USC vs. Ohio State
Speedblog
Sounds like a Rose Bowl to me.
In about half an hour, college football starts on the second week, and I wanted to blog this out as fast as I can, or as fast as I can type. I heard and read all the hype about this major game, and the implications it has on the BCS. And I grant you, many teams in the top 10 and top 15 are eyeballing this game, because the loser of this game will slip down, and possibly out the BCS Championship picture.
Ohio State has a huge burden to bear, not just for the coach or the team, but the conference as well. Many people have criticized the Big 10 as not being as tough as the SEC or Big 12, and how many times these schools fold up like a lawn chair in the post season…Ohio State being case number one.
Losing at USC 35-3 was embarrassing as the Buckeyes hauled their behinds back home, licking their wounds, and would lose to conference foe Penn State and to Texas at the end of the year. Losing Chris Wells hurts them too, meaning that Terrelle Pryor (not to be confused with Richard) will be bearing a lot of the weight.
We saw how Ohio State survived Navy…this leaves MUCH to be desired. But to play at home, with a more experience quarterback could be what the doctor ordered. There is no question to Pryor’s talents, but he does not throw the ball very much. It reminds me a lot of Georgia Tech’s game with Clemson…but we saw how disastrous that could be.
This is a MAJOR game for Ohio State on every level. The conference needs to have something to brag about, the team needs to have this win and the players need some “get back” against the Trojans who spanked them like they stole something.
For USC, this is not so easy a task, regardless of how they did last year. Some question the strength of the Pac-10, especially after Oregon lost to Boise State recently. We know the Trojans lost only one game last year, that being to Oregon State in an away game, which is one of the weaknesses of USC…playing away against good teams. Not counting Stanford and UCLA since they are in the same state, USC went to Virginia, Washington State and Arizona last year. Washington State was 2-11, Virginia finished 5-7 and Arizona was the only team with a winning record…but USC escaped that one 17-10.
There could be a problem here with USC playing away against strong foes, and add to that a brand new quarterback, and this could really get interesting. Sure USC mopped up San Jose State, but they were SUPPOSED to. Now we’ll get to see how a top ranked team plays on the road where they have had problems, against a real quality team in Ohio State, in that HUGE stadium that holds more people than the city I live in TIMES three, with a freshman quarterback at the helm…
Good luck USC, you’re gonna need it.
But how much luck will they need against a Buckeye team that had trouble with Navy? I admit that the style Navy showed is not what USC will bring, so I think Ohio State can adjust easily, but the question will be whether Pryor can get the job done without “Beanie’ Wells being there. I am not confident that Pryor can lead his team if it comes to passing, and I think USC has a strong enough defense to force him to have to throw more than they need him to.
This might be closer than some think, but you have to decide which is greater, a team with a freshman quarterback playing away against a top 10 foe, or a team that was blasted last year by this same opponent, and struggled against Navy in a conference some are starting to question. I think I will take experience in QB, but I am not confident in his passing.
IF USC can’t force Pryor to throw more, I can see Ohio State winning by less than 7 points. IF he is forced to throw a lot, I can see turnovers galore…but the same could be said for USC. I think if both teams play at even par…USC still wins.
But not by much.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Syracuse vs Penn State
Syracuse vs. Penn State
Speedblog
Today Penn State has a chance to take a closer shot at the National Title, being ranked #7 and at home today against the mighty Syracuse Orangemen….
Ok, so they’re not so mighty…but can they give Penn State a run?
Only Iowa and USC beat the Nittany Lions last year as Penn State gave their fans every reason to laugh in the face of those critics that kept saying that Joe Paterno ought to retire. I for one was one of those guys that just got sick of so called “analysts” who felt that Joe Paterno ought to just give it up. Isn’t that age discrimination?
I am happy for Joe Pa, so I am pulling for them, but I also saw Syracuse last week and was impressed with Paulus the former Duke basketball player. I gotta say, he is pretty good. Their team lost last week to Minnesota, and went 3-9 last year, so the expectations are not that good.
