Virginia Tech Vs. Alabama: Week One Game Review

If you look at the stats from this game, just the stats, you'd think the score would be different. 34 points to 24 points doesn't correlate to 498 yards to 155 yards.

But that's exactly what happened last night in the Georgia Dome in downtown Atlanta.

Alabama won the game and they were the better team. They played tough, physical football the entire game, and a tired Hokie defense couldn't hold up late. The Tide outscored the Hokies 18-7 in the fourth quarter after a very eventful, but scoreless, third quarter.

The game started off with VT's offense sputtering and 'Bama taking advantage. Tiffin knocked in field goals from 49 yards and 34 yards to make it a 6-0 game.

Virginia Tech's offense had done nothing up to that point, but it wasn't needed. The next play, Dyrell Roberts returned a kickoff for 98 yards and a score. The play was set up by perfect blocks and Dyrell did the rest, stiff-arming a defender on the 10 before scoring six for Tech.

Later on, Tech's special teams added another crucial moment to the game. Ryan Williams muffed a punt and it was recovered by the Tide on the 16. 'Bama converted yet another field goal to make it 9-7.

The defenses of both teams then shut down their opposition's offense until, after an interception by Antonie Hopkins, Matt Waldron kicked in a 28-yard field goal. But right after VT took the lead, the Tide marched down the field and Roy Upchurch had a 19-yard rush for a touchdown.

The Hokies rallied back, and Tyrod Taylor had his first big pass play on a wheel route to RB Ryan Williams for 43 yards. Williams was later able to punch the ball in to make it 17-16 Hokies at the half.

The third quarter was the only scoreless quarter of the game. However, as Roy Upchurch broke into the open field for what would have been his second touchdown, Cody Grimm stripped him from behind, forcing a much needed turnover for the Hokies.

The fourth quarter, as previously said, was dominated by Alabama. The Tide scored on a six-yard Mark Ingram rush. Then, on the following kickoff, Davon Morgan, who bobbled the opening kickoff, fumbled again, and Alabama recovered.

This was the play that really sucked the life out of the VT crowd (trust me, I was there) and fired up the Alabama faithful.

The Hokies weren't out of it, as Dyrell Roberts had another great return and Ryan Williams broke a great 32-yard rush down the sideline for a score.

This made the score 27-24 Tide. McElroy later tossed his first and only touchdown of the game to Mark Ingram. This would prove to be enough, as the score ended 34-24.

Why, if Alabama dominated the stat columns so bad, did they not dominate the score board?

The answer is what I call the "hidden yardage." This is what "Beamerball" is really all about.

"Hidden yardage" is the kickoff yards, punt yards, penalty yards, and turnovers. If you add Virginia Tech's kickoff and punt return yards into their total yards, they exceed the 400 yard mark.

These are yards that people forget about. Without Dyrell Roberts' big kick returns, Virginia Tech wouldn't have been close in this one.

Then, look at the penalty yards each team accumulated. Alabama had 83 while VT had 45. That's a difference of 38 yards.

Now, let's look at turnovers.

Alabama's first turnover, the interception by McElroy to Antonie Hopkins, was inside Alabama's 20 yard line. This saved the Virginia Tech offense from traveling about 40 yards if Alabama had punted.

With the way they were playing last night, that wasn't too likely.

The Crimson Tide's other turnover was a fumble by Roy Upchurch after he had broken into the open field for a score. This strip certainly saved Virginia Tech three points, maybe even seven points, and brought the momentum back to the Hokies.

All this "hidden yardage" was in Virginia Tech's favor. It truly kept the Hokies in the game, and was the reason for their lead after three quarters. The reasons they didn't win were their two turnovers, and lack of offense and defense.

Virginia Tech's two turnovers were both fumbles on special teams. One was Ryan Williams muffing a punt, even when he called for a fair catch. The other was Davon Morgan fumbling the ball during a kickoff.

Both of these turnovers led directly to six points; without those points, it's a four point game. I firmly believe that without these turnovers it could have been a much different game.

With all these stats, the fact remains that Alabama was still the better team. They played more physical and had an excellent offensive game plan. They attacked Kam Chancellor in the secondary and wore down the defense by using a power running game.

On defense, Alabama played press man to man and mixed it up with lots of different blitzes that confused Tyrod Taylor and the Hokie offensive line. I saw numerous corner blitzes that caused the line to miss assignments and give Tyrod lots of pressure.

Alabama dominated both sides of the ball, but the third side was all Hokies. Special Teams was what kept the Hokies in the game.

Beamerball isn't perfect, but it's what Beamer built the Hokies upon. Tech showed some good things in the game and I'm positive they will build on them and have a very successful season.

The Tide are a different story. They executed a very good offensive and defensive game plan. They have one of the best defenses in the entire country, and their offense has lots of firepower.

Upchurch, Ingram, Jones, and McElroy all showed that they are big time players and I believe they have a chance to challenge for the national title for a second straight season.

