Breaking Down the FCS Championship Game: Part 1: The Offenses

It's the holiday season and with that comes a plethora of shopping, weather changes (knock on wood), and our final dose of high-major college football as the NCAA dumps its annual buffet of 30-plus bowl games on us. Lost in the shuffle of this bevy of entertainment is the FCS Championship game. This year's tilt features two teams marching into the uncharted territory that is Frisco, Texas for the first time. In part one of my two-part series on this biggest of FCS games, I'll attempt to break down and analyze these team's two offenses.

(In my best Michael Buffer voice)
In the orange corner, from Huntsville, Texas, the champions of the Southland Conference at 14-0...the Sam Houston State Bearkats!!!

TEAM SCHEME- SAM HOUSTON STATE BEARKATS
Sam Houston State's (SHSU from now on) bread-and-butter, like so much of the FCS, is their rushing game, ranked fourth nationally. One look at the team's stats and depth chart tells you all you need to know- four Bearkats have over 300 yards rushing on the season, two are at or over 1,000 yards and their passing attack is 103rd overall. It wouldn't be unfair to call Sam Houston State one-dimensional. When your one dimension is running the ball and it's as good as SHSU's, it could be worse. There's a reason running the ball is prevalent in FCS- it wins. Consider this- only 1 of the top 10 passing offenses in FCS (Lehigh) made the playoffs, whereas four of the top 10 rushing offenses made the playoffs (and the 11th- and 12th-best rushing offenses made the playoffs too.)

Sam Houston runs the ball out of a lot of formations and I think it would be fair to categorize them as a spread, read option-based scheme. Keep in mind that "spread" does not mean they throw the ball 40 times a game- it simply means an offense run primarily out of the backfield from shotgun or pistol sets. Based on their personnel, it's a wise decision as running back Tim Flanders and  WR/RB Richard Sincere are best suited to use their speed in space. Philosophically they're quite similar to Oregon, though don't rely on the hectic pace the Ducks do.

PERSONNEL
Quarterbacks: QB Brian Bell won't wow you or evoke memories of former Bearkat great Rhett Bomar, but he'll manage the game (62% completion percentage), protect the ball (5 interceptions), and run the option with aplomb. Bell was #2 in FCS football in passing efficiency, but the Bearkats only threw the ball for more than 200 yards in a game once all year. Bell added 400 yards and 6 TDs on the ground. To use a basketball comparison, Bell is a classic pass-first point guard. He's not there to score, he's there to get the ball to his teammates in places so that they can score. He'll get his TD's when you don't respect him or cheat on their running game, but his strongest asset is the distributing ability he has mastered this year.

Running Backs: The first guy most FCS fans think of when you bring up SHSU is easily sophomore All-American RB Tim Flanders. The Midwest City, Oklahoma native and Kansas State transfer is the bell cow for coach Willie Fritz's scheme as evidenced by his 1,560 rushing yards and 22 rushing TD's. Toss in another 404 yards and 2 TD's in the receiving game and it's pretty easy to see why Bill Snyder wanted Flanders at K-State- Flanders reminds me of former KSU stud Darren Sproles.

Flanders

 The other weapon the 'Kats throw at their opponents is athlete Richard Sincere. It's hard for me to call Sincere a RB because he is used all over the field in much the same way Florida utilized Percy Harvin and Kentucky used Randall Cobb. One of Sam Houston's favorite formations is in fact a "WildKat" package featuring Sincere at QB that is very similar to how Kentucky used Cobb last year. Any time you see Sincere in the backfield, odds are good you're going to see a speed option run of some kind.
Rounding out SHSU's depth chart are running backs Ryan Wilson and Keyshawn Hill, who combined to offer  an additional 732 yards and 6 TD's off the bench.
None of SHSU's running backs are particularly big (Flanders is the biggest at 5-9, 210) but what they lack in size, they make up for in brute speed.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: SHSU has no true go-to wideout, but they've got plenty of speed and and balance there. Five different 'Kats have more than 240 yards receiving, but the team's top 2 wide receivers are the aforementioned Flanders and Sincere. The only true starter SHSU features at WR (they consider Sincere a WR on their official roster) exclusively is Torrance Williams, who had 3 TD's and 397 yards (28 yards per game). The rest of the depth chart is a mishmash of guys averaging around 25 yards a game who each have anywhere from one to three TD catches all year.
The team's tight ends combined for 3 catches and 30 yards over the whole season. That's not a misprint, folks. You can forget about their tight ends.

Sincere

Offensive Line: To have such a phenomenal rushing offense like SHSU's, it goes without saying that the big uglies were a big part of it. LT Chris Crockett and C Travis Watson were both First-Team All-Americans. Rounding out the offensive line starters for Sam Houston are RT Kaleb Hopson, OG Matt Boyles, and OG Dan Jenkins. Across the board, their offensive line averages 288 pounds. They've only allowed 9 sacks all year to boot.

(In my Michael Buffer voice)
In the green corner, from Fargo, North Dakota, the champions of the Missouri Valley Conference at 13-1...the North Dakota State University Bison!!!

