Clutch Sports Blog

Top Five Storylines for the Remainder of the NCAA Tournament

2015-03-23T20:31:00.000-04:00

There's plenty of action left in the 2015 NCAA Tournament. Here are the five top storylines I'll be watching for:

5. Conference Bragging Rights- Here's a breakdown of the remaining conferences and how many teams in them are left in the Sweet 16.

Atlantic Coast Conference(5)- Duke Blue Devils (Top seed in the South Region), Louisville Cardinals (Fourth seed in the East Region), North Carolina State Wolfpack (Eighth seed in the East Region), North Carolina Tar Heels (Fourth seed in the West Region) and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Third seed in the Midwest Region).

Big East Conference(1)- Xavier Musketeers (Sixth seed in the West Region).

Big Ten Conference(2)- Michigan State Spartans (Seventh seed in the East Region) and the Wisconsin Badgers (Top Seed in the West Region).

Big XII Conference(2)- Oklahoma Sooners (Third Seed in the East Region) and the West Virginia Mountaineers (Fifth seed in the Midwest Region).

Missouri Valley Conference(1)- Wichita State Shockers (Seventh seed in the Midwest Region).

Pac 12 Conference(3)- Arizona Wildcats (Second seed in the West Region), UCLA Bruins (11th seed in the South Region) and the Utah Utes (Fifth seed in the South Region).

South Eastern Conference(1)- Kentucky Wildcats (Top seed in the Midwest Region).

West Coast Conference(1)- Gonzaga Bulldogs (Second seed in the South Region).

If it ended now, the ACC and Pac 12 would be the two best conferences in basketball. We'll see how things pan out from here.

4. Two mid-major teams have a chance to make some serious headlines- The Gonzaga Bulldogs and Wichita State Shockers come from conferences most Americans would fail to name, but both teams could potentially make a run to the Final Four.

Gonzaga has been hot all season and even got some serious consideration to be a number-one seed. Wichita State only lost four games on the season, but was only given a seven seed heading into the tourney due to playing inferior competition. The Shockers are currently favored by a point in their matchup with Notre Dame on Thursday night and the Zags are favored by as many as nine points in their game against the UCLA Bruins on Friday.

If two mid-major teams make the Elite Eight it would be a very rare occurrence.

3. Chalk or no chalk?- That is the question many fans will be asking themselves heading into the weekend. There aren't a whole lot of sleeper teams entering the Sweet 16, still, the table is set for madness to ensue if the underdogs make some noise.

2. We're still waiting on the breakout player of the tournament- There have been plenty of exciting games, but we've still yet to hear a whole lot about the big-time players. With only 16 teams left that should change.

1. Every time the Kentucky Wildcats play- Will this team lose a single game? If so, who can beat them? Every game the Wildcats play is huge from here on out.

Ranking the Final 16 Teams Remaining

2015-03-23T18:50:00.001-04:00

There hasn't been as much "madness" as some of us hoped for, but we should expect to be thoroughly entertained for the duration of the tournament. Here are my rankings from one to 16 of the teams remaining starting with:

THE ELITE

1. Kentucky Wildcats- This team is loaded and is looking to be the first undefeated National Champion in college basketball since the Indiana Hoosiers in 1976. There's no need to elaborate here. It's "The Road to 40-0" for the Cats.

CLEAR-CUT TITLE CONTENDERS- It will be news when any of these clubs lose.

2. Wisconsin Badgers- Although the Badgers haven't looked like a number-one seed so far, they still have Frank Kaminsky, one of the best players in college basketball, a dominant defense due in large part to their size and are dangerous from beyond the three-point line. It's no fluke this team was the champion in both the Big Ten Regular Season and Conference Tournament.

3. Duke Blue Devils- Duke has a dominant offense led by Jahlil Okafor and doesn't have a glaring weakness on their team. The Devils have dominated through the first two rounds of the tournament and appear to have a favorable matchup against the Utah Utes in the Sweet 16.

4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish- Yes, Notre Dame is a three seed I have ranked above the remaining two seeds. If you go back to the end of the regular season, the Irish are on a seven-game winning streak. One of those victories came on the road to the Louisville Cardinals, two were in North Carolina in the ACC Tournament against Duke and UNC, and the other impressive win came against the Butler Bulldogs in the round of 32. Notre Dame is worthy of the "Title Contender" status because they can overcome deficits with their three-point shooting, they're from the ACC (a conference that has dominated in the tournament so far), and they simply appear to be peaking at the right time.

5. Arizona Wildcats- This is basically your west-coast version of the Wisconsin Badgers. The Wildcats easily won the PAC 12 Regular Season Title and the conference tournament was no different. This team is loaded with talent, size and shoots over 48 percent from the field. Arizona and Wisconsin have an identical 33-3 record and would face off in the Elite Eight if both teams take care of business on Thursday night.

6. Gonzaga Bulldogs- Gonzaga has had no trouble so far in the tournament. The top-shooting team in the country has what appears to be a favorable draw in the Sweet 16 against the 11-seeded UCLA Bruins. The Dawgs could face Duke on Sunday in what would be a highly-anticipated game featuring a mid-major squad looking to knock off one of the most dominant teams in all of college basketball.

A CUT ABOVE THE REST- These teams won't shock anybody.

7. North Carolina Tar Heels- North Carolina dominates when it comes to scoring and rebounding. I didn't mention defense because that's their glaring weakness. That being said, nobody wants to face this team. The Heels will face Wisconsin on Thursday night.

8. Louisville Cardinals- The first week of tournament describes how this team has looked on the season. On Thursday they barely survived to beat UC Irvine 57-55. Vegas had the Cardinals as underdogs going into Sunday's matchup against the Northern Iowa Panthers. Louisville took care of business against the Panthers and won 66-53. The Cardinals are sloppy on offense, but play great defense and rebound well. You just don't know what you're gonna get with this team. The Cardinals will face the North Carolina State Wolfpack on Friday. These two teams should be plenty familiar with each other since they both play in the ACC.

9. Oklahoma Sooners- The Sooners came out of the weekend as the highest seed remaining in the unpredictable East Region. It's hard to gauge how good this team is, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt since they're technically a three seed. The Sooners had an easy first-round matchup against Albany then beat the Dayton Flyers, who had played six games in ten days in the round of 32. It's an open book on these guys. They've played great D so far, but against so-so competition. We'll see how they play against Michigan State on Friday night.

WILD CARDS- You're hot then you're cold. Or you're just really hot. We'll see.

10. West Virginia Mountaineers- This team forces turnovers and dominates when it comes to offensive rebounding. The Mountaineers don't play selfishly on offense and are led by their senior point guard Juwan Staten. Although this team isn't loaded with talent, they're the definition of gritty when you watch them play. They'll give the Kentucky Wildcats everything they got on Thursday night.

11. Michigan State Spartans- Of Course the Spartans are in the Sweet 16. Head coach Tom Izzo's team looks reinvented once again as we head into late March. This team is loaded with veterans and does a great job on the boards. If the offense can hold up, we might just see Sparty back in the Final Four. MSU faces the Sooners on Friday night.

12. Utah Utes- This Pac 12 team is tough to gauge. Here's what I do know. Delon Wright is arguably the best point guard in the country and the Utes still haven't been given enough credit for their outstanding season. We'll find out pretty quick if this team is the real deal when they face Duke on Friday night.

13. Wichita State Shockers- The Shockers won't be shocking anybody after an appearance in the 2013 Final Four was followed by an undefeated regular season, which ended with a round-of-32 loss to the Kentucky Wildcats, the eventual runner up in the 2014 NCAA Tournament. It's only fitting that I just realized I likely underestimated this team, like the rest of the country once again. The Shockers just came off an impressive 78-65 victory over the two-seeded Kansas Jayhawks. They will play Notre Dame on Thursday Night. By the way, I'm not sure how this four-loss team that has proven they're no fluke ended up only getting a seven seed. I'll let the committee answer that one.

FLYING UNDER THE RADAR- Oh yeah, this team's still playing.

14. Xavier Musketeers- The Musketeers beat Ole Miss and Georgia State in the first two rounds of the tournament. They're one of those teams that has a lot of good players, but no specific "superstar" per se. Xavier will be put to the test on Thursday when they face the Arizona Wildcats.

MAKING SOME NOISE- One huge upset and everyone's talking about you.

15. North Carolina State Wolfpack- Wolf...Pack. At least that's what the fans like to chant. NC State had a bracket-busting victory over the one-seeded Villanova Wildcats on Saturday after overcoming a double-digit deficit to eventually win at the buzzer against the nine-seeded LSU Tigers on Thursday. The Wolfpack will face the Louisville Cardinals on Friday, a team they've already beaten on the road in the middle of February this season.

SLEEPER- It's "Us against the world" for you guys.

16. UCLA Bruins- Charles Barkley has repeatedly said rebounding is a huge statistic when it comes to the NCAA Tournament. That's about all this team is really good at, and it's been good enough to help them get a 60-59 victory followed by a 92-75 (I guess they can score too) victory over 14-seeded UAB in the round of 32. Sophomore guard Bryce Alford shot 9-11 from three-point range against SMU and 3-5 from downtown against UAB. He has 49 points in the two Bruins victories and will be key if they want to get past Gonzaga on Friday night.

March Madness 2015: 5 Sleeper Teams that can do some damage

2015-03-19T11:37:00.000-04:00

This year has some teams clearly better than the rest. An undefeated Kentucky squad, the Wisconsin Badgers who dominated the Big Ten and the Duke Blue Devils, a team was the best in the ACC during the regular season and led by Jahlil Okafor, who's probably going to be the top draft pick in June.

It's hard to argue against people going the "chalk" route this year, but if you're looking to go against the grain, here are five teams that could make you look like a rocket scientist for a couple weeks:

5. Virginia Commonwealth Rams- VCU has become a team fans recognize when the tourney starts thanks to head coach Shaka Smart, who's led the Rams to post-season play for the fifth-straight year. VCU doesn't have a hype-worthy offense, but the team is third in the country in both steals and turnover ratio. The Rams play a fast-paced game that can frustrate anybody. Watch for Treveon Graham, the VCU's leading scorer to be a key to the team's success or demise. VCU has been hot lately, coming off a victory in the Atlantic 10 Championship Game over the Dayton Flyers. The Rams will face off against the Ohio State Buckeyes on Thursday afternoon.

4. Xavier Musketeers- It's interesting to note the Musketeers are ranked 20th in the country when it comes to two-point field goal percentage, but 143rd in the country from outside the arc. Xavier does move the ball around a lot, averaging over sixteen assists per game and has very balanced scoring, but lacks a true go-to guy in the final minutes. The team also isn't too good defensively and struggles rebounding the ball, but they have played competitively all year in the Big East and have enough depth to possibly make a run this year. Xavier plays Thursday afternoon against Ole Miss.

