Labor Day Weekend – Big 12 and Mountain West, what we learned...

by: Kendall Holiday

Big 12 North

As long as Marlon Lucky runs like that, Nebraska will be very difficult for opposing teams to defend.  NU’s defense looked the part of the old Blackshirts, but Nevada did drop 15 balls.  NU should be undefeated when USC comes calling on Sept. 15, and from the looks it, the Trojans had better bring their “A” game or they could be in trouble.

Colorado is improved this season. The fact that Colorado won, without TB Hugh Charles, MLB Michael Sipili, and WR/RB Bernard Jackson, says a lot.  Colorado is not going to win 10 games, but they should be in just about every game they play this season.

Kansas might be better than anyone gave them credit for in the preseason.  They absolutely dominated one of the better mid-major teams from last season.  They ran it, they threw it and they played good defense.  The Jayhawks are a value team to keep an eye on down the road.

Iowa State has Baylor as the worst team in the Big 12 this season.  They looked terrible in their season opening loss to Kent State.  They are in for a long season.

Missouri might actually be the same old Missouri.  They’ll score lots of points, but they’ll give them up too.  If Nebraska stays healthy, Missouri will have a hard time winning this division, unless they find some heart and a stout defense quickly.

Big 12 South

Oklahoma and their offensive line are legit.  OU looked like the best Big 12 team this past weekend, and they get the chance to flex their muscles against a relatively average Miami squad this coming weekend.  OU should pounce on the Canes in Norman.

Texas looks very beatable.  Sure they did not need their best effort against Arkansas State this past weekend, but will they be able to just turn it on when they face a stout TCU defense this week?  They could not run the ball on ASU?  Will they be able to move the ball against the Horned Frogs?

Texas Tech looked fantastic on offense, and Michael Crabtree was terrific.  Tech will be able to score points again this season, but it was hard to tell about their defense, as SMU was just downright awful.

Oklahoma State might get the most overrated call in the Big 12 after the first week of action.  Their defense was overmatched by Georgia’s offense and they had no answer for Georgia’s speed on defense.  The offensive part of this equation is execution, and OSU has not exactly been signing scholars in their recruiting classes.  It will be interesting to see how this team progresses.

Mountain West

Wyoming is going to be good this season.  They dominated Virginia in every facet and sent them packing with a 23-3 defeat.  Devin Moore gobbled up 125 yards on the ground for the ‘Pokes.  If they can run the ball that well all year their passing game will soon follow, and they might have a top three finish in this conference.

BYU may not miss a beat as Max Hall proved to be an exceptional game manager having zero turnovers against a very good Wildcat defense.  BYU has a real shot when they travel to UCLA this weekend, provided they limit the mistakes and the defense shows as well as it did Saturday.

Colorado State has a good football team and they are better than most people think. This squad plays an awful lot like Lubick’s good teams of the past.  Their offense is predicated on the play-action pass, and Kyle Bell looked pretty good last Saturday.  If the defense is able to hold up its end of the bargain, and Cal is looking ahead, they could make things interesting this Saturday.

Poor Utah.  Man, they had it rolling, then bang they lose Asiato to a season ending injury, and QB Brian Johnson goes down with a dislocated shoulder.  What followed was ugly as the offense could not move the ball and the defense wore down.  They have an interesting tilt with Air Force this weekend.  It now looks like a game that AFA might have a real chance to win.

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NFL Football

Houston Texans @ Tennesse Titans Sunday September 21, 2008 1:00 pm
We are not quite on the Titans bandwagon, though we think they will be around all season long.  The Texans were our sleeper team in the AFC this season and they still are despite getting hammered by the Steelers on the road in the opening week.  Matt Schaub is an effective ... read more

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College Football

LSU Tigers @ Auburn Tigers Saturday September 20, 2008 7:45 pm
There are two rules we live by here, and both of them come into fine focus in this football game, a game that Auburn will win outright and likely easily in our estimation.  The public is all over LSU, and from what they know, they should be.  LSU has looked great early, ... read more

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College Football

Buffalo Bulls @ Missouri Tigers Saturday September 20, 2008 2:00 pm
Again, like last week, we have Missouri as a top three team in the country and they have the best offense for our money.  Buffalo is improved, but it does not matter when you have Daniel, Maclin, Coffman, and Franklin on offense.  Missouri's defense did well against a pretty ... read more

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College Football

East Carolina Pirates @ NC State Wolfpack Saturday September 20, 2008 12:00 pm
Count us as in the group that thinks East Carolina is a good team, but not one that should be laying seven points on the road to NC State.  Now, this NC State edition does not boast the likes of Philip Rivers, but they can still play defense, and will keep this game close throughout.  ... read more

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College Football

West Virginia Mountaineers @ Colorado Buffaloes Thursday September 18, 2008 8:30 pm
Big Thursday Night game at the foot of the Flatirons.  There will be a blackout by Colorado fans for this game, and apparently, there is much exctiement for this game in Boulder as it is Nationally televised on ESPN.  We have seen both of these teams play this season, and ... read more

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NFL Football

Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys Monday September 15, 2008 8:35 pm
A 2-0 start to our NFL season yesterday with our Underdog selection winning outright in the Raiders and our Vegas Mistake game coming through with Tampa Bay.  We look to make it 3-0 here tonight.  Donovan McNabb is back and healthy for the Eagles, and that is ... read more

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NFL Football

Atlanta Falcons @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday September 14, 2008 4:05 pm
This game has blowout written all over it.  Tampa comes in off a loss to upstart NO, a team we expect to be very good this football season.  Atlanta shocked everyone last week with Michael Turner rushing for over 200 yards, and Matt Ryan playing mistake free football.  ... read more

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NFL Football

Oakland Raiders @ Kansas City Chiefs Sunday September 14, 2008 1:00 pm
This line is way off in our opinion, but we'll gladly take it here, as the Chiefs are the worst team in the NFL this season, and Oakland is good value considering the whole country saw Denver destroy them last Monday night.  Denver is likely a better football team than people ... read more

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College Football

Wisconsin Badgers @ Fresno State Bulldogs Saturday September 13, 2008 10:30 pm
Still too early to go big on a college football game, but we really like the looks of Fresno State in this one.  Fresno State HC Pat Hill has called this the biggest game in his coaching career at Fresno, and that is saying something, but Fresno just finds ways to win at home, ... read more

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College Football

Nevada Wolf Pack @ Missouri Tigers Saturday September 13, 2008 12:30 pm
This is our preseason blow out selection.  Missouri, in our estimation is one of the top five teams in the country this season.  They possess the best quarterback in the land in Chase Daniel, and a bevy of weapons for him to choose from including Jeremy Maclin and Chase ... read more

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