Archive for the ‘The Countdown’ Category
No. 1: Alabama
By Paul Myerberg // Sep 3, 2011
There have been 119 teams over a bit more than 119 days; there have been hundreds of thousands of words, there have been mistakes – this I can tell already, and the year just began; and there have been many, many late nights. But after a summer of work, here we are: Alabama tops the list, above all comers, and I’m not the only person who feels this way. And yeah, I felt this way last year, only to see the Crimson Tide come up short of their preseason goals. Nearly the same team returns, with a few spots to fill, and there’s always Nick Saban, after all. Here comes college football, and here comes Alabama.
Tags: A.J. McCarron, Alabama, Courtney Upshaw, DeQuan Menzie, Dont'a Hightower, Dre Kirkpatrick, Duron Carter, Jesse Williams, Mark Barron, Marquis Maze, Nick Saban, Phillip Sims, Robert Lester, SEC, Trent Richardson
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No. 2: Boise State
By Paul Myerberg // Sep 2, 2011
Last year’s loss to Nevada made the point null and void, but detractors were coming out of the woodwork to belittle Boise State for much of last season, until it became clear that the Broncos were no longer a threat. Hate’s not too strong a word: petty, hoity-toity hate at that, the sort of condescension the old guard throw at the nouveau riche. And that’s not really hate at all, to be honest, but rather fear — fear that for all your bluster, you’d come up well short should you and Boise State meet between the white lines. And you know what? You wouldn’t be the first. Get in line, just behind elite powers like Oregon, T.C.U. and Virginia Tech. You’ll recognize those teams by this simple fact: you don’t hear them crowing about Boise State not deserving a seat the table, since they’ve had their turn and went home with a loss, now firm in their belief that Boise can beat anyone, anytime, anywhere.
Tags: Billy Winn, Boise State, Byron Hout, Chase Baker, Chris Petersen, D.J. Harper, Doug Martin, George Iloka, Jamar Taylor, Kellen Moore, Kyle Efaw, Mountain West, Nate Potter, Shea McClellin, Tyler Shoemaker, Tyrone Crawford
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No. 3: Oklahoma
By Paul Myerberg // Sep 1, 2011
Great teams don’t stay down for long. Great teams look at 8-5 as being down, actually. Injuries sent Oklahoma tumbling from the national title game to only — only, with tongue in cheek — eight wins in 2009, as malady after malady claimed the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, among many others, in September. And there were several players thrust into major roles perhaps a year of ahead of schedule, if not more. The oft-repeated phrase was silver lining: the idea that short-term struggles will lead to future success. Oh, that was the case. The one-year, injury-caused hiatus from the top of the Big 12 in 2009 led O.U. back atop the conference in 2010, beating Nebraska, for one last time, to earn a Fiesta Bowl berth. If you’re keeping count, here’s the current tally of Big 12 titles: Oklahoma seven, the rest of the field eight.
Tags: Ben Habern, Big 12, Bob Stoops, Brennan Clay, Corey Nelson, Jarnell Fleming, Jarvis Jones, Kenny Stills, Landry Jones, Oklahoma, Ronnell Lewus, Roy Finch, Ryan Broyles, Tony Jefferson, Travis Lewis
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No. 4: Florida State
By Paul Myerberg // Aug 31, 2011
Vintage. Vintage is watching Notre Dame not for the sense of schadenfreude you get from watching Syracuse win in South Bend but for the fact that the Irish are a title contender. Vintage is Nebraska-Oklahoma, and we’re all sad that rivalry is officially dead. Vintage is Steve Spurrier riling up the SEC; is Alabama intimidating all comers; is T.C.U. back as a national power after decades spent in the background; is Michigan not cowering in front of Ohio State; is West Virginia going the unorthodox route. Vintage is Florida State in the top five, where the Seminoles made a home for 14 straight years, from 1987-2000. Vintage is all that the Seminoles are in 2011: big, fast, strong, quick and mean — now that’s vintage, both for Florida State and college football at large.
Tags: A.C.C., Andrew Datko, Bert Reed, Bjorn Werner, Brandon Jenkins, Chris Thompson, Christian Jones, David Spurlock, E.J. Manuel, Florida State, Greg Reid, Jacob Fahrenkrug, Jacobbi McDaniel, Jimbo Fisher, Lamarcus Joyner, Mark Stoops, Nigel Bradham, Rick Trickett, Rodney Smith
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No. 5: Stanford
By Paul Myerberg // Aug 30, 2011
Which star had the higher stock: Stanford’s then-coach or its quarterback? Both were set to entertain offers once the final whistle blew on Stanford’s one-sided Orange Bowl win — Andrew Luck from the N.F.L. and Jim Harbaugh from Michigan and the San Francisco 49ers, if not others. Only one answered the call, as Harbaugh took on the rebuilding job in San Francisco rather than join Luck for one more year of fun in the Pac-12. And so the questions arise about the program ability to rebound from losing one of the nation’s best coaches. Those questions lie in the future — the very near future, unfortunately. And they’re all addressed with one name: Luck.