TEAM SCHEME- NORTH DAKOTA STATE BISON
When NDSU hired former Nebraska assistant Craig Bohl almost a decade ago, some wondered if the Bison were going to go back their option roots. Instead, Bohl brought with him a power running version of the West Coast offense that permeates the majority of NFL and has applications in nearly every college playbook today. Bohl's version of the West Coast is akin to Wisconsin's under Barry Alvarez or Bret Bielema or Jim Harbaugh's Stanford teams, featuring multiple runners running behind fullbacks and tight ends. As far as NDSU's passing game is concerned, how often and well it has been utilized has varied depending on Bohl's level of trust in the starting QB he's using at that moment.
NDSU is certainly more balanced than their Texan counterparts and will run a lot of their plays out of i-formation looks to go along with other pro-style formations featuring 2 TE's. Less common are shotgun plays, but NDSU has opened up their playbook more as the season has worn on, a sign of the development sophomore QB Brock Jensen has made.

PERSONNEL

Jensen

Quarterbacks: Sophomore QB Brock Jensen matured from the raw, immature freshman he was in his freshman season into a steady, reliable game manager with improved accuracy in 2011. Although he threw the ball almost 100 times more than Bell, he only managed 13 TD's to Bell's 20. However, his 3 INTs were the 2nd-fewest in the country (among eligible passers). Jensen, like Bell, knows his role. He's there to distribute the ball, protect it, and keep his team in the game.

McNorton

Running backs: Just like SHSU, this is where NDSU's offense comes from. NDSU doesn't have the depth or gamebreaking ability out of the backfield that SHSU does, but they certainly have the balance. Both of NDSU's top rushers, D.J. McNorton and Sam Ojuri topped the 1,000 yard mark this year and each had 11 or more TD's to go with it. Although their stats are similar, their skill sets are somewhat varied, allowing NDSU to broaden their offensive playcalling depending on which particular back they have in the game. McNorton is the more well-rounded of the bunch, catching 22 passes to Ojuri's 4 this year. He'll be used both in the screen game and as a check-down for Jensen. Ojuri is more of a slashing running back and the Bison like to use him as their closer as his juking, hard-cutting style are the perfect style to wipe the floor with defenders tired of being run on.

Receivers/Tight Ends: Unlike Sam Houston, NDSU utilizes their receivers much more conventionally. Warren Holloway is the big name here, and he led the Bison in receptions, yards, and receiving TD's this year. Jensen looks his way early and often (Holloway had more than 30 more catches than the next closest Bison WR) and his size and leaping ability make him absolutely deadly in the red zone. Complement Holloway is North Dakota kid Ryan Smith, a Wes Welker clone who lives out of the slot and whose short-area quickness and speed make him lethal in space. He has had to deal with a nagging hamstring injury and missed most of NDSU's first 2 playoff games against James Madison, Lehigh and Georgia Southern. No other NDSU WR's have emerged of note as this unit was decimated by injuries this year.
Unlike Sam Houston, NDSU heavily utilizes their tight ends in both of their roles. Matt Veldman, the 6-7 Becker, Minnesota native, was NDSU's 3rd leading pass-catcher this year and his ability as both blocker and receiver doesn't allow defenses to key on whether NDSU is running or passing based on his being in the game or not. Backup TE Garrett Bruhn added 10 catches as another safety valve for the Bison.

Offensive Line: Just like SHSU, the Bison feature a monstrous (in size and talent) offensive line. OT Paul Cornick was an All-American. Accompanying him on the line for NDSU is Austin Richard, Joe Lund, Tyler Gimmestad, and Billy Turner. One of the MVFC's best offensive lines, the Bison allowed only 21 sacks in 14 games this year. They average 303 pounds.


Who will these offenses be going up against? That's still to come in Part Two of FCS Championship preview. (I promise no more Michael Buffer references.)

Breaking Down the College Football Coaching Carousel

We've had a slew of hiring/firings in college football, involving at least 10 (ten!) openings that I can think of. Ohio State, North Carolina, Texas A&M, Arizona, Washington State, Memphis, UCLA, Ole Miss, Kansas, Illinois, Arizona State, and UAB have all removed their head coaches and were or are looking for new guys to run their programs. I think Penn State is looking for a new guy too, but I haven't heard too much about that. I also heard Ohio State filled their position too. 


For the first part, I'll break down the new hires we know about- Rich Rodriguez at Arizona, Mike Leach at Washington State, and the blockbuster of them all, Urban Meyer at Ohio State. 

Rich Rodriguez, Arizona

Age: 48

Coaching Résumé

Salem (WV) College (now Salem International University- competed at DII level) 

Record: (1988 season) 2-8 (dropped football program after one year with Rodriguez) 

Glenville State (1990-1996)- Won 3 conference titles and was national runner-up in 1993 NAIA Championship...Was WVIAC Coach of the Year twice and NAIA COY in 1993. 

• Record: 43-28-2 

Served as Assistant Coach, Offensive Coordinator, and Quarterback Coach for Tulane from 1997 to 1998 and Offensive Coordinator/Associate Head Coach at Clemson in 1999

West Virginia (2001-2007)- Won 4 Big East Conference championships...2-3 in bowl games he coached (West Virginia won the 2007 Fiesta Bowl but he had already left for Michigan by this time.)...Big East Coach of the Year in 2002, 2003, and 2005.

