Bowl Preview & Picks, pt.2

Austin Davis of Southern Miss

7. Sheraton Hawaii Bowl
Nevada (7-5, 5-2 WAC) vs. Southern Miss (11-2, 6-2 C-USA)
This will mark the final time Southern Miss will be led by Larry Fedora as he is moving on to North Carolina.  The Golden Eagle offense led by Austin Davis will go up against the #2 defense in the WAC.  Advantage goes to the defense facing a team dealing with the disappointment of losing their coach and not receiving a Liberty Bowl invite.  Nevada Wolfpack wins 34-17.

8. AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl
Missouri (7-5, 5-4 Big 12) vs. North Carolina (7-5, 3-5 ACC)
Missouri visits SEC country for their last bowl game as a member of the Big 12 Conference.  Neither of these teams is especially exciting, but I'll go with the team that has the more stable situation.  Mizzou wins 24-10.

9. Little Caesar's Bowl
Western Michigan (7-5, 5-3 MAC) vs. Purdue (6-6, 4-4 Big Ten)
The Boilermakers completely turned their season around to make it to a bowl game.  The Broncos have one of the most exciting offenses in the country but they have struggled against Big 10 teams in the past, losing six straight including at Michigan and Illinois this season.  I'll go with the Big 10 team.  Purdue wins 41-28.

Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater

10. Belk Bowl
Louisville (7-5, 5-2 Big East) vs. NC State (7-5, 4-4 ACC)
The Cardinals are a young team that has overcome a 2-4 start to make the Belk Bowl to face the Wolfpack of NC State.  Charlie Strong's bunch seem to be getting better and better each week and I'd look for quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to have a big game.  Cardinals win 31-20.

11. Military Bowl
Toledo (8-4, 7-1 MAC) vs. Air Force (7-5, 3-4 MWC)
Over the past month nobody has been scoring more than the Toledo Rockets and they've been doing it both rushing and passing.  The Falcons have been putting up points recently but it's because of their option attack which averages 320 yards per game.  The Rockets lost their head coach to Illinois but promoted offensive coordinator Matt Campbell to head coach.  Falcons won't be able to stop the Rockets.  Toledo wins 48-24.

12. Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl
California (7-5, 4-5 Pac-12) vs. Texas (7-5, 4-5 Big 12)

The Bears offense has really come on strong lately and Texas has really shown no reason for someone to believe in them.  That being said the Longhorns have won seven of their last nine postseason games and I'm going to take them again.  Texas wins 24-20.

Bowl Preview & Picks, pt. 1

No time for the movies?

   If you're like me and don't go to the movies that often check this out.  Looks like I need to add a few movies to my netflix.


2011: The Cinescape from Matt Shapiro on Vimeo.

Bowl Preview & Picks, pt.1

Temple's Bernard Pierce

1. Gildan New Mexico Bowl

Temple (8-4, 5-3 MAC) vs. Wyoming (8-4, 5-2 MWC)
Owls' ground game and defense are too much for the Cowboys.  Temple's Bernard Pierce comes into the matchup with 25 rushing touchdowns and will likely be the difference in the game.  Temple wins 21-17.

2. Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Ohio (9-4, 6-2 MAC) vs. Utah State (7-5, 5-2 WAC)
Frank Solich and the Bobcats are coming off a tough loss in the MAC Championship game and will want to end the season on a high note, with the program's first bowl victory.  Ohio wins 31-24.

3. R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
San Diego St. (8-4, 4-3 MWC) vs. UL-Lafayette (8-4, 6-2 Sun Belt)
The Ragin' Cajuns travel a couple of hours down I-10 to take on the Aztecs.  The Cajuns and their fans are extremely excited to be in a bowl for the first time as a FBS member.  That excitement and  fan support as well as an opportunistic defense that forces turnovers will lead the Cajuns to a big win.  Cajuns win 35-31.

FIU's T.Y. Hilton

4. Beef O'Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg
Florida International (8-4, 5-3 Sun Belt) vs. Marshall (6-6, 5-3 C-USA)
T.Y. Hilton is the real deal at receiver for FIU and he wants to go out with a bowl victory. Marshall needed a near miracle to even become bowl eligible.  Golden Panthers win 34-20.

