all the stats because anything could happen. If you like fast flying defense’s and speedy shifty running back, this is the game you should be tuned into this weekend. As for the pick, I just can’t see Florida beating the Tide. Bama’s defense is too tough and will be prepared for the two-headed monster of Rainey and Demps. Brantley won’t be able to make enough plays and that will be the determining factor. The Pick: Alabama Crimson Tide.

#13 Clemson (3-0) vs. #11 Virginia Tech (3-0) – Raise your hand if you had this pegged as the most important game on schedule for the ACC. Waiting…. Ok yeah like I was saying, this one is a bit unexpected as the Tigers have brought it all together under Tajh Boyd and his stellar QB play so far. Boyd has probably brought on a contract extension for head coach Dabo Swiney as this could be a defining year for his program. When ever I see Sammy Watkins run with the ball it makes me hold my breath. That guy looks like he runs a 4.0 forty time. I don’t know if it’s the purple colored jerseys or what but boy he is fast. The Hokies are where we expected them to be, at the top of the ACC. Logan Thomas and the Tech offense will have to rev it up this game to keep up with the high paced spread offense first year OC Chad Morris has bought in with him. The Hokies defense is always stout and this year is no different with a pair of talented defensive ends in James Gayle and J.R. Collins who combined for four sacks and 12 tackles last week. Defense and special teams have always been the linchpin of Virginia Tech under Frank Beamer and that won’t change anytime soon. So basically what this game boils down to is Tech’s tough nosed defense vs. Clemson’s dynamic offense. From everything I have read on Tech’s offense, it doesn’t seem to have the horses to hang with the Tigers on that side of the ball. The Hokies do have a legit run game with David Wilson coming off a 132 yard performance against Marshall. So of course Tech will try to control time of possession to keep that explosive Tiger offense off the field. I’m not convinced it will be enough as Boyd, Watkins, and versatile tight end Dwayne Allen should be able to power Clemson to the win. The Pick: Clemson Tigers

#8 Nebraska (3-0) vs. #7 Wisconsin (3-0) – It has looked so easy for the Badgers and new QB Russell Wilson these first few weeks of the season. Now comes in big bad Nebraska in their first Big 10 conference game. The Badgers have just been rolling over inferior opponents and averaging 48.5 points in the process. The usually dominant Bo Pellini defense of Nebraska however has been disappointing ranking 52nd in the nation in yards allowed (349.8 yards) a game. This will be the first time all season that the Cornhuskers will have all of their guns on defense as DT Jared Crick, LB Lavonte David and CB Alfonzo Dennard will all be playing together due to injuries. It will take a great effort from all of those guys to stop juggernaut Badgers offense and give their mediocre offense led by QB Taylor Martinez a chance. Martinez numbers aren’t impressive but he probably gets more flak then he should considering his circumstances. It will be hard for him and the offense to move the ball on Wisconsin unless Martiznez breaks a few big gains with his feet. He has the speed to make a big difference against the Badgers. He and Rex Burkhead carry that offense and they don’t really have much else. With that in mind its easy in my opinion on the pick of this game. The Pick: Wisconsin Badgers

Game of the Week: Florida vs. Alabama – Ok maybe I am a little bias when it comes down to the SEC but how can you not watch this game? Two fast and dominant defense against a the two headed monster of Florida and the beast of Bama in Trent Richardson. This will be a great game for all the obvious reasons and I will make sure to be watching.

Most Intriguing Game: Texas A&M vs. Arkansas – Hmm, lets see here. So we have two ranked teams coming off of demoralizing losses and they happen to be rivals from the old Southwestern conference. Sounds interesting already right? And it only gets better as the loser of this one chances of a BCS bowl would be shot. To top it all off these are two high powered offenses that will be conference foes in 2012. Count me in on this one as well.

Under the Radar Game: USF vs. Pitt – This game could determine the winner of the Big East as crazy as it sounds, and Pitt has won the last three in this series. USF has looked good this season and if they take this one, I think they would run away with the Big East title.

