It’s Friday morning and Jon Dove from NFLMocks.com, Michael Felder from InTheBleachers.net and Jason Madson are back for another pod cast. This week we discuss wearing another man’s jersey, I do it all the time! The beer draft is explained by Jon Dove. We also discuss which coaches, or assistant coaches, would make good head coaching candidates. In the Week 9 Conference Talk we hit on topics like the Mizzou @ Nebraska showdown, who is a better Heisman candidate: Terrelle Pryor or John Clay, East Carolina @ UCF discussion, we talk about the QB play in the Stanford @ Washington game, talk about some BCS hypotheticals, make our weekly picks and finish off the show with the “World Famous” Prospect Quick Fire, Blaine Gabbert is among the prospects we discuss. Enjoy!
Last week in the Big 12 was a good one if you were a road team. Every home team lost, with the exception being the Oklahoma Sooners hosting the Iowa State Cyclones. This week could be more of the same as the road teams are favored in almost every game, with the exception being the Cyclones again. We should get a lot of answers this weekend as 2 games will go a long way to telling us who the contenders and pretenders are going to be in this league.
Top Performances: Week 7
The Mizzou defense put on its most impressive showing this past weekend at Kyle Field. The Tigers sacked Texas A&M QB Jerrod Johnson 7 times in the dominating performance. The final TD that the Aggies scored was a junk TD when Mizzou was basically in a prevent. I’m extremely impressed with how well the Tigers are playing on the defensive side of the ball, but the Sooners come to town on Saturday night for a big time matchup on national TV.
Kansas State QB Carson Coffman has heard how bad he was all season, all it took was a matchup against the lowly Kansas Jayhawks to cure him. He completed 94% of his passes threw for 2 scores and rushed for 3 more. It’s hard to complete 94% against air, let alone when somebody is covering your WR.
We will give a co-top performers award to a duo from Okie St. Justin Blackmon continues to have a great year, with 10 receptions for 207 yars and a score. Running back Kendall Hunter rushed for 130 and added a score of his own. I can’t wait to see these 2 face the tough Nebraska defense on Saturday.
Lastly, lets give props to the Oklahoma Sooners on both sides of the ball. Yes it was the Iow St Cyclones, but they dominated this game. Landry Jones is hitting his stride, Ryan Broyles seems to be uncoverable and DeMarco Murray just broke the Sooners all-time TD record. The defense shut out the Cyclones, holding them to 10 first downs and 183 total yards.
This Week in the Big 12
The National Spotlight will be on Columbia, MO this weekend as ESPN has decided to hold College GameDay on the campus of Mizzou. This game means a lot to the National Championship hopes of both teams, so expect it to be close. I hope to see this on Saturday though!
Nebraska heads to Stillwater to face the undefeated Oklahoma State Cowboys. This game will come down to the Huskers being able to stop the Cowboys run game. If they slow down Kendall Hunter and Co. I like the Cornhuskers to roll to an easy victory.
Both of the games I just mentioned will be on national tv and its well deserved for this conference to get some good pub. The Big 12 plays a great brand of football, for the most part, and some of the players in this league deserve to be household names. I expect to see two very tough, hard fought battles in the national spotlight.
Ranking the Big 12
1. Oklahoma Sooners (6-0) The number one BCS team has to be atop the conference. Plus they are damn good.
2. Missouri Tigers (6-0) Imagine that, Mizzou is being led by their defense. I think hell just froze over.
3. Oklahoma State Cowboys (6-0) The Cowboys are a threat to score every time they touch it, the defense showed up last week too.
4. Texas Longhorns (4-2) The Longhorns showed us what they were capable of on Saturday. They dominated the Cornhuskers on both lines.
5. Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-1) Nebraska does have a weakness, and if they can’t run against you it will show up. Not a good passing team at all.
6. Kansas State Wildcats (5-1) K-State put it on the Jayhawks last Thursday. It’s a shame they can’t play KU every week.
7. Baylor Bears (5-2) Baylor hosts the Wildcats this week in a game they should win at home. I love watching RG3 do his thing.
8. Texas Tech Red Raiders (3-3) They were out matched in what I thought would be a high scoring battle with Oki St. Tuberville needs some time.
