It's never too early to look ahead to the college football season. Just think about it. May is practically gone, so all we have to get through is June and July. Fall practice will be here before you know it.
As usual there are no shortage of story lines heading into the 2013 season.
1. Three in a row?
There is only one logical place to start when you are thinking about the 2013 season: Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide are trying to do something that hasn't been done in the modern age of college football. Since 1950, no team has won three consecutive consensus national championships. I use that phrasing on purpose, because if you look at wikipedia.com and see how many organizations used crowned a champion in college football each year, you will rethink your position on the BCS.
Bama will have to replace some key pieces on what was one of the best offensive lines in college football history. Bama also lost some defensive pieces, as well as stud running back Eddy Lacy. However, the Tide do return senior quarterback AJ McCarron and his lovely girlfriend, that Brent Musburger is still raving about.
The schedule for Alabama is intriguing to say the least. Bama opens in their home away from home, the Georgia Dome, against Virginia Tech. It is a good situation for Bama, because Virginia Tech is a big name, but there is no similarity in the talent levels of the two schools. After a bye week following the opener, Bama heads to College Station, Texas to face A&M in what should be a fantastic game. Other than the A&M game, Alabama's toughest road game will probably be against Mississippi State in November, and the Tide do close the season at Auburn. Alabama plays both LSU and Tennessee at home in 2013.
There is a reason that teams don't win three national titles in a row, but if any team, and any coach, can get the job done, it is Alabama and Nick Saban.
2. Do I hear 9?
The dominance of the SEC in college football is one of the most heated topics in recent history. It is amazing how many fans and coaches feel like the respect given to the SEC is unwarranted. Obviously I am a huge SEC fan, but I truly believe that I could respect what the league is doing even if I were a fan of another conference. With teams like Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Texas A&M, and LSU there is no reason to think that an SEC school won't play their way into the national title game, and there is no reason to think, once there, they won't win the game.
In the BCS era only one SEC school has lost a national title game: LSU, in 2012, to Alabama. Be frustrated with the streak, be aggravated about the coverage the league gets on ESPN, be envious about the benefit of the doubt given to the league because of their reputation, but please, please, respect the streak.
3. If not the SEC, then who?
If the SEC's streak of national champions is going to come to an end in the 2013 season, who are the most likely candidates to end the streak? There are two types of candidates in my opinion, the teams that could be undefeated because they hardly play anyone, and the teams that are going to be very good but have to win some big games.
Ohio State, coming off an undefeated season where they were ineligible for the national championship because their players traded memorabilia for tattoos, would fall under the first category. With non-conference games against Buffalo, San Diego State, Cal, and Florida A&M, Ohio State only has to navigate through the meager Big 10 to find its way to the national title game. The Buckeyes two biggest road games will be at Northwestern (no that is not a joke) and to end the season at Michigan. Ohio State plays Wisconsin and Penn State at home and miss Nebraska entirely, though they might have to play Nebraska in the Big 10 title game.
Two teams jump out to me in the second category: Clemson and Stanford.
Stanford plays Washington, Oregon, and Notre Dame all at home this season, with their toughest road tests coming against Oregon State and USC. The Cardinal didn't miss a beat after losing Jim Harbaugh and Andrew Luck last season and there is no reason to think that they won't be right in the middle of the national title picture again this season.
If Clemson is undefeated at the end of the season they will have made it through one of the most difficult schedules in the country. Clemson starts the season at home with Georgia. They host Florida State and Georgia Tech during the middle of the season and finish up by playing at South Carolina. Two games that might be dangerous for the Tigers are against NC State in Raleigh and against Syracuse in the Carrier Dome.
If I had to pick one team it would be Ohio State. They will look good demolishing the Big 10, and Urban Meyer gives them more credibility nationally. As an SEC fan, I pray for Ohio State against an SEC team in the title game again. It worked out so well for Florida in 2006 and LSU in 2007.
4. Will the Luck of the Irish strike again?
Notre Dame fell back to earth hard in Miami against Alabama. It had been a dream season for the Irish, but just take a moment to think about how close that season was to coming off the rails. It took overtime and one of the most questionable goal line calls I can remember for Notre Dame to beat Stanford last year. The Irish should have lost to Pitt at home but the Pitt kicker missed a game winning field goal in double overtime.
