The BaldingReport: A+ The first game grade goes to my own blog for predicting yesterday that "4) Cameron Colvin will fumble- This is my lock of the week. Colvin has always been a great receiver with good hands, but for some reason he holds the ball like a little girl. With the injury to Paysinger, Colvin will make plays and have the ball in his hand a lot, but he will also put one on the turf".
Jeff Tedford: A Cal was clearly the better coached team in this game. Cal played error free football the entire game, protected Nate Longshore, looked in control, and was not fooled by the misdirection running plays Oregon ran early in the game. I would have given Tedford an A+ but he predictably ran the ball 3 times when his team had the ball with 2 minutes left, giving Oregon a shot to tie the game. Cal looked exactly like an Oregon team transported back through time from the Joey Harrington era. At this stage its obvious that Tedford is a better coach than Bellotti.
Mike Bellotti: F super minus Not only did all of Oregon's inventive new running plays fail to do anything, but Mike Bellotti probably had the worst special teams in the history of college football. Lets recap
Kick Returners: They only dropped 4 kick returns!...Also for some reason Bellotti decided to remove Jonathan Stewart from the return team. That is a smart idea because he is the best return man in the conference. Way to go Mike!
Andiel Brown: Does he know the fair catch rule exists?????
Kick Off Team- Why did Oregon decide to squib kick it everytime?? Oregon pretty much decided they would let Cal take the ball on the 40 yard line rather than risk ANY normal kick return. Memo to Mike Bellotti: Desean Jackson doesn't return kicks!!! Talk about having no faith in your team.
Punter: Josh Syria was actually a baller, he was awesome.
Dennis Dixon: B Its amazing how high and low his reputation was amongst Oregon fans today. In the morning at College Gameday he was continually lauded as a Heisman candidate, after he threw two picks in the 4th quarter everyone in the stadium was thinking "wow he is the same as last year" than right before Colvin fumbled the entire crowd was back to thinking "Dennis Dixon for Heisman". Dixon did look timid early on (as predicted yesterday in the blog) and probably didnt go deep enough, but in his defense his line stunk in the first half and he got little to no help from his receivers. In the end its hard to knock a guy who ends up 31-44 for over 300 yards and would have led a great game winning drive had his receiver not fumbled the ball.
My conversation with my dad right before Jaison Williams 36 yard reception in the 4th quarter A+++++
Me: "Dude I would go deep to Williams right here, he has a white guy on him"
Dad: "What, who is that??"
Me: "I dunno but its a white cornerback, he must suck"
Crowd: "Loud cheers as Williams destroys his man for a 36 yard slant over the middle"
The white cornerback for Cal was freshman Chris Conte who really doesn't look like he belongs anywhere on a pac-ten football field.
Desean Jackson: A+ His performance was like that of Reggie Bush in 2005, simply amazing.
Missed oppurtunities: :(
In light of all the upsets that occurred today in College Football, Oregon probably would be ranked third in the country if they had won this game. If Oregon would have won this game they would have jumped in front of: OU, Florida, Cal, Texas, WVU, and Rutgers. Oregon would also probably have jumped in front Ohio State and Wisconsin and be ranked third in the country. Instead they will probably drop to 15 or so behind all the crappy undefeated teams still out there, and behind all the ones loss teams who lost this weekend
College Gameday: A- An absolute unreal experience to be there firsthand. My favorite sign said "Nate Longshore drinks Zima" and had a picture of Longshore saying "God I'm soft"
Anyway that's it from this game, so BaldingReport out.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Friday, September 28, 2007
Oregon vs Cal Predictions
Before the Michigan game I made several predictions based on Mike Bellotti's history in big games.
I predicted that Garren Strong would throw a pass, that Oregon would run a gadget special teams play, Oregon's offense would move the ball, but have trouble turning those yards into points, and that Oregon's defense would give up yards but not points. In retrospect i nailed all of these predictions except the Garren Strong one. With that being said lets move on to the predictions for the mother of all games.
1)Dennis Dixon will struggle- In his two previous home games this year Dixon arguably could have been pulled from one (Houston), and was merely average in the other (Fresno). Unfortunately for Dixon, Cal's defense is vastly superior to either of those two teams so expect a similar if not worse performance. Also, Dixon seemingly plays timid at home and seems to try and aim his passes rather than throw them with confidence so expect some struggles with throwing the ball.
Cal also has way smarter coaches than Oregon's first 4 opponents and I am sure that they know that they need to hit Dixon every opportunity they get. I was shocked that Michigan repeatedly covered the pitch man on the option rather than hitting Dixon and forcing him to pitch the ball. Not only does Dixon struggle sometimes in making good pitches on the option, (especially going left) but last year he played very poorly (both running and throwing) when he knew he was going to get hit. Expect Cal to come after him a lot.
2) Nate Longshore will also struggle- Longshore has played one good road game in his career and has been absolutely terrible in most of his road outings. Oregon has a good secondary and will force him to play at a high level that I dont feel he can play at. Also Desean Jackson has an injured thumb and he hasn't had more than 45 yards in any game this season so Longshore doesn't have the receiving threats that many thought he would have.
2a) If Longshore is actually good in this game than Oregon will get destroyed.
3) Oregon will have success running the ball- Not only is Cal's best defensive player out with an injury (Linebacker Zach Follet), but Cal's run defense has been shaky this season to begin with. The running backs for both Tennessee and Colorado State had their best games of the season against a Cal defense that lost 7 starters (and its 7 best players) from last years team. Cal undoubtedly has a better defense than anyone Oregon has faced this year, but I don't think they are that much better than Michigan. Oregon probably wont be able to get the big run against Cal, but expect well over 200 yards rushing.
4) Cameron Colvin will fumble- This is my lock of the week. Colvin has always been a great receiver with good hands, but for some reason he holds the ball like a little girl. With the injury to Paysinger, Colvin will make plays and have the ball in his hand a lot, but he will also put one on the turf.
5) Justin Forsett will run for 125 yards on 25 carries- Oregon has a bad run defense so far this season but I think that they will step it up in a big home game. Oregon historicaly plays the run well at home in big games (Michigan 03 is the biggest example) and will presumable play above their abilities in this game. Cal is to good to completely shut down, but I don't think they will put up the monster running stats that some people think.
6) If Cal gets out ot a big lead, Mike Bellotti will call in a bomb threat- Its no secret that in 2003 as Cal was about to go up two scores that Bellotti put a call into the stadium managers and ordered them to cut the power. The 20 minute break allowed Oregon to regain the momentum and in the end they came back to win the game. Expect something equally sneaky this time around if Cal jumps out to a big lead.
7) Ultimate prediction- This game is eerily similiar to last years game against Cal except everything is reversed. Cal is banged up instead of Oregon, the game is in Eugene instead of Berkely, Cal's wins all appear to be against teams that will stink at the end of season (much like Oregon last year with Stanford and Fresno), last year was the biggest game ever in Berkely while this years game is arguably the biggest ever at Autzen, Oregon is looking for redemption this year while Cal was looking for it last year after their game against Tennessee, last year Oregon had the shaky QB and this year Cal does. The stars are aligned for Oregon in this game. Expect Oregon to jump out ot a huge lead and then hang on for a comfortable victory. Oregon 38 Cal 24
I predicted that Garren Strong would throw a pass, that Oregon would run a gadget special teams play, Oregon's offense would move the ball, but have trouble turning those yards into points, and that Oregon's defense would give up yards but not points. In retrospect i nailed all of these predictions except the Garren Strong one. With that being said lets move on to the predictions for the mother of all games.
