You know you've missed it.
WHO WAS AWESOME
1. Gopher football. Awesome is probably a bit strong, but when the team is looking, convincingly, like they're unlikely to win another football game all year and there's no reason to root for them to lose because, it turns out, there's no draft picks in college football, this win is a bit of a relief, and the fact that it comes against Iowa, even in a down year for them, makes it all the sweeter. I thought the storming of the field was a bit much and kind of embarrassing, but I'm probably not the right person to make that judgement (full disclosure: I watched maybe 10 minutes of the game). For those sickos that live and die with the Gopher football squadron, perhaps this was a "storm the field" worthy event. Too each is own, even the weird psychos.
2. Case Keenum. You know the drill with Houston QBs by now - or at least you should - and Keenum is the latest big numbers Cougar QB, and Thursday against Rice might have been his magnum opus as he threw for 534 yards and 9, yes 9, touchdowns, an NCAA record, all while setting the all-time record for career TD passes. So yeah, he puts up huge numbers, no doubt. But there's a reason Andre Ware and David Klingler flamed out in the NFL and Kevin Kolb seems to be heading in that direction. There's a reason Timmy Change and Colt Brennan and Graham Harrell aren't playing on Sundays and Ty Detmer was a career back-up. Gimmicky offenses can put up big numbers and even win games when you aren't playing great teams, but NFL success is certainly not tied to it - and may even be inversely proportional. That being said, Houston has perfected this system and used it for years, and it's god damn fun to watch.
3. Justin Blackmon. Oklahoma State has a big-time offense. They're third in the NCAA in total offense, fourth in passing offense, and second in points scored. So yeah, they're putting up big numbers. That's why when one player accounts for over half the team's catches and more than 62% of their passing yards, which Blackmon did with his 13 catch-172 yard-2 TD game in a 59-24 win over Baylor, it's worth mentioning. Of course, it's not like this is out of the ordinary for Blackmon, who is top-3 in the Big 12 in catches, yards, and touchdowns and is 4th, 14th, and 2nd in all of NCAA D-I. He's an interesting case because he clearly is in a class above college d-backs, but scouts say he lacks the true speed that a top flight NFL receiver needs and the stats bare that out - his ypc of 11.3 is 28th in the B12 and 275th in D-I. He could end up an NFL star, a possession receiver, or even a complete washout and I wouldn't be surprised at this point. If I had to bet I'd lean star, but those ypc and 4-time measurements are a concern. For now though, he's nearly unstoppable.
4. Cam Newton. It's not often that I admit I'm wrong - mainly because it hardly ever happens - but I missed the boat on Newton big-time. I thought Auburn tailored their offense to fit his talents so much that he wouldn't have a shot at transitioning to an NFL scheme because you actually have to make more than one read. Even after he burst on the scene with that 400 yard passing game I figured it was just fluky, and still was in that camp when he did it a second time. All season he's put up good numbers and I've convinced myself it was fake somehow, but after watching him on Sunday there's no doubt in my mind that he's got a real shot to be a star, and at worst will be a quality NFL QB. I suppose there's still a chance he ends up more Kordell Stewart than Randall Cunningham (because we can only compare black QBs to black QBs, you see), but he is already one hell of a QB.
5. Steven Jackson. The Rams picked up their first win of the season on Sunday and did it in pretty impressive fashion, taking out an awfully good Saints team 31-21 and doing it with A.J. Feeley playing quarterback. Of course the reason they were able to pull it off had very little to do with Feeley, and mainly happened because Jackson pulled a Kirby Puckett moment and put the whole team on his back. Jackson rushed for 159 yards and 2 TDs and added 32 more yards receiving, all of which means he ended up accounting for over half the Rams yards in the game. I don't really have anything interesting to add, just thought it was notable because I've had Jackson on a couple of my fantasy teams and he's been pissing me off all year. Nice to see him do something. Jerk.
