Sportaholic NFL Power Rankings Week 5

The motor city was rocking last night with Detroit’s demolishing of Chicago, and just like that week 5 officially in the books and what a week it was in the NFL. Al Davis’s death sparked the Raiders back to their glory days as they took down the Texans. It was such an emotional victory for them and to be honest I didn’t know that his players felt that way about him. I always thought they despised Davis but you could tell that this game really meant something to them. Davis was one of the greatest pioneers to ever grace the NFL. His style and swagger could never be duplicated. Who else held so many titles (player, scout, GM, owner, commissioner) as he did? Who else had the balls to move his team back and forth to L.A., thumbing his nose at anyone who tried to stop him? RIP Al Davis, the things he has done good and bad for the NFL should never go unnoticed. Tebow mania is here for the masses as he nearly brought back the lowly Broncos against the Chargers. San Diego with the win is now 4-1 so you can throw out all of the slow start talk this year. San Francisco just pummeled Tampa Bay as Jim Harbaugh’s boys have the people of San Fran feeling likes it’s the late 80’s again. I don’t know what Harbaugh has done with Alex Smith but the renowned QB coach has got him playing the best ball of his career. What can you say about the Eagles? They are now 1-4 and fighting just to stay relevant. I just don’t understand why they are so bad on defense. You know besides the point of them running a lot of zone coverage schemes although they have three of the best corners in the league. Andy Reid has to figure things out because time is almost up for them to turn it around. Pittsburgh looked like they would score 70 points on the Titans # 1 ranked defense in the first quarter. I told all my people here in Tennessee don’t let Big Ben’s injury fool you, he will be ready and boy was he ever. The Steelers were a desperate team and played like it, Tennessee on the other hand played like a team that was just happy to be 3-1 and didn’t mind being 3-2 because they were not suppose to even be 3-1 at this point. Chris Johnson where are you my friend? A week after Arian Foster rushed for 155 yards on the Steelers D, Johnson was held to 59 yards. Johnson just can’t seem to get it into gear this year.

The Colts just can’t get on the board as they loss yet again to Kansas City.
Here is a suggestion for the Colts from my buddy Bart, why don’t they just put Peyton in the ears of whoever the QB is and let him breakdown what he sees from the opposing defense? Indianapolis offense is predicated on pre-snap reads thanks to Manning who has basically been his own offensive coordinator for the last decade. Who is the Colts offensive coordinator? I’m waiting….. Yeah that’s what I thought. He could give Painter or Collins everything they need to know as he would have a direct line to their helmet. Just a thought I suppose. Peyton’s little brother doesn’t quite have his decision making skills as he racked up another 3 picks in a loss against Seattle. If it wasn’t for Eli winning the Super Bowl, Giant’s fan would have ran him out of town by now. The Patriots finally decided to show up on defense as they beat their hated rival the New York Jets. BenJarvas Green-Ellis showed off some moves I didn’t know he had in that game. And of course the defending Super Bowl champs moved to 5-0 with their victory over struggling Atlanta.

1. Green Bay Packers (5-0) – The Pack just keep rolling and have figured out how to beat teams even when they don’t have their A game. Atlanta effectively played ball control and put 14 points on the Packers on their first two possessions. On top of that Green Bay lost their top OL Chad Clifton to protect Aaron Rodgers blindside. Mike McCarthy realized what was happening and made a few adjustments because Rodgers was feeling the heat and didn’t resemble his usual smooth as silk self. Once the offensive line was shored up, Rodgers and that vaunted Packer passing attack got into gear and the rest is history. Until this team is beat they will remain at the top spot.

2. Baltimore Ravens (3-1) – Bye week. I had an interesting conversation with someone on Ray Lewis last night at my Monday night football party. It was a woman who thought that Ray was the most pompous and arrogant player in the league. It really threw me off because I’ve always thought that he was just a passionate player that wore his emotions on his sleeve. After a few beers and some banter back and forth I finally got her to realize this was a man who has done a lot of good things off the field and you can’t let his demeanor and pre game dancing fool you. I think most great athletes or in anyone for that matter that are good at what they do have a certain level of cockiness to them. It was great talking with an intelligent lady on a sports topic I had never gave much thought.

3. New England Patriots (4-1) – Last week I said I just couldn’t peg New England as a real Super Bowl contender until their defense showed some teeth. The guys in Boston must have heard me as they only allowed 255 yards to the Jets that are after averaging 477.5 yards a game on defense. I like the fact that they also did this without their defensive leader Jared Mayo as he was out because of a knee sprain. Tom Brady is and will always be Tom Brady as he threw for 351 yards and 1 TD. I was excited and intrigued to see how the Revis-Welker match up would develop as well. I know Revis wouldn’t be covering him the entire game but the Jets would put him on Welker when they needed to at critical stretches in the game. Welker still had 5 catches for 124 yards but it wasn’t those crazy numbers he was posting in the previous weeks. The Jets just don’t have that same resiliency they have had in recent years and this could be a down year for sexy Rexy’s bunch.

