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The Bum's 2015 College Conference Preview News,Notes,All You Need To Know !

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  • #61
    USU suspends three for first two games

    August 8, 2015

    LOGAN, Utah (AP) Utah State has suspended senior wide receiver Hunter Sharp, sophomore offensive lineman Tyshon Mosley and senior cornerback Bryant Hayes for the first two games of the season for a violation of team rules.

    Aggies coach Matt Wells announced the suspensions Saturday. The players will miss the opener at home against Southern Utah on Sept. 3 and a game at Utah on Sept. 11.

    Sharp, from Palmdale, California, had 66 receptions for 939 yards and seven touchdowns last season.

    Mosley, from Sandy, started 11 games last year as a redshirt freshman and played in all 14 at left guard. Hayes, from Compton, California, started three games last season and had 20 tackles.
    Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

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    • #62
      K-State QB battle still up for grabs into fall camp

      MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) Those waiting for answers surrounding Kansas State's quarterback battle will have to wait a little while longer.

      Wildcats coach Bill Snyder confirmed Saturday that nothing has changed since April's Purple/White Spring Game when Joe Hubener, Jesse Ertz and Alex Delton struggled to create separation.

      With the late addition of junior college transfer Jonathan Banks, Snyder said his staff will wait a few more weeks to see how the competition pans out.

      ''It hasn't changed,'' Snyder said. ''We're trying to give some balance in the repetitions that each one of them takes and try define it in such way that we get to see all of them in a certain environment - all of them with the No. 1s, all of them with the No. 2s, all of them doing some of the same things so we can assess who's good at what and who's got some growth in certain areas.

      ''Nothing has changed right now, (but) once we get in pads, which is coming up pretty quickly, we'll have probably an idea of who we want to continue to give more reps to and less to and try to narrow it down.''

      Kansas State is trying to replace Jake Waters. He led the Wildcats to a 9-4 record a season ago, throwing for over 3,500 yards while combining for 31 touchdowns on the ground and through the air.

      Hubener has the most experience among the four leading candidates but in a limited role as Waters' backup a season ago. He has also never started at quarterback at any level, something he is well aware of as it pertains to outside criticism.

      ''I know people are going to judge it, but it is what it is,'' Hubener said. ''That wasn't necessarily where I was needed in high school. I had enough to put on film to get here and (now) I've been here for five years since 2011. Scout squad freshman year, I'm practicing against the best in the Big 12, so I've played against competition that we're going to see day in and day out.''

      The third-string option last season, Ertz came to Kansas State as a top prospect out of Iowa but has yet to attempt a pass. Meanwhile, Delton proved flashy in the spring but was playing high school football in Hays, Kansas, this time last year.

      Banks remains the lone wild card after signing with Kansas State in May after leading Contra Costa College to a 9-1 record. His ability as a dual-threat quarterback has impressed his coaches, but time isn't on his side with kickoff less than a month away.

      ''He fits into the system and he's quick learner, but it's a time issue,'' co-offensive coordinator Dana Dimel said. ''That's the issue we're dealing with right now. We've got four guys, so he's got to really learn fast, but he's a quick learner and he does fits our system. It's just about seeing how fast he can develop and how he compares to the other guys.''

      Kansas State opens Sept. 5 against South Dakota. As that deadline looms and the questions increase, Snyder hopes to determine who will be under center sooner rather than later.

      ''I wanted it cut down yesterday,'' Snyder joked, ''but we're going to make a decision based on what's best for our program.''
      Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

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      • #63
        Oklahoma star Samaje Perine uncomfortable with spotlight

        NORMAN, Okla. (AP) Samaje Perine's monster freshman season has brought up some Heisman Trophy talk.

        Oklahoma's star running back prefers to let everyone else talk about it.

        And there's plenty to discuss. The 237-pound bruiser set the major college record with 427 yards rushing against Kansas last season. In some ways, his freshman season was better than Adrian Peterson's epic 2004 freshman campaign at Oklahoma - Perine ran for six more touchdowns and averaged nearly a yard more per carry. His season yardage total of 1,713 was the sixth-highest ever by a FBS freshman.

        As expected, Perine drew a large crowd of reporters Saturday at Media Day. But he is a young man of few words, known and respected for his quiet strength and humility. When asked what it means to have his name mentioned among college football's best, he seemed uncomfortable.

        ''I don't listen to what the media has to say,'' he said. ''When people tell me stuff like that and I see it on Twitter, I just tune it out. I know some people in my family, they are going to be excited about it, but I have to tell them that I don't look at that stuff, so you can be happy about it, but don't show me, because I don't care.''

        Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said Perine handles the attention well and stays on track, using the same focus that helped him climb from third stringer last preseason to All-Conference selection.

        ''Really mature and humble about it,'' Stoops said. ''Samaje realizes the guys around him support him and help him. Samaje is a very wise young man and mature beyond his years in how he handles everything. I believe he's taken all this in stride. I believe he just wants to be a big part of what we're doing.''

        Perine refused to offer any personal statistical goals.

        ''Just go out and play hard every down,'' he said.

        Perine's path to making an impact likely will be different this year. Stoops hired new offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley to bring back the Air Raid offense that brought Oklahoma to prominence in the previous decade. Though it might not allow Perine as many opportunities to grind opponents into submission, Riley said the running backs will touch the ball more than anyone else, and he believes Perine's skills will fit in nicely.

        ''I wish we had about three of him,'' Riley said. ''He's pretty good. He's a great person. He's very, very dependable. I've been impressed with his versatility. I knew coming in that he could run the ball. Everybody knows that. Seeing the kind of person that he is and seeing how smart of a player he is and how versatile he is, it shows you why he's the kind of player he is.''

        Perine still looks powerful, but he has dropped between 10 and 15 pounds since last season.

        ''That was something that I wanted to do,'' he said. ''I came in and I played at 248 last year, and I didn't feel fast, so I just felt like I needed to drop weight. I told Smitty (strength coach Jerry Schmidt) about it, and he was all for it.''

        Perine's Heisman chances could be derailed by his teammates. Joe Mixon, one of the nation's top recruits as a high school senior, is back. He was expected to contend for the starting job last year, but he was suspended all of last season after punching a woman. Alex Ross, a preseason All-Conference return man, is back, and freshman Rodney Anderson has the coaching staff excited.

        ''With the amount of running backs that we have, I think it's going to be more evenly spread out than it was last year,'' Perine said. ''I'm excited for that because when you have two or three guys who have pretty much the same capability, that's going to wear out defenses. It's going to be a good thing for us, but not for them.''
        Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

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        • #64
          Colorado opens third year under MacIntyre

          BOULDER, Colo. (AP) The possibility of a bowl game stares the Colorado Buffaloes in the face each day at practice.

          Those waving flags are hard to ignore.

          Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre has taken to flying the logos from bowls with tie-ins to the Pac-12 Conference at the team's training complex, including that big one - the Rose Bowl.

          It is MacIntyre's way of letting his squad know the postseason possibilities are out there, even for a team coming off a 2-10 season and predicted to finish last in the Pac-12 South.

          His players are already buying in.

          ''We are a bowl team. I definitely believe that,'' senior tailback Christian Powell said Saturday at media day. ''If you look at last season, it's not like we were getting blown out every single game. It's not like everybody was putting up numbers on us and we couldn't do anything. We just had one or two mistakes here and there that generally cost us the game. Our focus all offseason has been to finish - just finish what we start.''

          Colorado lost four games by five points or less in 2014. That's why MacIntyre is preaching persistence heading into this season. His team has been in those pressure-packed situations - such as losing to UCLA in double-overtime on Homecoming - and should now know what to do.

          ''Our theme is trusting each other in those situations,'' said MacIntyre, who has a 6-18 record in two seasons in Boulder after turning around the program at San Jose State. ''We will be in a lot of close games again. We'll come out on top in a lot more close games.

          ''I expect us to be good. I really do. I see it out on the field, and see it in their eyes, in their work ethic.''

          And in their talk about bowl possibilities. They're not shying away from such assertions, even planning for the possibility.

          ''They say, `Coach, what's our schedule for Christmas for a bowl game?' They haven't asked me that before,'' said MacIntyre, whose team opens the season Sept. 3 in Hawaii. ''I can talk about it with this team because they believe it. It's not something I throw out there. That's what they see.

          ''Now we have to go do it.''

          The players are holding each other accountable as well. Say, for instance, someone leaves a towel on the floor. Well, something will be said. Same with not properly stacking their dinner dishes in the dining hall.

          ''That's part of caring about all the details,'' MacIntyre explained. ''They're managing the room, where I don't have to do that anymore. When they're doing that, it shows a culture change.''

          Other things from media day:

          LEADERS OF THE PACK: Instead of having the same captains each week, MacIntyre organized a 12-player leadership council and will pick four on game day. The purpose of the committee is to give more players a voice in decisions. ''We're developing a more cohesive group,'' MacIntyre said.

          BEEFED UP: Quite a few of the Buffaloes bulked up in the offseason. The team has a chart and a point system that grades workout performance, with a score of 20 considered ''strong'' and 25 or more an ''ultimate warrior.'' In 2014, the team had eight players reach at least the 25-point plateau. This season, it's around 40.

          PASSING RECORDS: Colorado broke all sorts of offensive records last season behind the tandem of quarterback Sefo Liufau and receiver Nelson Spruce. Liufau set season school records in yards passing (3,200) and TD passes (28). Still, Liufau knows he needs to improve his decision-making after throwing 15 interceptions. ''Just be more smart with the ball,'' he said. Asked his goal this season, Liufau simply responded, ''To win.''

          GETTING DEFENSIVE: The Buffaloes brought in Jim Leavitt to oversee a defense that surrendered 39 points a game in 2014. He helped Kansas State become a highly regarded defensive presence in the 1990s and coached the linebackers for the San Francisco 49ers.

          FAMILIAR VOICE: Larry Zimmer will return to the broadcast booth for a 42nd and final season. Zimmer missed the final six games last season after a fall in his home. His final home game will be against Southern Cal on Nov. 13, which happens to be his 80th birthday. He's called 478 Colorado football games and 525 men's basketball games, the team said.
          Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

          Comment


          • #65
            MAC EAST

            AKRON (SUR: 5-7; PSR 3-8-1; O-U: 4-8)...Although Terry Bowden is just 11-25 SU in his first three seasons at Akron, there’s no doubt that the team is on track to return to the bowl picture soon, perhaps this season. Bowden inherited a team that was 5-31 from 2009-2011, and he definitely had a plan. Install a first-tier coaching staff, recruit Ohio and Florida with vigor, and fill in the edges by convincing athletes committed to bigger programs who weren’t going to be starters to come and play at Akron. It’s working.

            This is a stealthily improving team. Looking strictly at the numbers, there’s not a lot pointing to an upswing from the 5-7 records of the last two seasons. The Zips return 12 starters from a team that ranked 101st in scoring and 102nd in points allowed. Their red zone offense was 122nd out of 125 NCAA-rated FBS teams. Akron’s incumbent starting QB Kyle Pohl’s numbers have slipped each season since he played as a redshirt frosh in 2012. However, there are things going on a bit under the radar worth considering.

            Defensively, the Zips have improved from 112th and 113th in 2011-12 to 74th and 75th in ‘13-14. That unit has a uber-aggressive front seven led by sr. LB Jatavis Brown, who’s a two-time first-team all-MAC selection and has 206 tackles the last two years. The defensive line has another all-MAC selection in sr. NT Cody Grice, and that unit will be infused with talent in the form of Ohio St. transfer DE Jamal Marcus and former Iowa St. contributor DT Rodney Coe. Ohio St. transfer DE Se’Von Pittman had 36 stops last year for the Zips and should increase his production noticeably in his second season in d.c. Chuck Amato’s system. Brown and the LB crew will get a boost from Washington State transfer Darryl Monroe. The secondary is knee-deep in cornerbacks, as ex-Miami-Fla. jr. CB Larry Hope won a starting role in the spring. Although replacing both safeties is a worry, 6-3 soph Jerome Lane is an outstanding athlete by MAC standards.

            The Akron attack has been pass-oriented under Bowden, as he’s been a bit stubborn to change philosophies from his salad days at Auburn in the mid-1990s. This season offensive coordinator A.J. Milwee might change things up. Although Pohl is a senior entering his third season as the starter, don’t be surprised if mobile, athletic soph Tra’Von Chapman (a Pittsburgh transfer) could push Pohl to the bench. If so, Milwee will undoubtedly tweak the running game to take advantage of his elusiveness. Similarly, sr. RB Conor Hundley has done a good job, gaining 1244 yards (4.5 ypc) over the last three seasons, but he will be pushed by Colorado State transfer Donnell Alexander, who gained 1015 yards (5.4 ypc), caught 38 passes, and scored 7 TDs in 20 games for the Rams before sitting out his transfer season in 2014. The offensive line is a strength of the team, as four players with at least 10 starts return up front. Sr. G Tommy Brown (yet another Ohio State transfer) is a big-time player. Sr. G Dylan Brumbaugh is capable of bullying MAC defensive lineman. Fifth-year sr. left tackle Isaiah Williams could become a force entering his second full season as a starter after switching from DT a few seasons back.

            Although the top two pass-catchers graduated, five quality receivers return, four of whom caught at least 20 passes. Jr. WR Mykel Traylor-Bennett (14.5 ypc), sr. Andrew Pratt (27 recs. LY; avg. 17.2 ypc in ‘13) and soph Austin Wolf (21 ypc) will try to give the Zip passing game more verticality, as generating big plays was a struggle in 2014.

            A big plus for Akron is a solid kicking game, as PK Robert Stein (13-16 FGs) and P Zach Paul (2nd all-MAC LY) are strong senior contributors.

            Summary: You have to hand it to Bowden, adding guys originally recruited by Ohio State, Washington State, Iowa State and Miami to his team. Those players are now semi-big fish in the small MAC pond. He proved he can coach at Auburn. He’s now also a salesman in his present position at Akron.


            BOWLING GREEN (SUR: 8-6; PSR: 5-8-1; O-U: 7-7)...Coach Dino Babers overcame an injury to all-MAC QB Matt Johnson and managed to guide the team to eight wins and a bowl victory over South Alabama in 2014. This season his offense appears set to rip and roar again, but there are leaks to fix in the defense and a tough schedule standing in the way of a return to the MAC championship game.

            The Falcons will have QB Johnson back in action after he played just one game in 2014 due to a hip injury. Johnson looked good enough in spring work to get a solid vote of confidence from Babers and co-offensive coordinators Mike Lynch and Sean Lewis. Johnson threw for 3467 yards, completed 64%, and had a 25-7 TD-int. ratio in 2013, when he was named third-team all-conference. Last year jr. James Knapke stepped in and threw for 3173 yards subbing for Johnson, but his unimpressive 15-12 ratio means he will return to backup.

            The RB position is extremely well stocked, with former all-MAC selection sr. Travis Greene (2498 YR, 23 rush TDs L2Ys) returning as the lead back, reserve Fred Coppet (764 YR; 5.4 ypc LY) an effective backup, and Donovan Wilson will begin his collegiate career after redshirting at Georgia Tech in 2013 and sitting out a transfer year in 2014.

            With all five offensive linemen returning, including 2-time all-MAC selection G Alex Huettel, the rushing average and pass protection should get better fast. BG has yielded 69 sacks the last two seasons, and ranked just 54th in rushing and 86th in passing efficiency last season. All of those numbers figure to improve if the OL stays healthy. In 2014, the Falcons were a bit lucky, as all five up front started all 14 games, and three of the four who were around in 2013 started all 14 that season as well.

            The receiving corps is about as deep and experienced as any in the MAC. Soph Roger Lewis caught 73 passes for 1093 yards in 2014 and was named first-team all-conference. Smurf sr. Ryan Burbrink and jr. Ronnie Moore (5-8 & 5-9, respectively) combined for 120 catches, 1448 yds. and 8 scores, while 6-3 jr. Gehrig Dieter had 35 catches. After suffering ACL injuries in October of 2013 and in the summer of last year, 6-4 5th-year sr. Chris Gallon is attempting to regain the form that saw him lead the team in receiving with 54 recs. and 720 yards in 2012.

            That all sounds good, right? Well, then there’s the defense. The Falcon stop unit had one of the biggest dropoffs in effectiveness in the nation between 2013 and 2014, giving up an average of 17.6 more points and 173 more yards per game last season. BG dropped from 10th in the country in total defense in ‘13 to 115th last season! That situation doesn’t figure to reverse itself this season, as the stop unit returns just five starters and lost it’s top 4 tacklers, including first-team all-MAC Gabe Martin.

            The defensive line returns three senior starters, counting sr. weight room monster strongman DT Zach Colvin, who’s attempting a return after sitting out most of last season with a heart ailment. Any help up front would be greatly appreciated by d.c. Brian Ward, as the Falcons allowed 5.0 ypc in 2014. DE Bryan Thomas was named second-team all-MAC thanks to a team-high 8 sacks. But besides Thomas, jr. OLB James Sanford (71 stops) and CB Nick Johnson (72 tackles, 5 ints., 2nd all-MAC in 2014), there are questions. Johnson was indefinitely suspended after being arrested for assault in April, his third run-in with the law this year. One safety slot could be filled by graduate sr. transfer Eilar Hardy, who played in 15 games the last two seasons at Notre Dame. Hardy wasn’t really a major contributor in South Bend, starting just two games and losing a good chunk of last season while being investigated for academic impropriety. The 2ndary gave up 291 ypg passing, the most in school history.

            Summary: The Falcon offense will win some games, but the team was rather lucky the last few seasons, recording a +10 turnover rate in each of 2013 and 2014! The defense is a worry, and the jury is still out on second-year HC Babers.


            OHIO (SUR: 6-6; PSR: 4-7-1; O-U: 3-9)...Conservative HC Frank Solich enters his 11th season in Athens, and hopes will be high considering his bowl-eligible (but no bowl invitation) team returns 18 starters. The schedule isn’t set up for the Bobcats to make their return to the MAC title game for the first time since 2011, with key games against East rivals Bowling Green and Akron on the road this season. However, a bowl bid should be a very reachable goal.

            Solich’s Bobcats have 10 starters returning on offense, and there’s a decent chance the attack will generate more explosive plays than it has in the past. Sr. QB Derrius Vick (59%, 8-4 TD-int. ratio) has struggled through injuries in his career, but is the team’s best chance to ramp up an attack that ranked 111th in scoring in 2014. Vick is more accurate and much more mobile than jr. QB J.D. Sprague, who will again start as Vick’s backup. Vick should have more time to throw, as all five starters return on an offensive line that’s 2nd or 3rd-best in the MAC. Sr. C Lucas Powell, the leader up front, was named 3rd-team all-MAC last season and is on the Rimington watch list heading into fall. The left side includes fellow sr. G Mike Lucas and T Mike McQueen.

            Offensive coordinators Tim Albin and Scott Isphording will likely need to get the ball to a trio of big wide receivers in order to generate the desired explosiveness this fall. Jr. Jordan Reid (6-3; 24 catches), jr. Sebastian Smith (6-3; team-high 31 receptions) and soph Brendan Cope (6-2; 17.8 ypc LY) could take a step up. 6-5 TE Troy Mangen is a decent safety valve, but let’s face it, he’s in there as another blocker for Solich’s preferred running game.

            The ground game returns soph grinder A.J. Ouellette (785 YR, 4.9 ypc) and jitterbug sr. Daz’mond Patterson (5-7, 177; 348 YR LY, and a dangerous return man). Ouellette missed two games completely and was hurt after carrying just once in another, so his production would figure to improve playing behind the experienced OL. The Bobcats were a bit sloppier than usual last season, fumbling 24 times, losing 14 of those, and were -4 in turnovers on the season. There’s a possibility another lead RB candidate could emerge, as Canadian Maleek Irons looked good in the spring game, but it would be a leap to see a true homerun threat in RB slot. Solich would probably settle for a healthy Vick and seeing his RBs handle the ball with more security.

            Defensively things should be on the upswing. Last season’s Ohio “D” trimmed opponents’ rushing numbers by 55 ypg and went from allowing 4.6 ypc in 2013 to 3.9 ypc in ‘14. Eight starters return from that unit, including 6 of the top 7 tacklers and the two leading sack men. The DL features jr. DE Tarell Basham (frosh AA in 2013; 12½ sacks L2Ys) and jr. NT Casey Sayles, who can keep opposing offensive linemen from getting to the Bobcats’ returning trio of starting LBs. The defense was led by soph MLB Quentin Poling, who paced the team by a wide margin with 89 tackles.