5. San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
TCU (10-2, 7-0 MWC) vs. Louisiana Tech (8-4, 6-1 WAC)
Both teams were likely disappointed when TCU was not taken in the BCS.  The Bulldogs best season in quite a while gets them a date with a TCU team that last year was winning the Rose Bowl.  TCU has a nasty defense and quarterback Casey Pachall continues to improve.  Horned Frogs win big, 38-17.

6. MAACO Bowl Las Vegas
Arizona State (6-6, 4-5 Pac-12) vs. Boise State (11-1, 6-1 MWC)
Kellen Moore enters his final game as Bronco's quarterback as the winningest quarterback in NCAA history.  ASU fired Dennis Erickson and has now brought in the now almost universally-loathed Todd Graham.  It seems as though the Sun Devils have absolutely no positive momentum.  I'll take the program who regularly exceeds expectations over one who never lives up to them.  Boise State wins 38-24

Sam Hurd is an idiot

Chicago Bears wide receiver Sam Hurd was arrested on federal drug charges Wednesday night after attempting to buy 5 to 10 kilograms of cocaine and 1,000 lbs of marijuana from an undercover agent.

This is a guy who in July signed a 3 year contract worth $2.5 million+ with a $1.3 million signing bonus.  I hope it was all worth it Mr. Hurd because I've got news for you.

Check out ESPN.com's story for more on Mr. Hurd's drug empire.

Todd Graham makes Nick Saban look like a decent person

  University of Pittsburgh players are pretty furious after Todd Graham texted them to tell them he was no longer their coach as he was accepting the head coaching position at Arizona State University.

College football is all about money and while we've come to expect dishonesty from coaches like Bobby Petrino, Lane Kiffin and Nick Saban, Graham's low-class exit has set the bar even lower.

Graham has made a career of only staying a short while in one place as he spent one season as head coach of Rice, four seasons at Tulsa and now just one season at Pitt before bolting to the desert to take over the Sun Devils.

Just three weeks ago three Pitt assistants accepted positions at Arizona under Rich Rodriguez, a move that led Graham to call them "mercenaries."  I sincerely hope that Rich Rod destroys this douchebag every opportunity he gets.

After watching the way Arizona State conducted their coaching search and the way they screwed over June Jones it seems as though Todd Graham and Arizona State is a perfect match.

So here's to you Todd Graham.  May you enjoy 3 win seasons and accepting a coordinator position in the Sun Belt Conference in a couple of seasons.

Indiana Hooters beat Kentucky

   Just in case you missed the exciting game between Kentucky and Indiana this weekend, we'll let 9News in Denver's Ashton Altieri fill you in on what happened.

LSU's Mathieu & Claiborne lock down All-America team

  Tyrann Mathieu and Morris Claiborne, teammates at LSU, became the first pair from the same squad to claim the cornerback spots on the AP All-America team.  They were joined on the first team by LSU punter Brad Wing, while offensive guard Will Blackwell received second-team honors and defensive end Sam Montgomery made the third team.

Heisman trophy winner Robert Griffin III was named first-team quarterback while Heisman runner-up Andrew Luck was on the second-team.  The other Heisman finalists, Trent Richardson and Montee Ball were both named to the first-team.

LSU's National Championship Game opponent Alabama placed four on the first-team with offensive tackle Barrett Jones, linebacker Dont'a Hightower and safety Mark Barron joining Richardson.

First Team

Offense

QB: Robert Griffin III, junior, 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, Baylor 

RB: Montee Ball, junior, 5-11, 210, Wisconsin; Trent Richardson, junior, 5-11, 224, Alabama 

WR: Justin Blackmon, junior, 6-1, 215, Oklahoma State; Robert Woods, sophomore, 6-1, 180, Southern California 

TE: Dwayne Allen, junior, 6-4, 255, Clemson 

OT: Barrett Jones, senior, 6-5, 311, Alabama; Matt Kalil, junior, 6-7, 295, Southern California 

OG: David DeCastro, senior, 6-5, 310, Stanford; Kevin Zeitler, senior, 6-4, 318, Wisconsin 

C: David Molk, senior, 6-2, 286, Michigan.