This season, Notre Dame loses Te'o and his inspirational story... oh wait, yeah. Well they will have some holes to fill on the defense, and the schedule is pretty difficult. At Michigan at the begining of the season and at Stanford at the end of the season will be the toughest road games for Notre Dame, but the list of teams coming to South Bend this season will raise some eyebrows. Oklahoma, Michigan State, USC, and don't look past BYU who gave Notre Dame all they could handle last year.
Might be a tough fall for the Irish.
5. Here's Johnny!
On an individual level, no player has burst onto the scene quicker and with more flash than Johnny Manziel did last year. Johnny football took A&M to the top of the college football world in 2012, beating Alabama and thrashing Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl in the team's very first year in the SEC. Just think, if A&M could have held on to beat Florida in the second game of the season last year, then it would have been Texas A&M facing Georgia in the SEC title game, not Alabama.
The A&M fan base has huge expectations for 2013. They truly believe that the game between A&M and Alabama in the third week of the season is a defacto national title game. Other than the now traditional games against LSU (in Baton Rouge) and Alabama (in College Station) the schedule is manageable. The Aggies draw Vanderbilt out of the East along with their "natural rival" Missouri. Road games at Arkansas and at Ole Miss in back to back weeks could be a problem.
For Manziel, there is really no way to top the season he just had. Maybe he will win a second Heisman, but I doubt it. He has spent the majority of the off season enjoying being Johnny Manziel. He went to the Super Bowl, spent a lot of time at the beach and on other vacations, all the while taking online classes because it was just too hard for him to take class on campus, you know being Johnny Manziel and all.
Reality will hit Manziel and the Aggies this fall. You don't get your left tackle drafted #2 overall and not miss a beat. Not to mention that Johnny Football has now decided he wants to be a pocket passer, because he is eligible to enter the 2014 draft. On top of all of that, what do you think is the one thing that Nick Saban has been able to motivate his team with this off season? Perhaps it was the only loss that Alabama suffered last season? The Aggies are going to be very good in 2013, but they are looking at the Cotton Bowl again, not that there's anything wrong with that.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Thursday, April 4, 2013
So Far, So So Good
The baseball season is long, but after two games of the Braves season, I think we can safely say that this is exactly what Frank Wren had in mind when he put this team together.
Through two games the Braves have beaten the Phillies twice. The Braves have hit 6 home runs, scored 16 runs, and have struck out a whopping 24 times. That means strike outs account for half of all the Braves outs recorded in the first two games. So all of the pundit were right, the Braves are going to strike out a lot, but right now, it looks like they are going to win a lot as well.
The Braves have had all of this offensive success against Cole Hamels, who the Phillies just signed to be their ace for years to come, and Roy Halladay who was the Phillies ace in years gone by.
Obviously Halladay isn't the same pitcher that he was a few years ago, but that just makes my point even more. The thought going into the season was that the Nationals were the clear favorite to win the division, while the Braves and Phillies would battle for second. I'm not ringing the bell on the Phillies, but I think its obvious that Halladay is going to be a major concern for them going forward, and their offense doesn't seem to have the top to bottom danger that they have had in the past.
One thing the Phillies do have is money. If they are in the race at the All Star Break, they will make a move to improve their team, the Braves don't always have that flexibility.
Maholm was good last night, and Hudson was good on Monday even though he had to be pulled in the 5th. This pitching staff will be plenty good enough with the offense scoring runs. Freddie Freeman has started out blazing hot. The only two concerns through the first two games has been BJ Upton and Anderlton Simmons. But that is the luxury this team has over past Braves teams. Its not taking 3 or 4 hits in a row to score a run, so if a guy or two is struggling, it doesn't completely cripple your offense.
As the season progresses, I think the fact that the Braves have such a good offense will actually help guys struggle a lot less at the plate. No one player is ever going to be put in a position that he has to produce for the Braves to win, thus, guys can go up to the plate and just do what they know they can do, without the added pressure of having to do it all by themselves.
Last night on the broadcast, Joe and Chip were saying that Brian McCann is hitting the ball to all fields and plans are for him to return in about two weeks. Not that Laird and Gattis are filling in nicely so far, but can you imagine putting Brian McCann in this lineup if he at 100%? The groan you just heard was the sound of starting pitchers all across the National League. My only question is who is going to hit 8th?
Its early, very early, but this team is exactly what I hoped it would be. And they are fun to watch.