            The linebacking corps and secondary return six of seven starters plus a trio of other players who must be considered equal to the task of a full-time job. Backup LB Chad Moore had 33 stops filling in for starter Blair Brown. Sr. CB Brett Layton started the last few games of 2014, and S Toran Davis had 42 tackles despite starting just twice last year.

            The Bobcats are also well-set on special teams. Patterson is the 2nd-best return man back in the MAC, while both P Mitch Bonnstetter (3rd-best MAC Punter) and PK Josiah Yazdani (31-41 FGs L2Ys) have clutch traits. Solich usually has high-quality special teams.

            Summary...With Idaho and SE Louisiana on the non-conference schedule, the Bobcats should be able to scratch out the six or seven wins necessary to get another bowl shot. Interesting, considering Ohio’s preseason Vegas over-under win total number opened at five. The combination of a conservative offensive approach and a good (if not great) defense has been reflected in the Bobcats’ 25-12 “under” record the last three years, and it looks like that trend won’t reverse itself this season. Look for Ohio in the Famous Potato or Camellia Bowl this winter.


            MASSACHUSETTS (SUR: 3-9; 8-4; O-U: 8-4)...UMass is definitely a program on the upswing, as the team won three games last season after going 1-11 in each of its first two years in the MAC. The Minutemen were very competitive in some close losses, as they were ahead or tied in five games late in the third Q or in the final period, and lost all five. Bad luck? Lack of depth? Probably both, but the football team last season was a far cry from the 2012-13 crews whose average result was a 37-12 loss. HC Mark Whipple is downplaying rising alumni enthusiasm, saying “"I think we've got 19 starters back. But, hey, we were 3-9. We're not 10-2 with 19 starters back like Ohio State." (Actually Mark, the Buckeyes were 14-1 last season, but we get the point.)

            Enthusiasm for the Minutemen is high in large part because one of the 19 returning starters is last year’s all-MAC sr. QB Blake Frohnapfel, who took the MAC by storm after arriving as a graduate transfer from Marshall in 2014. Frohnapfel threw for 410.5 ypg with 17 TD passes in his six conference starts last season. He and the rest of the team were force-fed Mark Whipple’s NFL-style offense last season, and everyone is much better-prepared this time around.

            Obviously, with 10 starters back on offense, virtually all of his weapons return. Seven of the top nine pass-catchers are back, including first-team all-MAC sr. 6-4 WR Tajae Sharpe. Sharpe caught 85 catches for 1281 yards last season, while sr. TE Rodney Mills and sr. WR Marken Michel snagged 30 each.

            Jr. RBs Shadrach Abrokwah and Lorenzo Woodley combined for 993 YR and scored 13 TDs. The 5-9, 202-lb. Abrokwah didn’t get a carry until the 5th game of the season due to suspension, but he led UMass in rushing and produced three 100-yard games. Woodley is a bit larger (6-1, 212), and showed his potential when he turned in a flashy 23-carry, 160-yard performance against Kent State. The offensive line returns intact, but there is definitely room for improvement. The Minutemen gave up 28 sacks, which was up sharply from 2013 (16), and the team’s average gain of 3.4 ypc was once again well below the average in major college football. Massachusetts was 112th in rushing offense, so increased production and balance would be welcome.

            Defensively, the Minutemen allowed 33 ppg (103rd in the country) for the second season running (but that’s a positive jump over the 40 ppg allowed in 2012). Sr. LB Jovan Santos-Knox led the team with a whopping 143 tackles and was named first-team all-MAC for his efforts as well as being named to several prestigious watch lists for this season. In all, 16 of the top 18 leading tacklers return for UMass. Although the team will miss graduated 2014 first-team all-MAC LB Stanley Andre (2nd LY with 128 tackles), there is enough experience and physicality to expect a distinct improvement. NT Robert Kitching is a 307-lb. run-stuffer. Sr. OLB Kassan Messiah (6-4, 237) had 69 tackles in 11 games LY. Soph UConn transfer DE Sha-Ki Holines settled in last season making nine starts. After giving up 5.3 and 5.4 ypc in 2012 and 2013, the Minutemen improved to 4.7 ypc last season, cutting 28 ypg rushing from the 2012-13 combined averages. The 15 sacks Massachusetts had in 2014 was more than either of the previous two seasons, but the pressure has to improve if the 99th-ranked pass defense is to keep foes somewhat in check.

            The secondary definitely had holes, as that unit yielded 256 ypg passing last season. Even with all four DBs returning, there will be competition for starting positions in the secondary. Although there are four sr. starters in place including 2nd-team All-MAC and Jim Thorpe watch list CB Randall Jette, Whipple made a pair of late signings of CBs after the national signing day, offering scholarships to UAB refugee Kelton Brackett (Alabama native who played S & CB in 32 games for the Blazers) and juco transfer Jordin Hamilton. Soph Jackson Porter is another possibility to move up after making 41 tackles in 11 games in 2014. Clearly d.c./2ndary coach Tom Masella is open to change.

            Summary...The schedule isn’t set up this season for Massachusetts to get to its first bowl game since 1964. Trips to mile-high Colorado and to Notre Dame are nothing more than sacrifices for a payday. UMass will be favored only about three games this season. Whipple has good reason to be cautious despite five MAC bowl slots to be filled.


            KENT STATE (SUR: 2-9; PSR: 5-6; O-U: 5-6)...Paul Haynes had to know what he was getting into when he took over at Kent two years ago. The Golden Flashes were coming off an 11-3 season, the most wins ever at Kent State and only the team’s third winning record since 1977. The team has suffered a sharp regression in the last two seasons, turning in 4-8 and 2-9 marks in Haynes’ two seasons in charge. The Zips started 0-6 last season, including an embarrassing 40-17 loss to recent FBS newcomer Massachusetts. The team had to deal with the death of starting C Jason Bitsko in preseason, then some early injuries and a lack of depth further weighed down Kent.

            This season Haynes has promoted Don Treadwell, ex-Miami-Ohio HC, to the offensive coordinator position in an effort to jumpstart a platoon that slipped to 16.4 ppg last season. Kent State hadn’t scored less than it did in 2014 since 2000. One of the major problems with the offense was a rushing attack that averaged just 82 ypg, 122nd in the country. The death of Bitsko and absence of star RB Trayion Durham (missed the season after foot surgery) and G Anthony Pruitt (academics) derailed the running attack before the opener. Durham gained 2082 yards in 2012 and 2013, and he was being counted on heavily to lead the offense. Kent just didn’t have the depth to compensate for two missing starting offensive linemen, and the Flash attack managed just 43 ypg rushing in the first four games. The QB situation isn’t great, as Colin Reardon completed a so-so 57%, had a 14-16 TD-int. ratio, and was hampered by a sprained ankle at midseason.

            The OL has eight of the nine players who started last season back, and Pruitt returns after straightening out his schoolwork. If that unit stays healthy, Durham will find some holes and provide balance, affording Reardon some extra time to throw. The offense has to replace its top two wideouts, however, and the leading returning receiver is diminutive (5-6) jr. WR Ernest Calhoun (33 catches). Soph Kris White (25 recs. LY) or 6-3 true frosh Johnny Woods (in for spring and looked like he fit in) need to develop quickly into “Option A” for Reardon.

            The defense wasn’t in much better shape last year, allowing 29 ppg (most since 2008) and 430 yards (most since 2003). In this case, having nine returning starters might not be the best possible situation. The defense leaned heavily on jr. FS Nate Holley, who had an eye-popping 137 tackles and was named first-team all-MAC, and sr. SS Jordan Italiano, who was 2nd on the team with 96 stops. The problem is, having your safeties needed for soooo many tackles means the opponents are getting downfield without much opposition. Kent returns its top 11 tacklers, but they are counting on getting some help. Juco DE Anthony Johnson was in for spring, and he and RS frosh West Virginia transfer DE Davonte James are being counted on to possibly pump some life into a pass rush that generated just nine sacks in 2014, ranking 126th out of 128 FBS teams).

            MLB Matt Dellinger (90 stops) couldn’t keep opponents from rushing for 214 ypg (107th) by himself. The front seven might improve significantly if the newcomers help the pass rush and Dellinger gets some additional aid from jr. LB Elcee Refuge (58 tackles LY) and jr. “star” Darius Redmond (37). The 2ndary is very experienced and can obviously make plays. Besides Nate Holley and Italiano, the presence of soph CB Demetrius Monday and jr. CB Najee Murray (an Ohio State transfer) potentially give d.c. Brian George one of the better secondaries in the league.

            Summary...It’s hard to get the fan base behind a team that only has a winning season about once a decade (if that). The proof is in the attendance pudding, and crowds were sparse at half-full Dix Stadium last year. Haynes attempted to address the depth issues by limiting scrimmages and eliminating the spring game in favor of a more educational, camp-like approach. The schedule is easier this season, so Kent should win a few more games. However, barring Durham having a monster season and Reardon looking more like Peyton Manning than Peyton Hilton, six victories and bowl eligibility seem a bridge too far.


            BUFFALO (SUR: 5-6; PSR: 5-6; O-U: 7-4)...Lance Leipold arrives at Buffalo with some of the most impressive credentials imaginable for a coach in his first stint leading an FBS team. Leipold served a couple of short stints as a graduate assistant at Wisconsin and an assistant at Nebraska, but he’s matured into a record-setting head coach at Division III Wisconsin-Whitewater. Leipold spent the last eight years in charge of the Warhawks, compiling an incredible 109-6 record and six national titles. He attained 100 college victories faster than any other coach, and won six D-III Coach of the Year awards in the process. He’s an exceptional recruiter, which makes sense when you consider he convinced talented young men to come play football for him in southern Wisconsin without being able to offer them athletic scholarships. Let’s see how David Shaw at Stanford would do under those circumstances. “We’d love to have your son come play for us? Do you have $250,000 to cover tuition, board and books?” Leipold can obviously coach, as well. Six titles in eight seasons on any level in any sport is impressive.

            The cupboard is not bare at Buffalo, especially on offense where a crew of talented seniors return. The attack is led by sr. QB Joe Licata, who completed 65% of his passes, throwing for 2647 yds. and 29 TDs. Licata has 60 TD passes vs. 22 ints. in the last 3 seasons and is the biggest of a number of big guns for the Bulls. The top receiver is 6-4 sr. WR Ron Willoughby, who caught 50 passes a year ago and was named 3rd team all-conference. His production was an unexpected explosion after he managed just three catches in the previous two seasons. Marcus McGill and soph Jacob Martinez combined for another 50 catches, and the receiving crew got a boost when UAB transfer Collin Lisa enrolled in time for spring work after the Blazers dropped football.

            The offense is balanced by sr. RB Anthone Taylor, who ran for 1403 yds., 5.0 ypc and 12 scores in 2014. Although the offensive line is returning only its senior tackles, expect the offense to build on last season’s numbers. The Bulls ranked 17th in pass efficiency and scored 32 ppg, the most in school history. Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki’s UWW attack tallied 40 ppg and racked up 7315 total yards last season, so he should know what to do with the talent on hand.

            Defensively, there is much more work to do. Aside from the fact that Buffalo allowed 31.5 ppg last season (its most since 2006), there are only four starters returning, and the team lost its top four tacklers (and seven of its top 10). Oh yes, and everybody has to learn a new system! Buffalo d.c. Brian Borland switched the Bulls from a 3-4 to a 4-3 front and has to replace some key players in the front seven. This formation will prove to be a real challenge, as the Bulls’ only returning starter on the DL is Brandon Crawford, who has moved from rush LB as a frosh, to DE LY as a soph, and to DT in spring, gaining 45 pounds along the way. The Bulls are counting on getting some help from juco Torey Hendrick or Milford Academy recruit Christian Gonzalez up front. The defense will be led by jr. OLB Jarrett Franklin and sr. rover Okezie Alozie, who both tallied 49 tackles LY (but who are both undersized at 218 and 217 lbs., respectively). The secondary ranked 101st in pass efficiency defense in 2014. Three DB jobs are up for grabs, as only jr. Boise Ross, who’s also a high-quality return man, is a returning starter.

            Summary...Leipold is in a bit bigger pond now, but have no doubt about his abilities. As Buffalo Athletic Director Danny White said of his new football coach, “Lance is not trying to figure it out; he knows what he's doing." The schedule gets tougher this season, with Northern Illinois replacing Eastern Michigan from the MAC West and Nevada and Florida Atlantic replacing Army and Norfolk State in non-conference action. The defense will struggle and the offense should be strong again, so look for a continuation of the formula that’s seen the Bulls go “over” 16-7 the last two years.


            MIAMI-OHIO (SUR: 2-10; PSR: 7-4-1; O-U: 5-7)...Miami has had a rough go in the last decade, as the RedHawks have won 4 or fewer games in 6 of the last 7 seasons. Chuck Martin has a long rebuilding process in front of him, and, to his credit, he’s begun by recruiting two good classes. The bad news is that the transition to younger recruits will likely be accelerated when the true freshmen arrive in August.

            The offense will likely have six (or more) RS frosh or sophs starting. Although 5th-year sr. Drew Kummer is in the discussion as a potential starting QB, it’s much more probable that RS frosh Gus Ragland or incoming true frosh Billy Bahl (6-4, 214) will get the job. Kummer has had very little playing time, and obviously Ragland or Bahl have yet to play in their first game. The learning curve will be long, so expect a sharp decline in production from Andrew Hendrix’ numbers from last season (3280 YP, 23 TDP).

            The offensive line is rebuilding, with just two undecorated starters returning in sr. G Trevan Brown and jr. T Collin Buchanan. Sr. C Brandyn Cook has made 10 starts in the last 3 seasons of an injury-marred career, but this group is also ripe for true frosh to come in and get their feet wet quickly. The RedHawks have allowed 93 sacks and gained just 3.0 ypc in the last two years combined, so the bar is pretty low.

            The RB situation will likely center around a pair of RS frosh in Alonzo Smith and Kenny Young, who seemed to separate themselves in spring. However, this is another area where incoming frosh might get a test of fire, as Miami has a trio of relatively highly-rated candidates enrolling. Although both Smith and Young had their moments in practice, the RedHawk offensive line doesn’t figure to have huge success when they start playing the games for keeps.

            Wide receiver is the one area on offense where Miami has some returning talent, as juniors Rokeem Williams and Jared Murphy combined for 77 catches last season, and soph Sam Martin had 22 off the bench. Williams is the most explosive of the group (19.5 ypc LY), and Martin tied for the team lead last year with 5 TD catches. TE is another inexperienced position likely manned by second-year players, either soph Ryan Smith or RS frosh Nate Becker, both primarily blockers (Smith had just 5 catches LY).

            The defense improved a tad last season, but still gave up 32 ppg and 484 ypg, ranking 98th and 94th in scoring and total defense. The RedHawks have six of their front seven starters returning, but that unit has allowed 5.1 ypc and averaged only 15.5 sacks the last two years. There is some potential talent in the group, as both sr. NT Mitchell Winters and DE Bryson Albright have received at least passing interest from NFL scouts, and MLB Kent Kern was named second-team all-MAC in 2013 after making 98 tackles that season, but there are obvious problems. Jr. CB Heath Harding led the team with 98 tackles last season. That’s a big number for a cornerback. Opponents went at Harding in part because of his perceived vulnerability and in part because they wanted to go away from Miami’s best defensive player, DB Quinten Rollins, who went to the NFL as a second-round draft choice of the Green Bay Packers.

            The “D” will be replacing its safeties. One is soph Tony Reid, another second-year starter on what figures to be a young team. The other starter will likely be sr. FS Brison Burris, who has made 24 starts and has 174 tackles in his career, but he missed all of last season with injury. After giving up an average of 34 ppg in the last three seasons, any improvement would be welcomed by defensive coordinator Matt Pawlowski. While the team will be in the second season learning his system, it’s very questionable if this unit can hold foes below 30 ppg or 400 ypg this fall.

            Summary...As Super Bowl-winning head coach Bill Parcells used to say, “You are what your record says you are.” That football truism applies to the RedHawks, who have posted a winning mark just once in nine years. In the seven seasons from 2008 through 2014, six men trotted out as head coach for the RedHawks (including interim mentors). That revolving door will continue to spin at what used to be “The Cradle of Coaches” unless Martin’s recruits pan out quickly.
            Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

            Comment


            • #66
              MAC WEST

              NORTHERN ILLINOIS (SUR: 11-3; PSR: 7-7; O-U: 5-9)...The Northern Illinois football team had been mostly a doormat for decades before Joe Novak slowly began reversing things at the turn of the century. The rebuild was made complete by Jerry Kill, then Dave Doeren, and now the program is at the top of the MAC under Rod Carey. The Huskies are 41-4 in conference play the last 4 years and have won the MAC title game in three of those seasons.

              Carey, who like o.c. Bob Cole and d.c. Jay Niemann, arrived in DeKalb when Doeren took over in 2011, returns 15 starters and has done a good job of plugging in new parts the last two seasons. In 2013 and 2014, the team had 14 and 12 returning regulars and went 23-5. This year’s offense has jr. QB Drew Hare back for his second season as the regular triggerman. Hare threw for 2322 yds. and had an 18-2 TD-int. count. Hare’s 2 interceptions (326 throws ) were the fewest among FBS QBs that qualified for the passing efficiency title won by Oregon’s Marcus Mariota. Hare is definitely a dual-threat NIU QB in the mold of Chandler Harnish and Jordan Lynch, as he ran for 900 yards and 8 TDs a year ago while being sacked just 12 times.

              Jr. RB Joel Bouagnon rushed for 655 yards (5.8 ypc) and scored 5 TDs while starting half the games. Graduated RB Cameron Stingily (5.0 ypc, 971 YR, 14 TDs) will be missed, but the 224-lb. Bouagnon will likely step up and top 1000-yards. The offensive line is rebuilding at three positions, but sr. C Andrew Ness was first-team all-conference last season and sr. G Aidan Conlon has started all 42 games the last three seasons. The team likes its pair of jr. tackles as well, and the three new starters played in every game last season. The philosophy at NIU is to use the “2s” on a regular basis so that the cupboard is never bare on the OL.

              The receiving corps should be excellent, as three of the top four receivers return plus Tommylee Lewis, a 5-7 speedball who caught 86 passes and was named first-team all-MAC in 2013. Lewis played in only two games last season before being injured and returns for his 5th-year with the Huskies. Sr. Juwan Brescacin (6-4) and jr. Aregeros Turner combined for 68 catches last season, and 6-4 North Dakota transfer Kenny Golladay is eligible after taking a RS season. Golladay led the Fighting Sioux by catching 69 passes for 884 yards in 2013 and could give Hare another big target downfield.

              The defense will have eight returning defensive starters, provided that key sr. LB Rasheen Lemon (2nd on Huskies with 90 tackles) is reinstated from his team suspension stemming from a domestic violence charge back in April. The Huskies gave up a few more rushing yards in 2014 than in recent seasons, allowing 4.2 ypc after holding opponents to 3.8 ypc over the previous five years. Jr. NTs Mario Jones and Corey Thomas are run-stuffers inside, along with soph William Lee, while 2nd-team all-MAC DE Perez Ford had 57 tackles and 5 sacks last year. The hard-charging group has averaged 35 sacks the last three seasons and is backed by sr. MLB Boomer Mays, also a 2nd-team all-conference choice in 2014 after making 75 stops and leading the team with 9 TFL.

              The 2ndary was a solid again LY, holding foes below 59% for the 5th straight season and cutting yardage allowed from 263 ypg passing in 2013 to 229 LY. That group is led by sr. SS Marlon Moore, who has to be miffed at being left off the all-MAC team after leading NIU with 99 tackles. Vet sr. corner Paris Logan (77 stops, 15 pass breakups, 3 ints. LY) was a first-team all-MAC choice.

              Summary...The Huskies have a lot in their favor this season, and they’ve beaten MAC West rival Toledo five straight times. Included in those wins were a pair at the Glass Bowl, where the two meet Nov. 3. NIU is 21-1 in its last 22 games as a visitor, with the only loss coming at SEC rep Arkansas last year. And perhaps more germane to this discussion, the Huskies are 15-3 against the number their last 18 as a visitor!


              TOLEDO (SUR: 9-4; SUR: 5-7-1; O-U: 8-5)...After dominating the MAC West in the first eight years of conference divisional play, Toledo hasn’t won the West in the last decade. The Rockets have had to watch Northern Illinois go to Detroit for the MAC Championship game each of the last five seasons. This might be the year that the Rockets return to the top spot in the division. But, with a brand new OL and an inexperienced LB corps, we think Toledo will end up a bridesmaid again.