Wake me when its over game: Arkansas State vs. Western Kentucky – When I saw Western Kentucky almost spring the upset of Kentucky in the season opener, I thought those guys would run over all of their conference foes. But alas, they are 0-3 and their oppoenent Ark. St. is 2-2 but they are a FCS team. Oh wait, Western got hammered by Indiana state this year which is a FCS team as well. I will be snoozing loudly during this one.

Coach better get it right game: Ole Miss vs. Fresno State – Is there a seat hotter than Houston Nutt’s? Most people would say Mark Richt maybe but Nutt’s team just lost to the Bulldogs last week. He has to pick his team up from the depths and at least show that they have some pride. The way Vandy beat up on the Rebels it’s a surprise they were even competitive against Georgia. Houston can all but kiss his job goodbye if swoon continues and even if he wins a few games it may not be enough.

College Baskbetball Weekend Finale

Before you know it, it will be March and time is winding down for bubble teams. The NCAA tournament begins March 17 and that leaves just four weeks for teams to get their resumes up to par. A few teams helped their cause helped their cause out and none more than Virginia Tech as they defeated number 1 ranked Duke in Blacksburg. The Hokies came out from the start with the passion and intensity usually reserved by the Blue Devils. Its good to see Seth Greenberg’s bunch finally get on the right side of the bubble for change as in recent they seem always to come up just short. Michigan State just can’t right that ship for their disastrous season. They were easily defeated by Purdue and at 16-12 they need to win all of their remaining games to have a shot entering the tournament as an at-large. Last years final four run for Coach Izzo’s group seems so long ago. The Jimmer was on the loose again as he scored 25 for BYU as they downed a solid San Diego State team for the second time this year




Now let’s take a look at the weekend’s best games.

Virginia Tech 64 vs. Duke 60 -  The Dukies took the initial shot from Va. Tech but it couldn’t take the final wave as Tech was able to wear down the Blue Devils. The Hokies played an inspired first few minutes highlighted by some beautiful plays from guard Eric Green. The Blue Devils were able to shut down the Hokies leading scorer Malcolm Delaney for the first few minutes of the game as Coach K’s signature defense was on display. Tech would grab the early lead only to see Duke retake it back in the second half and go up by six points, 53-47. However the Hokies didn’t back down after relinquishing their lead as Terrell Bell scored five straight to give Tech the lead for the remainder of the game. Bell knocked down a clutch 3-pointer in the corner with 4:40 left and two free-throws seconds later. Malcolm Delaney finally was able to get loose from Duke’s suffocating defense to hit his only 3-pointer of the night. The Dukie with the most miserable night had to be Seth Curry as chants of “Who’s your daddy rang loud and clear. Curry’s dad Dell, of course was in attendance to see his son but that doesn’t mean the Virginia Tech legend and his son were getting off easy in Blacksburg. This was Duke’s 18th lost as the number one ranked team in the nation, giving the Blue Devils this ominous record for most losses as a number 1 ranked team.

BYU 80 vs. SDSU 67 – San Diego State just had no answer for the shooting display by the Cougars. Jimmer Fredette done his usual putting up 25 points but it was his teammates as well that put the game away. The team as a whole was 10-16 from 3-point range. Charles Abouo was 4-5, Noah Hartsock was 3-4, and Jackson Emery was 2-6. They just shot the lights out. San Diego State was led by Kawhi Leonard’s 17 points and 13 rebounds but they could never control the pace of the game. Fredette shooting percentage wasn’t pretty (8-23) but he effectively found a way to get his teammates involved. He is clearly the front-runner now for player of the year and BYU has a chance to stalk a claim as a number 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

St.John’s 81 vs. Villanova 68 – I don’t know what Steve Lavin is telling his players these days but whatever it is he should keep it up. The Red Storm continue their unbelievable hot play of late as they beat their sixth straight top 25 team in Villanova. The star again for the Johnnies’s was Dwight hardy as he demolished the Wildcats defense for 34 points. Hardy is as versatile as they come as he was able to make a dazzling display of different shot’s including tear-drop lay-ups, runners in the lane and 3-pointers. The Wildcats usually play tough in your face defense with their great guards in Corey Fisher and Malik Wayns but Hardy was able to find space. Speaking of Fisher, he was only 1 of 10 from the field and the team as whole was just 4 of 14 from 3-point land and when you combine that with 12 turnovers, you have a recipe for defeat. The Wildcats started the year off hot but not have lost two straight and four of six. The score was 18-4 in the first few minutes of the game. Dwight Hardy has now firmly entrenched himself in the race for Big East player of the year.