1)Dennis Dixon will struggle- In his two previous home games this year Dixon arguably could have been pulled from one (Houston), and was merely average in the other (Fresno). Unfortunately for Dixon, Cal's defense is vastly superior to either of those two teams so expect a similar if not worse performance. Also, Dixon seemingly plays timid at home and seems to try and aim his passes rather than throw them with confidence so expect some struggles with throwing the ball.
Cal also has way smarter coaches than Oregon's first 4 opponents and I am sure that they know that they need to hit Dixon every opportunity they get. I was shocked that Michigan repeatedly covered the pitch man on the option rather than hitting Dixon and forcing him to pitch the ball. Not only does Dixon struggle sometimes in making good pitches on the option, (especially going left) but last year he played very poorly (both running and throwing) when he knew he was going to get hit. Expect Cal to come after him a lot.
2) Nate Longshore will also struggle- Longshore has played one good road game in his career and has been absolutely terrible in most of his road outings. Oregon has a good secondary and will force him to play at a high level that I dont feel he can play at. Also Desean Jackson has an injured thumb and he hasn't had more than 45 yards in any game this season so Longshore doesn't have the receiving threats that many thought he would have.
2a) If Longshore is actually good in this game than Oregon will get destroyed.
3) Oregon will have success running the ball- Not only is Cal's best defensive player out with an injury (Linebacker Zach Follet), but Cal's run defense has been shaky this season to begin with. The running backs for both Tennessee and Colorado State had their best games of the season against a Cal defense that lost 7 starters (and its 7 best players) from last years team. Cal undoubtedly has a better defense than anyone Oregon has faced this year, but I don't think they are that much better than Michigan. Oregon probably wont be able to get the big run against Cal, but expect well over 200 yards rushing.
4) Cameron Colvin will fumble- This is my lock of the week. Colvin has always been a great receiver with good hands, but for some reason he holds the ball like a little girl. With the injury to Paysinger, Colvin will make plays and have the ball in his hand a lot, but he will also put one on the turf.
5) Justin Forsett will run for 125 yards on 25 carries- Oregon has a bad run defense so far this season but I think that they will step it up in a big home game. Oregon historicaly plays the run well at home in big games (Michigan 03 is the biggest example) and will presumable play above their abilities in this game. Cal is to good to completely shut down, but I don't think they will put up the monster running stats that some people think.
6) If Cal gets out ot a big lead, Mike Bellotti will call in a bomb threat- Its no secret that in 2003 as Cal was about to go up two scores that Bellotti put a call into the stadium managers and ordered them to cut the power. The 20 minute break allowed Oregon to regain the momentum and in the end they came back to win the game. Expect something equally sneaky this time around if Cal jumps out to a big lead.
7) Ultimate prediction- This game is eerily similiar to last years game against Cal except everything is reversed. Cal is banged up instead of Oregon, the game is in Eugene instead of Berkely, Cal's wins all appear to be against teams that will stink at the end of season (much like Oregon last year with Stanford and Fresno), last year was the biggest game ever in Berkely while this years game is arguably the biggest ever at Autzen, Oregon is looking for redemption this year while Cal was looking for it last year after their game against Tennessee, last year Oregon had the shaky QB and this year Cal does. The stars are aligned for Oregon in this game. Expect Oregon to jump out ot a huge lead and then hang on for a comfortable victory. Oregon 38 Cal 24
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Bend but dont break
A lot people have been describing Oregon's defense as a defense that "bends but doesn't break". Lets be honest about that description. People call a defense that when it sucks. The only reason Oregon's defense has avoided being called worse names is because of how fortunate they have been with regards to turnovers. Here is a breakdown of how lucky they have been.
Houston- Oregon got lucky when Houstons running back just dropped the ball twice early in the game. When Houston wasn't flat out dropping the ball, they still managed to gain 315 yards rushing and a staggering 545 total yards. Oh yea, Houston was replacing a QB who had started 51 straight games.
Michigan- They moved the ball easily on the first drive until Chad Henne randomly tried to throw the ball as far as he could. After driving for a TD, Michigan then replaced a 4 year starting tailback who has lost 1 career fumble with a backup who preceeded to drop the ball on his first carry. Despite these bonehead plays, Michigan still managed to gain over 300 yards of total offense in the FIRST HALF before bringing in a freshman QB to replace their starter.
Fresno State- Oregon's defense actually played fairly well in this game but it was against a team that scored 24 points against Sacremento State and an offense that was missing its two best running backs and two starting offensive lineman.
Stanford- Not only did Stanford manage to score 31 points in the first half, but they also had a back up running back run for over 110 yards IN THE FIRST HALF!!. Lets not forget that Stanford was also without their best offensive lineman who got injured in the first quarter.
Recap- The only way Oregon has stopped anybody this season is by getting turnovers, but unfortunately for them Cal is 7th in the nation in turn over margin. No freebies for Oregon in this one.
Picks- After last week my season record is back above .500 so there is still hope for all the poor Indians who's wageredd their life savings on my gambling picks. So without further delay here are the picks that will save a nation.
Arkansas State -4 vs Memphis
Boise State -10 vs Southern Miss
South Florida +7 vs West Virginia
Duke +24 @ Miami
Virginia Tech -17.5 vs North Carolina
Akron +13.5 @ Uconn
Indiana + 10.5 @ Iowa
South Carolina -14 vs Mississippi State
Temple +6 @ Army
Air Force +2 @ Navy
Ball State -16 vs Buffalo
Central Michigan -2.5 vs Northern Illinois
Michigan -16 @ Northwestern
Syracuse -1.5 @ Miami Ohio
Utah State +20.5 @ Utah
Oregon -4.5 vs Cal
Alabama +2 @ Florida State
Georgia -14.5 vs Ole Miss
Auburn +18 @ Florida
Oregon State -0 vs UCLA
Penn State -3.5 @ Illinois
Michigan State +7 @ Wisconsin
Nebraska -22.5 vs Iowa State
Texas -14.5 vs Kansas State
Nevada -3.5 vs UNLV
UTEP +1 @ SMU
Hawaii -24.5 @ Idaho
LSU -40.5 @ Tulane
CSU +10.5 @ TCU
Vanderbilt -20 vs Eastern Michigan
Western Michigan -1@ Toledo
Oklahoma -23 @ Colorado
Texas AM -16 vs Baylor
Virginia -6.5 vs Pitt
Houston -10.5 vs East Carolina
UAB +19.5 @ Tulsa
Lousiville -8 @ NC State
Georgia Tech +3 vs Clemson
Rutgers -16 vs Maryland
Ohio State -23.5 @ Minnesota
Washinton +20.5 vs USC
Purdue -22 vs Notre Dame
BYU -6 @ New Mexico
Arizona -2.5 vs WSU
ASU -14.5 @ Stanford
Fresno State -12 vs La Tech
Cincy -14.5 @ San Diego State
UCF -22 vs Lafayette
MTSU -11.5 vs FIU
Arkansas -36 vs North Texas
Troy -13.5 vs Monroe
Houston- Oregon got lucky when Houstons running back just dropped the ball twice early in the game. When Houston wasn't flat out dropping the ball, they still managed to gain 315 yards rushing and a staggering 545 total yards. Oh yea, Houston was replacing a QB who had started 51 straight games.