              The Rocket offense is well set at the skill positions. Sr. QB Phillip Ely won the job in August of last year, but was cut down after just two starts with an ACL injury. Jr. Logan Woodside stepped in and did a nice job, posting an 8-2 SU mark in his 10 starts. Jr. RB Kareem Hunt is a big, explosive back who made first-team all-conference LY after rushing for 1631 and gaining 8.0 ypc. His three returning backups ran for an additional 1411 yards averaged 6.0 ypc, and the Rockets ranked 12th in the nation, gaining 256 ypg rushing. Sr. WR Alonzo Russell (6-4) has 166 career catches, and 5-9 jr. Corey Jones led the team with 68 catches in 2014.

              The problem with the offense is that all five members of the most experienced offensive line in the country graduated. Three of those players were named 1st or 2nd-team all-MAC at least once in their careers, and all five were 5th-year seniors. Granted, o.c. Jason Candle was looking ahead and played some of last year’s backups for extended time. In fact, 6-8, 310-lb. jr. left tackle Storm Norton started three games last season and has played in 21 games over the last two years. The second-team OL got a decent amount of work, but projected starters such as soph C Elijah Nkansah and RS frosh G Bill Weber and sr. Florida St. transfer Ruben Carter have appeared in a total of 13 games in their careers.

              The Toledo defense has been a bit of a riddle the last few seasons, cutting its yards allowed the last two years while at the same time giving up more points. Last year the Rockets had major problems slowing opposing passers, giving up 292 ypg in the air, ranking ahead of just two FBS teams. Only Cal allowed more TD passes than the 37 scoring aerials Toledo’s foes tallied in 2014. The 2ndary returns three starters, but when you have one of the bottom three pass defenses in the nation, is that really good? FS Joe Haden was the only defensive back starter who graduated. He was also the only Toledo defensive back named to any of the three all-MAC teams. That unit will be reinforced somewhat by the return of sr. Cheatham Norrils, who sat out last season battling an infection. But don’t expect the Rockets to give up much less than the 278 ypg in the air they’ve leaked in three years under HC Matt Campbell.

              The defensive line is a strength, with all 8 from last year’s two-deep returning, led by a couple of second-team all-MAC honorees in sr. DTs Orion Jones (team-high 6 sacks) and Treyvon Hester (49 stops). Sr. DE Trent Voss is the top returning tackler on the team with 77 stops last season, and jr. FS DeJuan Rogers was 2nd with 67.

              The linebacking crew is being completely rebuilt, and the defense will definitely miss the services of Junior Sylvestre, two-time first-team all-MAC and now an Indianapolis Colt, and Ray Bush (82 stops LY). One “new” starter at LB does have more than a bit of seasoning. Sr. MLB Chase Murdock was a regular in 2013 (11 starts, 109 tackles) before losing his job last year to Bush. Murdock was a bit undersized at 6-0, 225 compared with Bush (6-3, 245). And Sylvestre was the best combination of size, strength and speed on the squad. Toledo was very tough against the run last season, allowing just 3.5 ypc, thanks in large part to the presence of Sylvestre and Bush. The defensive line recorded 29 sacks, and with much more run responsibility this season, that unit might not muster as much pressure in 2015. That would spell even more trouble for the beleaguered secondary.

              Summary...Toledo has lost five straight meetings with Northern Illinois, including two played at the Glass Bowl, the site of this year’s game. The Huskies look strong again, and until the Rockets can get over the hump against NIU in the West, they won’t be MAC champs.


              WESTERN MICHIGAN (SUR: 8-5; PSR: 11-2; O-U: 6-6-1)...Have to admit that HC P.J. Fleck’s “Row the boat” philosophy sounded a bit corny (if not naive) to us at this time last season. After all, Western Michigan was 1-11 SU for its worst mark in the 109-year history of the program. The defense had allowed 35 ppg in 2013, the worst effort for that unit in more than a decade. The QB situation was very iffy, with Zach Terrell coming off a really lukewarm effort in his six starts in 2013. Two projected starting LBs (Austin Lewis and Jason Sylva) both were later forced to take medical redshirt seasons, playing in just one game between them. Things didn’t look good.

              Well, looks like Fleck knew what he was talking about. Terrell emerged from 2014 as one of the top QBs in the MAC, completing 68% of his passes, leading the conference in pass efficiency while throwing for 3443 yds. with a 26-10 TD-int. ratio. A highly questionable RB situation was solved by the arrival on campus of 220-lb. Jarvion Franklin, who was a man among boys. He ran for a frosh MAC record 1551 yds. and scored a whopping 25 TDs. With Franklin gaining 541 yards in the first three games, opposing defensive linemen couldn’t pin their ears back and rush the passer, and the secondary couldn’t very well sit back in heavy coverage. Terrell took advantage and threw for 689 yards and 6 TDs in those games. Still, the season (and the Broncos’ grip on that rope) was slipping away at Ball State on October 11. WMU was 2-3, with losses against Purdue, Virginia Tech and in OT to Toledo, and really hadn’t proven anything with wins against Idaho and Murray State. Down 31-14 at the half, the key play in WMU’s season was turned in by greyshirt frosh slotback Darius Phillips, who took a reverse (the 1st run of his career) on the first drive of the 3rd Q and went 52 yards to the Ball State 2 to set up Jarvion Franklin’s TD that sparked the Broncos. Franklin scored two more TDs in the half, and a Terrell TD pass to WR Daniel Braverman with 1:25 left finished the Cardinals and ignited a six-game WMU win streak.

              The 2015 Bronco attack has nine starters returning from a group that scored 34 ppg, including Terrell, Franklin, first-team all-MAC WR Corey Davis (78 catches, 1408 rec. yards, 15 TD catches) and Braverman (86 catches). The receiving corps is so deep that Phillips, who was an all-conference KR, moved to cornerback where he’s projected to start. The offensive line lost a pair of starters, but both sr. T Willie Beavers and G Taylor Moton (who played T LY) are getting looks from pro scouts. Sr. G Jimmy Kristof was also all-MAC. Moton moved to G because soph Chukwuma Okorafor (6-6, 308 lbs.) just might turn out to be as good a recruit for Fleck as Franklin. Okorafor is a manchild who’s capable of pushing around most MAC defensive linemen. The offense is set; no ifs, ands or buts.

              As good as the offense was last season, nearly doubling the scoring output of 2013, the defense improved nearly stride for stride. WMU’s stop unit shaved 10½-ppg and 48 ypg off its 2013 allowances. Defensive coordinator Ed Pinkham did a masterful job. The defensive line, which had been absolutely manhandled in 2013, managing a pathetic seven sacks and yielding 5.4 ypc, turned those numbers around to 29 QB drops and a very respectable 4.2 ypc. Pinkham personally coaches the secondary, and that unit placed three players on all-MAC teams. Sr. CB Ronald Zamort (35 passes broken up the L2Ys) was one of those, and he returns along with fellow sr. Rontavious Atkins (64 stops), who moves from FS to SS to replace star S Justin Currie (who’s now a N.Y. Giant). Phillips will step in to take the CB job vacated by Donald Celiscar, and soph Asantay Brown (or perhaps fellow soph Deontae Brown—no relation) will get the call at the other safety. Fireplug sr. MLB Grant DePalma is only 5-9, but he had 102 tackles last season, and soph OLB Robert Spillane (6-4, 235) made 67 stops and had 4 sacks last year.

              Summary...The recruiting is obviously on the upswing, with Fleck bringing several true freshmen who contributed immediately last season. There are additional redshirt frosh waiting for their chance, and what looks like another good crop on the way. The future is bright, but the schedule is tougher this season. The Broncos must visit Toledo and Northern Illinois, and they’re 1-9 against those two the last five years. Rowing is tougher against the tide.


              BALL STATE (SUR: 5-7; PSR: 5-7; O-U: 5-7)...HC Pete Lembo suffered through his first losing season at Muncie last year. But have to look for a return to the form that saw the Cardinals garner bowl bids in both 2011-12 and 2013. With 18 returning starters, Lembo’s program appears to be on solid footing for 2015.

              Soph QB Jack Milas is in his third season in the offense. And assistant coach Joey Lynch, who was a very productive QB in four seasons at Ball State, has been the offensive coordinator and QB coach since the team went to the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl in December of 2013. Milas completed 55% of his passes with a 9-5 TD-int. ratio after winning the job around midseason a year ago, and he averaged 227 ypg passing in the five full games he led the attack before breaking his wrist vs. EMU and missing the season finale at Bowling Green. Milas enters the fall as the solid first choice, backed by RS frosh David Morrison and incoming 6-5 true frosh Riley Neal.

              The offense suffered a major loss with RB Jahwan Edwards running out of eligibility after gaining 1252 and scoring 12 TDs in his senior season in 2014. Edwards signed the NFL Chargers, but it’s time to turn the page. Lembo got a look at the next chapter in the Cardinal rushing offense in spring in the person of true frosh James Gilbert, who graduated from high school early and was very impressive in April workouts. Gilbert was a surprise late recruit from Indianapolis who set a school record with 4817 YR and was all-Indiana as a senior. Indiana, Louisville, Western Michigan, and Northern Illinois all expressed an interest in Gilbert, who’d planned since his sophomore season to graduate early and attend spring practice wherever he landed. Lembo loved his leg churn during spring work, and Gilbert could be the missing piece in the puzzle.

              The offensive line and the receiving corps are first rate. All five OL starters return, led by sr. C Jacob Richard, who’s been twice named 3rd-team all-MAC. There’s plenty of size and experience, and the unit has three seniors and two juniors who form one of the best OLs in the conference. The Cards ranked 12th in the nation in fewest sacks allowed LY, continuing a trend that’s seen Ball State yield just 13½ sacks per season under Lembo. The WRs should be something special, as sr. Jordan Williams has caught 128 passes the last two seasons, good for 1803 yards and 16 TDs. He was named to the last two all-MAC teams, and his running partner is explosive jr. KeVonn Mabon, who caught 59 passes for 717 yards and 5 scores in his first full season as a starter in 2014. Mabon missed most of 2013 with an injury suffered in Game 3 at North Texas that year. Sr. Chris Shillings, who also redshirted in ‘13, was a solid safety valve in 2014, ranking third among the wideouts with 28 catches.

              The defense was shaky last season, but with eight starters returning and some signs of improvement the last two seasons, things might be looking up. After yielding 33 ppg in 2011-12, the Cardinal defense has pared that down to 26 ppg the last two seasons, and the yards-per-play figure has made a similar drop. The front seven is led by jr. MLB Zack Ryan (91 tackles), sr. OLB Ben Ingle (2nd all-MAC in 2013; 203 tackles L2Ys), sr. DT and captain Darnell Smith, and sr. DE Michael Ayers (3rd in stops with 65). The team’s “spine” extends into the 2ndary, where jr SS Martez Hester patrols the field. The defense was ranked just 86th in the country, but foes didn’t turn yards into points as easily as in the past. If Ayers, jr. DE Josh Posley, and speedy (but undersized) jr. OLB Aaron Taylor can get more pressure on opposing passers this season (Cards had just 16 sacks LY), the defense will be able to do a much better job against the pass. And the run “D” has allowed fewer ground yards than the previous year in each of the last three seasons.

              Summary...Ball State was 6-18 SU in the two seasons prior to Pete Lembo taking over after the truncated Stan Parrish era in Muncie. The Cards are 30-20 since then, and they expect better results in close games this season. Have to note (and love) Ball State’s 46-16 spread mark as a visitor since 2006!


              CENTRAL MICHIGAN (SUR: 7-6; PSR: 6-7; O-U: 5-8)...Much has changed since Central Michigan was last on the field back on Christmas Eve. That day, the thrill of a Chippewa TD pass with no time left in the Bahamas Bowl against Western Kentucky was quickly replaced by the agony of a missed two-point conversion in a 49-48 loss. In the most remarkable near-comeback in recent memory, CMU trailed 49-14 with less than 12 minutes to play, scoring 34 points in the last 11:37 against the Hilltoppers. Since that disappointment, the Chippewas have endured a tumultuous and trying offseason. HC Dan Enos resigned to take the offensive coordinator job at Arkansas. The administration tabbed Detroit Lions assistant coach John Bonamego, a CMU alumnus, as head coach. In June Bonamego was diagnosed with tonsil cancer and has been undergoing treatment while trying to continue with his new job. In late June, backup CB Derrick Nash lost a two-year battle with leukemia and passed away at the age of 20. In early July, sr. CB Brandon Greer, a two-year starter, was arrested on assault and kidnaping charges and shortly thereafter was dismissed from the team. Not a lot of positive news.

              Bonamego has leaned heavily on 77-year-old offensive coordinator Morris Watts, who was appointed to the position under Enos and retained in the new staff. Watts plans to go more uptempo this season, leaning on the strong right arm of jr. QB Cooper Rush. Rush completed 64% of his passes for 3157 yds. and 27 TDs (including an FBS-record 7 in that Bahamas Bowl). Rush will be without his star target this year, as Titus Davis has moved on to the NFL after setting school records for receiving yards and TD catches. Although three of the team’s top five receivers graduated, Rush still has sr. Jesse Kroll (9 starts LY; 36 recs., 4 TDs) and 2014 backup jr. Anthony Rice (30 catches) returning.

              Rush must stay healthy, as no other QB on the roster has played in a major college game. The onus is on the offensive line to do a better job of protecting Rush, as that unit has given up 59 sacks the last two years. The return of sr. first-team all-MAC C Nick Beamish is a step in the right direction, and both sr. G Kenny Rogers and sr. left tackle Ramadan Ahmeti started all 13 games in 2015.

              There is also a big hole to fill at RB, where Thomas "Lou" Rawls has moved on. Rawls, a transfer from Michigan, ran for 1103 yds. & 10 TDs in just 6 starts, and he will be missed. Soph Devon Spalding, sr. Saylor Lavallii and jr. Martez Walker combined to run for 934 yds. (4.3 ypc) and scored 4 TDs, but none can replace the explosiveness Rawls possessed.

              The CMU defense showed improvement last year, posting its best effort since 2009, allowing just 25 ppg and 355 ypg. The Chips finished first in the MAC in total defense (despite giving up 40 points to Syracuse, 42 at Toledo, and 49 in the bowl against WKU). The loss of Greer is definitely a blow to a defense that returns just four starters. The defensive line is a team strength, with three of four starters returning led by jr. DE Joe Ostman, who was named a third-team all-MAC choice, along with jr. S Tony Annese (top returning tackler with 74). Ostman ranked third on the team LY with 60 stops, and sr. S Kavon Frazier was 4th with 58 despite making just 2 starts.

              The LB corps is being rebuilt, with sr. Tim Hamilton the most experienced having made 37 tackles while playing in all 13 games last season. Sophs Jeff Perry and soph Tyree Waller combined for 20 tackles in spot play last season, and both played DB at one time in their careers.

              Summary...While Bonamego’s health issues, Greer’s arrest, and Nash’s untimely death could serve to motivate and rally the team, we don’t see that as the telling factor. Bonamego spent 16 years in the NFL, so we’re not questioning his ability, but he and his family have to be distracted and concerned. Cancer treatment takes the wind out of you at the very least. The Chippewas return just nine starters. In the last 16 seasons, CMU has never returned fewer regulars, and their composite record when the return was 12 or fewer is 12-34 SU. It’s difficult to see more than three or four wins for the Chips this season.


              EASTERN MICHIGAN (SUR: 2-10; PSR: 4-7; O-U: 6-5)...Eastern Michigan is once again an also-ran in the MAC West unless something dramatic (very dramatic) happens. Second-year Eagle HC Chris Creighton has lowered expectations and now is committed to a youth movement. Reportedly, more than half of this season’s squad has no major-college game experience. Creighton will have 22 RS frosh and 24 incoming frosh, plus a handful of junior college players that will get their shot at playing this fall. That’s good, because this program could use a reboot.

              The offensive “star” is RS soph jr. QB Reggie Bell. Bell is a shifty dual-threat type from Los Angeles who arrived on campus at 6-3 and 169. He has put on some weight in the offseason and is listed at 190, and the coaching staff is hoping the added weight will help him stay on the field more. Last year Bell missed some time with minor injuries and compiled an underwhelming 1297 YP, 57% completions and a 9-6 TD-int. ratio while rushing for 562 yards and 4 TDs. Not exactly Heisman numbers, but he did have some high points, such as running for 202 yards against Buffalo and generating 510 yards of total offense against Ball State.

              The RB group is a hodgepodge, and it’s quite possible sr. Darius Jackson (top returning RB with 295 YR, 4.8 ypc) will be supplanted by one of the youngsters. The offensive line returns two starters from a group that allowed a gut-wrenching 38 sacks (gut-wrenching if you’re Reggie Bell, that is) and cleared the way for an attack that ranked 123rd in scoring 15 ppg. One of the incumbent starters was replaced in spring workouts by a RS freshman, and the OL is in such need of repair that jr. scheduled starting TE Cole Gardner moved to OT and appears to be headed for a starting role. Gardner will likely be replaced by one of the four TE recruits due in August.

              The WR situation is experienced, but still lackluster, as sr. returning starters Dustin Creel and Kris Strange combined to catch just 38 passes and scored just 2 TDs. Creighton is hopeful that jr. Indiana transfer Kevin Davis can supply some explosive plays this fall. But again the phalanx of frosh will be given the opportunity to cut their teeth.

              The defense ranked 118th in total yards and 122nd in yielding 41 ppg. Although DT Pat O’Connor (first-team all-MAC; 2nd in conference with 7½ sacks), sr. LB Great Ibe (led the team with 133 tackles and is on our preseason “All-Name” list), and MLB Anthony Zappone (90 stops) represent some building blocks to work with, the stop unit needs a good deal of help in many other areas. Sr. starting LB Hunter Matt will not be back on the football team this season for reasons Creighton declined to disclose. The secondary returns a couple of starters in soph S Jason Beck (86 tackles as a true frosh in ‘14) and jr. DaQuan Pace, but the Eagles ranked 125th in pass efficiency defense.

              The defensive line actually improved last season against the run compared with 2012-13, as EMU “only” gave up 5.2 ypc after yielding 6.3 in each of the previous two seasons. However, the lack of a pass rush other than O’Connor contributed to the poor coverage, as the rest of the team managed just 4½ sacks. The secondary has given up 66% completions over the last two years, so there are problems almost everywhere.

              One major problem that was emphasized in the offseason was turnovers on both sides of the ball. The Eagles make too many on offense, and they don’t generate nearly enough on defense, leading to their 124th ranking in TO margin. EMU is -30 in the last two seasons, and if Creighton makes good on his promise to play a lot of frosh, that won’t change in 2015.

              Summary...Creighton is a capable coach who’s been successful at smaller programs (Ottawa, KS; Wabash; Drake), and eventually he might pull Eastern Michigan out of its recent malaise that’s seen the Eagles win two or fewer games in four of the last five years. But, considering a fairly tough schedule, it’s difficult to expect the Eagles to win three games this season.
              Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

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              • #67
                Team to Watch - Clemson

                August 20, 2015


                If momentum from bowl season means anything, then Clemson (SU 10-3, ATS 6-7, O/U 4-9) has to be regarded along with Ohio State as one of the favorites entering the 2015 campaign.

                Of course, that’s not the way things always work in college football, but there is nothing wrong with a team going through an offseason with an extra bounce in its step after a big bowl blowout. Which is exactly the case for the Tigers, who concluded a rousing climax to 2014 with a clear knockout over hated South Carolina in the regular–season finale before taking Oklahoma behind the woodshed in the Russell Athletic Bowl at Orlando, bombarding the Sooners, 40-6.

                Now, can Clemson take the next step and leapfrog over Florida State in the ACC Atlantic?

                Clemson Future Odds
                To win ACC - 2/1
                To win National Championship - 25/1
                Over-Under Win Total - 9.5 (Over +110, Under -130)

                Odds Subject to Change - Updated 8.20.15 per Westgate SuperBook

                Whatever happens this fall in Death Valley, there are no longer any lingering questions about Dabo Swinney being the right man to lead the program. Dabo’s status had long been a point of contention among warring factions of the IPTAY crowd, but four straight double-digit win seasons, and successive bowl wins over heavyweights LSU, Ohio State, and Oklahoma have quieted any lingering critics who long believed the program should have shot higher than Swinney, who took over from Tommy Bowden at midseason 2008. Seven years later, however, Dabo is still on the job and more secure than he has ever been in his position.

                Still, there are some questions heading into the fall. Clemson fans (and some of Dabo’s detractors) have long feared the day when decorated offensive coordinator Chad Morris would decide to strike out on his own and accept one of the many head coaching opportunities that have been coming his way in recent years. Finally, Morris decided to accept one of those challenges (at SMU). Meanwhile, a gaggle of starters have departed from the team that blasted Oklahoma in the bowl game.

