2006 National Championship Semi-Final Matchups

December 23rd

The Sugar Bowl
2:30pm, ABC
#1 Ohio State vs.
#5 USC

The Rose Bowl
7:00pm, ABC
#3 Michigan vs.
#4 Florida

2006 National Championship Round One Results

Round One Results: There were no major upsets in the first week of the 2006 NCAA Division 1 National Championship tournament.

December 16th, 2006.

The Capital One Bowl
45 Michigan
37 Louisville
Two offenses slugged it out for most of the game, but it was Michigan's defense that won it for Michigan. Louisville drove the ball deep into Michigan territory late in the game, but on 4th and 3, Michigan stopped Brian Brohm as he scrambled for the first down. Michigan moves on the face Florida in the Rose Bowl.

The Hoilday Bowl
24 LSU
31 USC
USC Quarterback John David Booty engineered an 84 yard scoring drive late in the 4th quarter that turned out to be the difference in a hard fought game. USC moves on the play #1 seeded Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl.

The Orange Bowl
13 Wisconsin
24 Florida
In front a crowd dominated by Florida fans, the Gators dominated both sides on the football. Leading 24-6 until Wisconsin scored a late touchdown. The University of Florida moves on to face Michigan in the Rose Bowl.

The Cotton Bowl
38 Ohio State
27 Boise State
Boise State proves that they deserved to be in the picture by taking a 14-10 lead over Ohio State mid-way through the second quarter. However, Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith turned it on in the second half and Ohio State pulls away and will face USC in the Sugar Bowl.

Ron Prince on Houston sports talk radio talking about the Texas bowl

Listen to it here...

Kansas State vs. Rutgers in the Texas Bowl

I have my tickets... do you have yours?

Athletics director Tim Weiser announced Sunday that the Wildcats (7-5) have accepted an invitation to play Rutgers (10-2) in the inaugural Texas Bowl on Dec. 28 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. The game will kick off at 7 p.m. (CST) and will be televised nationally by NFL Network.
The Texas Bowl marks K-State’s 12th bowl berth in the last 14 years – a feat shared by just nine other programs in the country – and the Wildcats’ fourth trip to the state of Texas for a bowl game. The Wildcats, who are making their first trip to Houston for the postseason, have previously played in the 1997 Cotton Bowl, the 1998 Alamo Bowl and the 2001 Cotton Bowl.
"We are thrilled to have the opportunity to showcase our football program in the inaugural Texas Bowl and I am pleased to accept the invitation on behalf of Kansas State University," Weiser said. "The state of Texas has always been an outstanding bowl destination for our football program and our fans. The hospitality extended to our program and our supports has always been outstanding and we are honored to be part of an exceptional matchup between two of the nation’s top conferences.”
Kansas State won three of its final four games of the season to finish tied for second in the Big 12’s North Division under first-year head coach Ron Prince to earn its first postseason bowl berth since the 2004 Fiesta Bowl.
“We are excited to be selected as the Big 12’s representative in the Texas Bowl and we are looking forward to playing one of the nation’s best teams in Rutgers on Dec. 28 in Reliant Stadium,” Prince said. “I could not be more proud of what our team has accomplished this season and I am pleased that all their hard work is being rewarded with an opportunity to play in a first-class event like the Texas Bowl.”
Under the direction of Home Depot Coach of the Year Greg Schiano, Rutgers has been one of the most notable turnaround stories in college football during the past two seasons.
Schiano guided the Scarlet Knights to just their second 10-win season in school history in 2006, including a thrilling, come-from-behind 28-25 victory over then third-ranked Louisville on Nov. 9. The win propelled the Scarlet Knights to their first top-10 ranking in school history. Overall this season, Rutgers has been ranked for 11 consecutive weeks, the longest stretch ever for the Scarlet Knights.
The 2006 Texas Bowl will be the first meeting between K-State and Rutgers on the gridiron and the second time the Wildcats have squared off with a current member of the Big East Conference this season. K-State fell to then-No.8 Louisville on Sept. 23 and is 4-7 all time vs. current members of the league.
The Wildcats have faced Big East teams in three bowls, splitting games with Syracuse in the 1997 Fiesta Bowl (W, 35-18) and 2001 Insight.com Bowl (L, 26-3) and falling to Boston College – now a member of the ACC – in the 1994 Aloha Bowl (L, 12-7).
Kansas State will begin accepting ticket orders for the Texas Bowl beginning at 9 a.m., Monday after the Wildcats accepted an invitation Sunday to play in the December 28 game in Houston against Rutgers of the Big East Conference.
K-State has been allocated approximately 10,500 tickets for the game, which will be played in Reliant Stadium, home of the NFL’s Houston Texans. Tickets are available through K-State in the stadium’s lower level at $35, $50 and $75, and in the Club level for $50 or $75.
The easiest method to order tickets is online at www.k-statesports.com, clicking on the bowl information tab and selecting “Buy Bowl Tickets.” Donors to the Ahearn Scholarship Fund and season ticket holders placing online orders should click on the “Donor/Season Ticket Holder” button for tickets. Fans may also order in person at the K-State Athletic Ticket Office in Bramlage Coliseum or by calling 1-800-221-CATS.
Ahearn Fund members and season ticket holders will receive seating preference for bowl orders placed by 5 p.m., Wednesday, December 6. Donors at the $3,000 level and above will be given seating priority up to 10 tickets. Donors below the $3,000 level and all other fans placing orders will receive seating priority up to six tickets. Assignment of all seating allocated to K-State will be based on the K-State Priority Points system. All orders will include a $15 handling fee and tickets will be distributed through a priority delivery service.
Fans interested in travel packages are encouraged to call the K-State Alumni Association’s bowl hotline at 866-373-7379. Travel options include air transportation and hotel, as well as land-only packages. For additional information on the travel packages, Alumni Association pre-game party and the all-University pep rally visit the Association’s web site at www.k-state.com.

2006 National Championship Bracket

The final BCS standings are out and the top 8 teams remain the same as last week, but with some obvious movement at the top.

Once again, there are teams out there that could make a case for playing for the National Championship but will not have a chance. If and when the powers that be decide we should move to a playoff, here is what it would look like this year:

Round One:
December 16th, 2006.

The Capital One Bowl
11:ooam Kickoff ESPN
#3 Michigan vs. #6 Louisville

The Hoilday Bowl
2:30pm Kickoff ESPN
#4 LSU vs. #5 USC

The Orange Bowl
2:30pm Kickoff ABC
#7 Wisconsin vs. #2Florida

The Cotton Bowl
7:00pm Kickoff ABC
#1 Ohio State vs. #8 Boise State

Results from the first round will be posted tomorrow with seating for the second round.