Michigan- They moved the ball easily on the first drive until Chad Henne randomly tried to throw the ball as far as he could. After driving for a TD, Michigan then replaced a 4 year starting tailback who has lost 1 career fumble with a backup who preceeded to drop the ball on his first carry. Despite these bonehead plays, Michigan still managed to gain over 300 yards of total offense in the FIRST HALF before bringing in a freshman QB to replace their starter.
Fresno State- Oregon's defense actually played fairly well in this game but it was against a team that scored 24 points against Sacremento State and an offense that was missing its two best running backs and two starting offensive lineman.
Stanford- Not only did Stanford manage to score 31 points in the first half, but they also had a back up running back run for over 110 yards IN THE FIRST HALF!!. Lets not forget that Stanford was also without their best offensive lineman who got injured in the first quarter.
Recap- The only way Oregon has stopped anybody this season is by getting turnovers, but unfortunately for them Cal is 7th in the nation in turn over margin. No freebies for Oregon in this one.
Picks- After last week my season record is back above .500 so there is still hope for all the poor Indians who's wageredd their life savings on my gambling picks. So without further delay here are the picks that will save a nation.
Arkansas State -4 vs Memphis
Boise State -10 vs Southern Miss
South Florida +7 vs West Virginia
Duke +24 @ Miami
Virginia Tech -17.5 vs North Carolina
Akron +13.5 @ Uconn
Indiana + 10.5 @ Iowa
South Carolina -14 vs Mississippi State
Temple +6 @ Army
Air Force +2 @ Navy
Ball State -16 vs Buffalo
Central Michigan -2.5 vs Northern Illinois
Michigan -16 @ Northwestern
Syracuse -1.5 @ Miami Ohio
Utah State +20.5 @ Utah
Oregon -4.5 vs Cal
Alabama +2 @ Florida State
Georgia -14.5 vs Ole Miss
Auburn +18 @ Florida
Oregon State -0 vs UCLA
Penn State -3.5 @ Illinois
Michigan State +7 @ Wisconsin
Nebraska -22.5 vs Iowa State
Texas -14.5 vs Kansas State
Nevada -3.5 vs UNLV
UTEP +1 @ SMU
Hawaii -24.5 @ Idaho
LSU -40.5 @ Tulane
CSU +10.5 @ TCU
Vanderbilt -20 vs Eastern Michigan
Western Michigan -1@ Toledo
Oklahoma -23 @ Colorado
Texas AM -16 vs Baylor
Virginia -6.5 vs Pitt
Houston -10.5 vs East Carolina
UAB +19.5 @ Tulsa
Lousiville -8 @ NC State
Georgia Tech +3 vs Clemson
Rutgers -16 vs Maryland
Ohio State -23.5 @ Minnesota
Washinton +20.5 vs USC
Purdue -22 vs Notre Dame
BYU -6 @ New Mexico
Arizona -2.5 vs WSU
ASU -14.5 @ Stanford
Fresno State -12 vs La Tech
Cincy -14.5 @ San Diego State
UCF -22 vs Lafayette
MTSU -11.5 vs FIU
Arkansas -36 vs North Texas
Troy -13.5 vs Monroe
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Hidden X Factor
A lot of bigshots are throwing out stats to try and justify their opinions with regards to the Oregon-Cal game. One statistic that I feel is being overlooked is how poorly Nate Longshore has played on the road during his career.
16-29 146 yds @ Colorado State
11-20 85 yds 1 INT @ Tennessee
22-31 341 yds 4 TD 1 INT @ Oregon State
17-31 176 yds 2 INT @ Washington State
17-36 250 yds 1 TD 3 INT @ Arizona
17-38 176 yds 1 TD 2 INT @ USC
Out of Longshore's 6 career road games, he has really only played good in one of them, and that was against an OSU team that lost at home to WSU the following week.
Dennis Dixon's stats have also been lauded by the pundits, but while he has been great one the road this season, he struggled in his two games this season at Autzen. Against Houston I honestly thought Dixon would get benched at halftime, and against Fresno, Dixon just didnt seem to have the crispness that elite Quarterbacks have. In fact one could argue that Dixon hasn't played a good home game since the Stanford game of last season.
If both Longshore and Dixon continue to play the way their home and away stats would indicate, expect a sloppy low scoring game where the winning QB is the one who makes the fewest mistakes.
BaldingReport out.
16-29 146 yds @ Colorado State
11-20 85 yds 1 INT @ Tennessee
22-31 341 yds 4 TD 1 INT @ Oregon State
17-31 176 yds 2 INT @ Washington State
17-36 250 yds 1 TD 3 INT @ Arizona
17-38 176 yds 1 TD 2 INT @ USC
Out of Longshore's 6 career road games, he has really only played good in one of them, and that was against an OSU team that lost at home to WSU the following week.
Dennis Dixon's stats have also been lauded by the pundits, but while he has been great one the road this season, he struggled in his two games this season at Autzen. Against Houston I honestly thought Dixon would get benched at halftime, and against Fresno, Dixon just didnt seem to have the crispness that elite Quarterbacks have. In fact one could argue that Dixon hasn't played a good home game since the Stanford game of last season.
If both Longshore and Dixon continue to play the way their home and away stats would indicate, expect a sloppy low scoring game where the winning QB is the one who makes the fewest mistakes.
BaldingReport out.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
The only chink in Oregon's armor
The only chink in Oregon's armor is?????? Patrick Chung...moving on from racist jokes...
Help with signs for College Gameday
As everybody has heard, college gameday is coming to Oregon this weekend and this undoubtedly will cause thousands of Oregon fans to hold up stupid and idiotic signs that will embarrass themselves, the university, and the city. However, fans can avoid this inevitble embarrassment by making a sign that I have personally approved right here on the BaldingReport. Here are the sign ideas that are assured to draw approval from your peers or anybody watching on TV.
1) "They're not sweatshops, they're awesomeshops"
2) "Ted Bundy was a Husky"
3) Eugene
Smokes
Non-stop
Pot
4) "Our hippies like football"
5) "Lee Corso is a Penis"
6) "Lou Holtzth ith thtupid"
7) "Whizzinators For Sale"
8) "OJ stole my tickets!"
BaldingReport out.
Help with signs for College Gameday
As everybody has heard, college gameday is coming to Oregon this weekend and this undoubtedly will cause thousands of Oregon fans to hold up stupid and idiotic signs that will embarrass themselves, the university, and the city. However, fans can avoid this inevitble embarrassment by making a sign that I have personally approved right here on the BaldingReport. Here are the sign ideas that are assured to draw approval from your peers or anybody watching on TV.