• Record: 60-26

Michigan (2007-2009)- 0-1 in bowl games

• Record: 15-22 

Career Record: 120-84 (2-4 in postseason bowls)

Outlook at Arizona:

In terms of overall fit and realistic athletic department expectations for football, this is a good landing spot for RichRod. It will be new for him conference-wise and regionally since he doesn't have many connections in the area. He'll also need to work hard recruiting so he can get the players he wants for his scheme and deal with the inevitable transfers that will occur. 

Implementing his run-heavy spread option attack into the finesse Pac-12 could provide some culture shock. The transition will take a few years but if the AD is patient with Rodriguez (and most AD's haven't shown a lot of patience recently), he'll get the necessary athletes to put together a rushing offense to rival Oregon's out west. On paper, it's not a perfect fit, but it could work with time. 

Rating this hire on the ever-so-popular scale of 1-10, 10 being "Nick Saban-esque," I'd give this hire a solid 8. 

Mike Leach, Washington State

Age: 50 

Coaching Résumé

Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo (1987)- Assistant/Offensive Line Coach

College of the Desert (1988)- Assistant/Linebackers Coach

Iowa Wesleyan (1989-91)- Offensive Coordinator

Valdosta State (1992-96)- Offensive Coordinator at Valdosta State....1996 DII Offensive Coordinator of the Year 

Kentucky (1997-98)- Offensive Coordinator at Kentucky...mentored Tim Couch 

Oklahoma (1999)- Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach

Texas Tech (2000-2009)- 2008 Big XII Coach of the Year, 5-4 in bowl games

• Record: 84-43

Career Record: 84-43 (5-4 postseason)

Outlook at Washington State:

Of the big three hires we've seen so far, this fit is absolutely the most spectacular and best. When it comes to winning in backwater college towns, pirate connoisseur Mike Leach is right up there with the legendary Bill Snyder in terms of guys who win big despite coaching in the sticks. Considering athletic director Bill Moos wanted a flashy offense that would "light up the scoreboard," getting Leach's Air Raid offensive attack was a humongous coup for the Cougars. Moos doesn't (or shouldn't) expect conference championships every single year, but Wazzu can be competitive and has been in the past, including going to its fair share of Rose Bowls. It also has churned out QB's you've heard of like Drew Bledsoe, Mark Rypien, and Ryan Leaf (see video). That's not to say everything is rosy in Pullman, though. There are a few sticking points for me. 

WSU is paying Leach a hefty sum of money, almost $2M per year out of an estimated athletic department budget of $38M. Then there is the little matter of two pending lawsuits related to and stemming from alleged mistreatment of Adam James by Leach while at Texas Tech. Leach is eccentric and does come with some baggage and will say awfully weird and rude things from time to time, but Wazzu will put up with that as long as Leach's teams put up the points and wins...and I expect him to do well. 

On a scale of 1-10, 10 being "Nick Saban-esque", I'd say about a 7.5...which is about a 10 for Washington State. 

Urban Meyer, Ohio State

Age: 47

Coaching Résumé

Ohio State (1986-87)- Tight Ends and Wide Receivers Coach

Illinois State (1988-89)- Outside Linebackers/Quarterbacks/Wide Receivers Coach

Colorado State (1990-95)- Wide Receivers Coach

Notre Dame (1996-2000)- Wide Receivers Coach

Bowling Green (2001-02)- Head Coach...2001 MAC Coach of the Year

• Record: 17-6

Utah (2003-04)- Head Coach....2004 Coach of the Year...2003 and 2004 MWC Coach of the Year...2-0 in bowl games

• Record: 22-2

Florida (2005-10) Head Coach...5-1 in bowl games (4-0 BCS games)...2-time National Champion

• Record: 65-15 

Career Record: 104-23 (7-1 in bowl games)

Outlook at Ohio State:

In the biggest shock since Europeans discovered there was land between Europe and Asia (that's sarcasm, folks), the Ohio native Urban Meyer stepped out of his one-year retirement to take the position he once professed to be his "dream job." 

Dream job indeed

To that end, it's a perfect marriage as both Ohio State and Meyer really love each other. Philosophically, it'll be an adjustment for the Buckeyes, long-used to seeing bulldozing rushing attacks led by power backs like Archie Griffin, Eddie George, Robert Smith, and Maurice Clarett. I expect Ohio State to be fairly patient with Meyer, as they know that with looming NCAA penalties on the horizon it might be a couple of years before the Buckeyes can officially win any Big Ten and National Championships. With that in mind, Ohio State can afford to wait for Meyer to assemble the athletes he wants to fit his spread option scheme. Once he gets those, Ohio State will win big in the Big Ten. In the meantime, they'll have to manage his stress and fatigue levels. The best way to do that? Pay his staff a really nice salary so they stick around and keep him sane. That's the big risk with Meyer. 

Scale of 1-10....I'd give it a solid 9.5, even with Ohio State's insanely high expectations and Meyer's durability concern. 

For your bonus, I'll rank the remaining other positions available from best job to worst job.

1. Texas A&M- SEC newbie + easy access to Texas's rich high school talent pipeline = good chance at success, IMO. Sure you got to deal with that conference, but if Arkansas can win, why not A&M?