9. Texas A&M Aggies (3-3) This team is not good at all. Jerrod Johnson is 1/4 the player he was last year. Atleast Jeff Fuller and Von Miller are fun to watch.
10. Colorado Buffaloes (3-3) Rodney Stewart tried to put the Buffs on his back last week, but the Bears were a little too much.
11. Iowa State Cyclones (3-4) They went to OU last week and travel to Texas this week, who did the Cyclones piss off?
12. Kansas Jayhawks (2-4) This is a YOUNG, INEXPERIENCED team that will be better next year. They are horrible this season.
Week 8 Picks
Iowa State @ Texas
This game won’t be close. Garrett Gilbert had a good game last week, finally deciding to use his feet to make plays. The Cyclones are probably on the verge of laying down after 2 straight blowout defeats. Look for the Texas passing game to have a big day ar home. I’ll take the Longhorns 44-10.
Kansas State @ Baylor
This is a game that I’m very interested in watching. The Wildcats like to pound the rock to set up the play action game. Baylor uses RG3 every possible way they can. I’m a fan of both styles, but I think the Baylor offense will be a little to explosive for the K-State defense. Remember what Taylor Martinez did against them? Baylor wins 30-22
Texas Tech @ Colorado
Texas Tech needs to open it up for Taylor Potts and the offense, because until Tuberville gets his guys in their that’s who they are. The Buffaloes should rely on the legs of Rodney Stewart to keep this game close. I like the Red Raiders in this game 27-17.
Nebraska @ Oklahoma State
This game will be a battle of Okie State’s offense versus Nebraska’s dominant defense. If the Cowboys are going to win, they need to feed Kendall Hunter the rock, a lot. I don’t think the Huskers can outscore the Cowboys, so the blackshirts have to make some plays. Tune into the podcast on Friday morning for the PGWU Pick ‘Em segment for our picks on this game.
Texas A&M @ Kansas
The Aggies remind me of the 2009 Jayhawks. Tons of talent returning, very high expectations and if blows up in their face. TAMU will only go as far as Jerrod Johnson will take them. Kansas is at home, that’s about all they have going for them. I like the Aggies to right the ship 37-13
Oklahoma @ Missouri
The Game of the week! I’m extremely excited to watch this game. It’s homecoming at Mizzou, Gary Pinkel has finally built a good defense to go along with his spread offense and College Gameday will be in the house! With all that being said, Oklahoma comes to town as the number one team in the BCS, they are hitting on all cylinders and have had the Tigers number for as long as Stoops has been in Norman. This game will come down to a big defensive stop or a special teams play. I see an extremely close game on Saturday night. Tune into the podcast on Friday morning for the PGWU Pick ‘Em segment for our picks on this game.
Written by Jason Madson. Follow him on Twitter @isbnJMAD.
It’s week 7 in college football and its Friday, that means another pod cast from The Pregame Warm-Up. This week we discuss Boise St playing in the SEC, Exploiting Iowa’s Defense, Can Michigan State finish the year undefeated? Why is TCU’s Defense so dominant? Will South Carolina suffer the hangover against Kentucky and many other big games in the PGWU Conference Breakdown. We make our picks in the Pick ‘Em segment and discuss a handful of NFL Draft prospects in the PGWU Prospect Quick Fire. Enjoy.
This week we spend a lot of time talking about big games and news in each conference, especially the ACC and SEC. We also make our picks in the Pregame Warm-Up Pick ‘Em segment and break down a handful of potential pro prospects for the NFL Draft in the “World Famous” Prospect Quick Fire. Enjoy!
Last weeks Big 12 schedule was centered around one game, The Red River Shootout. After the Sooners dominated most of the game, Texas made a come back and it would’ve gotten interesting if not for a muffed punt by Texas with about a minute to go. There were some surprises last week as well. Baylor beating Kansas wasn’t a surprise, but a final score of 55-7 was. Iowa State jumped out to a big lead against Texas Tech, only to watch the Red Raiders come back and tie it up. The Cyclones went on to put up 52 points and held TTU to 38.