1) "They're not sweatshops, they're awesomeshops"
2) "Ted Bundy was a Husky"
3) Eugene
Smokes
Non-stop
Pot
4) "Our hippies like football"
5) "Lee Corso is a Penis"
6) "Lou Holtzth ith thtupid"
7) "Whizzinators For Sale"
8) "OJ stole my tickets!"
BaldingReport out.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Oregon vs Stanford Recap and Big Changes
We have made some big changes to the BaldingReport this week. The most notable change is to the front page where John Kerry has been replaced by Roboduck. I figured Roboduck is a good symbol for this blog because Roboduck represents the arrogance and piss poor management by the Athletic Department that I continually expose in this blog. Moving on...
Oregon vs Stanford Recap
Seeing as this game was not on TV and I listened to Stanford's radio broadcast, I am still not entirely sure that this game actually happened, but that won't stop me from giving out my game grades.
Stanford Radio C: Not only did Jim Harbaugh provide the greatest halftime quote ever by a coach "in the first quarter they made us taste our own blood but in the second quarter they tasted their own blood" but they also repeatedly called players "midgets" and claimed that Stanford was having all night games this year because "to many fans were attending their children's soccer games during the day". They put Jerry Allen to shame.
Cameron Colvin: A. Up until last week I think he would have been the biggest recruiting bust of a player who stayed eligible, healthy, and out of trouble in the history of College Football. The only player who could have approached him would have been LaCorey Collins but he had enough one handed catches to make up for his overall low level of play. However last week Colvin was unstoppable and is in the running with Dennis Dixon and Aaron Brooks for the "Oregon Senior who sucks for 3 years and then magically is great" award.
Andiel Brown: F-. Another game and another fumbled punt return for Oregon. At this stage I am convinced that Oregon should just leave their regular defense on the field on all 4th downs. This way they wont get any roughing the punter penalties and they won't have a return man out there who will fumble. Another thing that irritates me about Oregon Punt Returners is how they all think they are Michael Fletcher and never call fair catches. How often has a punt returner ever made something happen when there are 6 guys suorrounding him when he is getting ready to catch it??? NEVER!
In related news, I was reading the Bend paper today and found out that an escaped convict was captured IN MY APARTMENT COMPLEX. I never thought that my new apartment in a town of all retired people could actually be more dangerous than my Eugene apartment that was directly behind a 7-11.
Also be sure to check the BR all this week because were gonna have lots of coverage of the game this week. BaldingReport Out.
Oregon vs Stanford Recap
Seeing as this game was not on TV and I listened to Stanford's radio broadcast, I am still not entirely sure that this game actually happened, but that won't stop me from giving out my game grades.
Stanford Radio C: Not only did Jim Harbaugh provide the greatest halftime quote ever by a coach "in the first quarter they made us taste our own blood but in the second quarter they tasted their own blood" but they also repeatedly called players "midgets" and claimed that Stanford was having all night games this year because "to many fans were attending their children's soccer games during the day". They put Jerry Allen to shame.
Cameron Colvin: A. Up until last week I think he would have been the biggest recruiting bust of a player who stayed eligible, healthy, and out of trouble in the history of College Football. The only player who could have approached him would have been LaCorey Collins but he had enough one handed catches to make up for his overall low level of play. However last week Colvin was unstoppable and is in the running with Dennis Dixon and Aaron Brooks for the "Oregon Senior who sucks for 3 years and then magically is great" award.
Andiel Brown: F-. Another game and another fumbled punt return for Oregon. At this stage I am convinced that Oregon should just leave their regular defense on the field on all 4th downs. This way they wont get any roughing the punter penalties and they won't have a return man out there who will fumble. Another thing that irritates me about Oregon Punt Returners is how they all think they are Michael Fletcher and never call fair catches. How often has a punt returner ever made something happen when there are 6 guys suorrounding him when he is getting ready to catch it??? NEVER!
In related news, I was reading the Bend paper today and found out that an escaped convict was captured IN MY APARTMENT COMPLEX. I never thought that my new apartment in a town of all retired people could actually be more dangerous than my Eugene apartment that was directly behind a 7-11.
Also be sure to check the BR all this week because were gonna have lots of coverage of the game this week. BaldingReport Out.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Week 4 Picks
Oklahoma -23 vs Tulsa
Miami -2 vs Texas AM
Lousiville -37.5 vsSyracuse
Indiana +2 vs Illinois
Baylor -3 @ Buffalo
Akron +2 vs Kent State
Boston College -27 vs Army
Miami OH +12.5 @ Colorado
Nebraska -24 vs Ball State
Air Force +13 @ Byu
UCLA -5.5 vs Washington
Georgia +3.5 @ Alabama
Ole Miss +23.5 vs Florida
Northwestern +24 @ Ohio State
Penn State -2.5 @ Michigan
Texas Tech -6 @ Oklahoma State
Michigan State -10 @ Notre Dame
Central Florida -7 vs Memphis
Georgia Tech -4 @ Virginia
Houston -6.5 vs Colorado State
Arizona +14 @ Cal
Northern Illinois +3.5 @ Idaho
Temple +21.5 @ Bowling Green
East Carolina +24 @ West Virginia
Toledo +3 vs Iowa State
North Carolina +12.5 vs South Florida
Wake Forest -3.5 vs Maryland
Clemson -6.5 @ NC State
Cincinnati -24 vs Marshall
Kentucky +7 @ Arkansas
NMSU +16.5 @ Auburn
Pitt -8.5 vs Conneticut
Ohio +4 vs Wyoming
Texas -38 vs Rice
USC -24.5 vs Washington State
South Carolina +17.5 @ LSU
Wisconsin -7 vs Iowa
San Jose State +3 @ Utah State
TCU -23 vs SMU
Purdue -14 @ Minnesota
Utah -7.5 @ UNLV
Oregon -18 @ Stanford
Kansas -33.5 vs FIU
UL Lafayette +9 vs Troy
North Texas -7 vs FAU
Arkansas State +19 @ Tennessee
Miami -2 vs Texas AM
Lousiville -37.5 vsSyracuse
Indiana +2 vs Illinois
Baylor -3 @ Buffalo
Akron +2 vs Kent State
Boston College -27 vs Army
Miami OH +12.5 @ Colorado
Nebraska -24 vs Ball State
Air Force +13 @ Byu
UCLA -5.5 vs Washington
Georgia +3.5 @ Alabama
Ole Miss +23.5 vs Florida
Northwestern +24 @ Ohio State
Penn State -2.5 @ Michigan
Texas Tech -6 @ Oklahoma State
Michigan State -10 @ Notre Dame
Central Florida -7 vs Memphis
Georgia Tech -4 @ Virginia
Houston -6.5 vs Colorado State
Arizona +14 @ Cal
Northern Illinois +3.5 @ Idaho
Temple +21.5 @ Bowling Green
East Carolina +24 @ West Virginia
Toledo +3 vs Iowa State
North Carolina +12.5 vs South Florida
Wake Forest -3.5 vs Maryland
Clemson -6.5 @ NC State
Cincinnati -24 vs Marshall
Kentucky +7 @ Arkansas
NMSU +16.5 @ Auburn
Pitt -8.5 vs Conneticut
Ohio +4 vs Wyoming
Texas -38 vs Rice
USC -24.5 vs Washington State
South Carolina +17.5 @ LSU
Wisconsin -7 vs Iowa
San Jose State +3 @ Utah State
TCU -23 vs SMU
Purdue -14 @ Minnesota
Utah -7.5 @ UNLV
Oregon -18 @ Stanford
Kansas -33.5 vs FIU
UL Lafayette +9 vs Troy
North Texas -7 vs FAU
Arkansas State +19 @ Tennessee
Friday, September 21, 2007
Entrenched
I have now entrenched myself in the Bend community. I am already dissapointed by the fact the town appears to only have 2 AM radio stations. On the plus side however, I live right near a bowling alley so all my Wii Bowling practice should pay off pretty soon. Moving on...
