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Bowl Pick ‘Em - Day 10

December 17th, 2007, 12:59 pm by patrickdonohue

Saturday, Jan. 5 - International Bowl

Ball State vs. Rutgers

I’ll never understand why bowl games like the International Bowl and the GMAC Bowl position themselves after the BCS bowls but before the national championship but the second-ever International Bowl could be an interesting game. The game features a matchup between two head coaches who were both mentioned for the Michigan head coaching job in Rutgers’ Greg Schiano and Ball State’s Brady Hoke. Rutgers has been a steady, if not unspectacular football team, after becoming a household name last season. Offensively, Rutgers strategy has been simple: Hand the ball to Ray Rice. Rice finished first in the Big East and third nationally in rushing yards and Ball State may try to load the box to stuff the run and make Mike Teel, he of 17 touchdowns and 12 interceptions on the year, beat them. Defensively, the Cardinals haven’t had too much success stuffing the run, allowing almost 200 yards rushing a game, 99th best in the country. My hats off to Brady Hoke for the job he has down turning around this Ball State team but I don’t forsee one of the weakest rushing defenses being able to slow down one of the country’s most prolific rushers. I’m going with Schiano and Rutgers in this one. Look for Rice to rush for at least 125 and for Rutgers wideout Tiquan Underwood to have a big day going up against a mediocre Ball State secondary, which will likely be focused primarily on stuffing the run.

Sunday, Jan. 6 - GMAC Bowl

Bowling Green vs. Tulsa

Those not familiar with Tulsa and quarterback Paul Smith had better get acquainted. The senior is every bit as good as Colt Brennan and is leading an offense that finished the season averaging 542 yards per game, tops in America. Nationally, Smith ranks in the top 10 in the country in pass efficiency, passing yards per game and total passing yards. Ranked second only to Heisman winner Tim Tebow, Smith is 2nd in America in points responsible for, accounting for more than 25 points a game, .12 points less than Tim Tebow. Truthfully, I don’t see how Bowling Green competes in this one. Giving up more than 413 yards per game on defense and averaging 416 yards on offense, I don’t think the Falcons can keep up in a shootout. The most BG can hope for is a soggy day in Mobile that might limit the ability of Smith to throw the ball or hope that the NCAA amends the rules prior to kickoff and begins allowing 14 men on the field on defense. I saw Paul Smith play in the Conference USA Championship game against UCF and was very impressed with his poise in the pocket and his accuracy and if Bowling Green gives him time in the pocket, he will put up 60. No surprise here, Tulsa in a rout.

NOTE: I’ll be posting my pick for the National Championship game in tomorrow’s Pick ‘Em. Along with a wrap up of all my picks.

Posted in: Big East • College Football • Rutgers | Post a Comment »

Michigan (finally) has a coach

December 17th, 2007, 9:20 am by patrickdonohue

Reports out of Ann Arbor are that West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez will be the

new head of Wolverine football, replacing longtime coach Lloyd Carr when he retires after next week’s Capital One Bowl. It’s a great deal for Rodriguez but is he the right fit

for Michigan or was he simply a big enough name to pacify a rabid pack of booster and alums?

For Rodriguez, taking the Michigan job is a no-brainer. He went from being the coach

of a dominant team in one of college football’s weakest conferences to being the head coach of one of college football’s elite and prestigious programs. Rodriguez doesn’t exactly leave the cupboard bare. Back next year will be quarterback and ‘08 Heisman candidate Pat White, Steve Slaton will likely return to improve his draft stock after a

less than stellar junior campaign and true freshman Noel Devine is one of college football’s best young talent, if not the best. Given that USF, Louisville and Cincinnati will both lose senior quarterbacks, Ray Rice is likely

bolting Rutgers for the NFL and UConn isn’t likely to repeat the magic it created in ‘07, West Virginia will likely be posed for another Big East Title.

For Michigan though, concerns will be abound. For one, there is the offense that Rodriguez is accustomed to running at West Virginia, the spread. It works when you have a lightning quick, shifty quarterback like Pat White taking the snaps but will be far less effective with “Big Tex” 6′6″ sophomore Ryan Mallett at the helm, a quarterback with little to no mobility. That may not be an issue for very much longer, as the AP is reporting that Mallett is considering transferring. This isn’t good for Michigan — at all. Mallett was the best quarterback prospect in last year’s class, the kid has a rocket arm and tremendous upside and Michigan was, frankly, lucky to get the kid from Texarkana and to let him walk because he doesn’t jive with Rodriguez’s system is bad news for this program.