Other news and notes:

Can the Big East get 11 bids? As of today you have at least 11 to 12 possible teams coming from the big bad Big East. Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, Louisville, St. John’s, Villanova, Connecticut, Syracuse, Georgetown, West Virginia, Cincinnati and Marquette all seem to have a creditable resume for the tournament. But with so many teams from one league getting in, it will definitely lead to some scrutiny for the teams who don’t get in. I’m sure Digger Phelps doesn’t like so many teams getting in from a BCS conference especially when it is taking away a few mid major bids in the process. Maybe everyone can get what they want this year since the tournament has expanded from 64 to 68 teams.

Pauley Pavillion gets proper send-off – What better way for Pauley to close its doors for renovation then to have the late great John Wooden’s great-grandson score the last basket. Tyler Trapani, the rarely used walk-on junior was able to make a lay-up on a putback after an airball from teammate Jack Haley Jr. The shot from Trapani bought his head coach Ben Howland to tears. I was thinking about Coach,” he said of the man who led the Bruins to 10 national championships. “It was so fitting Tyler hit the shot. It fell right in his hands. There’s something going on there, I really believe it.” John must have been smiling down from the heavens.

Louisville cheerleader is a little too enthusiastic – From the department of male cheerleaders gone wild, a Cardinals cheerleader got a little too excited about the Louisville impending win over number 4 Pittsburgh. The play happened after Kyle Kuric’s dunk looked to seal the game for the Cardinals in the last few seconds of overtime. The cheerleader (Still no name associatied with him) ran onto the court and chucked the ball into the air. All seems normal until it was noticed that there was still five-tenths of a second left on the clock (D’oh!). The chuck by the cheerleader led to a technical foul being called on Louisville and gave Pittsburgh two-free throws in a five point game. Luckily for this guy Ashton Gibbs missed on a half-court shot and Louisville prevailed 62-59. Who knows what would have happened to this kid had Pittsburgh found a way to pull off the victory even though it was highly unlikely. The guy wouldn’t’ have mad it out the arena alive in basketball crazed Louisville. "The male cheerleader is coming to an end," Louisville coach Rick Pitino joked to start his postgame press conference. "It was good while it lasted. It was fun. Now we'll try another sport for him."

College Football Weekend Setup

Last weekend was one of the better slate of games this year, with two sexy top ten BCS match-ups (Alabama vs. LSU and TCU vs. Utah).This week doesn't have the great games of last week, but there are a few top 25 teams facing off. The most important game of the weekend comes out of the SEC (No surprise there right?). No. 23 South Carolina travels to the swamp to face No.22 Florida, in a battle that will determine the SEC east champion. Auburn, amid all the controversy surrounding Cam Newton, can clinch the SEC west with a win over Georgia and Virginia Tech continues their assault on the ACC (after losing to everyone else) taking on North Carolina. Now for the break down of those games.

South Carolina (6-3) vs. Florida (6-3) - When the season started, the first game I watched was South Carolina vs. Southern Miss. I could tell then that this Gamecock team was going to be a force. Marcus Lattimore gives them a different dimension they haven't had, with his physical style of running. I knew they would be the chief challenger to Florida's strangle hold on the SEC east division. Florida wasn't what we expected to be this year, but low and behold they still can stay can make their way to Atlanta if they win this game. I look for coach Urban Meyer to pull out all the tricks for this one. The one Achilles heel for South Carolina this year has been their pass defense. The Gamecocks rank 109th in the nation in that department giving up 264.7 yards per game. If the Gators are going to exploit that area of the Gamecocks, they will need more out of QB John Brantley. He has been average this year and Meyer has been forced to use multiple QBs in his last few games. Florida offense has waken up a bit over the past two games with the wrinkles Meyer installed in their bye week. They have utilized QB Jordan Reed more and also Trey Burton. South Carolina may not have a 100 percent Marcus Lattimore and that would put the pressure on QB Stephen Garcia and his favorite receiver Alshon Jeffrey to step up. Florida has one of the best secondaries in college football with 17 interceptions, so that won't be easy. I really think this is the year the Gamecocks get it done. They have never won the SEC east or at Florida ( Which is amazing when you realize they have been a member of the SEC since 1992). This is one of those the nerd has to beat the bully to get respect games. This is the way it should be for the Gamecocks and coach Steve Spurrier. Its comes full circle for them. I think the motivation of all these events will propel South Carolina to the victory in this game. The Pick: South Carolina