Last Wednesday, I went over to the local Dari-mart to pick up a bunch of breakfast burritos and some cream cheese. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw all the stuff they sell there now. Cell Phones, fancy lighters, Digital camerals. You name it, they had it. I thought I had jumped into the future or something, which was weird because I usually think I’m back in the past.
As a joke, I asked the 39 year old Indian dude behind the counter how much he wanted for the cell phone, thinking he’d say two, three hundred bucks. When he said twenty bucks, I just about dropped a bomb in my skivvies. Considering my current phone has more holes than Jaison Williams hands, I thought it would be a good purchase until I realized that I may have the oldest cell phone still in use. According to my records my phone was built sometime around 1967 and was actually used in the Vietnam War. Someone find me the phone number for the Gueniess Book of World Records because me and my phone definitely belong there.
Hey – you know that rumor about if you feed antacid to birds, their stomachs blow up? Is that true? No reason, just is it true or not? No biggie if you don’t know, and there’s no particular reason why I’m asking the question, but I would like to know soon, not for any real reason, but I would like to know, so let me know, if you know, so if it’s true I can start making bird bombs.
My college football picks have languised so far this season but I am off to a 2-0 start this week by picking Miami and Oklahoma so far. Anyway I will post my picks for Saturday's games before the games Start on Saturday so no one (Jerry Balding) can accuse me of cheating.
BaldingReport Out.
Last Wednesday, I went over to the local Dari-mart to pick up a bunch of breakfast burritos and some cream cheese. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw all the stuff they sell there now. Cell Phones, fancy lighters, Digital camerals. You name it, they had it. I thought I had jumped into the future or something, which was weird because I usually think I’m back in the past.
As a joke, I asked the 39 year old Indian dude behind the counter how much he wanted for the cell phone, thinking he’d say two, three hundred bucks. When he said twenty bucks, I just about dropped a bomb in my skivvies. Considering my current phone has more holes than Jaison Williams hands, I thought it would be a good purchase until I realized that I may have the oldest cell phone still in use. According to my records my phone was built sometime around 1967 and was actually used in the Vietnam War. Someone find me the phone number for the Gueniess Book of World Records because me and my phone definitely belong there.
Hey – you know that rumor about if you feed antacid to birds, their stomachs blow up? Is that true? No reason, just is it true or not? No biggie if you don’t know, and there’s no particular reason why I’m asking the question, but I would like to know soon, not for any real reason, but I would like to know, so let me know, if you know, so if it’s true I can start making bird bombs.
My college football picks have languised so far this season but I am off to a 2-0 start this week by picking Miami and Oklahoma so far. Anyway I will post my picks for Saturday's games before the games Start on Saturday so no one (Jerry Balding) can accuse me of cheating.
BaldingReport Out.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Fresno State @ Oregon Predictions
Before the season started if anyone told me that Oregon would be 2-0 with combined margin of victory of 53 points, I would have told you that Oregon is headed for the national title. However in reality what do we really know about this team?? The answer is not very much. Despite the fact that Oregon is 2-0 (with two quality wins), Oregon still appears to be an enigma with question marks still at nearly every position.
QB: Is Dennis Dixon actually good?? I thought he would be pulled at halftime of the Houston game, and then he turns around and is the national player of the week @ Michigan. He certainly looks better this year than he did last year, but would anyone really be that surprised if he went 11-24 with 3 INTS against Fresno??
RB: Is Jonathan Stewart an above average running back or a great one?? As good as Stewart looked @Michigan, he was that mediocore against Houston. Stewart and Johnson have both proven to be pretty good running backs, but are they elite???? Stewart is probably going to be a 1st round draft pick, but other than trying to hurdle every defender he encounters he still hasn't proven much on the college scene.
WR: They looked good against Michigan until you realize that Jaison Williams only caught 50% of the passes that were thrown at him. (4 catches, 4 drops). Paysinger appears to have emerged as a legitimate weapon, but the lack of any proven go to player in this group still scares me. Cameron Colvin needs to get kicked off the team already so he doesn't continue to break my heart each week.
Defense: Oregon has done a good job getting turnovers this year (9 of them), but in all honestly how many of them were actually "forced" by the defense and how many of them were just lucky. It wasn't anything Oregon did that forced Chad Henne to randomly throw the ball 80 yards down the field to a wide open Matthew Harper, that was just Henne being a typical Michigan quarterback. Also lets not forget that in the 1st 6 quarters this season, Oregon gave up nearly 900 yards of total offense. That is not exactly the sign of a respectable defense. Oregon's defense could be a ball hawking bend but dont break defense, but they just as easily could be really bad.
Fresno State:
A lot of media people have been saying that Fresno's close loss @AM is a sign that the Bulldogs are back to their "giantkiller" ways, but I don't buy it. Texas AM nearly lost to Army early last year, so I dont put to much faith in anything they do before Big 12 play starts. Likewise Fresno looked very mediocore in their game against Sacremento State to open this season, so I think Fresno going to 3 overtimes against an overrated big 12 squad doesn't mean that much.
However, Fresno does have a history of of being a top tier mid-major and their QB play (the main reason they sucked last year) appears to be a lot better this season. Given Pat Hill's history of fielding competitive teams it's unlikely that Fresno is actually bad for a second straight season (4-8 last year). On top of that, the main reason Fresno stunk last year was QB play, and their QB this year appears to actually be good.
In spite of all of that, the biggest thing going for Fresno in this game is their mindset. Fresno seems to only care about beating big time opponents. It seems that the program has adopted the "giantkiller" persona and values its non-conference games against BCS opponnents more than its league games. (Evidenced by the fact that Fresno has zero league titles under Hill).
Because of that past history of this series (all games decided by 7 points or less) and the fact that Fresno wont be intimidated by Oregon at all, it is virtually assured that the Oregon-Fresno game will be a close game (unless Fresno just comes out drained becaue of their game last week). However just like in years past, Oregon should have just enough of an edge (can you say Pac 10 refs???) to sneak past the Bulldogs and get to 3-0.
Fresno 24
Oregon 31
QB: Is Dennis Dixon actually good?? I thought he would be pulled at halftime of the Houston game, and then he turns around and is the national player of the week @ Michigan. He certainly looks better this year than he did last year, but would anyone really be that surprised if he went 11-24 with 3 INTS against Fresno??