2. North Carolina- Winnable conference to say the least. Nice facilities, too. 

3. Penn State- This would typically be #1 for almost anyone else, but you might've heard that place is a mess right now...off the field and at QB. 

4. Arizona State- Arizona is rebuilding, UCLA has no coach, USC is entering its reduced scholarships phase of NCAA purgatory, and the rest of the Pac 12 South isn't that impressive. It should have been easier to win there for Dennis Erickson. 

5. Illinois- Kind of on the fence with this program. Some weeks you're like, "Hey, they've got some talent..." Then the next week you're saying "ew!" like an adolescent girl dissecting a frog. You can win here, just don't expect to playing on January 1st that often. 

6. UCLA- I'm not convinced they're fully committed to winning in football. Not my cup o' tea if I'm the new guy. It beats the other alternatives, though. 

7. Ole Miss- Let's see....division games against Alabama, LSU, Arkansas, Auburn, and Mississippi State every year. Oh and then you play some combination of South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Vandy for your 8 conference games. No wonder they can't win consistently. That schedule is brutal!

8. Kansas- They only gave Turner Gill two years to win with what was left of the human mound's players? Really? 

9. UAB- Well, I guess you could do worse than taking over a team in a winnable conference with access to Alabama and Auburn's table scraps. 

10. Memphis- Ummmm.....it's Memphis. I think I personally would take this job if they just offered it to me on the street, but only, only, only, only as my first gig and as a stepping stone to bigger and better things...I'm looking at you Derek Dooley.... That bright orange "T" out in Knoxville could use my help....

50 Things I Think about the NFL

As promised, my massive "I'll make it up to you" blog post.

1. Cam Newton will be a better professional quarterback than Andrew Luck. I say this not to spite Mr. Luck or to discourage any fans of teams that want him, but Cam seems to be one of those rare guys with the “it” factor and has so much higher of a ceiling than Luck does. Plus, he’s already shown me something in the league.

2. My All-Rookie Team:

              QB Cam Newton, Carolina

Denarius Moore

              RB Mark Ingram, New Orleans

              RB DeMarco Murray, Dallas

              WR A.J. Green, Cincinnati

              WR Denarius Moore, Oakland

              WR Dane Sanzenbacher, Chicago

              TE Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota

              OL Nate Solder, New England

              OL Stefen Wisniewski, Oakland

              OL Mike Pouncey, Miami

              OL Danny Watkins, Philadelphia

              OL Tyron Smith, Dallas

              DE Jabaal Sheard, Cleveland

              DT Marcell Dareus, Buffalo

              DT Muhammad Wilkerson, New York Jets

Aldon Smith 

              DE Adrian Clayborn, Tampa Bay

              OLB Aldon Smith, San Francisco

              MLB Greg Jones, New York Giants

              OLB Von Miller, Denver

              DB Patrick Peterson, Arizona

              DB Chris Culliver, San Fran

              DB Rahim Moore, Denver

              DB Chimdi Chekwa, Oakland

              K Dan Bailey, Dallas

3. I think the Bengals will be an elite team in less than five years. Super Bowl-champion elite, not “win the division and lose at home” elite. Super Bowl elite. Get ready, Cincy.

4. I think Todd Haley deserves Coach of the Year if the Chiefs make the playoffs. If they go from 0-2 and losing their best offensive and defensive players and getting destroyed on the field in the process to making the playoffs for the second straight year, how on earth DON’T you give Haley the award? I know Jim Harbaugh has been excellent and will deservedly win it in all likelihood, even with the lockout and minimal time for him to meet his players, but the 49ers play in an even worse division than Kansas City. That and they have had relatively few major injuries to deal with. It’s still a big “if” for the Chiefs to make the playoffs, given Matt Cassel’s inconsistency and the fact that both Oakland and San Diego can both go on hot streaks as easily as Kansas City can go cold.

5. We can all agree that the Raiders gave up too much for Carson Palmer. But he’s played better than any Raiders QB since Rich Gannon won the MVP. He gives them stability and will allow their deep stable of young wideouts- Jacoby Ford, Denarius Moore, Darrius Heyward-Bey, and T.J. Housmandzadeh to grow and blossom as NFL players. I’m particularly impressed with Moore. How he was a 5th round pick is beyond my comprehension. Ford is a dynamic athlete and makes at least 1-3 explosive plays per game. DHB is still a work in progress, but he’s really growing, too. Toss in their smashmouth running game, featuring three distinctly different styles of runners (four if you count fullback Marcel Reese as a running back), and a solid offensive line and this is a team primed to explode. The run defense needs work, but they're starting to look the like the Raiders of old. 

6. I think that the NFL MVP (non-Aaron Rodgers, because he’s winning it), is EASILY Eli Manning, who’s put up his best season so far. Yeah, Brady and Brees are trendier, but given that Eli hasn’t had all of his weapons and the Giants’ defense has had issues with injuries all year, you have to put Eli in the convo, at least Top 5. (For me, top two.)

7. I propose a three-way splitting of the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award between Darrelle Revis, Jared Allen, and DeMarcus Ware. They’ve been that good. Since their positional responsibilities and team successes are so varied, it’s fair to put them all together. Luckily this list will be weeded out as teams improve (Jets) and decline (Cowboys/Vikings.)