3. Texas Longhorns- The Longhorns are that team that has been close to getting "over the hump" all season, but never met their potential. The Horns are eighth in the country, averaging just under 40 rebounds per game. Texas has a bunch of talent that has underperformed all season long and might just be able to put it together when it counts most. They've been well tested playing in the Big 12 Conference and even hung around on the road against the Kentucky Wildcats early in the season. Texas will face the Butler Bulldogs on Thursday afternoon.

2. Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks- Stephen F. Austin ranks in the top ten in assists, PPG and FG%. The Lumberjacks have 29 victories, 25 of them were by ten points or more. Three of their four losses on the season came to teams in the tournament. Their junior guard Thomas Walkup averages just under 16 PPG and shoots 57% from the field. Senior forward Jacob Parker shoots 47% from three-point range and is a nightmare for defenses. Of course the defense isn't anything impressive, but the offense should be able to hang with just about anybody. Stephen F. Austin faces the Utah Utes on Thursday night.

1. Davidson Wildcats- The Wildcats won the Atlantic 10 Regular Season Title. Davidson is 16th in the country in three-point field goal percentage and only three schools in the country score a higher percentage of their points via the three pointer(none of those three teams are in the 64-team field). Davidson is also in the top six in both PPG and APG. They're a so-so rebounding team, but struggle a lot on defense. This is one of those teams that is simply looking to outscore you every game. Davidson reeks of your prototypical sleeper team. They're loaded with scorers, with four of their players averaging at least 12 PPG and are full of confidence. Don't sleep on Davidson or anybody from the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Wildcats face the Iowa Hawkeyes on Friday night.

Teams that just missed the cut:

Dayton Flyers- They went to the Elite Eight last year and are full of athletic players who like to take the ball to the rack. Their major problem is size.

Wyoming Cowboys- I've heard a lot hype about Wyoming's senior forward Larry Nance Jr. Unfortunately, I don't believe the team has enough offensive firepower, not to mention they open up with a tough matchup against Northern Iowa.

A couple final notes:

My Final Four consists of Kentucky, Wisconsin, Duke and Northern Iowa. I have Kentucky defeating Duke in the championship game.

I have Xavier, Stephen F. Austin and Dayton making it to the Sweet 16.

That's enough from me, let the madness begin!

Breaking Down College Basketball Championship Week 2015

2015-03-09T14:44:00.001-04:00

I'm breaking down Championship Week with all the big-time stuff you need to know with 21 reasons/pieces of advice(in no particular order, just counting them down cause it looks cool) you should take into account when you turn on the tube or walk into a sports bar.

Starting with.

THE PLAYERS

21. Jahlil Okafor- Many believe the center for the Duke Blue Devils, who is just under seven-feet tall, will be the top pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. He's averaging 19 points and nine rebounds per game, not to mention he's shot at least 60 percent from the field in his last four games. Okafor is must-watch material this week.

20. Keifer Sykes in the Horizon League Men's Championship Final- News flash, the Packers aren't the only sports team from Green Bay getting air time on ESPN. The Green Bay Phoenix will face the Valparaiso Crusaders on ESPN at 7:00 PM Eastern Time on Tuesday night to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The hot topic in this game will be GB's senior guard Keifer Sykes, who's averaging over 18 PPG, as well as 29 PPG in Horizon-League-Tournament play this year. I've heard plenty about this guy, but haven't had the chance to see him play. Watch.

19. Delon Wright- The Senior point guard for the Utah Utes has led his team, bringing them from obscurity into the spotlight. The Utes will be tested immediately on Thursday night with a matchup against the winner of the game between the Stanford Cardinal and Washington Huskies. The best-case scenario of course for Utah would be to play in the Pacific 12 Conference Final. A game where Wright could have the chance to show off his talents on national television against the vaunted Arizona Wildcats. We'll see if the Utes and Wright are up to the test.

18. D'Angelo Russell- The freshman guard for the Ohio State Buckeyes has averaged an impressive 19.2 PPG. He'll have a chance to showcase his talents in Chicago for the Big Ten Tournament starting Thursday night when the winner of a matchup between Minnesota and Rutgers will face the Buckeyes. Russell is a projected top-five pick in several mock drafts for the NBA. Check this guy out.

17. You want efficiency? These two guys...- Jakob Poeltl and Domantas Sabonis(son of former NBA center Arvydas Sabonis) are both forwards. Poeltl plays for the Utah Utes and Sabonis plays for the Gonzaga Bulldogs. What makes these guys special is they each shoot 68 percent from the floor. Just saying.

16. For those who dig the three ball- The UC Davis Aggies finished first in the Big West Conference. What people should get excited about is the fact that both senior guards Corey Hawkins and Tyler Les shoot above 48% from three-point range. With that kind of crazy consistency, it shouldn't be a surprise that the team is fourth in the country in field goal percentage, shooting 49.5% from the field. Big-West-Tournament action begins on Thursday, with the championship game airing on ESPN 2 this Saturday evening.

THE TEAMS

15. The Kentucky Wildcats- This one's obvious. The Kentucky Wildcats are the first team from a major conference to go undefeated in the regular season since the Indiana Hoosiers in 1976. Every game will be filled with a little extra drama as the Cats are not only the favorites to win it all, but continue to chase the pursuit of perfection as well.

14. Notre Dame looks to bolster their resume- Notre Dame had a nice victory on the road last week against the Louisville Cardinals. Before that game, the Irish lacked a marquee victory away from home. Still, that victory looks like more of a fluke than a trend. ND will face either Wake Forest, Virginia Tech or most likely the Miami Hurricanes on Thursday night. With a win on Thursday they'll likely have a Friday-night showdown with the Duke Blue Devils, a team they beat at home but also lost to on the road by a final score of 90-60. The possible matchup in the Atlantic Coast Conference Semifinal would be a chance for the Irish to redeem themselves as well as solidify themselves into "contender" status for the tourney that matters most.

13. Gonzaga looks to prove they're a championship-caliber team- Gonzaga should take care of Pepperdine easily tonight, then will face the winner of the matchup between BYU and Portland in the West Coast Conference Final. Fans and analysts will watch the Bulldogs of Gonzaga closely to individually determine how far they can go when it's time to fill out the brackets. Will this team make a deep run, or are they simply an over-hyped mid-major program? I gotta watch this team a little more to figure it out for myself.

12. Virginia without Justin Anderson- The Virginia Cavaliers' second-leading scorer is junior guard Justin Anderson. The team has gone 7-1 in the eight games without him, but lost to the only ranked opponent they played in that stretch. The verdict isn't out quite yet on whether this team will look like a one seed when the round of 64 begins. They're the top seed in the ACC tourney, we'll see if they're worthy of it when there's one team left on Saturday night.

11. Wisconsin looks to prove they're the cream of the crop in the Big Ten- The Badgers just went to Columbus, Ohio on Sunday afternoon and obliterated the Buckeyes by a final score of 72-48. Wisco has plenty of size and some lethal three-point shooters, a combination that's a nightmare for opposing defenses. With a conference record of 16-2, the Badgers will go into Chicago with the top seed and look to continue to prove they're head and shoulders over the rest in the Big Ten Conference.

10. The Arizona Wildcats look to show they're the best in the West- When it comes to teams in the West, it's the Gonzaga Bulldogs and the Arizona Wildcats that are the two best teams on paper. With a dominant performance in the Pac 12 Tournament, Arizona could make a strong case to be a number one seed in the tournament and proclaim the bragging rights of the top team in the West by the end of the week.

9. Louisville and North Carolina might be final-four contenders- The Louisville Cardinals are coached by Rick Pitino and the North Carolina Tar Heels are coached by Roy Williams. The Cardinals' strength is their defense, only allowing 59.2 PPG. The Tar Heels average a hefty 78.2 PPG and rank second in the country in both rebounds and assists per game. Each team has had an up-and-down season, lacking consistency. The ACC Tournament will be an opportunity to see if these teams can rise to the occasion, or if they're just not good enough to make a deep run into late March.

8. Everybody who's not Kentucky in the South Eastern Conference- Just a reminder, there's plenty of other teams in the SEC besides Kentucky. Honestly, unless one jumps out this weekend I won't be paying much attention. That is all.

7. The Villanova Wildcats- Somehow this top-five team is flying under the radar. Are they really top-seed material heading into the NCAA Tournament? They will play in the Big East Tournament this week, starting with a matchup on Thursday at noon eastern time. The Big East Tournament games can be seen on Fox Sports 1. I gotta watch and figure out how good this conference is.

6. Don't forget about the Butler Bulldogs- Butler, that team that you may or may not forget about, seemingly always makes some noise one way or another in the tourney every year. They play in the Big East now. They're closely ranked to Georgetown and Providence, two other teams in same conference that can justifiably be put into the "sleeper" category when it comes to lack of media coverage this year. Butler, however, is totally over the whole "sleeper" phase.

5. The Dayton Flyers and Davidson Wildcats could be primed for a deep run in the NCAA Tournament- The Dayton Flyers made it all the way to the Elite Eight in last year's NCAA Tournament. For the Davidson Wildcats, it's been a while, but everyone should remember when Steph Curry led the team on a magical run back in the day. These teams represent the top-two seeds in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. Similar to the Big East, besides Villanova, there are plenty of teams that are outside the top 20 in this conference that have the firepower to make a deep run in the tournament. Keep an eye specifically on Dayton and Davidson though ( theVCU Rams should be mentioned as well), these teams are seemingly the most likely to do something special this season.

THE UNPREDICTABLE

4. The Big 12 Tournament- I'll be the first to admit anything can happen during Championship Week. Most tournaments, however, have a team or very small top-tier of teams that clearly separate themselves from the pack. In the Big 12 there are five teams that on paper with a real chance to win the tournament this weekend. The Kansas Jayhawks, Iowa State Cyclones, Oklahoma Sooners, Baylor Bears and the West Virginia Mountaineers. All five of these teams are separated by no more than two games in both the overall and in-conference win-loss column. If you're just looking for a tournament where the cliche "anything can happen" comes into play, this one's a good bet.

THE ADVICE

3. Strategically speaking, how to watch several games at once- If you're watching at home, this would be an appropriate time for all you people with dual screens or more in a single room to make some noise. If you're not in that cool club, you can always have the tv on with a game on the computer screen simultaneously and an app for scores or another game ready on your phone (assuming your phone is legit). Now, if you decide to go out, there's somewhat different criterion you should take into account as the week goes on. Wednesday through Friday there should be a ton of games worth watching at once. So it's quantity of TVs, not quality that matters most when looking for the proper sports bar to attend. The rules change on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday you might need to watch two games at once, so find a bar with a decent quantity of TVs that also has some HD quality(if possible) for your viewing pleasure. Now to Sunday. It's all championship games. So you gotta simply go for HD quality. No excuses at this point.