I hope this rain gets out of here before first pitch tonight, because, oh yeah, the Braves best starting pitcher, Kris Medlen, takes the hill for the first time this season tonight as the Braves go for a sweep of the Phillies against the third "ace" of the Phillies staff, Cliff Lee.
Get out your rain jackets and your brooms!
GO BRAVES!!!
Through two games the Braves have beaten the Phillies twice. The Braves have hit 6 home runs, scored 16 runs, and have struck out a whopping 24 times. That means strike outs account for half of all the Braves outs recorded in the first two games. So all of the pundit were right, the Braves are going to strike out a lot, but right now, it looks like they are going to win a lot as well.
The Braves have had all of this offensive success against Cole Hamels, who the Phillies just signed to be their ace for years to come, and Roy Halladay who was the Phillies ace in years gone by.
Obviously Halladay isn't the same pitcher that he was a few years ago, but that just makes my point even more. The thought going into the season was that the Nationals were the clear favorite to win the division, while the Braves and Phillies would battle for second. I'm not ringing the bell on the Phillies, but I think its obvious that Halladay is going to be a major concern for them going forward, and their offense doesn't seem to have the top to bottom danger that they have had in the past.
One thing the Phillies do have is money. If they are in the race at the All Star Break, they will make a move to improve their team, the Braves don't always have that flexibility.
Maholm was good last night, and Hudson was good on Monday even though he had to be pulled in the 5th. This pitching staff will be plenty good enough with the offense scoring runs. Freddie Freeman has started out blazing hot. The only two concerns through the first two games has been BJ Upton and Anderlton Simmons. But that is the luxury this team has over past Braves teams. Its not taking 3 or 4 hits in a row to score a run, so if a guy or two is struggling, it doesn't completely cripple your offense.
As the season progresses, I think the fact that the Braves have such a good offense will actually help guys struggle a lot less at the plate. No one player is ever going to be put in a position that he has to produce for the Braves to win, thus, guys can go up to the plate and just do what they know they can do, without the added pressure of having to do it all by themselves.
Last night on the broadcast, Joe and Chip were saying that Brian McCann is hitting the ball to all fields and plans are for him to return in about two weeks. Not that Laird and Gattis are filling in nicely so far, but can you imagine putting Brian McCann in this lineup if he at 100%? The groan you just heard was the sound of starting pitchers all across the National League. My only question is who is going to hit 8th?
Its early, very early, but this team is exactly what I hoped it would be. And they are fun to watch.
I hope this rain gets out of here before first pitch tonight, because, oh yeah, the Braves best starting pitcher, Kris Medlen, takes the hill for the first time this season tonight as the Braves go for a sweep of the Phillies against the third "ace" of the Phillies staff, Cliff Lee.
Get out your rain jackets and your brooms!
GO BRAVES!!!
Sunday, March 31, 2013
2013 MLB Season Preview
The MLB season officially starts tonight in Houston, but for most teams, tomorrow is Opening Day.
This baseball season begins with some big changes.
The Houston Astros are in the American League now. Inter-league play will be apart of the schedule each and every day of the season. The Washington Nationals are the trendy pick to win the World Series. The New York Yankees are a trendy pick to finish last in the AL East.
Trying to predict the baseball season is almost impossible. The season is incredibly long. In September, when you look back at April, it will seem like it was a different world. Teams can go from being the best team in baseball during the early months of the season, to being out of the playoff picture before August. Injuries, trades, and young player that have yet to make a name for themselves in the major leagues will all factor in to who makes the playoffs and who wins the World Series, but most of that is hard to see at this point.
Despite all of that, here are my predictions for how the teams will finish in each division:
AL East:
Tampa
Toronto
Boston
Baltimore
New York
AL Central:
Detroit
Chicago
Cleveland
Minnesota
Kansas City
AL West:
Anaheim
Texas
Oakland
Seattle
Houston
Awards:
To pick anyone other than Justin Verlander to win the Cy Young is almost crazy, so give me David Price, with Verlander second, and King Felix third.
Mike Trout will win the AL MVP.
I don't know any rookies in the American League, but give me a player from Minnesota. They usually have some good young talent.
Manager of the Year usually goes to a team that wins its division, but I will pick Terry Francona because I think the Indians are going to be in the division race all the way to the end of the season.
NL East:
Atlanta
Washington
Philadelphia
New York
Miami
NL Central:
Cincinnati
St. Louis
Pittsburgh
Chicago
Milwaukee
NL West:
LA Dodgers
San Fransisco
Arizona
Colorado
San Diego
Awards:
Stephen Strausberg will win the NL Cy Young because everyone loves him. Give me Matt Cain second and Cole Hammels third.