                Fortunately for Swinney, defensive coordinator Brent Venables, who opened a few eyes when moving from Oklahoma to Death Valley in 2012, remains in the fold after last year’s stop unit ranked number one nationally (conceding a mere 16.7 ppg). Along the way the Tigers also led the nation in tackles for loss (a staggering 131!). Venables, however, has some serious reloading to do with a platoon that lost eight starters from last year’s airtight unit.

                Still, many ACC observers do not forecast a significant drop-off for the “D” despite the heavy graduation losses that included, among others, a pair of NFL first-round draft picks, career sack leader DE Vic Beasley (Falcons) and MLB Stephone Anthony (Saints).

                Playmakers should still abound on the platoon, with the secondary an expected strength. Shutdown soph CB Mackenzie Alexander has NFL aspirations and already has established himself as one of the ACC’s best cover men after just one season, and there is experience at the safety spots with juniors Jayron Kearse and Jadar Johnson. The pass defense ranked second nationally a year ago when allowing just 157.4 yards pg, but will be asked to carry a heavier burden in the early going behind a mostly rebuilt front seven.

                Expected to step into Beasley’s vacated speed-rush role from the edge is jr. Shaq Lawson, a Frosh A-A in 2013 who has shown flashes of brilliance the past two seasons when recording 7.5 sacks. Tackles D.J. Reader and Carlos Watkins, effective rotation pieces a year ago, should be able to slide into the starting lineup without much dropoff. Another junior, DE Kevin Dodd, was the hit of spring drills. Meanwhile, intense jr. Ben Boulware should be able to assume a lead position for the LB corps from his weakside position, while well-regarded RS frosh such as Kendall Joseph and Korie Rogers are itching to make contributions at the LB spots.

                The team could probably withstand a slight reduction of efficiency from the “D” because the “O” appears poised for a breakout season...even minus o.c. Morris. Swinney, desiring to keep as much continuity as possible on the attack end, promoted RB coach Tony Elliott and WR coach Jeff Scott as co-o.c.’s, though it remains to be seen how Morris’ playcalling duties will be handled.

                Regardless, the Tigers have the trigger-man they want for the attack in soph QB Deshaun Watson, who burst upon the scene like gangbusters a year ago but would unfortunately miss five full games with a pair of injuries (broken finger and torn ACL). Assuming he can stay in one piece this fall, Clemson might have the most dynamic force in the ACC after Watson shined brightly as a frosh, tossing for 1466 yards and 14 TDP with just 2 picks in essentially just four full games, which included an eye-opening 435-yard, 6 TDP effort vs. a stunned North Carolina.

                Watson has targets, too, with WRs Mike Williams and Artavis Scott combining for 1995 receiving yards and 14 TDs on 133 catches a year ago. Meanwhile, the top three rushers from 2014 also return, led by soph Wayne Gallman, who gained 769 YR as a frosh and exited spring as the featured back. A pair of electric true frosh, Florida products WR/RB Ray Ray McCloud and WR Deon Cain, were the headliners of the recruiting class and are expected to make immediate contributions.

                If there are questions offensively, they would probably involve the OL, which must plug in three new starters. Once again, some highly-regarded frosh led by Georgia product T Mitch Hyatt, could compete for playing time, while sr. LT Isaiah Battle is a likely NFL draftee next spring. The kicking game should be in good hands (or legs, if you will) with sr. PJ Ammon Lakip, who finished as a Lou Groza Award semifinalists a year ago when hitting 21 of 28 FG tries.

                Pointspread-wise, Dabo’s teams have been prone to streaks, and last year was no exception with skeins of four (wins) and six (losses, mostly after QB Watson went out of the lineup). Clemson did drop all three of its chances as a visiting favorite last season, though Swinney has covered 8 of his last 12 chances as an underdog.

                2015 Schedule

                Sept 5 vs. Wofford
                Sept 12 vs.Appalachian State
                Sept 17 at Louisville
                Oct 3 vs.Notre Dame
                Oct 10 vs.Georgia Tech
                Oct 17 vs. Boston College
                Oct 24 at Miami, Fl.
                Oct 31 at North Carolina State
                Nov 7 vs. Florida State
                Nov 14 at Syracuse
                Nov 21 vs. Wake Forest
                Nov 28 at South Carolina

                The schedule ramps up in a hurry after the first two at Death Valley vs. Wofford and Appalachian State, with a trip to Louisville preceding a three-game homestand that includes visits from Notre Dame and Georgia Tech. So, we’ll definitely have an idea by midseason of Clemson is a serious Final Four contender.

                And if so, we can safely assume QB Watson is having a bang-up campaign, The chance to qualify for the New Year’s Six, however, likely comes down to the November 7 game vs. Florida State...and the Tigers get the Noles in Death Valley as they look to avenge last year’s painful OT loss at Tallahassee vs. Jameis Winston-less FSU.
                Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

                Comment


                • #68
                  Team to Watch - N.C. State

                  August 20, 2015

                  Looking for a sleeper in the ACC?

                  Try North Carolina State (8-5 SU, 8-5 ATS, O/U 6-7), which fits the profile of a stealth entry ready to surprise the masses in the fall.

                  North Carolina State Future Odds
                  To win ACC - 20/1
                  To win National Championship - 100/1
                  Over-Under Win Total - 7.5 (Over +105, Under -125)


                  Odds Subject to Change - Updated 8.20.15 per Westgate SuperBook & 5Dimes.eu

                  The recovery to a winning mark and a bowl success over UCF in hostile territory at St. Petersburg has restored a bit of shine to a program that had been stained over the previous couple of years by a succession of torpedo hits that included QB Russell Wilson’s unexpected departure to Wisconsin for his senior season, the abrupt dismissal of capable HC Jim O’Brien the following year, and the Wolfpack’s pratfall in year one of the Dave Doeren regime in 2013.

                  Doeren, who arrived in Raleigh after an impressive run at Northern Illinois, and a decorated prior stint as d.c. at Wisconsin, did not exactly impress in his debut campaign when NCS could not win a league game. But the recovery was quick in 2014 and allowed the Pack to overcome a 4-game slump in the middle of the season that was triggered by a gut-wrenching loss to Jameis Winston and Florida State, when NCS failed to hold an early 24-7 lead at Carter-Finley Stadium.

                  An unexpected and welcome contributor to the 2014 upgrade was the University of Florida, from where QB electric Jacoby Brissett transferred after being misused and perhaps underappreciated by Will Muschamp and the offensively-challenged Gator staff.

                  Much as another Florida transfer QB, Tyler Murphy, would ignite Boston College a season ago, Brissett would similarly do in Raleigh, passing for 23 TDs vs. only 5 picks and contributing over 3100 yards via run and pass. The offense was also more efficient as reflected in a 49% (scoring) success rate, compared to just 37% the year before...mostly due to the presence of Brissett. The now-sr. Brissett thus enters 2015 as a chic Heisman Trophy darkhorse candidate.

                  There are other reasons to like the Pack, whose Wisconsin connection extends beyond Doeren to o.c. Matt Canada, who held a similar post on Bret Bieleman’s staff at Madison and stresses the same sort of power-running dimension that has become familiar with the Badgers. NCS is thus hardly a one-dimensional, air-oriented attack, motoring for over 200 yards pg on the ground in 2014.

                  Senior RBs Shadrach Thornton (907 YR LY) and Matt Dyes return to the fold and are complemented by a collection of blue-chip recruits led by in-state star Johnny Frasier, who originally committed to Florida State before making a u-turn to Raleigh. Another touted frosh, versatile Nyheim Hines, has ACC insiders raving and provides all sorts of possibilities for o.c. Canada, who will be very tempted to utilize Hines on the sort of “jet sweeps” that gained good yardage for the pack a year ago. Hines also figures in the WR mix, and it’s worth noting that all of the backs in the NCS offense are adapt pass-catchers, too, giving Brissett, himself a flashy scrambler, all sorts of options in the aerial game.

                  Beyond the exciting possibilities brought to the table by Brissett, the offense appears built upon a solid foundation with four starters back along the OL. Though if there is a situation to watch up front it could be at the tackle spots, where mountainous 328-lb. sr. Alex Barr was moved from guard to the RT spot in spring, and RS frosh Tyler Jones will form the bookend on the left side. Doeren will also be breaking in a new pair of kickers, and in the return, that versatile weapon frosh Nyheim Hines is expected to make immediate contributions.

                  The Pack “D” hit a tough patch a year ago during the aforementioned losing streak, but d.c. Dave Huxtable altered schemes down the stretch and began to blitz more frequently, with positive results as NCS would win four of its last five games. Half of the Pack’s 30 sacks last season came during the final four games of the campaign. Like the offense, seven starters return on the defensive side of the ball.

                  Huxtable’s 4-2-5 looks will be relying on some of the rotation pieces from last year’s DL to step into more featured roles this fall alongside sr. DE Mike Rose, the lone returning starter up front. Soph DT Kentavius Street, the headliner of last year’s recruiting class, could be ready for a break out campaign. There is plenty of experience in the back seven, and all five starting DBs return, led by sr. FS Hakim Jones, who had a team-best 80 tackles last fall. Junior Jack Trocho is also regarded as one of the best shutdown corners in the ACC.

                  For the Pack to make a real breakthrough, however, it will have to sustain success on the road in the ACC, where it is just 3-23 its last 26 as a visitor. But NCS did win a couple of conference games away from home last season (at Syracuse and a short drive down Tobacco Road at North Carolina), and it’s worth noting that the Pack covered five of six away from Raleigh.

                  2015 Schedule
                  Sept 5 vs Troy
                  Sept 12 vs Eastern Kentucky
                  Sept 19 at Old Dominion
                  Sept 26 at South Alabama
                  Oct 3 vs Louisville
                  Oct 9 at Virginia Tech
                  Oct 24 at Wake Forest
                  Oct 31 vs Clemson
                  Nov 7 at Boston College
                  Nov 14 at Florida State
                  Nov 21 vs Syracuse
                  Nov 28 vs North Carolina

                  Completing the Pack’s “dangerous darkhorse profile” is a favorable slate that offers four apparently non-threatening tests in September before conference play commences with back-to-back games at home vs. Louisville and at Virginia Tech. Those tests are winnable, so it is conceivable that the Pack could be at 7-0 and generating some real national buzz (with QB Brissett perhaps moving into the Heisman conversation) by the time Clemson visits on Halloween.

                  NC State will have a revenge motive deluxe vs. the Tigers after last year’s ugly 41-0 loss at Death Valley, when the Pack was completely flat after its all-out upset effort vs. Florida State fell short. This season, Wake Forest precedes the Tigers, so we doubt NCS will have left its best game on the field vs. the Demon Deacons before facing the Clemson challenge.

                  Getting past Florida State and Clemson in the Atlantic might be asking a bit much, but as long as Brissett stays healthy, the Pack has a puncher’s chance vs. both the Noles and Tigers and at the least should expect a desirable bowl invitation in December or January. Buckle up, it could be a fun ride this fall in Raleigh.
                  Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

                  Comment


                  • #69
                    Power Rankings 21-40

                    August 19, 2015


                    It's time to kick off a new football season!

                    College football begins on Thursday Sept. 3, so here's a look at the top teams, starting with my Top 21-40.

                    40) Miami: The Hurricanes haven’t been covering numbers (6-15 ATS run) but Al Golden’s team returns dazzling sophomore QB Brad Kaaya (3,198 yards, 26 TDs, 12 INTs). They averaged 29.3 points and 250 yards passing. The Hurricanes had one of the better offensive lines in the ACC, allowing only 21 sacks, helping rushers average 5.3 yards per carry. The defense lacks a pass rush but allowed 24.3 ppg and returns a deep LB corps, including soph Al-Quadin Muhammad, who was suspended last season. They will start 2-0 before hosting Nebraska (Sept. 19), a revenge game after a 41-31 road loss.

                    39) Northern Illinois: A slow start and a hot finish have the Huskies primed to dominant the MAC in 2015 after going 11-3. The offense struck for 31.5 points, 192 yards passing and 249 yards rushing. Junior QB Drew Hare (18 TDs, 2 INTs) solidified the passing game and senior WR Tommylee Lewis is a big play threat who was on the shelf most of last fall. The ground attack returns Joel Bouagnon (655 yards, 5.8 ypc), plus All-MAC center Andrew Ness and guard Aidan Conlon return for their fourth years in the starting lineup. The defense excelled down the stretch (7-4 run under the total) and the Huskies return seven of their top eight linemen, five of sixLBs, and eight of nine defensive backs. They need to survive a tough stretch September 19 playing 4 of 5 away – beginning at Ohio State!

                    38) North Carolina: Coach Larry Fedora runs attacking offenses and his team returns 10 starters on offense, 6 on defense. This offense averaged 33.2 points, 151 yards rushing and 278 passing (28th) and returns senior QB Marquise Williams (21 TDs, 9 INTs). 5 starters are back on offensive line that gave up just 25 ACC sacks. Junior RB T.J. Logan (582 yards) and Elijah Hood are back, a former top-10 RB prospect. The WRs loaded behind 6-4 senior Quinshad Davis and sophomore All-American return ace Ryan Switzer (757 yards). New defensive coordinator Gene Chizk overhauls a unit that allowed 39 ppg, returning a strong secondary and an experienced LB corps.

                    37) Cincinnati: Tommy Tuberville’s Bearcats scorched defenses last year averaging 34 points and 303.6 yards passing (13th in the nation). They will be fine behind 6-4 junior QB Gunner Kiel (31 TDs, 13 INTs) and senior WR Shaq Washington (761 yards) leading this four-wideout offense. The D-line is a weak spot, but the secondary is strong behind ball-hawking safety Zach Edwards (121 tackles) and cornerback Adrian Witty, who missed time last year. They don’t play Ohio State like in 2014, so the schedule is much easier.

                    36) Penn State: The offense can’t be as bad as 2014 and the defense should be one of the best in the Big 10. Senior DE Garrett Sickels and tackle Anthony Zettel return up front to a Nittany Lions defense that ranked seventh in the nation allowing 18.6 ppg. The offense was terrible under first-year coach James Franklin allowing a Big Ten-worst 44 sacks. 6-7 Juco transfer Tackle Paris Palmer is aboard to help the line for talented 6-4 junior QB Christian Hackenberg (12 TDs, 15 INTs). He has fine targets in sophomore WR DaeSean Hamilton (899 yards) and junior WR Geno Lewis (751 yards). Hard to believe Penn State is on a 21-13 run over the total.

                    35) Utah: Kyle Whittingham’s team won 9 games and returns 6 on offense, 5 on defense. This balanced attack averaged 31.3 points and over 190 yards rushing and passing. The offense will be fine returning 6-6 seniors QB Travis Wilson (18 TDs, 5 INTs) and RB Devontae Booker (1,512 yards, 5.2 ypc). Marcus Williams returns to the defensive line after posting 59 tackles along with Tevin Carter and Andre Godfrey. The defense allowed 24.9 ppg (43rd) and the Utes are on a 17-9 run under the total

                    34) Virginia Tech: It’s now or never for Frank Beamer’s Hokies to get back to the 10-win mark. 9 starters are back on offense, 8 on D. The offense has been a problem (24 ppg) and sophomore QB Andrew Ford would probably be a better choice over senior QB Michael Brewer (18 TDs, 15 INTs). The skill positions on offense are good and the defense should be great after allowing 20 ppg (14th in the nation). Sack artist senior DT Luther Maddy returns with cornerback Brandon Facyson to what should be one of the ACC’s top defenses. But can this offense improve? V-Tech is on a 31-19-2 run under the total.

                    33) Arizona State: Coach Todd Graham is off a pair of 10-win seasons and returns 6 starters on offense, 7 on defense. Senior QB Mike Bercovici (12 TDs, 4 INTs) shared time with Taylor Kelly, but had back-to-back games against USC and UCLA throwing for 488 and 510 yards, 8 TDs, 2 picks. Senior RB D.J. Foster (1,081 yards, 5.6 ypc) also caught 62 passes for 688 yards. The defense (27.9 ppg allowed) returns senior NT Jaxon Hood and senior safety Jordan Simone to a unit that has upside. They open against Texas A&M at Houston’s NRG stadium and have only two tough road games (UCLA, Utah). The Sun Devils are on a 16-11 run over the total.

                    32) Tennessee: It’s taken three years but Coach Butch Jones has built a rising newcomer and the Vols see this as their breakthrough season. 11 starters are back on offense, 8 on defense. Junior QB Joshua Dobbs (9 TDs, 6 INTs) operates a fast-pace attack with sophomore RB Jalen Hurd (889 yards) and a slew of wideouts. The main concern is an offensive line that is experienced but allowed 43 sacks. The defense gave up just 24.2 ppg and is loaded, led by sophomore DE Derek Barnett and DT Owen Williams. They had the SEC's second-best third-down defense (34 percent). The Vols host Oklahoma in Week 2 (a 34-10 loss in 2014), and the toughest road games are at Florida, Bama and Missouri. Tennessee is on a 22-13-2 run over the total run.

                    31) Louisville: Head Coach Bobby Petrino is off a 9-4 season but returns only 4 starters on both sides of the ball. The good news is junior QB Will Gardner (12 TDs, 3 picks) returns along with 5-9 junior RB Brandon Radcliff (737 yards). 3 QBs combined for 21 TDs, 10 picks. The defense was strong (21.8 ppg allowed) but lost its top players up front. The secondary adds Georgia transfers Shaq Wiggins and Josh Harvey-Clemons. The Cardinals have been dangerous as a dog: 3 years ago they beat Florida in the Sugar bowl, 33-23, as a +14 dog and in 2013 whipped Miami, 36-9 as -5 chalk. Last year they won at Notre Dame (31-28) as +3 dog and lost 23-17 at Clemson as +9.

                    30) Oklahoma State: Mike Gundy’s no-huddle offense returns senior QB J.W. Walsh, who barely played in 2014 because of injuries. Senior QB Daxx Garman (12 TDs, 12 INTs) is also back along with 6-4 sophomore QB Mason Rudolph (6 TDs, 4 INTs, 853 yards). The ground game disappeared (136 yards per game) as the porous O-line allowed 40 sacks. On the plus side, the wide receivers are deep. The defense slipped from 21st in points allowed to 94th (31.2 ppg). DE Emmanuel Ogbah, LB Ryan Simmons and CB Kevin Peterson anchor a unit that should bounce back. Instead of opening vs. Florida State like last year, they open with Central Michigan, Central Arkansas, UTSA, then at Texas.

                    29) Nebraska: Bo Pelini is out, but the Huskers scooped up former Oregon State coach Mike Riley and his pro-style offense. The offense averaged 37.8 points and returns junior QB Tommy Armstrong (22 TDs, 12 INTs) plus senior RB Imani Cross (384 yards, 5.1 ypc). The shaky defense returns 5 starters, but allowed 59, 28, 34 and 45 the last four (1-3). The schedule is in their favor, with 4 of 6 at home to start, plus road games at Miami, Minnesota, Purdue and Rutgers are winnable. Nebraska is 22-12 SU/21-11 ATS on the road.

                    28) Texas: Coach Charlie Strong improved the defense (23.8 ppg allowed) and the offense will be more stable after a chaotic 2014 with suspensions and injuries. 5 starters are back on the offensive line along with senior RB Johnathan Gray. 6-4 junior QB Tyrone Swoopes (13 TDs, 11 INTs) will be pressed by freshman QB Kai Locksley, a four-star recruit who flipped from Florida State to Texas. The Texas defense held opponents to just 4.7 yards per play and adds freshman LB Malik Jefferson, one of the top high school LBs, a big coup. They open at Notre Dame and totals’ bettors take note: The Longhorns are on a 17-9 run under the total.

                    27) BYU: The Cougars have great stability with 11-year Coach Bronco Mendenhall. This offense has exceptional balance after averaging 37.1 points, 278.7 yards passing and 181.8 yards rushing and returns dual-threat senior QB Taysom Hill (7 TDs, 3 INTs). Two years ago he threw 19 TDs and ran for 1,344 yards. They were 4-0 in 2014 before Hill broke his leg. He teams with senior RB Jamaal Williams (775, 1,233 and 518 yds the last 3 years) and talented WR Mitch Mathews (922 yds). The defense took a step back prompting Mendenhall to get more involved. This should be a highly motivated squad, after a bowl loss to Memphis (55-48) followed by a postgame brawl. BYU is on an 8-2 run over the total, as well as 3-8 ATS.