Is there any chance for Syracuse to pull an upset? Well, as the universe turns, yeah. But if you asked me if it was likely, I can’t see it. The goal for Penn State is far, far higher than what Syracuse can expect, and let’s face it, Minnesota wasn’t one of the greatest teams last year, with a 7-6 record. In fact, Minnesota lost their last 6 games last year, when it mattered.
But this is about Syracuse and Penn State. Syracuse beat Northeastern, Louisville and Notre Dame last year. Granted that ND win was a good one, this has been the extent of the Orangemen. I do expect maybe a couple of more wins if Paulus plays well as he seems to play, but I just cannot see any victory over Penn State.
This will be a REAL test for the Syracuse quarterback, playing in an opponent’s field against a top 10 contender…it won’t be pretty for him or Syracuse, but I am very sure that Paulus has the poise. Playing with Duke and Coach K would have prepared him for that, and when I saw him play, he looked like a veteran, almost “Manning-like”.
I’m pulling for him to do well, but I am pulling for Penn State to win…won’t need to put that much effort into that. I see Penn State winning by a couple of touchdowns.
Speedblog
Today Penn State has a chance to take a closer shot at the National Title, being ranked #7 and at home today against the mighty Syracuse Orangemen….
Ok, so they’re not so mighty…but can they give Penn State a run?
Only Iowa and USC beat the Nittany Lions last year as Penn State gave their fans every reason to laugh in the face of those critics that kept saying that Joe Paterno ought to retire. I for one was one of those guys that just got sick of so called “analysts” who felt that Joe Paterno ought to just give it up. Isn’t that age discrimination?
I am happy for Joe Pa, so I am pulling for them, but I also saw Syracuse last week and was impressed with Paulus the former Duke basketball player. I gotta say, he is pretty good. Their team lost last week to Minnesota, and went 3-9 last year, so the expectations are not that good.
Is there any chance for Syracuse to pull an upset? Well, as the universe turns, yeah. But if you asked me if it was likely, I can’t see it. The goal for Penn State is far, far higher than what Syracuse can expect, and let’s face it, Minnesota wasn’t one of the greatest teams last year, with a 7-6 record. In fact, Minnesota lost their last 6 games last year, when it mattered.
But this is about Syracuse and Penn State. Syracuse beat Northeastern, Louisville and Notre Dame last year. Granted that ND win was a good one, this has been the extent of the Orangemen. I do expect maybe a couple of more wins if Paulus plays well as he seems to play, but I just cannot see any victory over Penn State.
This will be a REAL test for the Syracuse quarterback, playing in an opponent’s field against a top 10 contender…it won’t be pretty for him or Syracuse, but I am very sure that Paulus has the poise. Playing with Duke and Coach K would have prepared him for that, and when I saw him play, he looked like a veteran, almost “Manning-like”.
I’m pulling for him to do well, but I am pulling for Penn State to win…won’t need to put that much effort into that. I see Penn State winning by a couple of touchdowns.
Colorado Football...too many Hawkins?
Colorado Football…too many Hawkins?
I used to be a Colorado Football fan years ago, back when they had Cordell Stewart and had some stuff going on, but last night watching Colorado get spanked by Toledo 54-38 had me thinking on something that bothered me a few years ago when they hired coach Dan Hawkins.
This was a brilliant coach when he was with Boise State, and the reason why they enjoy the success they had today. It was clearly based on his work and how he put them on the map…but folks, I gotta tell you, something just doesn’t smell so right about how he got the job in Colorado.
He was quoted as saying he would never leave Boise State…but then took a big money contract to go to Colorado in late 2005. Some will remember that he didn’t quite get off on the right foot when we opened his mouth and criticized a parent on the playing time of her son. He was quoted as saying, “It’s Division I football! It’s the Big 12! It ain’t intramurals!”
I’m going to bring that quote right back at him in a moment.
I am not going to argue Dan Hawkins’ ability to coach, he has proven himself, but what I AM going to argue is that maybe with him taking this job, he had a second motive…to promote his son over everybody else.
Cody Hawkins, the quarterback of Colorado, is of course, Dan Hawkins’ son. The performance the entire team had last night against Toledo was terrible. Toledo was 3-9 last year folks…how can a Big 12 team lose to a 3-9 MAC team?