Defense

DE: Melvin Ingram, senior, 6-2, 276, South Carolina; Whitney Mercilus, junior, 6-4, 265, Illinois 

DT: Devon Still, senior, 6-5, 310, Penn State; Jerel Worthy, junior, 6-3, 310, Michigan State 

LB: Luke Kuechly, junior, 6-3, 237, Boston College; Jarvis Jones, sophomore, 6-3, 241, Georgia; Dont'a Hightower, junior, 6-4, 260, Alabama 

CB: Morris Claiborne, junior, 6-0, 185, LSU; Tyrann Mathieu, sophomore, 5-9, 175, LSU 

S: Mark Barron, senior, 6-2, 218, Alabama; Bacarri Rambo, junior, 6-0, 218, Georgia.

Special Teams

P: Brad Wing, freshman, 6-3, 184, LSU 

K: Randy Bullock, senior, 5-9, 212, Texas A&M 

All-purpose player - Sammy Watkins, freshman, 6-1, 180, Clemson.

Second Team

Offense

QB: Andrew Luck, junior, Stanford 

RB: LaMichael James, junior, Oregon; David Wilson, junior, Virginia Tech 

WR: Ryan Broyles, senior, Oklahoma; Kendall Wright, senior, Baylor 

TE: Tyler Eifert, junior, Notre Dame 

OT: Jonathan Martin, senior, Stanford; Nate Potter, senior, Boise State 

OG: Will Blackwell, senior, LSU; Austin Pazstor, senior, Virginia 

C: Peter Konz, junior, Wisconsin.

Defense

DE: Frank Alexander, senior, Oklahoma; Vinny Curry, senior, Marshall 

DT: Joe Vellano, junior, Maryland; Derek Wolfe, senior, Cincinnati 

LB: Courtney Upshaw, senior, Alabama; Lavonte David, senior, Nebraska; Manti Teo, junior, Notre Dame

CB: David Amerson, sophomore, North Carolina State; Dre Kirkpatrick, junior, Alabama; S: Markelle Martin, senior, Oklahoma State; Antonio Allen, senior, South Carolina.

Special Teams

P: Ryan Allen, junior, Louisiana Tech

K: Caleb Sturgis, junior, Florida

All-purpose player - Joe Adams, senior, Arkansas.

Third Team

Offense

QB: Matt Barkley, junior, Southern California 

RB: Ronnie Hillman, sophomore, San Diego State; Bobby Rainey, senior, Western Kentucky 

WR: Jordan White, senior, Western Michigan; Patrick Edwards, senior, Houston 

TE: Coby Fleener, senior, Stanford 

OT: Levy Adcock, senior, Oklahoma State; Cordy Glenn, senior, Georgia 

OG: Ryan Miller, senior, Colorado; Gabe Ikard, sophomore, Oklahoma 

C: Grant Garner, senior, Oklahoma State.

Defense

DE: Sam Montgomery, sophomore, LSU; Andre Branch, senior, Clemson 

DT: John Simon, junior, Ohio State; Fletcher Cox, junior, Mississippi State 

LB: Tank Carder, senior, TCU; Sammy Brown, senior, Houston; Emmanuel Acho, senior, Texas 

CB: Nigel Malone, junior, Kansas State; Brodrick Brown, junior, Oklahoma State 

S: Josh Bush, senior, Wake Forest; George Iloka, senior, Boise State.

Special Teams

P: Shawn Powell, senior, Florida State 

K: Quinn Sharp, junior, Oklahoma State 

All-purpose player - Tavon Austin, junior, West Virginia.

Good news for beer lovers

   CraftBeer.com is reporting that more than 50 breweries have opened in over 20 states in the past two months.  That's some seriously great news for all those out there who enjoy good American craft beer.  Check out what breweries are opening near you.

Tim Tebow tattoo result of lost bet

   Juan Contreras is the man whose thigh now features what is surely the worst Tim Tebow tattoo so far.  The centaur sporting a Broncos helmet and toting a football with the phrase "Tebow Time" was the result of a bet gone horribly wrong.

Contreras and his buddy Josh Lucero made a bet after Tebow was named starting quarterback for the Broncos.  If the Broncos won five or more games with Tebow starting Contreras would get a "Tebow Time" tattoo; if they won fewer than five, Lucero, a Tebow supporter would get an anti-Tebow tattoo.

We now all know that all Tebow does is win and this amazingly awful tattoo is the result of that.  Check out ESPN's Page 2 for more story.