8. If the Vikings leave Minnesota, it won’t be long before their worst fears are realized. 

Brooks Reed

9. Lost in the shuffle of excellent rookie QB’s is the abundance of excellent rookie OLB’s. I can think of four easily that deserve acclaim- Aldon Smith (49ers), Ryan Kerrigan (Redskins), Brooks Reed (Texans), Von Miller (Broncos). The teams that got them struck absolute gold. All four will challenge for sack leadership in the league in the next few years.

10. Speaking of Brooks Reed, it’s scary to think what Green Bay would look like with him and Clay Matthews playing opposite each other. The Packers were projected by many (including yours truly) to take Reed, but they passed and went offensive line instead. 

11. The Broncos’ game plan against Kansas City might’ve been old-school and kind of admirable in a rugged sense of the term, but let’s see it for what it really was- the Broncos’ only reliable way of moving the ball consistently on offense. Where I'm from, we call that a gimmick.
Folks, that’s all the proof you need that Mr. Tebow belongs at FB or H-back. His own coaches gameplan around his talents. Almost every QB in the league would have won that game. Hell, I bet half of the QB’s in BCS conferences could’ve probably won that game.  

12. I think Steve Smith should be disqualified from the Comeback Player of the Year Award. Not because he hasn’t rebounded in a big way, but because he wasn’t injured last year. The guy who really deserves this is a guy coming off a season-ending injury. Not sure who that’d be yet.

13. The Lions are the NFL’s dirtiest team. They make the Steelers and Ravens look like the Colts.

14. How many bad losses will the Buccaneers take before they finally realize that a huge part of Josh Freeman’s success was due to the balance their offense had with LeGarrette Blount last year? Get him the ball 20+ times a game and watch the field open up for their offense.

15. I think a team that wants to mentor a young QB the right way and to ensure solid, consistent growth would do themselves good by hiring Chris Weinke. Teams like Cleveland, Minnesota, Arizona, Kansas City (when they draft a QB next year), Seattle, or the Jets would be nice fits for him. (Particularly Minnesota, given the Florida State connection at QB.) Heck, even the Bay Area has a few young QBs that could really use solid mentoring (Terrelle Pryor and Colin Kaepernick). 

16. Speaking of Kaepernick, I’ll be extremely interested in him with this 49ers team next year, should they go that route in 2012-13. I have a feeling this 2011 crop of rookie QB's will be one for the record books. Almost like the NFL’s version of the 2003 LeBron-Melo-Wade-Bosh NBA draft.

17. Jim Irsay needs to shut the hell up on Twitter. Stop tweeting about your team’s inner dynamics. You’re the CEO of the franchise- act like one. You don't see Bill Gates clowning around on twitter. 

18. I don’t expect the NFL to have two games as much fun to watch happening simultaneously as the November 5 LSU-Alabama and Kansas State-Oklahoma State games were for a very long time.

19. Green Bay Packers- Perfect in record only. They remind me of the 2009 Saints- major offense, turnover-creating defense.

20. San Francisco 49ers- Patrick Willis and Navorro Bowman are easily the two best linebackers that share a team. They’re both 3-down players, too. This is huge in their 3-4 defensive scheme.

21. Baltimore Ravens- Beating up on the Steelers never felt so good, right? To follow it up with a turd of a game like the one against Seattle is simply unacceptable for a team that might need 3 wins to get to the Super Bowl. Can’t be consistent? Then go home- that’s the name of the game. Hard for me to trust Baltimore 100%.

22. Pittsburgh Steelers- Make it two straight years they’ve been punked by Joe Flacco at Heinz Field in the regular season. They better hope that trend ends soon, or this old team will end up looking like the Vikings- aging roster and one or two young studs on offense.

23. New York Giants- Speaking of back-to-back punkings, had to be fun for Eli to pull another rabbit out against Tom Brady again. I trust them in a high-pressure road playoff game more than any other team in the league, bar none.

24. Houston Texans- They call plays like they’re going to kill Arian Foster. Luckily for him, he’s got Ben Tate making big plays while giving him a breather. I’d like them a lot more if they more reliable secondary receiving options after Andre Johnson. Right now their passing offense is dump offs to Foster or Owen Daniels. Not going to cut it in January, boys. Once they get Andre Johnson back, watch out. Their defense is filthy. Brooks Reed isn’t getting enough love in a stacked OLB rookie class.

25. New England Patriots- I think you’re looking at a Colts-esque team if they lost Tom Brady. Sure, their backup QBs are better than Indy’s, but otherwise, they’d be at their absolute best an 8-win team without Brady hiding their deficiencies.

26. Cincinnati Bengals- 2011 is going to be all about getting Andy Dalton, A.J. Green, and that defense enough experience to prime them for a nice run. The timing for this couldn’t be better- they’ve drafted well, acquired high draft picks (thanks, Hue Jackson), and their prime divisional opponents’ windows are closing. This creates a power rift and creates an opening for a hungry team like the Bengals to hop in. This situation reminds me a ton of the early 1990’s Cowboys. You can figure who their Troy Aikman is and who their Michael Irvin is. Rookie Clint Boling can be Nate Newton and Jermaine Gresham will be Jay Novacek.
Hopefully they can add some more pieces around those players (namely a quality rushing attack and some more targets for Dalton) and keep the defense intact.