WHO SUCKED
1. Ron Washington. I don't know how else to say it, but this guy is a terrible game manager, more married to old school ways than even Ron Gardenhire, which is extra funny because he was actually a coach on those Oakland A's teams when Moneyball was written. And even if you forget all about his constant infatuation with sacrifice bunts and stealing bases/hit and runs, he made some just horrible calls. After the rainout he could have saved Derek Holland and pitched him in Game 7 - following up his nearly complete game shutout in Game 4 - but instead used him in relief (instead of Mike Adams or Mike Gonzalez, relief specialists they traded for at the deadline) and used a shaky Matt Harrison in Game 7 instead. Then there's the constant use of Alexi Ogando out of the pen despite the clear evidence that he was gassed, Esteban German being used as a pinch-hitter more than Mitch Moreland, and Mike Adams pitching fewer innings than Darren Oliver. I wouldn't blame him for the Rangers losing, after all they have to play the games and it's not like he can run for Ian Kinsler or tie a rope around his waist to keep him from getting picked off like those weird parents who put their kids on leashes and they make them all cute like a monkey backpack but we all know it's a leash you weirdo, but he sure didn't help.
2. Wisconsin. It's so sweet. The dirty dirtball Badgers, looking by all rights to be a legit contender to make the BCS National Championship game (where they would have no doubt gotten embarrassed) just straight blew everything to hell. Two weeks ago they lost at Michigan State on that hail mary which was sweet as your mom's ass and knocked them pretty much out of national title contention, and just to make sure this season goes down as a complete disaster in Sconnietown they lost on Saturday against a super crappy Ohio State team. That, of course, gives them two losses and essentially knocks them completely out of any kind of BCS bowl contention. All that has to happen now is Green Bay to not win the Super Bowl and the Badger hoop team to miss the tournament and you gotta call it a pretty good year. Yes, apparently it's come to this.
3. Kevin Kolb. Oh my god this guy is terrible. I mean, he's just awful. I got to see a little bit of the Zona/Baltimore game and he holds the ball too long and then makes terrible decisions/throws when he does finally get rid of it. Even worse, when Peyton went down I needed a QB for my keeper league team and after getting snaked on Stafford I ended up going for Kolb as my "QB of the future." Christ on a cracker that isn't working out. I've since traded for Sam Bradford but since he's been in a walking boot (I don't even know what that means - as Nancy Sinatra said all boots are made for walkin') for two weeks I've actually started Christian Ponder over Kolb. And now, after finally getting to watch him, he's about to be cut and we're going to roll with Ponder until Bradford gets unhurt. WHAT A GREAT DRAFT PICK BY ME THAT WAS!
4. Tony Romo. Is it just me, or does Romo play well against crappy teams and then always fall on his dick whenever he's playing anybody good or in a big game? This goes all the way back to the time he dropped that snap in the playoff game, but he might have saved his best for tonight against the Eagles, a prime time that was supposed to be a big chance for Dallas to make a statement - and I suppose they did. He was just garbage. Other than a bunch of late, garbage-time yards and a fluky 70-yard touchdown he did nothing, and he's killing Dez Bryant, maybe the most talented receiver in the game. I almost hope they somehow manage to make the playoffs just so we can watch Romo destroy all Cowboy fans' hopes and dreams. Because that's always fun.
5. Tim Tebow. This experiment can't go on for too much longer, can it? He's just terrible. I get the allure, both from a skills standpoint as well as a PR/publicity/marketing standpoint and there are an enormous amount of people out there (and Jesus) who desperately want him to succeed. But it's just not going to happen. He's terrible. He's what I thought Cam Newton was going to be. His accuracy on his throws is far below Michael freaking Vick, and I'm pretty sure if he and Terrelle Pryor had an "accuracy-off" Pryor would actually win, probably the only person in America he could beat. There's basically no chance the Broncos win another game if they stick with him.
