Reader Questions Blog Part 2

Reader Questions Blog Part 2

This week's question comes from James Matthews in Florida.

" I see you stuck to ranking only the Top 10. If you were rating 25 teams, where would the Gators fit in? And will the Miami Hurricanes ever get back? especially with all the violations around that program. I say no."

Thank you, James, for your questions.

  Hmmm. Ranking Florida isn't as easy as it has been in recent years. I would put them at #17. They have had a couple down years, and I must say, very down years for a program like Florida.

  The Gators have a couple of talented QBs going into the fall but still with question marks. The defense has its question marks as well. A secondary that will be tested every game in the SEC. But as I have looked at what would be positive for them, it has to be the front seven on defense. The line-backers are experienced and have proven themselves. This will be key to stopping the run, especially when playing Georgia and South Carolina.  Real talk, the Gators' greatest questions and concerns in which keeps them from cracking the top 15 in my mind......it's the offense. New offensive coordinator this year, offensive line struggles the past couple of seasons, and we still don't know who will be the QB week one.

  The record at the end of the season may not show it, but they will be a better team than last season. I look at the schedule and I count five wins, no problem (or at least shouldn't be a problem). A couple of games could go either way, and then you have games against South Carolina, Georgia, and LSU that the Gators don't really match up well with. And then there is that little game in Tallahassee that they don't match up too well with either. Don't get your hopes too high on the Florida Gators this year. I think 2013 season is when the expectations can be raised, but for now, another mediocre season is about all Gators have to look forward to this season.

  Now for Miami fans.  Interesting situation down there. I will make one comparison that could spark some hope for the Canes. Remember when USC got hit with the bowl bans, and conference championship bans? I thought USC, for sure, wouldn't matter in college football years after they had their post season bans lifted. Sure enough, USC is back in the National Title talks in the first year they are off the post season ban. Credit that to coaching and recruiting.

  If Al Golden can keep his guys focused and recruit well, they will be back. The question right now? How long will they be banned from post season activity? And right now, nobody knows the answer to that question. The other scary part about the Canes.....A team with nothing to lose is pretty dangerous and can play spoiler to other teams with big seasons on the line.

Thanks again for the questions. Send to jeremy.cf2d@yahoo.com

   Check back soon as I breakdown the #4 team in my Preseason Top 10 countdown. Oklahoma.



Preseason Top 10 Countdown

Preseason Top 10 Countdown

  Finally, we have reached the Top 5. Landing at 5 are the Oregon Ducks.

Coming off a 12-2 season, the Ducks look to try to get back to the National Title game. To do that, they will have to replace some key players on offense,( Darron Thomas and LaMichael James combined for 347 carries last season) and they will have to get through USC. The rest of their schedule looks manageable.

  Chip Kelly is heading into his fourth season as head coach. The players have bought into his system and new recruits are familiar and comfortable with him. After all, Kelly was there as the offensive coordinator for the 2007 and 2008 seasons. So it wasn't as much of a transition as some programs have to go through. And that may be why he has had so much early success with a 34-6 record as head coach. It wasn't always easy. There were times when he had to make very difficult decisions. Letting rising star Masoli go due to multiple team policy violations wasn't easy. Some coaches would have given Masoli another shot if they thought it would give them a shot at a BCS Title game. Legarrette Blount is another example. Now what Blount did was far worse and deserved every bit of what he received, it still was tough for Kelly to keep having this happen when he knew in the back of his mind that these players might have been the missing piece to a title game. Woulda coulda shoulda. I remind people of these situations because this year Chip Kelly is having to replace some key players just like he has before, but under different circumstances. That might just be the key to their success this season. Replacing guys because they entered the NFL draft or graduated is far different from replacing guys for reasons that involve kicking players off the team. Not having to rush guys into positions a year or two early makes a difference.