27. New Orleans Saints- Do they have any elite talents on this team besides Drew Brees? Nope. That’s how good Brees has been. If you didn’t think of him in the Top 5 Best Players in the NFL class, you ought to, because he has been ridiculously good for them.

28. Chicago Bears- I think the Bears would be near winless without Jay Cutler. (Bonus thought- Mr. Cutler, for all his critics (fair or not) is easily the most underrated and toughest QB in the NFL. No one has a better arm and willingness to make the big throw.)                     

29. Atlanta Falcons- I don’t know what to make of Atlanta. One week they’re getting killed by the Bears, the next they’re pulling a rabbit out of their hat against Philly. Then they’re getting squashed by the Packers again. Luckily Tampa Bay can’t get their act together.

30. Detroit Lions- Well, that’s more like what I expected from the Lions. I’m very interested to see how the league handles Matthew Stafford’s egregious facemask/helmet grab “tackle.” In a league that protects QBs far more than necessary, I bet he’ll get a slap on the wrist. The guy he tackled (D.J. Moore) got ejected for fighting back and will get a nice big fine. That’s fair, I guess. Read up at Pro Football Talk. 

31. New York Jets- Those trash-talking footsteps you hear are Rex Ryan’s boys charging up the standings. How high they go will be a matter for the inconsistent Mark Sanchez to determine. 

32. Buffalo Bills- My original thoughts after the Jets game were, “I think the Jets are a terrible matchup for the Bills, but that’s not too far from what the Bills really are as a team.” After the Dallas game, I’m sure that’s who they really are.

33. Oakland Raiders- Losing to Tim Tebow at home had to be embarrassing. Carson Palmer’s showings aren’t all bad despite the turnovers- his arm has looked stronger than it did in Cincinnati last year and it’s refreshing to get to see what Oakland’s track stars at WR look like with a competent QB at the helm. They’ve become a really entertaining team to watch. I’d like to see more Taiwan Jones when Darren McFadden isn’t playing, though.

34. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- They need to realize that Josh Freeman is too young to be “the guy” for them all the time. Their wide receivers have struggled. The best remedy? A heavy dose of LeGarrette Blount. I think balancing out their offense would do wonders for them offensively. When they’ve run the ball well, they’ve won games- the Saints home upset comes to mind.

35. Kansas City Chiefs- What happened to all that Arrowhead momentum against Miami and Denver? They might have sealed their fate with those losses because their schedule is not kind down the stretch.

36. Dallas Cowboys- Dez Bryant is a major distraction on the field for this team. The Cowboys would have done well to avoid that kind of personality, but Jerry Jones wanted his next Michael Irvin. Troy Aikman ain’t walking through that door, Jerry.

37. Philadelphia Eagles- Just like last year, Philly’s problem is that they can’t dink-and-dunk you down the field. It’s either a bunch of 8-20 yard runs by Vick and McCoy with a few 20-yard deep throws, or a drive that gets snuffed out. That and they’re as soft as a baby’s bottom. Smashmouth teams push them around.

38. San Diego Chargers- Some people think he’s injured, but I’m fairly (>60%) certain I’ve figured out Rivers’ problem. Though he would never admit it, I bet you $20 that the sixth Rivers child is a major reason he’s struggled. Hard to stay awake when you got a newborn screaming all night long, I imagine. His home-road splits suggest that leaving San Diego for the road hasn’t helped though. He’s posted a 104-163 attempts, 1,293 yards, 7 TD:7 INT cumulative stat line at home compared to an 89 of 142, 1,176, 4:7 road line. What gives?

39. Tennessee Titans- I wish I could say I know what’s happened to Chris Johnson. I can’t. I’m chalking to up a combination of fatigue, complacency, dislike of the current regime, and a general lack of motivation this year.

40. Carolina Panthers- In a league devoid of high-profile stars like the NBA has, the Panthers (and Cam) would do well to milk Mr. Newton’s success as an NFL as much as possible- the guy has rare charisma and charm. Designer NFL cleats would be a neat trend to start. They wouldn’t be Air Jordans, but I bet Under Armour or Reebok would do something with Cam if he proposed it.  I don’t know how well they’d sell, though.

41. Washington Redskins- Can we finally now admit that Mike Shanahan’s perceived success as an NFL head coach is directly tied to the fact that he had John Elway and Terrell Davis to kick it off? Seriously, every one of his other teams haven’t even been close to Super Bowl contenders. This one sure isn’t.

42. Minnesota Vikings- Christian Ponder has managed to cast a ray of hope on what has otherwise been a depressing year for the Vikings. As it is with everyone, how they draft over the next few years will make or break them under Leslie Frazier. Contrary to public opinion, the first place the Vikings should go in the draft is not at wide receiver to get a weapon for Ponder- it should be at offensive line. Thankfully this NFL draft has a few top-notch offensive linemen projected to be available

43. Cleveland Browns- They might be the most boring NFL team in the league. Does anyone care that they have a Top-5 defense statistically?