Another BCS Joke

UCLA beat USC on Saturday and threw the BCS upside down. USC was a lock to play Ohio State for the Mythical National Championship game until they got shut down by UCLA. Now we have at least two teams, Michigan and Florida who both deserve to be in the Championship game, but only one will have a shot.

Michgans only loss came against the #1 ranked Buckeyes in Columbus, by 3 points. It was a great game and on a neuteral field, it could turn out differently.

Florida played the toughest schedule in the country and lost only to Auburn.

Both are very deserving. Then there are teams like Boise State who is undefeated. Oklahoma who should be 12-1, except that the referees robbed them of a win at Oregon State.

Later today the BCS rankings will come out and at least one team that deserves a shot at the National Championship will be left to play for money.

Yet another year has gone by when the BCS failed to deliver what it was designed to do. Guarantee a #1 vs. #2 championship game.

Early Kansas State Bowl Projections

The projections are all over the board right now. Here is a sample of the destinations and possible opponents:

The Texas Bowl, Houston, TX
December 28th

Kansas State vs. Rutgers

This would be a great game for Kansas State if they got matched up against Rutgers. It would give Kansas State an opportunity to play a team that is currently ranked #13 in the nation.

The Insight.com Bowl, Tempe, AZ
December 29th

Kansas State vs. Minnesota

Not a great matchup for Kansas State but a better bowl then the Texas Bowl. A chance for Ron Prince to have his first bowl appearance in the same location as Bill Snyder's first bowl.

The Alamo Bowl, San Antonio, TX
December 30th

Kansas State vs. Iowa

Opprotunity for a win over a Big Ten school with a solid program on a down year. The Alamo bowl is a great destination for fans.

Independence Bowl Shreveport, LA
December 27

Kansas State vs. South Carolina

Great chance for rookie Head Coach to go against coaching ledgend Steve Spurrier. Not a great bowl destination, but the location of the first ever KSU bowl appearance vs. Wisconsin.

NCAA Football Playoff

It is that time of year... teams are being slotted for bowl games and the final BCS rankings will be out next week to determine who will play for the Mythical National Championship. The NCAA Division 1 Football is the only sport on any level that does not decide its championship on the field. Instead it is turned over to computers and voters to determine who will get to play in one game to determine the eventual champion.

The system has been flawed from the beginning. It is setup to fail. We have had a split national championship under this system and almost every year the controversy surrounding the two team selected overshadows the actual game.

A playoff is the only way we are going to have a true national champion. All other divisions of NCAA football have a playoff.... why not in the only division that really matters. NCAA football is the greatest sport with the worst post season.

There are no legitimate arguments against an 8 team playoff. The NCAA cries about student athletes missing too much time, then they add a 12th game to the schedule. They are not concerned about the NCAA Basketball tournament with requires their student athletes to miss considerably more time then a football playoff would.

There are concerns about the Bowl system and what it would do to the minor bowls. This is also complete B.S. All the existing bowls would remain in place and be a reward for those teams that qualified. There would also be seven bowls involved in the playoff and they would all have a shot at hosting the eventual national champions.

Here is my proposal in a nutshell. We leave the BCS formula in place as it is. We take the top 8 teams in the BCS at the end of the year. These 8 teams would then play a tournament over 3 weeks to determine the National Champion.

You say what about #9, they won't have a shot. True, but if your team is ranked #9 or higher, you didn't take care of business throughout the year. Eight teams will include any unbeaten teams and usually all the one loss teams.

The teams would be given a week off after the end of the season and the first game would be on Dec. 16th and the Championship game would be two weeks later on the 30th. If you wanted to give the teams an extra week to prepare for the championship game, it could be held on Jan. 6th.

Below I have listed the first round games as they stand today. This is of course, subject to change after the final week of games this saturday.

Round One - December 16th

The Cotton Bowl, Dallas, TX

VS.

The Orange Bowl, Miami, FL

VS.

The Capital One Bowl, Orlando, FL

VS.

The Hoilday Bowl, San Diego, CA

VS.

Ron Prince turns up the heat on Mark Mangino

There was plenty of criticism of the University of Kansas Head Football Coach Mark Mangino going into last weekend but the recent success of Kansas State Head Football Coach Ron Prince is really turning up the heat on Mangino.

After Mangino’s first winning season at KU, he was given a 5 year contract extension worth $1.5 million a year. This makes Mangino 21st on the list of highest paid NCAA football coaches. Ahead of the likes of Lloyd Carr, Steve Spurrier, Les Miles, Tommy Bowden, Rich Rodriguez, and Houston Nutt. He ranks 92nd based on winning percentage of active coaches. KU is not getting much return on their investment.

Mangino in his first four plus seasons has an overall record of 24-34 and is on his way to the his 4th losing season in 5 years. He is also responsible for landing the Jayhawks in hot water with the NCAA which resulted in a three year probation and the loss of three football scholarships. His biggest win as KU’s Head Coach would be a win over 23rd ranked Missouri in 2003. He has managed to increase home game attendance through his first four years, but it looks like it will be dropping slightly after this year.

All of these “great” accomplishments led to the 5 year contract extension mentioned above. After KU finished the 2005 season strong, including Mangino’s first ever bowl victory over the University of Houston, spirits were high in Lawrence.

It didn’t take long for that to change. An early non-conference loss to Toledo and several games that KU let slip away have led to much criticism of Mangino. The small fire that was slowing building was doused in gasoline on Saturday night when first year KSU Coach Ron Prince led the Wildcats to victory over the defending National Champion and 4th ranked Longhorns of Texas.

Nearly every preseason prediction had the Wildcats finishing last in the Big 12 North. Some had Kansas as high as 2nd. But with only a few weeks remaining in the regular season, it is KSU sitting in 2nd place and KU looking up from the bottom half of the division. In his first year, Ron Prince was able to do something Mangino could not… beat a top ranked team. With a win Saturday over the Jayhawks, Kansas State will finish the season 8-4 and be headed to a good bowl game and potentially finish in the Top 25.

If Mangino loses his next two games and KU finishes the year at 5-7, KU could be looking for a new football coach after this year. At least Basketball season is here… oh wait… KU just lost to Oral Roberts and Kansas State just landed the best recruiting class in the country.

Looks like the Jayhawks could be relegated to the 2nd best team in Kansas in Football AND Basketball.