2. How to decipher the tie breaker if you can't figure out which game to watch- Sometime in the week you may have a scenario when you can only watch so many games at once, or you're forced to focus on one game over the other. This a situation when you need to find your inner zen and use the art of foreshadowing. The question you must answer while in that elusive process is this. Which game will play a bigger part when it comes to filling out my bracket? If you can answer that question, all is well my friends.

1. The difference between fools gold and a truly hot team entering the tournament- There will be plenty of teams that look good during Championship Week. Some will make deep runs into the NCAA Tournament, while others will endure the one-and-done treatment. So how do you figure out which teams are the real deal? There's no bulletproof method, but here's a few questions you should ask yourself when watching teams play throughout the week:

A. Does the team have good size?- Let's not forget a huge part of Kentucky being the best team in the country by a long shot is simply their size. You might find a team that can shoot well and plays good D, but a lack of size can be a huge problem come tourney time.

B. How does the team shoot from beyond the arc- There have been plenty of times when higher seeds in the tournament lose to a team with inferior athleticism that simply wills themselves to victory via a hot day from three-point range. The three ball can change everything.

C. Can they hang defensively with the offensive juggernauts- Lots of teams that can score 70 or 80 points in a game. Unfortunately, in the round of 64, they might be the same team that gives up 100 points or more. You know what they say all the time. Defense wins championships.

D. Does the team play consistent basketball for 40 minutes- Any team can get hot for stretches of five minutes or more. Be careful and make sure you watch the entire game. Just like real-life interviews go, we want to know how everyone responds when everything isn't going well. You'll notice lots of the lower seeds in the tourney can let things go into an awful downward spiral when they go badly.

That's all I got. Enjoy Championship Week. The real tournament is just around the corner.

Follow me on twitter @Clutchblogger

Clutch Sports Recap: The NFL Combine and a Duke North Carolina Matchup Highlight the Week Ahead

2015-02-16T01:02:00.001-05:00

The NBA All-Star festivities didn't disappoint as we head into the final stretch of the NBA regular season.

Here are the top headlines from the past week:

5. The Atlanta Hawks go into the break not playing like their record suggests- After winning 19-straight games, the Atlanta Hawks, with a record of 43-11, go into the All-Star break with a .500 record in their last six games. Losses on the road to the New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies are understandable, but a Wednesday-night loss to the Boston Celtics may have a negative effect on the team's mojo moving forward. The Hawks have the best record in the east by 6.5 games, but it's no secret that a surging Bulls or Cavs team could overwhelm Atlanta in the playoffs if they fail to maintain their high level of play. It's not time to hit the panic button, but it's safe to throw the caution sign on the floor in this particular instance.

4. The Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers may have given us a preview of a second-round matchup in the Eastern Conference- The Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls faced off on Thursday night in primetime on TNT. Although the Cavs didn't have Kevin Love and the Bulls played without Jimmy Butler, it was a game where the weaknesses of the Cavs were brought to light. Cleveland turned the ball over sixteen times, took a lot of bad shots and was overwhelmed by the height advantage the Bulls had over them. Derrick Rose, point guard for Chicago, had plenty of highlight-reel plays in a game that defined how dangerous he can be driving to the basket. Rose also didn't turn the ball over until there was only 4:24 remaining in the game.

I expect Cleveland and Chicago to be the number two and three seeds in the East by the time the playoffs come around, meaning the teams would face off in the second round if they each advanced. I like Cleveland because they have plenty of star power with their big three and they are outstanding in transition. Chicago, on the other hand, has great size (third in the NBA averaging just over 45 rebounds per game) and has a defensive guru (Tom Thibodeau) as their head coach. I'm hoping these teams face off in the postseason. The squads will play again on Sunday, April 5th at 3:30 PM Eastern Time on ABC.

3. The "Splash Brothers" steal the show in the Foot Locker three-point contest- In the first round of the three-point contest Clay Thompson had the best score. However, teammate Stephen Curry advanced to the finals and blew the competition away in the second round. These two guys just proved once again that offense of Golden State is a lethal one.

2. Zach Lavine puts on a show in the Sprite slam-dunk contest- If I were in a dunk contest I would want to come out to the song "Space Jam" in the background. Zach Lavine pulled that off and his dunks were seemingly, well, out of this world. He did three variations of a dunk between his legs along with a behind-the-back dunk that looked completely effortless for the 19-year-old guard for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Take a bow young man. For one night you can proclaim you were the king of the NBA Universe.

The "king" reference is fitting, considering he said he'd beat LeBron in a dunk contest. I'm still lost for words after seeing the show he put on Saturday night.

1. Russell Westbrook scores 41 points in the NBA All-Star Game- The Western Conference defeated the Eastern Conference by a final score of 163-158. Russell Westbrook shot 16-28 from the field and 5-9 from three-point range. Oklahoma City fans should feel good, even though the Thunder currently are ninth place in the Western Conference.

Here are five teams to keep an eye on this week in sports:

5. Oklahoma City Thunder- The Thunder sit just a half game behind the Phoenix Suns for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Oklahoma City will host the Dallas Mavericks Thursday night on TNT, then head to Charlotte to face the Hornets on Saturday and come back home for a matchup against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday. It won't be a shocker if the Thunder are the number eight seed in the west at this time next week.

4. Duke Blue Devils- Duke hosts North Carolina on Wednesday night. The Blue Devils have won five straight games and appear to be peaking at the right time. March is just around the corner. Center Jahlil Okafor is averaging 18 points and nine rebounds per game. The dominance of Okafor has allowed everyone else on the offensive side of the ball to get good looks from the field. The Devils have averaged an impressive 80.3 points per game this season.

3. Nashville Predators- Whether or not you like or care about the NHL, it should come as a shock that the Predators have the best record in the Western Conference. Nashville will host the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night before three road games to end the week against New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers and Buffalo Sabres. Although the slate this week may not look too challenging for the Preds, it will be interesting to see how they play down the stretch as a team who will be "the hunted" if you will. A role that is brand new for the club.

2. Toronto Raptors- The Raptors currently have the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. As mentioned earlier, it's expected by the end of the season that the second and third seeds in the east will be taken up by the Cavs and Bulls. The Raptors of course will look to dispose that notion with a hot start after the all-star break. It won't be easy for the team from above the border to hold their own this coming week. They have back-to-back road games against the Atlanta Hawks and Houston Rockets on Friday and Saturday this upcoming week. Good luck.

1. San Antonio Spurs- The Spurs are currently sitting at seventh place in the Western Conference. There are only two games separating the third through the seventh seed in the West right now. San Antonio has two road games on national television this week. On Thursday they will play at the Staples Center against the Clippers on TNT followed by a Friday-night road matchup against the Warriors on ESPN. The Spurs are the defending champions and now is the time when we should expect to see them step their game up if they're going to repeat in 2015.

Here's what to look forward to next week:

2. The Duke Blue Devils host the North Carolina Tar Heels- The Blue Devils and Tar Heels will face off at 9:00 PM ET on ESPN this Wednesday night. It's a classic rivalry game that's always worth checking out. North Carolina hasn't done much to put themselves in the "elite"conversation this year. A win on Wednesday would change that.

1. The NFL Combine begins- The workouts for the NFL Combine will begin on Friday. The most exciting day from the fan's perspective will be Saturday, when the quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs will participate.

I haven't studied much film on the players who will be attending this year due to being preoccupied with an entertaining season in the NBA and watching the Kentucky Wildcats pursuit of perfection. However, I will leave you with five specific things I'll be watching for when scouting talent at the combine this week.

5. The forty-yard dash- It doesn't matter what position, it's always intriguing to see how fast anyone is. As they say, "speed kills".

4. The catching drills for wide receivers- Many times we get caught up with the speed of receivers and forget to pay attention to everything else. The most important job for a receiver at any level is to catch the ball first, then make a move. There are many times receivers are drafted way too high because they're fast, but when they make it to the pros they become anonymous.

3. The footwork of offensive linemen- Offensive linemen need to be strong as well as somewhat quick to block defenders. Many times the difference between a good linemen and a great linemen is their footwork. When they block and move off the ball from the line of scrimmage does it look awkward, or is it natural and something that looks pedestrian to the player. This may sound boring, but it's something all scouts will be watching closely.

2. The ball skills of defensive backs- There are many times when we watch the NFL on Sunday and say "why didn't he look at the ball". Defensive backs have many instances when they simply keep their head turned and don't play the ball. It might sound crazy, but lots of times it's evident how the defender will react in an NFL game with how they react in drills when the ball is thrown at them at the combine. Just watch the tape of Richard Sherman when he did the drills. He looked ready to go.

1. Running Backs performing in receiving drills- You can find out pretty quickly whether or not running backs will be good receivers out of the backfield when you see them try to catch passes at the combine. Some make it look smooth and effortless, while others make it seem like they've never caught a pass in their life. Just watch and you'll probably agree. A running back who's a receiving threat out of the backfield can be the difference between an early-round exit in the playoffs and a Super Bowl victory. Hmmm. The name Shane Vereen comes to mind here.

My bold prediction of the week:

The San Antonio Spurs will win on the road against the Clippers and the Warriors this week- If that's not bold then I don't know what I'm writing this down for.

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Clutch Sports Recap: All Star Weekend Headlines the Week in Sports

2015-02-09T03:52:00.000-05:00

Football season has gone. The sports universe is mostly taken up by the NBA and NCAA basketball at the moment.

In this edition of "Clutch Sports Recap" it's time look back at the headlines and games from the past week, as well as take a glance at what lies ahead in the week to come. Enjoy yourself.

Top Storylines from the past week:

5. The Kentucky Wildcats remain perfect- The Kentucky Wildcats clearly have the best team on paper in all of college basketball, but fans across the country are focused on one word for the well-known basketball powerhouse this season. Perfection.

Head Coach John Calipari will be turning 56 years old on Tuesday. A birthday he probably won't remember for the gifts he's given, but instead the one he already has. That being a basketball team with a chance to go down as the best ever (if you'd be willing to call it a gift).

Back to the word at hand. The Wildcats are 23-0 so far this season, most recently coming off a victory on the road against the Gators that was tightly contested till the final minute.

When one thinks of the best team in college basketball, it's usually offensive statistics that come to mind first. Not with this squad. It's a team full of athletes that embrace dominating on the defensive side of the floor holding opponents to 33.6% from the floor and only allowing 51.5 points per game along with averaging seven blocks per game. The team is ranked first or second in the country in those statistical categories.

It's a little early to look at a mock draft, but it's appropriate to break the rules in this instance. The Cats have seven players projected to be drafted in the most recent mock draft from nbadraft.net. Combine that with a remaining schedule projected to have no more opponents from the top 25 and a perfect season looks quite possible. To be continued.