The NL MVP will be Jason Heyward.
I truly believe that Julio Teheran will be the third or even second best starter for the Braves this season, so I think he will win the Rookie of the Year in the National League.
Fredi Gonzalez wins the Manager of the Year.
I know that people are going to think that these are some homer picks, and they are, but I think the Braves are in a fantastic position this year. Everyone thinks they are going to be good, but everyone expects the Nationals to be better.
Last year, the Nationals played well throughout the season, made a playoff run, sat Strausberg, and everyone pretty much expected them to fold at some point because, lets face it, they are still the Expos.
Winning after being an afterthought for so long is one thing, being the favorite to win not only the division, but many say the World Series, is very different. Year after year, the Braves were picked to win, and year after year in the 90's they won. Expectations are going to be a new obstacle for this team to maneuver, and I just don't think everything is going to come as easy for the Nationals as most people do.
Atlanta meanwhile, can fly under the radar a little bit. The Braves have an offense that is going to make the pitching staff look better than they are, and they are pretty good to start with. There is balance in the starting rotation, 3 righties, 2 lefties, and the Braves pretty much have a front line starting pitcher that they will pick up in the middle of the summer when Brandon Beachy returns from injury. Unless there is an injury in the starting rotation, I think Beachy will be the long man in the bullpen for the rest of this season and return to the starting rotation in 2014.
The Braves also have the best bullpen in baseball, with or without Johnny Venters. Kimbrell is the best closer in the game, and the depth in the bullpen will shorten games for the Braves. Kimbrell's save numbers may be down from last year, because I don't think the Braves are going to play so many close games this season.
There is one issue that I think might be a distraction for the Braves this season, and most people are going to think I'm crazy.
Brian McCann is going to be a free agent at the end of the season, and I don't think there is any chance the Braves are going to resign him. When the trade deadline comes around in July, the Braves might have a big decision on their hands. McCann might be an attractive piece for an American League club as a DH and part time catcher. If one of the Braves young catchers are having a good season, and if Gerald Laird is healthy, the Braves might trade McCann for a high level prospect (perhaps someone who can play third base, hm?).
However, if McCann is having a great season at the plate, the Braves will let him play out the end of his contract and deal with the business side of things after the season.
Again, I love this team. Other than Dan Uggla, who apparently has slimmed down (will being skinner help you figure out that you can hit the ball the other way once in a while?), I love every aspect of this team. The defense in the outfield, at shortstop, and at first base. The balanced power and speed of the lineup. The young pitching complimented by two veteran starters. I love hitting coaches and what they are going to be able to do with Justin Upton. I love the fact that both Juan Fransisco and Chris Johnson seem to have embraced the idea of sharing time at third, and it looks like each guys is just going to try to produce so much that you have to put him in the lineup. I love Kris Medlen and his Maddux like approach to pitching.
I love that every time a ball is hit to shallow left field this year Braves fans are going to scream "Infield Fly" at the top of their lungs. I love that Opening Night is going to be a standing room only crowd at Turner Field. I love Frank Wren for making moves to put a team on the field that is both young and capable of winning right now. I love that everyone is picking the Nationals.
I am more excited about this season that I have been about any Braves season since the mid '90's. You never know what could happen in the playoffs, so there is no reason to try and predict a World Series Champion, but if you told me that the Braves would win the World Series this year, I wouldn't be shocked at all.
This is going to be a great season in Atlanta and across Major League Baseball.
GO BRAVES!
This baseball season begins with some big changes.
The Houston Astros are in the American League now. Inter-league play will be apart of the schedule each and every day of the season. The Washington Nationals are the trendy pick to win the World Series. The New York Yankees are a trendy pick to finish last in the AL East.
Trying to predict the baseball season is almost impossible. The season is incredibly long. In September, when you look back at April, it will seem like it was a different world. Teams can go from being the best team in baseball during the early months of the season, to being out of the playoff picture before August. Injuries, trades, and young player that have yet to make a name for themselves in the major leagues will all factor in to who makes the playoffs and who wins the World Series, but most of that is hard to see at this point.