Will Rodriguez adapt his offense to the talent he has or will he make the talent adapt to him? We’ll wait and see.

Posted in: Big East • Big Ten • Michigan Wolverines • West Virginia | Post a Comment »

Bowl Pick ‘Em - Day 9

December 14th, 2007, 10:48 am by patrickdonohue

Tuesday, Jan. 1 - Allstate Sugar Bowl

Hawaii vs. Georgia

The Warriors travel to the Mainland in their first BCS game in school history to try to prove that they are worth of their BCS berth after going undefeated while playing one of the weakest schedules in all of college football. Unfortunately for Hawaii, they aren’t playing another undeserving team (like Kansas), they have to play Georgia, one of the hottest team’s in the country. Georgia must be sure not to get follow the trend set by other teams that narrowly missed their chance to play for the National Championship, only to get upended in their bowl game (Ask Michigan about that). Defensively, I don’t think Hawaii has what it takes to hang with the Bulldogs as long as they don’t turn the ball over. Knowshon Moreno’s Heisman candidacy in 2008 will begin in New Orleans, expect the redshirt freshman to run for at least 150 as Hawaii has never gone against a line as big or as physical as Georgia’s all year. For Georgia’s offense, the play of true sophomore quarterback Matt Stafford will be the key. Stafford’s a gunslinger and his decision-making has been questionable at times last year and this year and limiting his brain farts will be huge for Georgia’s offense. But the game will truly be won or lost on defense for UGA. Georgia’s corners don’t match up well against Davone Bess and Ryan Grice-Mullen and the unit has failed to force defensive turnovers all year, ranking just 85th in the country in turnovers forced. Willie Martinez’s unit is extremely physical and has been a solid run-stopping team all year, a skill that won’t come in particularly handy against an offense that has run the ball just 261 times all year. Still, I like Georgia’s physicality in this game and given how poorly Hawaii has played on the road this year (narrowly winning at Louisiana Tech, at Nevada and at San Jose State), I’ll take Georgia in what could be the most entertaining of all the BCS bowls.

Wednesday, Jan. 2 - Tostitos Fiesta Bowl

Oklahoma vs. West Virginia

A second consecutive trip to the Fiesta Bowl and I’m guessing that Bob Stoops and the Sooners hope this one ends better than their last visit to Tempe. A year removed from losing one of the greatest bowl games in college football history to Boise State, the Sooners come into this year’s game against West Virginia riding high off a schlacking of Missouri in the Big 12 title game. Facing one of the most explosive offenses in the country, and one of the most underrated receivers in the country in Darius Reynaud, the Sooners will be without All-Big 12 first-teamer Reggie Smith, who broke his big toe in the Big 12 Championship game and will miss the Fiesta Bowl. For West Virginia, the game will be a test to get their offense back on the rails after they were completely dominated by Pittsburgh, scoring a season-low nine points, in their dream-shattering loss at home. The Mountaineers will need Pat White to prove that he has recovered from a dislocated thumb that kept him out of most of the game against Pitt and Steve Slaton will need to show that he can be the game-changing back everyone expected him to be at the beginning of the year, a feat that will prove to be most difficult against all-universe linebacker Curtis Lofton and a stout Oklahoma defense that finished in the nation’s top 20 in total defense that gave up less than 100 yards a game on the ground all year long. The game will rest squarely on the shoulders of Pat White for West Virginia. Oklahoma isn’t likely to give up much on the ground, much to the chagrin of the Mountaineers, who finished the season averaging 292 yards per game on the ground. White will need to exploit an Oklahoma secondary that, even with Smith, finished 68th in the country against the pass. On offense, Oklahoma will have to play mistake-free football when they line up against a West Virginia defense, led by All-Big East defensive tackle, Keilen Dykes, who finished in the nation’s top 10 in passing and rushing defense. I’m going against my instincts on this one and taking Oklahoma. Bob Stoops finds a way to get his guys motivated for the big games and I didn’t like what I saw from West Virginia last week.