4. Detroit Lions (5-0) – Who knew right? The Lions are roaring right now and their victory over Chicago cemented my thoughts on them. I love the fact that the defense plays with such a nasty streak, led by that ferocious defensive line. The addition of Nick Fairley only strengthens what they already do with all of the rotating linemen Jim Schwartz likes to keep fresh. Matt Stafford and Calvin Johnson will be one of the top QB-WR duos for year to come and the emergence of Jahvid Best (12 carries 163 yards 1 TD) is just another thing to worry about in that offense. They will be tested against San Francisco this Sunday as all of sudden that will be one of the top games of the week. The Lions also will give everyone a reason to watch the Thanksgiving game against the Packers as that is shaping up to be a monster game and could determine who wins the NFC north. Wow what a turnaround for this once morbid franchise.

5. New Orleans Saints (4-1) – Could have gone in so many different directions here with Buffalo, San Diego, and San Francisco all being 4-1 but I will give it to the Saints. New Orleans is kind of flying under the radar at this point but they clearly are the best team in the tough NFC South. Tampa just got blown out by San Fran, Atlanta is too inconsistent and Carolina is too young and inexperienced to pose a threat. So the Saints are all but a shoo in to make the playoffs by winning that division. They haven’t lost a game since the opening weekend against Green Bay and they could have won that one as well. Drew Brees remains on the pantheon of great QBs right now as he continues to get it done no matter what comes his way. The Saints will keep on marching as they should beat their next four opponents (Tampa Bay twice, Indianapolis, and St. Louis) before taking on ATL for what could be for the division on Nov 13.

Offensive player of the week: Drew Brees – When your stat line reads 32/45 for 359 yards and 2 TD passes, then you did everything and more that is expected from you as a QB. Brees is becoming another version Peyton Manning because I really believe that if you take him out of that offense than it would sputter to a halt. He does so much and has such chemistry with coach Sean Payton that its like those guys are one. Brees also stayed on pace to break Dan Marino’s all-time passing yards record but who isn’t on pace to break that record at this point. Just another day at the office for Mr.Brees.

Defensive player of the week: Jared Allen – Allen was his usual mad man self as he took down Arizona QB Kevin Kolb twice and was pretty much in his face all day. Minny needed someone to step up rather it be on defense or offense to get them off the skid and Allen was the man who set the tone for them. Good to see them finally finish a game and not give it up in the second half.

Tennessee State power by Southeast Missouri State 55-3

Tigers put on show for 2nd win of season:

The Tennessee State Tigers got their 2nd win in blowout fashion as they obliterated the Southeast Missouri State Eagles 55-3. This game got out of hand early as the Tigers posted their highest point total of one half this season, with their 28 point outburst before halftime. TSU had come into the game riding a 4-game losing skid but you couldn’t tell from the way the Tigers played. Freshman QB Michael German passed for 264 yards and two touchdowns in his follow up performance as OVC freshman of the week. He and stud WR Calvin McNairl hooked up early and often. Trabis Ward and the Tigers offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage as Ward finished with 135 yards and two touchdowns as well.



Southeast Missouri is the defending OVC champion but the Tigers held them scoreless until a FG by Drew Geldbach’s 30-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. The Tigers on the other hand didn’t punt until 9:35 seconds in the third quarter. This was SEMO’s worst defeat since MTSU beat the eagles 52-0 in 1991. TSU had a season high 536 yards of total offense compared to 158 yards for Southeast Missouri. The eagles could never seem to get a grip on the game as they had multiple fumbles. TSU recovered a fumble off a kickoff return and cashed it in for a Jamin Godfrey FG as he pushed his league lead total to 11.Godrey was also named OVC specialist of the week after his performance Big Blue was in full force as this was a game that they were able to flex their muscle. Coach Rod Reed had the luxury of playing his freshman early in this one and they made him look good especially at the cornerback position. Kick returner Weldon Garlingotn burned the Eagle’s defense for a 96-yard kickoff return. It was his second consecutive game with a touchdown return. The crowd of over 6,000 fans danced as the aristocrat of bands played a variety of current and old hit songs.



It was a very fulfilling victory for the Tigers as they push their record to 2-4 (1-2 in OVC) and prepare for next weeks game against Tennessee Tech. The Golden Eagles will present much more of a challenge for Big Blue as they are 3-0 in the conference so far and are led by the versatile Tre Lamb at QB. Fans and students are encouraged to vote for QB Michael German for National player of the week after his strong performance against Southeast Missouri State. Voting takes place until 11 a.m. on Wednesday at HSRN.com German has not thrown an interception in 102 pass attempts and considering he is just a freshman makes that stat even more unbelievable.