One of the reasons was the quarterback. Cody Hawkins threw 64 passes, only completing 30 of them…that is NOT good. He threw for an average of 5.6 years per completion…that is NOT good. He threw three interceptions…that is NEVER good.
And yet, Coach Hawkins left his son in the game almost until the end of the game, knowing there was no way they could win. In fact, he almost paid for that when his son got hit with a helmet-to helmet shot that he may still be having headaches over today.
Why would a coach leave his starter in on a loss cause? Isn’t this the time to get the second string in and get some reps. Not if the quarterback is your son.
Colorado is now 0-2, and hasn’t even touched their Big 12 schedule yet. They have to play Wyoming and West Virginia before seeing Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma State and Nebraska. And with Colorado finishing 5-7 last year, this is not looking good.
Cody Hawkins is a junior, and is the starter. He has been on the time since 2007, one year after Dan Hawkins got the job…and has been the feature piece of the Buffaloes since…anybody see any connection there?
In 2007 they were 6-7...that was the year their former starter, Bernard Jackson, was “moved” to other positions to make room for Cody Hawkins…the coach’s son….
Hmmm.
In 2006, which was Dan Hawkins’ first year as coach at Colorado, they were 2-10. And get this…the year BEFORE Hawkins got there…they were 7-6. Uncanny.
All this leaves me to wonder what the real agenda of Dan Hawkins might have been. I have no problem putting family first, but when it seems to show such favortism, then the objective seems to be less than honorable.
Is it just me, or was this move by Dan Hawkins designed just so he could coach his son in a strong conference as a starting quarterback? Again, big props to a father who is willing to do everything he can to help his son…but I can just as easily take away those props when his objective is higher than the university that hired him to WIN. It seems to be a disrespect to all those players on the field if the coach’s son is getting all the attention, and the only real push out of the team. It seems disrespectful to the alumni and fans that this man seems to be putting everybody off to the side just so he can coach his son in a strong Division I school.
It just gives the appearance that he took the job so he can coach his son up to hopefully play in the NFL, forsaking everybody else.
The records seem to prove this. Since Hawkins has been there, his record is currently 13-26. Since his son has been their quarterback, they have been 11-16. You tell me how hard it would be to recruit a good quarterback when you KNOW that you would be competing against the coach’s son….
And to me it I think Colorado probably already knows this, and it would be bad press if the Buffs fired a head coach with his son still on the team…that’s not “family oriented”. If there is any truth to that, then they might have cursed themselves to at least one more season, since Cody Hawkins is a junior.
Folks, I can see this kinda favortism happening in high school, it happens all the time. Good players on high school football teams getting moved aside for some rich parent’s son who don’t know the difference between a football and a slice of pizza, but this should not happen in Division I football…and certainly not in a BCS conference like the Big 12.
I can partly admire a father trying to help his son, but I just don’t agree that this is the stage to do it, not with a major college football program as a platform. I just don’t agree with Dan Hawkins playing his son as the starting quarterback, and we have seen the results of this effort. It leads one to believe that he is willing to sacrifice team and school just to make his son look good…and the stats don’t really help him. And as long as he continues to do that, the Colorado Buffaloes will never find the winning days they had the year before they hired him.
Coach Dan Hawkins said it himself…”It’s Division I football! It’s the Big 12! It ain’t the intramurals!” I agree.
So start treating it like Division I football, start treating it like the Big 12 and give Colorado the respect they PAID you to do.
I used to be a Colorado Football fan years ago, back when they had Cordell Stewart and had some stuff going on, but last night watching Colorado get spanked by Toledo 54-38 had me thinking on something that bothered me a few years ago when they hired coach Dan Hawkins.
This was a brilliant coach when he was with Boise State, and the reason why they enjoy the success they had today. It was clearly based on his work and how he put them on the map…but folks, I gotta tell you, something just doesn’t smell so right about how he got the job in Colorado.
