Well to all the college football fanatics out there, all I can say is it wont be long now. Based on how fast the season is now approaching what do you think the early story lines will be? Can anybody slow down the SEC? What about the big 12, will they have another great run? Can Southern Cal put the pieces together this year? And lets not forget about the big ten that hasn't been so big of late.
Oh and just for arguments sake, can Notre Dame return to their winning ways? Well I'm personally an Ohio State fan, but I can't say if I believe that they should be the 5th ranked team in the country in the preseason polls. It should be a solid season for the buckeyes with Terrelle Pryor adding some much needed strength to his throwing arm and a better understanding of his role in the offense.
I think depending on how they respond to last years beating at USC will tell what kind of season I can expect from my beloved Buckeyes. Regardless of what happens in Columbus, when Southern Cal comes to visit it promises to be a great college football season and I can hardly wait.
Hopefully my wife and kids will be as excited as I am. So who is ready to talk some college football? Does anybody have any early season upsets that they would like to share? I'm going to sign off for now and I look forward to discussing some college football with you.
http://hubpages.com/hub/collegefootballfan
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Phil_Karam
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
College Football Week 2 - Ohio State and Notre Dame Both Lose Big Time Games, So What Else is New?
College Football Week 2 - Ohio State and Notre Dame Both Lose Big Time Games, So What Else is New?
(Editor's Note: All of the team rankings are based on the Top 25 Coaches' Poll, and the Sagarin Ratings, Jeff Sagarin's factual, mathematical ratings among competition between all 245 Division 1 teams.)
Only 7 teams remained on top and on track at 2-0 during the second week of the college football season-Florida, USC, Alabama, California, Boise State, Brigham Young and Kansas.
No. 1 Florida crushed Troy 56-6 behind Tim Tebow's career-high 4 touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown.
No. 3 Southern Cal saved the best to last against No. 7 Ohio State to win, 18-15, on the road as freshman quarterback Matt Barkley led the Trojans on a 14-play, 95-yard drive to score with 1:05 remaining. The Buckeyes of Ohio State have now lost 7 straight games against top 5 teams, including two national title games and last season's 35-3 drubbing by USC in Los Angeles.
No. 4 Alabama took down Florida International 40-14 as QB Greg McElroy completed a school-record 14 straight passes. Remember that Alabama was the same school that Joe "Willie" Namath led to a National Championship in 1964, and Kenny "The Snake" Stabler led to another National Championship in 1965. Both Namath and Stabler played for the Crimson Tide's legendary coach Paul "Bear" Bryant.
No. 10 California routed Eastern Washington, 59-7, behind Jahvid Best's 144 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns, one rushing and another on a 22-yard reception.
No. 11 Boise State shut out Miami of Ohio, 48-0, as QB Kellen Moore went 16-for-26 for 307 yards and 4 touchdown passes.
No. 12 Brigham Young, following up on its 14-13 upset of Oklahoma a week earlier, kicked Tulane sideways on the road, 54-3, as QB Max Hall threw for 309 yards and 2 TDs and Bryan Kaiya scored twice.
No. 25 Kansas whipped UTEP, 34-7, on the road behind Jack Sharp's 104 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns.
There were 4 genuine upsets as Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Tennessee and Michigan State all hit the turf hard.
No. 20 Notre Dame allowed Tate Focier to throw a 5-yard TD pass to Greg Matthews with 11 seconds to go to give unranked Michigan a 38-34 victory in the Big House at Ann Arbor. Focier, a freshman, went 23-for-33 for 240 yards, 2 TDs, one interception, and ran for 70 yards and a score. Notre Dame's star QB Jimmy Clausen, now a junior, went 25-for-42 for 336 yards and 3 TDs, but did miss some throws that proved costly.
You can argue about who was the better QB on this day, however, nothing counts but the final score, and Notre Dame again came up a loser in a big game.
After taking down Georgia last week, No. 6 Oklahoma State, a 15-point favorite, let it all slip away while losing to Houston 45-35 at home. The Cowboys need to learn how to ride again; they seem to always have more offense than defense.
UCLA quietly went to 2-0 by upsetting Tennessee on the road 19-15. The Volunteers, a 10-point favorite, are not making much of an impression in the SEC anymore.
The Michigan State Spartans, favored by 14.5, let Central Michigan totally embarrass them with a last-second 29-27 defeat on their home turf. The Spartans had an excellent schedule this year that offered them a chance to run the table (go undefeated) since they drew both Michigan and Penn State at home and did not have to play Ohio State.
Instead, Michigan State was out-coached, out-played and deserved to lose.
