Music to Tad's ears

Music To My Ears

My brother and I have a pretty f’ing sweet video from 1990 appropriately named “NBA Superstars.” If you don’t have it, you should buy it: http://www.amazon.com/NBA-Superstars-Magic-Johnson/dp/6301562909.

Anyway, the concept is that they play a song to go with a highlight package for the players. Whoever decided on the songs nailed every single one of them. For example, Larry Bird – “Small Town” by John Mellancamp. Michael Jordan – “Take My Breath Away” by Berlin. Charles Barkley – “The Warrior” by Scandal. Brilliant.

So I wondered to myself out loud, “If there was a new ‘Superstars’ video, what songs would be played for the new NBA players?” I’m currently working on a list for a new VHS tape. Here’s what I have so far:

Nate Robinson, N.Y. Knicks – Skee-Lo’s “I Wish”

The entire highlight package would be his two appearances at the 2006 and 2007 Slam Dunk championships. In 2006, he missed the same dunk 13 times before finally making it – and won. In 2007, he didn’t miss quite as many, but he placed second. Maybe throw in his involvement in the brawl against Denver at Madison Square Garden, and you have more than enough footage while Skee-Lo expresses his discontent for being so short.

Manu Ginobli, San Antonio Spurs – Korn’s “Falling Away From Me”

This would probably make me the giddiest. Just non-stop clips of Manu flopping after nobody touches him, and then when Korn’s guitars get really aggressive, that will be clips of him running over to the refs with his arms out, whining. Loves it.

Gary Payton, Miami Heat* – Ludacris’ “Ho”

The Glove spent almost 13 seasons in Seattle, and even took the Sonics to the NBA Finals in 1996. Since 2003, however, Payton has played for the Milwaukee Bucks, L.A. Lakers, Boston Celtics and Miami Heat. He prostituted himself so he could get a ring, and he finally did that in 2006 with Miami. So for the league’s biggest prostitute, he gets arguably the best prostitute song ever created. In order for this video package to work, we will need continuous shots of him in all five uniforms. (*By the way, he is a free agent, so we may see him on a new team this season.)

Grant Hill, Phoenix Suns – R.E.M.’s “Everybody Hurts”

Just a package of all his reactions after all of his injuries … wow, even I thought that was mean.

Harold Miner (no team) – Jessica Simpson’s “Take My Breath Away”

I know, I know. “Baby Jordan” hasn’t played in years. But he also was given a nickname implying that he was the next Michael Jordan, and he was so not even close that it is hilarious. So as the clips of him play, we hear an inferior version of the song that described Jordan’s play so well on the original tape.

Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns – James Blunt’s “Beautiful”

Listen, the song itself doesn’t work very well. But the key here is to splice live performances of Blunt singing with Nash running the court. By the end of the package, everyone will realize that they are the same person. I mean seriously, can you even guess which one is which?

Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs – Trio’s “Da Da Da”

There is no doubt that this song is the boringest song ever created. If you forgot it, I’m about to ruin your day: Remember that Volkswagen commercial in 1997? The one where these two guys put a couch in the car, and the song just went “Da Da Da” over and over again? Yeah. It was really boring, then it got stuck in your head so you hated it – but it did its job, and that was to make you remember it. If that doesn’t sum up how anyone feels watching Duncan, I don’t know what does.

Allen Iverson, Denver Nuggets – Allen Iverson’s “40 Bars”

David Stern made sure this song was never released to the general public, so now Iverson will have his chance to make a music video for it. In fact, I don’t even want any basketball clips in it. Just him rapping the lyrics in the camera, with people making scary faces in the background.

Tim Donaghy, referee – O’Jay’s “For The Love Of Money”

It won’t be easy getting enough clips of Donaghy himself since he’s just a ref. But we can at least put together a package of terrible calls he made, and maybe fade the music at the end and show David Stern’s press conference. That would be awesome.

So that’s what I’ve got so far, and I’m also debating putting a hidden track after the credits for those who stick around, which would be Tim Hardaway highlights over Aqua’s “Barbie Girl.” Any more ideas? E-mail me at bigbabytad@hotmail.com. I would really like to put this together soon.

Brian Brohm vs. Colt Brennan: The tale of the tape

So with the 2007 already down the drain and the Falcons locked in for the #1 pick I think it will be fun to compare the top QB prospects in the 2008 NFL Draft, Colt Brennan from Hawaii and Brian Brohm from Louisville.

