The FATE of Auburn vs. West Virginia
I am actually blogging this less than an hour before the game kicks off, and wanted to get my thoughts out there before the game starts. Tonight is a pretty important game for two schools and the conferences they represent.
Now, I realize that there is another game, New Mexico vs. Air Force, but I doubt that we’ll actually be able to see that game. I would love to have been flipping back and forth between the two, but I’ll settle for the game we have.
This game tonight between Auburn and WVA is one both conferences need. We know that the SEC claims to be the best conference in the nation, but some argue about the Big 12. But the Big East has been underachieving this year, and could use some help from West Virginia. A win by the Mountaineers could be a shot in the arm to the conference, let alone the team.
As you know, Auburn started out doing fine, beating Louisiana-Monroe 34-0, then beating Southern Mississippi 27-13. A so-so record against foes that won’t really matter, but the conference win vs. Mississippi State by ONLY 3-2 sounded like a baseball game.
Still, who’s to sneer at a 3-0 record?
Things started to fall apart with a loss to LSU 26-21, but the Auburn Tigers pulled it together with a win over Tennessee (though barely). It seemed to mark the continuation of problems when they then lost two games back to back to #19 Vanderbilt and Arkansas, a team supposedly in “rebuilding”.
The Tigers have some interesting games ahead of them, beginning with this one tonight. They still need 2 more wins to qualify for a bowl, and the West Virginia game is not a gimmie. They should be favored against Mississippi and certainly against Tennessee-Martin, but their last two games are against Georgia AND Alabama.
Good luck with that. I won’t rule out them NOT beating Alabama, but only if we see something tonight against West Virginia. I think LSU may end up taking the division, but Auburn could contest for second place.
West Virginia on the other hand, may have some work to do. And you’d argue that with me knowing that WVA’s record is 4-2, and undefeated in conference play. But take a closer look:
Beating Villanova 48-21 was not impressive, and losing to ECU 24-3 and to Colorado 17-14 showed that there are some problems that wasn’t there last year. West Virginia lost a great running back, and a coach, at least those two seemed to truly affect the team.
Beating Marshall 27-3 and a struggling Rutgers 24-17 may have put them back on track, but in truth there are no real quality wins. The 17-6 win over hapless Syracuse adds a win in the column, but not much respect.
If you don’t count the Villanova game (not Division I game), then West Virginia has to win 3 more games out of 6 to qualify for a bowl. Odd to say that about a team in second place in the Big East, but this is because they have not met the “meat” of the schedule yet…they are about to.
That makes this game vs. Auburn a big one, in fact 4 of the 6 games remaining are against teams that are ranked or have been ranked this year. We know Auburn is currently ranked, and we know Connecticut was ranked. I am not sure if Louisville has been ranked this year, but we know that Pittsburgh and South Florida are currently ranked. This is a very tough schedule for West Virginia, but this is what they need to get back into the spotlight that they enjoyed last year.
Both teams need this win; Auburn needs it to keep pace with their SEC foes and stay in the top 25, and West Virginia needs this win to stay above water. To date they have not really been tested this year, and there have been a lot of questions about this team. We’re gonna get a few answers tonight.
Game on!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Top 10 NFL Teams week 7
Top Ten NFL Teams Week 7
After some interesting games I think we can see that nothing is etched in stone when it comes to the NFL. Just a few weeks ago I would have sworn that three teams out of the NFC East were guaranteed in the playoffs, but now, I am not so sure. I gotta tell you guys, right now ANYTHING can happen, there is no clear cut favorite to the playoffs. But how does that change the top 10 standings? Let’s find out:
#10 Arizona Cardinals (4-2)
We’re not sure if this is the real deal or as former coach Dennis Green once said, “they are who we THOUGHT they were”. But you’ve got to be impressed by how this team has played. Beating the Cowboys and the Bills are impressive at this point in the year, and losing to the Redskins isn’t so bad as one of 2 losses. I think it’s going to be a challenge for the Cardinals to get more than 8 wins, but certainly if healthy they can do it, and possibly see themselves in the playoffs…possible, but not guaranteed.
#9 New England Patriots (4-2)
I’ve got the Patriots higher than the Cardinals purely on experience. Yeah, we know they crushed the Denver Broncos, but we may be finding out that the Broncos are not exactly what we thought they were. Beating the Rams this week won’t really prove anything, but losing to them will say a lot. And remember the recent Superbowl history…the team that LOSES usually does not even make the playoffs… could the Pats be the next statistic?
