NCAA Picks: Putting You on the Hotseat.

Just a programming note.  I will be doing picks on Thursday for the NFL and NCAA, maybe even as earlier as Wednesday.  If I am somehow do not get to it, I will give my thoughts on the Thursday night game.  Makes my life harder but sweeter for you.  If you are curious about the NFL Midseason Report you can read it here

1. Florida-at South Carolina- Despite winning the SEC East, some people believe the Gators could be in big trouble heading to Columbia.  While I think their defense is tough, the Gamecocks have no answer for the Gator defense.  This should be over by tthe second half.  UF 20-9 

2. Alabama-at Mississippi State- Last weekend at Ripon, I met a guy from Alabama and holy shit, do they love their college football.  He explained how during the Tennessee-Bama game that he told his wife, "If they lose, I don't want to see you or fucking talk to you."  Well then. The Bulldogs will hang in there for awhile then the Tide becomes too tough.  BAMA 20-10

3. Texas-at Baylor- Is this a rivalry?  I have no clue but the Longhorns should roll in this game.  The Big 12 is really weak this year and no one is really saying much about it.  TEXAS 42-10 

4. TCU-vs. 16. Utah- The Horned Frogs are definitely a legit team in college football right now and I wonder why Gary Patterson's name hasn't been brought up as "the next head coach of this team..."  His defense will be too much for a freshman quarterback of the Utes.  TCU 31-13

5. Cincinnati-vs. 25. West Virigina- A big time Friday night matchup.  People will be watching this to see if the Bearcats are for real and if the looming Brian Kelly distractions bother the team.  Noel Devine needs to have a big day and it will be interesting to see what Tony Pike does when he gets in the game.  This one will be high scoring and close, I will take the home team.  CINCY 45-41  (Edit: Cincy wins by a FG, they took care of business and they set up a huge showdown with Pitt in a couple of weeks)

6. Boise State-vs. Idaho- The Spud Bowl battle.  The Vandals have had the best year in a long time and the Broncos continue to show promise every week in the weak WAC. Honestly, I think this game will be close but the Broncos are too good.  BOISE 35-28 

7. Georgia Tech-at Duke- The kings of the ACC so far head to Cameron where there should be Cameron Crazies for a football game. I will be watching to see if the Blue Devils are for real.  I think they will be a bit too excited and the Paul Johnson offense will get it done.  GT 28-17 

8. LSU-vs. Louisiana Tech- The Tigers continue their non-conference tour of Louisiana.  The Tigers are without Jared Jefferson this week but the Bulldogs are nothing to fear.  LSU 31-7

9. USC-vs. Stanford- The Cardinal and their goofy tree are the talk of the town after knocking off the Ducks. The question is can they do it again this week against the Trojans.  I vote no, USC is at home and Stanford doesn't play well on the road. Also the SC defense will handle Toby Gerhardt.  USC 24-14

10. Iowa-at 11. Ohio State- Well I head to Iowa next week for the game against the Gophers and they are playing the Buckeyes this week on the road. The defense for Iowa needs to be huge in this one for them to win. For my guy JS I will take the Hawkeyes but it will have to be low-scoring.  IOWA 13-10

11. Ohio State-SEE 10. Iowa

12. Pittsburgh-vs. Notre Dame- I think this could be called "Charlie Weis' Job Bowl" if he loses this one, I think it's a done deal that he is fired.  If they can find a way to stop Dion Lewis then Weis lives for another day. The Golden Domers' defense is pretty poor though, expect a shoot out ending with a Panther win. PITT 38-34 

13. Oregon-vs. Arizona State- A late night game for all of us that need college football the whole day. The Ducks and Mitch Pratt try to recover after last week's defeat.  The Sun Devils bring a freshman quarterback into the Autzen Zoo, that will not end well.  ORE 45-21

14. Miami-at North Carolina- The U knows that every game in the ACC is a must-win and knows it needs some help to get into the ACC Championship game.  The Tar Heels have been rather sporadic all year and still do not like them even in a home setting. MIAMI 23-17 