Five teams went 2-0 and scored good wins to cement their position as up and comers to watch:
No.18 Nebraska, favored by 21, beat Arkansas State 38-9. No. 23 Cincinnati beat 1-AA SE Missouri State 70-3. Unranked Pittsburgh, favored by 10.5, beat a good Buffalo team 54-27 on the road. Unranked Iowa beat in-state rival Iowa State 35-3 on the road.
Unranked and unbeaten Southern Methodist upset UAB 35-33, and they did it on the road. Now don't laugh at SMU, give the Mustangs and coach June Jones some credit; after all, if you are a fan of Virginia Tech, Oklahoma, Rutgers or Georgia, your team is not 2-0, you are 1-1.
Another unranked team that went 0-12 last year finally won its first game in 16 tries as new head coach Steve Sarkisian and new defensive coordinator Nick Holt put together an impressive 42-23 victory over Idaho. Yes, Idaho is no big deal, but Washington is going to start winning and beating better teams than Idaho. You read it here first.
Here are 19 teams who have gone 2-0 to start the season, but their victories have been no big deal considering the competition they have been playing:
No. 2 Texas, favored by 32.5, beat Wyoming on the road 41-10, but could not cover the spread.
No. 5 Penn State, favored by 28.5, beat Syracuse 28-7, but could not cover the spread.
No. 9 LSU, favored by 14.5, beat Vanderbilt, 23-9, but could not cover the spread.
No. 17 Utah, favored by 14, beat San Jose State 24-14, but could cover the spread.
No. 19 North Carolina, favored by 4.5, needed 12 last quarter points to barely beat Connecticut 12-10, but could not cover the spread.
No. 24 Oregon State, favored by 7, beat UNLV 23-21, but could not cover the spread.
So seriously, why are Texas, Penn State, LSU, Utah, North Carolina and Oregon State rated so high? Answer: Do not ask anyone who bet on them to not only win, but cover the spread.
Here are the other 13 teams that are 2-0 in no particular order because frankly, it is too soon to tell if they are really good at all:
Missouri over Bowling Green 27-20, Tulsa over New Mexico 44-10, Hawaii over Washington State 38-20, Auburn over Mississippi State 49-24, South Florida over Western Kentucky 35-13, West Virginia over East Carolina 35-20, Texas Tech over Rice 55-10, Boston College over Kent State 34-7, Minnesota over Air Force 20-13, Southern Mississippi over the University of Central Florida (UCF) 26-19, and Northwestern over Eastern Michigan 27-24.
Also Arizona over 1-AA Northern Arizona 34-17, and Colorado State needed a 4th quarter touchdown to beat 1-AA Weber State 24-23.
Here are 5 teams that won their first game, but really need to play a good team and win to think they are doing anything worth talking about:
No. 14 Oklahoma beat 1-AA Idaho State 64-0, No. 16 TCU beat Virginia 30-14, No. 21 Georgia barely beat South Carolina 41-37, Virginia Tech beat Marshall 52-10, and Rutgers beat 1-AA Howard 45-7.
Every week in college football there are games and victories that cause you to do a double take when you read the score and check out the teams. Here are 3 from this week:
Toledo beat Colorado 54-38 at home, dropping the Buffaloes to 0-2. This caused me to wonder if there have been sinkholes developing in the State of Colorado. Much more and the Buffaloes will fall off the radar screen. Maryland needed an overtime to barely beat 1-AA James Madison 38-35. Louisiana Lafayette upset Kansas State 17-15.
Put a wrap on it Benny, and throw it in the archives; it 's time to get ready for college football's third week of competition.
Copyright © 2009 Ed Bagley
Read more of my football coverage, including:
"College Football Wrap-Up - Week 1 - Brigham Young, Bosie State, Alabama and Oklahoma State Are Huge Week 1 Winners""Steve Sarkisian Puts the Washington Husky Football Program Back on Track to Succeed""Look for Steve Sarkisian to Turn Around Washington's Woeful Football Program""Not Being Selected Among the Top 25 in the Preseason Coaches' Poll Is the Kiss of Death - You Have No BCS Title Shot""College Football - Last Season's Final Statistics Show How the Nation's Top Five Teams Can Be Beat"Find Out Which Division 1 School Had the Worst Football Team in 2008.Find Out Which Division 1 School Had the Worst Coaching Staff in 2008.
http://www.edbagleyblog.comhttp://www.edbagleyblog.com/Sports.html
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ed_Bagley
(Editor's Note: All of the team rankings are based on the Top 25 Coaches' Poll, and the Sagarin Ratings, Jeff Sagarin's factual, mathematical ratings among competition between all 245 Division 1 teams.)