Name:
Everybody knows a couple of Brians so there is nothing spectacular about it. Colt on the otherhand is a rare name and anybody named Colt was destined to play football or participate in rodeo.
Advantage: Brennan

Hometown:
Brohm is from Louisville which is known for many things, but mostly it's known for making baseball bats and equipment. It does get a deduction because people never know how to pronounce it. Seriously, is it LOO-ee-ville or Loo-IH-vull? (trick question, it's actually pronounced Lewis-ville). Brennan on the other hand is from Laguna Beach, Ca which was the setting for an MTV show. I could probably spend 5 minutes in Laguna Beach and see more attractive girls than I would in a week anywhere in Kentucky.
Advantage: Brennan

Hair-do












it's a little mop-topish an unkempt, but it's nothing uncommon for a college student today.












Yes, I can't think of a single white person who looks good with dreads, afterall it generally conveys a real stoner/hippie vibe, but most of his Hawaii teammates are Samoan or Tongan and have long hair as is custom on those islands so he grew his hair out for solidarity purposes which I admire.
Advantage: Brennan



oh wait, are those the Hawaiian Islands dyed into his head? Yikes.
Advantage: Brohm (on a recount)

Sex appeal:
You have to be able to appeal to the female demographic if you want to push merchandise in today's sports world. Look at the effect Brady Quinn is having in Cleveland. Several dozen stout Ohian women throw themselves upon him on a daily basis, all of whom he declines with a polite and gentlemanly, "oh hell no." However, the Brady Quinn endorsed feminine hygiene products are the top sellers in four states. Brohm looks like Opie so women might find him cute, but few will find him sexy. Once Brennan's hair grows out he'll be back to his old sexy self.
Advantage: Brennan

Rap Sheet:
Brian Brohm has, to common knowledge, never had a run-in with the law. Brennan spent seven days in Jail convicted of burglary and criminal trespass in a University of Colorado dorm. As we know, the Atlanta Falcons would never, ever, ever, EVER draft a player who would show such poor judgment and engage in criminal activity.
Advantage: Brohm

College Head Coach:
With all due respect to new Louisville head coach Steve Kragthorpe, Brohm is a student of New Falcons coach Bobby Petrino. Brennan is a protege of June Jones who served as Falcons head coach from 1994 to 1996 compiling an impressive 19-29 record. Given his history, Bobby Petrino will have deserted the sinking ship that is the Falcons organization long before he gets to 19 wins with the Falcons.
Advantage: Brennan

So there you have it, using the formula all NFL GMs use to draft players, Brennan edges out Brohm for the Falcons pick, which will be #1 overall this coming April. Brohm is probably the better option since no coach has ever failed in the NFL bringing in a guy he coached in college to quarterback his pro team. Brennan could be marketable as the sinner who found redemption which is a step up from our old marketable star who was just, you know, a sinner. And besides, I think Brennan would look cool with the state of Georgia dyed on the side of his head.

Ranking the Weeks of the College Football Season

So I thought it would be fun to rank the weeks of the college football season from best to worst and boy was I wrong. Three hours later, my list is ok. Essentially weeks 1 and 2 (in the rankings) are interchangeable. Weeks 3 through 9 as well. I hope you all enjoy:

1. October 6th
Maybe I'm biased in this one, but October 6th features what figures to be the marquee regular season game between LSU and Florida in Baton Rouge. If you think that place won't be rocking at 8pm that night you're crazy. Also, the greatest neutral site game takes place as Texas and OU battle for Big XII south supremacy. Throw in undercards Georgia vs. Tennessee and Notre Dame vs. UCLA you have potential for a great day of college football.
Sleeper game: Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma State: Two teams possibly fighting for an outside chance at a division title, the high flying Cowboy offense matches up with the ground and pound Aggies.

2. September 8th
Maybe the best non-conference showdown of the season happens when Virginia Tech travels to Baton Rouge (common theme in my rankings) to play LSU.
Winner has an inside track towards a national title game run. Also the most intriguing David vs. Goliath game of the year happens when TCU invades
Austin. This game has potentially a bigger impact than Boise State beating Oklahoma for the mid majors. Frog fans have hats, t-shirts, adult diapers (kidding) printed up
saying "Beat Texas" they beat OU in a down year a couple of years ago and they could make a BCS run with a win over Texas. Other interesting games include
Michigan/Oregon, Miami/OU, Notre Dame/Penn State, Wake Forrest/Nebraska.
Sleeper Games: NC State at Boston College: Tom O'Brien left BC for Tobacco Road, something tells me the Eagles are looking forward to this one.
South Florida at Auburn: People are predicting a down year for the Tigers and a breakthrough for the Bulls this one could be REALLLLLY interesting
or over by halftime.