Stay Classy Texas

I guess the REAL reason UT lost to Kansas State was because Doug Flutie jinxed them. The Longhorn fans are working overtime to try and find a reason how the mighty Horns could fall to an unranked team that was picked to finish last in the Big 12.


Angry fan threatens Flutie and Family

FRAMINGHAM - An unhinged Texas Longhorn fan who blames Doug Flutie’s televised analysis for the team’s upset Saturday threatened the former football star and his family in an electronic mail message, police said.
The threat, which was not detailed by police, was sent to the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism early Sunday, police Lt. Paul Shastany said.
“We have intentions of finding this person and speaking to this person,” said Shastany. “As threats go, it’s a pretty serious incident.”
Although the exact nature of the threat was not disclosed, the man, who investigators believe lives in California, wrote, “You jinxed the Longhorn faithful and a chance at the national title,” Shastany said.
“He was upset, wishing bad will and speaking badly about his family,” said Shastany. “At this point, the information is disconcerting enough to follow this up the best we can.”
Police spoke with Flutie, and he is aware of the threat, Shastany said, but there was no imminent danger and Flutie went ahead with a foundation fund-raiser last night at the Hyatt Regency in Boston.
Flutie is a college football analyst for ABC and ESPN. His playing career included winning a Heisman Trophy with Boston College in 1984, two stints with the Patriots and several championships in Canada. The Texas Longhorns were upset Saturday, when Kansas State beat them 45-42.

Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week

Congrats to Josh Freeman and Yamon Figurs for their Player of the Week awards. Mark Dodge from Texas A&M won the Defensive POY award for a great performance against Nebraska but the award should have gone to Ian Campbell.

Ian Campbell:
5 Tackles1 Tackle for Loss
2 Fumble Recoveries (Both led to TD's)
1 Pass Breakup
1 Sack

Mark Dodge:
17 Tackles
1/2 Tackle for Loss
1 INT (led to missed FG attempt)

Without a performance like that from Ian Campbell, Kansas State would have not beat the 4th ranked team in the country. Dodge played well in a losing effort, while Campbell played better in a winning effort.

KSU should have swept to Big 12 Players of the week awards.

Big 12 Football Players of the Week

AT&T Big 12 Football Players of the Week - Nov. 13


Josh Freeman (Kansas State), Mark Dodge (Texas A&M), and Mason Crosby (Colorado) and Yamon Figurs (Kansas State) have been named AT&T Big 12 Conference Offensive, Defensive and co-Special Teams Players of the Week, respectively, as selected by a media panel. Freeman is honored for the second time in as many weeks, while Crosby adds to his Big 12 record with the ninth award of his career and second of the season. Dodge and Figurs receive recognition for the first time.

Offensive Player of the Week
Josh Freeman, Fr, QB, Kansas State (Kansas City, Mo.)
Freshman quarterback Josh Freeman passed for three touchdowns and ran for another to lead Kansas State to a 45-42 win over No. 4 Texas. Freeman completed 19-of-31 passes for 269 yards, including TD strikes of 36, 32 and 30 yards. The loss ended the Longhorns' 21-game Big 12 Conference win streak.

Defensive Player of the Week
Mark Dodge, Jr, LB, Texas A&M (Yerington, Nev.)
Playing on Veterans' Day, former Army serviceman Mark Dodge turned in a game-high 17-tackle performance in Texas A&M's 28-27 last-minute loss to Nebraska. Dodge returned his first interception of the season 16 yards in the fourth-quarter to set up an Aggie field goal attempt with 1:57 left.

Co-Special Teams Players of the Week
Mason Crosby, Sr, PK, Colorado (Georgetown, Texas)
Mason Crosby connected on 4-of-5 field goal attempts and accounted for 15 points for Colorado in its 33-16 win over Iowa State. Crosby hit on attempts of 47, 38, 41 and 42 yards, while coming up just short on a school-record 65-yard effort.
Yamon Figurs, Sr, PR, Kansas State (Lakeland, Fla.)
Yamon Figurs' took his only punt return in K-State's upset of Texas 52 yards to the 8-yard line to set up a short touchdown drive to give the Wildcats a 21-14 second-quarter lead.

Big 12 Coach of the Year

As the 2006 seasons nears the end, it is a good time to look at who is in the running for Big 12 Coach of the Year. Coach Prince threw his name into the hat on Saturday night with an impressive win over #4 Texas but lets look at all the candidates and their 2006 accomplishments.

North:

Nebraska - Bill Callahan
Record: 8-3 Overall, 5-2 Conference
Biggest Win: 28-27 at Texas A&M
Worst Loss: 29-41 at Oklahoma State

Nebraska was picked to win the Big 12 North and clinched the North with a hard fought victory in College Station last weekend. They played Texas tough in Lincoln and should have won that game. Will the Big 12 Championship game be any different? If Callahan and the Huskers can manage to beat Texas or Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship game, Callahan could be the favorite to win the Coach of the Year in the Big 12.

Kansas State – Ron Prince
Record: 7-4 Overall, 4-3 Conference
Biggest Win: 45-42 against the University of Texas
Worst Loss: 3-17 at Baylor

Kansas State was picked to finish last in the Big 12 North and currently sit in second place, one game behind Nebraska. With a victory over Kansas on Saturday, the Wildcats will finish 8-4 overall with 5 conference victories. A considerable improvement over a year ago. Add to that a win over the 4th ranked team in the country and Ron Prince has a good case for Big 12 Coach of the Year.

Missouri – Gary Pinkel
Record: 7-3 Overall, 3-3 Conference
Biggest Win: 38-21 at Texas Tech
Worst Loss: 34-20 at Nebraska

Missouri started out strong and could finish strong. With games remaining against Iowa State and Kansas, Missouri should finish with a good overall record of 9-3. However, there were no marquee wins that MU can point to during the season. They played a very weak non-conference schedule and lost to the better teams in the Big 12. They have not had any letdowns against the weaker teams yet. If Missouri loses one of its remaining games, Pinkel has no shot, but if they win out, he deserves some consideration.

Kansas – Mark Mangino
Record: 5-5 Overall, 2-4 Conference
Biggest Win: 13-7 against South Florida
Worst Loss: 31-37 at Toledo

This has been a horrible year for the Jayhawks. KU gave a contract extension to a coach with a losing record and now they find themselves on probation for recruiting violations and likely to finish 2-6 in the conference.