Auburn (10-0) vs. Georgia (5-5) - Auburn has a chance to clinch the SEC west title, for their first outright title since 2004. The game known as the deep south's oldest rivalry (the two teams have been playing one another since 1892) is actually being overshadowed by the controversy that is Cam Newton (or Scam Newton as some like to call him). I could go all into the swirling allegations but I won't. The game itself will be a chance for Newton to release some of his frustrations out on the field. If Auburn wins out, they know they will be playing for all the marbles in January. Georgia on the other hand needs one more victory to become bowl eligible and would like none other but to beat their rival. Georgia's LB Justin Houston has 16.5 tackles for lost this season and will be key in stopping Newton on the ground. The Bulldogs lead the SEC in per yard rushing defense, allowing a measly 3.1 yards a carry. The Tigers counter with the nation top running yards per carry average at 6.65, and have rushed for more than 300 yards in their previous five SEC games. Auburn's defense will allow a few scores by Aaron Murray and the Bulldogs offense as they have with everyone else but in the end Scam Newton I mean Cam Newton and Auburn's rushing attack will be too much. The Pick: Auburn

Virginia Tech (7-2) vs. North Carolina (6-3) - Virginia Tech infamously started the season off by losing it's first two games. One was a respectable loss to Boise State and the other not so much losing to FBS school James Madison. Since the two losses however, the Hokies have beat all comers. They are now the only undefeated team in the ACC coastal division,  and control their own destiny for the division title. If the get a win over North Carolina coupled with a Hurricanes loss to reigning conference champion Georgia Tech, than they could take the title this Saturday. Tyrod Taylor leads the Hokie offense that ranks 1st in scoring in the ACC at 36.0 points a game. The Hokies get it done on the ground as well, averaging 212.9 yards a game. This game also features the top two rated passers per efficiency in the ACC, with Taylor leading the league with a 163.3 rating and North Carolina's T.J Yates coming in with 153.4 rating. North Carolina has dealt with everything you can imagine this year and still actually has a shot at the division crown. Yates is coming off his best performance and in North Carolina history going 24/35 for 439 yards and 3 touchdowns. The biggest clash in this game will be the North Carolina run game vs. Tech's defense. The Hokies gave up 346 yards last week. But North Carolina's running back situation is a mess. James White has been have an impact year running for 720 yards and averaging 5.5 yards per carry but will be out for the rest year with a broken clavicle. Shaun Draughn was next line but he suffered a sprained ankle last week versus Florida State and his status for this game is unknown. With the cloud surrounding there running backs and Tech getting stronger each week, I have to with the Hokies. The Pick: Virginia Tech

Game of the week - South Carolina vs. Georgia. The winner gets the SEC east title and a trip to Atlanta for the SEC championship game. It doesn't get any better than this.

Most intriguing game - Kansas St. vs. Missouri. KSU will try to run over the Tigers as they have been doing everyone else but Missou comes in ranked 2nd in total defense in the Big 12 and 4th against the run.

Rivalry Game - Auburn vs. Georgia. When a game is known as "The deep south oldest rivalry" that's all that needs to be said.

Under the radar game - Mississippi State vs. Alabama - Bama's loss to LSU took away their chance to repeat as SEC west and national champs and it also too the luster off this game but it still should a good one.

Wake me when it's over game - Wyoming vs. UNLV - This one will go with both teams combined record 3-16.

Coach better get it right game - Oklahoma State vs. Texas - Now that Dan Hawkins has been fired, who can I pick on? This week its Mack Brown. His team has to much talent to be 4-5 and he needs to pull off an upset or two to keep the fan base in line.