The last two top-five ranked teams Virginia Tech played in the first two weeks of the season have gone on to win the national championship. These two teams were '04 USC and '07 LSU.

Can Alabama be the next team to do it?

Lane Kiffin: Need I say more?

Whether Lane Kiffin is a good coach or a bad coach is still undecided. What we do already know, though, is that he sure knows how to make headlines.

Kiffin was introduced on December 1 as the new Tennessee Volunteers football coach. He was to take over for the ousted and legendary Phillip Fulmer.

It didn't take long for Kiffin to make major headlines. First was Al Davis calling him a liar to the fans, players, and organization. Then his relationship with his employer got worse when Kiffin hired James Cregg, the former Raiders assistant coach, as one of his assistants for the Tennessee assistant coach jobs.

This was with two weeks left in the NFL season and drew sharp criticism from Tom Cable, the Raiders head coach.

After that came the recruiting violations.

First was the infamous allegation that Urban Meyer had violated NCAA rules, when in fact Lane himself had violated the rules. He said, "I'm going to turn Florida in right here in front of you. As Nu'Keese was here on campus, his phone keeps ringing. And so one of our coaches is sitting in the meeting with him and says, 'Who is that?' And he looks at the phone and says, 'Urban Meyer.'

"Just so you know, you can't call a recruit on another campus. But I love the fact that Urban had to cheat and still didn't get him." This led to a public reprimand and a public apology from Kiffin to the University of Florida.

He then mentioned Bryce Brown on a radio program which was another violation of the rules. He has committed six minor NCAA violations so far in his short stint as the Vols head coach.

He also had developed sour relationships with Pahokee High School, University of Georgia, University of Florida, and South Carolina over some comments he's made about these schools.

He also just recently committed a violation on ESPN's Outside the Lines which is currently being reviewed.

Meyer maybe a jerk, cheater, and an arrogant S.O.B. among other adjectives. However, one thing he has done well is excite the Vol faithful, and the program as a whole.

Tennessee signed the No. 10 ranked class according to Rivals.com, which is impressive considering he was hired after their season finished. Tennessee has also received much more national media attention, for better or worse.

He has also brought a dynamic, all-star staff along with him to Tennessee. This staff includes his father Monte Kiffin, genius of the Cover Two defense, Ed Orgeron, star recruiter who recruited some of the great players at USC in the mid 2000's.

He stole Alabama's main recruiter, Lance Thompson, away from Nick Saben. He was awarded the recruiter of the Year award in 2008.

There is no doubt that Lane strongly values the recruiting process.

Kiffin has rejuvenated the Rocky Top faithful and has started building a program. He had a great recruiting class and is building another one this year.

Although he has had some slip ups in the media, Kiffin has rejuvenated a down program. With all the exposure comes big responsibility. However, Lane will build a great program in Knoxville.

In my opinion it's not IF, but WHEN the Vols are back on top.

Rivals Top 10, 2005: Where are they now?

One thing that is an always interesting subject of college football fans is recruiting rankings. But just how accurate are they? I'll take a closer look at the Rivals top 10 from 2005, and see how accurate they were in ranking these players.

http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/viewrank.asp?ra_key=817

1. Derrick Williams, Penn State, WR - Derrick was a huge get for Penn State out of high school. He was effective, but he never lived up to his hype of being the No. 1 overall player. He was an All Big 10 first team selection this past year and was drafted in the third round by the Lions.

2. Patrick Turner, USC, WR - Turner was another highly touted WR coming out of high school. He also didn't live up to the hype. He was second team All Pac 10 last year, which was a disappointment for Turner. He was drafted in the third round of the NFL draft by the Miami Dolphins.

3. Eugene Monroe, Virginia, OT - Eugene definitely lived up to the hype. He played all four years that he was at Virginia and was unanimously voted First Team All ACC. He also had a UVA school record of 105 knockdowns in one season. He was drafted eighth overall by Jacksonville.

4. Melvin Alaeze, Maryland, DE - Melvin was troubled from the beginning as he was kicked out of Marland before playing a game. Then he followed Ron Zook to Illinois where he played in one game, but was then kicked off that team and is now serving eight years in prison.

5. Rey Maualuga, USC, LB - Some of his college achievements include: 
2008 Bednarik Award
2008 CBS Sportsline.com Defensive Player of the Year
2008 Consensus All-American
3x First Team All-Pac-10 (2006-2008)
2008 Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year

He was then taken in the second round by the Chargers in this past NFL draft.

6. Fred Rouse, Florida State, WR - Fred wanted to be the first player to skip college all together, but we all know that didn't work out. He has since been kicked out of FSU and UTEP and is playing for the FCS Texas Southern University.

7. Mark Sanchez, USC, QB - Sanchez started one full year for the Trojans and led them to the Rose Bowl. He was an All Pac 10 first team player and was selected fifth overall by the New York Jets.