3. September 1st
Ok, so maybe the slate of games isn't as good as in other weeks, but it's OPENING DAY! And unlike another sport where you have to wait 5 months to find out your team really does stink even though they started well, faded in June, made a big trade at first base, but have no starters and a worn out bullpen (this isn't referring to anyone specifically), in college football your fortunes for the season are known much sooner. Cal looks to return the beat down Tennessee put on them last year, Oklahoma State looks to prove they are legitimate against Georgia, The world awaits to see who Charlie Weis annoints QB while Georgia Tech fans are happy to see someone, anyone, at QB other than Reggie Ball. Wake Forest looks to prove they are legitimate against a team that should challenge them for divisional dominance in BC. And the weekend ends with Miami fans thrilled they get to watch Clemson play an ugly game on Labor Day against Florida State rather than them.

4. November 10th
If USC is going to lose many feel like it will happen when they go to Berkely to face Cal. The winner of Michigan and Wisconsin will probably win the Big 10, ditto West Virginia and Louisville. So you have three possible conference title games there. Virginia Tech/FSU might be a preview of the ACC title game. And you have SEC grudge matches,Florida against South Carolina and Georgia against Tennessee.

5. November 24th
Ah yes, not only the week of Turkey, but the week of rivalries! Texas looks to get revenge on Texas A&M who won in Austin last year, perhaps the best interstate rivalry in college football the Iron Bowl. Georgia Tech could beat Georgia now that Reggie "0-4" Ball is gone, Florida/FSU battle, as do Darren McFadden and LSU. Perhaps the best game of the weekend happens Friday when last year's post season darling Boise State travels to the islands to face this year's potential darling Hawaii.

6. October 20th
The last time USC went to South Bend the greatest regular season game in the history of sports played between mankind (or so ESPN said) it ended in The Bush Push, an early pre-cursor that showed Reggie Bush particpates in deviant behavior. Maybe Touchdown Hay-sus will have something magical working. If anyone in the SEC West can beat LSU it's Auburn, though it doesn't seem likely. Miami and FSU renew one of the better rivalries in college football. Cal and UCLA jockey for position if by some miracle USC doesn't romp through the Pac-10. And the one rivalry that has nothing to do with what happens on the field takes place when Phil Fulmer, probably the most hated man in Alabama brings his Volunteers to Tuscaloosa to take on Alabama.

7. September 18th
Nebraska has been one the premier program in college football over the past half century. Ever since getting beat down by Colorado in the Big 12 title game and Miami in the national title game in 2001 the Huskers have struggled. They have been slowly rebuilding the program so their game in Lincoln on this night is perhaps the biggest regular season games in the programs history. Everyone I know who has been to Lincoln says it is a magical place when the Huskers play so perhaps the Huskers can pull a shocker. If that's not enough to entice you, hows about the best rivalry in the SEC East, Tennessee and Florida? Or Notre Dame Michigan? Undercard includes Georgia Tech and BC fighting for divisional position and Arkansas and Alabama trying to make a statement.

8. October 27th
The week begins on Thursday as Boston College runs into the buzzsaw that is Virginia Tech at home on a Thursday night, it still could be a preview of the ACC title game. A personal favorite of mine happens this weekend as Georgia will probably lose its 34th of 36 game to Florida (ok it only feels like it's been that many). Nebraska heads to Texas where the Horns usually own the Huskers. Last year's most exciting regular season contest took place in Piscataway when Rutgers beat Louisville, the State University of New Jersey will try to recapture that magic against West Virginia. Ohio State and Penn State could be a good one, but it's overshadowed by the other games.

9. November 3rd
One of the most anticipated games of the season takes place as LSU takes on old coach Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa, Bama should be rocking. Possible division deciding games between Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech and FSU and BC also adds some intrigue. Texas/Ok State is usually a good one as is Texas A&M and Oklahoma. Oregon State looks to be on the bad end of a beatdown from USC for last year's upset.