15. Houston-at UCF- People have been trying to rallying around Chase Keenum for Heisman, but I personally see it as Colt Brennen a couple years ago.  I actually think the Golden Knights will pull off a mild upset in this one.  UCF 23-21 

16. Utah-SEE 4. TCU

17. Arizona-at California- It's time to prove if the Wildcats are the real deal in the next four weeks. The Bears are without Jahvid Best who had that horrific concussion last weekend.  That will propel Arizona to victory. ZONA 35-21 

18. Penn State-vs. Indiana- Completely stunned to see the Nittany Lions get slaughtered by the Buckeyes. I was watching our friend Doz at Ripon so I didn't watch the game to tell you the reasons why. I think Joe Pa's boys will be fine against the Hoosiers.  PSU 34-14 

19. Oklahoma State-vs Texas Tech- What a boring game. Granted, it will be high scoring but the Big 12 has fallen off big time since last year where every game seemed to be the most exciting game we were about to witnessed. The Cowboys will roll.  OSU 42-24

20. Wisconsin-vs. Michigan- The Badgers have been haunted by Big Blue in the past ten years with weird losses (i.e. last year or the Bret Bell fumble on the punt) I think the Wisconsin defense is tougher than people think and should frustrated Tate Forcier.  UW 24-10 

21. Virgnia Tech-at Maryland- The Hokies have really fallen off the past couple of weeks but the good news is they are playing Maryland who is worst than Lady Gaga's wardrobe.  VT 38-13

22. BYU-at New Mexico- The Fightin' Chets head to Lobo country where they have the college version of Tom Cable. Won't help them win though. BYU 52-17

23. Oregon State-vs. Washington- The Beavers are new members to the BCS and they play a Washington team who hasn't done anything after the big win against USC.  Jacquizz Rodgers will do major work in this one.  OSU 42-14

24. South Florida-at Rutgers- Eh, really not an exciting Thursday night game.  The Bulls have had a roller coaster ride throughout the Big East season and the Scarlet Knights haven't found a quarterback that compares to Mike Teel.  I will go with the Bulls.  USF 31-20 (Edit: I was wrong big time.  Rutgers blew them out big time in a 31-0 victory.)

25. West Virgnia-SEE 5. Cincinnati

Impressions from the 2009 NFL Season

I am just giving basically a bunch of quick hitters for the NFL season.  Just things that I have noticed during the season.  Its been a really strange year with many bad teams with probably seven teams who might hope they get the number one pick.   Here we go...

-The Green Bay Packers have disappointed me so far.  I believe I said a Pop-Warner pimple faced eleven year old could probably get three sacks against anyone on the Packers offensive line.  Aaron Rodgers might die against Dallas, Baltimore, or Pittsburgh.  Also the 3-4 hasn't been a success so far. Aaron Schatz of Football Insiders said on the BS Report on Monday, the Pack does have the easiest schedule for the rest of the year.  I will continue to pick the Packers because its against my religion to do otherwise. 

-The New Orleans Saints are the best team in the NFC.  No questions ask.  Drew Brees, in my opinion is the MVP so far.  They need to stop making turnovers though if they think they can win the Super Bowl.  Also their secondary gets no credit, they are the x-factor. 

-The Bears might be the same disappointment level.  People expected this NFC North to be the most competitive division in football and it's been a bigger flop than the new Boondock Saints movie (why even go there by the way?).  No defense whatsoever and I fear Lovie Smith may be looking for work next year. 

-The Vikings get two lines from me... They look like the third best team but I am still on a wait and see before crowing them.

-Dallas fans, I just want to remind you how much Tony Romo sucks in December.  Just keep remembering that. I know he tears up the Packers in the two games they have played. I think the Cowboys make the playoffs but no playoff wins for Romo. 

-Eagles/Falcons/Cardinals have a chance to be pretty good teams by the end of the year but who really knows. The inconsistencies of all three teams doesnt make any of these teams contenders by no means. I think Arizona will win the NFC West and one of those teams makes the Wild Card.