44. Jacksonville Jaguars- Were it not for Cleveland, they’d be the most uninspiring team to watch on TV. If they were smart, they’d let Blaine Gabbert throw it 50 times a game and see what he’s got. Their defense has been surprisingly good. They can probably afford to draft a WR early next year.

45. St. Louis Rams- I thought Steve Spagnuolo would have them on a faster track up by now. Really had high hopes for them.

46. Seattle Seahawks- They can’t run and they can’t pass. Other than that, things are looking up for the Seahawks. Doug Baldwin has been a nice find off the undrafted college free agent scrapheap. You’ve never heard of their best player, Chris Clemons, who should be a Pro Bowler this year. (Start voting, Seahawks fans.)

47. Arizona Cardinals- The Kevin Kolb trade is/was/will continue to be an abysmal failure. At least they didn’t pony up as much for him as the Raiders did for Carson Palmer.

48. Denver Broncos- Skip Bayless can rant all he wants about Tim Tebow’s “clutch gene” (the concept of which is total b.s. to begin with), but if they’re drafting Top 5 next year and Matt Barkley (2nd-best case) or Andrew Luck (wildest dreams-case) is staring them in the face, they won’t hesitate to draft him. Tebow might be the nicest guy ever and whatever else FOX’s Thom Brennaman  has to say about him, but he is a locker room cancer, as far as I am concerned. His very presence elicits such a powerful media and fan response that it is a constant threat to team chemistry and being the only guy your teammates get asked about can’t really help when you’re not winning a ton. The two Johns (Elway and Fox) need to blow up this Josh McDaniels-created mess and rebuild the franchise in their own image, just as Fox did in Carolina.

49. Miami Dolphins- If they had gone 0-16, the Dolphins would have been the best winless team in the history of the NFL. The last two teams to do so, the 1976 Bucs and 2008 Lions, were talent-deficient teams and nobody was terribly surprised that they went winless. Of course, the ’76 Bucs were an expansion team and the ’08 Lions were just plain terrible. This Miami team has way more talent than either of those teams do, but for whatever reason, they just can’t seem to play 60 minutes’ worth of good football. A huge amount of blame for this season rests not on the current goat of choice, Tony Sparano, but on the team ownership, who openly flirted with Jim Harbaugh in the offseason and in doing so, stripped Sparano of any authority he had in the locker room. Is anybody really surprised that this happened after Bill Parcells left the team’s front office?

50. Indianapolis Colts- I think Bill Polian is the most overrated personnel man in the league, bar none. You honestly cannot draft a team as poorly as they did and pin the whole blame on Peyton Manning’s injury. When you acquire specific talent for a specific purpose, (in this case, to play from ahead, assuming Manning performs like usual) it is the football equivalent of putting your eggs in one basket. They don’t deserve Andrew Luck.. Enjoy.

NCAA Men's Preseason Top 25

Sorry, guys. It's been awhile. I'll try to make it up to you with a few more posts. How about my NCAA Men's Basketball Top 25?

1. North Carolina Tar Heels

2. Kentucky Wildcats

3. Ohio State Buckeyes

4. UConn Huskies

5. Syracuse Orange

6. Duke Blue Devils

7. Florida Gators

8. Vanderbilt Commodores

9. Louisville Cardinals

10. Wisconsin Badgers

11. Kansas Jayhawks

12. Pittsburgh Panthers

13. Baylor Bears

14. Marquette Golden Eagles

15. Memphis Tigers

16. Arizona Wildcats

17. Cincinnati Bearcats

18. UCLA Bruins

19. Washington Huskies

20. Alabama Crimson Tide

21. Michigan State

22. Texas A&M Aggies

23. California Golden Bears

24. Missouri Tigers

25. Florida State Seminoles

Week 6 College Football Top 25

1. LSU - Still the #1 team in my eyes, thanks to an impressive start to the season. It was nice to see Jordan Jefferson get some playing time. He provides an element no one else on their roster can give to their offense. Tyrann Mathieu is the clear front-runner for the Thorpe Award right now. He's all over the place for the Bayou Bengals. 
Next: vs. Florida, October 8

2. Alabama - Nick Saban sure knows how to coach up that defense, doesn't he? His whole team is a bunch of big, fast freaks of nature. They completely throttled Charlie Weis's offense. The Tide rolled up more rushing yards than the Gators could manage as a team on offense. That LSU meeting is must-see TV. No excuses. 
Next: vs. Vanderbilt, October 8

3. Wisconsin- For years, we've been forced to watch Wisconsin football with almost-good-enoughs or true game managers like Scott Tolzien or Jim Sorgi at QB. The results with an elite college QB under center are absolutely frightening (for opposing defensive coordinators). Russell Wilson was simply too good for the Blackshirts on Saturday Night. Montee Ball was too tough for the Huskers. The offensive line is filthy. They'll miss DE David Gilbert defensively, who is out with a broken foot for about a month and a half, according to reports. Even without him, the Badgers are the clear class of the Big Ten and the strongest threats to Alabama or LSU in a bowl game, in my opinion. 
Next: vs. Indiana, October 15

4. Oklahoma - The Sooner Schooner was pretty busy last week watching their boys pile up nearly 60 points on hapless Ball State. That likely won't be the case as the next target in Stoops and Co.'s crosshairs has long horns and no love for Oklahoma. 
Next: vs. Texas, October 8

