So, as first reported here, Curlin did not win the Breeders Cup Classic. Not only did he not win, but he did not even place in the race. So going against preconceived knowledge, my prediction came out right, trumping the fact that I missed like 10 of the 12 races (Henrythenavigator, my pick to win, came in second...so close!)
Oklahoma St. really hung tough with Texas (although I was not able to see this game because of VA Tech/Florida St.). They are definitely going to be a team to watch out for when the New Years' Day bowl games come around. The Longhorns now are going up into what I predicted would be the game of the year, Texas @ Texas Tech. You don't even know how much I am looking forward to that game. I will say that the over/under will be like 77, and the final will exceed that number. Colt McCoy continues to have a stranglehold on the Heisman, having another monstrous game against the Cowboys.
However, Javon Ringer has suddenly sneaked back into the Heisman discussion with an equally monstrous game at the venue formally known as the "Big House," as Michigan St. won at Ann Arbor for the first time since 1990, and the first win over the Wolverines since 2002. Ringer had almost 200 yards on the ground, including a long touchdown to pace the Spartans in the early going, and a 3-yarder to put the game away. Ringer for some reason is ranked fairly low on most mock drafts despite is unbelievable season (1,179 yards, 14 TDs, both numbers leading the nation with three games to go). I don't know. I have Ringer and Knowshon Moreno 1-2 for RBs eligible for the Draft.
Speaking of Moreno, has there ever been a better time to be an SEC road team like this year? Ole Miss beat Florida at the Swamp and almost beat Alabama last week at Tuscaloosa. 'Bama blew the doors off of Georgia between the hedges, Carolina narrowly lost to both LSU and Georgia, and in the battle of those two teams today in Baton Rouge, Georgia put it to the Tigers from the opening bell, and pulled off a huge road win. I guess this speaks to the reserve these teams have playing conference opponents on the road. Very impressive performance from UGA.
I have been looking forward to this Penn St./Ohio St. game ever since the emmergence of Tyrelle Pryor for the Buckeyes, and the fact that the Nittany Lions have had incredible success this season, and really have been pushed very little all season. Pryor is Ohio St.'s great equalizer because of his ability to scramble. The reason the Buckeyes were not successful at all in their offense the past two BCS Championships is because they started two QBs (Troy Smith and Todd Boeckham) who were pure pocket passers, and against such a quick front seven, they don't stand a chance. You at least have a shot when you have a dual-threat like Pryor behind center. He has a chance to elude oncoming tacklers and make something happen. Keep in mind that the one time the Buckeyes lost this year was a road loss to Southern Cal, who at that moment was thought to be invincible. Plus, they did not have Chris Wells at 100% (I can't call him "Beanie." I know that's the cool thing to do...I just can't get on that wagon), so look for Ohio St., playing at the Horseshoe, to come up with a big game.
Fav Five Heisman Candidates
- Colt McCoy, QB, Texas
- Grahame Harrell, QB, Texas Tech
- Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia
- Chase Daniel, QB, Missouri
- Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma
The NBA season starts up on Tuesday, and you know what that means...Banner 17 to the rafters! The Celts face 'Bron-'Bron and the Cavs at the "Garden" to open up their defense of the title (and you have no idea how nice that is to say...by the way, I'm still pissed that David Stern only referred to us as the "Boston Celtics," and not "the defending champion Boston Celtics."). The start of the season also means the start of fantasy basketball (in other words, something to help me forget about fantasy football). I'm not going to do a full-fledged preview, but here are some guys to look out for:
- Rajon Rondo, G- Ok, you had to have known I was going to go this route. Now that Rondo has officially taken the reigns of, again, the defending World Champions. Expect him to be in the top 5 in steals, while upping his points, boards, and assists.
- Rashard Lewis, SF, PF- With another year under his belt in Orlando, and the perimeter being open because off the dominance of Dwight Howard down low, expect a big year from Lewis, especially in made three-pointers. Plus, he can be implimented in both forward positions
- Michael Beasley, PF- The rookie from K-State has been annointed the pre-season Rookie of the Year almost unanimously by the NBA pundits, and with good reason. Beasley has a rare combination of size and long-range touch which makes him deadly in multiple categories. If anything, Miami will be fun to watch with Beasley, Dwayne Wade fresh off his Olympic performance, and Shawn Marion.
- Gerald Wallace, SF- Wallace seems to go overlooked every year. I liken him to a poor man's Shawn Marion: He gives you numbers in every single category, and while they may not amass to Marion-like numbers, this is a guy that will be available in the 5th or 6th round, which is a great value.
- Rudy Gay, SF- With Gasol gone, and basically no offense to be accounted for in Memphis, it will fall back on Gay to come through with about 25 a night. O.J. Mayo should also be thrown into this discussion because, much like Gay, Mayo is a quick-moving, streaky shooter who can definitely make a bigger rookie impact that guys like Derrick Rose or Kevin Love will have.
~Mell-o
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