 I watched the Oregon spring game and saw some good things. It looks as though, the Ducks may have a better passer this year in Bryan Bennett. He is looking like the favorite going into the fall as the starting QB. It also helps that he has seen live game action and has the experience. In recent years Oregon fans saw a whole bunch of QB rushing plays. Not to take anything away from Darron Thomas, but his arm wasn't the best. He made some good throws, but the Ducks needed a little more consistent passing game. And that's where I think the Ducks may catch some teams off guard this year. This season the Ducks will have a better passing attack. Bryan Bennett as the arm strength and the accuracy to be a great threat to opposing teams' secondary. He proved he can be a great passer, going for 25-46 passing and throwing 6 TDs with 0 INTs in 2011.  The lone question I have for him, is he going to be able to run the ball just enough to keep the other team off balance? He won't be the runner that Darron Thomas was, but just having the ability to make some plays with his feet will be very important for the Ducks' offense. At runningback, LaMichael James is gone. Chip Kelly has an answer for that in Kenjon Barner and DeAnthony Thomas. Both are dangerous when they touch the ball. DeAnthony Thomas played both RB and WR, and the speed option and speed sweep that Kelly likes to run with Thomas was very effective. DeAnthony Thomas had 55 carries for 595 yds and 7 TDs. Averaging 10+ yards a carry is something you can't ignore. If he doesn't beat you running the ball, watch him get out in space to catch passes. Whether it was a screen pass or a route downfield, Thomas cought 46 passes for 605 yards and 9 TD's. He is truly a dual threat player on offense. Oh, and he was a freshman last year. Kenjon Barner will be a senior this year. He has the experience to be a good leader for the Ducks on offense. In 2011 he rushed 152 times for 939 yards and 11 TDs. Not bad for a guy who was backing up LaMichael James. He also cought passes and averaged more than 10 yards a catch. As long as Bryan Bennett can get these guys the ball, which he will, the Ducks' offense will do well.

  The Defense loses some players. Again, for the right reasons. Chip Kelly will need to replace some guys on the defensive line. Brandon Hanna and Terrel Turner aren't there to anchor the defensive line anymore. The secondary will be fairly young in 2012 as well. You will see lots of sophomores and juniors playing in the secondary. Most, if not all, saw playing time last season. Up front is where the defense will need the most help, in my oppinion. I think the experience of the secondary will be a strong point for them this year. Again, if they want to get back to the National Title game, they have to be better at pass rushing and stopping the run. USC will be a challenge for the entire defense. They will pound them until they can't see straight and then catch them off guard with play-action.

WHAT TO EXPECT. Oregon will be in the Title hunt through at least November 2nd. November 3rd will be the game that could possibly make or break the season for the Ducks. USC is looking very strong and this will be their first year back from post-season ban. USC will be hungry. I don't think Oregon can get passed this game without a loss. Then, don't forget, they have to gather themselves and play these final 3 games: @California, Stanford, @Oregon State. Not an easy task having just played @ USC. November will clearly be a big month for Oregon. Chip Kelly has had great success early in his career, going to the Rose Bowl 2 times and playing for a Nation Championship once. This year will be the toughest for the Ducks to get back to either of those bowl games. Let's see if they can rise to the challenge.

 At #4 in my Preseason Top 10 Countdown, Oklahoma. They are going to win one SOONER or later.




Don't forget to send in your questions or comments. Send to jeremy.cf2d@yahoo.com And check back each week to see if your question or comment is picked to be used in my Reader Questions Segment each week. Thanks.

Reader Questions Blog part 1

Reader Questions Blog part 1

First Question comes from Tim Shay,

OK Jeremy...i see my wolverines are not in your top 10, and i can see why not with losing their three best pass rushers. My question is this: am I the only one who sees Shoelace's short to intermediate passing as a strength for the maize and blue? I don't have the numbers in front of me, but in the games i watched last year, i would guess he was near 60-65 percent completions between 7 and 15 yards from scrimmage, and coupled with his legs and the emergence of Fitz Toussiant down the stretch last year, that seems to be a big assert for Michigan this year - assuming denard can hit 1-2 stretch passes per half to keep defenses honest

Thanks for reading Tim, and thanks for your question.

  Michigan was one of the those teams I was on the fence about putting in my top 10. They had a great season and the win in the Sugar Bowl was nice. The 11-2 record should land you in the preseason top 10 right? In most cases yes, but you helped answer part of your question with the losses on defense. Another case can be made that Virginia Tech didn't deserve to be in the Sugar Bowl. But what is done is done. Michigan showed signs of being a dominant program again and at times even let their past get in the way too. Consistency is key this year. And the schedule doesn't leave room for error. Robinson is, if not the best, a running QB that can give defenses nightmares, but he has to make the throws when the defense locks down his scrambling. He thew a few too many interceptions last year to solidify his threat at being a good passer. 20 TD passes is nice but put that number with 15 INTs and you have an issue. Rushing, however, is another story for him. Averaging more than 5 yards a carry and 16 TDs definitely helps. The question for Robinson is, will he improve his passing ability during the offseason? You're right, if he can hit, maybe, 3 to 5 deep passes a game to show there is always that threat, then the Wolverines are a lock for ending the season in the top 10. The sky is the limit for the offense. The Wolverines' defense is a little bit of a different story. Yes they lose some key players but I don't think they will feel the loss as much as some think. Keep in mind the defense was still adjusting to new coaching and a new system. I think the defense will do about as well as they did last year, just with slightly less experienced players. Comfort level was an issue last year for the defense. Another spring finished and another year to take it all in and I think they will be just fine on defense. That doesn't mean they will be great on defense, but there should be less 'shoot-outs' with opposing teams this year. We will get to see just where the Wolverines are very early in the season. Playing Alabama the first game is going to be a fun game to watch. I don't feel like BAMA is going to come into this game and just dominate. But, this is where Michigan will be tested up front. Denard Robinson might be scrambling for his life against a stronger and faster defense than they are used to seeing. After that, though, Michigan has a great chance at winning the Big 10. The only reason they aren't in my top 10 has everything to do with the Bowl games. They barely beat V-Tech. and V-Tech was smoked by Clemson 2 times. West Virginia....well, you know what they did to Clemson. So, I have to say Michigan is close to being back in the mix for top 10 material.