8. Martellus Bennett, Texas A&M, TE - Martellus was a 6'7" beast who never fully developed as a college player. He had the raw ability, but was only a Big 12 Second Team selection once in 2006. He was selected in the second round of the 2008 NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys.

9. Reginald Youngblood, Miami, OL - Injured most of his career and never really took off like he should have. He was surpassed by younger players and was a bust.

10. Jonathan Stewart, Oregon, RB - Stewart immediately burst onto the scene and was voted to the Pac 10 Freshman all conference team in 2005. He later became first team All Pac 10 in 2007 and then left for the NFL. He was drafted 13th overall by the Panthers and rushed for over 800 yards and for 10 touchdowns as a rookie.

Only five of these players were selected in the top two rounds of the NFL draft. These were the top 10 out of high school and were suppose to dominate college football. Whether it be legal problems, injuries, or just being a bust, five of these 10 players didn't have the college careers they should have had. This goes to show exactly how accurate recruiting rankings can be.

Ranking the SEC

1. UF- UF returns lots from its national championship winning team. Tim Tebow is back for his senior year and UF returns lots from a very fast, good defense that held OU to 14 points. The only real question for UF is how they can replace Percy Harvin. They do have Chris Rainey and Jeffery Demps behind him and they should fit in nicely.

2. Alabama- Alabama has had a recent reassurance since Nick Saben has taken over. They have been recruiting with the best in the country and have some of the best young talent in the country. WR Julio Jones will continue to get better and should be an all-SEC WR. Bama loses Rashad Johnson and QB John Parker Wilson, so how good their replacements are will determine how they do in the SEC-West.

3. LSU- LSU hopes that QB Jared Jefferson can keep his momentum up from last year's Chick-fil-a bowl and help this very talented LSU Offense that seemed to only be missing a QB last year. LSU must replace three D lineman and their D must play at a much higher level consistently if they want to make it to Atlanta, this time a month before last year!

4. Ole Miss- The last three teams are really jumbled and could go anyway. However, Ole Miss has a very experienced and proven QB in Jevan Snead. Also, Dexter McCluster returns, so the entire Ole Miss backfield will be back. Beast DE Greg Hardy will be back to terrorize the SEC QBs.

5. UGA- UGA loses QB Mathew Stafford and RB Knowshon Moreno. Those will be huge loses for this Georgia team that will need replacements Sr. QB Joe Cox and Soph. RB Caleb King to step up and make plays for this UGA offense. UGA will have a young D that will have only 4 seniors and an even younger line that should have only 1 senior. UGA's D was a big let-down last and will need to be much better this year.

6. USC-E- South Carolina will return QB Stephen Garcia. It is really simple for the Gamecocks. If the Ole' Ball Coach can get good play from the QB position then the Gamecocks could be a sleeper team in the East. However, I don't see it getting much better this year. Probably another 7-5, 8-4 season for USC.

7. Tennessee- Ugh, UT. It's not so much Tennessee, but Lane Kiffin. If there is one team I'm rooting to do bad this year its UT. As confident as Lane Kiffin is they won't beat UF. Johnathan Crompton returns for his senior year and should be experienced. Superstar S Eric Berry returns to anchor a defense that will start either all jrs. or seniors. Berry is an amazing athlete that will give QBs fits this year.

8. Auburn- Montez Billlings and Ben Tate return hopeful to right the ship that went horribly wrong last year. The strangest hire of the year in young coach Gene Chizic will hope to build Auburn back up to where it was. QB Kodi Burns and Chris Todd return and will need much better play then the pitiful performances they had last year.

9. Arkansas- Arkansas could be the surprise team this year. Booby Petrino got a huge boost last year when former Michigan QB Ryan Mallet transferred there. Mallet was one of the top pocket passing QBs a few years ago and should do well in Petrino's system.

10. Vanderbilt- They have three experienced QBs coming back and Bobby Johnson showed us last year that they can play with anyone. Vandy doesn't have the talent of other schools, but their D is good and should keep them in games as they make very few mistakes.

11. Kentucky- Huge 6'6" QB Mike Hartline hopes to make an impact this year as Sr. RB Tony Dixon comes back. Again UK has an experienced D, but QB play will be crucial. Seems like a trend between the bottom half of the SEC is that poor QB play has really hurt their teams in this conference with some of the toughest defenses in the country.

12. Mississippi State- The Bulldogs had a huge down year last year after a bowl appearance the year before. Sly Croom resigned and new coach Dan Mullen, former UF Offensive Coordinator, will have his hands full. He can bring a winning atmosphere to Mississippi, but this will not be the year.

2nd Round Recap

So, in our blog predictions, we went 12-4 in the second round games. Not too shabby, but we are disappointed. In our original bracket (one we filled out before the games and entered into a pool) we went 12-4 as well in the sweet sixteen. We lost WVU, Wisky, Cleveland State, and Washington in our original bracket. In our blog picks, we thought that Michigan would pull the upset on Oklahoma, even though we had Oklahoma in our real bracket.

