My Week 11 College Football Rankings

Just in case you lived under a rock, there was a huge upset in college football this past weekend.  For the first time this season, the Tide did not roll.  They lost to a very good A&M team, but the even bigger news is we have a new number 1.  Let’s get this underway to see how the rankings shake out.

Week 11 College Football Ranking

1. Oregon – The Ducks have reached the number one spot in my rankings after Alabama’s loss.  While they have been the best dressed all season, Oregon has earned this.  They have played amazing football and did once again this week.  They beat down Cal in a dominating fashion, like they have done to opponents every week this season.  While having an incredible rushing attack, it was the arm of Marcus Mariota.  Mariota led the Ducks offense passing for 377 yards and 6 touchdowns.  Oregon has a huge game this weekend against the Cardinals of Stanford.  Stanford is a good football team, but Eugene is a tough place to play and the Ducks just have too many weapons.  Oregon wins and once again in an impressive fashion.

2. Kansas State – The Wildcats had another solid win over a quality TCU team.  The Horned Frogs have a nice team and are very tough at home, but K-State was able to go in there and get a win.  Collin Klein had a down game, but was still able to lead his team to a win.  The Wildcats are on the road this week against Baylor.  The Bears can score but I just don’t think they have the talent to keep up with Klein and the Wildcat offense.  The Wildcats win a in what I think could be a somewhat competitive game.

3. Notre Dame – The Irish won at Boston College, which is a tough place especially for the Irish.  They didn’t look great but got a quality win.  The defense didn’t allow a touchdown, but Te’o was relatively quiet.   The big thing was the Irish remain undefeated.  They host Wake this week for Senior Day; the Irish will stomp the Demon Deacons this week.  Rally sons of Notre Dame!!!

4. Alabama – The Tide were upset this week to a very good Texas A&M team.  They had chances to win, but turned the ball over with a little more than a minute to play.  They also played sloppy turning the ball over three times and having key penalties that cost them the game.  ‘Bama hosts Western Carolina this week and they will feel the Wrath of Saban.  Roll Tide and big.

5. Georgia – The Bulldogs shutout the Auburn Tigers.  The Bulldogs running backs Marshall and Gurley had impressive games totaling 221 yards and 2 touchdowns.  The defense pitched a shutout against the struggling Tigers.  The Bulldogs, like ‘Bama, have a cupcake game this week against Georgia Southern.  The Bulldogs win huge.

6. Ohio State – The Buckeyes are coming off a bye, and while not eligible for postseason play, still remain undefeated.  They deserve to be considered among the top teams despite their penalties.  This week they travel to Madison to take on the Badgers.  OSU has a balanced attack and should be able to pull out a win against a tough Wisconsin team. 

7. Clemson – The Tigers move up with the loss of Louisville.  The Tigers crushed the Terps, behind another big game by Tajh Boyd.  Boyd threw for 261 yards and 3 touchdowns on only 26 passes.  This game was over early and the Tigers now have their eyes set on the Wolfpack.  They host NC State this week, and should not have any problems with their conference foe.  The Tigers and Boyd should win big again.

8. Florida State – The Seminoles were able to squeak out a win last Thursday night against the Hokies.  Blacksburg is a tough place to win especially late in the season but FSU was able to come out victorious.  They travel to Maryland this week to take on the Terps.  The ‘Noles should have no trouble.

9. Florida – The Gators found themselves in a battle last week after they overlooked the Ragin Cajuns. They Gators snuck out with a win after blocking a punt and scoping and scoring with only 2 seconds left in the game. It was a great game and the Gators were lucky to walk away with the win.  This week Florida like many other SEC teams plays a soft game.  The Gators host Jacksonville State U, in what is sure to be a beat down.

10. Texas A&M – Welcome to the top 10 and the SEC.  The Aggies made a statement last week when they took down SEC powerhouse Alabama.  The Aggies, behind freshman qb Johnny Manziel, have looked impressive in their first season in the SEC.  They host Sam Houston St. this week, which is once again ridiculous, but apparently how the SEC does things.  Aggies win big, but it will be close for a half coming off that big win.

This week there are a bunch of bad games, but definitely a few to keep an eye on.  Look for a great PAC-12 battle as Oregon hosts Stanford (can’t wait to see the Duck unis), also the Kansas State vs Baylor game could be good and finally the USC vs UCLA should be a game worth watching.  That’s it for this week, enjoy this weekend of college football.