Check this site for coverage of all TSU atheltics and also interviews from Coach Rod Reed, QB Michael German and WR Calvin McNairl

Sportaholic Tennessee Titans vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Preview

Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers

Sunday, Oct 09, 2011 at 12:00PM CDT

TV: CBS

The Titans made it look easy last week against Cleveland as they put a 34-13 beat down on the Browns. Matt Hasselbeck was the man once again, as he passed for 220 yards on only 10 completions and had three of those go for TDs. Even Chris Johnson got on track somewhat as he had his first game of over 100 yards finishing with 101 on 23 carries. The offense has looked downright dominant at times so far this season. On the other hand Cleveland’s offense sputtered and couldn’t get anything going besides dinks and dunks for from Colt McCoy who finished with a good statistical game going 40/61 for 350 yards and a TD pass. If you pass 61 times you should throw for a bunch of yards so I see no fault in that from the Titans defense. They limited the Browns big plays and took advantage of the lack of playmakers that Cleveland had. Jonathon Babineaux’s 97-yard TD return all but sealed the game for Tennessee.

Speaking of big plays, the Titans have been getting them all of the field from multiple sources. With Jared Cook, Nate Washington and now with Chris Johnson getting back in the mix, the Titans have explosive play capability. As long as Matt Hasselbeck is able to stay upright, then he will deliver the ball accurately. The Titans now take their show on the road with all this momentum in what is a great time to travel to Pittsburgh to take on the reeling Super Bowl runner-ups. The Steelers suffered more than just a loss to Houston last week as a number of their key players suffered injuries. Intimidating LB James Harrison broke his orbital bone and won’t play, Rashard Mendenhall is questionable and the biggest banged up star of them all Ben Rothlisberger has been in a walking boot all week but will likely give it a go. This current version of Pittsburgh is not what most football fans are use to seeing. The marauding defense has looked flat out old at certain points this season. The Pittsburgh offensive line has been in shambles as they have suffered a rash of injuries to their linemen that led them to sign former starter Max Starks. I guess you have to pull out all the stops when your QB by 14 sacks, third most in the league. Big Ben in response to all the pressure has probably played some of the worst football of his 8-year career in return posting an 80.2 QB rating with 5 Ints and 4 fumbles so far.

The Titans should be out for a taste of revenge after last season’s 19-11 defeat at the hand of these same Steelers. They physically imposed their will on Tennessee last year and had Vince Young so flustered he had to be taken out of the game for Kerry Collins. This year is almost a 180 degree difference at QB with Matt Hasselbeck in the saddle. He is familiar with facing defenses and this shouldn’t be but another game for the 13 year vet. The Steelers also allowed Houston RB Arian Foster to rush for over 150 yards. That’s unheard of against a Mike Tomlin coached team. It has a lot to do with the injuries they have on that side of the ball but it also means that Chris Johnson should have a favorable match up this week. The addition of Ahmard Hall should boost Johnson even more as he comes back from a 4-game performance enhancement suspension. He will have his chances with no Harrison coming his way but Harrison’s fill in Lawerence Timmons isn’t a slouch either.

Let’s take a look at the keys for the Titans to win the game:

1. The Titans need to get after Big Ben: As I stated earlier in this column, Roethlisberger has been sacked 14 times so far this year and as a result his stats are among the worst ever in his career. To top things off, he suffered a sprained foot rather if the Steelers want to admit it or not. He’s been in a walking boot all week after being taken down multiple times by the Texans last week. The Titans will need to continue the harassment of Ben to be able to disrupt the Steelers offense. Rashard Mendenhall is questionable so that puts even more pressure on Roethlisberger and the passing game if he is not able to go. The Titans defense already has 10 sacks so far this season and if they want to take down Pittsburgh they will need more of the same.

2. Who steps up for Hasselbeck this week? The loss of Kenny Britt has forced the entire receiving corps to step up their game. Last week it was Jared Cook who stepped up and made big plays in the passing game including a game breaking 80-yard TD haul that displayed his speed and athleticism. You could tell the defender underestimated Cook’s speed and he paid dearly for it. Nate Washington just needs to keep doing what he is doing. This four game stretch is the most consistent I’ve seen him play in a Titans uniform. All of the receivers seem to be benefiting from the stability Hasselbeck has brought to the QB situation as it was a revolving door open the past few years with Vince Young and Kerry Collins. He also has brought the big play with him as the Titans are making plays in the passing game and not just relying on big runs from Chris Johnson. They have to keep it up to maintain a level of unpredictability on the offensive side of the ball. Chris Johnson will get involved more but for now the passing game is clicking and if its not broke don’t fix it. Look for Hasselbeck to continue to spread the wealth.

3. Will the Titans come out and make this there statement game? Lets be honest here, most people, pundits and predictions didn’t have the Titans being 3-1 at this point of the season and many still don’t believe this team is legit. This is a chance for the Titans to lay claim to being one of the best teams in league in dramatic fashion. They can dismantle the team that has generally dominated the AFC with New England in recent memory and bury them even deeper in the loss column. This game will go a long way in determining if the Titans have what it takes to contend with the top teams. They have every reason to win this game with the injuries that Pittsburgh is facing and all of the momentum they have going into this one. You have to win the ones your suppose to in this league. If Tennessee wants respect then they have to earn it and there is no better place to go take it then in Pittsburgh. We will see what the Titans are made of after this game.