Only 7 teams remained on top and on track at 2-0 during the second week of the college football season-Florida, USC, Alabama, California, Boise State, Brigham Young and Kansas.
No. 1 Florida crushed Troy 56-6 behind Tim Tebow's career-high 4 touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown.
No. 3 Southern Cal saved the best to last against No. 7 Ohio State to win, 18-15, on the road as freshman quarterback Matt Barkley led the Trojans on a 14-play, 95-yard drive to score with 1:05 remaining. The Buckeyes of Ohio State have now lost 7 straight games against top 5 teams, including two national title games and last season's 35-3 drubbing by USC in Los Angeles.
No. 4 Alabama took down Florida International 40-14 as QB Greg McElroy completed a school-record 14 straight passes. Remember that Alabama was the same school that Joe "Willie" Namath led to a National Championship in 1964, and Kenny "The Snake" Stabler led to another National Championship in 1965. Both Namath and Stabler played for the Crimson Tide's legendary coach Paul "Bear" Bryant.
No. 10 California routed Eastern Washington, 59-7, behind Jahvid Best's 144 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns, one rushing and another on a 22-yard reception.
No. 11 Boise State shut out Miami of Ohio, 48-0, as QB Kellen Moore went 16-for-26 for 307 yards and 4 touchdown passes.
No. 12 Brigham Young, following up on its 14-13 upset of Oklahoma a week earlier, kicked Tulane sideways on the road, 54-3, as QB Max Hall threw for 309 yards and 2 TDs and Bryan Kaiya scored twice.
No. 25 Kansas whipped UTEP, 34-7, on the road behind Jack Sharp's 104 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns.
There were 4 genuine upsets as Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Tennessee and Michigan State all hit the turf hard.
No. 20 Notre Dame allowed Tate Focier to throw a 5-yard TD pass to Greg Matthews with 11 seconds to go to give unranked Michigan a 38-34 victory in the Big House at Ann Arbor. Focier, a freshman, went 23-for-33 for 240 yards, 2 TDs, one interception, and ran for 70 yards and a score. Notre Dame's star QB Jimmy Clausen, now a junior, went 25-for-42 for 336 yards and 3 TDs, but did miss some throws that proved costly.
You can argue about who was the better QB on this day, however, nothing counts but the final score, and Notre Dame again came up a loser in a big game.
After taking down Georgia last week, No. 6 Oklahoma State, a 15-point favorite, let it all slip away while losing to Houston 45-35 at home. The Cowboys need to learn how to ride again; they seem to always have more offense than defense.
UCLA quietly went to 2-0 by upsetting Tennessee on the road 19-15. The Volunteers, a 10-point favorite, are not making much of an impression in the SEC anymore.
The Michigan State Spartans, favored by 14.5, let Central Michigan totally embarrass them with a last-second 29-27 defeat on their home turf. The Spartans had an excellent schedule this year that offered them a chance to run the table (go undefeated) since they drew both Michigan and Penn State at home and did not have to play Ohio State.
Instead, Michigan State was out-coached, out-played and deserved to lose.
Five teams went 2-0 and scored good wins to cement their position as up and comers to watch:
No.18 Nebraska, favored by 21, beat Arkansas State 38-9. No. 23 Cincinnati beat 1-AA SE Missouri State 70-3. Unranked Pittsburgh, favored by 10.5, beat a good Buffalo team 54-27 on the road. Unranked Iowa beat in-state rival Iowa State 35-3 on the road.
Unranked and unbeaten Southern Methodist upset UAB 35-33, and they did it on the road. Now don't laugh at SMU, give the Mustangs and coach June Jones some credit; after all, if you are a fan of Virginia Tech, Oklahoma, Rutgers or Georgia, your team is not 2-0, you are 1-1.
Another unranked team that went 0-12 last year finally won its first game in 16 tries as new head coach Steve Sarkisian and new defensive coordinator Nick Holt put together an impressive 42-23 victory over Idaho. Yes, Idaho is no big deal, but Washington is going to start winning and beating better teams than Idaho. You read it here first.
Here are 19 teams who have gone 2-0 to start the season, but their victories have been no big deal considering the competition they have been playing:
No. 2 Texas, favored by 32.5, beat Wyoming on the road 41-10, but could not cover the spread.
No. 5 Penn State, favored by 28.5, beat Syracuse 28-7, but could not cover the spread.
No. 9 LSU, favored by 14.5, beat Vanderbilt, 23-9, but could not cover the spread.
No. 17 Utah, favored by 14, beat San Jose State 24-14, but could cover the spread.