4. The week that was for Anthony Davis- Anthony Davis, power forward for the New Orleans Pelicans just started off his week with 29-point-13-rebound performance on Monday night to help end the 19-game winning streak of the Atlanta Hawks. He made Monday night look like a casual performance after scoring 41 points on Friday in Oklahoma City, including a game-winning three point shot at the buzzer to outlast the Thunder by a final score 116-113. Unfortunately for Davis he suffered a shoulder injury and wasn't able to play Saturday night when his team lost at home to the Chicago Bulls by a final score of 107-72. The Pelicans currently sit at ninth place in the West with the Phoenix Suns just ahead and the Thunder right behind. The real story for this team is watching what Davis has done this year. He's averaging ten rebounds, just under 25 points per game and leads the league with 2.7 blocks per game. He's got my MVP vote.

3. The Western Conference continues to entertain- The Western Conference currently has seven teams with a record of at least 13 games above .500 and continues to give us plenty of reasons to watch.

On Monday New Orleans ended the Atlanta Hawks winning streak with a 115-100 victory.

The Golden State Warriors had a 121-96 victory over the Kings on Tuesday night, highlighted by a 23-0 run that lasted between the end of the first quarter and beginning of the second quarter. On Wednesday night the Warriors trailed 24-4 at home to the Dallas Mavericks. No problem here. Early struggles were overcome due to a 51-point performance from Stephen Curry. Golden State went on to win by a final of 128-114.

Friday night just featured the craziest finish of the year in a matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the New Orleans Pelicans. Pelicans fans went from a s-m-h moment (fouling Russell Westbrook from beyond the arc, allowing him to make three free throws to tie the game with just over a second remaining in regulation) to a n-m-h (that would be nodding my head, a hashtag that to my so-so knowledge has not yet to trended on twitter) moment when Anthony Davis bailed the team out with a three pointer to win the game at the buzzer as previously mentioned above.

Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich got his 999th career victory on Friday night. I think it's safe to assume he didn't have much to say.

2. Let's not go streaking- The Atlanta Hawks had their winning streak end at 19 games with a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night. Although the streak ended, it didn't appear to slow down the club too much. They followed up the loss with impressive home wins over the Washington Wizards the Golden State Warriors.

The Cleveland Cavaliers had the longest winning streak in the NBA after the Hawks lost on Monday. Friday night the team traveled to Indianapolis, looking to extend their winning streak to 13 games. The Indiana Pacers defeated the Cavaliers 103-99. Kevin Love only had five points in the game and appears to struggle fitting the new role of being in a "Big Three" scenario.

1. National Signing Day- National Signing day. A day of massive importance, yet, at the same time, is overhyped to an extent.

I'll give some quick analysis from a macro perspective. It appears the most hyped recruiting classes belong to Alabama, Florida State and the University of Southern California. The Ohio State Buckeyes followed up their National Championship with another top-ten recruiting class and the Oregon Ducks had a below-average recruiting class for their standards, with a ranking of 15th or below by most so-called experts.

I'm not gonna start hyping up guys who are still teenagers. There's almost nothing I hate more than going to the gym and hearing old guys talk about high school boys playing football for 30 straight minutes.

Well, we took that to the next level. Let's face it. ESPN U thrives on the attention they get on this day with players making the announcements of what school they're going to. It's sickening. These are high-school kids being treated like superstars before they even play in a college game. And the mantra "Never Graduate". It appears some will never graduate from overanalyzing these guys to a point that's not right. Let them grow up and we'll see what they're made of. Coaching staffs have a responsibility to try to recruit the best players. That's fine. The media, on the other hand, has taken things way too far. I believe the media is enabling these young men to act like idiots and forget about the hard work that got them into a position to succeed at the college level. I'm done with this topic.

Those were the headlines, now here are a few tid bits from the past week I feel the need to share:

They did what?! - The Duke Blue Devils shot 81 percent from the field and scored 50 points in the first half on Saturday in their showdown against the 10th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish. That's absurd. The Devils went on to win by a final score of 90-60.

Who I got a beef with- Colin Cowherd, the host of the radio show for ESPN titled "The Herd" because he criticized the work ethic of Dan Patrick.

Patrick then paraphrased what what was said about himself on "The Herd" to his viewers and listeners of "The Dan Patrick Show". He started off with telling Cowherd that he doesn't actually have "35 producers" on "The Dan Patrick Show" and that unlike Cowherd he does give his producers credit by saying "All the people behind the scenes who help Colin do his show, they don't get any recognition. I choose to recognize the people who work on this show". The subtle burn to Colin comes when Patrick admits he messed up with an interview with Gronk after the Super Bowl, then added "But you know what Colin I'm good enough to be able to make a mistake in front of 100 million people. Are you"?

Cowherd has a lot of power because he works for ESPN. Power to get away with criticizing the work ethic of a man like Dan Patrick. Come on bro. That's not cool.

Can't Figure this one out- Why are the Clippers playing so awful? After winning seven of eight games, the Clippers went 0-4 last week including a loss at Brooklyn to the Nets followed by three double-digit losses on the road to the Cavs, Raptors and Thunder. As if a four-game losing streak wasn't enough, the team won't have Blake Griffin for the next two games before the the all-star break due to a staph infection in his elbow.

Can figure this one out- The Cleveland Browns have hit rock bottom once again. Whether it's "Textgate", Manziel going to rehab or the suspension of Josh Gordon for 2015, everything is once again spiraling downward for the Brownies.

The Player Efficiency Rating of Anthony Davis- Anthony Davis could possibly have the best player efficiency rating ever in an NBA regular season. The statistic is hard to explain, but currently Davis has PER of 31.8, which would be one of the top-three most efficient seasons of all time. The confusing part is that defense supposedly isn't accounted for enough in the statistic. Anthony Davis is one of the best defenders in the league and already has the highest efficiency rating in the NBA, therefore making him better than the best, which means... MIND BLOWN.

Now my storylines that have me intrigued for the week ahead:

3. The Love Roller Coaster- Kevin Love has had an up-and-down season for the Cleveland Cavaliers. This past week was a microcosm of his season with five points on Monday night, 24 points Thursday night, five points in a loss on Friday and a season-high 32 points on Sunday. The Cavaliers host the Heat on Wednesday and will head to Chicago to face the Bulls on Thursday this week. Although there's plenty of time left in the season, it's no secret that Love could be the difference between a deep playoff run and an early postseason exit.

2. The NBA All Star Game- The All Star game will be at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Sunday night. #legit

1. The Greek Freak Headlines the Dunk Contest- Giannis Antetokounmpo has had plenty impressive dunks for the Milwaukee Bucks this season. The dunk contest is usually a hit-or-miss event. If the 6'11" Antetokounmpo lives up to the hype, it will indeed be must-see TV.

Here's a few more notes for the week ahead in sports:

The best hashtag that never was- The San Antonio Spurs face the Pacers on Monday night and the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday. It's safe to assume Popovich will get victory number 1,000 this week. Unfortunately my hashtag for the occasion probably won't catch on. #Poppinbottlesforpop. Cristal anyone?

If I were in Vegas- There's not too many exciting games early in the week, so I guess I'll go back to all-star weekend festivities. Kyle Korver's odds to win the three point contest are 15/4. Sounds good to me. The Greek Freak is +225 to win the dunk contest. I'm all about that action boss.

Follow me on twitter @Clutchblogger

Giants vs. Pirates: NL Wild Card Game Preview, Prediction and Analysis

2014-09-28T23:57:00.001-04:00

The San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates will face off in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to determine who moves on to the Division Series to play the Washington Nationals. Here's a breakdown of the game.

Game time: Wednesday at 8:07 PM ET on ESPN

Probable pitchers: SF- LHP Madison Bumgarner (18-10, 2.98 ERA), PIT- RHP Edinson Volquez (13-7, 3.04 ERA)

San Francisco Giants- The Giants overall are an average team against right-handed pitchers as they rank 7th in the National League with a .693 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) against righties. Catcher Buster Posey is widely considered a "lefty-killer" as he has an impressive .332 career batting average against left-handed pitchers. This year has been different, as he's hit .301 against LHP while hitting .315 against RHP. Switch-hitting third baseman Pablo Sandoval has also been teriffic against right handers with a .316 average against them this season. The Giants can also feel good about handing the ball to their staff ace Madison Bumgarner in this game. Luckily for Bumgarner, this game is in enemy territory at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. At home this season he has a 4.30 ERA, while he has a 2.22 ERA on the road.

Pittsburgh Pirates- The Pirates are no stranger to Wild Card Games as they played in one last year and won at home against the Cincinnati Reds. The Pirates aren't spectacular against left-handed pitching as they rank 10th in the NL in OPS. Outfielder Andrew McCutchen doesn't follow that trend as he crushes lefties with a .328 career batting average. The Pirates are heading into the postseason hot, as they were 12 games above .500 in the second half of the season and went 17-8 in September. They also enjoy playing in front of the home faithful, as they were 19 games over .500 at home this season. Starting pitcher Edinson Volquez has been a great story this year with his 13-7 win-loss record along with a 3.04 ERA. His career ERA is 4.44, so it will be interesting to see whether he has truly taken a step forward or if this season was mostly a fluke.

Key to the game:

The Pirates must get to Bumgarner early- The way the season wrapped up, the Giants were able to line up their top starter to be available for this crucial Wild Card Game. The Pirates weren't as fortunate, as their ace, Gerritt Cole, pitched Sunday and wouldn't be able to pitch on two days of rest for Wednesday's game. If the Pirates can score early, they can even out the matchup a bit and possibly advance to the NLDS.

Player who is an X Factor:

Jordy Mercer- The Pirates short stop is not necessarily a household name, but he has big-time numbers against lefties in his career. He is a career .264 hitter but has hit .341 against left-handed pitchers. While most people will be focused on the stars like Buster Posey and Andrew McCutchen, pay attention to Jordy Mercer and see if he does something special Wednesday evening.

Prediction- This game is really hard to predict. The Giants have their ace going, but it's in Pittsburgh. In the MLB playoffs, I think the home crowd can really make a difference in the game and I predict the Pirates will raise the Jolly Roger and move on to play the Nationals. Pittsburgh wins 4-3.

Athletics vs. Royals: AL Wild Card Game Preview, Prediction and Analysis

2014-09-28T23:50:00.001-04:00

The Kansas City Royals are back in the playoffs for the first time since 1985 and will face the Oakland Athletics in Kansas City, Missouri. Let's take a look at the matchup.