Colorado – Dan Hawkins
Record: 2-9 Overall, 2-5 Conference
Biggest Win: 30-6 vs. Texas Tech
Worst Loss: 10-19 vs. D1AA - Montana State

Tough year for first year coach Dan Hawkins… Boise State remains unbeaten though!

Iowa State - Dan McCarney
Record: 3-8 Overall, 0-7 Conference
Biggest Win: 28-27 vs. Northern Iowa
Worst Loss: 16-33 vs. Colorado

Dan McCarney leaves the program as the after a tough year.

South:

Texas – Mack Brown
Record: 9-2 Overall, 6-1 Conference
Biggest Win: 28-10 vs. Oklahoma
Worst Loss: 42-45 at Kansas State

Texas found a replacement for Vince Young and looked to have a good shot at defending their National Championship until Josh Freeman and the Kansas State Wildcats defeated them last weekend. Texas had another great year and Mack Brown will get some consideration for Coach of the Year, however, the Longhorns were supposed to win all their games and they have lost two so far. Expectations are high in Austin and so is the talent level… 10-2 probably not enough to win the award for Brown.

Oklahoma – Bob Stoops
Record: 8-2 Overall, 5-1 Conference
Biggest Win: 17-16 at Texas A&M
Worst Loss: 33-34 at Oregon

If the Officials don’t hand Oregon the game against Oklahoma on September 16th, the Sooners are fighting for a spot in the BCS Championship game. OU should win out against Baylor and OSU and if Texas A&M can upset the Longhorns, OU will be playing in the Big 12 Championship Game. Given all the problems the Sooners have had losing Bomar and Peterson for the year, Stoops has done a great job this year. If the Sooners find a way into the Big 12 Championship game and beat NU, Stoops wins, if not, he still deserves some consideration.

Texas A&M – Dennis Franchione
Record: 8-3 Overall, 4-3 Conference
Biggest Win: 25-19 vs. Missouri
Worst Loss: 27-31 vs. Texas Tech

Coach Fran continues to struggle against the Big 12’s better teams. Against UT, OU, TTU, and NU Fran is 1-13 overall. He needs to worry about keeping his job, not the Coach of the Year award.


Oklahoma State – Mike Gundy
Record: 6-4 Overall, 3-3 Conference
Biggest Win: 41-29 vs. Nebraska
Worst Loss: 25-34 vs. Houston

Not a bad year overall for the Pokes but showed inconsistent play throughout the year.

Texas Tech – Mike Leach
Record: 6-5 Overall, 3-4 Conference
Biggest Win: 31-27 at Texas A&M
Worst Loss: 30-6 vs. Colorado

Disappointing year for the Red Raiders who cannot move from being a good team to a team that competes with Texas and Oklahoma every year.

Baylor – Guy Morriss
Record: 4-7Overall, 3-4 Conference
Biggest Win: 17-3 vs. Kansas State
Worst Loss: 66-24 at Oklahoma State

Another year at the bottom of the Big 12 South. Baylor needs to continue to improve as they have done the last few years.


The race for Big 12 Coach of the Year, in my opinion, comes down to three coaches. Bill Callahan, Bob Stoops and Ron Prince. Callahan and Stoops are both having great years and doing exactly what was expected of them. However, if you look at where Kansas State was picked to finish and where they are now, it is tough to argue that anyone is more deserving then Ron Prince.

Reason #7,346 to Hate Mack Brown and the Texas Longhorns

When asked about the #4 Longhorns loss to the unranked Wildcats, Mack Brown said "We didn't get beat by them, we just ran out of time."

What a Jackass!

Thanks for the Memories....

Can KSU Upset the 4th Ranked Team?

The University of Texas had one and only one question mark coming into the 2006 season. Would they be able to replace the irreplaceable Vince Young at Quarterback? Going into the season two freshman were battling for the starting job and it looked like the answer to that question was no. However, Colt McCoy emerged as the starter and has turned into one of the best surprises of the year.

McCoy, a redshirt freshman, leads the Big 12 in Pass Efficiency and has an amazing 24-4 TD to INT ratio. He has great receivers led by Limas Sweed with 642 yards receiving and 10 TD’s. McCoy spreads the ball around, eight UT players have at least 15 receptions. One difference you see in the UT passing attack this year is the lack of catches by the TEs.

UT has also had a strong rushing attack Jamaal Charles and Selvin Young have both been productive runners for the Horns this year. Charles the leader with 714 yards on the ground.

Kansas State has played well against some great offenses this year. The Cats held Louisville to 24 points and only 247 yards of total offense. This is a team that is averaging 492 yards per game on the year.

The KSU defense will have to have a great game against Texas and it will begin with slowing down the passing attack. UT has done a great job at pass blocking this year only allowing 1.5 sacks per game. The key to KSU’s victories against UT in the pass has been unrelenting pressure on their Quarterback and forcing mistakes. Ian Campbell and company will need to get up field and try give McCoy something to think about every time he drops back to pass.

On the other side of the Offensive ball, Kansas State has been much improved over the course of the year. True Freshman QB Josh Freeman has shown steady improvement and while KSU ranks 10th in the Big 12 in Passing Offense, they are much improved in this area. Last week against the 6th best defense in the Big 12, Colorado, Freeman was 22 of 26 for 251 yards and two TD’s for an amazing QB rating of 191.1.

KSU will have to throw the ball to win against Texas. The one weakness in the UT defense is defending against the pass. They rank 11th in the Big 12, giving up 241 yards per game. The amazing thing is, UT is ranked 11th in pass defense in the league and 2nd in Total Defense. That is because they are holding opponents to 43 yards per game rushing.

UT will challenge the Freshman Freeman to beat them through the air. They will bring pressure on every play and Freeman will need to be ready for it. KSU will need to be creative in getting the ball to Leon Patton and James Johnson. Short passes to the RBs in the flat will allow them to get the ball on the edge and make some plays with their feet. However, KSU will only win this game if they can get the ball down field. It will be difficult for the Cats with sustain long 15-20 play drives. They are going to exploit the UT weakness in the Defensive backfield. That means the line will need to hold their blocks long enough for the receivers to get down field.

KSU has had great play on special teams all year and that will need to continue. If Kansas State can win the field position battle, they will be in this game at the end. However, if the Cats are starting every drive inside their own 20, they will have a hard time putting points on the board.

Bold and Daring. This is what Ron Prince said the 2006 Wildcats would be all about. In order for the Cats to win this weekend, they will need to be Bold and Daring. Coach Prince has me believing. UT will be busy trying to figure out how they can get into the BCS Championship and looking forward to their battle with rival Texas A&M.

