College Football Preview

Matt Barkley leads a stacked USC offense hoping to win the BCS championship. 

  

After an off season marred by the Penn State scandal, the college football season is finally back.  The 2011-2012 season ended with the Alabama Crimson Tide beating the LSU Tigers in the BCS National Championship Game and a member of the SEC (Southeastern Conference) winning the championship for the sixth year in a row.

 But, this year there seems to be a clear challenger to the SEC's reign of dominance.  The USC Trojans, led by senior quarterback Matt Barkley, seem poised to bring the trophy to Los Angeles.  Another Pac-12 team, the Oregon Ducks, sporting the most explosive player in the nation, De'Anthony Thomas, are also in the National Championship conversation.  The Oklahoma Sooners could also make same noise as the season goes on.  With many teams on bowl bans, the season has already started off on a little bit of a sour note, but better things are sure to come.  Conference realignment should add to the excitement with teams like Missouri and Texas A&M joining the SEC and TCU joining the Big-12.

Additionally there are many coaching changes including former Florida Head Coach Urban Meyer replacing Jim Tressel at Ohio State, former New England Patriots assistant Bill O'Brien replacing Joe Paterno at Penn State, Mike Stoops being replaced by former West Virginia and Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez at Arizona, and former Seattle Seahawks coach Jim Mora replacing the much maligned Rick Neuheisel at UCLA.  All the changes plus the amount of quality teams vying for the National Championship will make this College Football season one to remember for a long time.

My Top 25

#1: USC Trojans-  After being on probation for the past two years, the Trojans are finally eligible to play in a bowl game.  The team that finished 10-2 last year returns senior quarterback and Heisman front runner Matt Barkley as well as receivers Robert Woods and Marqise Lee.  Silas Redd, a Penn State transfer, joins Curtis McNeil in the Trojans backfield.  With a very good defense including safety T.J. McDonald and linebacker Dion Bailey, anything less than a National Championship victory for the Trojans will be considered a disappointment.

#2: Alabama Crimson Tide- The National Championship winner lost a lot of players to the NFL Draft this year including starting running back Trent Richardson and linebacker Dont'a Hightower.  What they do return is starting quarterback A.J. McCarron, running back Eddie Lacy who is set for a breakout season, one of the nation's best offensive lines, and linebacker Nico Johnson along with three other defensive starters.  If newcomers on defense help make it one of the best units in the country as many expect they will and Eddie Lacy is able to effectively step up, there is no reason the Tide won't be able to return to the title game this January.

#3: LSU Tigers- The National Championship runner-up had difficulties this off season with star cornerback and punt and kick returner Tyrann Mathieu being kicked off the team.  Although, coach Les Miles does return running backs Alfred Blue and Spencer Ware, wide receiver Russell Shepard, and safety Eric Reid.  If new quarterback Zach Mettenberger manages the offense well and the defense performs like an LSU defense always does, the Tigers will be serious National Championship contenders.

#4: Oregon Ducks- The Ducks lost starting running back LaMichael James and starting quarterback Darron Thomas to the NFL this season.  Luckily for the Ducks, senior running back Kenjon Barner and freshman quarterback Marcus Mariota are quality replacements.  With college's football's most explosive player De'Anthony Thomas, coach Chip Kelly's Ducks season will be decided when they face off with USC in November and most likely again in the Pac-12 championship game.

#5: Oklahoma Sooners-  Led by senior quarterback Landry Jones, the Sooners will be the class of the revamped Big-12 this season.  Although Jones lost his favorite receiver Ryan Broyles, he will still rack up many passing yards.  If the defense is solid, they will be able to contend for the National Championship.

#6: Georgia Bulldogs-  Led by the best quarterback in the SEC, Aaron Murray, the Bulldogs should win the SEC east this season and will face either LSU or Alabama in the SEC championship game.

#7: Florida State Seminoles-  Senior quarterback E.J. Manuel will lead the Seminoles to be the top team in the ACC and to a BCS bowl berth.

#8: South Carolina Gamecocks- Coming off a season ending ACL tear, running back Marcus Lattimore along with quarterback Connor Shaw will lead the Gamecocks as they compete in a loaded SEC.

#9: Arkansas Razorbacks- Senior quarterback Tyler Wilson and running back Knile Davis along with a good defense will be the main reason that the Razorbacks secure a third place finish in a tough SEC west.

#10: West Virginia Mountaineers- Senior wide receiver Tavon Austin and senior quarterback Geno Smith will light up the scoreboard as West Virginia competes with Oklahoma in its first year in the Big-12.