Here is a rundown at how we are doing, and we still have a good shot at a $4,000 1st place prize in our pool full of nearly 850 people.

S16 teams lost: 4 (WVU, Wisconsin, Cleveland State, Washington)

E8 teams lost: 1 (WVU)

F4 teams lost: none

We still have our sleeper pick: Gonzaga in the field of 16, so despite losing four teams out of 16 left, and one of the elite 8, we can still win. Gonzaga starts 4 seniors and a future NBA player as the 5th man in the lineup, a sophomore. They have to face UNC, which will be tough, but, 72% of the pool has UNC in the final four and 88% have them in the elite 8. So, if the Zags win friday night, we pick up some major points and come that much closer to a boat load of money.

We also need Louisville, Pitt and Memphis to advance to the final four and Memphis to square off vs. Pittsburg in the Final Game. We predicted Pitt to win this game. So, hopefully it all works out like this :)

Round 2 Predictions:Sunday

There were no big upsets on Saturday. Hopefully, that will change today. We see a lot of potential upset games, no teams are safe from elimination today. Yesterday, we went 6-2 in our picks. Hopefully, we can improve upon that record in today's picks. Here they are.

Syracuse vs. Arizona St.(12:15pm sun.)

Winner: Syracuse

Result: Correct, Syr 78 ASU 67

We like the 'Cuse to win this game. The Big East(or shall I say "Beast") has proven all this year and throughout this tournament that they are hands down the best conference in college basketball. Only one big east team has lost so far, and Villanova and UCONN both looked VERY good yesterday. Both of these teams like to play zone defense, so expect a low-scoring affair. We like Syracuse and their versatility. They can put the ball in the basket in so many ways, whether it be from Devendorf or Rautins firing from downtown, Randy Jackson or Arinze Onuaku in the paint, or Flynn and Paul Harris who can score from a lot of different places. The 'Cuse will have to watch out for the trio of Harden, Glasser and Pentergraph. This should be a very exciting game.

Dayton vs. Kansas(2:30pm sun.)

Winner: Kansas

Result: Correct, KU 60 Dayton 43


Can Dayton be the next Davidson? Well, both sound the same, both wear red and white jerseys...but we don't see Dayton getting past Kansas. This should be a fun game to watch because if Dayton does beat KU, it will have to play USC/MSU to get the right to play in the elite eight. So, we think that this will be Dayton's hardest challenge if they want to reach the Elite 8. But, in the end, Truck Bryant of West Virginia gave Dayton fits. He is a talented young prospect, but, Kansas has a better point guard in Sherron Collins. Collins should be enough for Kansas to overcome Chris Wright and the pesky Flyers.

Arizona vs. Cleveland State(2:30pm sun.)

Winner: Cleveland State

Result: Incorrect, Arizona 71 Cleveland St. 57

In our original bracket, we had predicted Cleveland State to defeat Wake Forest and then to beat Utah to earn a sweet sixteen bid. We still like that pick. Although, the Vikings will have to square off against the Arizona Wildcats today. Arizona likes to press a lot, and Utah couldn't handle the press well or hit their open three point shots. Also, Utah's big man Luke Nevill was in foul trouble for the vast majority of the game. Cleveland State has the guard play in Cedrick Jackson to break the press and hit their open three point shots. Cleveland State defeated wake Forest because they barely turned the ball over at all. Also, they shot very well from the flour. We think that the Vikings, who have now beaten Butler and Wake Forest in consecutive games, will continue the winning streak versus the Cats.

Wisconsin vs. Xavier(2:30pm sun.)

Winner: Wisconsin

Result: Incorrect, Xavier 60 Wisconsin 49

We like Wisconsin in this matchup. This is not the same Xavier team that made it to the Elite 8 last season. They lost their point guard among other significant losses and have turned the ball over too many times this year. Xavier does have a rebounding edge in this game, thought. But, Wisconsin has a terrific coach, and the players on their team play for the Name on the front of the jersey, not the one on the back of it. Bo Ryan will have his boys ready to lace up their shoes and go hard for 40 minutes. Xavier averages nearly 15 turnovers a game this season, they are averaging more turnovers per game than assists. Also, this game should go down to the wire, and we like he battle tested Big 10 team over a team who only shoots 67% from the strike. Wisconsin wins.

Pittsburgh vs. Oklahoma State(2:50pm sun.)

Winner: Pittsburgh

Result: Correct, Pitt 84 Oklahoma St. 76

Pitt was our pick to win it all when the brackets came out. They had a terrible outing in their opener vs. ETSU. We like them to bounce back in this game, just like Memphis did. Pitt averages 40 rebounds a game and they are #1 in the nation in offensive rebounding. Dejuan Blair is a monster, Sam Young is a freakishly gifted athlete and Lavance Fields is a star point guard with an amazing 3.8-1 assist to turnover ratio. Oklahoma State has the guards, but not the frontcourt to win this game. Oklahoma State's top two leading rebounders are 6'5 and 6'6 feet tall. Dujuan Blair will fill up the stat sheets in this one.