#8 Atlanta Falcons (4-2)
Perhaps the surprise team of the year thus far, and in a pretty competitive conference, the Falcons are looking pretty good with a brand new quarterback. Losing to Tampa Bay and Carolina isn’t anything to be ashamed of, but with both being in your division that hurts a lot. Their schedule isn’t that easy, and have yet to play a very desperate New Orleans team. We’ll see if they can keep the magic going…
#7 Washington Redskins (4-2)
Just a couple of weeks ago, we thought this may be THE team of the NFC, now we don’t know anymore. A loss at the beginning of the year to the Giants was ok, but losing to the Rams looked very telling…but now we have to rethink that if the Rams turn to be pretty decent. Most of their games have been close, their average margin of victory being about 6 points. With a game against the Lions coming up, they ought to be able to pad their stats a bit.
#6 Buffalo Bills (5-1)
I am just not fully convinced that this is one of the top 3 teams in the NFL, but I will grant you that it is currently one of the top 3 teams in the AFC. With no division wins or games played, none of their wins come from any team over .500. And with their schedule, they could very well get a bye and lose the first game in the playoffs. The schedule is in their favor, but have we really seen the best of the Bills…or just bluff?
#5 Carolina Panthers (4-2)
This team is pretty good once they get the engine going, with very quality backs and receivers, I don’t see why this isn’t the number one scoring team in the world…not NFL but the world! It’s quite conceivable that the Panthers can win the next 5 games, or at least 4, but we’re not sure which team we will see. Losing to Tampa Bay and Minnesota shows that they are not quite the best teams in the NFC, but I don’t see how they can miss the playoffs. Games against the Cardinals, Raiders and Lions will let us know how much roar these Panthers really have.
#4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-2)
It’s funny that just a few weeks ago we said that the NFC East would put 3 teams in the playoffs…now it looks like the NFC South has that distinction. Tampa Bay is on top, beating both Carolina and Atlanta. With a wounded Cowboys team coming up, if Tampa Bay wins this game, it might be the first of a 5-game winning streak, although technically it would be 7 since they won their last 2 games. Too early to crown the best in the NFL, even in the NFC, but it’s looking pretty good for them.
#3 New York Giants (5-1)
The defending Superbowl Champions are not out of this, not by a long shot, but one had to question their strength of schedule. Beating teams that had a losing record, and then losing to the Browns might be the start of something. Now the schedule turns into a completely different story. The next 9 games are against teams that have a very strong chance to get into the playoffs…these are not cupcakes. And 5 of those games are divisional games…this will not be easy for the Giants, and we’re going to see how the champs can defend that crown.
#2 Pittsburgh Steelers (5-1)
If there was any question on the test the Giants have, it starts here. These two teams play this weekend, and I put the Steelers here because their single loss came to a quality team (Eagles). Yet the Steelers have had a pretty soft schedule too. I might counter that by saying that the wins against Cincinnati, Cleveland and Baltimore were divisional wins and always tougher than you think. But injuries have me concerned about how this will really play out. It just seems that the best team may not necessarily be the BEST team, just the healthiest at the right time. If Pittsburgh can weather through this game vs. the Giants…it really doesn’t get much easier.
#1 Tennessee Titans (5-0)
I said it last week, I say it again, this is only by default. I know this is a quality team but they are the only undefeated team in the NFL, so I place them here. I might give them 4 more guaranteed wins with the schedule they have, but now they have to earn the other wins. Jacksonville was the best team the Titans had thus far, and that was AT home, winning only by 7. Wins over the Bengals, Texans and Chiefs don’t give you playoff points, but it’s not Tennessee’s fault. Their schedule is still soft, but there are some games that will allow us to see how tough these guys REALLY are. They are almost a shoe-in for the playoffs simply because the schedule isn’t that tough. And an 8-8 record might get them in, a 9-7 COULD get them a bye. We’ll see.
Anyway, that’s it for now, check out my blogs on blogspot since I tend to blog more there than my others. Later!
After some interesting games I think we can see that nothing is etched in stone when it comes to the NFL. Just a few weeks ago I would have sworn that three teams out of the NFC East were guaranteed in the playoffs, but now, I am not so sure. I gotta tell you guys, right now ANYTHING can happen, there is no clear cut favorite to the playoffs. But how does that change the top 10 standings? Let’s find out:
#10 Arizona Cardinals (4-2)
We’re not sure if this is the real deal or as former coach Dennis Green once said, “they are who we THOUGHT they were”. But you’ve got to be impressed by how this team has played. Beating the Cowboys and the Bills are impressive at this point in the year, and losing to the Redskins isn’t so bad as one of 2 losses. I think it’s going to be a challenge for the Cardinals to get more than 8 wins, but certainly if healthy they can do it, and possibly see themselves in the playoffs…possible, but not guaranteed.