KSU beats the 4th ranked team in the country at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

Kansas State - 27
Texas - 24

BOLD AND DARING

Live or Die with Josh Freeman

Ron Prince has made it very clear. There is no Quarterback controversy in Manhattan.... but should there be?

Since being named the starter, Josh Freeman has been anything but spectacular. He has not thrown a Touchdown pass yet and has 8 interceptions. He is completing 41% of his passes and is averaging 121 yards passing per game. In his three starts, the Wildcats are 10 of 41 in Third Down conversions. He is the only starting QB in the country without a passing TD.

When Prince took over the job as the Head Coach at Kansas State, he said every position was open for competition. Each starter would have to earn his spot in the starting lineup... I guess this does not apply to his 5 star recruit at QB.

It is pretty easy to compare Dylan Meier and Freeman now. They have both played in at least 6 games. Each has about the same number of pass attempts.

Meier leads Freeman in every category. Higher percentage completions, better efficiency rating, more touchdowns, and less interceptions.

I am fine with the idea that Freeman is the future of this program so he should be playing. Continuing with Meier does nothing to help this team over the next few years. But Prince needs to come out and say that. He continues to insist that Freeman is not one of the reasons we are losing football games. Just this week, when asked about Freeman's play, Prince responded "I'm not disappointed in Josh, I'm disappointed in the fact that we weren't able to protect him.''

Freeman is one of the reasons we are losing football games. We cannot convert on third downs and we are horrible in the Red Zone.

• 106th in the contry on 3rd down conversions (30%)
• 93rd in Scoring Offense (19.5)
• 76th in Passing Offense (186 Yds per game)
• 115th in Passing Offense for Freemans starts (121 Yds per game)
• 79th in Rushing Offense (122 yds per game)

Some of that has to fall on the QB's shoulders. If in fact we are looking to the future, great, lets get as many reps as we can for Freeman. If we are trying to win today, Meier should at least be given an opportunity to compete for the starting Quarterback position at Kansas State.

Big 12 Predictions

Nebraska at Kansas State - Nebraska proves to be too much for the young Wildcats.

Iowa State at Oklahoma - OU bounces back from loss to UT

Oklahoma State at Kansas - KU wins a close game

Texas Tech at Colorado - Colorado continues to struggle and drops to 0-7

Missouri at Texas A&M - Missouri wins a close one on the road.

Baylor at Texas - The battle of unbeatens in the South will not me much of a battle, Texas big.

Q&A on Big Red Network

I sat down and answered a few questions from the Big Red Network about the state of the KSU program and the big game this weekend against NU.

Q&A with Kansas State Blogger

First Year Coaches - Week 4

Boise State was the only team to win over the weekend and remains the only unbeaten team. Chris Petersen has picked up right where they left off last year after Dan Hawkins left for Colorado. I am sure Hawkins would switch places with Petersen if given the chance. The group is 16-27 on the year.

Standings:

(4-0) Boise State: Chris Petersen - Beat Hawaii with a trip to Utah this week.

(3-1) Kansas State: Ron Prince - KSU heads to Conference play 3-1 after a loss to #8 Louisville.

(3-1) Wisconsin: Bret Bielema - Tough loss on the road at Michigan.

(2-2) Middle Tennessee: Rick Stockstill - Rolled by OU - 59-0.

(2-2) Northwestern: Pat Fitzgerald - Lost at Nevada with a trip to Happy Valley this weekend.

(1-3) Idaho: Dennis Erickson - Shut out bu Oregon State.

(1-3) Buffalo: Turner Gill - Shut out by Auburn 38-0.

(0-3) San Diego State: Chuck Long - Lost to Utah.

(0-4) Colorado: Dan Hawkins - Blew a 13-0 lead and lost to Georgia 13-14.

(0-4) Rice: Todd Graham - Florida State big... Army up next.

(0-4) Temple: Al Golden - Outscored 174-10 on the season.

Quotes from Talking Heads after KSU upsets Louisville...

Lee Corso - "Not so fast Nebraska, I have had my eye on the Cats all year, they are my sleeper."

Kirk Herbstriet - "With all those starters returning, I knew they would be strong this year. Does my hair look alright?"

John Madden - "You see, what happened here, was the purple team scored more points then the other guys. In football, when you score the most points, you usually win"

Dennis Dodd - "I knew Ron Prince would see immediate results and I was right again"

Stewart Mandel - "KSU has talent and an excellent coaching staff, this is not a surprise to me"

Chris Fowler - "This young coaching staff is living up to their expectations, I knew they would not only bring a high energy level to this program but a lot of experience"

Brent Mussberger - "Coach Snyder is doing an excellent job this year"

Big 12 Week 3 Results

I went 11-3 on the weekend but the Big 12 did not fare so well, going 5-7. The Big 12 is 25-11 on the year, with the South at 13-5 and the North at 12-6.

Kansas at Toledo - Toledo wins in OT

Iowa State at Iowa - ISU falls to cross state rival

Marshall at Kansas State - KSU continues to improve and pulls away in the second half

Oklahoma at Oregon - OU wins a tough road game.

Baylor at Washington State - Baylor falls short on the road

Texas Tech at TCU - Texas Tech wins a high scoring battle

Texas at Rice - This game will seem like a home game for UT at Reliant Stadium, UT wins big.

Arizona State at Colorado - Buffs continue to struggle and move to 0-3

Florida Atlantic at Oklahoma State - Florida Atlantic loses a second straight to Big 12 opponents

Nebraska at USC - Nebraska struggles against a tough USC defense, USC wins.

Missouri at New Mexico - Missouri may be the surprise team in the North this year, the win easily at New Mexico.

Army vs. Texas A&M in San Antonio - Texas A&M wins on the neutral field.

First Year Coaches - Week 3

Boise State, KSU and Wisconson win again to maintain an undefeated record. KSU and Wisconson both play Top 10 teams this week against Louisville and Michigan. Four first year coaches are still looking for their first win of the year.

The group is 15-17 on the year.

Standings:
(3-0) Boise State: Chris Petersen - 17-10 victory over Wyoming.

(3-0) Kansas State: Ron Prince - KSU continues to improve with a 23-7 win over Marshall. .

(3-0) Wisconsin: Bret Bielema - Improves to 3-0 with a win over San Diego State.

(2-1) Middle Tennessee: Rick Stockstill - Roll over Tennessee Tech 44-0 with OU up next.

(2-1) Northwestern: Pat Fitzgerald - Bounce back with a 14-6 over Eastern Michigan.