Thursday, Jan. 3 - FedEx Orange Bowl

Kansas vs. Virginia Tech

If I am to miss a single BCS snap this year, they will likely all accumulate in this one game. In one corner, you have Virginia Tech, a team with a brilliant defense and a something-less-than-brilliant offense and Kansas, a completely fraudulent BCS team, who has no business playing in this game given that they loss to the other viable opponent they played all season. Virginia Tech will need to get pressure on Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing, something they have shown little problem doing this year, finishing in the top ten in the nation in sacks. Offensively, Virginia Tech has been one of the most frustrating teams to watch all year as they putter down the field like an old lay in the grocery store when you’re trying to pick up a few things on the go. But they seemed to have found a way to minimize Sean Glennon’s horrible-ness and mix a two quarterback system with the aforementioned Glennon and freshman Tyrod Taylor splitting snaps. It’s hard to gauge what kind of a chance Kansas has in this one given that they have only played one legitimate opponent all year (and got it handed to them). I’ll take Virginia Tech in a close one. Neither of these teams are particularly great and it could be a game of field possession and turnovers. Too bad The Office isn’t air new episodes.

Posted in: ACC • Big 12 • Big East • Bob Stoops • College Football • Colt Brennan • Georgia Bulldogs • Oklahoma • SEC • Virginia Tech • WAC • West Virginia | Post a Comment »

Bowl Pick ‘Em Day 6

December 11th, 2007, 11:21 am by patrickdonohue

Monday, Dec. 31 - Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl

California vs. Air Force

If you would have told me after Cal’s week one blowout of Tennessee that the Golden Bears would be finish the year in the Armed Forces Bowl, I would have suggested a trip to the Betty Ford clinic should be somewhere in your future. Injuries paired with inconsistent efforts in Pac-10 conference play (not to mention a pair of three-game losing streaks) earned Cal a trip to Fort Worth to play Air Force on New Year’s Eve. On name recognition alone, but you overlook the 9-3 Falcons of the Air Force Academy at your own peril. For Cal, the key to winning this game could be whether or not sensational junior wide receiver DeSean Jackson plays (Jackson missed time this year with a thigh contusion, including Cal’s inexplicable loss to a three-win Stanford team in The Big Game). When healthy, Jackson is the most electrifying player in college football by far but the receiver has struggled to get open this season, pulling in just 60 receptions for less than 700 yards and 5 touchdowns on the year. Cal quarterback Nate Longshore and his ability to be accurate in the passing game could be the key for the Golden Bears. Longshore and a trio of talented receivers that include Jackson, seniors Lavell Hawkins and Robert Jordan might have a big day against this Air Force pass defense, which ranked dead last in the Mountain West. On defense, Cal will have to figure out a way to stop the run. Air Force’s offense, led by senior tailback Chad Hall, is averaging a jaw-dropping 293 yards a game on the ground, which doesn’t bode well for a Cal defense giving up 152 yards a game against the run. With Jackson in the lineup, I like Cal by air in this one.

Monday, Dec. 31 - Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl

Georgia Tech vs. Fresno State

In this one, the Yellow Jackets, far and away, have more talent on both sides of the ball than Pat Hill’s Fresno Bulldogs but the coaching situation at Georgia Tech is anything but settled. Chan Gailey got shown the door after a seven-win season, Tech hired a great coach in Navy’s Paul Johnson but Johnson won’t coach the team in their bowl game and the team’s interim coach, Jon Tenuta, the team’s defensive coordinator, has been named in connection with both the Michigan head coaching job and the recently vacated LSU defensive coordinator position. Still, you gotta like Georgia Tech in this game. Senior tailback Tashard Choice has been consistently great all year, finishing the season with 1,400 yards on the ground and Tenuta’s defense features an explosive pass rush, which lead the ACC with 47 sacks. Fresno State must protect quarterback Tom Brandstater and give him time to find open receivers, which they have done thus far, allowing fewer than 20 sacks on the year. Still, with a rushing defense that was second to last in the WAC against the run matching up against such a prolific runner in Choice, the Bulldogs can’t be feeling good about their odds. Look for Tashard Choice to have a big day and the Ramblin’ Wreck to take it on the blue turf up in Boise.