5. Oklahoma State- The Pokes had a bye week and treated us to an enjoyable/awkward week of watching their coach dance or socialize with Lou Holtz and Mark May at ESPN for a day. It's weird to think that Mike Gundy played with Barry Sanders back in the day. 
Next: vs. Kansas, October 8

6. Stanford- Is there anything Andrew Luck cannot do? Seriously? If they played on the East Coast, they'd be higher ranked nationally. 
Next: , October 8

7. Boise State- The effort wasn't Heisman-worthy from Kellen Moore (2 INT's), but the result (whooping up last year's thorn-in-the-side Nevada) had to be very satisfying for the Broncos. 
Next: at Fresno State, October 7

8. Clemson- Who would've thought that these guys would be leading the ACC after a month of action? Put your hands down, you liars. This team has some serious mojo going right now. They're too hot to handle. Winning in the manner they did in Blacksburg is no mean feat. I can't wait to see their game with Georgia Tech.  
Next: vs. Boston College, October 8

9. Oregon - The Ducks had a bye week to get prepped for their game Thursday with a team that has given them trouble historically, Cal. 
Next: vs. California, October 6

10. Illinois- In a bitter rivalry game, Nathan Scheelhaase was everything you could've wanted and more. The Fighting Zooks are off to the best start in school history since the 22nd Amendment was ratified. (Look it up.)
Next: at Indiana, October 8

11. Michigan- The Wolverines are undefeated and have done it by feasting on some weak teams. 
Next: at Northwestern, October 8

12. Georgia Tech- The Coastal Division is now theirs for the taking after demolishing NC State on Saturday. Paul Johnson's triple option looks unstoppable. The Ramblin' Wreck takes their wrecking ball offense to Maryland next. Their defense will be tested again by Danny O'Brien in another roadie for the Techies. 
Next: vs. Maryland, October 8 

13. Arkansas- Alabama one week. Texas A&M the next. Now the Hogs get to rumble with Auburn fresh off their upset of the Gamecocks. Don't expect too much defense here. 
Next: vs. Auburn, October 8

14. Texas - It's a good thing that Mack Brown made the QB change a few weeks ago, or this matchup wouldn't be nearly as interesting if the 'Horns weren't undefeated. Do they have enough on offense to rumble with their hated rivals? I say no, but we'll see. 
Next: vs. Oklahoma, October 8 (in Dallas)

15. Arizona State - It wasn't a pretty win against Oregon State, but they got the job done. Dennis Erickson has to be pleased with the effort his team has given so far. The early favorite to win the Pac-12 South right now 
Next: at Utah, October 8

16. South Carolina- That loss has to cost Stephen Garcia his starting job. It took a few weeks, but his inconsistency finally cost the 'Cocks. Time to get the Connor Shaw jerseys out in Columbia. 
Next: vs. Kentucky, October 8

17. West Virginia- They finally got some help for Geno Smith in the running game last week. Granted, Bowling Green ain't LSU, either. We'll see if that continues for the Mountaineers 
Next: vs. UConn, October 8

18. Nebraska- It's been a long time since we've seen a Bo Pelini defense get pushed around, stomped on, and dominated by an opposing offense. Taylor Martinez needs to grow up as a passer or this team will not be going anywhere in the Big Ten. 
Next: vs. Ohio State, October 8

19. Virginia Tech - Ouch. Getting punked at home by Clemson is not what Beamer's boys were expecting when many expected them to ride their easy schedule to the top of the ACC molehill. They need to get more from Logan Thomas. 
Next: vs. Miami, October 8

20. Kansas State- It's been a long time since the Wildcats were ranked (4 years specifically), but this is the second straight 4-0 year for them since Bill Snyder got back on the sidelines. They could give the Big XII South powers some trouble when they inevitably cross paths. Nebraska's departure really opened the division up for them this year. 
Next: vs. Missouri, October 8

21. Auburn - It's amazing how good the Tigers are in close games. Cam Newton or not, they've been able to come through big in crunch time recently. They've beaten South Carolina three times over the past year and held Marcus Lattimore in check every time. 
Next: at Arkansas, October 8

22. Baylor- So RGIII is human after all? Even with his big day, the Bears still lost a tough road game. I'm interested to see how a program unaccustomed to success will respond to that kind of loss. 
Next: vs. Iowa State, October 8

23. Florida- Life in the SEC just ain't fair. One week after getting pummeled, battered, and beaten into submission by Alabama, the Gators have to head to Baton Rouge to rumble with the Bayou Bengals in Death Valley. Ouch. The ice tub is going to be popular in Gainesville for a while. Good luck to whoever gets the unfortunate task of playing QB for the Gators. 
Next: at LSU , October 8 

24. Florida State - The bye week couldn't have come at a better time for the 'Noles. Getting E.J. Manuel back and the rest of their injured players will be a huge boost to the team. 
Next: at Wake Forest, October 8

25. Houston - Case Keenum's assault on the NCAA passing records is well under way and off to a fine start: he's completing nearly 70% of his passes and has over 2000 yards passing already. 
Next: vs. East Carolina, October 8

Just missed:
SMU, Notre Dame, Michigan State, USC, Washington, Texas Tech, USF