39 days to college football

[tdickson]

Who is ready?

[MemphisMafia]

I is :

Good To See You Again

G.L>

***MMM***

Tid Bits from Don Best :

College football season preview

June 28, 2004
By Jimmy Sirody,
Don Best Sports senior writerOklahoma and USC will meet in the BCS Championship Game at the Orange Bowl on January 4, 2005. That's if you believe what you read in preseason football publications and the oddsmakers around town.
The Gold Sheet, the industry standard for 48 years when it comes to reliable college facts and figures, tabs the Trojans on top. The Sooners are in the third slot behind Georgia. Grid guru Phil Steele, who publishes the most comprehensive college football magazine for sports bettors, likes Oklahoma and has USC ranked No. 2.

Oddsmakers at The Palms sports book in Las Vegas will give you 3/1 on the Trojans to bring home the bacon and 9/2 on Oklahoma, Defending champ LSU is the only other team among the 49 listed under double-digits at 9/1.

USC could be as good as it was the last two seasons despite losing five starters on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Matt Leinart is one of the preseason favorites for the Heisman Trophy after throwing 38 scoring strikes in 2003. Coach Pete Carroll has NFL caliber talent at every position and his Trojans should once again skate through the weak Pac-10.

Oklahoma outscored Big-12 foes by more than 40 points last season. Heading into the conference title game, many experts thought the Sooners had a chance to be one of the greatest college outfits of all time. That's one fairy tale that didn't have a happy ending after Oklahoma lost to Kansas State and LSU.

Coach Bob Stoops welcomes back 17 starters from that team, including Heisman Trophy winner Jason White. Oklahoma's entire offensive line returns intact, along with its top five wide receivers. White, a sixth-year senior, passed for nearly 4,000 yards and 40 touchdowns last season.

New defensive coordinator Bo Pellini, interim head coach at Nebraska in 2003, takes over from Mike Stoops, the new boss at Arizona. Pellini has talent coming out of his ear with the likes of 292-pound junior Lynn McGruder and blue chip JC transfer Chijioke Onyenegecha.

LSU lost 13 players to the NFL, but Nick Saban welcomes back 15 starters, including nine members from its intimidating stop unit. The Tigers outscored their foes by an average of 33-11 in 2003. The defense allowed just 67 yards per game rushing.

Redshirt freshman JaMarcus Russell and senior Marcus Randall are battling it out to fill quarterback Matt Mauck’s shoes. Russell (6-5, 236) is the all-time leading passer in Alabama high school history with over 10,000 yards and 84 TD passes.

LSU faces a much tougher schedule this season, with road tests against Auburn, Georgia and Florida.

Don't think that USC, Oklahoma and LSU are the only teams that have a legitimate shot at winning the BCS crown. The Sooners entered the years as a 50/1 shot to win the National Title in 2000 and were not even ranked in the preseason top-20. Ohio State wasn't ranked in the preseason top-10 in 2002 and LSU was a 40/1 shot last season coming off an 8-5 season.

Miami, playing its first season in the ACC, will battle it out with Florida State for the conference crown. There is value with the Hurricanes at 12/1 since they figure to be favored in all 11 games this season. If Miami escapes the Seminoles on Sept. 6, its only other roadblock to a perfect season could be a road game at Virginia on Nov. 13.

Senior quarterback Brock Berlin was a major disappointment last year with more interceptions (17) than TD passes (12). Don't be surprised if redshirt freshman Kyle Wright (6-5, 208), the top prep quarterback in the nation two years ago, pushes Berlin for the starting berth.

The Canes defense allowed just 258 yards per game and 15 points per game last season. D.J. Williams and Jonathan Vilma are gone, but juniors Roger McIntosh and Leon Williams step in. Coach Larry Coker was singing the praises of his defensive unit after spring practice, bad news for ACC foes.

Florida State is perfectly capable of running the table should it upset the ‘Canes. The Seminoles get Clemson, Virginia and Florida at Tallahassee. Their stiffest road challenge figures to come at North Carolina State on Nov. 11.

Chris Rix returns for his senior season trying to beat Miami for the first time. Though Rix is 24-10 as a starter for FSU, the 10 losses are more than the four previous quarterbacks combined. Rix, who has better stats than Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer did after three seasons, threw for over 3,100 yards last year.