And I will always be thankful to sports jesus, who makes sure that just as the World Series is ending and you feel all sad about it, you don't have long to feel bad because the only other sport that matters, college basketball, is already here. Yeah, that's right. You might not even be aware of it, but both Michigan State and Missouri played (and won) exhibition games on Sunday heralding the beginning of the college hoops season. (NOTE: I'm sure other teams played too, these are just the two I am aware of). Of Note: MSU's freshman power forward Branden Dawson had a nice debut, leading the team with 15 points and 9 rebounds (and 14 field goal attempts) while Draymond Green seems already settled in the dude they run the offense through, going for 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists, which shouldn't really be a surprise because he's awfully damn good. Seriously, we're gonna see at least a couple triple-doubles out of him this year. With no real point guard he's going to basically run that team. You could do a lot worse.
Finally, because I haven't talked nearly enough cooking lately and with college hoops firing up I probably won't, here's a pretty stellar Jamaican Jerk rub I used over the weekend:
1 T Coriander
1 T Brown Sugar
1 T Ginger
1/2 T Onion Powder
1/2 T Garlic Powder
1/2 T Salt
1/2 T Cayenne Pepper
1 t Black Pepper
1 t Thyme
1/2 t Cinnamon
1/2 t allspice
1/2 t cloves
Combine, throw it in a baggie/bowl with some wings or drumsticks and coat, then toss in a crockpot on low for 3-5 hours. The ginger smells really strongly and you'll end up worrying you're making ginger wings, but they end up just fine. Give 'her a shot.
Also Happy Halloween, jerks! I hope at least one of you gets hit by a truck.
Showing posts with label Case Keenum. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Case Keenum. Show all posts
Monday, October 31, 2011
Monday, January 4, 2010
Week In Review: 1/4/2009
God how bad does it suck to be back at work? This is the worst day of the year, every year. At least we had a great week for sports. Basketball teams are kicking off conference play, and we get an awesome string of bowl games including Ohio State finally standing up for itself and winning a BCS game, Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden winning bowl games on the same day, and one of the most entertaining football games I can ever remember seeing in a the Outback Bowl. Very cool stuff. Well, except for the Sugar Bowl. That was so bad I can't even bring myself to list Cincinnati as a team that sucked. I'm going to give them a pass since their coach ripped their collective heart out - that and the fact they had no chance walking in, totally different talent levels. Like Minnesota vs. Iowa in basketball (or football, but reversed).
And speaking of the Gophers, that was a good win on Saturday. They jumped out to a big lead against an inferior team, and although their were a couple of times they almost let the Hawks drift back into it, once they did they put the throttle down again and just never let Iowa (or the crowed, sparse as it was) believe they had a chance. Obviously it would have been better to just blow them out by thirty, but I have no real complaints. Good start to the season, but I will feel better once we get to see them play a good team.
I also want to take a minute to mention Devan Bawinkel, who might be the most fascinating player I have seen play since Reggie Holmes. Did you know that Bawinkel ? How does that happen? Don't you have to accidentally get a layup once in a while? And it's not like this is new. Last year he attempted 144 shots, 139 of which were from three, and his freshman year he attempted 40, 37 from three. That means in his career, out of shots, he's only attempted a shot inside the three point line 8 times. That's amazing. How do you do that? Does he ever cross the three-point line on offense? Ever? What if there was a rebound that came bouncing to him, but to get it he would have to step forward and cross the line? Would he do it, or just sit and wait behind the line even if it meant an opponent was going to get the board? So bizarre.
WHO WAS AWESOME
1. Freddie Barnes. Bowling Green lost the Humanitarian Bowl to Idaho by one in a hell of a game, but who cares? Let's talk Barnes instead, who had an insane game (17 catches for 219 yards and 3 touchdowns) which gave him the record for catches in a single-season in D-I college football with 155 this year (previous record holder was some donk who played for Houston with 142). You may be thinking, like me, that 155 catches in a season is ridiculous since they only play like 13 games, and you're right - it is completely insane. It includes a 22 catch performance against Kent State, a 17 catch outing against Marshall, and a 15 grab day against Troy. Seriously, suddenly the whole "Weber to Decker" thing doesn't seem as ridiculous. You're probably, again like me, wondering what his pro prospects look like. According to what I'm seeing, he is projected to go around the fifth round with third round upside due to his size and projection as a slot receiver. I don't know, I feel like somebody is going to get a steal here.