NOTES:

TITANS: Seek 4th consecutive win…In past 2, QB MATT HASSELBECK has 5 TDs vs. 1 INT & 119 passer rating. Hasselbeck aims for 5th consecutive game with 100+ passer rating. Has 8 TD passes this season – his most in 1st 4 games of any of his 11 seasons as starting NFL QB…RB CHRIS JOHNSON (101 yards) record 25th career game with 100+ rush yards last week. Johnson (5,907) needs 93 scrimmage yards to reach 6,000 career…WR NATE WASHINGTON spent 4 seasons (2005-08) with Steelers…TE JARED COOK had career-long 80-yard TD rec. last week – longest TD catch by Titans/Oilers TE sinceWILLIE FRAZIER on 11/6/64 (80). TE CRAIG STEVENS posted 1st TD catch in ’11 last week…Defense allows NFL-low 14 points per game in ’11…LB BARRETT RUUD leads team with 27 tackles…DE DERRICK MORGAN has sack in 2 of past 3…Rookie LB AKEEM AYERS (2nd round, No. 39) recorded 1st career sack last week...S JORDAN BABINEAUX had 97-yard INT-TD return last week, 3rd-longest in franchise history…STEELERS: Club has won 4 of past 5 at home…In 3 career games vs. Titans, QB BEN ROETHLISBERGER is 2-1 & has completed 67 of 93 passes (72 pct.) for 910 yards with 5 TDs & 102.9 passer rating. Roethlisberger has 18-7 (.720) record as starter in Oct…RB RASHARD MENDENHALL has 6 rush TDs in past 7 games…WR HINES WARD (11,838) needs 67 rec. yards to surpass HOFerMICHAEL IRVIN (11,834) for 19th-most in NFL history. Has 100+ rec. yards (109, 103) in 2 of past 3 vs. Titans. WR MIKE WALLACE averages 113.5 rec. yards per game this season (454 total). Aims for 4th consecutive game with 100+ yards at home (102, 104, 126). 11 of WR ANTONIO BROWN’s 15 rec. have been for 1st downs (73.3 pct.) this season…TE HEATH MILLER (298) needs 2 catches to become 1st Pit. TE with 300 career…Defense allows 277 yards per game, 2nd-lowest in NFL this season (BENGALS, 275.5)…In last game vs. Ten., LB JAMES HARRISON had 2 sacks, 2 FFs & FR…S TROY POLAMALUhas 3 INTs in 5 career games vs. Titans

LSU vs. Florida Preview

LSU vs. Florida preview by Taylor Cannon:

One of the best games of the week happens to come to Death Valley as LSU continues its quest for its 3rd BCS title as they face the Gators of Florida. The Gators are coming off a devastating loss to Alabama and losing starting QB John Brantley. LSU on the other hand had its way with Kentucky. Two ranked teams with vastly different outcomes from last game will clash in another good SEC battle.

Offense vs. Offense: Even though the Gators are missing Brantley, they will try to run the pro style offence with Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey, but these two haven’t seen the speed of LSU defensive ends. LSU offense got some more life with Jordan Jefferson coming back which may be key even if LSU doesn’t score just having long drives with Alfred Blue, Spencer Ware, and Michael Ford wearing down Florida’s D can B just as devastating – Edge LSU

Defense vs. Defense LSU once again but UF is no pushover either, but Sam Washington on the DE and Kirk Herbstreit’s Heisman trophy candidate in Tyrann Mathieu at DB LSU’S Defense is going to put pressure on Florida’s inexperienced Qb- Edge LSU

Intangibles - LSU Death Valley enough said - Edge: LSU

Winner and why-UF is going to be in for a looong day if LSU plays like it has been for the first 5 games and worse the offense may open up with Jefferson back and the LSU D will put some heavy pressure on UF Qb, but in the end Les Miles will be wearing a gator belt and some purple and gold now or later gators boots. Final Score- LSU 31- Gators 17

Sportaholic College Football Weekend Setup 10/05/11

As we enter week 6 of the college football season, we can finally see some separation from the contending teams and the pretending teams. LSU, Bama, Wisconsin, and Oklahoma in the infamous words of Dennis Green’s Monday night football rant “Are who we thought they were” as all have been at the top of the polls since before the season started and they all have proved they belonged. On the other hand Texas A&M, Virginia Tech and Florida State have all tumbled out the top 10 and are just holding on for dear life to salvage their seasons. There have been a few upstarts as well as Clemson, Texas, and maybe the biggest surprise of them all in my book the Auburn Tigers have silently crept up the polls and put themselves in prime position to contend this year. The meat and potatoes of most programs schedules are now on deck and the battle for a spot in the BCS national championship really takes hold. This week’s feature games include the Red River Shootout between Texas and Oklahoma of course, which may be much more interesting this year than most of us anticipated. Florida vs. LSU would have been good match up this time last week until Bama made a pretzel out of Jeff Brantley’s ankle. Lord be with you Jeff Driskell, the freshman starting in place of Brantley against that mean LSU defense. Ohio State vs. Nebraska sounds like it should be to-notch game especially with the weight those two names usually carry, but that’s until you look at those two teams season so far. Ohio State has been dismal on offense and the Huskers just got husked by Wisconsin.