Monday, Dec. 31 - Brut Sun Bowl

South Florida vs. Oregon

Two teams that, at various points in the year, had their sights set on a trip to the national championship land west of New Orleans in El Paso, Texas. For Oregon, the key will be scoring points.. any points on offense. After the Ducks lost senior quarterback Dennis Dixon, they struggled mightily to generate any type of offense. To win, Oregon must predict whichever freshmen (the battle between Cody Kempt and Justin Roper is being decided in practice) starts at quarterback from George Selvie, one of the nation’s elite pass rushers. For USF, the key will be letting quarterback Matt Grothe do what he does best — improvise and make plays with his feet. Grothe finished the season averaging 275 yards per game in total offense and actually finished sixth in the Big East in rushing. If Oregon can keep Grothe in the pocket and force turnovers, they have a very good chance of winning this one. With a freshman quarterback lining up under center and one of the nation’s best pass rushers coming off the edge, I just don’t like Oregon’s chances in this one. I’ll take USF in a close one.

Monday, Dec. 31 - Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl

Kentucky vs. Florida State

Rich Brooks returns to the scene of last year’s bowl win against Clemson that helped the Wildcats get to 8-4 and will look to do the same thing against Bobby Bowden’s Seminoles in Nashville this year. Let’s face it, for the most part Florida State has been a hideously bad football team all year wrong and somehow lucked into their win against Boston College, nine times out of 10 BC wins that game. Kentucky senior quarterback Andre Woodson may very well be playing for his NFL draft stock against the Seminole on New Year’s Eve. I fully believe Woodson will slice and dice the Florida State defense with the help of tailback Rafael Little, receiver Keenan Burton and tight end Jacob Tamme and exploit mismatches in the Florida State secondary. Though Kentucky is giving up an average of 390 yards a game in total offense, Florida State’s offense has been anemic at best, managing just 350 yards a game in total offense. I’ll take Woodson’s senior leadership and the ‘Cats in a big win.

Posted in: ACC • Big East • Cal Golden Bears • College Football • Florida State • Georgia Tech • Kentucky • Oregon Ducks • Pac-10 • SEC • USF • WAC | Post a Comment »

College Bowl Pick ‘Em Day 4

December 6th, 2007, 2:52 pm by patrickdonohue

Friday, Dec. 28 - Texas Bowl

TCU vs. Houston

All things being equal, Houston didn’t have a bad year, finishing 8-4 with losses to East Carolina, Alabama, Oregon and Tulsa. Still, playing under interim coach Chris Thurmond, after head coach Art Briles left for Baylor, you have to wonder how smooth the transition will be for the Cougars. Offensively, this Houston team is pretty talented. They have tailback Anthony Aldrige, a Conference USA all-teamer who finished the year with 1,500 yards rushing and wide receiver Donnie Avery who led the conference in receptions and receiving yards. The offense’s ability and effectiveness against a TCU defense who finished fifth in the Mountain West in pass defense could hinge largely on the play of freshman quarterback Case Keenum averaging just 160 yards a game through the air. Houston’s bread and butter all year has been Aldridge and a consistent run game. The offensive strategy may have to change if TCU’s front five stuff the ran as they have all year, leading the way in the Mountain West allowing just 95 yards a game on the ground. I don’t think the All-MWC first team defensive end Chase Ortiz and this Horned Frog defense will give Aldridge a chance to get going. I’ll take TCU beating Houston at Reliant Stadium in Houston in a close one.

Friday, Dec. 28 - Emerald Bowl

Oregon State vs. Maryland

For Oregon State, the strategy to beating Maryland in the Emerald Bowl is pretty simple: GET YVENSON BERNARD ON THE FIELD. The second-leading rusher in Oregon State football history, everything the Beavers do offensively centers around Yvenson Bernard. Bernard’s health is certainly a question going into the bowl game. After injuring his right knee against Washington State in the middle of November, Bernard had his right knee scoped and missed the Beavers’ double overtime win against archrival Oregon in Eugene. With Bernard in the lineup, Oregon State becomes an exponentially better team. Going up against a Maryland rush defense that is giving up more than 136 yards a game on the ground, Bernard’s health will be huge for Oregon State. To be successful, Oregon State will have to put a helmet on Terrapin linebacker Erin Henderson. A First-Team All-ACC selection, Henderson is a game changer; leading the ACC in both tackles and fumble recoveries. Terps coach Ralph Friedgen will rely heavily on his defense to make plays, create turnovers and even put some points on the board since his offense has struggled to find their rhythm all year. I’ll take Oregon State in this one, betting that Yvenson Bernard will be healthy enough to go.