2. New Mexico. I ripped these guys last week for choking on their high ranking and dropping a game to Oral Roberts, but they bounced back in a big way this week with two very good wins - over Dayton and over Texas Tech. Even though Tech is starting to look a tad overrated and Dayton may always have been, these are still very good wins that are going to shine come selection sunday. Now at 14-1 with those two wins plus wins over Cal and Texas A&M, New Mexico is nearly a lock for the NCAA Tournament. If they win their home games in conference and beat crappy teams like Wyoming, Air Force, and TCU on the road, that puts them at 11-5 in the MWC and 25-6 overall - like I said, a lock. And I finally got to watch them play - this team could make some noise in March, don't sleep on them.
3. Cincinnati. You should know by now I am following Cincinnati closely (now at to win the whole thing) so you're going to get frequent updates when things go well or fall apart, and this week was a very good week for the Bearcats. On Wednesday they pulled out a very nice upset win over UCONN on two free-throws by Lance Stephenson with less than a second left, and they followed it up on Saturday with a win at Rutgers, never an easy place to play. I've said it here before and I'll say it again - this a good team with a nice inside/outside balance, a lot of depth, a go-to shooter, and a freshman in Stephenson who could be this year's Carmelo Anthony. If the point guard play works itself out (whether it's Deonta Vaughn sliding over from the two or freshman Cashmere Wright) they are going to be a huge threat in March.
4. Oregon. It pretty much goes against everything I believe in to praise a Pac-10 team, but the Ducks deserve it after going into Washington and sweeping the two schools this week. The win over Washington State is good, but the win over Washington is great. The Huskies were ranked 16th and considered the favorite to win the Pac-10, and Oregon came in there and didn't just win, they completely controlled the game and blew the doors off the Huskies. The inside/outside attack with guards Tajuan Porter and Malcolm Armstead and center Michael Dunigan is working really well right now, even though it will inevitably fall apart because Porter is far too much of a chucker. Maybe this will be the third place team in the Pac. Who knows, they all suck but somebody has to finish third.
5. William & Mary. The Tribe has now won ten straight, and this might have been their best week yet with a win at Maryland and then following it up with a road win at league title contender Hofstra. This now gives W&M wins over not only Maryland, but also Richmond and Wake Forest, and their only losses are to UCONN and a pretty good Harvard squad. I don't know how many games they'll need to win in the Colonial, but their out of conference resume reads like an NCAA squad. If you want more info (and some fluff) about these guys and their boring ass Princeton offense, Andy Katz has a piece on the Tribe here.
WHO SUCKED
1. Case Keenum. I've resisted putting Keenum in the "awesome" category week after week because despite games like his 536 yard 5-TD performance against UTEP and his 559 and 5 game versus Southern Miss (or any of his other three 500+ yard days or two other five touchdown days) it was easy to dismiss because he plays for Houston. Houston, if you recall, is the team that runs a system that made David Klingler and Andre Ware stat monsters, so who knows if Keenum was legit, especially since the Cougars didn't really play any top-level opponents outside of a game vs. Oklahoma State (where Keenum put up a more legit 366-3). Enter Air Force, Houston's opponent in Armed Forces Bowl, and it would appear that Keenum has been figured out and he might just fall in line with that proud tradition of Houston QBs. In the Bowl (a 47-20 Air Force win), he threw for a season low 222 yards, completing a season low 58.5% of his passes, and tied a bowl record with 6 interceptions after throwing just nine all season. The good news for Houston fans is that he's only a junior, so he'll be back to rape a bunch of inferior opponents and put up ridiculous video game numbers for another year.
2. LaSalle. Whoa did I overrate these guys this year. I think I picked them at #2 in the Atlantic 10, and they've rewarded my faith by becoming the suckiest bunch of sucks who ever sucked. Really, in a year where the A-10 is coming up absolutely huge they've done a damn thing, losing every meaningful game and this week bottoming out with an 0-2 week with losses to Cornell (not that bad) and Binghampton (maybe the most embarrassing loss ever). That was just the Bearcats fifth win this season against ten losses, with two of those wins over non D-I teams and another over 1-11 Maris. Truly awful. The Explorers are going to get steamrolled in conference.