                    26) UCLA: Fourth-year coach Jim Mora, Jr, has to replace star QB Brett Hundley but he thinks he found the next “Mr. Football” in 6-4 freshman Josh “Chosen” Rosen, the No. 1 quarterback prospect in the nation. Fortunately the skill positions are deep with junior RB Paul Perkins (1,575 yards, 6.3 ypc), and senior WRs Devin Fuller, Jordan Payton (954 yards) and 6-3 junior Thomas Duarte (540 yards). The defense (28 ppg allowed) has 6 starters back and a new defensive coordinator for the second straight year in Tom Bradley. Road games are at Arizona, Stanford, Utah and USC (Utah is a revenge game after a 28-20 loss as -13 chalk).

                    25) Kansas State: Is there a better coach than Bill Snyder? He continues to amaze, on a 15-5 SU, 15-7 ATS run. 6 starters are back on offense, 8 on defense. The Wildcats averaged 35.8 ppg but have a relatively new QB in junior Joe Hubener (235 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT). The offensive line returns four starters, including standout left tackle Cody Whitehair, and junior RB Charles Jones (540 yards). The defense has been Top 30 in points allowed in each of the last two seasons and should be strong with safety Dante Barnett, defensive lineman Travis Britz, CB Morgan Burns. They get 5 bowl teams at home and the only tough road games are at Ok-State and Texas.

                    24) Clemson: Clemson has 11, 11 and 10 wins the last three years for Coach Dabo Swinney, though only 4 starters are back on offense, 2 on defense. 6-3 sophomore QB Deshaun Watson (14 TDs, 2 picks) returns (67.9% completions) along with a deep wide receiver crop, including junior Mike Williams (1,030 yds, 18.1 ypc). The defensive line lost its top players, so junior DE Shaq Lawson steps up to a unit that was third in the nation allowing 16.7 ppg. The Tigers are 32-21 ATS the last four years.

                    23) Oklahoma: Bob Stoops has 7 starters back on offense, 6 on defense. This ground attack ranked 11th in the nation with 261 yards per game and returns Junior QB Trevor Knight (14 TDs, 12 INTs) and sophomore RB Samaje Perine (1,713 yards, 21 TDs, 6.5 ypc) was a beast as a freshman. New offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley comes over from East Carolina where they ran uptempo attacks. The linebacking corps returns intact, plus LB Frank Shannon is back after a suspension, a former 4-star recruit. The defensive front has junior DT Matt Romar and senior DE Charles Tapper. Oklahoma is on a 24-12-1 run over the total.

                    22) Arizona: Fourth-year Coach Rich Rodriguez runs a zone-read spread option attack that struck for 34.5 points, 281 yards passing and 182 rushing per contest. He found a gem in Sophomore QB Anu Solomon, (28 TDs, 9 INTs). Teamed with Junior RB Nick Wilson (1,375 yards, 5.8 ypc, 16 TDs) and senior WR Cayleb Jones (1,018 yards) this offense should hum. Only 5 starters are back on defense, but one is amazing LB Scooby Wright. They will start 3-0, then host UCLA and go to Stanford. They won’t play Oregon (a 51-13 loss), unless they meet in the Pac 12 title game.

                    21) Boise State: No slowing down the Broncos, who won 12 games and return 17 starters. 9 starters return on offense, though sophomore QB Ryan Finley (161 yards) has to step in. The offense averaged 39.7 points, 280 yards passing and 214 rushing. They won’t score as much, but the defense is loaded (26.8 ppg allowed) led by M-West sack leader Kamalei Correa (12), Darian Thompson (7 picks) and cornerback Donte Deayon (6 picks, 2 TDs). They have September road tests at BYU and Virginia.
                    Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

                    Comment


                    • #70
                      TGS 2015 COLLEGE FB PREVIEW...A LOOK AT THE GOLD SHEET'S TOP 40!

                      by Bruce Marshall, Goldsheet.com Editor

                      1-OHIO STATE...As the great Kentucky play-by-play voice Cawood Ledford liked to say, “Write it down.” For if the Buckeyes are the same team in 2015 that we saw for the final three games from last season, they will repeat as FBS champion. Giving hope to the masses, however, is that OSU did not flash that form for much of 2014 and was vulnerable enough at different times of the campaign to actually lose to a modest Virginia Tech and survive narrow escapes at Penn State and Minnesota. Still, hard to find any weak spots, and even Braxton Miller’s bum shoulder and summer move to WR actually works to OSU’s benefit, unclogging the logjam at QB that still involves J.T. Barrett and bowl hero Cardale Jones. In August, however, Urban Meyer’s team looks to have the best shot to run the table in the regular season, and since serious opposition in the Big Ten is probably limited to Michigan State, it would be a surprise only if OSU did not re-qualify for the Final Four. Along the way, either QB, Barrett or Jones, or RB Ezekiel Elliott could emerge as serious Heisman contenders.


                      2-TCU...A year ago at this time we were wondering where the Frogs might fall in the second division of the Big 12. Four months later we were wondering how a team as good as TCU turned out to be a year ago could be bypassed for the Final Four. It’s a new season and now the Frogs are out for redemption, with most of an offense that scored almost 47 ppg back in the fold, including sr. QB Trevone Boykin, on a short list of serious Heisman candidates after his breakout 2014. There are some graduation losses to be filled on defense, but HC Gary Patterson and d.c. Dick Bumpus have been turning out nationally-ranked stop units for the past decade, so we doubt the drop-off (if any) on the stop end will be noticeable. The roadblock that stood in the way of the Froggies a year ago, Baylor, must visit Fort Worth this term on Thanksgiving Friday, November 27 in what could effectively be a quarterfinal matchup for the Final Four.


                      3-AUBURN...There’s a little “team du jour” feel about Auburn, which did not exactly roar down the stretch a year ago. Defensive issues late last season prompted HC Gus Malzahn to move out d.c. Ellis Johnson and replace him with Will Muschamp, who had a decorated run as a d.c. at Auburn and Texas before enduring a bumpy time as Florida HC the past four years. But Muschamp’s scheming is expected to add extra bite to the Tiger defense, and new QB Jeremy Johnson is supposed to have more tools than the man he backed up, Nick Marshall, the past two years, which should keep the Gus Malzahn offense humming. If the “D” improves as expected, Auburn likely becomes the team to beat in the crowded SEC West.


                      4-BAYLOR...After getting shut out of the debut edition of the Final Four last season, could the Big 12 really get a double-entry in 2015? Maybe so; remember, had a couple of results fallen differently in conference title games last December, the Big 12 could have had two team in last year’s Final Four, instead of none. Whatever, the road is paved pretty nicely for the Bears, who do not have a challenging pre-league slate and play most of the expected Big 12 contenders in Waco...except for revenge-minded TCU, which blew a 21-point lead to Baylor a year ago and gets to host the Bears in the return match on November 27. But underestimate the Bears at your own risk, as HC Art Briles has been reloading on offense with no drop-off in recent years, and scouts like new QB Seth Russell to pick up where RG III and Bryce Petty have left off in recent campaigns.


                      5-ALABAMA...The joyless Nick Saban has had more reason to brood the past two seasons after the Crimson Tide would end each campaign in depressing fashion. But the “Nick-tator” has had Bama in the national title conversation since his second season in Tuscaloosa and 2015 should be no different. Still, there are questions are on defense, where coordinator Kirby Smart’s star is shining a bit less brightly these days after his platoon leaked a bit much in crucial late-season games the past two years, and at QB, where the now-departed Blake Sims emerged as a surprising playmaker a year ago, and we wait again for ex-Florida State transfer Jacob Coker to emerge. But the “O” should be fine, as Coker (or RS frosh David Cornwell) can always hand the ball to chop-busting, Eddie Lacy-like RB Derrick Henry. Smart’s defense, however, could use a shutdown corner to emerge as the Tide secondary is likely to come under repeated fire in the fall.

                      6-OREGON...At the recent Pac-12 Media Day, Ducks HC Mark Helfrich did not want to talk about Eastern Washington transfer QB Vernon Adams, who had yet to enroll in school. But Pac-12 sources believe the playmaking Adams gives the Ducks their best chance to minimize the departure of Heisman-winning QB Marcus Mariota and make another run at the Final Four. Post-Mariota, we now get to see if Helfich can keep the program at the same altitude it has been flying since the Chip Kelly era, and if the recent high level of recruiting can sustain the Ducks as a national contender. We will find out soon enough in a September 12 matchup vs. revenge-minded Michigan State at East Lansing.


                      7-MICHIGAN STATE...Speaking of the Spartans, HC Mark Dantonio has several key pieces back from last year’s 11-2 edition that suffered setbacks only vs. national finalists Ohio State and Oregon. That includes QB Connor Cook, a fifth-year senior who has won bowl games the past two seasons and resisted the temptation to make himself available for last May’s NFL Draft. An absence of note, however, is longtime Dantonio sidekick, d.c. Pat Narduzzi, now Pitt’s head coach, but Dantonio has promoted from within and most Big Ten observers do not expect MSU’s stop unit to skip a beat. As a year ago, Sparty’s chances to crash the Final Four likely come down to how MSU fares vs. the Ducks (at East Lansing on September 12) and Buckeyes (this fall at Columbus on November 21).


                      8-GEORGIA...After 14 seasons, the natives might finally be getting a bit restless with HC Mark Richt, who was recently named as one of the four most under-fire SEC head coaches despite his 136-48 career mark in Athens. But in the lesser of the SEC divisions, there is opportunity for the Bulldogs to make some noise this fall IF new o.c. Brian Schottenheimer (replacing Mike Bobo, now Colorado State’s HC) can adapt to the college game after years of NFL experience, and a QB emerges after an inconclusive spring and the first time in nearly a decade that UGa entered fall camp not knowing who the QB might be. What we do know about the offense is that soph RB Nick Chubb (1547 YR as a frosh) could be on a short list of legit Heisman hopefuls. The defense, in its second year under coordinator Jeremy Pruitt, might need to become an elite platoon for the Dawgs to get back to the SEC title game for the first time since 2012.


                      9-FLORIDA STATE...In retrospect, there were plenty of distractions last year in Tallahassee, not the least of which were Heisman QB Jameis Winston’s various adventures and controversies. Unfortunately for Noles fans, the team's off-field issues continued thru this spring and summer, and some in the region wonder if HC Jimbo Fisher, himself going through a divorce, is capable of keeping a lid on the situation. We’ll see. The post-Winston vacuum at QB might be solved by Notre Dame sr. transfer Everett Golson, who was in the Heisman mix when he visited Tallahassee with the Irish last October but had surrendered his job to Malik Zaire by the end of the season. The Noles lost more than just Winston to the NFL Draft, too, but Jimbo’s assembly line has been producing top-grade talent for several years. And let’s not forget that before the Rose Bowl blowout loss to Oregon, the Noles had won 29 games in a row. Still the team to beat in the ACC.


                      10-ARIZONA STATE...The Sun Devils have won 10 games each of the past two seasons, and were in the Final Four discussion into last November, so taking the next step into serious national title contention might not be that far away. The defense, with nine returning starters from a platoon that ranked 12th nationally in sacks, might be the best of the Todd Graham era in Tempe. And while three-year starting QB Taylor Kelly has graduated, sr. Mike Bercovici beat USC and Stanford in a relief role last season and has been patiently waiting for 2015 his entire college career, rather than transferring to give himself a chance at significant minutes earlier. To justify this ranking, however, ASU is going to have to beat Texas A&M in the opener at the Houston Texans’ NRG Stadium on September 5. Both USC and Oregon will also be visiting a refurbished Sun Devil Stadium this fall.



                      11-GEORGIA TECH...Last year was probably Paul Johnson’s best in Atlanta, as Tech was playing like a Top Ten team at the end of the season, beating SEC powers Georgia and Mississippi State and within two points of then-undefeated Florida State in the ACC title game...all contests away from Bobby Dodd Stadium. Johnson has the most-lethal on-field pilot he has ever had to run his pet option offense, jr. QB Justin Thomas, who has more speed than any recent Jacket QB and can also pass the ball downfield, reflected in his 18 TD passes a year ago. New RBs must emerge from what was the nation’s leading rush offense a year ago, but when has a Johnson Georgia Tech team ever been short of runners? Playing in the lesser half (the Coastal) of the Atlantic Coast Conference also enhances the Jackets’ chances to buzz this fall.



                      12-UCLA...While everyone on the West Coast seems to be on the USC bandwagon, Bruins HC Jim Mora appears to be satisfied by flying slightly under the radar entering 2015. Which, in UCLA’s case, is understandable after do-everything QB Brett Hundley’s departure. But Mora does have the nation’s top-rated prep QB from last season, Josh Rosen, ready to take the keys to the Ferrari that is a roster with 17 returning starters and several established playmakers (such as RB Paul Perkins and LB Myles Jack) still in the Westwood fold. According to several Pac-12 sources, the rabbit up Mora’s sleeve might be new d.c. Tom Bradley, for years Joe Paterno’s trusted aide at Penn State and when last seen helping forge a major improvement a year ago for what was a sieve-like West Virginia defense.



                      13-NOTRE DAME...We understand some of the excitement in South Bend, but we nonetheless advise Domers (and Sports Illustrated, which ranked the Irish No. 4 in its preseason poll) to pump the brakes just a bit. Much of the excitement seems to be due to a narrow win over a flighty LSU team in last December’s Music City Bowl, though many of the pundits seem to be conveniently ignoring how ND lost five of its last six regular-season games, with the defense (as well as QB Everett Golson, now at Florida State) falling apart down the stretch. Ten starters are back on the stop unit, but the platoon ranked a poor 82nd in scoring and 75th overall a year ago, so perhaps the enthusiasm should be a bit tempered. A lot of faith is also being placed upon soph QB Malik Zaire, who has little starting experience other than the bowl win over LSU. Note that for the first time in memory, the Irish face no Big Ten sides in their regular-season schedule.



                      14-STANFORD...We have been a bit down on HC David Shaw’s game management skills in recent years, but we and some other Pac-12 observers noted something different down the stretch last season in Palo Alto, when the Cardinal routed Big Game rival Cal, UCLA, and then Maryland in the Foster Farms Bowl to close the season in grand fashion. In the process, Shaw seemed to take the reins off of now-sr. QB Kevin Hogan, a four-year starter who would flourish down the stretch in 2014. The OL, rebuilt a year ago, now enters this fall as a more-seasoned unit. The schedule is a challenge, and Shaw and d.c. Lance Anderson have seven starters to replace on defense, but the stop unit has been performing at a high level for years, and a rejuvenated Hogan gives Stanford at least a puncher’s chance vs. every foe on the schedule.



                      15-SOUTHERN CAL...Optimism is high at the Coliseum as SC appears to be almost beyond the depth issues created by scholarship limitations due to recent Regie Bush-related NCAA penalties. There is also a legit Heisman contender in QB Cody Kessler, who tossed 39 TD passes and only 5 picks a year ago as he played pitch-and-catch with a variety of receivers in the Steve Sarkisian offense. We remain unconvinced, however, that Sarkisian is a top-level coach, as his penchant for fiddling with the offense and play-calling would directly cost the Trojans a couple of wins a year ago. Much upgrade is also needed on defense after ranking 115th nationally against the pass a year ago. The Trojans should start quick vs. a pair of Sun Belt foes (Arkansas State and Idaho), but the schedule gets tough later in September when Stanford and Arizona State appear on the slate. If the Trojans are 4-0 entering October, then perhaps the Final Four talk can commence. But not until.



                      16-OLE MISS...We rarely recall a season being wrecked as much by one play as Ole Miss’ a year ago, when WR Laquon Treadwell fumbled after breaking his leg as he was about to score the winning TD in the final seconds vs. Auburn. A likely W thus turned into an L, the team’s top playmaker was sidelined, and subsequent lopsided losses to Arkansas and TCU in the Peach Bowl were still to come. But the Rebs have been on the ascent since HC Hugh Freeze arrived from Arkansas State in 2012, and sixteen starters remain from last year’s 9-win side. A healthy Treadwell will provide a nice target for juco QB Chad Kelly, considered by many SEC scouts as a likely upgrade from erratic predecessor Bo Wallace.



                      17-CLEMSON...We understand the excitement in Death Valley, as the prospect of soph QB Deshaun Watson playing a full season has the IPTAY crowd justifiably giddy. After all, Watson tossed 14 TDP and just 2 picks in only five starts a year ago as a frosh when injuries would limit his contributions. But the Clemson hype ignores a couple of potential concerns, including a near-complete rebuild needed within a defense that ranked first nationally a year ago, and the promotion of new co-o.c.’s by HC Dabo Swinney after the creative Chad Morris would move to SMU. An early three-game stretch vs. Louisville, Notre Dame, and Georgia Tech will indicate how well Dabo has filled in the roster gaps.



                      18-LSU...Many of the same questions as in recent years at Baton Rouge, where HC Les Miles will again search for some consistency at the QB position. Which became a bit harder in the offseason with the suspension of projected starter Anthony Jennings (who was erratic a year ago), opening the door for soph Brandon Harris to take the reins of the offense. But after ranking 114th nationally in passing a year ago, much improvement is needed. Until then, the offense likely pivots around ballyhooed soph RB Leonard Fournette, off of a 1034 YR debut in 2014. Concerns defensively revolve around new d.c. Kevin Steele, a curious hire by Miles after longtime d.c. John Chavis moved to SEC West rival Texas A&M. Are the war drums going to start to beat in baton Rouge if Miles comes in at 8-5 again?



                      19-OKLAHOMA...A long way down for the Sooners, who were our preseason number one a year ago before the campaign would fall apart in November and into a bowl no-show vs. Clemson, causing longtime HC Bob Stoops to throw several assistants under the bus. In the aftermath, Stoops has effectively gone “back to the future” with new o.c. Lincoln Riley, hired from East Carolina to resurrect the spread offense that Stoops used to run when no one else did in the Big 12 when he arrived (with Mike Leach his o.c.) at Norman in 1999. The offensive pilot could either be Texas Tech transfer Baker Mayfield or jr. Trevor Knight, who flopped a year ago after hinting at much upside as a frosh, especially in the Sugar Bowl win over Alabama. There will be temptation to run, too, with soph RB Samaje Perine having set an NCAA FBS single-game record with 427 YR last November 22 vs. Kansas, breaking the record set by Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon the week before, and former ballyhooed recruit Joe Mixon now eligible. It’s on defense, however, where the Sooners must upgrade after ranking 117th vs. the pass a year ago.


                      20-ARKANSAS...If a member of another league, we would be tempted to place the Razorbacks considerably higher in our rankings. But in the minefield of the SEC West, there are probably too many explosive devices to avoid for Arkansas to make a serious Final Four run. Still, the Hogs look formidable, with most of Bret Bielema’s massive road-graders on the OL returning to blast holes for RBs Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams, and with sr. QB Brandon Allen (only 5 picks last year) a mostly mistake-free offensive pilot. More than half of the starters from last year’s vastly-underrated defense that ranked 10th nationally must be replaced, however, and there is significant rebuilding needed in the front seven.


                      21-WISCONSIN...Though no one in Madison was in any hurry to push HC Gary Andersen out the door, no one in Badger-land is complaining too much that Andersen skipped town for Oregon State after just two seasons, either, not after the 59-0 Big Ten title game blowout administered by Ohio State. New HC Paul Chryst, most recently at Pitt, comes “home” to Camp Randall Stadium, where he served as o.c. for many of Bret Bielema’s teams, so the on-field look should be pretty familiar. Even with RB Melvin Gordon and his 2587 YR from 2014 now off to the San Diego Chargers; Corey Clement becomes the feature-back after gaining “only” 949 YR a year ago. But sr. QB Joel Stave, while having plenty of experience, has limitations, and there is considerable rebuilding needed along Wiscy’s usual bread-and-butter, its OL. A “D” that returns seven starters from a platoon that ranked 4th nationally should be a plus, and the Badgers look as likely as any to win the Big Ten West, but any talk of national honors probably goes out the window on opening weekend unless Wiscy can upset Nick Saban and Alabama at Arlington in Chryst’s Wisconsin HC debut.


                      22-ARIZONA...Along with the SEC West, the Pac-12 South looks like one of the best “divisions” in the country, and Arizona has proven it belongs in elite company after last year’s 10-win sojourn and appearance in the "New Year’s Six” Fiesta Bowl. But how long the Wildcats can continue to survive in the sort of ping-pong matches they often became involved in a season ago (and a too-fast pace contributing to a 103 ranking in total defense) might contribute to once again wearing out the team, which looked spent physically and emotionally late last year in losses to Oregon (Pac-12 title game) and Boise State (in the Fiesta Bowl). We’ll see if now-soph QB Anu Solomon, one of those who appeared out of gas at the end of 2014, can recover, and if playmaking LB Scooby Wright (getting some peripheral Heisman mention; the funky name doesn’t hurt!) can spark some improvement on the stop unit. The non-league part of the schedule provide a great chance to hit conference play 3-0 before a test at Tucson vs. UCLA, which has beaten Rich Rodriguez each of the past three years.