#9 New England Patriots (4-2)
I’ve got the Patriots higher than the Cardinals purely on experience. Yeah, we know they crushed the Denver Broncos, but we may be finding out that the Broncos are not exactly what we thought they were. Beating the Rams this week won’t really prove anything, but losing to them will say a lot. And remember the recent Superbowl history…the team that LOSES usually does not even make the playoffs… could the Pats be the next statistic?
#8 Atlanta Falcons (4-2)
Perhaps the surprise team of the year thus far, and in a pretty competitive conference, the Falcons are looking pretty good with a brand new quarterback. Losing to Tampa Bay and Carolina isn’t anything to be ashamed of, but with both being in your division that hurts a lot. Their schedule isn’t that easy, and have yet to play a very desperate New Orleans team. We’ll see if they can keep the magic going…
#7 Washington Redskins (4-2)
Just a couple of weeks ago, we thought this may be THE team of the NFC, now we don’t know anymore. A loss at the beginning of the year to the Giants was ok, but losing to the Rams looked very telling…but now we have to rethink that if the Rams turn to be pretty decent. Most of their games have been close, their average margin of victory being about 6 points. With a game against the Lions coming up, they ought to be able to pad their stats a bit.
#6 Buffalo Bills (5-1)
I am just not fully convinced that this is one of the top 3 teams in the NFL, but I will grant you that it is currently one of the top 3 teams in the AFC. With no division wins or games played, none of their wins come from any team over .500. And with their schedule, they could very well get a bye and lose the first game in the playoffs. The schedule is in their favor, but have we really seen the best of the Bills…or just bluff?
#5 Carolina Panthers (4-2)
This team is pretty good once they get the engine going, with very quality backs and receivers, I don’t see why this isn’t the number one scoring team in the world…not NFL but the world! It’s quite conceivable that the Panthers can win the next 5 games, or at least 4, but we’re not sure which team we will see. Losing to Tampa Bay and Minnesota shows that they are not quite the best teams in the NFC, but I don’t see how they can miss the playoffs. Games against the Cardinals, Raiders and Lions will let us know how much roar these Panthers really have.
#4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-2)
It’s funny that just a few weeks ago we said that the NFC East would put 3 teams in the playoffs…now it looks like the NFC South has that distinction. Tampa Bay is on top, beating both Carolina and Atlanta. With a wounded Cowboys team coming up, if Tampa Bay wins this game, it might be the first of a 5-game winning streak, although technically it would be 7 since they won their last 2 games. Too early to crown the best in the NFL, even in the NFC, but it’s looking pretty good for them.
#3 New York Giants (5-1)
The defending Superbowl Champions are not out of this, not by a long shot, but one had to question their strength of schedule. Beating teams that had a losing record, and then losing to the Browns might be the start of something. Now the schedule turns into a completely different story. The next 9 games are against teams that have a very strong chance to get into the playoffs…these are not cupcakes. And 5 of those games are divisional games…this will not be easy for the Giants, and we’re going to see how the champs can defend that crown.
#2 Pittsburgh Steelers (5-1)
If there was any question on the test the Giants have, it starts here. These two teams play this weekend, and I put the Steelers here because their single loss came to a quality team (Eagles). Yet the Steelers have had a pretty soft schedule too. I might counter that by saying that the wins against Cincinnati, Cleveland and Baltimore were divisional wins and always tougher than you think. But injuries have me concerned about how this will really play out. It just seems that the best team may not necessarily be the BEST team, just the healthiest at the right time. If Pittsburgh can weather through this game vs. the Giants…it really doesn’t get much easier.
#1 Tennessee Titans (5-0)
I said it last week, I say it again, this is only by default. I know this is a quality team but they are the only undefeated team in the NFL, so I place them here. I might give them 4 more guaranteed wins with the schedule they have, but now they have to earn the other wins. Jacksonville was the best team the Titans had thus far, and that was AT home, winning only by 7. Wins over the Bengals, Texans and Chiefs don’t give you playoff points, but it’s not Tennessee’s fault. Their schedule is still soft, but there are some games that will allow us to see how tough these guys REALLY are. They are almost a shoe-in for the playoffs simply because the schedule isn’t that tough. And an 8-8 record might get them in, a 9-7 COULD get them a bye. We’ll see.
Anyway, that’s it for now, check out my blogs on blogspot since I tend to blog more there than my others. Later!
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