Cleveland Browns fan rant is pure gold

NSFW due to language.



I can't say I'd react any differently.  If I had to live in that pile of scrap metal that is Cleveland I'd be pissed off all the time as well.

Westvleteren 12 to the US?

   We've got good news to report on the booze front.  According to BR Beer Scene, Westvleteren 12 looks to be making its way to the US market.

Westvleteren 12 is a Belgian Trappist ale, meaning it is brewed by trappist monks.  There are only seven trappist breweries in the world and for years Westvleteren ales have been some of the rarest and hardest to come by beers in the world.  

Westvleteren 12 is regularly rated as one of the very best beers in the world and the talk of it coming to the United States should have all beer drinkers rejoicing.

Check out more about Westvleteren 12 in the United States at BR Beer Scene

Kris Humphries gets "Man Caves" treatment

   The former Mr. Kim Kardashian was recently given a gift from Tony Siragusa, host of DIY network's show "Man Caves"

Humphries "cave" features multiple bars, liquor dispensers and a wall that features a 120 inch projection screen.

Check out more photos from TMZ

NBA says no deal!

   The NBA decided to reject the proposed three team trade that would have sent Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers.  The trade would have also sent Pau Gasol to the Houston Rockets and the New Orleans Hornets would have received Lamar Odom, Luis Scola, Kevin Martin, Goran Dragic and a 2012 first round pick.

     
Rumor has it that a group of owners whom were gathered in New York to ratify the league's new labor pact protested to the league office to stop the trade.

The NBA is the same league that approved trades involving Carmelo Anthony to New York in which the Nuggets received Hanna Montana tickets and a tub of movie theatre popcorn and also a trade involving Pau Gasol to the Lakers which left the Memphis Grizzlies with a pack a gum and Kwame Brown who coincidentally now gets paid with gum.  

I'm not a GM but I do understand that the Hornets know they must trade Paul now or they'll be left out in the cold like Cleveland was once LeBron took his talents to South Beach.  I applaud them for going out and trying to get the best deal possible, it's just a shame the NBA killed it.  David Stern is apparently still after the "Worst Commissioner in Sports" title.

Oh no! Football player gives a touchdown away

   In case you missed it, which should cover pretty much all of you out there, watch Stephon Shelton of Wofford giftwrap a touchdown for Northern Iowa.  For the one person who cares, Northern Iowa went on to win 28-21 to advance to the quarterfinals of the Football Championship Subdivision quarterfinals.

Weis to coach Kansas

   It appears that once you go fat you must go back.  Kansas has hired Charlie Weis to try to rebuild the program built by fellow heavyweight Mark Mangino after an unsuccessful stint by Turner Gill.

     
Weis leaves behind the Florida Gators where as the offensive coordinator his offense ranked 102 in the nation. Quite an accomplishment to land a head coaching job after leading an offense that ranked below Eastern Michigan, Western Kentucky, Tulane and Buffalo.

Now that Weis has brought his FUPA to the Big "12" can he turn the KU program around and make them a contender?  Doubtful.  Weis likely will not be able to land the recruits needed to compete with the schools to the south.  Kansas isn't exactly a recruiting hotbed and I can only imagine how off-putting it must be to watch Weis give a recruiting pitch to someone as he BBQ sauce dribbles down his chins while he eats some Kansas City style ribs.

As a LSU fan I'm disappointed I won't get to watch this fatass roam the sidelines of Tiger Stadium every other year as a coach at Florida.  If only he was wearing purple, he'd look just like the Grimace.

Pujols to Angels

   Albert Pujols has signed with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim according to Buster Olney.  The deal is reportedly a 10 year deal worth $250-260 million.  Do the Cardinals now go after Prince Fielder?

South Beach style disaster

   It seems the Miami Marlins are out of the Albert Pujols sweepstakes but it won't keep them from looking absolutely FABULOUS this year!  Let's take a look at these abominations.

As if the teal in their past uniforms was not bad enough they've decided to add some yellow and orange to make it some sort of trinity of awful.  We get it, "latin flare", whatever.  The bright orange shirt should make the squad look like a bunch of highway workers while they play in front of the 7,000 fans that South Florida has to offer.