Our local products in Tennessee have fared well so far this year. The University of Tennessee is 3– 1 on the strength of Tyler Bray’s arm and the teams prolific aerial attack. Even the Vanderbilt Commodores are 3-1 although they are coming off a blowout loss to South Carolina. There is plenty to be excited about for both programs as both show potential to be in the mix of the SEC East this year and beyond. I know a lot of people reading this will say ok I will give you Tennessee but Vandy? Yes the Commodores traditionally stink but young James Franklin is bringing a certain level of swagger to that program and has picked up the recruiting as well. Don’t be surprised when Vanderbilt pulls out a few upset victories over the next couple of years.



Now let’s jump into a few breakdowns:

Red River Shootout: Texas (4-0) vs. Oklahoma (4-0) – Going into the season it was hard for me to imagine this game would be any good. Oklahoma was far and away the best team in the Big 12 and ranked # 1 in the pre-season polls. Texas was just trying to get their respect back after a disappointing 5-7 campaign last year that saw them miss a bowl game altogether. But with the emergence of the little bro duo as I like to call them, Case McCoy and Jaxon Shipley have brought the Longhorns back from the dead (And David Ash as well). Oklahoma has been rolling of course with that explosive offense and experienced defense. You can’t start off a conversation about Oklahoma’s offense without mentioning QB Landry Jones and his top WR Ryan Broyles. Those two guys are in sync more than Justin Timberlake and JC Chavez. They provide a tough match up for the young Longhorn secondary. Another bright spot for Texas is freshman RB Malcolm Brown who has provided the rushing attack the Longhorns missed so much over past few years. This one should be close just for the sheer hatred that both of these schools have for each other. But when push comes to shove and Jones begins to heat up for OU, I just don’t see how the young Texans will be able to stop the Boomer Sooners offense. The Pick: Oklahoma

Georgia (2-2) vs. Tennessee (3-1) - This is an elimination game of sorts. Both teams already have one lost in the SEC with Georgia going down to South Carolina and Florida drilling UT a couple of weeks ago. The winner of this game will at least be tied for first place in the SEC East after South Carolina lost to Auburn last week. The game itself should see excellent QB play as pre-season 1st team all SEC QB Andy Murray of Georgia will be going up against the Tennessee gunslinger himself Tyler Bray (Who surprisingly didn’t make the cut of All-SEC picks in the pre-season when guys like Stephen Garcia did, what a joke).Georgia’s young freshman RB Isaiah Crowell has picked it up of late rushing for 100 yards in both of the last two SEC games for the Bulldogs. The team that is able to stop the other’s offense should win this game. That easier said than done as both have potent attacks as I mentioned above. WR Da’Rick Rogers, who now is Bray’s new favorite target with the ACL tear to the dynamic Justin Hunter, will have to step up big time in this one. Tennessee will need to get him the ball early and also try to establish its run game. The Bulldogs have one of the better defenses in the SEC so that will be hard to do. If Andy Murray can control himself and RB Crowell gets going, I think it will be too much for the Vols even though the are playing in Knoxville. The Pick: Georgia

Auburn (4-1) vs. Arkansas (4-1): Another good SEC game on the docket and I just couldn’t help )myself from previewing this one. This one intrigues me because you have two teams with spread offenses capable of putting a lot of points of the board in a hurry. Arkansas proved that last week as they came back from 18 down to beat Texas A&M. Tyler Wilson was a MAN as he passed for 510 yards despite taking multiple hits from the Aggies. Auburn defeated South Carolina and now has the ol ball coach Steve Spurrier switching out his QBs after Stephen Garcia (9/23 with two picks) could only muster up 13 points for the Gamecocks. Auburn’s defense surprisingly held stud RB Marcus Lattimore to just 68 yards as well but they won’t have to worry about that much against the Razorbacks who’s running game has been absent every since RB Knile Davis went down. Michael Dyer will lead the Tigers on offense as they try to control the clock. Arkansas and Bobby Petrino likes to get up and down the field and especially with those receivers they have. Jarius Wright is just a beast and creates match up nightmares all over the field with his blend of size and speed. That not even mentioning Joe Adams, Greg Childs and Cobi Hamilton. Wilson just has too many targets and I think last weeks performance from the Auburn defense was more of the product of poor play from Stephen Garcia. Wilson will have no such let down so I will roll with the Razorbacks on this one. The Pick: Arkansas

Game of the Week: Texas vs. Oklahoma: Anytime the Red River Shootout is on the schedule its makes for an easy pick. This game will be closer than most expect as I stated earlier. Who knows maybe Texas can even spring the upset but even if they don’t it makes for an interesting game seeing Longhorn and Sooner fans interact. You can see the disdain for each other as they are entering the stadium and when the drinks get flowing the crowd will be rocking.