10. September 29th
Only two marquee games on this day, but both should be good and both take place in the Sunshine State. After blowing it big time last year against Arkansas, Auburn rebounded to serve Florida with its only loss in 2006. The Gators want revenge in the swamp no doubt. The other game is a non conference game in Jacksonville. Two proud programs looking to return to glory battle as Alabama takes on FSU. Tickets sold out ridiculously quickly for this game and the attendance will probably set a stadium record.

11. November 17th
Only one real marquee game, but it's probably the most anticipated rivalry game in the nation, that's right, Temple and Syracuse. No, of course it's Michigan and Ohio State. Big Blue could be in line for a national title shot and the Buckeyes would love nothing more than to ruin those plans. If Lloyd Carr loses to the Buckeyes again, could his job be in jeopardy? The only othe intriguing game is Virginia Tech and Miami. Usually it's a good one, but will Miami be good enough to hang with the Hokies?

12. October 13th
After the football heaven that will be the week prior to this, this week is devoid of big games, but there are some solid ones. Last year Florida State lost 6 games, five of them by a touchdown or less. The one real embarassment came when Wake Forest shellacked them by 30 in Tallahasee. Now the 'Noles go to Winston-Salem looking for revenge. Speaking of revenge, Auburn was supposed to contend for a national title last season but that ended when Darren McFadden exploded on to the national scene in a big win over Auburn, now the Tigers want revenge. Penn State looks to end a potential dream season for Wisconsin and Texas A&M and Texas Tech showdown in a heated, but usually inconsequential rivalry. Told you there wasn't a lot going on.

13. December 1st
The last week of the season lacks many big time games. USC will probably get revenge for last year over UCLA to make it to the BCS Title game. Louisville will probaby get revenge over Rutgers to possibly make a BCS game. Oregon and Oregon State will play an intense rivalry game few outside the pacific northwest will care about. Hawaii plays Washington in a game that might have BCS implications for the Warriors.

14. September 22nd
Peeeeeee-yew, what a stinker of a week. Look, I have respect for Miami and nothing but contempt for Texas A&M (oh wait, you are supposed to say something nice before the BUT, oh well) BUT when the best match up is between two teams whose best case scenario is MAYBE making a run at a conference title, you're in trouble. It should be an interesting game. A&M is going to try to run on a fierce run defense. The rest of the schedule is bleak. Penn State could play spoiler to a Michigan national title run, but the game is in Ann Arbor. Iowa could play spoiler to a conference title run for Wisconsin, but the game is in Madison. Georgia should play an interesting game with Alabama, but that game lacks any major implications. If Arizona is going to be a surprise team in the Pac-10 they could get a boost by winning at Cal. I'm really reaching here folks.

So there you have it, if your old lady wants you to spend time with her on a Saturday tell her that September 22nd is best day for you unless you are a die hard fan of the team mentioned above. If not, tell her that you're busy every other week with what should be a great season of college football.

Who's Number 3?

Tad chimes in with something way more brilliant than I could ever come up with:

For the people that simply enjoy professional sports and are uninterested in the despicable off-the-field actions that have been taking place in the NBA, NFL and MLB, we applaud you. You understand that nothing is above the game, and that’s why I want to answer a question I have been hearing from a lot of you in the past few weeks:
Is Barry Bonds the greatest American sports hero of the past 20 years, or is it Michael Jordan?
Now, we’re all well aware that the greatest sports hero is Hedo Turkoglu at No. 1, with Alexander Ovechkin placing second. But who is third, and best of all, the greatest American? I broke it down into five factors. You be the judge.
TOPIC 1: STATISTICS
Both Bonds and Jordan have plenty to be proud of. Jordan holds the record for most seasons leading the league in scoring with 10, was a record nine-time All-Defensive First Team selection and holds the single season NBA Finals scoring record with 41.0 points per game in 1993. But Bonds has the overall home run record of 760-plus, along with the single season record of 73. And when Jordan tried to play baseball in 1994, he only ended up with three home runs – IN THE MINOR LEAGUES! Bonds destroyed that, and was also smart enough not to attempt a basketball career.
Advantage: Bonds
TOPIC 2: IMPACT
This one isn’t as close as I would like it to be. As great as Bonds has been, there are plenty of people in line to snatch the spotlight when he leaves, and it is also worth noting that there has not been a back-to-back World Series winner in the Majors since the Yankees won three from 1998-2000, keeping fans intrigued for the postseason. When Jordan left the Bulls, there was never a single player who genuinely took the spotlight – and kept it. And we then had to deal with the L.A. Lakers dynasty (champs from 2000-2002), the San Antonio Spurs “dynasty” (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007) and some crappy guy named Michael Jordan playing for the Washington Wizards for two years. The NBA will never be the same.
Advantage: Jordan
TOPIC 3: THE NUMBER 3
If you’re going to be the No. 3 sports hero of the past 20 years, you have to at least have some sort of coincidences with the No. 3. It’s a given. Jordan was born in 1963. He was picked No. 3 in the NBA Draft. His jersey was #23. He was a three-time NBA Finals MVP. His career scoring average is 30.1. He won six NBA titles, and six divided by two is three. Yes, I am counting that. He retired three times. As a baseball player, he hit three home runs. Bonds? 73 home runs in 2001, and 43 years old. That’s pretty much it, and that’s terrible karma.
Advantage: Jordan
TOPIC 4: ENTERTAINMENT VALUE
Jordan will always be remembered for his Gatorade and Nike commercials, along with making appearances on Saturday Night Live. And let’s not forget his 1996 film “Space Jam,” which, for whatever reason, was snubbed at the Oscars. Still, it has been really funny watching Bonds’ head grow so large, and he also did a HILARIOUS impersonation of Paula Abdul for an American Idol spoof that the Giants did in spring training. The aforementioned facts make them tied, so Jordan’s homoerotic Hanes commercials with Kevin Bacon ultimately serve as the tie-breaker, giving the slight edge to Bonds.
Advantage: Bonds
TOPIC 5: CRIMINAL ACCUSATIONS
Jordan LOVES gambling, so much so that some people believe his original leave from the NBA was actually a silent suspension from his gambling. He is often found in social situations playing poker and hanging out with Tim Donaghy. As for Bonds, he is accused of being a steroid user. It’s certainly brought him success with the home run records, seven MVP awards and 14 All-Star selections. So who wins? Since neither athlete will be genuinely punished, it all comes down to the aftermath of their alleged addictions. Jordan, at best, will make even more money by gambling. At worst, he’ll lose a few million dollars and just make a Hanes commercial with Kevin Bacon to get it all back. Barry will lose his testicles. Man, that’s just … man.
Advantage: Jordan
So there you have it: Jordan barely wins for greatest American sports hero of the past 20 years. Still, if we decide to have this debate in 2024, Bonds will win easily since Jordan retired in 2003. What a wacky world of sports we live in! LOL!

2007 SEC Predictions

So, I'm bored and when I'm bored it's time to blog and time to spend some time making SEC predictions for the upcoming season. I actually charted this out, I didn't just assign an arbitrary win/loss record to each team. So without further ado, here's how the SEC won't shake out this year:

SEC East
Team Overall Record Conference record
Florida 11-1 7-1
Tennessee 9-3 6-2
Georgia 8-4 4-4
South Carolina 7-5 3-5
Kentucky 5-7 2-6
Vanderbilt 5-7 2-6

SEC West

LSU 12-0 8-0
Auburn 10-2 6-2
Alabama 8-4 4-4
Arkansas 8-4 4-4
Miss St 5-7 2-6
Ole Miss 3-9 0-8

SEC Championship game: LSU over Florida


Bowls:
LSU - BCS National Title game
Florida- Sugar
Auburn - Capital One
Tennessee- Outback
Arkansas- Cotton
Georgia- Chik-fil-a
Alabama- Music City
South Carolina- Independence

So there you have it. The Bayou Bengals roll through the SEC on their way to a date with USC in...the Big Easy. Should be good stuff. Even though Florida would lose the conference title game, no way the Sugar Bowl passes up that fan base and the money they'd bring to the city. As for the 8-4s, I put Arkansas in the Cotton since Alabama went more recently and the Chik-fil-a would LOVE having the Dawgs there. Once again, I must remind you, NONE of this has a chance of happening.

Random Thoughts from the weekend in sports

Yeah I know there were bigger stories, but we're an Atlanta show so I'll start with the Braves.