No. 19 North Carolina, favored by 4.5, needed 12 last quarter points to barely beat Connecticut 12-10, but could not cover the spread.
No. 24 Oregon State, favored by 7, beat UNLV 23-21, but could not cover the spread.
So seriously, why are Texas, Penn State, LSU, Utah, North Carolina and Oregon State rated so high? Answer: Do not ask anyone who bet on them to not only win, but cover the spread.
Here are the other 13 teams that are 2-0 in no particular order because frankly, it is too soon to tell if they are really good at all:
Missouri over Bowling Green 27-20, Tulsa over New Mexico 44-10, Hawaii over Washington State 38-20, Auburn over Mississippi State 49-24, South Florida over Western Kentucky 35-13, West Virginia over East Carolina 35-20, Texas Tech over Rice 55-10, Boston College over Kent State 34-7, Minnesota over Air Force 20-13, Southern Mississippi over the University of Central Florida (UCF) 26-19, and Northwestern over Eastern Michigan 27-24.
Also Arizona over 1-AA Northern Arizona 34-17, and Colorado State needed a 4th quarter touchdown to beat 1-AA Weber State 24-23.
Here are 5 teams that won their first game, but really need to play a good team and win to think they are doing anything worth talking about:
No. 14 Oklahoma beat 1-AA Idaho State 64-0, No. 16 TCU beat Virginia 30-14, No. 21 Georgia barely beat South Carolina 41-37, Virginia Tech beat Marshall 52-10, and Rutgers beat 1-AA Howard 45-7.
Every week in college football there are games and victories that cause you to do a double take when you read the score and check out the teams. Here are 3 from this week:
Toledo beat Colorado 54-38 at home, dropping the Buffaloes to 0-2. This caused me to wonder if there have been sinkholes developing in the State of Colorado. Much more and the Buffaloes will fall off the radar screen. Maryland needed an overtime to barely beat 1-AA James Madison 38-35. Louisiana Lafayette upset Kansas State 17-15.
Put a wrap on it Benny, and throw it in the archives; it 's time to get ready for college football's third week of competition.
Copyright © 2009 Ed Bagley
Read more of my football coverage, including:
"College Football Wrap-Up - Week 1 - Brigham Young, Bosie State, Alabama and Oklahoma State Are Huge Week 1 Winners""Steve Sarkisian Puts the Washington Husky Football Program Back on Track to Succeed""Look for Steve Sarkisian to Turn Around Washington's Woeful Football Program""Not Being Selected Among the Top 25 in the Preseason Coaches' Poll Is the Kiss of Death - You Have No BCS Title Shot""College Football - Last Season's Final Statistics Show How the Nation's Top Five Teams Can Be Beat"Find Out Which Division 1 School Had the Worst Football Team in 2008.Find Out Which Division 1 School Had the Worst Coaching Staff in 2008.
http://www.edbagleyblog.comhttp://www.edbagleyblog.com/Sports.html
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ed_Bagley
Football Exercises - The Best 3 Exercises For Football Explosiveness!
Being a strength and conditioning specialist and former assistant at the University of Georgia I can tell you that kettlebell strength training is where its at when it comes down to the bottom line. Check out the following 3 kettlebell lifts that should be a must in your strength program!
1. The Kettlebell Swing: This is the base strength endurance lift that is great for overall conditioning and building tremendous core strength. This lift is performed by you swinging the bell from between your legs up to chest level. The pulling motion of swinging the iron bell incorporates hundreds of muscles and challenges your cardiovascular system more than anything you have tried with in other form of weightlifting. You must execute a hip snap motion by flexing and extending at both your hips and knees in a continuous and fluent motion in order to build the necessary momentum to execute this lift. This hip drive is essential for the game of football!
2. The Single Arm Overhead Kettlebell Snatch: This particular lift is gruesome in it's intensity! This is probably at the top of the lifts for superior kettlebell workouts. This lift is done by properly executing an explosive hip snap motion once again. However, you are only lifting the kettlebell with a single arm and allowing the bell to vertically fly up in front of your body by pulling your elbow high and lateral to your head. Once it reaches this high point laterally to your head then you complete the snatch by punching your palm to the sky locking out both your elbow and shoulder into place. This particular lift is tremendous for developing explosive leg power, core strength, and shoulder stability!
3. The Kettlebell Front Squat: For this kettlebell drill you can use a single bell or two bells of equal weight. From the floor between your legs simply clean the kettlebells to your chest. Make sure your squat stance is set and stable. From here simple perform a front squat going down until your elbows touch your knees. This is how you know you have good depth in the squat. Make sure you incorporate all three of these lifts into your kettlebell workout routines for optimal fitness and athletic performance. Train hard and enjoy my friend!