-Brett DeFalco

Welcome to the Foles Era

After two months of fans wanting, asking and even demanding to “put the kid in,” their wish finally came true. In yesterday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys, Michael Vick was injured early on in the second quarter and in came Nick Foles. The Birds ended up losing the game by a score of 38-23. However, I saw a lot of good in Nick Foles game. He ended the day with 22 completions on 32 attempts, for a total 219 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT.

Those numbers are solid for any rookie QB coming into his first NFL game. He was able to get in a rhythm at times and was hitting a variety of different receivers on his drives. However, with rookie success also brought rookie mistakes and Foles did make some bad decisions. A few of his passes were forced and almost got intercepted. Foles threw two interceptions, but lucky for him, there was a flag on the play of one and it came back. The other interception that he threw was a tipped ball that landed in the hands of the Cowboy’s defenseman.

Now with a 3-6 record, the season is pretty much lost for the Eagles. It is time to keep Nick Foles in and let him get some experience. Polish him up a bit and get ready for the 2013 season. Nick Foles reminds me a lot of Matt Schaub. Schaub was a 3^rd round pick in 2004, he is 6 foot 5 inches tall and is now one of the premier quarterbacks in the league. Foles, also a 3^rd round draft choice, is 6 foot 5 inches tall as well. They both have the same build and look very similar in their style of play. It is time to develop a quarterback for the future. The Eagles gave up on Kevin Kolb, the man who was supposed to take the reins and be the franchise QB of the future. He went down in the season opener back in 2010, Vick stepped in, caught fire and Kolb was gone the following season. The problem that the Eagles face now is that Vick has always relied on his pure athletic ability to win games. Now at the age of 32, those legs aren’t quite as fast as they once were, and we are starting to see more and more flaws in his passing game.

What the Eagles need to do now is let Nick Foles finish out this season. Let him get all his rookie mistakes done with and start fresh for 2013.

-Brett Gibbs

My Week 10 College Football Rankings

I first off would like to apologize for being so late with this week’s rankings, with hurricanes, nor’easters and the whole job thing, I just got delayed. Alabama and Notre Dame had huge comebacks to keep themselves in position to play for a National Title.  While they were pulling out wins Oregon and Kansas State were making statements with their impressive wins.  Alright let’s get into this weeks rankings:

Week 10 College Football Rankings:

1.      Alabama – The Tide found themselves in a battle late in the 4^th quarter against LSU.  With only a 1:34 left on the clock, Junior quarterback A.J. McCarron led the Tide on game winning 72 yard drive.  The kid looked impressive, he was poised as the Tide marched down the field.  After the touchdown, McCarron was overwhelmed with emotion.  Alabama was able to go into a hostile environment, against a good team and win.  Alabama is back in Tuscaloosa to host offensive power house Texas A&M.  The Aggies have played well in their first year in the SEC but once again…… The TIDE Roll!!!!

2.      Oregon – The Ducks never disappoint, the all white unis looked awesome and what a great time to bust them out.  Not only did they look fresh in their uniforms, they looked incredible on the field.  The rushing game was able to total another 400 yard plus game and managed 730 yards of total offense.  They are a well oiled machine and I don’t know who can stop them at this point.  The defense has looked a little susceptible lately, but it doesn’t matter because no one can keep up with them offensively.  Oregon travels to play the Cal Bears this week and hope to avoid an upset, but honestly I just don’t see it.  The Ducks win again this week and probably big.

3.      Kansas State – The Wildcats looked impressive in their win against Oklahoma State. Collin Klein lead the team to an impressive win, even with his banged up hand.  Klein has straight up been nasty and looks like this seasons Heisman.  Kansas State just scores at will and has not been stopped this year.  They travel to Texas this week to take on the Horned Frogs of TCU.  KSU and Collin Klein are going to steamroll the Frogs.

4.      Notre Dame – The Irish, while getting the W, had a big letdown from their win over Oklahoma.  The Pitt Panthers should have never had a chance and barring that missed chip shot in OT they should have won.  The Irish were “lucky” to escape that with a win, but a win is a win.  Manti Te’o is a monster and arguably the best defensive player in college football and is an amazing leader.  The Golden Domers are on the road this week, against Boston College.  BC is a tough team despite being 2-7 but the Irish will not lose this week.  Play Like a Champion!!!!!

5.      Georgia – The Bulldogs cruised past Ole Miss last week in a dominating fashion.  Georgia’s passing attack looked stellar, with Aaron Murray throwing for 384 yards and 4 touchdowns.  They shredded the Rebel defense and have established themselves as the top SEC East team.  The Bulldogs take on the Tigers of Auburn this week and should prevail.  Auburn is having a down season and should not be any real threat for the Bulldogs.