Question from Jason in Tennessee,

i know the Vols arent going to be very good this year but is there something to looke forward to this season or it lost already? this is a pretty cool blog. hope you keep it going and thanks for taking my question.

Thank you, Jason, for reading and your question. I love this so far and hope I can continue to keep this going and grow it into something special.

  Ahhhh yes the VOLS. What does Tennessee have to look forward to this season? Don't turn your back on them yet. Tyler Bray is going to have a good season. The defense will be okay, for an SEC defense. With there being pressure on Dooley, I expect him to hold nothing back and be as aggressive as possible. If he has another bad season, UT will be looking for a new head coach. The season opener is a must win game for Dooley. He cannot afford to start 0-1. I have talked with a few Tennessee fans about how many wins does Dooley need to have in order to stay on for another season, and they all say the same thing. "They have to win 8 games and have a signature win somewhere in there too." 8 wins with this schedule means that the NC State game is a must have. Having teams like, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and Alabama on the schedule show you why 8 wins will be tough to get. Don't count out Vanderbilt either. Looking at the Schedule and here are the only games I see them being favored in: Akron, Mississippi State (maybe), Troy, Kentucky. That's four wins.... If they lose all the games outside of that, this will easily be the worst team UT has ever had in 20+ years. The positive for UT this year though, is Tyler Bray. He is a solid QB that can win some games with his arm as long as he stays healthy.
  Not much to look forward to this season for Tennessee fans, unless you are one of those fans looking forward to getting a new head coach. At best I see 6-6 and maybe a bowl win to make it a 7-6 season. In that case Dooley needs to hit the road. Sorry for the bad news, Jason. :-)

Thanks for the questions. Keep them coming. And don't forget the Preseason Top 10 countdown continues this week with #5 Oregon.

Send questions to jeremy.cf2d@yahoo.com

Preseason Top 10 Countdown

Preseason Top 10 Countdown

   Florida State comes in at #6 in my preseason top ten countdown. Another highly talented group is heading into the 2012 season with high expectations, again. Will the Seminoles finally get over the hump? Every ESPN analyst seems to think they are a lock for the ACC Championship this year.....just like last year right? In my most in depth look at a team so far, you decide for yourself if the Seminoles are really back.

THE SPRING GAME.

  I attended the 2011 spring game and the 2012 spring game and got a first hand look at what to expect from the Seminoles this year. At the 2011game there was hardly any offense. It wasn't pretty. 19-17 was the final score. 15 of those points were fieldgoals. No running game, and only a few broken plays that turned big on blown coverage. And needless to say, it translated into a terrible season for the Seminoles running the ball during 2011, where they ranked 104th in rushing. Now while the coaching staff and analysts will blame injuries to the offensive line and other key positions, I blame the lack of skill at that position. In April 2011during the spring game, they couldn't run the ball.....months later during the season, they still couldn't establish the run. Sometimes you have to be honest with yourself and admit that you didn't have the players to play at the level we are used to seeing on the offensive line. Yes, there were injuries to a couple key players on the offensive line but if you couldn't run the ball in the spring and couldn't run the ball months later during the season, there were problems with depth and even talent because even the guys who weren't injured didn't do any better. So, we all know what the Seminoles needed to work on in 2012, right?

  I made the trip down to Tallahassee to see what the Noles had to show for their efforts during 2012 spring practices. To my shock, the Noles looked a little pass happy. Ej Manuel throwing all over the place. Clint Trickett throwing a TD pass on the very first play from scrimmage. At first I liked what I was seeing but I came to my senses later when I sat back and asked myself...."where is the run game?" Are the Seminoles switching the offensive playbook to more of a spread? Jimbo Fisher says he likes what he saw from his guys during spring but had some things to work on going forward.....maybe one of those is the running attack? The Gold team had 27 rushing attempts and only 84 yards gained with 1 TD for the game. The Garnet? 31 attempts for 24 yards and 1 TD. Now while Sacks factor into that stat, it doesn't make it much better. Passing? I have to admit the offense on both sides had great success. And there were a few more points scored this year. Garnet-35 Gold-20. Every QB the Noles put in looked good for spring.......'for spring'. Ej still has some work to do. I can't discredit him too much. He is a fighter and he will do everything he can to win a game and that's the guy you want in there. At the end of the day, though, I still wonder if this team can live up to the hype and if they will have a run game that can contribute this season. FSU has the runningbacks. Chris Thompson is back, although he did not play in the spring game. Devonta Freeman looks great when he gets the blocks. Mario Pender has some lofty expectations for a freshman. James Wilder Jr. is coming along. This just goes to show, you can have great runningbacks but if you can't block for them, they are useless. So, going into 2012, I still have my questions about the rushing attack or lack thereof.