(1-2) Idaho: Dennis Erickson - 27-24 over Idaho State.

(1-2) Buffalo: Turner Gill - Loss to Northern Illionois with a trip to Auburn this week.

(0-2) San Diego State: Chuck Long - 14-0 loss to Wisconson.

(0-3) Colorado: Dan Hawkins - 21-3 loss on the road at Arizona State.

(0-3) Rice: Todd Graham - Ran into a pissed off Texas team, 52-7.

(0-3) Temple: Al Golden - Outscored 133-3 in first three games..

Big 12 Week 3 Predictions

The Big 12 has started strong this year with a 20-4 start. Colorado is still searching for their first win and Baylor and Texas both sit at 1-1. All the other teams remain undefeated. The Big 12 hits the road in week 3, with 8 teams playing away and one team on a neutral field.

Can't Miss: Nebraska at USC
Hit or Miss: Oklahoma at Oregon
Must Miss: Kansas at Toledo

Friday, September 15th

Kansas at Toledo - Kansas wins a close one on the road.

Saturday, September 16th

Iowa State at Iowa - ISU falls to cross state rival

Marshall at Kansas State - KSU continues to improve and pulls away in the second half

Oklahoma at Oregon - OU wins a tough road game.

Baylor at Washington State - Baylor falls short on the road

Texas Tech at TCU - Texas Tech wins a high scoring battle

Texas at Rice - This game will seem like a home game for UT at Reliant Stadium, UT wins big.

Arizona State at Colorado - Buffs continue to struggle and move to 0-3

Florida Atlantic at Oklahoma State - Florida Atlantic loses a second straight to Big 12 opponents

Nebraska at USC - Nebraska struggles against a tough USC defense, USC wins.

Missouri at New Mexico - Missouri may be the surprise team in the North this year, the win easily at New Mexico.

Army vs. Texas A&M in San Antonio - Texas A&M wins on the neutral field.

First year Coaches

Three of the 11 first year coaches remain undefeated. Boise State, KSU and Wisconson all move to 2-0. While 4 coaches have dropped to 0-2, Colorado, Idaho, Rice and Temple.

The biggest upset goes to New Hampshire, knocking off Northwestern.

The group is 9-12 on the year.

Standings:

(2-0) Boise State: Chris Petersen - Beat a PAC 10 team, Oregon State 42-14.

(2-0) Kansas State: Ron Prince - Rolls past Florida Atlantic, 45-0.

(2-0) Wisconsin: Bret Bielema - 34-10 over Western Illinois.

(1-1) Buffalo: Turner Gill - Lose to Bowling Green 48-40.

(1-1) Middle Tennessee: Rick Stockstill - Lose on the Road at Maryland.

(1-1) Northwestern: Pat Fitzgerald - A stunning loss to New Hampshire.

(0-1) San Diego State: Chuck Long - Weekend off.

(0-2) Colorado: Dan Hawkins - Beat by in-state rival Colorado State 14-10.

(0-2) Idaho: Dennis Erickson - Washington State wins easily, 56-10.

(0-2) Rice: Todd Graham - In the first game of the worst non-conference schedule in college football, Rice loses 16-26. Up next, Texas then at Florida State.

(0-2) Temple: Al Golden - 62-0 loss to Louisville.

Big 12 Week 2 Results

I hate to brag, but after a 12-0 weekend, I am 23-1 on the year. CSU and OSU were the spoilers this week. Ohio State proved it was for real and Texas proved that Vince Young was all that.



Sat. Sept. 9th

Mississippi at Missouri - Missouri rolls 34-7.

Nicholls State at Nebraska - Nebraska in a laugher.

Washington at Oklahoma - OU and AD pull away in the 2nd half.

Colorado at Colorado State - 0-2 and the tough games are coming next.

Northwestern State at Baylor - Baylor gets first win of the season, 47-10.

UNLV at Iowa State - ISU by 6 points..

UL-Monroe at Kansas - Kansas squeaks by UL-Monroe, 21-19.

Florida Atl at Kansas State - KSU rolls before and after rain delay.

Texas Tech at UTEP - Tech needs OT to edge UTEP 38-35.

UL-Lafayette at Texas A&M - Easy win at Kyle Field.

Oklahoma State at Arkansas State - OSU 35 ASU 7

Ohio State at Texas - Troy Smith does his best impression of Vince Young.

Big 12 Week 2 Predictions

The Big 12 started off the week 10-2, the only real upset came in Boulder, where Colorado lost to 1-AA Montana State. For the year, I am 11-1... nice way to start off the season but it gets a little trickier from here.

Can't Miss: Ohio State at Texas
Hit or Miss: Washington at Oklahoma
Must Miss: Northwestern State at Baylor


Sat. Sept. 9th
Mississippi at Missouri - Missouri pulls out the win to stay undefeated.

Nicholls State at Nebraska - Nebraska continues to roll along.

Washington at Oklahoma - Oklahoma failed to impress last week but will this week, OU big

Colorado at Colorado State - CU loses again on the way to an 0-4 non-conference start.

Northwestern State at Baylor - Baylor wins easily at home.

UNLV at Iowa State - Iowa State moves to 2-0.

UL-Monroe at Kansas - Kansas wins big at home, not Mangino big, but pretty big.

Florida Atl at Kansas State - KSU plays better after near disaster in week one.

Texas Tech at UTEP - Tech wins a close game on the road.

UL-Lafayette at Texas A&M - Easy win at Kyle Field.

Oklahoma State at Arkansas State - Not sure why OSU agreed to play this one on the road, but they get the W.

Ohio State at Texas - Offense led by a freshman QB cannot keep up with Troy Smith and company... Ohio State wins in Austin.

Two UT Players Arrested

http://criminalathletes.blogspot.com/2006/09/two-players-arrested-on-drug-weapon.html

The 2006 season kicked off for 11 new 1A coaches and the group went a combined 6-5. The big losers for the week are Colorado who lost to a weak 1AA opponent and Temple who lost to first year coach Turner Gill.

Boise State shows it can survive without Dan Hawkins who left for CU and Bret Bielema beats Bowling Green after taking over for Alvarez at Wisconsin.

Standings:

(1-0) Boise State: Chris Petersen - Continues the tradition of high powered offenses and beats Sacramento State 45-0

(1-0) Buffalo: Turner Gill - Wins 9-3 in OT over Temple.

(1-0) Kansas State: Ron Prince - Takes advantage of a questionable decision by Illinois State to go for two instead of a tie at the end of the game, hold on to win 24-23.