Game Time: Tuesday at 8:07 PM ET on TBS

Probable pitchers: OAK- LHP Jon Lester (16-11, 2.46 ERA), KC- RHP James Shields (14-8, 3.21 ERA)

Oakland Athletics- Next to the definition of backing into the playoffs is a photo of the Athletics logo. The A's have gone 16-30 in their past 46 games. None of that will matter if they can take care of business in the postseason. At the trade deadline, Oakland traded outfielder Yoenis Cespedes to the Red Sox for Jon Lester just for this occasion, a one-game scenario when they can rely on an ace. The pitching has been dominant as they rank first in starters ERA and second in relief-pitching ERA. The question is the hitting. Here is the A's monthly team rank in runs scored compared to the rest of the American League:

April: 2nd
May: 2nd
June: 1st
July: 6th
August: 12th
September: 11th

Whether the loss of Cespedes caused that or not is impossible to know, but the fact is that this team now struggles on offense. If they want to win this game in Kansas City, Lester likely will have to lead the way.

Kansas City Royals- The Royals have been surging lately as they went 40-27 in the second half to claim a Wild Card spot. They have been everybody's sleeper team to make a run at the playoffs for a couple years now, so it's good to see them finally make it. Offensively they're led by outfielder Alex Gordon who hit 19 home runs with 74 runs batted in. He's not a one-trick pony though, as he also gets it done in the field too as he's won three straight Gold Glove awards. James Shields will take the hill for the Royals on Tuesday and will be looking to guide his team into the ALDS. In six career playoff starts with the Tampa Bay Rays, Shields has a 2-4 record with a 4.98 ERA.

Key to the game:

Strikeouts- These two offenses have struck out the fewest times in the entire Major Leagues. Jon Lester has been the more dominant pitcher when it comes to striking batters out with 220 on the season as opposed to Shields' 180 K's. It will be intriguing to see if Lester or Shields can buck the opposing offensive trend and get some punch outs early and often. It may just be the difference between a trip to the ALDS or the local golf course.

Player who is an X Factor:

Nori Aoki- The Royals outfielder has hit .363 against left-handed pitching this season. He hits high up in the order, so look for him to get on base in front of the big bats in the lineup and make things happen on the bases.

Prediction- With the way the Athletics have played the last couple months, it's hard to pick them to be successful in the playoffs. In this scenario, however, it's just one game. I'm gonna pick Lester and the A's to be victorious in this one as they beat the Royals 3-1.

Stanford vs. Notre Dame: Preview, Predictions and Analysis

2014-09-28T23:20:00.003-04:00

The Stanford Cardinal survived against Chris Petersen and the Washington Huskies. It doesn't get any easier this week as they now have to travel to South Bend, Indiana for a matchup with the undefeated Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Game Time: 3:30 PM ET on NBC

Why this game is worth watching:

Two formidable defenses go head to head- Notre Dame's defense has only allowed 11.5 points per game, a number that looks pedestrian compared to the Stanford Cardinal only giving up 6.5 PPG. Points will come at a premium Saturday afternoon.

Everett Golson has a chance to put himself in contention for the Heisman Trophy- Golson had an up-and-down game against Syracuse last Saturday. He completed 25 straight passes at one point against the Orange, but also turned the ball over four times. This week Golson will be going up against the Cardinal, a team that is only allowing 74 passing yards per game. Golson has a chance to prove his critics wrong and maybe sprinkle in a Heisman moment in the process.

Plenty of drama- Realistically both teams have a real shot to make it to the College Football Playoff if they run the table. There hasn't been a game with two defenses this good all season and they're playing on a Saturday afternoon at Notre Dame Stadium. Two years ago these teams met and the game ended in overtime with Notre Dame winning on a goal-line stand by a final score of 20-13. I wouldn't be surprised if there ends up being another wild finish in South Bend this weekend.

Key to the game:

Turnovers- In a game without a whole lot of offense, every mistake will be magnified. Notre Dame and Stanford should be content with punting most of the game. It will be a tough task for either team to drive down the field and score in this one.

Player who is an X Factor:

Ty Montgomery- The Stanford Cardinal have a clear edge in special teams. That's due to return man Ty Montgomery, who can change the game any time the ball is in his hands. Montgomery is also the leading receiver for the Cardinal, making him an easy pick for my x factor on Saturday.

The Spread- Stanford by 1

Prediction- This game should be very close. Stanford's defensive line is way better than Notre Dame's offensive line and they have a great punt returner. On the other hand, the Irish have a great defense once again, a quarterback who thrives under pressure and a home crowd that will make plenty of noise. I usually go with the home team when not sure, so I'll pick Notre Dame to win 17-16.

Alabama vs. Ole Miss: Preview, Predictions and Analysis

2014-09-28T23:12:00.000-04:00

The Alabama Crimson Tide will head to Oxford, Mississippi to face the Ole Miss Rebels in a battle of two unbeaten teams in the SEC West.

Game Time: 3:30 PM ET on CBS

Why this game is worth watching:

College Football Playoff Implications- Two teams ranked in the top ten are facing off. The winner will remain undefeated and will control their own destiny to make it to the College Football Playoff. This game is obviously worth watching.

Alabama should finally be tested- The Alabama Crimson Tide have been impressive through four games, outscoring their opponents by an average of four touchdowns and winning every game by double digits. The Tide will be on the road against an undefeated opponent on Saturday, meaning we might finally have a Bama game worth watching for four quarters.

Ole Miss isn't used to being in the spotlight- The last time the Ole Miss Rebels were this good...it's been a while. It will be intriguing to see how the Rebels perform with everybody watching.

Key to the game:

Ole Miss scoring early- Even though both defenses have proven they're reliable, it's essential for the Rebels get on the board early in this game. Senior quarterback Bo Wallace will try to take advantage of his nice one-two combination of Laquon Treadwell and Cody Core at wide receiver early on. Treadwell and Core have seven of the eleven TDs through the air for Ole Miss and each player averages over 15 yards per reception. Alabama is allowing under six yards per passing attempt, meaning the Rebels are gonna have to earn it if they want to take an early lead Saturday afternoon.

Player who is an X Factor:

Senquez Golson- The Crimson Tide offense has been lighting it up with Blake Sims at quarterback and the one-two punch of Derrick Henry and T.J. Yeldon at running back. The most explosive player on the offense, however, is wide receiver Amari Cooper. Cooper leads the nation with 655 yards receiving and will be relied upon heavily against the Rebels. Senquez Golson is now a senior cornerback for the Ole Miss Rebels and will have his hands full this weekend. He leads the team with three interceptions on the season and will be called upon to help keep Cooper and the rest of the Bama receiving corps in check. If Golson can perform at a high level, Ole Miss might just knock off Alabama after all.

The Spread- Alabama by 5

Prediction- Ole Miss and Alabama have been waiting for this type of a game, one with the winner getting major props from the Selection Committee. Alabama has the better coach (Nick Saban) and more experience in big-time games. The Crimson Tide win 27-20.

Arizona vs. Oregon: Preview, Predictions and Analysis

2014-09-28T13:31:00.003-04:00

The Arizona Wildcats scored 36 points in the fourth quarter at home against the California Golden Bears to keep their undefeated season alive. They will face their toughest test by far this season on Thursday night, with a trip to Eugene, Oregon to face the Ducks.

Game Time: Thursday at 10:30 PM ET on ESPN

Why this game is worth watching:

Two outstanding quarterbacks- The Oregon Ducks are led by junior quarterback Marcus Mariota. Mariota has the total package when it comes to being an elite QB at the college level. He's thrown 13 touchdowns, no interceptions and is second on the team in rushing yardage with three scores on the ground as well. Anu Solomon, freshman quarterback for the Wildcats has thrown 13 touchdowns on the year as well, but has three interceptions. He's fifth in the country averaging a little over 360 passing yards per game, a number that easily exceeds Mariota's total. After going in depth the edge has to go to Mariota after checking out passing yards per attempt. Mariota ranks second in the nation averaging 11.8 YPA, while Solomon's average is at 8.3. This is all according to cfbstats.com

Plenty of scoring- Arizona averages 42 points per game and Oregon averages 48.5 PPG. Expect the over/under to be pretty high on this one.

Oregon is seeking another dominant performance- The Oregon Ducks went on the road to defeat the Washington State Cougars 38-31 a couple weeks ago. Although the team came out victorious, they were somewhat exposed in the process. The defense of the Cougars was able to slow down the Ducks rushing attack and sacked Mariota seven times. This week Oregon has a chance to look like a top-tier team once again. We'll see how they did in the bye week.

Key to the game:

The Arizona pass rush- As I eluded to earlier, Mariota hasn't thrown an interception and is averaging nearly 12 yards every time he throws the ball. The Wildcats defense is only averaging 2.25 sacks per contest, and that's against inferior competition. Watch for sophomore linebacker Scooby Wright III to cause havoc in the backfield when Mariota drops back to pass. Wright leads the Wildcats with four sacks on the season.

Player who is an X Factor:

Royce Freeman- The freshman running back for the Oregon Ducks has seen his yards per carry drop in each game this season. The Ducks will want to mix it up on offense, to make up for their weak play on the offensive line of late. All that said, if Freeman gets hot, Arizona has no chance in this ballgame.

The Spread- To be announced

Prediction- Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez has done a great job at making his team competitive in the loaded Pacific 12 Conference. Unfortunately, the Ducks are way more talented than the Wildcats. Oregon makes a statement on Thursday night and wins 49-24.

Top 5 Storylines for College Football Week 5

2014-09-25T11:57:00.000-04:00

We've all heard about the matchups for this weekend, now it's time to count down the top-five reasons we'll be watching college football in week five.

5. Gunner Kiel goes to "The Shoe"- Things are looking up for the Cincinnati Bearcats. Head coach Tommy Tubberville has his team off to a 2-0 start led by quarterback Gunner Kiel. Kiel threw for six touchdowns in his college football debut. His road debut. This weekend against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Get your popcorn ready.

4. Offenses collide in the "Jerry Dome"- Everything's bigger in the state of Texas. When teams face off in the home of the Dallas Cowboys, it's huge. The Texas A&M Aggies and Arkansas Razorbacks are two of the top-three scoring offenses in college football. It's only fitting that they play at AT&T Stadium. I can't imagine this game not being entertaining for four quarters.

3. Chris Petersen faces his first true test- Former Boise State head coach Chris Petersen is now the head coach for the University of Washington. He'll go up against the Stanford Cardinal this weekend in his first game against a ranked opponent with his new coaching gig.

2. An undefeated Pac-12 showdown- The UCLA Bruins and Arizona State Sun Devils face off late Thursday night in what essentially is an elimination game to keep the hopes alive for a spot in the first College Football Playoff.

1. Jameis Winston coming off his one-game suspension- Good ole "Famous Jameis" is the starting quarterback once again for the Florida State Seminoles. All eyes will be glued on him as FSU faces the undefeated North Carolina State Wolfpack.