Most Intriguing Game: Nebraska vs. Ohio State: This sounds like it should a candidate for game of week or even of the year in most seasons. Unfortunately this isn’t your granddads Buckeye teams as they have just been horrific on offense this year. To add to there misery, they got word from the NCAA that RB Dan Herren and WR Devier Posey would has additional game added to there suspensions. Nebraska can’t be that happy either after getting it handed to them last week by Wisconsin. I think its intriguing because it’s the second game in the Big 10 for the Huskers after their baptism by fire last week. They should come out much more relaxed and run away in this one but Ohio State still has playmakers on defense so we will see what happens here.

Under the radar game: Arizona State (4-1) vs. Utah (2-2). Lets take a trip out west for a showdown in the Pac-12. If the Sun Devils can get by Utah then the schedule opens up nicely for them to make a run at the Pac-12 title. If they lose this will, it would make things much harder than it has to be.

Wake me when it over game: Lousiana Tech (1-4) vs. Idaho (1-4) – Both have lost three in a row and rank in the bottom tier of offense and defense. So no good offense to watch against bad defenses, sounds like a classic snoozer to me.

Coach better get it right game; Boston College (1-4) vs. Clemson (5-0) – Tom O’Brien is a good coach who has fallen on hard times with BC. He has a chance to show that his team is still somewhat relevant against the Tigers. He has to be on the hot seat after a miserable season last year and an even worse one this year. Good luck to him but I don’t see how he lasts past this year as their head coach but it he was to start a run to keep his job this would be the perfect game to start.

I also will be covering the Tennessee State vs. Southeast Missouri State game this weekend, so if your going to game make sure to holler at me.

Sportaholic Power Rankings Week 4

If there is one thing that I have noticed in the first quarter leg of the NFL season it’s the extraordinary QB play that we have witnessed. Everyone knows that it’s a passing league nowadays, but this has just been ridiculous so far this season. Even a blind man can see that this has been a demented year of offensive numbers. From Cam Newton’s Xbox stats to Aaron Rodgers record breaking QB rating pace, its has been an offensive palooza so far this year. There are currently 7 players over the century mark for QB rating with Rodgers leading the pack at 124.6 which would be an all-time record if the season stopped today. The QB position is at an all-time premium and this season the QBs have set a level of excellence never seen before. There are six QBs on pace to break Dan Marino’s all-time single season passing yards total including Drew Brees, Cam Newton, Aaron Rodgers Phillip Rivers, Tony Romo and Tom Brady who would just obliterate it at a projected finish of 6,212 yards. Just take a look at the stats from yester year to this season and you will see the anomaly that I a speaking of. Is this a trend or is this a sign of what to expect in the future of the NFL? I would certainly think you could make a compelling argument that the NFL as a league has catered to the offensive side of the ball with all of the rule changes and protection it has built around the QB. The league knows that offense sells and that’s what its about these days. What ever happened to defenses being ahead of offense to begin the season? Just another cliché we can throw out the window in this nutty year of the offense of 2011

Even more so, you can see how offensives have evolved to the point of no return these days. No huddle, spread and wildcat offenses are the product of innovation in the league. Its even worse in college football as they seem to do everything in the NCAA now days. Offenses will slow down however as the temperature changes. Nothing like a cold November chill to cool down the hot play we have seen of late. I don’t know what to make of this offensive explosion and excellent QB play of late. I am a football purist who loves to see great defense just as much as I love to see great offense. One thing is for sure, offense is running circles around defenses these days and this is only the beginning.

Now for the rankings

1. Green Bay Packers (4-0) – No way this team is going anywhere from the top spot. Not when Aaron Rodgers is chucking the rock for 408 yards and 4 touchdowns and adding another 2 on the ground. I could go on and on about the greatness of Rodgers but I’m pretty sure you get enough of that reading other columns. The Packers as a team is what impresses me the most. The are complete in every facet of the game from special teams to offense to defense this team really has no weaknesses. They overwhelm you on offense with their athletic receivers and Rodgers precision passing and even though they are allowing 24.3 points a game on defense they still can get after your QB with Clay Matthews and shutdown your receivers with two pro bowl corners in Tramon Williams and the forever young Charles Woodson. Even the special teams has stepped up with Randall “Corn” Cobb giving that unit a boost. They will have their hands full in the NFC North this year as Chicago isn’t going anywhere and the upstart Lions who are a formidable foe for the first time in over a decade. Its going to be a great race in that division but until further notice or this team losses, they belong at the top.

2. Baltimore Ravens (3-1) – That was an ugly game of epic proportions Sunday night against the Jets. Charm City turned into Turnover City as both teams just didn’t seem to care about the ball that much. Joe Flacco and Mark Sanchez were just plain out terrible for both of their teams. One of the major reasons was the defense being played on both sides. Baltimore’s defense as always is straw that stirs the drink in Raven land but Flacco gives me reason to be concerned. Maybe it was just an off night but when you stat line reads: 10/31 163 yards 1 pick and a rating of 30.5, your not picking your end of the bargain compared to that defense. You know Ray Ray and the gang were in his ear about this. The Ravens and every other team for that matter can only do so much with a limited QB and Flacco has to prove that he is the elite QB that he said he was this off-season. So far I’m not inclined to agree with him.