Week 5 Highlights
Jerrod Johnson filled up the stat sheet last week, both positively and negatively. He threw for 409 yards and 5 TD, but also threw 4 interceptions and lost a fumble that was returned for a TD. I’m still waiting on the 2009 version of Jerrod Johnson to show up in 2010.
The Baylor Bears had about as perfect of a game as any team could hope for. Bears QB Robert Griffin is so talented, it’s laughable. He completed 72 percent of his passes, threw for 380 yards and 3 scores. He also had 64 yards on the ground and another score.
The Colorado Buffaloes pulled off what many considered to be any upset, beating the Georgia Bulldogs 29-27. AJ Green made his return for the Dawgs in this game, but the running of Buffs RB Rodney Stewart was the biggest story. This pint sized back rushed for 149 yards, averaging 7.8 per carry.
What to Watch for in Week 6
Nebraska heads to The Little Apple for what could be the last time. The fans in purple will be rockin and ESPN will be in the house as well. I like the Wildcats to keep this game close because of A) Daniel Thomas running thru the weak Husker run defense B)play action passes to some talented receivers, especially Chris Harper and C) Bill Snyder coaching in his house. This will be a very tight game, IF the Wildcats can keep Taylor Martinez under control.
Look for the Colorado Buffaloes to try to run the ball down Mizzou’s throat, a la San Diego State. The Buffs have the right ingredients to make this a game with a big talented offensive line and a very quick running back in Rodney Stewart. If Mizzou gets out to a quick lead, this game won’t be close.
Baylor and Texas Tech meet in the Cotton Bowl on Saturday. This game will be full of explosive scoring. but very little defense. I could see over 80 combined points in this game. If nothing else, catch a few plays while Baylor has the ball, because Griffin is well worth it.
Ranking the Big 12
1. Oklahoma Sooners
2. Nebraska Cornhuskers
3. Missouri Tigers
4. Kansas State Wildcats
5. Texas Longhorns
6. Oklahoma State Cowboys
7. Texas A&M Aggies
8. Baylor Bears
9. Iowa State Cyclones
10. Texas Tech Red Raiders
11. Colorado Buffaloes
12. Kansas Jayhawks
Week 6 Predictions
Nebraska @ Kansas State I like K-State in a tight one, 23-20
Oklahoma State @ LA Lafayette I like Okie St in a route 51-17
Baylor @ Texas Tech from Dallas I’ll take the Bears in a shootout, 44-40
Colorado @ Missouri Mizzou wins big, 38-14
Arkansas @ Texas A&M from Jerry’s Palace in Dallas Arkansas wins 33-24
Utah @ Iowa State Upset Alert!!! I’ll take the Cyclones, 20-14
This week we discuss the legal troubles at Florida, talk about the big stories in each conference in The Breakdown, make our selections in the PGWU Pick’Em segment and finish the show off with the World Famous Prospect Quick Fire. Enjoy!
As most of you were watching college football on Saturday, I was enjoying my bachelor party. I didn’t get to watch much college football, so I spent yesterday and this morning watching the games I recorded. Here is my version of how the past weekend in college football played out.
Nebraska crushed the Huskies and embarrassed Jake Locker, 56-21. 20% completion percentage is a joke. If I were playing the Huskers, my gameplan would be to run the football, a lot. This is the first time I have seen Jared Crick this year and I think he is good, but not the great player everyone is making him out to be. Taylor Martinez is extremely fast around the corner, I would put one of my safties as a spy on him every play, prove you can beat me with your arm. Nebraska has a Dallas Clark clone in WR/TE Mike McNeill, he is a threat all over the field.
Houston’s chances of being a BCS buster were crushed by UCLA this week, 31-13 Bruins win. Case Keenum played in this game, after having concussion symptons during the week, and might be out for quite a while longer now. He was injured trying to make a tackle on an INT return by UCLA LB Akeem Ayers. He injured his right leg, but that is all we know at this point. Keep your eye on freshman QB Terrance Broadway, who stepped in after Keenum’s backup was hurt as well. He is going to be a good one. UCLA shored up their rush defense for this week atleast, holding Houston to a little over 100 yards this week. Bruin RB Johnathan Franklin had a huge game with 158 yards and 3 scores.