Saturday, Dec. 29 - Meineke Car Car Bowl

UConn vs. Wake Forest

Better than anybody else in America, UConn has found ways to win all year round. Still, I would think this is a game of disappointment for both squads in this game. UConn was playing for a Big East title before being beaten at Cincinnati on Nov. 10 and then blown out by West Virginia on Nov. 24. Coming off a Cinderella season, an ACC Title and a trip to the Orange Bowl, Jim Grobe’s team has struggled offensively and battled injuries to key starters for most of the season. This game will ultimately comes down to which of these defenses can make plays. UConn’s defense, which finished second in the Big East in scoring this season, has found ways to create turnovers and score points all year long — largely out of necessity. UConn’s offense, led by Tyler Lorenzen, who finished third to last among Big East quarterbacks in yards passing a game and tailback Andre Dixon, who had more than 20 yards less rushing yards on the season than USF quarterback Matt Grothe. For Wake Forest, who found out today they will be keeping coach Jim Grobe, who had entertained the notion of becoming Arkansas’ next head coach, offensive consistency have been tough to come by this season. The Demon Deacons ranked in the lower half of ACC teams in total offense and have been unspectacular on defense; finishing ninth in the conference. If Wake Forest is to win this game, that offense will have to find some playmakers and quick. I’ll take UConn in this low-scoring affair.

Posted in: ACC • Big East • College Football • Oregon State • Pac-10 • Wake Forest | Post a Comment »

Week 2 Notes

September 10th, 2007, 8:29 am by patrickdonohue

Not an altogether surprising week of college football as far as wins and losses are concerned. Now that Michigan’s season is officially in the tank, right beside Lloyd Carr’s tenure in Ann Arbor, LSU head coach Les Miles will be getting daily questions about his interest in coaching Big Blue. It should be very interesting to see how he handles those questions and how he keeps it from coming a distraction to a team that has every chance of winning a national championship based on their performance Saturday night against Virginia Tech.

GAME OF THE WEEK: VIRGINIA TECH at LSU

I turned this game off with about 11 minutes left in the second quarter and watched the Heroes season finale and a couple episodes of The Office before catching the last bit of the Auburn/South Florida game. I think the first quarter and a half of the game can be summed up this way: total domination.

What surprises me about the game wasn’t the way Virginia tech played on offense. I knew they were horrible from the offense’s inability to score more than one touchdown against ECU at home. I think Frank Beamer may have a bigger problem on offense than one road loss in Baton Rouge. I don’t think anyone on this team, let alone on offense, has any faith in Sean Glennon’s ability to lead this team, least of all in a pressure-packed environment and I think Hokie Nation is tiring of Glennon’s floundering. The real question for the Hokies at this point is when will Beamer start true freshman Tyrod Raylor?

My hats off to Les Miles and the LSU staff. Bo Pelini called a fantastic defensive game and brought a variety of blitz packages that confused Virginia Tech’s protection schemes and gave Sean Glennon a very close and intimate relationship with the turf at Tiger Stadium. What surprised me most about the game was how porous the Hokie defense looked against the Gary Crowton offense that I criticized as being bland, unimaginative and vanilla last week against Mississippi State. Wasn’t it the VT defense that was touted as one of the nation’s best in the preseason? But it was that same defense that was giving up 7,8 and 9-yard gains up the gut to Jacob Hester. Instead of calling play around VT’s much-talked-about linebacking duo of Vince Hall and Xavier Adibi, Crowton ran right at them and the pair folded. If you’re an LSU fan, the good news is that Keiland Williams seems to have found his place in this offense and you got to see a little bit of what Matt Flynn can do that Jamarcus Russell couldn’t.