RB: Is Jonathan Stewart an above average running back or a great one?? As good as Stewart looked @Michigan, he was that mediocore against Houston. Stewart and Johnson have both proven to be pretty good running backs, but are they elite???? Stewart is probably going to be a 1st round draft pick, but other than trying to hurdle every defender he encounters he still hasn't proven much on the college scene.
WR: They looked good against Michigan until you realize that Jaison Williams only caught 50% of the passes that were thrown at him. (4 catches, 4 drops). Paysinger appears to have emerged as a legitimate weapon, but the lack of any proven go to player in this group still scares me. Cameron Colvin needs to get kicked off the team already so he doesn't continue to break my heart each week.
Defense: Oregon has done a good job getting turnovers this year (9 of them), but in all honestly how many of them were actually "forced" by the defense and how many of them were just lucky. It wasn't anything Oregon did that forced Chad Henne to randomly throw the ball 80 yards down the field to a wide open Matthew Harper, that was just Henne being a typical Michigan quarterback. Also lets not forget that in the 1st 6 quarters this season, Oregon gave up nearly 900 yards of total offense. That is not exactly the sign of a respectable defense. Oregon's defense could be a ball hawking bend but dont break defense, but they just as easily could be really bad.
Fresno State:
A lot of media people have been saying that Fresno's close loss @AM is a sign that the Bulldogs are back to their "giantkiller" ways, but I don't buy it. Texas AM nearly lost to Army early last year, so I dont put to much faith in anything they do before Big 12 play starts. Likewise Fresno looked very mediocore in their game against Sacremento State to open this season, so I think Fresno going to 3 overtimes against an overrated big 12 squad doesn't mean that much.
However, Fresno does have a history of of being a top tier mid-major and their QB play (the main reason they sucked last year) appears to be a lot better this season. Given Pat Hill's history of fielding competitive teams it's unlikely that Fresno is actually bad for a second straight season (4-8 last year). On top of that, the main reason Fresno stunk last year was QB play, and their QB this year appears to actually be good.
In spite of all of that, the biggest thing going for Fresno in this game is their mindset. Fresno seems to only care about beating big time opponents. It seems that the program has adopted the "giantkiller" persona and values its non-conference games against BCS opponnents more than its league games. (Evidenced by the fact that Fresno has zero league titles under Hill).
Because of that past history of this series (all games decided by 7 points or less) and the fact that Fresno wont be intimidated by Oregon at all, it is virtually assured that the Oregon-Fresno game will be a close game (unless Fresno just comes out drained becaue of their game last week). However just like in years past, Oregon should have just enough of an edge (can you say Pac 10 refs???) to sneak past the Bulldogs and get to 3-0.
Fresno 24
Oregon 31
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Week 3 College Football
I struggled with my picks last week and now stand at .500 on the year. After reviewing my picks last week its clear I overestimated what teams did in week 1 and that cost me. Since its week 3 I now have 2 games to judge how teams have done and expect this to be my breakout week. Anyway here are my week 3 picks.
Maryland +17 vs West Virginia
TCU -8 @ Air Force
Oklahoma State -10 @ Troy
Syracuse +12 vs Illinois
UCONN -29.5 vs Temple
North Carolina -3 vs Virginia
Buffalo +34.5 @ Penn State
Ole Miss +5 @ Vanderbilt
Auburn -13 vs Mississippi State
Purdue -22 vs Central Michigan
Miami OH +9 vs Cincinnati
Ohio +21 @ Virginia Tech
Iowa -17 @ Iowa State
Kansas -23 vs Toledo
Eastern Michigan +14 @ Northern Illinois
Wake -19 vs Army
Tennessee +7.5 @ Florida
Notre Dame +7.5 @ Michigan
Oklahoma -46 vs Utah State
Fresno +16 @ Oregon
Pitt +11.5 @Michigan State
Washington +4 vs Ohio State
UCF +18 vs Texas
Cal -33 vs La Tech
UCLA -14 @ Utah
Navy -7 vs Ball State
Akron +13 @ Indiana
East Carolina +1 vs Southern Miss
Missouri -20 vs Western Michigan
Washington State -26 vs Idaho
Houston -14 @ Tulane
Lousiville -6.5 @ Kentucky
Alabama -3 vs Arkansas
Boston College +7 @ Georgia Tech
Duke +16.5 @ Northwestern
Texas Tech -28 @Rice
USC -9 @ Nebraska
UTEP +5.5 @NMSU
Boise -12 vs Wyoming
Tulsa +7 vs BYu
UNLV +17.5 vs Hawaii
Florida State -4.5 @ Colorado
ASU -28 vs SDSU
New Mexico +10 @ Arizona
Stanford -7.5 vs San Jose State
FIU +33 @ Miami
Texas AM -23 vs UL-Lafayette
FAU +7.5 vs Minnesota
MTSU +40.5 @ LSU
Maryland +17 vs West Virginia
TCU -8 @ Air Force
Oklahoma State -10 @ Troy
Syracuse +12 vs Illinois
UCONN -29.5 vs Temple
North Carolina -3 vs Virginia
Buffalo +34.5 @ Penn State
Ole Miss +5 @ Vanderbilt
Auburn -13 vs Mississippi State
Purdue -22 vs Central Michigan
Miami OH +9 vs Cincinnati
Ohio +21 @ Virginia Tech
Iowa -17 @ Iowa State
Kansas -23 vs Toledo
Eastern Michigan +14 @ Northern Illinois
Wake -19 vs Army
Tennessee +7.5 @ Florida
Notre Dame +7.5 @ Michigan
Oklahoma -46 vs Utah State
Fresno +16 @ Oregon
Pitt +11.5 @Michigan State
Washington +4 vs Ohio State
UCF +18 vs Texas
Cal -33 vs La Tech
UCLA -14 @ Utah
Navy -7 vs Ball State
Akron +13 @ Indiana
East Carolina +1 vs Southern Miss
Missouri -20 vs Western Michigan
Washington State -26 vs Idaho
Houston -14 @ Tulane
Lousiville -6.5 @ Kentucky
Alabama -3 vs Arkansas
Boston College +7 @ Georgia Tech
Duke +16.5 @ Northwestern
Texas Tech -28 @Rice
USC -9 @ Nebraska
UTEP +5.5 @NMSU
Boise -12 vs Wyoming
Tulsa +7 vs BYu
UNLV +17.5 vs Hawaii
Florida State -4.5 @ Colorado
ASU -28 vs SDSU
New Mexico +10 @ Arizona
Stanford -7.5 vs San Jose State
FIU +33 @ Miami
Texas AM -23 vs UL-Lafayette
FAU +7.5 vs Minnesota
MTSU +40.5 @ LSU
Monday, September 10, 2007
ESPN Finaly succumbs to Notre Dame hype
Even though they are 0-2, ESPN continues with its unreal hype of Notre Dame. Even Beano Cook thought this recent espn.com page might have been to much. Move over Ron Pawlus!!
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Michigan vs Oregon Predictions
Having been a fan of Oregon for several years, I have seen several Oregon games involving high ranked teams. In these games Oregon is highly predictable, and thus it is easy to make predictions for todays game against Michigan.