I've never been to Miami and everything I know about comes from clips of Don Johnson wearing white blazers and pastel shirts and what I've seen from "The First 48."  Based on that and these new Marlins uniforms I think I'll just stay away.

Big East gets bigger; who cares

   The Big East Conference announced Wednesday to add Houston, SMU and Central Florida in all sports while also adding Boise State and San Diego State as football only members.  Congratulations Big East, you've lost your best members and all regional rivalries and created another Conference USA that for now remains a BCS automatic qualifier.

I imagine Boise State head coach Chris Peterson will be singing a different song than he was last week.  After his Broncos were left out of the BCS and forced to accept a bid to the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas to face a 6-6 Arizona State team who just fired Dennis Erickson, Peterson fired off, claiming "everybody is just very tired of the BCS."  Don't worry Coach Peterson, you'll soon be able to play a daunting schedule of SMU, UConn, directional Florida schools and the other powers of the brand new Big Least and cash in with a trip to the Fiesta or Orange Bowls.

Big East commissioner John Marinatto bragged in his news conference about the huge footprint the new Big East will have.  Really sounds great doesn't it?  Ya know, those big time Central Florida and Boise State games or how about the San Diego State versus UConn matchups?  One thing's for sure, these coaches and players will be racking up some serious frequent flyer miles.  Miles, and plenty of out of conference losses I'm sure.

Who cares???  Not one damn person.  The Big East has an awful television contract currently and losing their historically best teams and two of their largest television markets is not going to help when they re-negotiate.  Nobody's going to be tuning in for the Big East snoozer of the day at 11AM on Saturday.  This conference is going to be fighting it out with the MAC for Tuesday and Wednesday night games.

If the name of the game is self-preservation then kudos are to be given to the Big East.  They've managed to delay their death for at least a couple of more years.  That is until Rutgers, UConn, Cincinnati and Louisville head for higher grounds in the inevitable flood that is super-conference expansion.

Best Images of 2011 Season (So Far)

1. Tyrann Mathieu and Mo Claiborne celebrate.

2. Tyrann Mathieu scores on a punt return in the SEC Championship Game.

3. Ron Brooks scores on a interception return against Auburn.

4. Brad Wing punts against Alabama.

5. Barkevious Mingo sacks Auburn quarterback Clint Moseley.

6. Eric Reid takes the ball away from Alabama.

7. Mo Claiborne leaps to intercept the ball against Alabama.

8. Drew Alleman and Brad Wing celebrate the winning kick against Alabama.

9. Spencer Ware celebrates after defeating Alabama.

10. The team enters the field on September 10.

11. The scoreboard after LSU defeated Alabama.

12. The team prepares to enter the field against Oregon.

13. Tyrann Mathieu scores after stripping the Oregon punt returner.

14. Tyrann Mathieu against Northwestern State.

15. The Tiger Stadium crowd

16. The Tigers prepare to take the field against Auburn.

17. Russell Shepard scores a receiving touchdown against Arkansas.

18. The best secondary in the nation enjoying a rest.

19. Sam Montgomery celebrates a defensive stop.

20. Jermauria Rasco celebrates during the victory over Auburn.

21. Rueben Randle scores against Oregon.

22. Rueben Randle burns the Auburn secondary.

23. The offensive line against Mississippi State.

24. The team enters the stadium to fireworks.

25. Mo Claiborne scores on a kickoff return against West Virginia.

26. Barkevious Mingo chases down the Oregon back.

27. Les Miles explains himself to an official.

28. Jarrett Lee passes the ball to DeAngelo Peterson against Tennessee.

29. J.C. Copeland and Spencer Ware celebrate against Florida.

30. The Tigers get hyped before kickoff.

31. Sam Montgomery brings the swagger during pregame.

32. Helmets ready to collide with opponents.

33. A Tiger raises his helmet in celebration during the defeat of Oregon.

34. Jarrett Lee checks the defense out against Oregon.

35. Michael Ford punches one in against the Ducks.

36. Michael Ford runs down the sideline in OT against Alabama.

37. Members of the defense react to a punt return score from Mathieu.

38. Brad Wings taunts Florida defenders as he races to the endzone.

39. Will Blackwell and Alfred Blue celebrate his score against UGA.

40. The Tiger Band plays as it marches to Tiger Stadium.