Saturday’s win in mind, I am not sure that I am ready to anoint the Bayou Bengals as the best team in college football. I still firmly believe that spot belongs to USC who will get their signature win next week when they travel to Lincoln and pound a Nebraska team that gave Wake Forest every opportunity to beat them (and had Wake had starter Riley Skinner under center, they probably would have) on the road Saturday. However, it appears that LSU and USC are on a collision course for the BCS National Championship but the season is far from over for both teams. LSU has to navigate a tricky SEC schedule and win the SEC Championship game in Atlanta and USC has to weather an underrated Pac-10 schedule that takes them to Oregon and Cal before finishing the year against rival UCLA at home. If both of those teams can run the table, we could be in for a classic match-up in New Orleans.

WATCH OUT FOR: SOUTH FLORIDA

I was so tempted to pick the Bulls going to Auburn and up-ending Tommy Tuberville and the 17-ranked Tigers at home. Alas, I didn’t and the Bulls pulled off the “upset” anyway. I knew exactly how good USF was going into this game and you better believe the coaches of the Big East’s elite programs know how good Jim Leavitt, Matt Grothe and the rest of this USF team is as well. In fact, the Bulls were the most impressive team in the laughably weak Big East this week. Louisville let Middle Tennessee, picked to finish a whopping 5th in the Sun Belt Conference, hang 42 points on the Cards at home. West Virginia let Marshall hang around for way too long in Huntington and Rutgers soundly beat a Navy team that they had no business scheduling. I am not sure that USF has the talent to win the Big East but they will end up getting a victory over one or more of the Big East’s big three by season’s end.

MOST DISAPPOINTING: MICHIGAN

Gutless. That is the way I would describe the Wolverines’ fold job at home against Oregon this weekend. Did the Ducks look overwhelmingly fast on offense? Absolutely. But where’s the heart? After seceding the greatest upset in the history of college football last week and scores of alumni, fans and writers calling for the head of your coach on a platter, I would have thought that this team, laden with seniors on the offensive side of the ball, would have banded together, taken on an “us against the world” mentality and made Oregon pay for what happened last week. None of that happened. There is a lot of negativity up in Ann Arbor right now and I would have to think that one more bad loss, particularly at home, and Lloyd Carr gets shown the door earlier than he expects.

Now that the team, picked in the top 5 at the beginning of the year, has the potential to go 7-5 or worse, does Chad Henne ride the pine for the rest of the year? He is already expected not to play Saturday against Notre Dame because of a leg injury that took him out of Saturday’s massacre. But when does the Wolverine staff admit that this season is probably a wash and start looking toward next year? Would it be a dis-service to the seniors on this football team to start rebuilding during their senior season? Absolutely but this is also a group of guys who haven’t set forth a real good example about playing with heart the past two weeks so you do what you have to do. When does true freshman Ryan Mallett become the full-time starting quarterback at Michigan? If he slices and dices the Notre Dame secondary this Saturday, don’t be surprised if Chad Henne is wearing a headset instead of a helmet for the rest of the year.

COACH OF THE WEEK: TYRONE WILLINGHAM, WASHINGTON

Turns out, this guy can still coach. After being disgracefully fired after two pretty good years and 1 pretty bad one (kind of sounds like the resumé of another Notre Dame coach), Willingham has the Huskies moving in the right direction. Will this team compete with the Pac-10’s elite this season? No way but it says something about the status of this program when they knock off grossly over-hyped Boise State, snapping the Broncos 14-game winning streak. Willingham may have found a future star in sophomore quarterback Jake Locker, who had 193 yards passing, a touchdown and an interception to compliment his 84 rushing yards and 1 rushing score Saturday in Seattle. Kudos to Willingham for getting his team prepared for a winnable game that everyone on the outside was convinced he would lose.

If the Husky defense can pitch a couple more second half shutouts like they did Saturday against grossly over-hyped running back Ian Johnson (effectively ended his preposterous Heisman candidacy), the Huskies could find themselves in a bowl game come December. Next week will be a test for this team when they play #12 Ohio State at home and an upset of the Buckeyes, which I don’t anticipate, could put Willingham and the Huskies back on the college football, and Pac-10 radar. Unfortunately, the Huskies don’t have an awful lot of time to revel in this victory, the program’s biggest in recent memory.

Posted in: Auburn • Big East • LSU • Michigan Wolverines • Notre Dame • Pac-10 • SEC • USC • Virginia Tech | Post a Comment »

Thursday’s Line

August 16th, 2007, 2:34 pm by patrickdonohue

I have officially joined the TiVo revolution. While it is an unbelievable technology, it will not official begin paying dividends in my life until football season where I’ll be able to TiVo games that I won’t be able to watch. An added bonus is that I get to watch shows that I used to watch in college that I am now too old to stay up for (i.e. Conan). So far, I’m very impressed.