Tags: Andrew Luck, Barry Browning, Chase Thomas, Chris Owusu, David DeCastro, David Shaw, Delano Howell, Jonathan Martin, Matt Masifilo, Michael Thomas, Pac-12, Ryan Hewitt, Shayne Skov, Stanford, Stepfan Taylor
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No. 6: L.S.U.
By Paul Myerberg // Aug 29, 2011
Second verse, same as the first. The third verse, and the fourth, and the fifth, are the same as the first. Where have you gone, L.S.U. quarterbacks of old? Les Miles would give his hat for a Matt Flynn, a careful, methodical caretaker whose steady hand would be welcomed with open arms in Baton Rouge. Where is Matt Mauck? Heck, where is Josh Booty, Marcus Randall or Rohan Davey – where is Jamarcus Russell, as L.S.U. might be the only team in the country who’d tender him an opportunity to earn the starting nod. See, the Tigers have Zach Mettenberg, a former Georgia Bulldog and JUCO star; the Tigers have Jarrett Lee, who has become defined by his penchant for turnovers; the Tigers even have a pair of incoming freshmen. What the Tigers don’t have, for now and perhaps forever, is returning starter Jordan Jefferson. Or the projected offensive coordinator. So it’s the same old, same old story.
Tags: Anthony Johnson, Barkevious Mingo, Craig Loston, Greg Studwara, L.S.U., Les Miles, Morris Claiborne, Rueben Randle, Ryan Baker, Sam Montgomery, SEC, Spencer Ware, Steve Kragthorpe, T-Bob Hebert, Tyrann Mathieu
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No. 7: Nebraska
By Paul Myerberg // Aug 27, 2011
The Big Red revival continues, but with a slight change in characters. So long, Iowa State. The Cyclones will now be played by Minnesota, which is a slight improvement. The role of Kansas will be played by Northwestern; again, a substantial improvement. Michigan State will play Kansas State, but the Spartans will never, ever match the sort of antipathy the Cornhuskers shared with the Wildcats — ever, ever. Farwell, Missouri, and best of luck; Nebraska never meant those mean things it said, and I’m sure those feeling are reciprocated. Michigan will be the new Tigers, and while that’s a not an improvement today it stands to reason that Michigan will one day return to the nation’s elite. The annual date with Colorado will become a heartland affair with nearby Iowa, and if recent chatter is any indication, the Hawkeyes will bring a bit more — how should I put this — interest to the rivalry. The role of Oklahoma remains undecided; Oklahoma wasn’t even Nebraska’s Oklahoma over the last decade, to be honest. Please consult your program and mark these important changes. And yes, things will never be the same again.
Tags: Aaron Green, Alfonzo Dennard, Big Ten, Bo Pelini, Brandon Kinnie, Cameron Meredith, Daimion Stafford, Jared Crick, Kyler Reed, Lavonte David, Mike Caputo, Nebraska, Rex Burkhead, Taylor Martinez, Tyler Moore
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No. 8: Virginia Tech
By Paul Myerberg // Aug 26, 2011
Step one: play good defense. Step two: don’t turn the ball over. Step three: run the ball effectively. Step four: dictate the tempo on special teams. Rinse, lather, repeat. It’s a simple formula — the Shredded Wheat of football philosophy — yet Virginia Tech is one of only a handful of programs that actually dedicates itself to the simple things, because it’s the simple things that win football games. And win, and win and win, to the tune of seven straight double-digit win seasons, three B.C.S. bowls since 2007 and annual national title contention. If it’s so simple, why can’t others do the same? There’s your big question, and I don’t have an answer. But coaches across the land, at all levels, would be wise to pop in a tape of Virginia Tech at work to see how it’s done. Few, if any, do the little things better.
Tags: A.C.C., Antoine Hopkins, Blake DeChristopher, Bruce Taylor, Bud Foster, Danny Cole, David Wilson, Eddie Whitley, Frank Beamer, James Gayle, Jarrett Boykin, Jayron Hosley, Logan Thomas, Shane Beamer, Virginia Tech
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