-I am not sold on Indianapolis yet.  I feel they need to show me something this weekend to call me a believer. Peyton Manning is playing his ass off but the secondary injuries will come back to haunt them. I am willing to bet they do not get the one seed.

-My roommate Brett feels the Patriots are playing at that "2005 Level", which I agree with because they are doing it with nobodies on defense plus they are running the ball.  They will run away with the AFC East. 

-The AFC North and West will provide the most excitement for division races.  The Steeler-Bengal game will tell us a lot about both teams and the Chargers will come back to win the AFC West, sorry Broncos I am starting to fade off.  Also Houston, and Baltimore miss the playoffs. 

-Charlie.

Early Season Bucks Thoughts... I am Excited?

I have something to confess to all of you.  I watched a whole, quite boring NBA game between the Milwaukee Bucks versus the Minnesota Timberwolves.  They came back from a tough first half to dominate the third quarter and parts of the fourth quarter.  Because of that little thing called school, I will miss most if not all of the Bucks game against Denver on Wednesday but now I am excited for the Bucks. 

Brandon Jennings like I told most of you will give us the swagger than the Bucks haven't had in six years. He does everything on the court minus the three-point shooting.  Granted, he will develop that into the deep range shooting but he is a pass first teammate.  He is nothing what the "experts" said.  Supposedly according to my buddy Ron, Jennings just lives a block from the Cousins Center, no car, just a regular guy and has already been quoted that he would rather get to the playoffs and have a winning season then win Rookie of the Year.  He is everything the Bucks haven't had in the last six years. 

Andrew Bogut needs to stay healthy because I think it's fair to Bogut's play inside helps propels the Bucks into everything they do.  He looked like man possessed against a very good Al Jefferson on Friday. Bogut had a vicious dunk on Jefferson plus a mean block later.  But I worry about his knees and so I will maintain with caution. 

The Bucks also have done something not a lot of NBA teams do... play great defense.  That will help the Bucks out so much against the lesser teams in the NBA.  Look at the Knicks and T-Wolves as examples, they couldn't do shit against the defense of the Bucks.  They have all hustle guys who love to get after the loose balls around the court.  This is also something that excites me about the 2009-2010 Milwaukee Bucks.

Finally, you have to give John Hammond a lot of credit so far.  Carlos Delfino has been a pleasent surprise off the bench so far and despite his faux hawk, he does a lot of little things. Hakim Warrick looks great so far and does a lot of things inside to help Bogut become a better player.  Jodie Meeks, do not sleep on him he might be a sleeper by the end of the year.  If Hammond flips Redd for a first-round pick and expiring contracts I will be a happy man. 

Also you will not see much complaining about the Bucks. I will just take the season as it goes and if we to the playoffs, it will be an awesome accomplishment.  

-Charlie.

Lovers of JJ Hardy in Critical Depression

I said in September that this off-season will decide the Brewers fate for the next couple of years.  The first move was made on Friday (apologies for being late but no computer really since today).  The Brewers dealt the once All-Star JJ Hardy to Minnesota for Carlos Gomez.  Some have been wary about this deal but I personally love this deal, I will give some reasons why shortly but here is what is to believe to be the starting lineup in my opinion per what Doug Melvin said to the Journal Sentinel. 

2B Rickie Weeks
SS Alcides Escobar
LF Ryan Braun
1B Prince Fielder
RF Corey Hart
3B Mat Gamel/Casey McGehee (Honestly this could be the five spot but I except Gamel to start, I doubt the Brewers put the pressure on him to bat fifth at the start of things)
C Mike Rivera
CF Carlos Gomez

The man with the mustache said that he would like to see Gomez at the bottom of the order with speed which makes sense to me.  Here we go with my reasons...