Five Bold Predictions for NFL Week 4

2014-09-25T11:19:00.000-04:00

There's plenty of parody in the NFL now, making the unexpected not as surprising as it once was. Here's my attempt to look into the future with five bold predictions for week four.

1. Eddie Lacy rushes for 100 yards against the Bears- Green Bay Packers running back Eddie Lacy has 113 yards on the ground through three games. Head coach Mike McCarthy is stubborn sometimes when it comes to establishing a ground game in GB, running the ball more than Packer fans would like. Expect Lacy to have a solid performance on Sunday.

2. JJ Watt will have three sacks against the Buffalo Bills- EJ Manuel, quarterback for the Buffalo Bills has been sacked only four times this season. The Houston Texans have the best pass rush of any opponent the Bills have faced so far this season. Expect Watt to have a huge day, leading the Texans to a 3-1 start through four games.

3. Joe Flacco will turn the ball over three times against the Carolina Panthers- The Panthers defense fell apart last weekend in uncharacteristic fashion. The unit is still one of the best in football and will give "Joe Cool" a tough time on Sunday.

4. The Detroit Lions will lose by two touchdowns to the New York Jets- The Detroit Lions have looked dominant at home this season, but lost their only road game thus far to the Panthers by a score of 24-7. The Jets know they're just a couple bad plays away from being undefeated, and they'll show the nation why they're a contender to make the playoffs in front of their home crowd.

5. Dez Bryant will catch three touchdowns against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday night- Three is the magic number when it comes to week four bold predictions. The New Orleans Saints defense has struggled on the road this season, and the woes continue as wide receiver Dez Bryant leads the way to a Dallas Cowboys victory.

Five Bold Predictions for College Football Week 5

2014-09-24T10:22:00.000-04:00

Plenty of excitement awaits us in week five. It's time to get bold. Here are five bold predictions for the week ahead in college football.

1. The Florida State Seminoles will be tied or trailing going into halftime and still will cover the spread- FSU will struggle in the first half against the North Carolina State Wolfpack. The team went through plenty of drama and will feel the pressure in front of a loud crowd for the first half. This will be followed by a second half, with, you guessed it, a dominant performance by Jameis Winston.

2. The Memphis Tigers will lose by less than ten points on the road against Ole Miss- The Tigers hung around on the road against the UCLA Bruins for four quarters. Even though they're 20-point underdogs, I expect them to keep things close against the Ole Miss Rebels, who might be looking ahead a little too soon.

3. The Washington Huskies won't score a single point in the second half against the Stanford Cardinal- I believe the Stanford defense is the most underrated unit in college football. This bold prediction gets the point across even more. Respect the Cardinal.

4. Everett Golson will throw for five touchdowns on Saturday night- The Notre Dame Fighting Irish didn't look too hot in a so-so performance against the Purdue Boilermakers a couple weeks ago. They'll amp it up this weekend, as Golson throws for five touchdowns en route to an impressive victory over the Syracuse Orange at MetLife Stadium.

5. The Arizona State Sun Devils will upset the UCLA Bruins on Thursday night- I realize this may be kinda low on the bold scale, but it's my upset pick of the week so I gotta include it in the segment.

Florida State vs. North Carolina State: Preview, Predictions and Analysis

2014-09-23T16:54:00.001-04:00

The Seminoles survived a scare from the Clemson Tigers last weekend. This week they'll have Jameis starting at quarterback once again as they head to Raleigh, North Carolina for a matchup with the North Carolina State Wolfpack.

Game Time: 3:30 PM ET on ABC/ESPN2

Why this game is worth watching:

That Florida State quarterback is playing again- Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston is not thought of too fondly after saying something inappropriate while standing on a table last week and getting suspended for an entire game. He's taken action by avoiding tables to stand on and focusing more on football. Let's not forget he just won the Heisman Trophy last year. What's the encore? That's why we watch.

College Football Playoff Implications- Florida State plays in a weak Atlantic Coast Conference. One loss could mean the top-ranked Seminoles don't make it to the inaugural College Football Playoff.

We'll find out if North Carolina State is for real- Florida State is nearly a three-touchdown favorite on the road against the undefeated North Carolina State Wolfpack. The Wolfpack have had a pathetic schedule and haven't dominated on a week-to-week basis. Maybe they're really good and have been secretly holding back for their showdown with the Seminoles this weekend...Not likely.

Key to the game:

North Carolina State needs to slow down Jameis Winston- FSU looked like a very beatable team without their starting quarterback against the Clemson Tigers last week. Now he's back. Once again, NC State hasn't played any impressive teams and it's difficult to assess the defense. What I do know is Florida State has a great quarterback, and if he doesn't play great, the home team will have a chance.

Player who is an X Factor:

Jacoby Brissett- The junior quarterback for the Wolfpack has completed at least two thirds of his passes every game this season and thrown for 10 touchdowns and only one interception. This will be his first real test of the season, against a Florida State D that has already had plenty of experience on the big stage in 2014. Brisset versus the FSU secondary. Looks like a hot matchup to me.

The Spread- Florida State by 19

Prediction- Florida State hasn't done anything to make me a believer this year. It's difficult for me to pick against them this early with Winston at quarterback. This game is extremely unpredictable in my mind according to how close it will be, but I see FSU winning 88 out of 100 times give or take. In the end I gotta pick the Seminoles. They get the job done on the road and win 45-24.

Ten Things We Learned from NFL Week 3

2014-09-23T16:14:00.000-04:00

What a season it's been. Here are ten takeaways from week three.

1. The Packers offense is a mess- Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense only scored seven points in a loss on the road to the Detroit Lions. You can spread the blame wherever you want. In the end, the team's gonna have to score more points.

2. The Cincinnati Bengals are for real- The Bengals have the best scoring defense in the NFL, only allowing 11 points per game. Quarterback Andy Dalton is making all the big plays when Cincy needs them on the offensive side of the ball. I'm not afraid to say it, the Bengals should be thinking "SUPER BOWL". No pressure.

3. Julio Jones is a beast- In the first three games of the season, Julio has at least 88 yards in each contest and has combined for three TD receptions on the year. He's finally a top-five receiver in the league.

4. The Philadelphia Eagles offense is electric- The Eagles have scored at least thirty points in each game this season and quarterback Nick Foles has thrown for over 320 yards in all of them. That's impressive.

5. The Seattle Seahawks are still the team to beat- After the Broncos clawed their way back to tie the game, the Seahawks did what they're accustomed to doing at Qwest Field. Win. This team's not going away any time soon.

6. The Dallas Cowboys have found a nice balance on offense- Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray leads the league in rushing and Dallas has a 2-1 record. You mean Tony Romo doesn't have to throw the ball every down? Epiphany!

7. The San Diego Chargers are contenders again- A home win against the Seahawks followed by a dominant performance at Buffalo puts the Chargers in the elite class of teams in the NFL. We'll see if the winning ways continue in "America's Finest City".

8. The New York Jets are wondering how they started 1-2 through three games- The Jets called a timeout on what would have been the game-tying touchdown at Lambeau Field in week two. A week later Geno Smith threw two costly picks, with one being returned for a touchdown in an eight-point loss to the Bears on Monday Night Football. :-(

9. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are really bad- The Buccaneers were losing 56-0 to the Falcons. Before the end of the third quarter. Not good.

10. The Arizona Cardinals are the surprise team in the NFL- The Cardinals are 3-0 thanks to a defense that's allowing only 15 PPG. Two of those wins came against the San Francisco 49ers and San Diego Chargers. That's a nice resume through three weeks.

NFL Week 4 Predictions

2014-09-23T10:14:00.001-04:00

Here are our week four predictions.

Thursday:

Giants @ Redskins: 8:25 PM ET on CBS/NFL Network

Ben- Gotta take Washington here. Redskins win 24-20

Drew- It's early, but it's time for both teams to get their acts together. Skins take this one at home 28-14.

Sunday:

Packers @ Bears: 1:00 PM ET on FOX

Ben- The Packers have to prove it to me. Until then I'm not picking them. Bears win 28-21.

Drew- I think the Packers will be the better team by the end of the season, but the Bears win this divisional matchup by a score of 33-31.

Bills @ Texans: 1:00 PM ET on CBS

Ben- Texans dominate at home 27-13

Drew- The Texans come out on top in this one at home winning 27-17.

Titans @ Colts: 1:00 PM ET on CBS

Ben- The Colts are on the rise. They win 31-16.

Drew- The Colts are a good football team. They'll win 30-20.

Panthers @ Ravens: 1:00 PM ET on CBS

Ben- I'm still not convinced the Ravens are a good football team. Carolina wins 20-12.

Drew- Cam and the Panthers will roll in and take this one from the Ravens with a final score of 23-10.

Lions @ Jets: 1:00 PM ET on FOX

Ben- I don't see the Lions playing well on the road. Jets win 27-24.

Drew- The Jets get an inspirational win against the Lions 24-23.

Buccaneers @ Steelers: 1:00 PM ET on FOX

Ben- The Buccaneers look awful. Steeelers win 27-9

Drew- This one won't be close. Pittsburgh wins 31-10.

Dolphins @ Raiders: 1:00 PM ET on FOX in London

Ben- The Raiders look pretty bad. Dolphins take this one 23-13.

Drew- The Dolphins clearly have home field advantage in this one and win it 26-19.

Jaguars @ Chargers: 4:05 PM ET on CBS

Ben- This game could get ugly. Chargers win 31-14.

Drew- The Chargers have been impressive and continue that with a 34-13 win at home in San Diego.

Falcons @ Vikings: 4:25 PM ET on FOX

Ben- Matt Ryan performs well on the road in this one. Falcons win 27-16.

Drew- Matty Ice gets the job done as the Falcons win 28-21.

Eagles @ 49ers: 4:25 PM ET on FOX

Ben- Hot matchup. I'll take the Niners 24-23.

Drew- This is gonna be an interesting game. The 49ers are still looking for their first win in their new stadium and it won't come this week as the Eagles win 27-23.

Saints @ Cowboys: 8:30 PM ET on NBC

Ben- I think the Cowboys find a way to win by a final score of 28-23.

Drew- The Saints show up and win on Football Night in America beating the Cowboys 35-29.

Monday:

Patriots @ Chiefs: 8:30 PM ET on ESPN

Ben- Tom Brady hasn't looked too hot. It's difficult for me to pick against him. Gotta take the Patriots by a final score of 21-16.

Drew- This won't be the most entertaining game ever as the Patriots struggle on the road and lose to the Chiefs by a final score of 20-17.

Why the New Playoff System makes College Football Better

2014-09-22T12:49:00.002-04:00

I've mentioned several times that this is a ground-breaking season. It's the first time that four teams will have a chance to compete to be the best at the end of the season. Here are three reasons the College Football Playoff makes the regular season more exciting:

1. Teams don't suffer as much from the one-and-done mentality- Let's be honest, unless you're in the Southeastern Conference, losing a game basically would take you out of contention to play for a National Title. Now, with four teams having a chance to compete for a chance to win it all, schools from other major conferences can lose a game and still have a realistic chance to win the whole thing. Just don't lose twice.