- Taking two out of three from a surging Colorado team was big. The first game was a waste because the team was worn out from the 14 inning marathon with Houston on Thursday. Fortunately, no better guy to have on the hill when you need a win than Tim Hudson. If you take out two ninth inning appearances which Huddy shouldn't have been out there (3 runs against Florida, 4 against San Fran) His ERA would be 2.60 if you take out TWO innings. Hudson struggled for a 7 start stretch were he had 5 pretty dreadful starts starting in Boston. If you take those starts out his ERA is about 2.00 exactly. If you take out those starts and those two bad innings, his ERA is 1.50. My point in all of that is for 19 starts Tim Hudson has been the best pitcher in the national league and I don't watch enough Dodgers or Padres games to know exactly, but I'm also willing to bet he's been more valuable to his team than Penny, Peavy or Young. They're off tonight, but they start a big week in NY and Philly. Take two out of three in both series and I'd say it's a good weekend.

Delicious Irony of the week- I love me some tasty irony and it can't get much better than Barry Bonds hitting 755 on Saturday. For the life of me I can't tell you the name of the guy who gave up the historic home run, but I do know this: The guy was suspended 15 games a couple of years ago for, GASP!, a positive steroid test. Irony at its finest, folks.

The real milestone that deserves an asterisk- Alex Rodriguez finally hit home run #500 becoming the youngest player in baseball history to reach that milestone, but for all the talk about Bonds' record being tainted, A-Rod's 500th was tainted as well. Who did A-Rod hit his 5ooth off of? Former Brave Kyle Davies. There honestly should be a provision in the baseball record books stating that any milestone surrendered by Kyle Davies should be stricken from the Record books forever.

Glavine gets his 300th win, people in Atlanta boo- I'm happy for Tommy who got his 300th last night against the Cubs, but it does make me a little sick to see him do it in a Mets uniform. He's still bitter that he gets booed by Braves fans, but you know what Tom? Boo hoo. Braves fans are fiercely loyal to their guys and you were one of our guys but you made the decision to go play for those stinkin' New York Mets. When he retires and comes back to Atlanta, people will once again cheer him as one of our legends...that is unless he pulls the ultimate Judas move and wears a Mets cap in the Hall of Fame.

Clip of the Week- http://youtube.com/watch?v=KBvCrSjpx9I
Australian Skateboarder Jake Brown in the Big Air competition lands a monster 720, but on the second part of the trick falls 4o+ feet onto the ramp. It's disgusting, fortunately his injuries were fairly minor all things considered. I think it's a stupid event that shouldn't be regulated because someone could die. Listen to the announcer who sounds giddy. Not that he's happy he's ok, just because he's cool because he could survive something like that. It's bizarre.

5 more predicitions for the upcoming football season

So after I chimed in with my thoughts for the first blog, Tad naturally had to add his:

5 more predictions for the upcoming college football season

1. Florida’s Tim Tebow will not run amok over the SEC – I’m not downplaying how vital Tebow was for the Gators last season; he was absolutely a key piece of the puzzle in Florida’s national championship. But now, with a year of film on him, SEC teams will go back to watch the tapes and discover that Tebow is, indeed, white. And white people are not fast. Once defenders realize that, they will stop him with ease.
2. USC will NOT win the national title – I’ve about had it with people handing the Trojans the championship like it’s a warm piece of pie or something. It’s not. It’s a trophy. Southern Cal plays in the Pac-10 that features arguably the nation’s best competition. And I don’t just mean the best competition right now, I mean ever. Meanwhile, you’ve got teams like LSU and Michigan that play in joke conferences. It’s not fair.
3. Miami-FIU Brawl II will be even better – There’s still a lot of bad blood between these two teams. By now, we all know what happened: FIU threw Miami’s kicker down like he was a feather, Miami’s Brandon Meriweather stomped opposing players and Anthony Reddick swung his helmet like Andy Roddick swings a tennis racket. So when these teams meet again on Sept. 15, the historic rivalry will continue. Right now, Miami leads in the all-time series 1-0 after a 37-0 victory, but this time, I’m guessing FIU stabs the ‘Canes with their cleats. That means ANYTHING can happen.
4. This year’s Boise State? The Boise State Broncos – Unlike Dan, I’ve got this feeling in the pit of my stomach that Boise State will not change its name to the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. In all honesty, it would be a weird decision after there is already a team with that name. But here’s a bold prediction: not a single cheerleader will marry a Bronco this year.
5. The ACC will make you cry in its BCS game – Widely known as one of the best conferences, the ACC has a ridiculous record of 1-8 in BCS bowl games, with its only win coming in the 2000 Sugar Bowl (Florida State). And if Wake Forest couldn’t win the 2007 Orange Bowl, then you can just forget about it – NO ONE can win then. Prediction: N.C. State falls in a nailbiter to Boise State (this year’s “Boise State,” by the way), 2-0, in the 2008 Fiesta Bowl. The Broncos record a safety in the game’s waning minutes for the win. Go ahead and call your bookie, Tim Donaghy.