3. Houston. I believe the Cougars were supposed to be one of a group of team's vying to become the first team to win Conference USA since Memphis's incredible cheating-fueled run, but they have done nothing but torpedo their chances, and this week may have been the straw that broke Tom Penders's back. Just a real bang-up job this week, losing all three games they played. The loss to Iowa State is no big whoop, but the loss to Louisiana Tech is kind of an eyebrow raiser and the loss to UT-San Antonio is completely unacceptable. They've basically eliminated any chance they had of an at-large, short of running the C-USA table, by being a terrible, terrible defensive team (327th in the nation in defending two point field goals). They do have two big time scorers, including leading D-I scorer Aubrey Coleman at 25.5 per game, and as a team they have a good 1.6 Assist/Turnover ratio, but unless they start playing some defense the CBI is the best they can hope for.
4. Seton Hall. Oh, the Hall, such a trendy pick to contend in the Big East (not by me though, you'll see I said they were bad). They started out 9-1, but had no quality wins and were basically the definition of a paper tiger. They started out the conference slate with two home games and had chances to win both, but let West Virginia and Syracuse escape with victories, and then followed that up by blowing a good chance to get a quality non-conference victory by losing to Virginia Tech (and giving up 103 points in the process, including 23 in overtime). They aren't completely horrible, but in a better than expected Big East they're going to have to win every game they should and a few they shouldn't if they're going to get a bid. As it stands now their best win (and only win vs. a top 100 team) is against Cornell.
5. College Kickers. Holy crap are some of these guys awful. I watched the kicker from Northwestern miss three field goals and the kicker from ECU miss four. No wonder there are so few good kickers in the NFL - they have nothing to choose from. Is it really that hard? It can't be, considering I have no kicking in my background and yet was able to make a 40-yard field goal at the Rose Bowl a couple of years ago. Yes, that's right, I made a 40 yard field goal at the Rose Bowl. I still have eligibility. Brewster -> call me.
It was quite tough to narrow down the field to just five entities that sucked this week, honorable mentions go to Texas Tech for almost losing to McNeese State and for the whole Leach debacle, Syracuse for losing to a crappy Pitt team, Cincinnati football for getting their big shot and just getting destroyed, Nothern Illinois for getting rolled by South Florida and extending the MAC's bowl losing streak to something like 15, Boston College for losing to Maine (Maine!), Tennessee for having four hoop players arrested for stealing cars with guns and drugs or something (I didn't really read the story), Arizona State and USC for combining to barely score 100 points combined (and USC for being cheaters), Ryan Mallet for being the worst QB ever, Ohio State for failing to beat a bad, bad Michigan team when all they need to do is win the games they are supposed to and wait for Evan Turner to come back, and finally the gopher football team just for existing.
That was depressing. To cheer you up here is the video of Tiny Gallon exploding the backboard at Gonzaga. I was watching this live and this was quite unexpected to say the least.
And speaking of the Gophers, that was a good win on Saturday. They jumped out to a big lead against an inferior team, and although their were a couple of times they almost let the Hawks drift back into it, once they did they put the throttle down again and just never let Iowa (or the crowed, sparse as it was) believe they had a chance. Obviously it would have been better to just blow them out by thirty, but I have no real complaints. Good start to the season, but I will feel better once we get to see them play a good team.
I also want to take a minute to mention Devan Bawinkel, who might be the most fascinating player I have seen play since Reggie Holmes. Did you know that Bawinkel ? How does that happen? Don't you have to accidentally get a layup once in a while? And it's not like this is new. Last year he attempted 144 shots, 139 of which were from three, and his freshman year he attempted 40, 37 from three. That means in his career, out of shots, he's only attempted a shot inside the three point line 8 times. That's amazing. How do you do that? Does he ever cross the three-point line on offense? Ever? What if there was a rebound that came bouncing to him, but to get it he would have to step forward and cross the line? Would he do it, or just sit and wait behind the line even if it meant an opponent was going to get the board? So bizarre.