2. More contenders means more big-time upsets- Let's be realistic. Just because there's twice as many teams with an opportunity to be number one, doesn't mean there's all of a sudden going to be a boatload of contenders at the end of the year. Many teams will lose hopes of going all the way early on, but still will want to hang their hat on a big-time performance. With the top four being the new equivalent of what used to be the top two, there will be twice as many chances for teams across the country to shake up the national-title picture. More upsets equals more entertainment. I'm down.

3. The playoff won't involve teams from just a single conference- I get it. Everybody wanted to see LSU play Alabama again a few years back. When we saw teams from the same conference which had already played each other in the regular season play again in what used to be a one-game playoff. It made the matchup in the regular season seem pointless. Although we'll see rematches from the regular season at some point in the new playoff system, at least it won't be the only game that decides which team is the best.

Finally we have a system that makes more games worth watching and gives more teams a chance to end up on top. That's a win-win for the fans and players. Thank you college football. For once you got it right.

Texas A&M vs. Arkansas: Preview, Predictions and Analysis

2014-09-22T12:15:00.002-04:00

The Texas A&M Aggies and Arkansas Razorbacks will collide at AT&T Stadium in a SEC West showdown.

Game Time: 3:30 PM ET on CBS

Why this game is worth watching:

Lots of offense- Texas A&M and Arkansas are both ranked in the top three in the country in scoring offense. We'll see if any of these teams can step up on defense when they meet up on Saturday.

Kenny Hill- It has been almost a month now since the starting quarterback for the Texas A&M Aggies started the college football season with a bang, throwing for 511 yards on the road in a 52-28 victory over the South Carolina Gamecocks. Texas A&M hasn't had any primetime games since the opening weekend. Hill still appears to be one of the Heisman front runners and he'll be on full display this weekend.

The Aggies finally are the hunted- We all remember week one and have seen the Aggies cruise the past three weeks against inferior competition. The tables have turned now for their second marquee matchup against an SEC opponent. This time they'll be the team expected to do big things. I'm looking forward to seeing how the Aggies play with the added pressure of being a contender to make it into the first College Football Playoff.

Key to the game:

Forcing turnovers- Arkansas and A&M have the ability to get hot and put plenty of points on the board. The difference in this game should be who is able to hold onto the ball and which team can force more mistakes from the opponent. I wouldn't be surprised if the Aggies make a few costly mistakes in this game, especially considering the fact they haven't faced a legitimate defense since they dominated South Carolina to open the season. On the other hand, Arkansas was only able to score 21 points against Auburn, the only above-average defense they've faced all season. I could analyze this all day, but the fact of the matter is turnovers will play a huge role in the outcome on Saturday.

Player who is an X Factor:

Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams- I cheated a little bit on this one. Collins and Williams are the running backs that have led the eighth-ranked rushing offense in the country which has averaged barely under 325 yards on the ground per contest. Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema was used to having one of the better rushing offenses in the country from his days coaching the Wisconsin Badgers. He seems to be finding his groove with the Razorbacks now with a lethal tandem in the backfield. If both Collins and Williams can get things going early and often, we may just see another shakeup in the top ten.

The Spread- Texas A&M by 10

Prediction- We got quite a hot matchup on our hands here. I'm gonna have to lean with Kenny Hill to lead the way as the Aggies outscore the Razorbacks 38-34.

UCLA vs. Arizona State: Preview, Predictions and Analysis

2014-09-22T10:50:00.000-04:00

The Bruins and Sun Devils will face off in a battle featuring two undefeated schools from the Pacific 12 Conference.

Game Time: Thursday at 10:00 PM ET on Fox Sports 1

Why this game is worth watching:

D.J. Foster- The starting running back for the Arizona State Sun Devils has shined in his junior season averaging 170 rushing yards per game and over 9 yards per carry in his three appearances. With an injury to starting quarterback Taylor Kelly, Foster will be getting plenty of touches and show the country whether he's the real deal.

Huge implications- Both UCLA and Arizona State are undefeated and have hopes of making it into the first College Football Playoff. Enough said.

It's primetime on a Thursday night- I understand on the east coast there are people out there wondering why such a great matchup is so late at night. Here's the deal. Stop complaining. You can eat your dinner and put on your pajamas before the game starts. Brush your teeth at halftime and pass out when the game's over. For those of you on west coast...Ignore everything I just said.

Key to the game:

The Sun Devils maintaining offensive balance- I've made it obvious that D.J. Foster is the main guy on offense for ASU. What I haven't mentioned, is his presence alone won't enable the offense to drive down the field on a regular basis. Junior quarterback Mike Bercovici will be starting for the injured Taylor Kelley. He will have to make some clutch throws to keep drives alive. Watch for junior receiver Jalen Strong to get involved as well. He leads the Devils in receiving and will be the main guy Bercovici looks to when the team needs a first down. A steady dose of rushing and an efficient passing attack when needed, should be enough to give the Sun Devils a chance to win on Thursday night.

Player who is an X Factor:

Brett Hundley- I realize Hundley's status for Thursday is still in question. I'm going to just assume he'll be ready to go. Hundley came into the season as one of the top Heisman candidates and is the face of a UCLA team that is on the rise under head coach Jim Mora. Hundley hasn't put up eye-popping stats this season, but he has the ability to make all the throws as well as the speed and toughness to run for a few first downs when needed. This is a huge game for the Bruins, which means Hundley will be relied upon heavily for the team to earn a victory.

The Spread- UCLA by 6

Prediction- The Bruins don't wow me when it comes to their skill players on offense. The Sun Devils aren't at full strength without their starting quarterback, but do have a home crowd behind them as well as one of the best running backs in the country. This is a very tough decision. When in doubt I usually take the home team. Arizona State wins 23-20

Stanford vs. Washington: Preview, Predictions and Analysis

2014-09-22T01:17:00.002-04:00

The Stanford Cardinal look to get themselves back in the playoff discussion as they go on the road to face the undefeated Washington Huskies.

Game Time: 4:15 PM ET on FOX

It's Chris Petersen's first big test after leaving Boise State- Chris Petersen was heralded as one of the best head coaches in college football when he was with the Boise State Broncos. This is his first year as head coach of the Washington Huskies. We'll see how he does on a bigger stage in the Pacific 12 Conference.

The Stanford defense is out to prove it's second to none- The Stanford Cardinal have allowed 4.3 points per game, that's less than any other team in the country. The team will face their first road test as the D looks to maintain their high level of play at Husky Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Barry Sanders- It's been a while since we saw Barry Sanders light it up in the NFL. Now his son is a running back at the University of Stanford. Barry Sanders Jr. rushed for a career-high 92 yards against Army a couple weeks ago. He also averaged over ten yards per carry in the contest. I'm excited to see if the son of a legend can make a legacy of his own. I'll be watching to see how Sanders performs on Saturday afternoon.

Key to the game:

Washington needs to generate some sort of offense to keep the crowd involved- The Cardinal have only allowed four plays of 20 yards or more through three games this season. That's absurd. The Washington Huskies have the 106th ranked passing offense in the country. They're gonna have to rely on running backs Lavon Coleman and Dwayne Washington to get the offense going. Coleman and Washington both are averaging over four yards per carry. They Cardinal D is giving up 3.46 YPC on the season, so hope isn't lost for the Huskies to get something going on the ground. With that all said, Washington head coach Chris Petersen is going to have to think outside the box to find a way to move the chains and keep this game close. If the Huskies can get something going on offense early, it will make the home crowd added x factor in the team's favor.

Player who is an X Factor:

Cyler Miles- The sophomore quarterback for the Washington Huskies hasn't put up gaudy numbers, but deserves some props for not throwing a single interception in his three starts this year. He'll have to not only avoid mistakes, but find a way to make some plays against a Stanford passing defense that's tied for first in the country allowing only 4 yards per passing attempt. The Huskies are still hoping wide receiver John Ross will be healthy for Saturday's game. Ross leads the team in reception yards and didn't play last week against Georgia State due to an injury to his left leg. Without him, Miles will have no choice but to do the best he can with what he's got at his disposal. Against the stingy Stanford D, there's no question Miles is facing an uphill battle.

The Spread- Stanford by 6

Prediction- I haven't even mentioned that Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan lives for games like this and his go-to wide receiver Ty Montgomery is one of the most entertaining players to watch in the country. Now that I've mentioned those points it's time to make a prediction. Stanford makes a statement on the road and defeats the Washington Huskies by a final score of 24-10.

Cincinnati vs. Ohio State: Preview, Predictions and Analysis

2014-09-21T23:45:00.001-04:00

The Ohio State Buckeyes will look to get their mojo back on Saturday night with a non-conference matchup against the Cincinnati Bearcats.

Game Time: 6:00 PM ET on the Big Ten Network

Why this game is worth watching:

Gunner Kiel- Through only two games this season, Cincinnati's starting quarterback Gunner Kiel has already thrown for 689 yards and 10 touchdowns. After transferring from the University of Notre Dame, Kiel will finally have his chance to perform on the big stage. Ohio Stadium will be rocking while the Columbus, Indiana native will look to shock the Buckeyes with a performance of a lifetime.

In-state bragging rights- Some people like nicknames for big games. Here you go. It's "The battle of Ohio". You're welcome.

Ohio State looks to gain momentum heading into the Big-Ten portion of the season- Many folks across the country have counted the Buckeyes out after their disappointing week-two performance against the Virginia Tech Hokies. The Buckeyes defense will be tested against the Bearcats vaunted passing attack on Saturday. OSU can use this weekend as an opportunity to prepare themselves for what they hope will be a season that ends in a Big Ten Title.

Key to the Game:

Gunner Kiel has to convert on third downs- The Ohio State Buckeyes defense hasn't been the problem for them and their offense seems to be getting better every week. Cincinnati will have to earn it if they want to come into Columbus, Ohio and put up some big numbers against a team that hasn't allowed 200 passing yards in a single game this season. The Bearcats won't be able to rely on huge plays to carry them to a victory on Saturday. Instead, they'll have to methodically drive down the field and convert third downs into first downs. If Kiel can keep this mindset and not try to force the issue against a defense that is superior athletically to the Bearcat offense, his team should have a chance to pull off the upset.

Player who is an X Factor:

J.T. Barrett- The freshman quarterback for the Buckeyes has had an up-and-down season through three starts. The Buckeyes hope Barrett will play more like he did in week three when he threw for six touchdowns against Kent State, in comparison to a three-interception performance under the lights against Virginia Tech the previous week. I'll be expecting Barrett to put up big numbers considering he's got Urban Meyer, one of the best offensive-minded head coaches in all of football helping him along the way.