__________

No, seriously…

A chinese couple have tried to name their baby ‘@’.

A man in Muncie is my new hero.

__________

Fanhouse’s Big East preview.

Impact freshmen.

Top 5 players

Coaches on the hot seat.

Five biggest games

Most underrated.

Georgia Tech QB punks defensive end in practice.

The Philadelphia Daily News’ Les Bowen says it may not be time to give up the Eagles defense — yet.

Eagles guard Shawn Andrews is having ankle problems and defensive end Jerome McDougle is out for the year — again, securing his place as one of the biggest first-round busts in franchise history.

The Washington Post’s Michael Wilbon on gambling in sports.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ron Cook thinks the Steelers must start 2nd year Santonio Holmes.

The Detroit Red Wings have unveiled their new sweaters — which look just like the old ones.

Chris Leak is strugg-a-ling to make the Bears roster.

Jon Gruden is tired of talking about Chris Simms.

SI writer Cory McCartney breaks down the nation’s top rushing tandems.

More of ESPN’s breakdown of the top conferences in college football.

Pac 10 vs. Big Ten

SEC vs. Big 12

Pat Forde says SEC is king.

New York Red Bulls player blogs for the Times about meeting Beckham.

__________

Apparently there’s a fetus on facebook.

Slate’s Jack Shafer thinks newspaper need to admit more of their factual errors in print.

Edward Norton talks to the Los Angeles Times about his Incredible Hulk script.

Entertainment Weekly reviews the Seth Rogan-penned, Judd Apatow-produced Superbad.

RESTAURANT WARS

As the contestants stated, Restaurant Wars has become one of the most anticipated challenge and last night may have shed some very interesting light on how the judges are viewing the chefs this season. It appears as if they have adapted a “what have you done for me lately?” kind of attitude and are taking the chefs on a challenge-by-challenge basis. I think this is the wrong way to go and ultimately will leave us with another lackluster winner (sorry Ilan) at the end of the season. Judging by the previews, I think one of the heavy-hitters (see: Casey, C.J., Tre, Brian) could be leaving us next week.

This week (SPOILER ALERT) no one went home though there were some candidates for knife-packing. Howie, once again, continues to show that he knows everything and no one else knows anything. Like last week with his Cuban, Howie ran his mouth about how he knew how to cook risotto and has cooked it 100 times and proceeds, in true Howie fashion, to butcher it. It’s time to send Howie home and be done with his bullheaded stupidity once and for all.

Sara continues to ride the middle of the road and goes out of her way to fly under the radar. I don’t think she’s going home next week though she is clearly the least talented chef still in the competition at this point.

Dale’s choice of scented candles for his team’s restaurant almost cost him last night. But the chefs got a hold of themselves and remembered that this is Top Chef not Top Design and spared Dale. Likewise for Brian who ran the front of the house about as badly as you could have. The secret dinner guest/blogger took a shot at his sweatiness and on behalf of sweaty dudes everywhere, I feel ya Malarkey. Walk it off.

Tre burned and then inexplicably served potatoes that he knew were burned and it probably should have cost him last night. I think he’s one of the strongest chefs in the competition but has to be much smarter about what he’s putting on the plate.

Some other takes on this week’s episode:

Anthony Bourdain

Gail Simmons

Ted Allen

Huffington Post blogger Jane McGivney

EW’s Gregory Kirschling

Posted in: Big 12 • Big East • Big Ten • Chicago Bears • College Football • David Beckham • Detroit Free Press • Detroit Red Wings • ESPN • Entertainment Weekly • Facebook • Fanhouse • Georgia Tech • Huffington Post • Los Angeles Times • Major League Soccer • Michael Wilbon • New York Post • New York Times • Orlando Sentinel • Pac-10 • Philadelphia Daily News • Philadelphia Eagles • Philadelphia Inquirer • Pittsburgh Post-Gazette • SEC • Slate Magazine • Sports Illustrated • Tampa Bay Buccaneers • Top Chef • USAToday • Washington Post | Post a Comment »

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