                      23-BOISE STATE...Finally, a non-“power league” entry makes our list. And the Broncos should belong in any Top 25 after qualifying as the rep from the “other leagues” for a New Year’s Six spot a year ago, which the Broncos used to their advantage in a wild 38-30 Fiesta Bowl win over Arizona. Most of the lineup (17 starters) returns for second-year HC Bryan Harsin, though the two starters he is missing from a year ago on offense–QB Grant Hedrick and RB Jay Ajayi–were the linchpins of an attack that scored 39.7 ppg, which ranked 9th nationally. The 2014 defense leaked a lot more than other recent more-decorated Boise platoons, but returns 8 starters. Boise’s Mountain half of the Mountain West is the tougher of the league’s two divisions, but at least there is no Ole Miss on the non-conference slate as a year ago. Road wins at BYU and Virginia in September will get the blue-carpet crowd talking about a run of the 2015 table.


                      24-NAVY...Get ready for a couple of potential featured storylines out of Annapolis in 2015. Navy enters a football league for the first time in its storied history, and most of its foes in the American are likely to be flummoxed by the patented Midshipmen option. Whose pilot, sr. QB Keenan Reynolds, already has 64 career TDs and will have a shot to break the all-time NCAA TD record (currently held by Wisconsin’s Ron Dayne) if he can stay healthy this season. And if so, Reynolds could emerge as a serious Heisman Trophy candidate. The September schedule provides a nice ramp-up to early–October dates vs. Air Force and Notre Dame, which will give us a better idea if the Mids are going to have a chance to show up in the rankings later this fall.


                      25-NC STATE...Looking for a stealth Heisman candidate? Try Wolfpack QB Jacoby Brissett, the former Florida transfer who last year became the most-exciting act in Raleigh since David Thompson when leading NCS back to a bowl and stabilizing the regime of new 3rd-year HC Dave Doeren, who had endured a rocky debut season in 2013. Dual-threat Brissett leads an offense with plenty of balance thanks to vet RBs Shadrach Thornton and Matt Dayes. Meanwhile, the “D” came alive down the stretch in 2014 when coordinator Dave Huxtable began to blitz regularly, and seven starters return from that disruptive platoon that helped key a bowl win in hostile terrioty at St. Pete vs. a dangerous UCF. Mostly, however, the 2015 schedule breaks well, with four very winnable non-league games in September before the first serious ACC test vs. Louisville (at Carter-Finley Stadium) on October 3.


                      26-TENNESSEE...The “flavor of the month” in this year’s SEC East is undoubtedly UT, which has been picked as high as the top 15 in some polls. There is some justification for the excitement in Knoxville, considering how the offense moved after playmaker Joshua Dobbs assumed QB chores a year ago, but the Vols’ hoopla also has been stoked by the bowl romp past a disinterested Iowa. Remember, in the regular-season finale, UT would barely get past a wretched Vanderbilt. Still, there is reason for optimism with Dobbs and nine other returning starters on offense for HC Butch Jones, who also welcomes back eight starters on a stop unit that looked dominant at times in 2014. We’ll find out early if the hype is justified, as Oklahoma visits Neyland Stadium on September 12 in a revenge game for the Vols, who were whipped 34-10 at Norman last year.


                      27-OKLAHOMA STATE...Forgive us the references to the 1960s PGA Tour when mentioning OSU QB Mason Rudolph, whose namesake (though no relation) was a regular on the tour decades ago. (We’re wondering if Rudolph might be throwing to namesakes of Dow Finsterwald and Gene Littler this fall!) But Rudolph’s emergence as a frosh late in the 2014 campaign seemed to save the season for the Cowboys, who would upset Oklahoma in a rousing “Bedlam” classic and then dump Washington in the Cactus Bowl, and perhaps remove the noose from the neck of HC Mike Gundy, who was reportedly on the outs with mega-booster Boone Pickens and in danger of losing his job last November. After surviving a rebuilding season a year ago, and with 14 starters back in the fold, the Cowboys might be ready to make a serious move back to contending status, which will get a nice kick-start with a soft pre-league slate before a trip to Texas on September 26.


                      28-MISSISSIPPI STATE...We made a lot of noise with our bold prediction involving MSU a year ago. But the secret is out on the Bulldogs, especially QB Dak Prescott, whose adjustment to celebrity status in the SEC has not been without its drawbacks (read SI’s College FB preview edition for more details), and the Maroon are not going to be sneaking up on anybody this fall, either. The dynamic Prescott is still in the fold, but he is only one of seven starters overall who return to the 2015 mix in Starkville, where the defense, in particular, is in rebuild mode. We’ll find out this fall if Dan Mullen’s recruiting pipeline is really as stocked as some of our regional scouts have suggested.


                      29-UTAH...We’ve already talked about how tough the Pac-12 South will be this season. Part of that reason is Utah, which was good enough to beat both UCLA and USC last year and will not shy away from those featured matchups, as well as revenge battles vs. Arizona and Arizona State. The Utes are one of the few run-first offenses in the Pac-12, which should not change with last year’s revelation RB Devontae Booker (1512 YR in 2014) still in the fold, but more consistency at QB from sr. Travis Wilson (or perhaps now-healthy former Oklahoma transfer Kendal Thompson) would help. The South contenders likely cannibalize themselves again this season, probably keeping any away from Final Four discussion, though the Utes should safely land in another bowl, where HC Kyle Whittingham has excelled (now 7-1 after the Las Vegas Bowl romp past Colorado State last December).


                      30-MISSOURI...Time, perhaps, to give the Tigers and HC Gary Pinkel a bit more respect after stealing the SEC East crowns the past two seasons and winning impressively in bowl games along the way. Mizzou has been in the right place at the right time to occupy the power vacuum in the East created by recent drop-offs at Florida and Tennessee, and the Tigers should be in the mix again, with a now-experienced QB in jr. Maty Mauk. We’re not sure, however, if Mizzou can withstand another round of departures from an accomplished WR crew, and Mauk and the passing game were nothing great anyway (ranking 99th nationally thru the air) a year ago. A rebuilt DL and a new coordinator (Barry Odom, a onetime Mizzou aide hired away from Memphis to take the place of Dave Steckel, who left to become HC at Missouri State) are questions on defense. Defending the East crown likely comes down to a 3-game October stretch vs. South Carolina, Florida, and Georgia.


                      31-LOUISVILLE...The return of Bobby Petrino to the ‘Ville was a bit more bumpy of a ride than most envisioned a year ago, when injuries turned the Cardinal QB situation into a merry-go-round. Unfortunately for Petrino, few answers were forthcoming out of spring practice, and a revolving door at QB featuring Reggie Bonnafon, Kyle Bolin, Will Gardner, and newcomer Tyler Ferguson might be in the offing this fall. Though unlike a year ago there is at least plenty of experience in that mix, with all save Ferguson having started games last season. The “O” could miss productive WR DeVante Parker, but a collection of transfers will look to fill the skill-position gaps. It was the “D” kept the Cards afloat last season when it finished sixth nationally, but will be breaking in seven new starters. Will the stop unit be up to the task again if the offense sputters?


                      32-FLORIDA...Do sleepers exist in the SEC? This season, that label might affix to Florida, which figures to upgrade significantly on offense under new HC Jim McElwain, a shrewd tactician who molded a powerful “O” as well as turning around the fortunes at Colorado State before returning to the SEC, where he once worked as Nick Saban’s o.c. at Alabama. After the “O” labored in the Will Muschamp regime (and distorted the attack-end stats a year ago when piling up 117 points in two games vs. Eastern Michigan and Eastern Kentucky), the attack seeks legit upgrades this fall as McElwain and new o.c. Doug Nussmeier (also a former Saban Bama o.c.) unleash a new-look offense that likely features RS frosh Will Grier at QB. The "D” was never a problem in the Muschamp years and should be strong and fast as usual. More upside in Gainesville, perhaps, than any SEC outpost this fall.


                      33-MICHIGAN...Is he psychotic? That’s one of many theories about hard-driving HC Jim Harbaugh. But what can’t be argued are the quick and dramatic turnarounds he authored at his last two jobs with Stanford and the NFL San Francisco 49ers. So, we’re not putting it past Harbaugh to jump-start the Ann Arbor engine that stalled for predecessor Brady Hoke. Harbaugh likely has some Big Ten experience at QB, though sr. transfer Jake Rudock gained all of that at Iowa, and other candidates wait in the wings to improve a passing attack that ranked a poor 110th nationally a year ago. The “D” was better than advertised in 2014, however, and brings back 24 of the 29 players who were listed on the final defensive depth chart. Watch the early schedule...a win at Utah in the opener could set up the Wolverines for a 6-0 start before the mid-October showdown at home vs. Michigan State. If that’s the case, be prepared for ESPN Game Day to return to Ann Arbor, and for Harbaugh’s return to his alma mater to be one of the top storylines of the first helf of the season.


                      34-MEMPHIS...Looking for the next hot name on the coaching carousel? Try Justin Fuente, who has steered Memphis into relevance and is likely on the radar for every major college job that will have an opening after this season. Of course, the Tigers believe they can be an elite program, too, and hold out hope that the Big 12 might come calling soon, while big boosters such as FedEx’s Fred Smith and other local hotshots believe they can hold onto Fuente. Stay tuned. In the meantime, the Tigers have a bit of reloading to do with a defense that lost eight starters from a platoon that ranked 11th in scoring “D” a year ago, but the O” returns strong-armed 6-7 jr. QB Paxton Lynch, who reminds in stature and style of a young Joe Flacco. The October 17 game at the Liberty Bowl vs. nearby Ole Miss could be a watershed game for the program.


                      35-KANSAS STATE...We learned long ago never to underestimate a Bill Snyder-coached team. And the old guy still has it, making K-State relevant again after his three-year hiatus between 2006-08 when the program would deteriorate under Ron Prince. Snyder has done some of his best work when flying under the radar, and that’s the word in the heartland this fall as Snyder likely reverts to a ground-oriented offense with no established passing QB remaining in the program after the departure of functional Jake Waters, and wideouts ranks thinned with the graduated of electric Tyler Lockett. The defense, under respected coordinator Tom Hayes, should again be formidable. Again, we caution underestimating any Snyder team because the loss of so many playmakers...the old coach has fooled us before.


                      36-BYU...Who knows what might have happened last fall at BYU had do-everything QB Taysom Hill not suffered a season-ending broken leg on October 3 vs. Utah State? Always a powerful runner, Hill had completed almost 67% of his passes as well before his injury, when the Cougs' 4-game win streak to begin the season would end. Hill returns fully recovered for 2015 and appears a Heisman darkhorse, though it appears he will be without key RB Jamal Williams, suspended in the summer. The defense, long a strong suit in Provo, regressed a year ago, causing HC Bronco Mendenhall to re-assume his old coordinator duties. We’ll find out in September if the Cougars are going to make any noise this fall, as Nebraska, Boise State (the only home game of the first four), UCLA, and Michigan wait just beyond the starting gate.


                      37-TEXAS A&M...Somebody has to lose in the SEC West, right? That might have to be the Aggies, who lost traction a year ago. Noting how far the defense had regressed over the past two seasons, HC Kevin Sumlin raided division rival LSU for d.c. John Chavis, who inherits a platoon with some existing playmakers, including DEs Myles Garrett and Julien Obioha, but this was the lowest-ranked stop unit in the SEC this fall. If Chavis can forge an upgrade, the Ags might have a chance, as the offense should be in good hands with soph QB Kyle Allen, who flashed real upside down the stretch in 2014. Improvement in the running game might come with assistant Dave Chistensen, the former Wyoming HC and hired off of Kyle Whittingham’s Utah staff to inject some life into what has been a dormant Aggie infantry.


                      38-WESTERN KENTUCKY...When last seen, WKU was barely hanging on at the Bahamas Bowl, repelling a Central Michigan 2-point conversion try after time expired to save a 49-48 win over the Chips, who scored the last 34 points of the game in the final 12 minutes, including a miracle 80-yard TD on the last play of the game. The Tops were involved in a few such wild games a year ago and should resemble last season’s “O” that would score a whopping 44.4 ppg, especially with sr. QB Brandon Doughty back for an encore after passing for a staggering 4830 yards and 49 TDs a year ago. WKU, of course, must see improvement from its 120th-ranked stop unit, but the top four tacklers return for vet d.c. Nick Holt. The Tops were also the only team to beat Marshall a year ago (in another shootout, this one by a 67-66 score in OT) and have a puncher’s chance vs. every team on their 2015 slate, and could unseat the Herd as C-USA champ.


                      39-TEXAS...We knew there were some internal distractions at Texas last season, but didn’t realize how deep those cracks were in the Longhorn foundation until the recent Big 12 media day in Dallas, when various sources from around the region painted disturbing tales about the culture change from the end of Mack Brown’s increasingly-lax regime to new sheriff Charlie Strong and his no-nonsense edict, which was at the core of the dismissal of nine Horns last year. Having the starting QB (David Ash) KO’d after the first week didn’t help in Strong’s debut season, either, but at least soph Tyrone Swoopes enters 2015 with some experience under his belt. Texas remains a work in progress, but without a repeat of last year’s distractions, year two of the Strong regime should go a bit more smoothly. A win in the opener at Notre Dame might turn the program in the right direction.


                      40-NORTHERN ILLINOIS...The Huskies have sustained as a dominant force in the MAC under 3rd-year HC Rod Carey, under whom the program has remained a conference power after the successes of the recent Jerry Kill and Dave Doeren regimes. And this year’s NIU might not slip from last year’s MAC-winning edition, especially with jr. Drew Hare now established at QB and bringing more of a passing edge to the “O” than mobile predecessors Jordan Lynch and Chandler Harnish (Hare tossed 18 TDP vs. just 2 picks in 2014). Eight starters are also back on defense. The Huskies get a shot at Ohio State at Columbus on September 19, and if they’re not too beaten up by the Buckeyes should have a decent shot in the rest of their games, with a November 3 trip to the Glass Bowl to face potent Toledo the likely title decider in the MAC West.
                      Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

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                      • #71
                        GS NFL SPECIAL REPORT...PRESEASON WEEK TWO QB UPDATE!

                        by Chuck Sippl, Senior Editor


                        Following is a look at the QB roster battles for NFL teams as of August 20, and the second full week of preseason action...


                        ARIZONA—Carson Palmer, Drew Stanton, Logan Thomas (4th round in 2014, Virginia Tech), Phillip Sims (FA, Alabama/Virginia/Winston Salem State).

                        ATLANTA—Matt Ryan, T.J. Yates, Sean Renfree (third year, Duke).

                        BALTIMORE—Joe Flacco, Matt Schaub, Bryn Renner (North Carolina; Denver camp LY).

                        BUFFALO—Matt Cassell, EJ Manuel, Tyrod Taylor (prev. w/ Balt., expected to start Thursday vs. Cleveland), Matt Simms (prev. with NYJ).

                        CAROLINA—Cam Newton, Derek Anderson, Joe Webb.

                        CHICAGO—Jay Cutler, Jimmy Clausen, Shane Carden (FA, East Carolina). (David Fales slowed by shoulder surgery rehab.)

                        CINCINNATI—Andy Dalton, A.J. McCarron, Josh Johnson, Keith Wenning (prev. Ball State; Balt. Camp LY).

                        CLEVELAND—Josh McCown, Johnny Manziel, Thad Lewis. (Connor Shaw out due to thumb surgery.).

                        DALLAS—Tony Romo, Brandon Weeden, Dustin Vaughan (2nd year in camp; West Texas A&M), Jameill Showers (rookie FA, A&M/UTEP).

                        DENVER—Peyton Manning, Brock Osweiler, Zac Dysert (7th round 2013, Miami-Ohio), Trevor Siemian (7th round 2015, Northwestern).

                        DETROIT—Matthew Stafford, Dan Orlovsky, Kellen Moore, Garrett Gilbert (SMU, prev. St. Louis, N.E. camps).

                        GREEN BAY—Aaron Rodgers, Scott Tolzien, Brett Hundley (5th round, UCLA), Matt Blanchard (prev. Chicago, Carolina camps).

                        HOUSTON—Bryan Hoyer, Ryan Mallett, Tom Savage (4th round 2014; Rutgers/Pitt).

                        INDIANAPOLIS—Andrew Luck, Matt Hasselbeck, Bryan Bennett (rookie FA, Oregon/SE La.).

                        JACKSONVILLE—Blake Bortles, Chad Henne, Stephen Morris (second year, U. of Miami), Jeff Tuel (Buff. LY).

                        KANSAS CITY—Alex Smith, Chase Daniel, Aaron Murray (second year, Georgia).

                        MIAMI—Ryan Tannehill, Matt Moore, Josh Freeman, McLeod Bethel-Thompson (in camp with 4th NFL team).

                        MINNESOTA—Teddy Bridgewater, Shaun Hill (St. Louis LY), Mike Kafka, Taylor Heineke (college FA, Old Dominion).

                        NEW ENGLAND—Tom Brady, Jimmy Garoppolo (2nd round 2014, Eastern Illinois), Ryan Lindley (Arizona LY).

                        NEW ORLEANS—Drew Brees, Luke McCown, Garrett Grayson (3rd round, Colorado State), Ryan Griffin (3rd year, Tulane).

                        N.Y. GIANTS—Eli Manning, Ryan Nassib, Ricky Stanzi (5th year; 4th NFL camp).

                        N.Y. JETS—Ryan Fitzpatrick (Houston LY), Bryce Petty (4th round, Baylor), Jake Heaps (college FA; BYU/Kansas/Miami). (Matt Flynn signed Aug. 18 but likely to miss Friday's game vs. Atlanta due to hamstring injury.)

                        OAKLAND—Derek Carr, Christian Ponder (Minn. LY), Matt McGloin, Cody Fajardo (college FA; Nevada).

                        PHILADELPHIA—Sam Bradford (St. Louis LY), Mark Sanchez, Matt Barkley, Tim Tebow (DNP LY).

                        PITTSBURGH—Ben Roethlisberger, Bruce Gradkowski (sore shoulder in camp), Landry Jones, Tahj Boyd (Clemson; Jets camp LY).

                        ST. LOUIS—Nick Foles (Philly LY), Austin Davis (4th year, So. Miss.), Case Keenum (prev. with Houston), Sean Mannion (3rd round, Oregon State).
                        .
                        SAN DIEGO—Philip Rivers, Kellen Clemens, Brad Sorensen (3rd year; Southern Utah), Chase Rettig, Boston College; G.B. camp LY).

                        SAN FRANCISCO—Colin Kaepernick, Blaine Gabbert, Dylan Thompson (college FA; South Carolina).

                        SEATTLE—Russell Wilson, Tarvaris Jackson, RJ Archer (William & Mary; prev. Minn. & Detroit camps), Jake Waters, (rookie FA, Kansas State, signed this week). B.J. Daniels, moved to WR/KR this season, can serve as emergency QB.

                        TAMPA BAY—Jameis Winston (1st round, Florida State), Mike Glennon, Seth Lobato (Northern Colorado; prev. Ind. and Miami camps).

                        TENNESSEE—Marcus Mariota (1st round, Oregon), Zach Mettenberger, Charlie Whitehurst, Alex Tanney (Monmouth; fifth different NFL camp).

                        WASHINGTON—Robert Griffin III, Colt McCoy, Kirk Cousins
                        Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

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                        • #72
                          Preseason Week 3 Essentials

                          August 24, 2015


                          You read in this space last week that the preseason is not only a necessarily evil, but also, that you can profit on it if you invest the preparation time. That opinion hasn’t changed, but those who despise the fact we’re still only halfway through the exhibition schedule got massive amounts of ammunition in Pittsburgh on Sunday.

                          Green Bay’s top receiver, Jordy Nelson, tore his ACL. Top guard T.J. Lang left with a concussion. The Steelers lost center Maurkice Pouncey for most, if not all of the season, due to a broken fibula. DE Stephon Tuitt limped off with an ankle injury and backup QB Bruce Gradkowski hurt a finger. All of this happened inside of a half. It looked as ugly as it sounds, which is why you’ll hear outrage with the current system all week long.

                          Owners are stuffing their pockets, sure. We would all be better off with an 18-game regular season. One day, we’ll get it and find something else to complain about. Preseason games aren’t going away any time soon and it’s pointless to campaign for their removal. The injuries are unfortunate. Aaron Rodgers openly complained about how tough it is to lose Nelson in a “meaningless game.” It’s awful, but wouldn’t it be equally as disappointing if it had happened a few weeks from now in the Week 1 of the regular season?