Marquette vs. Missouri(4:50pm sun.)

Winner: Missouri

Result: Correct, Mizzou 83 Marquette 79

Missouri has shown that they can win games in bunches. They are on yet another winning streak(4 games). Marquette has not been the same team since the injury to Domonique James. They have clawed and scratched their way to close games since his injury, but rarely has their terrific effort resulting in wins. They have been playing with great heart and courage since James went down, but, we think that they are just a little worn out. They played a brutal Big East schedule in the last month and have suffered their fair share of tough losses. Missouri is going to press the life out of Marquette. While MU has the guards to beat the press, Missouri has to strong a frontcourt in Leo Lyons and DeMarre Carroll for Marquette to overcome.

USC vs. Michigan State(5:00pm sun.)

Winner: Michigan State

Result: Correct, Mich St. 74 USC 69

This should be an outstanding game. We still have yet to see a 10 over a 2 upset and USC is hot and in great position to be the first to give a 2 seed a loss. USC is on a roll and has won their last 6 games including a Pac 10 Conference Championship Game and a first round win over the Eagle of Boston College. Tajh Gibson is also hot for USC, as he was perfect from the field the other day vs BC. Michigan State is an on and off team, but Izzo always has his guys ready to play in March. We don't think that USC has an answer for the speedy Lucas and the towering Suton on the inside. Plus, MSU is a much deeper team and we think that Morgan will start to get it back on track. Michigan State advances.

Louisville vs. Siena(5:20pm sun.)

Winner: Louisville

Result: Correct, Louisville 79 Siena 72

Louisville is the Big East regular season and conference champions. They have Elite 8 experience and shouldn't have too much trouble with Siena. Siena is a team that we loved all year long, and we picked them to defeat OSU in the opening round. They did beat Ohio State in an overtime thriller. But, they had 21 turnovers in that game. They better get those things sorted out or else UL will have a field day on them. Siena needs Hansbrouck to get it going offensively quicker than he did on Friday night. In the end, Louisville is a better rebounding team, is more battle tested, and Siena doesn't have an answer for the versatility of Terrance Williams and Earl Clark. Crazier things have happened, but we like Louisville to live to play another day.

NCAA Tournament 2nd Round Preview

Well, it is an eventful Thursday and Friday March Madness as always. On Friday, we got more upsets, including Cleveland State over Wake Forest, a game we predicted. Also, three 12 seeds prevail once again over the 5 seeds. Purdue being the only five seed to advance. What upsets are in store for Saturday and Sunday? We'll predict Saturday's games now. Check back in after today's games or Sunday morning for those predictions.

UCLA vs Villanova (1:05 pm sat.)

Winner: Villanova

Result: Correct, Nova 89 UCLA 69

We like Villanova to overcome the talented back court of UCLA's in a very exciting opening game matchup. Darren Collison will be the key in this game. He is a premier defender and he, along with stud freshman Jrue Holiday will both have their hand full with the talented guard combo of Scotty Relnolds and sophomore Corey Fisher. Both teams will rely heavily on their guards, but in the end, Dante Cunningham of 'Nova will be the difference maker in a 'Nova win.

Maryland vs. Memphis (3:20 pm sat.)

Winner: Memphis

Result: Correct, Memphis 89 MD 70

This should be an excellent matchup between dipper-dandy Tyreke Evans and Grevious Vasquez from Maryland. Both are big, 6-6 combo guards who will be asked to bring the ball up and run the show for their respective teams. Maryland has shown that they can play with anyone by beating Duke, UNC and Wake Forest. They are battle tested from playing in the ACC and have momentum from beating a good Cal team the previous round. Memphis struggled in their first game, but they have too much defense and athletes for Maryland. Memphis prevails.

Texas A&M vs. Connecticut(3:40pm sat.)

Winner: Connecticut

Result: Correct, Connecticut 92 Teas A&M 66

This is an upset alert type of game. Connecticut has really been struggling since the injury to Jerome Dyson. They went 4-3 in the regular season without him, including a first round loss in the Big East Championship. A&M is going to need a big game out of Josh Carter and Elonu to win. Josh carter is a versatile athlete who stand 6-7 but can shoot the three at a high percentage and is also money when he gets to the line. Elonu is a 6-10 forward who will most likely see Hasheem Thabeet a few times today - he will have his work cut out for him. In the end, its going to be Thabeet's post presence and Price's outside shooting that will advance the Huskies.

Purdue vs. Washington(5:40 pm sat.)