1. Speed, Speed, Speed- Honestly, we now have five to six legitimate base stealers. That will facilitate so much for the Fielder/Braun combination.  In my opinion, there should be no reasons why the Brewers will not have runners in scoring position for 3 and 4.  Also Ken Macha needs to adapt to this as well. 

2. Upgrade on Defense?- Honestly that might sound crazy but I always thought Cam never lived up to the three-time Gold Glove award when he was at Milwaukee. Gomez covers the whole centerfield and can make the big plays that are needed in the outfield.  

3. Very Young- He is only twenty-three. I could give two shits about his hitting with his great speed and defense in the first place.  Dale Sveum has been proven to help young hitters and he will continue to grow into a leadoff spot type of guy in the coming years. 

4. Minnesota History- The Twins have done this before and given up talent for no real reason.  Matt Garza for Delmon Young is a perfect example.  They gave up on Garza for whatever reason and he proved to be a solid second or third starter if the team is good.  While they have brought in prospects, they have also dealt some away.   

5. We are Active- This excites me that the Crew already making moves. Milwaukee Brewers have an extra ten million dollars without the Mike Cameron contract, probably the Jason Kendall contract (I will go Freddy Krueger on someone if Doug resigns him).  Why not go after John Lackey?  Make the pitch to him; see what happens who knows it could turn out great. 

-Charlie.

Who Gets Fired First?

Two storied college football programs.  Two struggling college football programs who haven't found the way yet.  Two coaches who collectively should be worried about any call to the Athletic Director's office in the coming weeks.  Who goes first... Michigan's Rich Rodriguez or Notre Dame's Charlie Weis? 

The arguments for Rich Rod is that you have to give a guy time to recruit and build a program his way before letting him go. I agree with this concept but programs like Michigan want success at all times therefore they could give two shits about that, just see Kentucky Basketball if you need an example.   The Wolverines are once again hitting the cellar after two big losses to Illinois and Purdue.  Two teams I would argue they should probably beat and now Rich Rod needs to spilt Wisconsin and Ohio State.  If he beats the Buckeyes, I think no doubt about it, his job is safe.  Michigan could be 1-10 but if that one win is against Ohio State, all is forgiven.  I believe a big road win against the Badgers would also help his resume even if he dropped the game against the Buckeyes.  

For the Fightin' Irish, the arguments aren't there.  The Irish higher-ups know if they keep Weis around that maybe Jimmy Clausen will stay another year and the Golden Domers will have another chance at winning the big one.  Because I guaran-damn-tee if Weis were to get fired, and Clausen stays that next coach will get the same sort of hype Weis got at the beginning of his tenure.  Some feel that the Navy loss was the last stand and that the writings officially on the wall. Although if they can win out winning against two ranked teams on the road, could earn them a January 1st bowl plus the prospects of Clausen returning could help things out. Who knows though with the Fightin' Irish.   

-Charlie.

SEC Getting Unfair Love

I think one of the most annoying things about college football is how much fanfare there is for the SEC.  The real reason is they have rabid fans that fill message boards and any other medium online making them seem like that is the only way to play football. While I agree that the athletes who play in the SEC are likely the fastest, doesn't crown them as the toughest athletes.

People will argue to me that "We have the top two teams in the nation, how can we not be the best?"  Well my friends, those two teams-Florida and Alabama have already clinched their respective conferences.  I would expect that sort of thing to come down to the final weekend or damn near close to it.  The SEC this year has two great teams then a couple of good teams, then the rest are simply average.

I am not taking away from anything that Bama and the Gators have accomplished this year but there hasn't been that third team to challenge either team.  Mississippi was supposed to be that team and they fell flatter on their face than Melissa Joan Hart on Jimmy Kimmel.   South Carolina has a mean defense, but the Ole Ball Coach cannot find out how to coach offense.  LSU doesn't have a quarterback and just lost Charles Scott, which will prove to hurt the team.  Auburn shown nothing in big game situations and Georgia inconsistency has been a huge problem.