                          In this case, the system is what it is. Football is what it is. The preseason isn’t exempt from the brutality we all appreciate and wager on.

                          Watch the second half of preseason action and you’ll see receivers getting blasted going over the middle as they try to field passes they’ll be catching on the practice squad – at best – if they happen to hold on enough. This is how football players make their livelihood. Let’s not feel sorry for anybody, especially given their earning potential. Linebackers and defensive backs are all in search of the big hit that will stand out when coaches review the film. That’s the game. This is the time of year they’ve been waiting for, the opportunity they train all year to try and take advantage of.

                          Nelson was lost for the season on an innocuous-looking play where he simply cut, lost his balance and had his knee give out. It could’ve happened in practice. It could’ve happened in the playoffs. He was playing football. Threat of injury is part of the job description.

                          Week 3 of the NFL preseason offers dress rehearsals for all. It’s almost like the 17th regular season game, by far the most important exhibition. We’ll undoubtedly lose a few more players. There won’t be any more of a consolation because it’s happening in a game that’s a tad more meaningful than the first or second preseason game. Here’s how the schedule unfolds:

                          Friday, Aug. 28

                          New England at Carolina:
                          Whether or not there is any headway made on Tom Brady’s appeal, expect him to see his longest action this preseason against a sturdy Panthers defense. Cam Newton has gotten off to a rough start and started 0-for-4 with a pick against Miami in his first drive minus No. 1 WR Kelvin Benjamin, another victim of the preseason injury monster.

                          Tennessee at Kansas City: It's early, but QB Alex Smith has looked dreadful, turning the ball over with sloppy passes. He did finally complete a TD pass to a wideout last week, hitting new top target Jeremy Maclin. Establishing chemistry will be key here, while Marcus Mariota will look to get his first touchdown after being denied thus far.

                          Detroit at Jacksonville: QB Matthew Stafford has impressively marched the Lions offense down the field in his limited action despite top target Calvin Johnson sitting both games out as a healthy scratch. He’ll get some run against the Jaguars, who will see projected rookie starter T.J. Yeldon finally debut at tailback.

                          Saturday, Aug. 29

                          Pittsburgh at Buffalo:
                          Losing Pouncey is a massive blow, as centers of his caliber are hard to come by. Getting new starter Cody Wallace up to speed at such a key position will now be the main focus of the offense between now and the season opener. Fortunately, he does have experience. Bills head coach Rex Ryan hasn’t announced a starting QB for this one, which is setting up as the final battle before Matt Cassel or Tyrod Taylor is handed the reins.

                          N.Y. Jets at N.Y. Giants: Snoopy Bowl 2015 features a pair of 1-1 teams that have each seen their share of struggles thus far. Injuries have played a large role in the shaky starts for both MetLife Stadium tenants, so it will be fun to see how they respond in a game that always seems to be competitive since both teams typically want the back page spoils.

                          Atlanta at Miami: The Falcons haven’t had running backs Davonte Freeman and Tevin Coleman in either preseason game and are hoping those guys can each gain some seasoning in South Florida. QB Ryan Tannehill’s improvement has the Dolphins excited. He’s led the Fins to touchdowns in three of his four drives.

                          Minnesota at Dallas: After Tony Romo made a cameo in San Francisco on Sunday, he will undoubtedly get his longest in-game workload of the preseason here. Adrian Peterson will sit out another game, but the Vikings have averaged 23 points per game without him as the passing game has looked sharp.

                          Cleveland at Tampa Bay: Ex-Buc starter Josh McCown is nursing an injured ring finger and backup Johnny Manziel had to cut Sunday’s practice short due to a sore elbow, so this could wind up being a difficult trip for the winless Browns. Rookie starting QB Jameis Winston should get plenty of varied defensive looks to work against, which can only aid his development.

                          Washington at Baltimore: Remember when we all doubted Joe Flacco? It wasn’t that long ago, so you should. Heck, there are still people who think it’s funny to debate whether the Super Bowl XLVII MVP is an elite quarterback. He plays like one, is paid like one and comes off posting career-highs in passing yards (3,986) and TD throws (27), so the answer is yes. On the other end of the spectrum is Robert Griffin III, who is both polarizing and currently mediocre despite all the hype. Sadly, new Ravens backup Matt Schaub is more accomplished than either or RG III or Kirk Cousins, which has to keep owner Dan Snyder up at night.

                          Chicago at Cincinnati: After playing at Tampa on Monday night, the Bengals turn right around and host the Bears, so it will be interesting to see how head coach Marvin Lewis treats this game. The Bears’ depth has been impressive so far this preseason, as they’ve outscored opponents 38-0 in the second half of games thanks to the play of their backups. With Jay Cutler scheduled to play into the second half, Chicago is looking for him to lead the team to its first touchdown after coming up empty in the first two games.

                          Philadelphia at Green Bay: The Packers are reeling from the loss of Nelson and have probably seen enough out of Rodgers that they won’t see the value in exposing him here, but backup Scott Tolzien was also banged up in Pittsburgh, suffering a concussion. Chip Kelly’s desire to see Sam Bradford take more live-action snaps may be dwarfed by the need to keep him healthy and confident, so be sure to monitor this situation.

                          Indianapolis at St. Louis: Both of these teams have struggled mightily so far, but there’s no panic setting. The Colts will be looking to see how their o-line holds up against the Rams’ primary strength. St. Louis will be looking to get Nick Foles on track after a dreadful start thus far.

                          Seattle at San Diego: This one is slated for a national broadcast and should be entertaining. The Seahawks have predictably not looked like themselves given the rebuilt offensive line and the absence of Legion of Boom members in the secondary, so 0-2 isn’t a big deal. Pete Carroll will want to see improvement against a Chargers squad that will allow Philip Rivers to participate for the first time since he went 2-for-2 on the opening drive of the team’s preseason.

                          San Francisco at Denver: QB Peyton Manning wasn’t able to get a rhythm in his debut, coming up empty on four drives while racking up just 67 yards on 19 plays in Houston. Count on him playing into the second half here as he seeks to gain his footing in Gary Kubiak’s new offense. Colin Kaepernick is 4-for-8 for 27 yards in limited action, so the 49ers are looking forward to seeing how he fares with a heavier workload.

                          Sunday, Aug. 30

                          Houston at New Orleans: Losing tight end Jimmy Graham to Seattle is a major blow, but there was justifiable criticism that Drew Brees was targeting him too much at the expense of some of the other targets on the roster. With an abundance of talented receivers to spread the ball to, Brees has looked like his old self. It should be a blast to see how quickly he can get rid of it against the Texans stout front seven. J.J. Watt should be rested and ready to go after sitting out Saturday’s game against the Broncos. The QB battle between Ryan Mallett and Brian Hoyer has seen Hoyer named the starter for Week 1, so we'll see how snaps are handed down here.

                          Arizona at Oakland: Despite the presence of elite rookie WR Amari Cooper to ease his burden, Derek Carr has only produced field goals and has largely misfired. The Cardinals secondary presents a great test for him. Carson Palmer has participated in both preseason games thus far, flashing a great deep ball and confidence in the pocket. If Arizona can keep him upright, it should stay in contention.
                          Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

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                          • #73
                            NFC Betting Outlook

                            August 25, 2015


                            2015 AFC Division Preview

                            2015 NFC Division Preview

                            Last Year Was The First Time

                            According to Athlon Sports, the NFL set a record number of firsts throughout the 2014 season. Listed among the tally on the NFC ledger, last year was the first time a team...

                            -- from the NFC South won its division for s second straight season (Carolina)

                            -- lost at least nine of its first 10 games for a third consecutive season (Jacksonville)

                            -- allowed an opposing QB to complete 80% of its passes and throw for three TDs in the threes games of a season (Chicago)

                            -- rushed for 355 yards in a game and lost (San Francisco)

                            -- opened the season 3-0 despite trailing by double-digits in each game (Philadelphia)

                            -- blew a fourth-quarter lead as large as 10 points and lost a Super Bowl (Seattle)

                            Falling Asleep At The Wheel

                            Speaking of last year, rested teams in the NFC performed at a poor rate last season, going just 7-15 SU and 6-16 ATS overall, including the post season.

                            They were particularly disturbing as dogs (0-10 SU and 1-9 ATS) and when playing in games off a loss (2-10 SUATS).

                            NFC underdogs with rest are currently on a 1-13 SU and 2-12 ATS overall run in their last fourteen games.

                            NFC EAST

                            DALLAS
                            TEAM THEME: LESSON LEARNED
                            Dallas was depth shy at the linebacker position last year, forcing the Cowboy ‘D’ to use their nickel package 66 percent of the time. In 2014, according to ProFootballFocus.com, only 34 linebackers of the non-pass rushing variety played at least 75 percent of their team’s defensive snaps. None was a Cowboy. It’s because they deployed two or fewer linebackers 70 percent of the time. Depth shy and open to doubt at best, Dallas went on an offseason linebacker quest that made an Easter egg hunt look like a visit to Hens “R” Us. As a result, they now have twelve LBs on the roster, more than any position group on the team. Leading tackler Sean Lee, out with an ACL injury last year, returns to help fortify the spot. Should the Cowboys reap the reward and bolster last year’s vastly improved defense, they will certainly be a load, especially if risky sack master Greg Hardy can stay on the field. Furthermore, you have to love the fact that Dallas walked into this year’s draft with one first round pick and left with three (that’s impressive). And five of Dallas’ first six picks in this year’s draft, and seven of last year’s nine selections, were of the defensive variety.

                            Factor in a $100 million quarterback, 35-year old Tony Romo, who led the league in passer rating (113.2) and completion rate (69.9%) in 2014 and it’s appearing more and more as if America’s team is suddenly a well-balanced machine despite the loss of RB DeMarco Murray to the Eagles. And arguably the best offensive line in the league padded its contention with the signing of LSU stud OL La’el Collins. It’s safe to say the Cowboys don’t shy away from welcoming troubled players. With back-to-back games against teams with winning records in 2014, it prompted Romo to go so far as to state, “We’re going to win the Super Bowl. I want to win a championship so bad.” Heck, they even blew the doors off their annual December disappearing act last year. What a difference a new mindset makes.

                            STAT YOU WILL LIKE: The Cowboys are 8-21 ATS as home favorites under Jason Garrett, including 1-9 ATS when favored by 7 or more.

                            NEW YORK GIANTS
                            TEAM THEME: WIN OR ELSE
                            Following their last playoff appearance, a Super Bowl victory over New England in 2012, the Giants missed out on postseason play for the third consecutive year. Thus, when asked if 2015 is a win-or-else season for the G-Men, team President Wellington Mara’s reply was, “I do not think that is an unfair statement.” After hearing of the boss’ assessment, 69-year old head coach Tom Coughlin’s first course of action was to call on 2007 Super Bowl winning DC Steve Spagnuolo to fix a declining defense, one still uncertain about the status of Pro Bowl DL Jason Pierre-Paul and his amputated right finger (fireworks). Spags will be counting heavily on a draft that landed S Landon Collins (Alabama) and DE Owamagbe Odighizuwa (UCLA). On the other side of the ball, a spotty offensive line should be aided with the selection of first round pick OT Ereck Flowers (Miami Fla) and the continued development of 2013 first round pick Justin Pugh.

                            The big news, though, is the return of electrifying WR Victor Cruz, who was limited to six games due to a knee injury last season. Teamed with rapidly budding star Odell Beckham Jr., they give QB Eli Manning a potentially lethal pair of targets. Manning rebounded from a rotten 2013 season by completing 63.1 percent of his passes for 30 TDs and 14 INTs and a 92.1 QB Rating in 2014. Like Pierre-Paul, we’re not pointing fingers but with the new directive in place, look for Big Blue to rise to the challenge in 2015. After all they are the only team to beat Tom Brady and the Patriots in the Super Bowl – and they did it twice.

                            STAT YOU WILL LIKE: The Giants are 15-2 ATS as dogs vs. the AFC East, including 11-0 when taking more than 3 points.

                            PHILADELPHIA
                            TEAM THEME: BOTH HANDS ON THE WHEEL
                            Chip Kelly’s trade of RB LeSean McCoy may have rankled many of the veterans on the Eagles squad, but after winning 10 games and failing to make the playoffs last year he could care less. Also gone is QB Nick Foles. The replacements include QB Sam Bradford, and RBs DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews, who join Darren Sproles in the backfield. Playing time at wide receiver will be up for grabs with veterans Riley Cooper and Miles Austin looking to fend off Brad Smith, Nelson Agholor (a draft steal) and Josh Huff. On the defensive side of the ball, stud LB Kiko Alonso and former Seattle DB Byron Maxwell are rock-solid additions. And the there’s Tim Tebow who, if he makes the cut, will likely serve as the team’s designated 2-point machine.

                            For all the rumors and reports of Kelly wanting to hock the future for QB Marcus Mariota, it never materialized. The lure was there, for sure. “We examined it,” Kelly said. But contrary to all the gossip, Kelly said it was a trade the Eagles couldn’t afford. “We drove into a very nice neighborhood and saw an unbelievable house, but when we found out the price of the house we stayed in the car, never even got out of the car.” As a result, considering the financial investment and what the Eagles gave up to get him, Bradford - who hasn’t taken a snap in the NFL since October 2013 - will be the man behind center. Meanwhile, like his team, the frenetic Kelly never tires or quits trying. The biggest advantage Philadelphia inherits this season is they will travel the fewest miles of all NFL teams this season (only one game outside the Eastern time zone). The largest obstacle they must overcome in 2015: Since 1970 eight teams have replaced their #1 QB, RB and WR from one year to the next. Only one had a winning season. Gulp.

                            STAT YOU WILL LIKE: Chip Kelly is 23-2 SU away versus either NFL division or college conference foes in his career.

                            WASHINGTON
                            TEAM THEME: THE HOGS ARE SQUEALING AGAIN
                            The clock strikes twelve for Redskin QB Robert Griffin III this season. He needs to deliver the goods… it’s just that simple. After a 10-7 rookie season, RG3’s Hogs have gone just 7-25 the past two seasons. In preparation, new Washington GM Scot McCloughan is revitalizing a smash-mouth offensive line mentality, making RT Brandon Scherff the fifth pick of the draft before selecting Alabama OG Arie Kouandio and South Florida C Austin Reiter. “Just get back to the old days – the ground-and-pound football, which will open up the passing lanes. I think that’s what they want to start doing,” said Scherff. Impressed with their draft was ESPN analyst Todd McShay, who went on to say, ”I’d be surprised if we look back three years from now and they don’t have a minimum of three good, solid starters from this class.” Thus, an emphasis by the Redskins running the ball, and not Griffin carrying the ball, should lead to more effective play-action passes.

                            In addition, McCloughan revamped the defensive line (nickname: “Capital Punishment”) and secondary as well. McCloughan also revamped the defensive line (nickname: “Capital Punishment”) and secondary as well. However, the loss of LB Brian Orakpo is a major blow. For it all to work, though, the real RG III will need to surface. After watching Kirk Cousins struggle last year, Washington opted to use its fifth-year option in Griffin, meaning he is under contract through next season. The Hogs will also need leading contributions from WR DeSean Jackson and RB Alfred Morris. And if TE Jordan Reed (missed 12 games the last two seasons) can stay healthy there will be no more faking it in the nation’s capital (an oxymoron if ever there was one). It’s time to stand and deliver.

                            STAT YOU WILL LIKE: The Redskins last won an Eastern Division title in 1999.

                            NFC NORTH

                            CHICAGO
                            TEAM THEME: FOX ON THE RUN
                            When fans clamored for Lovie Smith’s head, and management brought in Marc Trestman to man the sidelines, little did they know that trading-in is not always trading-up. The Trestman experiment ended after two brief years in which the Bears averaged 6.5 wins per season. With only six winning seasons since 1996, the call went out for a veteran head coach who has taken seven teams to the playoffs, including four times the last four years, with two Super Bowl appearances. Enter coach whisperer John Fox, who was unceremoniously dropped by Denver and brings in what ESPN analyst Louis Riddick calls a star-studded coaching staff, headed with OC Adam Gase and DC Vic Fangio (directed the 49ers defense to three straight NFC Championship games).

                            Gase will be counted on to revive QB Jay Cutler’s southbound-and-down career, one that has seen the $18M a year bust go just 61-58 SU and 45-71-2 ATS in his NFL career. Based on numbers like those, it’s astonishing to learn Cutler actually earns more than Tom Brady, Tony Romo, Andrew Luck and Eli Manning. The potential loss No. 7 draft pick, WR Kevin White, to a leg stress fracture could prove devastating, especially with Brandon Marshall now with the Jets. Defensively, the Bears have fielded the worst stop-unit in in a century of Chicago football the past two seasons. Finally, remember this: new HC Fox is money on the division road, where he is 28-11 SUATS in his NFL career, including 12-0 SU and 11-1 ATS the last four years (all with Denver), and 14-3 SUATS from Game Twelve out. Now let’s see how Cutler plays into the equation.

                            STAT YOU WILL LIKE: The Bears went 5-for-5 in two-point conversion attempts last year, the highest success rate in the NFL.

                            DETROIT
                            TEAM THEME: THE ROAR IS GONE
                            Hmmm. Head coach Jim Caldwell has long been looked upon as a quarterback guru, having worked with Peyton Manning, Joe Flacco and others. Thus, it was expected his influence on Matthew Stafford would help take the talented signal-caller to the next level. Not so last year when Stafford’s season-ending 85.7 QB rating ranked below the likes of Kyle Orton, Mark Sanchez and Charlie Whitehurst. While it was an improvement over Stafford’s previous two years, it’s hardly headline news. What did happen, though, was an 11-win season, the second-best in franchise history. It’s not what you’d expect from a team that slipped 5 full points and 49 YPG offensively from 2013. The talk in camp is that rookie RB Ameer Abdullah is something special. “He’s quick as a cat,” said Jets head coach Todd Bowles after scrimmaging and taking on Detroit this preseason. He’s about as quick as Barry Sanders.” Where the Lions roared was on defense behind the league’s second ranked unit.

                            With Lion Kings Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley plugging the middle, Detroit owned the loop’s best rush defense, surrendering a mere 70 RYPG – or less than half of what the porous Browns allowed. Rather than build on that foundation, the Lions were forced to wheel and deal when both Suh and Fairley opted out for larger dollars. In a stopgap measure, DT Haloti Ngata was acquired from the Ravens and DT Tyrunn Walker (one NFL career start) was signed as a free agent. They certainly won’t counter the loss of the dynamic duo, but watch out should Stafford ever get his act together, and ought rookie Abdullah (Nebraska) continue to impress. After all most people forget this team, behind the No. 2 ranked defense in the league, led Dallas, 20-7, in the 3Q in last year’s 24-20 playoff loss before a questionable call sent the Cowboys on to Green Bay.

                            STAT YOU WILL LIKE: Despite going 22-27 the past three seasons, the Lions were 32-17 ITS in those games.

                            GREEN BAY
                            TEAM THEME: THREE-MINUTE WARNING
                            The offense is good. Real good. And when you return all 11 players from a unit that led the NFL in scoring last season, it quickly becomes the recipe for another prosperous campaign. And although you don’t mess with success – Green Bay will run its same no-huddle offense – the team is turning the keys over to former quarterbacks coach Tom Clements who, as its new associate head coach of offense, will take over play-calling duties from Mike McCarthy (first time McCarthy won’t call plays since becoming head coach in 2006). If they were a college football squad we’d be lauding the return of all 11 starters –sans WR Jordy Nelson to an ACL this preseason - including the best QB in the game (Aaron Rodgers).

                            If only the defense had as much talent. Hit hard in free agency, the Packers stop-unit replenished itself through the draft and must now stand and deliver. Can they depend on 35-year old Julius Peppers to make an impact, along with their best pass rusher – Clay Matthews – moving to inside linebacker? The good news is nose tackle B.J. Raji returns after missing last season with a biceps injury. In his stead, Letroy Guion filled in starting all 16 games, recording career-high 3.5 sacks. And DC Dom Capers will not get outcoached too many times. And remember, like the Cardinals, the Cheeseheads will take on an NFC-high 3 teams that will be coming off a Monday night game this campaign. FYI: GB is 11-1 SU and 10-2 the last five years against foes that played their previous game on a Monday night. Just three minutes removed from going to the Super Bowl before crashing spectacularly in an OT loss to the Seahawks last season (the devastating loss of Jordan aside), makes us Packer-backers in 2015.

                            STAT YOU WILL LIKE: Rodgers is 32-9 SU and 29-12 ATS in division games, including 13-1 SUATS off a spread loss.

