From the Rocky Mountain News
You gotta love Lee Corso. Sometimes he is way out in left field and other times he dead on. Corso recently spoke at the Atlanta Sports Council Kickoff Luncheon in Atlanta. In a way that only Corso can he offered up 10 predictions for the up coming season.
That is, if the Yellow Jackets do two things:
Spend the summer figuring out how to get Calvin Johnson the ball in the Notre Dame secondary. He is the best wide receiver in college football -- period.
Keep leaning on Jon Tenuta, who is one of the best defensive coordinators I've ever seen. I don't know what they are paying him, but it ain't enough.
Now I'm not so sure about this. Charlie Weis will have his team ready to play. If they come out flat and lose then it will be a long season for the Irish. He has got a lot riding on this season. Brady Quinn's Heisman candidacy is on the line if they don't do well the Irish faithful will be left scratching their heads. I don't see it happening but anything can happen on any given Saturday. Hmm, that sounds familiar, maybe I can copyright for a movie.
The contenders: Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn and Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson. The player who gets his team to the BCS championship game will win the Heisman. If neither gets there, the Notre Dame quarterback always wins the tiebreaker.
OK, this seams a little more realistic. The hype has already started. And everyone thinks it's down to a two-man race. It will depend on which team has the better season and who can stay healthy. There is no question that That Weis and Stoops will take every opportunity for their guy to shine. Of course with way the season could shape up I'm not so sure that we'll know who's going to the BCS NC Game when the Heisman is awarded. What did Flounder say in Animal House? "Boy this is gonna be Great!"
There is a lot of talent left in Austin, but you don't replace a talent like quarterback Vince Young. I'm proud to say I was one of 79 people who voted for Young for the Heisman Trophy. I thought he was the best player on the best team all season and that's the way it turned out.
Well there is that chance. But I think they lose one and are in a great position to get back to the big game. I realize that they will be relying on 2 Freshman QB's who are trying to replace what's-his-name. But winning sometimes gets you over the hump and to the Promised Land. After years of frustration can Mack Brown relive the magic? Sometimes that's all it takes to put a good string together. BTW, the one loss will come from either tOSU or OU. You know that rivalry thing.
The Trojans lost Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart, but they have had the No. 1 recruiting class three out of the last four years. Two USC quarterbacks 1/8Leinart and Carson Palmer 3/8 have won the Heisman over the past four seasons. Mark Sanchez will be the next great SC quarterback.
OK, I'll bite. I never felt that SC was a dynasty. It was an incredible run but with all the changes on offense and a fairly new D Line, they have their work cut out for them. Pete Carroll is a masterful recruiter and he knows how to prepare a team. But is the hill ahead too much of a steep climb back to prominence? It's not enough to just have talented players, chemistry still means something and the only way to build team chemistry is on the field. We'll see how it goes.
A great, undefeated team is not going to make the BCS championship game because they are going to lose in their conference title game in December. I think the leagues that don't have a championship game -- the Big Ten, Pac-10 and Big East -- have a definite advantage this season.
I agree with Corso here. Last year you had two teams that were on a collision course to meet in Pasadena. This year everyone comes back to the pack. I know there are a lot of Irish fans that think this is the year, but I'm not so sure. ND has a pretty tough schedule this year and Weis still has some issues on defense. WVU is the flavor of the month and Rich Rodriguez is the cherry on top but that's rarified air up there and WVU hasn't really been in this position for a long time. The Big 10 may not be up for grabs but it is also not a lock either (tOSU) and the Pac-10 will probably come down to Cal and USC.
The presidents wanted a fifth game to give greater access to the non-BCS conferences. I think that just made a farce of the whole system and devalued the other four games. You watch. Those two extra slots are just going to go to second-place teams in the BCS conferences. Then what have you gained?
This seems to be an utter waste of time. If they are going to and another game to try and make it more interesting then why not just have a playoff? Outside of fans of the MAC, Mountain West, WAC and CUSA how does this make for great football? I understand that anything can happen on any given day but this can't be what the fans want. It isn't just 2nd place teams that will go to those 2 extra slots but I find it hard to believe that having teams that represent the conferences I just mention is what will make for exciting CFB. If those teams are so good then realign the major conferences and lets see how they fare. This looks like more of a baby step towards a playoff than an actual solution to the biggest unanswered question in CFB. You can't get a little bit pregnant, either leave it as it is or go to a full-blown playoff.
Yes, I said Boise State. I know they got waxed at Georgia last year and they've got a new coach. But Chris Petersen, who took over for Dan Hawkins, has been the genius behind that offense. They got a ton of starters 1/818 3/8 coming back. They could go undefeated, and then what will the BCS do?
Well if they go undefeated and WVU goes undefeated then you have your BCS Championship Game. Boise State is the darling of the media. They have a total of 18 starters returning this year a favorable schedule, HI and Fresno St. at home and a new coach who is the former OC. 2 of their four losses came against BCS teams UGA and Ore. St. and the third to another ranked team. Even with what some consider a year with no clear cut favorite I have a hard time seeing them run the table.
Everybody's got them No. 1, but have you seen now many tackles they lost on offense? I don't count starters. I count the number of tackles, and Ohio State lost their top eight tacklers from a year ago. And a bunch of those guys were three-year starters. Not only do the Buckeyes have to go to Texas 1/8on Sept. 9 3/8, they have to go to Iowa 1/8on Sept. 30 3/8. That will be a very difficult game, because Iowa is going to be really good.
Hard to say how this will work out. They have some great talent coming back in QB Troy Smith, WR Ted Ginn Jr. and RB Antonio Pittman. But Corso is right with all the D that they lost it will be tough to determine how they will progress throughout the season. Their first is Texas at Austin for the back end of a home and home. I've said if Texas wins that they run the table. But what happens if tOSU wins? Their schedule is tough but not insurmountable. With only 5 away games and 7 home games with most of the big ones at the Shoe; Penn St. Minn. and Michigan. If they leave Austin with a win it will be a tremendous boost to their confidence. Their toughest road game is at Iowa but I think that they will pull that one out. I know that defense wins games. But my new motto is score early and score often. So we'll see how they do.
Miami's 40-3 loss to LSU in the Chick-fil-A-Bowl here in Atlanta was, in my opinion, the lowest point in the football history of the school. Larry Coker is catching heat because he's coaching at a school that has gotten spoiled with great coaches like Howard Schnellenberger, Jimmy Johnson, Dennis Erickson and Butch Davis. Miami still has a lot of question marks on offense. The 1/8Sept. 4) 3/8game with Florida State will be huge for Coker and his program.
Larry Coker has a lot on the line this year. With a rebuilt coaching staff following the Peach Bowl blow out he needs to get back to where they were in 2002. Being in the ACC should help with a fairly easy schedule in 2006. They get FSU at home hoping to do make up for last years 10-7 opening loss at FSU. They have a great D but will probably slip a little bit. The rebuilt O line will have a lot to handle but should help increase their ppg over last years 27 ppg. It will be interesting to see how all the changes affect production on both sides of the ball.
We started 20 years ago with a half-hour show in studio. Then, in 1993, we took it on the road for the first time at the Florida State-Notre Dame game. Then, several years ago, we went to 90 minutes on the road every week. Now, the demand for the show is so great that we're going to two hours (8 a.m.-10 a.m. MT). The College Football Hall of Fame is going to honor the show in December for its contribution to the sport. We are just a bunch of guys sitting around talking about college football. How great is that?
OH LORD PLEASE, NO!!!..............