Despite all of that, here are my predictions for how the teams will finish in each division:
AL East:
Tampa
Toronto
Boston
Baltimore
New York
AL Central:
Detroit
Chicago
Cleveland
Minnesota
Kansas City
AL West:
Anaheim
Texas
Oakland
Seattle
Houston
Awards:
To pick anyone other than Justin Verlander to win the Cy Young is almost crazy, so give me David Price, with Verlander second, and King Felix third.
Mike Trout will win the AL MVP.
I don't know any rookies in the American League, but give me a player from Minnesota. They usually have some good young talent.
Manager of the Year usually goes to a team that wins its division, but I will pick Terry Francona because I think the Indians are going to be in the division race all the way to the end of the season.
NL East:
Atlanta
Washington
Philadelphia
New York
Miami
NL Central:
Cincinnati
St. Louis
Pittsburgh
Chicago
Milwaukee
NL West:
LA Dodgers
San Fransisco
Arizona
Colorado
San Diego
Awards:
Stephen Strausberg will win the NL Cy Young because everyone loves him. Give me Matt Cain second and Cole Hammels third.
The NL MVP will be Jason Heyward.
I truly believe that Julio Teheran will be the third or even second best starter for the Braves this season, so I think he will win the Rookie of the Year in the National League.
Fredi Gonzalez wins the Manager of the Year.
I know that people are going to think that these are some homer picks, and they are, but I think the Braves are in a fantastic position this year. Everyone thinks they are going to be good, but everyone expects the Nationals to be better.
Last year, the Nationals played well throughout the season, made a playoff run, sat Strausberg, and everyone pretty much expected them to fold at some point because, lets face it, they are still the Expos.
Winning after being an afterthought for so long is one thing, being the favorite to win not only the division, but many say the World Series, is very different. Year after year, the Braves were picked to win, and year after year in the 90's they won. Expectations are going to be a new obstacle for this team to maneuver, and I just don't think everything is going to come as easy for the Nationals as most people do.
Atlanta meanwhile, can fly under the radar a little bit. The Braves have an offense that is going to make the pitching staff look better than they are, and they are pretty good to start with. There is balance in the starting rotation, 3 righties, 2 lefties, and the Braves pretty much have a front line starting pitcher that they will pick up in the middle of the summer when Brandon Beachy returns from injury. Unless there is an injury in the starting rotation, I think Beachy will be the long man in the bullpen for the rest of this season and return to the starting rotation in 2014.
The Braves also have the best bullpen in baseball, with or without Johnny Venters. Kimbrell is the best closer in the game, and the depth in the bullpen will shorten games for the Braves. Kimbrell's save numbers may be down from last year, because I don't think the Braves are going to play so many close games this season.
There is one issue that I think might be a distraction for the Braves this season, and most people are going to think I'm crazy.
Brian McCann is going to be a free agent at the end of the season, and I don't think there is any chance the Braves are going to resign him. When the trade deadline comes around in July, the Braves might have a big decision on their hands. McCann might be an attractive piece for an American League club as a DH and part time catcher. If one of the Braves young catchers are having a good season, and if Gerald Laird is healthy, the Braves might trade McCann for a high level prospect (perhaps someone who can play third base, hm?).
However, if McCann is having a great season at the plate, the Braves will let him play out the end of his contract and deal with the business side of things after the season.
Again, I love this team. Other than Dan Uggla, who apparently has slimmed down (will being skinner help you figure out that you can hit the ball the other way once in a while?), I love every aspect of this team. The defense in the outfield, at shortstop, and at first base. The balanced power and speed of the lineup. The young pitching complimented by two veteran starters. I love hitting coaches and what they are going to be able to do with Justin Upton. I love the fact that both Juan Fransisco and Chris Johnson seem to have embraced the idea of sharing time at third, and it looks like each guys is just going to try to produce so much that you have to put him in the lineup. I love Kris Medlen and his Maddux like approach to pitching.
I love that every time a ball is hit to shallow left field this year Braves fans are going to scream "Infield Fly" at the top of their lungs. I love that Opening Night is going to be a standing room only crowd at Turner Field. I love Frank Wren for making moves to put a team on the field that is both young and capable of winning right now. I love that everyone is picking the Nationals.
I am more excited about this season that I have been about any Braves season since the mid '90's. You never know what could happen in the playoffs, so there is no reason to try and predict a World Series Champion, but if you told me that the Braves would win the World Series this year, I wouldn't be shocked at all.
This is going to be a great season in Atlanta and across Major League Baseball.
GO BRAVES!
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