He was quoted as saying he would never leave Boise State…but then took a big money contract to go to Colorado in late 2005. Some will remember that he didn’t quite get off on the right foot when we opened his mouth and criticized a parent on the playing time of her son. He was quoted as saying, “It’s Division I football! It’s the Big 12! It ain’t intramurals!”
I’m going to bring that quote right back at him in a moment.
I am not going to argue Dan Hawkins’ ability to coach, he has proven himself, but what I AM going to argue is that maybe with him taking this job, he had a second motive…to promote his son over everybody else.
Cody Hawkins, the quarterback of Colorado, is of course, Dan Hawkins’ son. The performance the entire team had last night against Toledo was terrible. Toledo was 3-9 last year folks…how can a Big 12 team lose to a 3-9 MAC team?
One of the reasons was the quarterback. Cody Hawkins threw 64 passes, only completing 30 of them…that is NOT good. He threw for an average of 5.6 years per completion…that is NOT good. He threw three interceptions…that is NEVER good.
And yet, Coach Hawkins left his son in the game almost until the end of the game, knowing there was no way they could win. In fact, he almost paid for that when his son got hit with a helmet-to helmet shot that he may still be having headaches over today.
Why would a coach leave his starter in on a loss cause? Isn’t this the time to get the second string in and get some reps. Not if the quarterback is your son.
Colorado is now 0-2, and hasn’t even touched their Big 12 schedule yet. They have to play Wyoming and West Virginia before seeing Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma State and Nebraska. And with Colorado finishing 5-7 last year, this is not looking good.
Cody Hawkins is a junior, and is the starter. He has been on the time since 2007, one year after Dan Hawkins got the job…and has been the feature piece of the Buffaloes since…anybody see any connection there?
In 2007 they were 6-7...that was the year their former starter, Bernard Jackson, was “moved” to other positions to make room for Cody Hawkins…the coach’s son….
Hmmm.
In 2006, which was Dan Hawkins’ first year as coach at Colorado, they were 2-10. And get this…the year BEFORE Hawkins got there…they were 7-6. Uncanny.
All this leaves me to wonder what the real agenda of Dan Hawkins might have been. I have no problem putting family first, but when it seems to show such favortism, then the objective seems to be less than honorable.
Is it just me, or was this move by Dan Hawkins designed just so he could coach his son in a strong conference as a starting quarterback? Again, big props to a father who is willing to do everything he can to help his son…but I can just as easily take away those props when his objective is higher than the university that hired him to WIN. It seems to be a disrespect to all those players on the field if the coach’s son is getting all the attention, and the only real push out of the team. It seems disrespectful to the alumni and fans that this man seems to be putting everybody off to the side just so he can coach his son in a strong Division I school.
It just gives the appearance that he took the job so he can coach his son up to hopefully play in the NFL, forsaking everybody else.
The records seem to prove this. Since Hawkins has been there, his record is currently 13-26. Since his son has been their quarterback, they have been 11-16. You tell me how hard it would be to recruit a good quarterback when you KNOW that you would be competing against the coach’s son….
And to me it I think Colorado probably already knows this, and it would be bad press if the Buffs fired a head coach with his son still on the team…that’s not “family oriented”. If there is any truth to that, then they might have cursed themselves to at least one more season, since Cody Hawkins is a junior.
Folks, I can see this kinda favortism happening in high school, it happens all the time. Good players on high school football teams getting moved aside for some rich parent’s son who don’t know the difference between a football and a slice of pizza, but this should not happen in Division I football…and certainly not in a BCS conference like the Big 12.
I can partly admire a father trying to help his son, but I just don’t agree that this is the stage to do it, not with a major college football program as a platform. I just don’t agree with Dan Hawkins playing his son as the starting quarterback, and we have seen the results of this effort. It leads one to believe that he is willing to sacrifice team and school just to make his son look good…and the stats don’t really help him. And as long as he continues to do that, the Colorado Buffaloes will never find the winning days they had the year before they hired him.
Coach Dan Hawkins said it himself…”It’s Division I football! It’s the Big 12! It ain’t the intramurals!” I agree.
So start treating it like Division I football, start treating it like the Big 12 and give Colorado the respect they PAID you to do.
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