WHO WAS AWESOME
1. Freddie Barnes. Bowling Green lost the Humanitarian Bowl to Idaho by one in a hell of a game, but who cares? Let's talk Barnes instead, who had an insane game (17 catches for 219 yards and 3 touchdowns) which gave him the record for catches in a single-season in D-I college football with 155 this year (previous record holder was some donk who played for Houston with 142). You may be thinking, like me, that 155 catches in a season is ridiculous since they only play like 13 games, and you're right - it is completely insane. It includes a 22 catch performance against Kent State, a 17 catch outing against Marshall, and a 15 grab day against Troy. Seriously, suddenly the whole "Weber to Decker" thing doesn't seem as ridiculous. You're probably, again like me, wondering what his pro prospects look like. According to what I'm seeing, he is projected to go around the fifth round with third round upside due to his size and projection as a slot receiver. I don't know, I feel like somebody is going to get a steal here.
2. New Mexico. I ripped these guys last week for choking on their high ranking and dropping a game to Oral Roberts, but they bounced back in a big way this week with two very good wins - over Dayton and over Texas Tech. Even though Tech is starting to look a tad overrated and Dayton may always have been, these are still very good wins that are going to shine come selection sunday. Now at 14-1 with those two wins plus wins over Cal and Texas A&M, New Mexico is nearly a lock for the NCAA Tournament. If they win their home games in conference and beat crappy teams like Wyoming, Air Force, and TCU on the road, that puts them at 11-5 in the MWC and 25-6 overall - like I said, a lock. And I finally got to watch them play - this team could make some noise in March, don't sleep on them.
3. Cincinnati. You should know by now I am following Cincinnati closely (now at to win the whole thing) so you're going to get frequent updates when things go well or fall apart, and this week was a very good week for the Bearcats. On Wednesday they pulled out a very nice upset win over UCONN on two free-throws by Lance Stephenson with less than a second left, and they followed it up on Saturday with a win at Rutgers, never an easy place to play. I've said it here before and I'll say it again - this a good team with a nice inside/outside balance, a lot of depth, a go-to shooter, and a freshman in Stephenson who could be this year's Carmelo Anthony. If the point guard play works itself out (whether it's Deonta Vaughn sliding over from the two or freshman Cashmere Wright) they are going to be a huge threat in March.
4. Oregon. It pretty much goes against everything I believe in to praise a Pac-10 team, but the Ducks deserve it after going into Washington and sweeping the two schools this week. The win over Washington State is good, but the win over Washington is great. The Huskies were ranked 16th and considered the favorite to win the Pac-10, and Oregon came in there and didn't just win, they completely controlled the game and blew the doors off the Huskies. The inside/outside attack with guards Tajuan Porter and Malcolm Armstead and center Michael Dunigan is working really well right now, even though it will inevitably fall apart because Porter is far too much of a chucker. Maybe this will be the third place team in the Pac. Who knows, they all suck but somebody has to finish third.
5. William & Mary. The Tribe has now won ten straight, and this might have been their best week yet with a win at Maryland and then following it up with a road win at league title contender Hofstra. This now gives W&M wins over not only Maryland, but also Richmond and Wake Forest, and their only losses are to UCONN and a pretty good Harvard squad. I don't know how many games they'll need to win in the Colonial, but their out of conference resume reads like an NCAA squad. If you want more info (and some fluff) about these guys and their boring ass Princeton offense, Andy Katz has a piece on the Tribe here.