Winner: Washington

Result: Incorrect, Purdue 76 Washington 74

This should be one of the best games on today. Washington will rotate between their three guard trio led by freshman point guard Isiah Thomas. They will try to force turnovers and push the tempo. They will use versatile athlete Poindexter and rebounding machine Brockman in their Half court sets. Washington does not shoot the three very much at all. Purdue, on the other hand, will try to play a grind it out, big ten type of game. they will rely on their length to alter Washington's shots and will need a big performance from Kramer and Moore. This one should go down to the wire, but we like Washington due to their outstanding guard play.

LSU vs. North Carolina(5:45 pm sat.)

Winner: UNC

Result: Correct, UNC 84 LSU 70

It's uncertain weather Ty Lawson of UNC will play in today's games. He is the ACC POY and that is a huge loss for UNC if he cannot go. Hansburough will be playing, and should have a very good game. He struggles versus tall, 7-0 centers, and LSU doesn't have one. The X- Factor will be Danny Green, if he is hitting his threes, then UNC rolls. LSU will rely on Marcus Thornton who scored 30 points vs. Butler. We still like UNC in this game though.

Michigan vs. Oklahoma(5:50 pm sat,)

Winner: Michigan

Result: Incorrect, Oklahoma 73 Michigan 63

This is the big 10-2 upset of the year. Everyone makes a big deal about 12 seeds over 5 seeds, but, there are often 10 seeds beating 2 seeds. This year, three 10 seeds defeated 7 seeds. We like Michigan and their 1-3-1 defense to give Oklahoma fits. Just like vs. Clemson, Michigan will pound everyone into the paint and try to take away Blake Griffin. We think that Oklahoma will not be able to make their threes, and it will be a back-breaker. Michigan has an excellent tournament coach who always exceeded expectations at WVU. We think he'll do it again.

Western Kentucky vs. Gonzaga(8:10 pm sat.)

Winner: Gonzaga

Result: Correct, Gonzaga 83 Western Kentucky 81

We like Gonzaga to win this game easily. WKU got an easy first round matchup versus a Fraisor-less Illinois team. Gonzaga will be too much for them as Heytvelt will have another double double and Micah Downs, the Kansas transfer will get it doing to the basket and from the outside. Gonzaga ended the Akron game on a huge run, and we like them to continue that run with a runaway win.

Texas vs. Duke(8:15 pm sat.)

Winner: Duke

Result: Correct, Duke 74 Texas 69

Texas is the only seven seed to advance in this years tournament. They will need A.J. Abrams to show up in a big way versus Duke. Duke will play a pressure man to man defense and that should make it difficult for Abrams to get good shots off. Texas has a huge mismatch, literally, in this game. Dexter Pittman is a monster in the paint and Duke has no capable big man to defend him. But, Duke's pressure man to man defense should give the Texas guards all they can handle and we like Duke to win a close win due to turnovers and easy points as Duke turns their defense to easy offensive points.

Ranking the Big East

Let's take an early took at the Big East conference.

1.West Virginia- Coming of a thrilling bowl victory WVU loses dual-threat QB Pat White, with Jarrett Brown, his backup, taking over. They will have small, speedy back Noel Divine back as he looks to lead the WVU backfield. The defense returns 7 and needs to take the next step if post-Pat White WVU want to remain successful.

2.USF- USF has a very good dual-threat QB in Matt Grothe. They return DE George Selvie for his senior year, which is huge plus for the Bulls. USF loses their starting RB and their two top receivers and must replace two lineman. There will be high expectation for USF and a Big East title is not out of the question.

3.Cincinnati- Cincy finished last year losing the Orange Bowl to VT and Tony Pike threw 4 INTs. Last year Pike was 5th on the depth chart to start the season, this year he'll be 1st. Having a spring with the first team offense should definitely help with his development. Cincy's defense is their big question mark. They lose almost their entire senior defense. How the new comers play will determine a lot about how Cincy finishes out. WR Marshwan Gilyard is a star n the making. Look for him to put up big numbers this year.

4.Rutgers- Under Greg Schiano the Rutgers program has rebounded and was suppose to compete last year, but a poor start put that on hold. WR Tiquan Underwood and QB Mike Teal graduate. Rutgers needs to find some fire power on offense and to sure up a secondary that will have to replace three starters.

5.Connecticut- Donald Brown declared for the NFL and with the graduation of QB Tyler Lorenzen UCONN will be much like Pitt trying to find firepower on offense. UCONN looks to be in a rebuilding year.

6.Pittsburgh- The loss of Shady McCoy will be HUGE for Pittsburgh. They need to find more offensive production them from Shady alone. The Sun bowl showed us exactly how good Pitt was when Shady was doing anything. Hopefully the Panthers can find some one or else it could be a big let down year for the Panthers.

7.Louisville- Steve Kragthorpe needs a good year this year or else he could be on his way out. Right now Tyler Wolfe looks to be the starting QB for the Cardinals. Louisville hasn't had a good year since their Orange Bowl win and this will be a crucial one for Kragthorpe.