Michigan is potentially the most talented team in the Big 10. The Wolverines will go as far as sophomore quarterback Matt Gutierrez can take them. Gutierrez, who never lost as a starter at De La Salle High in Northern California, has been the heir apparent since stepping on campus.

Braylon Edwards, Jason Avant and Steve Breston are the best trio of wide receivers on the planet. Edwards turned down a shot at the NFL to return for his senior season and Avant was second team Big-10 choice in 2003.

Coach Lloyd Carr welcomes back seven starters off a unit that yielded just 23 TDs and ranked 11th in the country in points allowed.

Looking for a real long shot? Steele is very high on West Virginia (60/1). The Mountaineers are the class of the Big East now that Miami has moved on. West Virginia narrowly missed an upset of the ‘Canes last season, which would have given them a perfect conference record and a BCS bid.

Coach Rich Rodriguez welcomes back 15 starters and 49 lettermen, including veteran quarterback Rasheed Marshall and shifty running back Kay-Jay Harris. Marshall is a good runner who has struggled with his passing accuracy. West Virginia fans are expecting great things from junior wide receiver Chris Henry, who averaged 25 yards per catch last season and grabbed 10 TD passes.

Utah is another long shot (125/1) that could finish the season unbeaten. The Utes, 10-2 last season, are prohibitive favorites to once again wear the Mountain West crown. Urban Meyer is one of the top young minds in the college football ranks. He is a prime candidate should any high-profile programs be looking for a new coach.

Meyer has 15 starters returning, including quarterback Alex Smith and leading tackler Morgan Scalley. Three of four starters from an active defensive line also return.

The odds to win the 2005 BCS Championship Game, courtesy of The Palms sports book in Las Vegas, appear below.

USC 3
Oklahoma 9/2
LSU 9
Miami 12
Georgia 10
Texas 12
Fla. St. 12
Michigan 14
Florida 18
Ohio St. 20
Iowa 30
Tennessee 30
Maryland 30
Kansas St.30
Virginia 40
Nebraska 25
Purdue 40
Minnesota 40
Va. Tech 40
California 50
Arkansas 50
Clemson 50
West Va. 60
Auburn 50
N. Dame 50
Missouri 60
Wisconsin 60
Ore. St. 60
Mich. St. 75
Okla. St. 75
Penn St. 75
Wash St. 75
Ga. Tech 75
Colorado 100
Texas A&M 75
Alabama 75
Tex Tech 75
UCLA 75
Washington 75
Oregon 75
Ariz. St. 75
So. Car 100
Ole Miss 125
Utah 125
NC State 100
Pitt 100
Boise St. 300
Toledo 300
UNLV 1000
Field 40

[tdickson]

mmm

good to hear from you-who is the sleeper team? I think West Virginia

[MemphisMafia]

Good Choice :

Cant go wrong there , its a tad early yet but they have all the weapons to really surprise folks this season . Georgia isnt going to sneek up on anyone , but they look solid right now . And I see Memphis ( go figure ) winning a few before the books catch-up to her !

G.L.

***MMM***

[logan3372]

GO DAWGS!!!

[tdickson]

logan3372

War Eagle! We will see you on the plains- you guys got a chance to do something special this year

[logan3372]

Damn my most hated team.They have the runners to do some damage.

[Homer]

Dickson

Nice to hear from you buddy. I'm looking forward to the season.

Wolverine's Baby

P.S. Get that system ready baby :D.... I will be all over it like a pig on shit

[tdickson]

HOMER

IT'S READY TO GO-THE PROBLEM IS THAT IT DOESN'T SPIT OUT PLAYS UNTIL WEEK 3, SO I HAVE TO LOOSE FOR 2 WEEKS ON MY OWN

[The Pirate]

tdickson

good to see you back !
looking forward to that dynamite system of yours.

[SuperZero]

FSU WINS IT ALL

WHAT PART................?

[Lucky Leo]

Yes I can't wait for football to start. I also can't wait for tdicksons system. And last but no least go Noles.

[Blackbeard]

hallefuckinleuah

hoping to get some of my baseball losses back, Football is the only sport I enjoy betting and capping.