To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.comTo be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at: http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brandon_Richey
1. The Kettlebell Swing: This is the base strength endurance lift that is great for overall conditioning and building tremendous core strength. This lift is performed by you swinging the bell from between your legs up to chest level. The pulling motion of swinging the iron bell incorporates hundreds of muscles and challenges your cardiovascular system more than anything you have tried with in other form of weightlifting. You must execute a hip snap motion by flexing and extending at both your hips and knees in a continuous and fluent motion in order to build the necessary momentum to execute this lift. This hip drive is essential for the game of football!
2. The Single Arm Overhead Kettlebell Snatch: This particular lift is gruesome in it's intensity! This is probably at the top of the lifts for superior kettlebell workouts. This lift is done by properly executing an explosive hip snap motion once again. However, you are only lifting the kettlebell with a single arm and allowing the bell to vertically fly up in front of your body by pulling your elbow high and lateral to your head. Once it reaches this high point laterally to your head then you complete the snatch by punching your palm to the sky locking out both your elbow and shoulder into place. This particular lift is tremendous for developing explosive leg power, core strength, and shoulder stability!
3. The Kettlebell Front Squat: For this kettlebell drill you can use a single bell or two bells of equal weight. From the floor between your legs simply clean the kettlebells to your chest. Make sure your squat stance is set and stable. From here simple perform a front squat going down until your elbows touch your knees. This is how you know you have good depth in the squat. Make sure you incorporate all three of these lifts into your kettlebell workout routines for optimal fitness and athletic performance. Train hard and enjoy my friend!
To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.comTo be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at: http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brandon_Richey
Football Performance - The Single Best Way For Football Players to Develop Explosiveness!
If you want to know the single best way to develop explosiveness in your game then you need to be smart about your workout program. I have included a single exercise here that will help you to take your game to all new heights.
It is no secret that your football weight lifting workouts have to be intense to survive in this brutal game and I approach my training programs head on knowing this. I would like to introduce to you a variation of an olympic lift known as the dual kettlebell clean and jerk. For this drill you will need a pair of moderately heavy kettlebells of equal weight. As you may know the kettlebell is an ancient strength training device that is second to nothing when it comes down to developing a rock hard body with the performance to back it up! When performing the dual clean and jerk or any other lift with the kettlebells you will find that the dynamic is much more different than traditional dumbells or barbells. Start the lift by setting the bells down on the ground between your feet. From here you will want to perform a proper kettlebell clean with both bells and correctly rack them at your chest. Once you have the bells properly racked at your chest then perform the hip snap to assist in driving the kettlebells vertically to lock them both out above your head. Make sure that both your elbows and shoulders are properly locked into place. Lower the bells back to your chest and then to the floor and repeat the process all over again. Attempt 5 or 6 solid reps of this with a pair of moderately heavy bells and I guarantee you will be able to tell a significant difference in the drill.
In order to kick your game up a notch you have got to take the time to learn about implementing the ancient kettlebell into your training strategy. Your decision to do so will show on the field. Train hard and finish the drill my friend!
To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.comTo be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at: http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.htmlI'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brandon_Richey
It is no secret that your football weight lifting workouts have to be intense to survive in this brutal game and I approach my training programs head on knowing this. I would like to introduce to you a variation of an olympic lift known as the dual kettlebell clean and jerk. For this drill you will need a pair of moderately heavy kettlebells of equal weight. As you may know the kettlebell is an ancient strength training device that is second to nothing when it comes down to developing a rock hard body with the performance to back it up! When performing the dual clean and jerk or any other lift with the kettlebells you will find that the dynamic is much more different than traditional dumbells or barbells. Start the lift by setting the bells down on the ground between your feet. From here you will want to perform a proper kettlebell clean with both bells and correctly rack them at your chest. Once you have the bells properly racked at your chest then perform the hip snap to assist in driving the kettlebells vertically to lock them both out above your head. Make sure that both your elbows and shoulders are properly locked into place. Lower the bells back to your chest and then to the floor and repeat the process all over again. Attempt 5 or 6 solid reps of this with a pair of moderately heavy bells and I guarantee you will be able to tell a significant difference in the drill.
In order to kick your game up a notch you have got to take the time to learn about implementing the ancient kettlebell into your training strategy. Your decision to do so will show on the field. Train hard and finish the drill my friend!
To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.comTo be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at: http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.htmlI'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brandon_Richey
Sunday, September 13, 2009
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