5 predicitions for the upcoming college football season

So with football season right around the corner I thought it would be fun to make some predictions for the first entry to the Instant Replay blog:


1. USC will win the national championship - I know that's a pretty common opinion, but it's justified. In what was supposed to be a down year last year, USC lost two games by a total of 6 points, won the conference, and beat up on a good Michigan team in the Rose Bowl. The Trojans return everybody on a defense that improved a great deal over the course of last season. The offense lost a wide receiver tandem that is as good as some NFL duos, but the talent is still there at the wideout spot with Big, athletic wide outs Patrick Turner and Vidal Hazleton. They have maybe the best lineman in the country (Sam Baker) and one with the most potential (Jeff Byers) if they can replace all-american center Ryan Kalil the line will be fine. The running game needs to improve, but pick your 5 star talent to do so (Chauncey Washington, CJ Gable, Joe McKnight, etc) And they return a QB who threw for 3,300 yards 29tds and 9ints in John David Booty. Yikes.

2. Somebody will run the table in the SEC and that somebody is LSU- Not another earth shattering prediction, but the SEC is tough and coming through unscathed is no small feat. However, the schedule sets up very nicely for the Bayou Bengals, the nation's second most talented team after the Men of Troy. You can't get a better home slate than South Carolina, Florida, Auburn and Arkansas. They also don't have to play Georgia or Tennessee. The only conference foe that may be able to beat them when LSU goes on the road is Alabama, but talent wise LSU is better. If Matt Flynn can replicate his Peach Bowl performance from two years ago, LSU will overcome Les Miles' substandard coaching ability and play the Trojans for the national title. With the recent smack talk from Ol' Les towards the Trojans, that's the game college football NEEDS for the title game.

3. The nation's best player will once again NOT win the Heisman Trophy- The best player in college football resides in Fayetteville, Arkansas and wears #5. The schedule sets up the same as it did last year and IF the pigs make it to the SEC title game again McFadden will win the Heisman, but I just can't see it happening with all the turmoil that has gone on in Arkansas this offseason. With the public complaint and defection of QB Mitch Mustain and text message scandals and all it's hard to imagine Arkansas being able to overcome that. They won't sneak up on people the way they did last year either. If Arkansas loses to Alabama in week 2, they could lose 4 conference games which would probably relegate them to something like the Independence Bowl or Peach Bowl and if they lose 4 conference games then McFadden will watch someone else take his trophy in New York. My guess? John David Booty if USC runs the table or Colt Brennan, which brings me to...

4. This year's Boise State? The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors- Many people would say TCU, but going to Austin on September 8th is way more difficult than anything Hawaii has to do this season. This is what Hawaii has games 1-10: Northern Colorado, at La Tech, at UNLV, Charleston Southern, at Idaho, Utah State, at San Jose state, New Mexico State, Fresno State and at Nevada. If Hawaii isn't 10-0 at the point I'll be shocked. They close out with their two toughest games against Boise State and Washington, but both games are at home. Colt Brennan isn't a product of June Jones' run and shoot offense, he's a real big time talent with really good targets (Davone Bass and Jason Rivers) to throw to. They should cruise through the first ten and by the Boise State game the offensive line questions should be worked out. If the defense can hold opponents to 28-30 points a game, Hawaii should still win most of their games easily.

5. I will die from too much college football joy on September 8th- Just look at this slate of games:

Miami at Oklahoma
Oregon at Michigan
South Carolina at Georgia
Notre Dame at Penn State
TCU at Texas
Virginia Tech at LSU

Then throw in some interesting ones to follow like former BC head coach Tom O'Brien going back to Boston with his NC State team and a potential upset special upstart South Florida against Auburn and it makes for a great day of college football. My heart will probably explode by the end of it. Sooner if Texas loses to TCU.