WHO SUCKED
1. Case Keenum. I've resisted putting Keenum in the "awesome" category week after week because despite games like his 536 yard 5-TD performance against UTEP and his 559 and 5 game versus Southern Miss (or any of his other three 500+ yard days or two other five touchdown days) it was easy to dismiss because he plays for Houston. Houston, if you recall, is the team that runs a system that made David Klingler and Andre Ware stat monsters, so who knows if Keenum was legit, especially since the Cougars didn't really play any top-level opponents outside of a game vs. Oklahoma State (where Keenum put up a more legit 366-3). Enter Air Force, Houston's opponent in Armed Forces Bowl, and it would appear that Keenum has been figured out and he might just fall in line with that proud tradition of Houston QBs. In the Bowl (a 47-20 Air Force win), he threw for a season low 222 yards, completing a season low 58.5% of his passes, and tied a bowl record with 6 interceptions after throwing just nine all season. The good news for Houston fans is that he's only a junior, so he'll be back to rape a bunch of inferior opponents and put up ridiculous video game numbers for another year.
2. LaSalle. Whoa did I overrate these guys this year. I think I picked them at #2 in the Atlantic 10, and they've rewarded my faith by becoming the suckiest bunch of sucks who ever sucked. Really, in a year where the A-10 is coming up absolutely huge they've done a damn thing, losing every meaningful game and this week bottoming out with an 0-2 week with losses to Cornell (not that bad) and Binghampton (maybe the most embarrassing loss ever). That was just the Bearcats fifth win this season against ten losses, with two of those wins over non D-I teams and another over 1-11 Maris. Truly awful. The Explorers are going to get steamrolled in conference.
3. Houston. I believe the Cougars were supposed to be one of a group of team's vying to become the first team to win Conference USA since Memphis's incredible cheating-fueled run, but they have done nothing but torpedo their chances, and this week may have been the straw that broke Tom Penders's back. Just a real bang-up job this week, losing all three games they played. The loss to Iowa State is no big whoop, but the loss to Louisiana Tech is kind of an eyebrow raiser and the loss to UT-San Antonio is completely unacceptable. They've basically eliminated any chance they had of an at-large, short of running the C-USA table, by being a terrible, terrible defensive team (327th in the nation in defending two point field goals). They do have two big time scorers, including leading D-I scorer Aubrey Coleman at 25.5 per game, and as a team they have a good 1.6 Assist/Turnover ratio, but unless they start playing some defense the CBI is the best they can hope for.
4. Seton Hall. Oh, the Hall, such a trendy pick to contend in the Big East (not by me though, you'll see I said they were bad). They started out 9-1, but had no quality wins and were basically the definition of a paper tiger. They started out the conference slate with two home games and had chances to win both, but let West Virginia and Syracuse escape with victories, and then followed that up by blowing a good chance to get a quality non-conference victory by losing to Virginia Tech (and giving up 103 points in the process, including 23 in overtime). They aren't completely horrible, but in a better than expected Big East they're going to have to win every game they should and a few they shouldn't if they're going to get a bid. As it stands now their best win (and only win vs. a top 100 team) is against Cornell.
5. College Kickers. Holy crap are some of these guys awful. I watched the kicker from Northwestern miss three field goals and the kicker from ECU miss four. No wonder there are so few good kickers in the NFL - they have nothing to choose from. Is it really that hard? It can't be, considering I have no kicking in my background and yet was able to make a 40-yard field goal at the Rose Bowl a couple of years ago. Yes, that's right, I made a 40 yard field goal at the Rose Bowl. I still have eligibility. Brewster -> call me.
It was quite tough to narrow down the field to just five entities that sucked this week, honorable mentions go to Texas Tech for almost losing to McNeese State and for the whole Leach debacle, Syracuse for losing to a crappy Pitt team, Cincinnati football for getting their big shot and just getting destroyed, Nothern Illinois for getting rolled by South Florida and extending the MAC's bowl losing streak to something like 15, Boston College for losing to Maine (Maine!), Tennessee for having four hoop players arrested for stealing cars with guns and drugs or something (I didn't really read the story), Arizona State and USC for combining to barely score 100 points combined (and USC for being cheaters), Ryan Mallet for being the worst QB ever, Ohio State for failing to beat a bad, bad Michigan team when all they need to do is win the games they are supposed to and wait for Evan Turner to come back, and finally the gopher football team just for existing.
That was depressing. To cheer you up here is the video of Tiny Gallon exploding the backboard at Gonzaga. I was watching this live and this was quite unexpected to say the least.
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