Ohio State did what they were supposed to do against Ohio, 43-7 was the final. Terrelle Pryor had a good game, but 2 INT worries me a little. The combo of Daniel Herron and Brandon Saine provide a good punch for the Buckeyes. Add in the rushing ability of Pryor and they have the makings of a very good running game. I love the Buckeye defense, they are solid from front to back.
Wisconsin struggled withe the Arizona State Sun Devils on Saturday, but get the win 20-19. Jay Valai is a hero this week after blocking the game tying extra point. This raises some questions about the legitimacy of Wisconsin being ranked this high. The Sun Devils are a team they should lined up and out muscled on every play, especially at home. Scott Tolzien was his usual accurate self for the Badgers, connecting on 76% of his passes.
Oregon State holds on to beat the Louisville Cardinals, 35-28. The Beavers have an offense that is loaded with play makers, but a horrible defense. Quizz Rodgers had a great game on the ground, gaining 132 yards and 2 scores. He also caught a pass for a score. The Beavers were saved by a late INT by Sr. CB James Dockery.
Arizona proved the doubters wrong this week, beating Iowa 34-27. Nick Foles threw for 303 yards and distributed the ball to 11 different targets last week. They made Iowa’s defense look silly in the first half. Big play’s helped the Wildcats out as well, an INT return for a TD by Trevin Wade and a KR for a TD by Travis Cobb and a blocked punt helped Arizona out tremendously. I am very impressed with Iowa QB Ricky Stanzi though, he looks like a better decision maker this season. Iowa RB Adam Robinson was a non-factor the whole game.
Missouri gets an ugly win, beating San Diego State late 27-24. This game was one to forget for Mizzou fans, and Blaine Gabbert for that matter. The Tigers did get the win, but Gabbert threw 2 costly INT’s in the games final quarter. He did connect with WR TJ Moe on a game winning 68 yard TD with 51 seconds left in the game. Aztecs RB Ronnie Hillman had a very memorable game. He rushed for 228 yards and 2 scores, one a 75 yard run, the other for 93. The Tigers had a big time injury in this game when star DE Aldon Smith suffered a broken fibula, he hopes to be back for the Big 12 conference opener against Colorado.
Oklahoma barely slipped by Air Force, 27-24. The Falcons gashed the Sooners with their running game, gaining 357 yards on the ground. They averaged close to 6 yards per rush. Landry Jones was solid in this game, throwing for 254 yards and a TD. The Sooners leaned on RB DeMarco Murray, and he didn’t let them down. Murray had 148 total yards and 3 scores. Sooners WR Ryan Broyles had a solid receiving game as well.
How many of you thought that the Kansas Jayhawks were going to beat the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets last week? Not me. What about the Oklahoma Sooners rolling the Florida State Seminoles? I actually did see this one happening(listen to the podcast people). My point is that crazy things happen every week in this great conference. There are quite a few big games this week and the conference kicks off with 2 pretty good games in their own right.