1) Garren Strong will throw a pass. This is a lock. He tried to throw a pass in the Holiday Bowl and for Oregon, this game is bigger than any bowl game so expect lots of gadget plays.
2) Oregon will either run a fake FG, or do some crazy handoff on a kick return. Oregon fake FG's several times last year, and even faked on in their last game against Michigan.
3) Oregon's defense wont be that bad. Oregon may give up a lot of yards to Michigan, but they certainly wont give up more than 30 points. Even in 2004 where Oregon was terrible, they only gave up 31 points to an Oklahoma team that played in the national title game.
4) Oregon's offense will move the ball well between the 30's but will struggle once it gets inside Michigans 30 yard line. Expect Oregon to have a good offensive gameplan early in the game and move the ball effectively. However Oregon always seems to struggle in translating its yards into points and expect nothing different today.
5) The Final Prediction: Oregon will have a real shot to win the game late into the third quarter until some back breaking special teams play drives the nail in Oregon's coffin. Expect a lower scoring game than the expert think. For Oregon fans this game will resemble last years game @ USC, or the 2004 game @OU. Expect a final of Michigan 31, Oregon 13.
1) Garren Strong will throw a pass. This is a lock. He tried to throw a pass in the Holiday Bowl and for Oregon, this game is bigger than any bowl game so expect lots of gadget plays.
2) Oregon will either run a fake FG, or do some crazy handoff on a kick return. Oregon fake FG's several times last year, and even faked on in their last game against Michigan.
3) Oregon's defense wont be that bad. Oregon may give up a lot of yards to Michigan, but they certainly wont give up more than 30 points. Even in 2004 where Oregon was terrible, they only gave up 31 points to an Oklahoma team that played in the national title game.
4) Oregon's offense will move the ball well between the 30's but will struggle once it gets inside Michigans 30 yard line. Expect Oregon to have a good offensive gameplan early in the game and move the ball effectively. However Oregon always seems to struggle in translating its yards into points and expect nothing different today.
5) The Final Prediction: Oregon will have a real shot to win the game late into the third quarter until some back breaking special teams play drives the nail in Oregon's coffin. Expect a lower scoring game than the expert think. For Oregon fans this game will resemble last years game @ USC, or the 2004 game @OU. Expect a final of Michigan 31, Oregon 13.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Bugs
Most people have a thing against bugs, but not me. I love the little guys and always try to let them outside when I find them in my house. The way I see it, there’s more of them than there are of us, so you have to respect them just in case. If they ever got their stuff together, they could really do some serious damage. I’m talking city destruction, livestock relocation, and political domination here.
If I had to pick my favorite bug it would have to be a spider. They’re creepy as all hell but real smart, too. I wonder if land insects ever get jealous of the flying ones. I bet they do. If I saw a man flying around while I had to walk around like an idiot, I’d be jealous. I’d shoot that guy down the first chance I got. Moving On.....
Week 2 of the college football season kicks off tonight with Oregon State taking on Cincinnati. In addition to using my picks to eradicate poverty throughout the world, I am also going heads up against my dad this week. I am leery of posting my picks before he tells me what his are in the event he just tries to copy me to force a tie, but for the good of the world I will take that chance. Anyway here are the week 2 picks.
Cincinnatti +3 vs OSU
Louisville -39 vs MTSU
Rutgers -16 vs Navy
West Virginia -23.5 @ Marshall
Northwestern -8.5 vs Nevada
Nebraska -8 @ Wake Forest
Miami +11 @ Oklahoma
Miami OH +8.5 @ Minnesota
Temple -4 vs Bufffalo
Akron +28.5 @ Ohio State
Virginia -17 vs Duke
Vandy +3.5 vs Alabama
Central Michigan -3 vs Toledo
Michigan State -18 vs Bowling Green
Baylor -6.5 vs Rice
Utah State +24 @ Wyoming
San Jose State +17 @ Kansas State
Cal -14 @ Colorado State
Missouri -6 @ Ole Miss
Boston College -14 vs NC State
Ball State -4 @ Eastern Michigan
Michigan -6 vs Oregon
Washington +3 vs Boise State
Fresno State +17 @ Texas AM
Florida State -33 vs UAB
Georgia -5.5 vs South Carolina
Notre Dame +17.5 @ Penn State
Air Force +8 @ Utah
East Carolina -4.5 vs North Carolina
BYU +7.5 @ UCLA
Tennessee -10.5 vs Southern Miss
Texas -8.5 vs TCU
Tulane +6 vs Mississippi State
Kent State +13 @ Kentucky
Texas Tech -24 vs UTEP
Washington State -13.5 vs SDSU
Hawaii -28 @ La Tech
Iowa -22.5 vs Syracuse
Indiana -1.5 @ Western Michigan
Auburn -6.5 South Florida
Virginia Tech +13 @ LSU
NMSU +7 @ New Mexico
UNLV +26.5 vs Wisconsin
Florida -27 vs Troy
Oklahoma State -22 vs FAU
Ohio -1 @UL Lafayette
Maryland -24 @ FIU
Arkansas State +4 vs Memphis
SMU -17 vs North Texas
If I had to pick my favorite bug it would have to be a spider. They’re creepy as all hell but real smart, too. I wonder if land insects ever get jealous of the flying ones. I bet they do. If I saw a man flying around while I had to walk around like an idiot, I’d be jealous. I’d shoot that guy down the first chance I got. Moving On.....
Week 2 of the college football season kicks off tonight with Oregon State taking on Cincinnati. In addition to using my picks to eradicate poverty throughout the world, I am also going heads up against my dad this week. I am leery of posting my picks before he tells me what his are in the event he just tries to copy me to force a tie, but for the good of the world I will take that chance. Anyway here are the week 2 picks.
Cincinnatti +3 vs OSU
Louisville -39 vs MTSU
Rutgers -16 vs Navy
West Virginia -23.5 @ Marshall
Northwestern -8.5 vs Nevada
Nebraska -8 @ Wake Forest
Miami +11 @ Oklahoma
Miami OH +8.5 @ Minnesota
Temple -4 vs Bufffalo
Akron +28.5 @ Ohio State
Virginia -17 vs Duke
Vandy +3.5 vs Alabama
Central Michigan -3 vs Toledo
Michigan State -18 vs Bowling Green
Baylor -6.5 vs Rice
Utah State +24 @ Wyoming
San Jose State +17 @ Kansas State
Cal -14 @ Colorado State
Missouri -6 @ Ole Miss
Boston College -14 vs NC State
Ball State -4 @ Eastern Michigan
Michigan -6 vs Oregon
Washington +3 vs Boise State
Fresno State +17 @ Texas AM
Florida State -33 vs UAB
Georgia -5.5 vs South Carolina
Notre Dame +17.5 @ Penn State
Air Force +8 @ Utah
East Carolina -4.5 vs North Carolina
BYU +7.5 @ UCLA
Tennessee -10.5 vs Southern Miss
Texas -8.5 vs TCU
Tulane +6 vs Mississippi State
Kent State +13 @ Kentucky
Texas Tech -24 vs UTEP
Washington State -13.5 vs SDSU
Hawaii -28 @ La Tech
Iowa -22.5 vs Syracuse
Indiana -1.5 @ Western Michigan
Auburn -6.5 South Florida
Virginia Tech +13 @ LSU
NMSU +7 @ New Mexico
UNLV +26.5 vs Wisconsin
Florida -27 vs Troy
Oklahoma State -22 vs FAU
Ohio -1 @UL Lafayette
Maryland -24 @ FIU
Arkansas State +4 vs Memphis
SMU -17 vs North Texas
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
The Homeless
Although I had hoped to go 46-0 with my week 1 football picks in an effort to eradicate poverty from the world, in reality I went 24-21-1. While a 53% win rate may not seem very good, it should be noted that I outperformed virtually every big time college football gambler in week 1. Anyway now that week 1 is done, its time to move on to week 2.