(1-0) Middle Tennessee: Rick Stockstill - The Blue Raiders held on to beat Florida Intl. 7-6 at home.

(1-0) Northwestern: Pat Fitzgerald - Wins opener on the road 21-3 at Miami OH

(1-0) Wisconsin: Bret Bielema - Beat Bowling Green 35-14 in Home Opener.


(0-1) Colorado: Dan Hawkins - Loss opener to 1AA Montana State... Could be a long year for a team that went to the Big 12 Championship game last year.

(0-1) Idaho: Dennis Erickson - Beat on the road at Michigan State.

(0-1) Rice: Todd Graham - Rice was beating cross town Rival Houston 30-14 mid way through the 3rd qtr, but UofH scored 17 unanswered points to beat Rice 31-30.

(0-1) San Diego State: Chuck Long - Rallies in the fourth to within 3 points, but falls to UTEP in home opener, 34-27.

(0-1) Temple: Al Golden - Lost to first year coach Turner Gill in OT.

Chris Simms comes out of the closet...

The truth is finally out there... what a huge burden that must have been all these years. Chris Simms, QB for the Tampa Gay Buccaneers and his former lover, Kyle Shanahan have revealed that their love for each other was so intense that they got their initials tattooed on each others lower legs.

While Simms had his mind set on putting his love on display for the world to see, Shanahan was not so sure. "Kyle was a real wimp about it," Simms said. "He got a small one on his ankle. He was afraid his mom and dad would see it, so he keeps it hidden underneath his socks."

Simms reveals more about their relationship "We talk at least once a week. We're obsessed... We have a great love..., and we're constantly talking" Simms said of Shanahan.

"I met Chris for the first time right after I transferred to Texas (from Duke) in January (of 2000)," Shanahan said. "I was the new wide receiver, and one day I was naked in the dressing room. Chris came up, introduced himself." He went on to say "He was prettier then most chicks at UT, so I thought 'what the hell'.
"Later, he invited me out to dinner. We hit it off immediately, and we've been together ever since."

This has been a tough year for the couple, Shanahan took a job in Houston as the Texans WR Coach while Simms remains in Tampa. They are however, considering buying a home together in Vermont where they plan on raising floppy eared rabbits during the off season.

They are also in negotiations for a reality show that will air on the Bravo Network called "Tight Ends".

KSU Depth Chart - Week One

Offense

WR 27 Jordy Nelson (6-2, 213, Jr.-1L) 10 Jermaine Moreira (5-10, 191, Sr.-3L)

LT 64 Nick Stringer (6-6, 271, Fr.-RS) 71 Derek Meyer (6-6, 301, Fr.-RS)

LG 67 Greg Wafford (6-2, 339, Sr.-1L) 69 Caleb Handy (6-1, 313, So.-1L)

C 79 Jordan Bedore (6-3, 302, So.-1L) 72 John Hafferty (6-2, 296, Jr.-2L)

RG 73 Gerard Spexarth (6-6, 312, So.-1L) 65 Logan Robinson (6-8, 338, Jr.-SQ)

RT 77 Michael Frieson (6-7, 316, Sr.-SQ) 76 Brock Unruh (6-5, 301, Fr.-RS)

TE 89 Rashaad Norwood (6-3, 229, Jr.-1L) 82 Michael Pooschke (6-3, 245, Jr.-JC) / or 85 Jeron Mastrud (6-6, 255, Fr.-HS)

WR 16 Yamon Figurs (5-11, 173, Sr.-2L) 88 Cedric Wilson (6-1, 190, So.-JC)

QB 9 Dylan Meier (6-2, 211, Sr.-2L) 1 Josh Freeman (6-6, 238, Fr.-HS)

RB 21 Carlos Alsup (6-0, 212, Sr.-2L) 14 Leon Patton (5-7, 184, Fr.-HS) / or 8 James Johnson (5-11, 200, Jr.-JC)

FB 28 John McCardle (5-8, 200, So.-1L) 87 Donald Raymer (6-2, 238, Sr.-SQ)

Defense

LE 98 Ian Campbell (6-5, 232, So.-1L) 54 Trevor Viers (6-4, 259, Fr.-HS)

NT 99 Steven Cline (6-1, 291, Jr.-1L) 56 Quintin Echols (6-0, 316, Sr.-3L)

DT 34 Blake Seiler (6-2, 254, Sr.-2L) 50 Alphonso Moran (6-0, 294, So.-1L)

RE 95 Rob Jackson (6-3, 265, Jr.-JC) 90 Eric Childs (6-3, 230, Fr.-RS)

SLB 53 Reggie Walker (6-0, 233, So.-1L) 37 Marcus Perry (6-1, 225, Jr.-2L)

MLB 52 Zach Diles (6-0, 240, Sr.-1L) 24 Maurice Mack (5-10, 215, Sr.-3L)

WLB 46 Brandon Archer (6-0, 239, Sr.-3L) 43 Antwon Moore (5-10, 209, So.-JC)

CB 3 Bryan Baldwin (5-10, 190, Jr.-1L) 6 Byron Garvin (5-10, 180, Jr.-2L)

SS 9 Kyle Williams (6-0, 201, Sr.-1L) 15 Kevin Hollis (5-11, 190, Fr.-RS)

FS 18 Andrew Erker (6-0, 195, So.-SQ) 2 Marcus Watts (6-2, 180, Jr.-1L)

CB 22 Justin McKinney (5-9, 185, Jr.-1L) 12 Devin Anderson (5-8, 178, Jr.-JC)

Specialists

KO 19 Jeff Snodgrass (6-0, 200, Sr.-1L) 18 Jared Parker (5-11, 197, So.-SQ)

PK 19 Jeff Snodgrass (6-0, 200, Sr.-1L) 26 Tim Schwerdt (5-8, 174, Jr.-1L)

HOLD 2 Marcus Watts (6-2, 180, Jr.-1L) 9 Dylan Meier (6-2, 211, Sr.-2L)

LS 62 Jeff Mortimer (6-0, 231, Sr.-2L) 82 Michael Pooschke (6-3, 245, Jr.-JC)

P 17 Tim Reyer (5-11, 208, Jr.-2L) 21 Cole Brokenicky (5-10, 197, Jr.-SQ)

PR 16 Yamon Figurs (5-11, 173, Sr.-2L) 10 Jermaine Moreira (5-10, 191, Sr.-3L)

KR 16 Yamon Figurs (5-11, 173, Sr.-2L) 10 Jermaine Moreira (5-10, 191, Sr.-3L)

Big 12 Week 1 Predictions

The Big 12 starts off with a whimper. Baylor is the only school with a challenging game this weekend, and it is a game they should lose. With the Big 12 hosting powerhouses like Toledo, Montana State, Murray State, Northwestern State, Missouri State and Illinois State, they should finish the weekend at 11-1 and be prepared for a more challenging schedule next weekend.