Kansas travels to Hattiesburg, MS to square off with the Golden Eagles from Southern Miss. This is a national tv game on Friday night. How will the Jayhawks handle their emotion in this game after the huge upset victory over Georgia Tech? I like the Kansas redshirt freshman qb Jordan Webb a lot, he reminds me of a young Todd Reesing. Georgia Tech only threw a handful of passes last week, look for Southern Miss to be a bit more balanced. How will the Jayhawks defend big play WR DeAndre Brown? My pick is SoMiss 24 KU 21
Baylor travels to TCU this weekend in what should be an easy victory for the Horned Frogs. TCU just too much firepower on both sides of the ball for this one to be close. I absolutely love the Bears QB Robert Griffin though, he is a special player. I’m curious as to how good the Bears would be if he made the switch to WR and Nick Florence got the go at QB? Just a thought. Baylor also runs the 3-4 Defense and have a stout NT to anchor it in Phil Taylor, he could be popular come NFL Draft time. My pick is TCU 34 Baylor 16
Oklahoma hosts the Air Force Falcons this week in what should be a tune up game for the Sooners. Landry Jones had one hell of a game last Saturday. My pick of Landry Jones as a Heisman darkhorse isn’t looking so bad afterall. The Sooner Defense gets a ton of credit after that beating they put on Christian Ponder and the Seminoles offense too. I’m feeling better about picking Boomer Sooner to go undefeated and play in the National Championship game. This game is over by halftime. My pick is OU 52 Air Force 13
Oklahoma State hosts Tulsa in what should be an extremely high scoring and entertaining game if nothing else. Brandon Weeden has done a very admirable job stepping in for Zac Robinson. I like how he handles the Okie St offense. Kendall Hunter has already rushed for almost twice as many yards as he did last year. Justin Blackmon has become Weeden’s top target so far this year and Josh Cooper is a legit #2 WR. The word defense won’t be used much in this game as I expect a very high scoring battle. My pick is Okie St 45 Tulsa 41
Texas travels to Lubbock to battle Texas Tech. Red Raiders HC Tommy Tuberville gets the opportunity to battle his former defensive coordinator Will Muschamp. I’d love to see the Red Raiders come out with an attacking D and put some pressure on the young Longhorn QB Gilbert. I’m not as high on Gilbert as most, he isn’t elite. Foswhitt Whittaker will get the start at running back for the Longhorns this week. Tech should lean on running back Baron Batch as much as possible. Texas has an elite group of defensive backs, led by Curtis Brown. My pick will be announced on the podcast, so check it out Friday morning.
Texas A&M hosts FIU this week in what could be a lot closer game than most people think. The Aggies have a tru star at QB in Jerrod Johnson. He is about as good as they come. He should be able to pick apart the FIU 3-4 defense, if his OLine gives him time. The Aggies are loaded at WR this season, so expect them to spread it out all year. Running back Christine Michael has had a good start to the year, but he needs more consistancy in his game. Keep an eye on true freshman left offensive tackle Luke Joeckel this season, he is going to be a very good player. FIU has a star DL named Tourek Williams, he could cause the Aggie OL some trouble with his quickness. My pick is TAMU 31 FIU 17
Colorado welcomes Hawai’i this week. The Buffs were crushed last week by the Cal Bears 52-7, but htat is what happens when you lose the turnover battle 5-0. This team has 3 good offensive weapons in Rodney Stewart, Scotty McNight and Toney Clemons. The Warriors have a talented group of offensive weapons led by QB Bryant Moniz. He is a dual threat qb, but when he throws it goes to WR’s Kealoha Pilares, Royse Pollard and Greg Salas a lot. I don’t like the Buffs chances here. My pick is Hawai’i 37 Colorado 24
Iowa State meets Kansas State at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. This game has been dubbed “Farmageddon” by some across the midwest due to the agriculture schools at both Universities. This game is going to be heavy on the ground. Both teams have issues at the QB postion, but htey both feature a good running back. Daniel Thomas is going to have a huge game this week, as he does every week I guess. The Cyclones will lean on Alexander Robinson to get some chunks on the ground. This has potential to be a close low scoring game. My pick is KState 24 Iowa State 16
Missouri hosts San Diego State on Saturday night. This should be another Big 12 warmup for the Tigers, but the Mizzou defense could be in for a test. SDSU has some very good weapons in QB Ryan Lindley, running back Ronnie Hillman, WR Vincent Brown and big play threat DeMarco Sampson. Look for MU QB Blaine Gabbert to get the ball to TJ Moe and Michael Egnew a lot. Henry Josey should see more carries this week as well. The Tigers have far superior athlets than do the Aztecs, so I could see them hanging around through the first half, but this won’t be a game when it’s final. My pick is Mizzou 48 SDSU 17
Nebraska travels to Seattle to face the Washington Huskies. I’m very excited to see this game for manyreasons. How will Jake Locker do against the Cornhusker defense and vice-versa. After last weeks turnover /fumble fest for the Huskers, how will they bounce back versus stiffer competition? If needed can NU QB Taylor Martinez throw the ball if the run isn’t there? These are all questions that will be answered this weekend as I believe this game is going to be very close. My pick will be announced on the podcast, so check it out Friday morning.