The first game of week 2 is Cincinnati +3 vs Oregon State. My pick is Cincinnati. Oregon State always seems to get destroyed in these non-conference road games (Boise State, Louisville) and this year appears no different. OSU still can't decide on a quarterback and looked very sluggish last week against an overrated Utah team. Plus its hard to pick OSU when coach Riley looks like he belongs on a PBS series about homeless people.
In other news, enemy of the blog Dan Rubenstein has just started season 2 of the college football tour guide. In an effort to become the next Jenn Sterger, Dan went out and solicited sponsorship this year from sports illustrated who agreed to post his videos. While he is a terrible blogger, Dan actually does solid work as the College Football Tour Guide so I recommend his videos to everyone.
BaldingReport Out.
The first game of week 2 is Cincinnati +3 vs Oregon State. My pick is Cincinnati. Oregon State always seems to get destroyed in these non-conference road games (Boise State, Louisville) and this year appears no different. OSU still can't decide on a quarterback and looked very sluggish last week against an overrated Utah team. Plus its hard to pick OSU when coach Riley looks like he belongs on a PBS series about homeless people.
In other news, enemy of the blog Dan Rubenstein has just started season 2 of the college football tour guide. In an effort to become the next Jenn Sterger, Dan went out and solicited sponsorship this year from sports illustrated who agreed to post his videos. While he is a terrible blogger, Dan actually does solid work as the College Football Tour Guide so I recommend his videos to everyone.
BaldingReport Out.
Monday, September 3, 2007
College Football Recap
Oregon opened its season with a ho-hum 21 point victory over a decent Houston team. Every true duck fan probably saw the game, so I am going to offer grades for players the average fan might not have taken note of during the game.
Cameron Colvin: F-
Colvin somehow managed to end the game with zero catches despite playing nearly the entire game. Colvin has turned into the worst type of recruit imaginable for Oregon in that he ended up being a terrible player who managed to stay eligible for all 4 years. The athletic department needs to learn that they should only cover-up the legal problems of their good players, and not the bad ones.
Brady Leaf: A
Any game he stays on the bench he gets an A
Jeremiah Johnson: B+
Am I the only person who thinks that Johnson is better than Jonathan Stewart??? Johnson seems to get the most out of every run and always seems to be playing hard, where as Stewart always seems to be holding something back. I would say that Johsnon compares favorably to Daniel Tkebuchava, where as Stewart's lack of passion is reminiscent of Kevin Sully.
Dennis Dixon: C
I was surprised after the game to see so many glowing reports about how Dixon played. At halftime I honestly thought he was going to get pulled. He completed one pass in the first half people!!!!! I think people have been praising Dixon for two reasons A) Oregon did put up 48 points (although Dixon deserves little to no credit for that) and B) People don't want to admit that he may be no better than last season because if he is no better than Oregon will at best an average team.
Outside of his ability to run the option I saw nothing in this game that indicated Dixon is any better than last year.
Joe Giansante and Anthony Newman: D
Giansante was less homerish than usual, I think mainly because the game was picked up by ESPN gameplan meaning that people around the country were tuning in, not just duck fans.
Anthony Newman on the other hand continues to amaze me by what he actually says while in the booth. At one point during the game he actually said "I know a lot fans may not know where the Houston Cougars are from, but I guarantee you they have a good football team" I mean I have no idea where the HOUSTON Cougars are located Anthony, but thanks for pointing out that they may have a good football team.
Appalachian State: F
Everybody knew Michigan was overrated. That is just a yearly thing. But what was going to make this season so special for Oregon was that Oregon was going to get the "Michigan bump" by being the first team to knock off the Wolverines when everyone thought they were good. By knocking off a supposedly good Michigan team, everyone would in turn think Oregon was a good team. (Much like 2003 when everyone thought Oregon was really good after they beat UM, and the very next game Oregon lost by 10,000 points to WSU)
However because Appalachian State beat Michigan before Oregon could, Appalachian State is now getting the "Michigan Bump" instead of Oregon. I at least wanted Oregon to be thought of as a good team before the annual tank job. Oh well.
BaldingReport Out.
Cameron Colvin: F-
Colvin somehow managed to end the game with zero catches despite playing nearly the entire game. Colvin has turned into the worst type of recruit imaginable for Oregon in that he ended up being a terrible player who managed to stay eligible for all 4 years. The athletic department needs to learn that they should only cover-up the legal problems of their good players, and not the bad ones.
Brady Leaf: A
Any game he stays on the bench he gets an A
Jeremiah Johnson: B+
Am I the only person who thinks that Johnson is better than Jonathan Stewart??? Johnson seems to get the most out of every run and always seems to be playing hard, where as Stewart always seems to be holding something back. I would say that Johsnon compares favorably to Daniel Tkebuchava, where as Stewart's lack of passion is reminiscent of Kevin Sully.
Dennis Dixon: C
I was surprised after the game to see so many glowing reports about how Dixon played. At halftime I honestly thought he was going to get pulled. He completed one pass in the first half people!!!!! I think people have been praising Dixon for two reasons A) Oregon did put up 48 points (although Dixon deserves little to no credit for that) and B) People don't want to admit that he may be no better than last season because if he is no better than Oregon will at best an average team.
Outside of his ability to run the option I saw nothing in this game that indicated Dixon is any better than last year.
Joe Giansante and Anthony Newman: D
Giansante was less homerish than usual, I think mainly because the game was picked up by ESPN gameplan meaning that people around the country were tuning in, not just duck fans.
Anthony Newman on the other hand continues to amaze me by what he actually says while in the booth. At one point during the game he actually said "I know a lot fans may not know where the Houston Cougars are from, but I guarantee you they have a good football team" I mean I have no idea where the HOUSTON Cougars are located Anthony, but thanks for pointing out that they may have a good football team.
Appalachian State: F
Everybody knew Michigan was overrated. That is just a yearly thing. But what was going to make this season so special for Oregon was that Oregon was going to get the "Michigan bump" by being the first team to knock off the Wolverines when everyone thought they were good. By knocking off a supposedly good Michigan team, everyone would in turn think Oregon was a good team. (Much like 2003 when everyone thought Oregon was really good after they beat UM, and the very next game Oregon lost by 10,000 points to WSU)
However because Appalachian State beat Michigan before Oregon could, Appalachian State is now getting the "Michigan Bump" instead of Oregon. I at least wanted Oregon to be thought of as a good team before the annual tank job. Oh well.
BaldingReport Out.
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