6.      Ohio State – The Buckeyes cruised past he Fightin’ Illini last week and remained undefeated.  The Buckeye running attack was too much for the Illini, as Carlos Hyde led the way rushing for 137 and 3 rushing touchdowns.  The undefeated Buckeyes are off this week before traveling to Madison next week to take on conference foe Wisconsin Badgers. 

7.      Louisville – The Cardinals were able to remain undefeated, as they were just too much for the Temple Owls. Temple was able to keep it close for the first quarter but after that Louisville took over the game.  Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater torched the Temple defense for 324 yards and 5 touchdowns.  The Cardinals head to the Carrier Dome to take on the Syracuse Orange.  The Cardinals should have no problems here just need to remain focused and continue to win. 

8.      Clemson – The Tigers did exactly what I thought last week and crushed Duke.  The Blue Devils never had a chance in this one.  Tajh Boyd passed all over the Duke defense throwing for 344 and 5 touchdowns.  They host the Terps’ of Maryland this week; the Tigers are just too much and have weapons everywhere on offense. 

9.      Florida State – The Seminoles were off this past week after destroying Duke the week before.  The Seminoles head Blacksburg to take on the Hokies this week in a Thursday night football showdown.  The Hokies are having a bad season and will struggle against a very good Seminole team.  FSU dominates this game after coming off a bye.

10.   Florida – The Gators still have a chance to play for the SEC title if Georgia happens to slip up and they win out.  The Gators are coming off a tough win over the Mizzu Tigers in which they did not look very impressive.  They host the Ragin Cajuns of Louisiana-Lafayette this week, in what should be a route for the Gators.  They have two cupcake games before ending the season with FSU.  Florida wins big this week keeping their hopes alive.

This week keep an on the ‘Bama vs Aggies game (the Aggies can score), Oregon vs Cal (while I still think Oregon dominates could be a good one), Notre Dame vs BC (who knows what ND team will show up), and watch the Temple vs Cincinnati game (mainly because yours truly will be covering this game from the Linc and tweeting @PhillysportLive). It should be another great weekend of college football.  That’s all I got for this week.

-Brett DeFalco

Eagles Lose 4th Straight

The Philadelphia Eagles lost their fourth straight game last night, and did so in embarrassing fashion.  The Saints dismal defense, which was ranked 32 in the league in total defense, recorded 7 sacks, a pick six and fumble recovery.  This was the worst defense in the NFL and the “explosive” Philadelphia offense only mustered one touchdown.  They were 0-4 in the in the red zone, only managing to get 2 field goals and turning the ball over twice.  While I am not calling for Andy to be fired or Vick to be benched, something drastic needs to happen.  Just firing a defensive coordinator, who was not ready for that position, is not enough.  There needs to be a major change in scheme on both sides of the ball.

Offensively part of the problem is you only have one starting offensive lineman on the field.  So why not make an adjustment at half time, try running a two tight end set and max protect.  Vick was getting killed, while I understand it has a little to do with an injury plagued offensive line, a change needed to be made to give the team a chance to win.  Once big Todd goes down, the Eagles should have just continued to pound the Saints defense with the run gain.  The Eagles totaled almost 140 rushing yards in the first half of the game, not including any Mike Vick runs.  The second half, the Eagles abandoned the running game and lost total control of the game. 

Defensively the tackling of on this team has been horrendous.  That’s not a scheme issue or a Juan Castillo issue, that’s a personnel issue.  Nnamdi is a liability in run support and can’t cover anybody. 
Safetys David Sims and Kurt Coleman can’t wrap anyone up.  The defensive line is a total gimmick and even when they have an opportunity to sack a quarterback, i.e. Trent Cole in the first quarter when he straight up missed Brees and he completed a 38 yard pass to Lance Moore.  Also, I am really tired of hearing from Brandon Graham, how about you play defensive end like a first round pick and actually contain the outside, preventing Chris Ivory from a 22 yard touchdown. 

This team is on downward spiral and honestly there are too many questions to be answered.  The offensive and defensive lines run gimmicky schemes that are relatively ineffective.  The secondary doesn’t seem to be able to cover anyone or support the run game.  The coach staffing seems clueless in how to make adjustments.  The GM has no idea how to draft a class of players that can truly make an impact on the team.  At least Juan Castillo can’t be fired again this week for the terrible defensive play, although maybe Jim Washburn could be the next casuality.

-Brett DeFalco