IS FISHER'S SEAT AS HEAD COACH GETTING WARM?

  Some people out there truly feel as though the clock is ticking on Fisher. Fans may have gotten a little spoiled after Fisher went for 10 wins in his first year, and almost winning the ACC that year as well. I will make it short and sweet. Jimbo Fisher has done more to bring FSU back than Bowden had done in his last six years as head coach. The recruiting classes are back in the top five. Most importantly FSU is back in the mix when you start talking about teams in the mix for BCS Bowls. Where is the patience? I know fans want them back to the team they were in the 90's but times have changed. Teams have changed. Doing what FSU did during the 90's was amazing. What other team finished in the top 5 for 14 consecutive years? 1987-2000 was an incredible run. We may never see that kind of run ever again. I was one of those fans watching through the years when they destroyed teams every week. I was spoiled. All FSU fans were spoiled. But don't hold Fisher up on them not being back yet. He is on the right track and I hope FSU continues to trust him to be their head coach. They say you never want to be the guy who follows right after a legend......Jimbo Fisher is that guy and he is handling it very well. 

WHAT TO EXPECT.

 Now I know I may have just made it sound like Noles' Fans should be about ready to hit the panic button.....but hang in there. They wouldn't have the expectations they have right in front of them if that was the case. We all remember the great bowl game this past year against Notre Dame. FSU showed its worst and best qualities all in the same game and won. The first half had Florida State fans ready to leave the game. And fans watching on TV were channel surfing to help themselves deal with the terrible showing in the first half. Four true-freshman started for the Noles on the offensive line....and in the first half they played like freshman. Ej was injured in the first half (little did anyone know at the time that he had actually fractured a bone in his leg) The second half showed signs of life as the offensive line began to show a little improvement. It may have only given Manuel an extra second or two, but that's all he needed as the receivers for FSU were clearly too much for the Notre Dame secondary. That forced Notre Dame to back off the blitze to try to cover receivers. Ej showed his toughness playing through injury, refusing to leave the game. And the offensive line got some momentum. FSU won the game with great defense and a great effort from the offense. Not to mention, the patience by the staff, understanding freshman were scattered all over the field.

 FSU has the atheletes to live up to the hype. They may have the best and deepest wide receiver group in the country. The defense is loaded. If you thought last year's defense was good.....get ready. The only part of the defense that was missing in 2011 was consistency. Part of that can be explained by only being in Mark Stoops' system for hardly a year. Now they are 8 deep on the defensive line. They have great corners in Greg Reid and Xavier Rhodes. Throw Lamarcus Joyner into the mix and that is a highly talented secondary. And don't forget about Karlos Williams. He will have an impact on the defense and special teams as well. Make no mistake about it......This is the best defense FSU has had in over a decade. More like a vintage defense from the 1990's. FSU lead the nation on defense in yards per carry given up at 2.3 yards a carry. Not Alabama, not LSU. If the offense can put it together, look out for the Noles in 2012.

                                                                   WHAT WILL FSU DO IN 2012?

 FSU has a schedule that is made for a team to have a great season. They play a total of three (3) games outside the state of Florida. They have a tough game on the road against Virginia Tech. They have rivals Clemson, and the Gators at home. They play at Miami and at South Florida. The trap game that I have circled is at South Florida. If FSU expects to be in National Title talks , they have to go down there and take care of business. The Noles were stunned by the Bulls a few years ago.....that can't happen this time. I have them favored in every game. V-Tech is the only question mark I have on their schedule. Mainly because nobody knows where to put the Hokies as far as ranks go. And more than likely FSU will play V-Tech again in the ACC Championship Game. As long as FSU's offense gets it done, it will be special for FSU this year. FSU will make it back to a BCS Bowl. Remember that part of the schedule where they only leave the state of Florida 3 times? The BCS Title Game is being played in Miami this year. Again, I have to say that the schedule for FSU this year is built for something special to happen for the Seminoles. You saw it here. You read it here. FSU rises in 2012 and finally gets back to where they belong in college football.

 Next in the Preseason Top 10 Countdown is Oregon at #5. The quack attack is back?