3. New England (3-1) – Its sucks that I have to keep them this high when they have a defense allowing 477.5 yards a game. Tom Brady will continue his assault on the record books as he is on pace to shatter Dan Marino’s passing yards record and Wes Welker last I heard was on some ridiculous 160 catch 2,400 yard season as well but that defense will let them down. Beliechek is known as defensive wizard but his defense hasn’t been anything but magical these past few seasons. As their last playoff proved, that offense can only carry you so far when you get into the playoffs. Your team has to be at least somewhat balanced on both sides of the ball and this is why I can’t peg them as a super bowl favorite in my book just yet.

4. Houston Texans (3-1) – On my radio show I said that if Houston wants to be considered one of the elite teams this year, then they would have to stand up and prove it against Pittsburgh. Not only did they stand up but they sat down the usually ultra physical Steelers. Big Ben couldn’t was flat out harassed (Oops no pun intended on that one but take it as you may) and roughed up for sacks. Wade Phillips defense 3-4 defense is already paying dividens as it has made them a much more aggressive team on that side which I always wanted to see out of the Texans defense. I didn’t buy into the Mario Williams to LB move at first but it seems to be working. He is still able to get to the QB but he is doing it in various ways this year.The Andre Johnson injury is a scare but he will only be out for a few weeks as they will baby him back onto the field. Those hamstring injuries are always tricky but Houston’s medical staff just dealt with Arian Foster similar injury. Speaking of Foster, he is one of the reasons I think Houston has the most complete offense in the league. They can run the ball with Foster or can pass the ball on you with Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson. And Owen Daniels. I like this team, all they need is more confidence and to continue the good play on defense.

5. Detroit Lions (4-0) – At what point did you think it was over in their game against Dallas? When I glanced at the score and saw it 20-3 going into halftime I thought to myself “Same old Lions” but these are not your father’s Lions by a long shot. Matt Stafford and Calvin Johnson got warmed up and stole one in Jerry’s house with a little help from Mr. Tony Romo. I just can’t understand for the life of me what goes on in Romo’s head in those pressure filled situations. Is it a little man who tells him what to do because he should be stop listening to that guy. Chris Cooley’s of the Washington Redskins comments (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Chris-Cooley-enjoys-Tony-Romo-8217-s-foibles-w?urn=nfl-wp8665) pretty much summed up what every up what every non Cowboy fan and hell maybe even some Cowboy fans think about Romo. In any event the Lions have showed they can take a lick and keep on ticking as this is their second straight week coming from behind on a double digit deficit. Megatron proved why he is an elite receiver rather Rob Ryan believes it or not. You have to love Coach Jim Schwartz’s dig at Ryan for saying that Johnson was “Almost as Good” as Cowboys receivers Dez Bryant and Miles Austin to which Schwartz responded “I’m just glad that the third-best receiver on their team is on our team. Touché Jim.

Offensive Player of the Week: Matt Forte – All the love and praise has been heaped on the QBs this year for the offensive explosion we’ve seen this year but you have to give up to Forte for his 205 yard outburst against the Carolina Panthers. What’s even more stunning about this is that he was allowed to receive 25 carries in Mike Martz’s pass happy offense. Maybe Martz has finally come to grips that he will need to rely on Forte more in order to keep QB Jay Cutler upright for the rest of the season. Running the ball and playing good defense is what I’m use to see from a Chicago Bears team and I’m glad to see them getting back to that identity even it was just for one week.

Defensive Player of the Week: Mario Williams – Like I said above, I love the way the Texans defense got after Ben Rothlisberger and for that I have to give the ringleader his due. Williams had 2.0 sacks and a number of hurries to flush Ben out the pocket giving his teammates the opportunity to bring him down. Houston and Tennessee look as if they will battle for the AFC South crown this year without Peyton Manning in the fold and if the Texans D steps up and plays this way every game then I have to give them the edge in that race.

College Football Finale 10/02/11

This was a defining weekend for the best teams in the country as Clemson, Alabama, and Wisconsin showed that they are championship material. All three of these teams faced a legit opponent and crushed them into oblivion. Wisconsin got it started as they took it to the outmatched Cornhuskers and beat them by 31 points. It really wasn’t even that close as Nebraska cleaned up with some garbage points at the end. “We’re sexy,” coach Bret Bielema said. Next it was Clemson fending off it old demons against Virginia Tech as they pounded the Hokies 23-3. Coach (Dabo) Swinney calls it the “Shock the World Tour,” start QB Tajh Boyd said. This is the best Clemson team I think I have ever seen. I asked myself during the game was Clemson this year’s Auburn? And last but certainly not least was the beatdown Alabama put on Florida. Bama stumbled out the gates, spotting the Gators an early lead but once Trent Richardson got cranked up, Florida didn’t have a chance. It was an even tougher loss for the Gators with Jeff Brantley going down in the defeat. Florida season may have died in the swamp last night with Brantley’s injury.