8.Syracuse- The Cuse fired coach Greg Robinson after a 3-9 season. Cuse returns 8 on the defensive side. That could be a good point for the Orange Men. It looks like another tough year for the Orange.

Ranking the ACC

1. Virginia Tech- VT return 16 starters overall, including QB Tyrod Taylor, RB Darren Evens and all of their receivers. They were the seventh overall rated defense last year, but they are losing QB Victor Macho Harris and two linebackers. This will be tough to overcome, but Bud Foster is one of the best DCs in the country. I'm confident that VT's D will remain stingy and the offense will steadily improve. However, the Hokie's success this year relies on VT's ability to throw the ball.

2. FSU- QB Christian Ponder return for the Noles and is looking to build on the good season he had last year. FSU loses big 6'6" WR Greg Carr and speedster Preston Parker has been kicked off the team. Parker looked to have a huge role in FSU's offense next year and a big key will be if a WR and also a new RB will step up. Last year Micky Andrews defense was very good. This year they lose safety Myron Rolle. Also, CB Tony Carter graduates and star DE Everett Brown leaves for the NFL. However, the Noles have tons of talent and I'd look for the D to continue to impress

3.GT- Paul Johnson's triple option offense did much more than expected last year and looks to do more this year. QB Josh Nesbitt and RBs Roddy Jones, Lucas Cox, and Jonathan Dwyer return to make the best backfield in the ACC. DE Michael Johnson won't be back,and GT will need to revamp its D-line, it's only real defensive question mark.

4.UNC- Butch Davis will lead his most talented squad onto the field in 09. The loss of superstar WR Hackem Nicks could loom large for UNC as who will step up at WR is still a big question mark. Overall, Butch has recruited well over the past few years and this is the year where he should take that next step. Anything less than a Gator Bowl is a disappointment for UNC fans this year.

5.NCST- Russel Wilson returns for a talented State team that has a good coach in Tom O'Brien. The Wolfpack came on strong last year in the end of the season and look to build on their recent success. Look for the Wolfpack to be the surprise team in the ACC, I'll even go so far as to say they could win the Atlantic.

6.Clemson- Dabo Sweeney takes over an all ready talented team. The biggest hurdle for Clemson to overcome is how QB Willy Korn can play in his first year of real starting time. Clemson return C.J. Spiller who should be the focal point for the Tigers offense. Daquan Bowers will be a star on the D and this could be a good year for the Tigers.

7. Miami- Miami is talented, but they have a brutal first four game schedule and they could very easily start off 0-4. I think that could result in a tough situation for Randy Shannon to overcome. QB Jacory Harris is still young and needs to develop a better and bigger arm if he wants to compete against the tough ACC defenses. Miami's D will be good as always, but this could be a big let-down year for Miami.

8.BC- QB Chris Crane graduates and Freshman Dominik Davis takes over. Davis didn't play great in his limited action last year and his success will be crucial. BC returns its main running back Josh Haden. Spaziani takes over as head coach and their defense should be good beast LB Mark Herzlich returns. However the loss of DTs Raji and Brace could loom large as they were the key o the tough BC run defense. Overall, BC's Offense needs to step up and produce or it could be a down year in the parity filled ACC.

9.WF- Riley Skinner and Josh Adams return for the Decs. However, the Deacons talent isn't there compared with other ACC teams, but what Grobe does with his group of players is always incredible, so WF is a bit of an outlying in the ACC. They are hard to predict, but an average year in the ACC in my opinion for the Demon Deacons

10. Maryland- Jordan Steffy takes over at QB for the Terps this year. His play will be crucial in their West Coast style attack. Da'rel Scott and Davin Meggett should lead a very good Maryland running game. The loss of WR Darius Hayward-Bay will be HUGE for Maryland as he was a very big deep threat and made a lot of players for the Terps over the years. Someone needs to pick up his productivity or else it could be long year for Maryland.

11. UVA- UVA will return Jamell Sewell, their QB who was suspended this past year. How well he does in this upcoming year will be crucial to their success. Al Groh fired his son their offensive coordinator and he was replaced by a Spread Guru. Their switch to the spread could take a few years and will the loss of their star receiver Ogaltree UVA loses a lot on offense. However, Vic Hall in the Wild Wahoo could be an interesting formation to watch for. UVA can be good, but I'd predict another season trying to creep into a bowl game at the end of the year.

12.Duke- Duke made progress last year beating UVA and getting a good ACC win. However, Duke returns QB Thaddeus Lewis in his second season under QB genius David Cutcliff. This could be a break out year for the Dukies getting 2 or 3 ACC wins...Its a process and they have to start somewhere. Any improvement is good for the Dukies.