Intriguing statistic- According to cfbstats.com the Buckeyes passing defense is ranked third in the country allowing only 99.3 yards per game through the air while the Bearcats are ranked ninth in passing offense averaging 353.5 YPG. Something's gotta give.

The Spread- Ohio State by 14

Prediction- I think the Buckeyes offense will be electric Saturday night and Cincinnati will match them point for point through three quarters. The Bearcats don't have enough talent to beat Ohio State and it will show in the end as the Buckeyes win 38-24.

Ten Takeaways from College Football Week 4

2014-09-21T22:10:00.000-04:00

Each week tells its own story in 2014, as we're all in the midst of the first season ending with a College Football Playoff. Here are ten things I noticed from the past week.

1. Where the Alabama Crimson Tide should be ranked- The Crimson Tide had an impressive 42-21 victory over the Florida Gators even with three first-half turnovers. The team showed mental toughness and quarterback Blake Sims looked sharp with 445 yards and four passing touchdowns, including two of over 75 yards. The Bama D stepped up as well, not allowing a single point the last 25 minutes of the contest on Saturday. I find myself believing the Tide are the best team in football after week four.

2. Mississippi State and Louisiana State find themselves trending in opposite directions after their Saturday-night meeting- The Mississippi State Bulldogs came into Tiger Stadium and shocked a top-ten LSU football team. Junior quarterback Dak Prescott led the way for the Dogs passing for 268 yards and two touchdowns in the state where he grew up. Although the Tigers were the only team to suffer a loss, both teams will have their hands full in an SEC West division that currently has four teams ranked in the top ten.

3. Oklahoma continues to impress- The Oklahoma Sooners came into the season with high expectations. They've failed to disappoint so far, with a 45-33 victory on the road against the West Virginia Mountaineers as the most recent accomplishment. The Sooners went into the game without Keith Ford, one of their top running backs. The team was well-prepared as freshman back Smaje Perine stepped his game up with 242 yards and four touchdowns to give us an idea of how stacked this roster really is. Oklahoma is for real on both sides of the ball. Don't expect this team to straggle any time soon.

4. The Big Ten shows their real strength- The Big Ten Conference showed off their stable of running backs over the weekend. Melvin Gordon got things rolling Saturday afternoon with 253 yards on only 13 carries against Bowling Green. Later in the afternoon the Indiana Hoosiers shocked the Missouri Tigers due to the performance of running back Tevin Coleman. Coleman had 132 yards on the ground and also had three receptions for 57 yards. The night was capped off with Ameer Abdullah rushing for 229 yards in primetime for the Nebraska Huskers, leading the team to a victory over the Miami Hurricanes.

5. Auburn just wins- The Auburn Tigers got a gutsy 20-14 victory over the Kansas State Wildcats last Thursday evening. The Wildcats were left scratching their heads after leaving points on the board. KSU missed three field goals and a would-have-been touchdown that was dropped by Tyler Lockett and resulted in an interception. In the end, Auburn didn't make many mistakes and came out on top.

6. Brady Hoke is definitely on the hot seat- The Michigan Wolverines are 2-2 through four games after a 26-10 loss at home to the Utah Utes. The chances head coach Brady Hoke is on the Wolverine sideline next season? Slim.

7. East Carolina looks the part for the best sleeper team of 2014- The East Carolina Pirates are 3-1 this season. Their marquee victory came in the third week of the season against the Virginia Tech Hokies, a team that had just come off a victory against the Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus, Ohio. Their stud player is quarterback Shane Carden, who leads the sixth-best passing offense in the country when it comes to yardage. Their only loss was by a score of 33-23 on the road to South Carolina, a team that beat the Georgia Bulldogs a week later. This team is for real.

8. Jameis Winston means a ton to Florida State's football success- The Seminoles were favored by 20+ points before the news of quarterback Jameis Winston's suspension. Without Winston, FSU was lucky to get the game to overtime. The Seminoles remain undefeated and have come to realize they will go as far as Winston takes them.

9. All games involving top-ten teams are worth watching- This weekend the LSU Tigers were shocked at home and the Oregon Ducks survived on the road, beating the Washington State Cougars 38-31. We also saw a Florida State team that looks vulnerable, showing how they perform without excellent play at the quarterback position. As fans we think we know what to watch for, but sometimes it's better to simply just watch.

10. Even with a four-team playoff, there's a small margin for error- Once again. This is the first year of the four-team playoff in college football. Going into the season I thought the playoff might leave too big of a window open when it comes to margin of error with four and not just two teams getting in. In the first month of the season I've realized that even with twice as many teams given the chance to go all the way at the end of the regular season, there's still just as much intensity and excitement on a week-to-week basis. I like college football.

5 Bold Predictions for College Football Week 4

2014-09-18T15:32:00.001-04:00

What a season it's been. Now it's time to get bold. Here are my five bold predictions for week four:

1. The Auburn Tigers will lose their first game of the season- The Kansas State Wildcats will be ready ready when the Auburn Tigers come to town Thursday night. I expect KSU quarterback Jake Waters and wide receiver Tyler Lockett to play exceptional on the offensive side of the ball and the home crowd to be enough of a factor to influence a couple Auburn turnovers. You wanted bold. You got it.

2. Oregon will score at least 60 points against Washington State- The Washington State Cougars will be hosting the Oregon Ducks at 10:30 PM ET on ESPN this Saturday night. The Cougars are off to a 1-2 start, even with the top passing attack in the country, averaging 517 yards per game through the air. Unfortunately their defense is pretty bad to say the least. Don't change the channel for a single play when Oregon has the ball. They're that explosive. By the way, I'm not sure how bold this is considering the Ducks are averaging 52 points per game, but it's bold enough to make the cut.

3. BYU will win by less than seven points at home against the Virginia Cavaliers- The Virginia Cavaliers are 15-point underdogs on the road against the BYU Cougars. BYU's starting quarterback Taysom Hill has been the ultimate dual threat for the undefeated Cougars, leading the team in both passing and rushing yardage. I am concerned, however that BYU has turned the ball over at least twice in every game this season and they're going up a Virginia defense that has forced 13 turnovers already this year, which is more than any other club in the nation. I still think BYU will win, but this one will be a lot closer than the experts predict.

4. The West Virginia Mountaineers will have more total yards than the Oklahoma Sooners and will still lose by at least ten points- West Virginia will keep it rather close with Oklahoma for four quarters on Saturday. I believe the Sooners will have some big interception returns, kick returns and maybe even a blocked field goal in this game. The Mountaineers will get plenty of yardage, but it's the big mistakes they make that will give the Sooners the edge in this game.

5. Ameer Abdullah will rush for over 200 yards on Saturday night- The Nebraska Cornhuskers are the only remaining undefeated team in the Big Ten. They host the Miami Hurricanes this Saturday at 8:00 PM ET on ESPN 2. The Huskers will show off their star player to the viewers at home, as Abdullah goes off for over 200 yards rushing.

NFL Week 3 Predictions

2014-09-16T17:39:00.000-04:00

It's been another exciting season thus far. Finally, we're back to predict the final score of every game. Here are our week-three predictions.

Thursday:

Buccaneers @ Falcons: 8:25 PM ET on CBS/NFL Network

Ben- Falcons take care of business at home with a 27-16 victory.

Drew- The Falcons get back on top in Atlanta winning 28-21.

Sunday:

Chargers @ Bills: 1:00 PM ET on CBS

Ben- Hot matchup. Gotta go with the Chargers coming off a victory over the Seahawks. San Diego takes this one 27-20.

Drew- Intriguing matchup. Chargers win on the road 23-17.

Cowboys @ Rams: 1:00 PM ET on FOX

Ben- Da Boys go above .500 with a 30-20 victory.

Drew- The Cowboys won't beat themselves as they win 31-16.

Redskins @ Eagles: 1:00 PM ET on FOX

Ben- The Eagles remain undefeated and win 31-20.

Drew- The Eagles look very impressive and they'll continue their early run by beating the Skins 34-24.

Texans @ Giants: 1:00 PM ET on CBS

Ben- The Texans go to 3-0 with a 24-16 victory.

Drew- I've been reading this blog and know Eli Manning is struggling and the Texans aren't as bad as they were a year ago. Houston wins this game by a score of 20-13.

Vikings @ Saints: 1:00 PM ET on FOX

Ben- Drew Brees goes off as the Saints win 38-21.

Drew- The Saints are finally playing at home and get in the win column beating the Vikings 33-19.

Titans @ Bengals: 1:00 PM ET on CBS

Ben- Cincy takes care of business with a 26-17 victory.

Drew- The Bengals will continue their impressive start by beating the Titans 26-17 in Cincy.

Ravens @ Browns: 1:00 PM ET on CBS

Ben- Ravens edge the Browns 24-23.

Drew- The Browns will extend their winning streak to two games as they beat the Ravens 20-17 in overtime.

Packers @ Lions: 1:00 PM ET on FOX

Ben- Aaron Rodgers leads the Packers to a 35-31 victory.

Drew- Which Lions team will show up? I think they show up for their home game against the Packers, but I don't think it'll be enough as Green Bay wins 31-28.

Colts @ Jaguars: 1:00 PM ET on CBS

Ben- Andrew Luck and the Colts earn their first victory 34-24.

Drew- The Colts are good, the Jaguars aren't. Indy wins 27-17.

Raiders @ Patriots: 1:00 PM ET on CBS

Ben- The Patriots defense is really good. The Raiders offense is really bad. New England wins 35-13.

Drew- The Patriots win this one in front of the home crowd by a score of 34-10.

49ers @ Cardinals: 4:05 PM ET on FOX

Ben- This one's gonna be a barnburner. The Cardinals remain atop the NFC West Division with a 21-20 victory.

Drew- The Cardinals are an interesting team but I think the 49ers are a better team. San Fran wins 26-24.

Broncos @ Seahawks: 4:25 PM ET on CBS

Ben- Thank you can I have another? I guess that's a yes. Seahawks win 28-24.

Drew- Peyton does better but it's still not enough to win in Seattle. Seahawks win 27-20.

Chiefs @ Dolphins: 4:25 PM ET on CBS

Ben- Kansas City gets their first win of the season by a final score of 24-20.

Drew- The Dolphins win this one at home 27-24.

Steelers @ Panthers: 8:30 PM ET on NBC

Ben- I've been waiting all day for Sunday night. Cam and the Panthers remain undefeated and win 27-21.

Drew- The Panthers D shows up in primetime as they beat the Steelers 20-14.

Monday:

Bears @ Jets: 8:30 PM ET on ESPN

Ben- The J-E-T-S win 24-22.

Drew- The Bears beat the Jets on Monday night 27-17.