Just another fun weekend of football in the NCAA as their were plenty of great games to go around. Texas A&M are doing their best Minnesota Vikings impressions as they squandered yet another second half lead to Arkansas. South Carolina just mystifies me with all the talent they have but yet they can’t put up over 13 points an Auburn team that was allowing points in bunches to every other team it faced. Andrew Luck in Stanford keep winning under the radar as the Cardinal are the best team out west in my opinion. Ohio State is just plain pathetic on offense these days. They couldn’t even muster over 180 yards of total offense. Now with all that has been said lets jump into some game breakdowns.

Wisconsin 48 Nebraska 17 – All the talk going into this was that Russell Wilson and the Badgers haven’t faced competition on the level of what the Huskers were going to bring into Madison, but after this blowout win I think that won’t be a question they have to answer anymore. Wilson was his consistent self as he was 14/20 for 255 yards and 2 TDs. He even added a rushing TD for good measure. Nebraska just couldn’t stop the run against the Badgers as they rushed for 231 yards which setup Wilson for easy play-action strikes. Taylor Martinez was horrible with 3 interceptions on just 22 passing attempts. Martinez did have 61 yards on the ground but that wasn’t nearly enough to threat the Badgers. Wisconsin marches on as they look to be the best team in the Big 10.

Clemson 23 Virginia Tech 3 – The speed and efficiency is of Clemson’s offense is the first thing that usually catches ones eyes in watching the Tigers play but it was their defense in this one that should get a lot of praise. The Tigers handled the Hokies offense to the tune of posting four sacks, forced two turnovers and held Tech’s vaunted rushing attack to just 133 yards. Andre Branch was a man among boys as he had three of the four sacks for Clemson. And to top things off of course was Boyd who didn’t have the prettiest numbers only going 13/32 for 204 yards with a TD and a Int to his credit but he didn’t have to do much in this one. Mike Beallamy’s 31 yard scamper with 6:55 in the fourth sealed the game for the Tigers. This team resembles Auburn of last year to me in many of ways. They have an emerging QB in Tajh Boyd who doesn’t seem to be fazed by the pressure as a sophomore. Andre Branch is dominating defensively the way that Nick Fairley did for the other Tigers and they have an explosive player who take it to the house anytime he touches it in Sammy Watkins, akin to Michael Dyer for Auburn although they play different positions. Just a thought but if they do happen to make it to the BCS National Championship Game, know that you heard it hear first.

Alabama 38 Florida 10 – Florida came out guns a blazing as Jeff Brantley found an open Ashley Debose on the first play of the game for the Gators. It seemed Ol Charlie Weis was opening up his playbook going against the tough Bama defense but that would be really the only thing that worked for the Gators the rest of the way. Florida just couldn’t find any running lanes for their speedsters Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey. They also couldn’t stop the run as Trent Richardson and the Bama offensive line just bullied the Gators into submission. Richardson would go on to finish with 181 yards on 29 attempts. Bama pretty much just wore down the Gators as they controlled both lines of scrimmages. The shift of momentum happened on a Brantley interception that was taken to the house by Bama big man Courtney Upshaw. This game was never in doubt after Brantley was violently taken to the ground by Upshaw and catching his right foot under him as he went down. Brantley was 11/16 for 190 yards and a TD before going down. This was Florida’s worst home loss since losing to another Nick Saban team, the LSU Tigers 36-7 in 2002.

Other Notables and Games:

Texas A&M lets another opponent off the hook: The people in college station must be in a giving mood because this is the second straight week they have let an opponent come back to win in the second half. This time it was future league foe Arkansas in a game that looked all but dead going into the second half. The Aggies had put 35 points on the Razorbacks and looked to keep their foot on the pedal in the second half. But things would get interesting as Tyler Wilson of Arkansas got hot. He began to find open targets and get the ball in the hands of his playmakers. Jarius Wright just had his way as he finished with 13 catches for 281 yards for the Razorbacks and he was the biggest difference in the second half of play. He mad a few spectacular catches and shook off smaller defenders in the process. Mike Sherman and the Aggies biggest mistake was getting away from the run as RB Christine Michael had 230 yards and RB Cyrus Gray had 95 yards on the ground. Just another head scratching performance from the future SEC members and they can all but kiss their BCS aspirations good bye.

What is going on with South Carolina? I just can’t figure this team out. They have some of the best players in the nation and they can only put up 13 points on defensively challenged Auburn? And defensive linemen Melvin Ingram scored the Gamecocks only TD on a Int return. Ingram was downright the man in this game as he finished with 11 tackles 3.5 sacks and an interception. The rest of the team couldn’t get it into gear as the usual reliable Marcus Lattimore had only 66 yards and Stephen Garcia had just a terrible game going 9/23 for 160 yards and two picks. Not what you expect from the favorites to win the SEC East. The offensive has got to get it together if they are to win the East.