College Football - Top 10

Hey, everyone. I'm going to be doing a very early look at next year's pre-season top 10 in college football

1. Florida Gators- Consensus #1 in my mind. Reining national champs they have a lot of momentum coming into next year. However, Florida loses 5 starters From offense, including speedster Percy Harvin. Florida returns everyone from a D that was much improved and only looks to get better as they held what some people said to be "the greatest offense ever" from Oklahoma in the national championship to a mere 14 points. The only question mark for UF is how big of a question mark losing Percy will be. With speedsters Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey also the same WR/RB mold, I don't see UF's loss of Percy Harvin as a big loss.

2. Texas- Texas ended last year holding off a resilient Ohio State team in the Fiesta Bowl. Heisman finalist Colt McCoy return to Texas and will be the focal point of their offense for next year. McCoy being a very good runner and passer for Texas should give defensive coordinators headaches for one more year. Texas has a very weak non-conference schedule this year which sets up the Red River Rivalry as another crucial game if Texas is looking for another national title. Texas' major concern is their D, most notably the line which will lose all 4 starters.

3. Oklahoma- Oklahoma lost in the national title to UF 24-14. However, with the announced return of sophomore QB Sam Bradford for his junior season has once again put OU as one of the front runners for a repeat showing in the title game. OU was led by the big guys up front. They had 4 seniors and one junior up front last year and only Big Trent Williams returns for OU. That is a big question mark weather Bradford will be allowed as much time to sit back and throw as he was last year.

4. USC- The term is often throw out there, "they don't rebuild, they reload" and that is not truer with anyone, but the Trojans of Southern Cal. USC loses LOTS from their Rose Bowl winning team including QB Mark Sanchez, their entire LB crew and two starting DE's, Clay Matthews and Kyle Moore. Hard Hitting Safety Taylor Mays looks to lead a revived Defense which will be a big question mark for their big time showdown early in the season at Ohio State.

5. Alabama- Alabama was embarrassed in the Sugar Bowl to end the 2008 season against Utah. Andre Smith leaves the all-star Bama line, but big Mount Cody remains to anchor a huge powerful line. Bama also loses QB John Parker Wilson and start safety Rashad Johnson. However, the Tide returns WR Julio Jones as they look to revenge their SEC Title and Sugar Bowl loses from a year ago.

6. Virginia Tech- VT is coming of their first BCS Bowl victory in a 20-7 victory over Cincinnati in the Orange Bowl. VT return 9 starters on offense and 7 on defense. However, soon to be starter LB Barquell Rivers started the Orange Bowl and made the play off the game stopping Cincy's QB Tony Pike on a 4th and 1 goaline sneak in the fourth quarter. VT loses CB Macho Harris, but they finished with the 7th best Defense in the country and look to build on that. The question mark is the passing game as last year all the receivers were Freshman and Tyrod Taylor was very inconsistent at QB.

7. Ohio State- OSU is once again coming into the off season with a big let-down. OSU has many loses on both sides of the ball. LB James Laurinaitis and RB Chris"Beanie" Wells aren't going to be back among other. OSU has talent though, with RB Dan Herron taking over at RB and Tyrelle Prior now coming into his second season. OSU will have a big test early against USC where both teams with be replacing lots and will show a lot about these two teams.

8. LSU- LSU had a very disappointing season last year finishing it off against GT in the the Chick-Fil-A Bowl. They routed GT 38-3 and it could've been worse. Jordan Jefferson played very well in that game and he looked like a QB of the future for LSU. However, LSU only return one D lineman from a defensive unit that was a huge let down from typical LSU defenses. Also, inconsistent QB play plagued LSU all last year and if Jefferson can play well and manage the games with LSU's talent and the Mad Hatter (Les Miles) as coach anything can happen.

9. Oklahoma State- OKST return Dez Bryant, Zack Robinson and Kendall Hunter. With this electric trio retuning the offensive firepower will be in high supply. However, the Pokes defense (or lack there of) last year was the main issue. OKST loses two offensive lineman and three from their often burned secondary. Also, Miami's defensive coordinator Bill Young has been added to the staff hoping to make an immediate impact. Bottom line with OKST: If their D is good, just good; they'll have a chance to be great and sneak up for a Big 12 Title appearance.

10. Ole Miss- A resurgent Ole Miss Rebels were the surprise team in the SEC under coach Houston Nutt and QB Jevan Snead. Well, Snead and RB Dexter McCluster are back as well as beast DE Greg Hardy. Ole Miss has talent and a very underrated coach in Nutt. Last year they beat UF and TTU, two teams who had very potent offenses. If Ole Miss can defend like last year they could compete with Alabama and LSU for a SEC West Title as well as a SEC Title.

Honorable Mention: Penn State, Oregon, GT, TCU, UGA

Overview

Hello everyone. I'm going to be double dipping and writing about college football and college basketball. The two best sports. I'm a huge college football and basketball fan and I am very knowledgeable. Check back soon for further up-dates and new postings. They should be coming soon with the NCAA Tournament starting up and with Spring Practice for some teams starting. And, feel free to ask questions and we will answer them as soon as possible!