                            MINNESOTA
                            TEAM THEME: WATER UNDER THE BRIDGE
                            It was largely a surprise when the Vikings passed Louisville WR DeVante Parker with the 11th pick in this year’s draft. After all, they lost WR Gregg Jennings to free agency and the move would have reunited Parker with his former Cardinal QB Teddy Bridgewater, who broke onto the NFL scene by completing 64.4% of his passes for 14 TDs in his rookie year with Minnesota last season. They opted instead for CB Trae Waynes of Michigan State, as Mike Zimmer continues to put the emphasis on defense. And it worked last year when the Vikes improved 9 points and 53 yards per game in Zimmer’s first season as a head coach in the league. Besides, Minnesota had earlier acquired speedy WR Mike Wallace from Miami, thus allowing the team to stock up on three more talented defensive players with its first three picks in the draft. (And this added sidebar: fifth-round WR/PR Stefon Diggs of Maryland has been highly impressive in camp.) Along with recent first round picks – including DB Harrison Smith, DT Shariff Floyd, CB Xavier Rhodes and LB Anthony Barr – the defense has become the strength of the squad.

                            Now that star RB Adrian Peterson and the Vikings appear to have resolved their differences, there is still a huge hurdle the ‘switchback’ must overcome. Namely: in the NFL's 95-year history, there have been only 46 cases of a 1,000-yard season recorded by a running back who is at least 30 years old. Couple that with a tough first-half schedule (won’t a face a team with a losing record in 2014 until November 1), Mike Zimmer’s target to make the playoffs in 2016 just may stay right on track.

                            STAT YOU WILL LIKE: The Vikings are 11-2 ATS in their last thirteen games in December.

                            NFC SOUTH

                            ATLANTA
                            TEAM THEME: RETURN OF THE GRITS BLITZ
                            It’s our feeling the hire of former Seattle DC Dan Quinn should go down as one of the better moves in Atlanta Falcons football history. And you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know why. A downhill decline on the defensive side of the ball each of the last three years says it all. Hence, after narrowly missing the playoffs for a second straight year despite an appalling 6-10 record in 2014, Quinn’s services were secured. Looking to clean up the league’s worst ranked defense, he went to work immediately securing LB Vic Beasley (very impressive minicamp) and CB Jalen Collins with the Falcons’ top two picks in the draft. Behind an elite aerial attack orchestrated by QB Matt Ryan and new OC Kyle Shanahan, expect Atlanta to get back to the playoffs in 2015.

                            Don’t laugh – the Falcons tackle the co-cushiest schedule in the league with half of their opponents sporting losing records last year (Atlanta’s average opponent Super Bowl odds a super-soft 19.56-to-1, same as Indianapolis). Five of their six wins last season came in division play and they face the NFC East in its entirety for the first time in three years. And as fate would have it, the last time Atlanta played the NFC East they swept the division en route to an NFC Championship game appearance in 2012. Looking back, Matty Ice has completed over 66% of his passes the past two seasons while tossing 54 TD passes. Imagine what he might suddenly accomplish with a defense.

                            STAT YOU WILL LIKE: QB Matt Ryan is 7-0 SUATS in home openers, but only 1-6 SUATS in road openers, with the Falcons.

                            CAROLINA
                            TEAM THEME: BLACK PANTHER PARTY
                            Sneer at them all you want. After making it to the playoffs with a losing record last season, the Panthers – only the second team in NFL history to do so – are thirsting for more. You would be too if you closed out the season in the dominant fashion Carolina did last year, outyarding each of its final eight foes, including stat wins in BOTH of its playoff games. While an 8-9-1 record may not appear impressive on the surface, victories in five of its final six games certainly were. Granted, seven of the nine losses were by 14 or more points but there is no refuting the fact that the Panthers’ defense held three of their final seven opponents to season-low yardage… and 10 of 11 starters return. Like it or not, the black and blue wrecking crew became the first team ever to repeat as NFC South division champs last season.

                            The offseason signing of blindside OT Michael Oher, and the drafting of Michigan WR Devin Funchess promises to make Cam Newton a happy man (that and a new $103.8 million contract), the loss of star WR Kelvin Benjamin (ACL) aside. With it all Newton is on record vowing to make the Panthers the No. 1 ranked offense the NFL. “And I’m not just blowing smoke,” contends Newton. Oh, and for what it’s worth... the only other team in the league to win its division with a losing record was Seattle (7-9) in 2010. And we all know what the Seahawks went on to become. Should the Panthers pick up where they left off last season, they’ll be partying hearty in Charlotte this season.

                            STAT YOU WILL LIKE: The Panthers are 0-6 SUATS when playing with rest under head coach Ron Rivera.

                            NEW ORLEANS
                            TEAM THEME: BRING BACK THE BEIGNETS
                            It was a big pill to have to swallow. The Saints, in total rebuilding mode, were cap-strapped and needed to free up room. Trading away all-Pro Bowl TE Jimmy Graham and WR Kenny Stills are big losses. And while the trading of Graham appeared to be head scratching, New Orleans did receive one of the best centers in the league (Max Unger) and Seattle’s No. 1 pick in this year’s draft (LB Stephone Anthony of Clemson). But offensively it’s potentially an enormous loss for New Orleans. Newly acquired RB C.J. Spiller will team with Mark Ingram to form the ground attack. And while QB Drew Brees figures to be operating behind a vastly improved offensive line, WRs Marques Colston and Brandin Cooks (an excellent offseason) will be counted on to carry a heavy load.

                            The defense was hit hard with injuries in 2014 and as a result slipped 83 yards and 7 points per game. New CB Brandon Browner was a great addition and six defensive players taken in this year’s draft figure to contribute right away, including 2nd round OLB Hau’oli Kikaha. Rest assured, if Rob Ryan has this unit playing anywhere near 2013’s level, and head coach Sean Payton is able to mastermind a fifth consecutive 400-yard offense, the Saints will be primed for a big bounce-back year. Last year’s head-scratching five losses in their final five home games figures to be in the rear-view mirror with the Saints owning the league’s second-easiest home schedule based on 2014 win-loss records. Lest we forget, according to opening Super Bowl odds, only Atlanta and Indianapolis will face a softer schedule of opponents in 2015.

                            STAT YOU WILL LIKE: The Saints were 0-5 SUATS in their final five home games of the season last year.

                            TAMPA BAY
                            TEAM THEME: TAKE TWO
                            Buccaneers GM Jason Licht insists, “We’re not rebuilding… we’re re-tooling.” It occurred two years ago when management snapped the rubber band and reeled in veteran free agents, along with head coach Lovie Smith, in an attempt to move the needle. While the grades of that spending-spree are still out, the Bucs struck gold in last year’s draft when they landed big WR Mike Evans and talented TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins. Granted, Jenkins hobbled his way to only 21 catches, but new OC Dirk Koetter has had a ton of success utilizing tight ends, making him a breakout candidate in 2015 – especially with Evans and fellow WR Vincent Jackson figuring to soak up a ton of coverage.

                            The bottom line is Tampa’s pathetic play in 2014 landed them the No. 1 spot in this year’s draft and with it Heisman Trophy winning QB Jameis Winston was summoned. His off-the-field antics aside, Famous Jameis is a franchise signal caller and as a result the Bucs will likely contend for the NFC South title within a year or two. To accelerate the process, Tampa also drafted two OL and speedy WR Kenny Bell in the later rounds to help build around Winston. With last year’s OC Jeff Tedford not able to coach after undergoing heart surgery, expect the new-look Bucs to make serious bucks for their backers this season. Loading up on OL help in the draft was a good, logical first step. We’ll find out whether or not Evans was a soothsayer we he proclaimed last year’s Bucs “the best 2-14 team ever.”

                            STAT YOU WILL LIKE: Teams who finished last, or tied for last, have won the NFC South 11 of last 12 years the next season.

                            NFC WEST

                            ARIZONA
                            TEAM THEME: A COLD DOSE OF REALITY
                            Since 1950 the Cardinals have enjoyed the luxury of three consecutive winning seasons only two times, covering a span of 65 years – a mighty long time between drinks of water. Now, giddy off back-to-back double-digit winning seasons the past two years, head coach Bruce Arians is busy filling the canteens in preparation for the task ahead this 2015 campaign. Our much-loved coach completed what was arguably the mother of all coaching efforts last season when he guided his team – down to its 3rd-string quarterback – to the playoffs despite being outgained a whopping 64 YPG on the season. The feeling here is, even with QB Carson Palmer back behind center, improvement is not likely. Consider: only Seattle will take on a more difficult strength-of-schedule task when weighed against foes’ Super Bowl odds this season (Cardinals average opponent Super Bowl odds 12.06-to-1).

                            Over the years we’ve learned that if it looks like a skunk, walks like a skunk and smells like a skunk... it’s a skunk. And Arizona’s stats stunk up the joint last season. The Red Birds were out yarded in six of their final seven games, allowing season high – or 2nd high – yardage on five occasions. And the defense, the glue to last year’s team, lost DL Darnell Dockett, NT Dan Williams and CB Antonio Cormartie – not to mention DC Todd Bowles (Jets new head coach). Yes, we understand the absolutely masterful job Arians has done. But to ask him to improve on an 11-win season, forged largely with smoke-and-mirrors, is simply not realistic. Granted, a healthy Palmer – who contends his surgically repaired shoulder is stronger than ever - at QB and newly signed RB Chris Johnson are stepping-stones, but don’t underestimate the loss of starting C Lyle Sendlien (cut in the offseason), the starter since 2008. So until they actually begin out-yarding opponents on a consistent basis, we’re sellers. Buyer beware.

                            STAT YOU WILL LIKE: Arians is 23-5 SU and 22-4-2 ATS as an NFL head coach versus sub .600 opponents.

                            ST. LOUIS
                            TEAM THEME: FISHERMAN’S TALE
                            It’s hard to believe but only the Oakland Raiders have fewer wins since 2004 than do the Rams. It’s what happens when you haven’t had a single winning season over that time span. Former Philly QB Nick Foles swaps spots with Sam Bradford and appears to be a good fit for the Rams’ style of offense. The question is a makeshift offensive line and who will be on the receiving end of his tosses, as the St. Louis wide receivers certainly don’t scare many a secondary in the league. And for Foles to make an impact, they will need the OL to improve dramatically. Greg Robinson, the second pick in last year’s draft, struggled mightily and center Scott Wells (released) was even worse.

                            As a result, the Rams nabbed four OL in the first six rounds in this year’s draft. RB Tre Mason (765 rushing yards in 2014) figures to carry the early load until this year’s top draft choice Todd Gurley (aka: Marshawn Lynch 2.0) is ready to take the field. FYI: the Rams claim they had Gurley at the very top of their draft board. On the defensive front, free agent DL Nick Fairley pairs with Pro Bowl DE Robert Quinn (10.5 sacks last season) and to help form an imposing frontline – one that features no less than five first-rounders, including 2014 defensive rookie of the year Aaron Donald. If DE Chris Long recovers from ankle surgery, the defense has a legit chance of going from shaky to super good overnight. Its time head coach Jeff Fisher helps this team find the winner’s circle... before they bolt for Los Angeles.

                            STAT YOU WILL LIKE: The last 1,000-yard receiver the Rams had was Torry Holt in 2007.

                            SAN FRANCISCO
                            TEAM THEME: MILES AND MILES AND MILES
                            If the loss of head coach John Harbaugh in the offseason wasn’t bad enough for the Niners to endure, they will travel the most miles of all NFL teams in 2015 (27,998), including four road games where the team travels over 2,000 miles. Not to belabor the point, but we must note that last year’s air miles leader, Oakland, ran out of gas in its final three road games of the campaign, going 0-3 SUATS when they were outscored a mind-boggling 130-27. Now where else but in the PLAYBOOK are you going to read neat stuff like that? Meanwhile, new head coach Jim Tomsula, San Fran’s former defensive line coach with ONE game of head coaching experience (coached and won the final game of the 2010 season after Mike Singletary was fired), assumes the reins.

                            This much we know for sure: Their top running back, Frank Gore, is gone (Indianapolis). Gore had rushed for 1,000 or more yards eight of the last nine years, including each of the last four seasons in a row. LB’s Patrick Willis and 23-year old Chris Borland, along with DL Justin Smith and RT Anthony Davis have retired. DE Ray McDonald and lineman Aldon Smith’s careers are history. And you thought you had troubles? It’s a good thing QB Colin Kaepernick worked with future Hall of Fame QB Kurt Warner in the offseason. He’s going to need every advantage he can muster.

                            STAT YOU WILL LIKE: The last time San Francisco won a Super Bowl was 21 years ago.

                            SEATTLE
                            TEAM THEME: LEAST MODE
                            Ouch. From back-to-back Super Bowl titles to Super Bowl loser, all in the fell swoop of an ill-fated call in the final stages of last season’s championship game. If you’re reading this you’re all-too-familiar with head coach Pete Carroll’s head-scratching decision to go from obvious beast mode to yeast infection when he turned his nose up at handing the ball to Marshawn Lynch – and instead watched Russell Wilson toss a pick from the 1-yard line with the Super Bowl on the line. And now, according to the 2015 opening Super Bowl odds, they must not only tackle the league’s most difficult schedule – including nine games versus playoff squads from last season – but, like the Oakland Raiders, must trek over 25,000 travel miles for the second year in a row. Talk about having to pay the piper! And speaking of the Super Bowl loser, it goes without saying the task ahead for teams having to carry the leprous label is daunting. Only seven teams have ever made it back to the Super Bowl, and only two of those (1971 Cowboys and 72 Dolphins) have ever won.

                            The last Super Bowl loser to return to the big game was the Buffalo Bills in SB XXVIII in January 1994. And forget about backing downtrodden Super Bowl losers the following season as they are a 48.4% ATS proposition overall since 1980. Do you really want any of that? Not with a team that will take on a league-high four opponents coming off a bye week, and zero foes in the 2nd of back-to-back away games, in 2015. Note: Seahawks are 3-7 SUATS versus rested foes with winning records during the regular season this millennium. We fully realize Carroll’s magical ability in bringing the absolute best out of his players, and his determined focus on making amends for the aforementioned Super Bow faux pas are incentives. The there is the best defense in the league, anchored by the “Legion of Boom”, arguably the best-ever secondary the NFL has ever seen. Toss in the addition of all-world TE Jimmy Graham and a content QB (Wilson inked to a long-term $87 million deal) and you have the makings of a team anxious to rule the NFC roost. But a new-look OL and the myriad of aforementioned obstacles, including the release of two-year starting DT Tony McDaniel (a salary cap hit), plus a new defensive coordinator (Kris Richard) for the 2nd time in three years, forces us to look the other way.

                            STAT YOU WILL LIKE: The Seahawks are 0-6 SU and 0-4-2 ATS away all-time versus AFC North opponents.
                            Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

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                            • #74
                              AFC South NFL betting preview: Can anyone come close to toppling the Colts?

                              Houston Texans (2014 – 9-7 SU, 9-6-1 ATS)

                              Odds to win AFC: 30/1
                              Season win total: 8.5

                              Why to bet the Texans: Give Bill O’Brien credit. He took a 2-14 team and made it into an almost-playoff 9-7 club. And he still had the guts to make major changes, dumping Andre Johnson and bringing in 13 free agents to go with seven draft choices. For the first time in a while expectations are high in Houston, and they think they have enough ammo to take down Indianapolis. Should be an interesting D-line with Watt, Wilfork and Clowney.

                              Why not to bet the Texans: QB Brian Hoyer has an experience edge on Ryan Mallett in the battle between New England castoffs, but there’s no evidence that either can get the Texans into double-digit win territory. Depth also appears to be a problem.

                              Season win total pick: Under 8.5


                              Indianapolis Colts (2014 – 11-5 SU, 10-5-1 ATS)

                              Odds to win AFC: 7/2
                              Over/under total: 10.5

                              Why to bet the Colts: Indy should get halfway to 10 wins in division games alone, which means they have a big leg up in the division. (Over the last two years, Houston, Jacksonville and Tennessee are a combined 27-69.) Don’t expect too many in-division issues. Plus, Andrew Luck kills it in the dome during the regular season.

                              Why not to be the Colts: Indy made only token efforts in the draft to plug a run defense that is not good enough to even be called terrible. New England has destroyed the Colts on the ground four times in the last three years. Plus, if they meet again the Patriots have a score to settle regarding DeflateGate.

                              Season win total pick: Over 10.5


                              Jacksonville Jaguars (2014 – 3-13 SU, 6-9-1 ATS)

                              Odds to win AFC: 90/1
                              Over/under total: 5.5

                              Why to bet the Jaguars: If Blake Bortles proved anything last year, it’s that the kid is a QB who can make plays. Now the Jags have added two more weapons – free agent tight end Julius Thomas and Florida State rookie slot receiver Rashad Greene -- to jump-start at offense that averaged only 15.6 points a game last season.

                              Why not to bet the Jaguars: Numbers don’t lie, and the Jags have won only seven times in the last two seasons. They would love to smell .500 by Christmas, but there doesn’t appear to be enough overall talent – even in the weak AFC South.

                              Season win total pick: Under 5.5


                              Tennessee Titans (2014 – 2-14 SU, 3-12-1 ATS)

                              Odds to win AFC: 90/1
                              Over/under total: Over 5.5

                              Why to bet the Titans: OK, now the Titans get to see what they have in rookie QB Marcus Mariota. Early indications out of camp are that the kid can play. The defense figures to be better, too, now that legend Dick Lebeau is on board as a coach.

                              Why not to bet the Titans: Tennessee earned the right to draft high (No. 2 overall) with its season-ending 10-game losing streak last season. Besides weaving Mariota into the system, they have holes everywhere to plug.

                              Season win total pick: Over 5.5
                              Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

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                              • #75
                                AFC East NFL betting preview: Patriots won't be deflated in 2015 season

                                Even with the Deflategate circus surrounding the team for months, the AFC East is likely the Patriots' to lose again this year, but they could get a serious push from a couple of division rivals.

                                AAA Sports breaks down the best ways to wager on the AFC East and gives a season win total pick for each of its members heading into the new NFL campaign:


                                Buffalo Bills (2014: 9-7 SU, 9-7 ATS)

                                Odds to win AFC: 14/1
                                Over/under total: 8.5

                                Why to bet the Bills: As new coach Rex Ryan says, the Bills are going to jam the ball down teams’ throats this season. At least try to. Assuming LeSean McCoy is into the game, he’ll pair with Fred Jackson in a solid backfield. The defense, among the best in the NFL last season, is strong again.

                                Why not to bet the Bills: Buffalo has been Playoff-AWOL for the last decade and a half, and the Bills still don’t have a quality QB. What will happen when defenses bring seven defenders in the box to stop the running game?

                                Season win total pick: Under 8.5


                                Miami Dolphins (2014: 8-8 SU, 7-9 ATS)

                                Odds to win AFC: 14/1
                                Over/under total: 9

                                Why to bet the Dolphins: This could be the year that Ryan Tannehill separates himself from the Andy Daltons of the NFL and vaults into the upper echelon. Tannehill has some young wideouts to throw to, and when the offense goes three-and-out, the defense led by newcomer Ndamukong Suh gets to show its stuff.

                                Why not to bet the Dolphins: Besides Suh, there is a raft of young new bodies on both sides of the ball, and it may take a while to sort itself out. Schedule is top-heavy with mediocre opponents early, tough ones later.

                                Season win total pick: Under 9


                                New England Patriots (2014: 12-4 SU, 9-7 ATS)

                                Odds to win AFC: 7/2
                                Over/under total: 10

                                Why to bet the Patriots: After Deflategate, do you think Bill Belichick is going to even think about taking his foot off the accelerator? Pats have never been a great cover team, but after SpyGate hit the fan, NE covered its first eight games the following season.

                                Why not to bet the Patriots: How long will Tom Brady sit? No one knows, and we might not know until just before Game 1. Until then there might not even be lines available.

                                Season win total pick: Over 10


                                New York Jets (2014: 4-12 SU, 6-9-1 ATS)

                                Odds to win AFC: 35-1
                                Over/under total: 7

                                Why to bet the Jets: The NYJ have some new names – Brandon Marshall, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Stevan Ridley – who have had some success, and if they get with the program, Todd Bowles could improve on last year’s 4-win season. Rex Ryan took the Jets to two AFC title games, but was just 26-38 in his last four years as boss man.

                                Why not to bet the Jets: It’s tough going into a season with the weakest QB in the division, and that’s Issue No. 1 in East Rutherford. Geno Smith looked like he has the job, but he’ll be out until early October after undergoing an involuntary nose job. Now, re-tread Ryan Fitzpatrick will have another chance to underperform.

                                Season win total pick: Over 7
                                Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

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