Best of the Rest: 

#11: Wisconsin Badgers

#12: Clemson Tigers

#13: Michigan State Spartans

#14: Michigan Wolverines

#15: Texas Longhorns

#16: Virginia Tech Hokies

#17: Nebraska Cornhuskers

#18: Kansas State Wildcats

#19: Ohio State Buckeyes

#20: TCU Horned Frogs

#21: Stanford Cardinal

#22: Oklahoma State Cowboys

#23: Boise State Broncos

#24: Auburn Tigers

#25: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The Most Pointless Games in Sports

Michael Vick being knocked down by Patriots lineman Jermaine Cunningham,.Vick needed to leave and was X-rayed. 

Each year there are five unnecessary games played. These games don't count. Most of the teams' prominent players do not even play. It's the players who are fighting for a job who play. They risk getting concussions, torn ACL's and more serious injuries. If you haven't guessed it already, it's the NFL preseason.

Already, after just two weeks, starting Bengals offensive guard Travelle Wharton is already out for the season. How did this happen? Tore his ACL in a Week 1 pre-season game. Austin Collie, Colts Wide Receiver, suffered yet another concussion, and his return status is unknown. Linebacker Chris Chamberlain, who was competing for a starting position on the Saints, tore his ACL just this past weekend. Lastly, and perhaps most notably, Michael Vick has been hit hard multiple times this preseason. The second time, forced him to leave the game against the Patriots, and had to get X-rays. Luckily for the Eagles, they came back negative, but coach Andy Reid is not playing him the rest of preseason.

The last example says it best. Vick got hurt, and they don't want to risk him getting hurt more so they will let him rest until the games actually count. Unfortunately, Travelle Wharton, Austin Collie, and Chris Chamberlain weren't so blessed. They were trying to fight for their jobs but instead got injured, and will have to sit out a year. They will then become a year older, and as a result a year weaker.

There are some coaches who are smart. Like Norv Turner for example. Turner let starting quarterback Phil Rivers, throw just five passes in the teams win over Green Bay. Why? Because it's preseason, and it does not matter! In fact, Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy, allowed Aaron Rodgers to throw just eight passes, for presumably the same reason. It's preseason, and they don't want their players to get injured.

Commissioner Goodell, you talked about expanding the season to 18 games. Most of these players play 21 games already, and that isn't including playoffs. Think about all of the ACL's you could be tearing, and the concussions that you could be causing. You can keep the preseason, just don't make it five games. Make it say, two, or even three. Because this way, at least guys like Tom Brady could play.

One could make the argument that preseason is a waste in all the major sports, but football it is the worst. In baseball, the starters have just one At-bat, and then get replaced by Triple-A players. In basketball, the teams usually play European teams, and don't often get injured.

Football is the sport with the most injuries, so why not minimize the amount of games played? Just leave it till when it really counts, the season. Let the players play their hardest then.

Drugs and America's Pastime

Melky is going to have to get used to sitting on the bench, after his 50 game suspension for PED's. 

With the recent suspension of Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera for PED (performance enhancing drugs) use, many baseball fans have begun to wonder how many other players are currently using these drugs. Every player who is doing well in the season is a suspect.

For example, Cabrera was doing great, phenomenal. He was having the best season of his career. hitting 41 points above his best season. Fans thought it was a great story, "Oh he's finally doing well", he made his first all-star game, and even had 2 hits. Then BOOM. The story gets out that he tested positive for PED's. He gets suspended for 50 games. Then Victor Conte comes out and says that there are lots of players who still use it. This further puts this season in speculation.

But why? Why would players want to use drugs? Why would they want to get suspended? Maybe they thought they could avoid it, like Ryan Braun did. Melky might've thought he could have come up with the "urine excuse" like Braun did. Unfortunately for Melky, he could not, and he is forced to miss the next 50 games, unable to compete for a batting title.

It's obvious to say that drugs are ruining baseball. All of these suspensions, and scandals are killing the game. Melky did not only reach of the love of Giants fans, but fans around the country who wanted to root for the underdog. Now they will look at him with disrespect.

All of this can be attributed back to Barry Bonds. He stole the home-run record away from a man who did it the old fashioned way. And he truly did it the old fashioned way, there were no computers, or advanced metrics, like there are today. Bonds just ruined it. He cheated. It is unfair, but that is baseball nowadays. There is always a way to cheat.

Let us hope and pray, that Mike Trout and Andrew McCutchen, the respective leaders in batting average are not taking PED's.