The Pac-10 is clearly the best conference this year.  USC and Oregon can compete with anyone plus Arizona has the chance to prove they are for real in the coming weeks.  Stanford has come out of nowhere to be a good team and Toby Gerhardt might be one of the most underrated players in college football.  In addition, California and Oregon State shouldn't be slept on.  That my friends are a definition of a tough as nails conference.   The reason why they get no love is due to the East Coast bias that haunts the sports media day in and day out. 

-Charlie.

NFL Picks Week 9: Here's to Destroying My Liver

I will be away for the weekend at Ripon visiting friends Doz and JPar. If I remember enough I will create a running diary of what happened during the whole wekeend.  So the NFL picks are early this week enjoy.

Washington (2-5) at Atlanta (4-3)- The Falcons have now lost two straight and I really think they could have beat New Orleans last week had it not been for turnovers. The Redskins have had two weeks but they have more drama than The Ruins on a weekly basis.  ATL 28-16

Arizona (4-3) at Chicago (4-3)- A big time game this weekend and in a lot of games, we will figure whose in good position for the Wild Card.  The Cards struggled last week but they did play well in the cold two weeks ago.  The Bears offensive line has been woeful and I think Warner-Fitzgerald tears it up. ARI 34-24 

Baltimore (4-3) at Cincinnati (5-2)- The Ravens looked like they could got their defense swagger back last weekend against Denver and the Nati has had two weeks to prepare for the chance of a sweep.  Chad Ocho Cinco sent the Ravens deodrant... the man is a genius.  I will take the home team close.  CINCY 17-16 

Miami (3-4) at New England (5-2)- The Dolphins got very lucky this week thanks to Ted Ginn Jr. housing two touchdowns on kickoff returns.  The Patriots are looking for revenge after getting destroyed last year by the Phins.  Add to the fact, they have had two weeks.  NE 35-20

Green Bay (4-3) at Tampa Bay (0-7)- I hate, hate, hate, hate playing the last team who hasn't won a game.  It just worries me and I think it will be closer than it really should be until about the fourth quarter.  The Pack hasn't been all that successful in Tampa.  GB 30-17 

Kansas City (1-7) at Jacksonville (3-4)- This is an absolute snoozefest and the Chiefs have got a lot of press this week for Larry Johnson.  The Jags suffered a tough loss by the Tennessee Titans. I doubt that this will happen again but there will certainly be a blackout by the Jags fans.  JAX 31-21 

Carolina (3-4) at New Orleans (7-0)- Oh this is a laughable game. I dont care that the Carolina offense looked awesome last week because the Saints secondary is the best part of their defense.  Not good at all Jake Delhomme.  NO 38-14 

Detroit (1-6) at Seattle (2-5)- Yikes another snoozer and the Lions have to be back in the dumps after losing to the Rams last week at home.  The Seahawks seem to not be able to stop anybody but I like the home team to take care of business in this one.  SEA 31-17 

Tennessee (1-6) at San Francisco (3-4)- The Niners have been running into a bad streak of luck and they need this win more than Rex Ryan needs a cheeseburger.  The Titans main goal is to run the ball which the Niners are very good at stopping, not good.  SF 24-13 

San Diego (4-3) at NY Giants (5-3)- Huge Huge Huge game.  The Chargers need this win.  The Giants need this win.  This should be a classic but like I have been noticing lately is the Giants cannot stop the pass. Despite the weather, I think Rivers will lead them to victory.  SD 34-28 

Dallas (5-2) at Philadelphia (5-2)- I have no idea who will win this game. The Cowboys seem to be for real but Tony Romo always seems to choke when it matters. The Eagles finally have WR's but the Eagles never seem consistent in the last couple of years.  David Akers kicks a field goal late.  PHI 20-17 

Pittsburgh (5-2) at Denver (6-1)- Big time Monday Night Football matchup where the Steelers will know if they need a win to keep pace with the Bengals. I think people are still not believing in the Broncos. I like the homefield advantage, I think the crowd will be jacked and Big Ben will have problems moving around.  DEN 16-10 

-Charlie.