Can't Miss: TCU at Baylor
Hit or Miss: SMU at Texas Tech
Must Miss: Missouri State and Oklahoma State


Winners are in BOLD

Thu., Aug. 31
Toledo at Iowa State

Sat., Sep. 2
North Texas at Texas
Montana State at Colorado
Louisiana Tech at Nebraska
Murray State at Missouri
SMU at Texas Tech
Northwestern State at Kansas
Missouri State at Oklahoma State
UAB at Oklahoma
The Citadel at Texas A&M
Illinois State at Kansas State

Sun., Sep. 3
TCU at Baylor

New NCAA Football Coaches

There are 11 new NCAA Division 1 football coaches this year, including Ron Prince of Kansas State. I will be keeping a season long update of how each coach is doing at their new job.

Check back every week for updates.

Boise State: Chris Petersen
Buffalo: Turner Gill
Colorado: Dan Hawkins
Idaho: Dennis Erickson
Kansas State: Ron Prince
Middle Tennessee: Rick Stockstill
Northwestern: Pat Fitzgerald
Rice: Todd Graham
San Diego State: Chuck Long
Temple: Al Golden
Wisconsin: Bret Bielema

More Trouble for OU...

Meet Leon Warren. The Oklahoma man, 64, was recently nabbed for running a moonshine business out of his home. According to an August 7 District Court criminal complaint, Warren is facing a felony rap for operating a whiskey still and two misdemeanors for possessing non-taxed liquor and producing wine without a permit. Warren, who faces up to three years in jail and a $5000 fine if convicted of the charges, posed for the below mug shot at the Pushmataha County Sheriff's Office before posting $1000 bond.

As I am sure he is a booster of the University of Oklahoma, this could spell more trouble for the OU atletics programs.

Big 12 Post Secrets

One of the hottest blogs is Post Secret. Their website sells itself as an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard. I thought it might be interesting if some of the past and present Big 12 athletes were to post their "post secrets"...



































More to come as the year goes on...

Odds to Win the 2007 BCS National Championship

Sportsbook.com has posted the odd to win the 2007 BCS National Championship. I have highlighted the best bets in BLUE and the worst bets in RED.

National Contenders
Ohio St 5-1
Notre Dame 5-1
Oklahoma 7-1
Texas 8-1
USC 10-1
Florida 10-1
West Virginia 10-1
Miami FL 15-1

Long Shots
Michigan 20-1
Auburn 25-1
Florida St 25-1
LSU 25-1
Penn St 35-1
Louisville 35-1
California 40-1
Iowa 40-1
Tennessee 40-1
Nebraska 45-1
Arizona St 45-1
Virginia Tech 50-1
Georgia 55-1
Oregon 90-1

No Shots
UCLA 100-1
Texas Tech 100-1
Texas A&M 100-1
Boston College 100-1
Arkansas 180-1
South Carolina 200-1
Clemson 200-1
Alabama 200-1
Georgia Tech 200-1
Maryland 200-1
North Carolina St 200-1
TCU 200-1
Wisconsin 200-1
Michigan St 200-1
Colorado 200-1
Arizona 200-1
Purdue 200-1
Virginia 200-1
Iowa St 300-1
Pittsburgh 300-1
North Carolina 400-1
Hawaii 450-1
Northwestern 500-1
BYU 500-1
Oregon St 500-1
Fresno St 500-1
UNLV 1000-1
Field 30-1 (Wake Forest, Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Oklahoma State, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Rutgers, South Florida, Syracuse, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Stanford, Washington, Washington State, Kentucky, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt)

Note: I have listed most of the teams from the BCS conferences here, it is not meant to include all teams in the field.

KSU Football Blog top 25

The BCS has asked that I begin ranking my Top 25 for consideration in future BSC rankings.


Defense will reload and be good enough, while the Offense is real and they are spectacular.

Adrian Peterson is the front runner for the Heisman

Louisville is WVU’s toughest opponent in 2006

Brady Quinn will carry the offense, but will the defense be good enough?

Reloading big time this year, but they have the athletes in place to finish in the Top 10

Should be solid on both sides of the ball and win the SEC West

Loss to Auburn keeps them out of the SEC Championship game

Without Vince Young to bail them out, they will likely lose 2 or 3 games, just like they would have last year without VY.

Look for Florida to win the SEC East with a victory over Georgia at the World’s Largest Cocktail Party.

Nate Longshore and Marshawn Lynch will lead an explosive offense

Will Proctor appears ready to take over for departed QB Charlie Whitehurst.

An early battle with Kansas State will give both teams an indication of what is to come

Could be the best Florida State team in the last few years

Drew Tate (QB) and Albert Young (RB) will put up big numbers for Iowa this year in a strong Big 10 conference

New Coordinators on Offense and Defense could lead to Michigan surprising a few teams

Defense should be tough again, but not as tough as the SEC East this year.

The Ducks have a difficult schedule including OU at home the third game of the season.

Could be a tough transition year for the Hurricanes

The defense will be good but can Zac Taylor continue to improve?

Can the Frogs make another BSC run? Probably not as they are replacing most of their O-Line

Schedule favors the Hokies but they have a lot of work to do

BC should be in the hunt until Florida State come to town in late October…

Does JoePa have one more year left? If you ask him, he has several more.

Offense should be explosive and the PAC10 won’t be as good either.

Graham Harrell will be the next no-name QB that carries the Tech offense.

Lance Berkman wins American Idol 5

Congratulations to Lance Berkman, aka Taylor Hicks for winning American Idol 5.

Houston Astro Lance Berkman won American Idol 5 over Katharine McPhee last night. Berkman, who is known as Fat Elvis within the Astros organization locked up first place last night after his performances on Tuesday.

Berkman’s Tuesday night performance included “Levon”, an apparent tribute to the Astros ability to “leave on base runners” this year. Another song sang by Berkman this season was “Not Fade” which he performed about the time the Astros began to fade. Along the same lines was “Trouble” which he dedicated to Russ Springer just after his 4 game suspension for plunking Barry Bonds. Berkman also lived up to his “Fat Elvis” nickname by singing “In the Ghetto”.