Previewing the AFC Wild Card Playoffs

Two matchups on the AFC side of the draw will take place this weekend. The sixth-seeded NY Jets travel to the third-seeded Colts and the fifth-seeded Baltimore Ravens travel to the fourth-seeded Kansas City Chiefs.

I feel that the Baltimore Ravens are the second-best team in the AFC when Joe Flacco decides to play a good game, and the sixth-best team when he has a bad day. The Baltimore defense is not as stellar as it once was, but it still ranks among the NFL's best. This team will go as far as Flacco will take them. I believe the Ravens defense will fare well against the leading rushing team in the NFL while Flacco has an average game with no major mistakes. Ravens 24 Chiefs 17

I still can't decide how to perceive the Jets @ Colts game. One minute I feel the Jets defense will step-up and shut down the Colts offense that is injury filled. Then, I see Peyton Manning having a field day with the Jets' secondary which has occured quite frequently in the latter part of the season. Mark Sanchez is overrated and their offense has struggled to put up points all season while the Colts' defense has looked better as the season has progressed. It would highly surprise me if the the Jets put up more than 17 points. The questions is do I think the Colts can put up more than that to win the game? Right now, I believe so. Manning has been looking great as of late and I am sure he would love nothing more than advancing with a team that was practically written-off only a few weeks ago. Colts 27 Jets 14

BCS Bowl Hype?

Tonight, is the third out of the four BCS bowl games that essentially serve no significance at all other than to make money for TV networks, the NCAA, and for the respective conferences. The Orange Bowl tonight pits #4 Stanford vs. #12 Virginia Tech on ESPN at 8:15 pm. See my handicapping page for a preview and prediction.

Because of greed, we are stuck this year and for at least a few more to come with bowl games that mean nothing. It is great that #3 TCU beat #5 Wisconsin, but it's more like a consolation game than a meaningful one. How about #7 Oklahoma beating a four-loss unranked Connecticut? Oklahoma won in a blowout, but it was expected and did nothing for the program except for finally giving Bob Stoops a win in a BCS game after losing his last five.

Then, you have the Orange Bowl tonight with Stanford who has just one-loss at Oregon, and Virginia Tech who has won eleven straight games after a slow start losing to Boise State and James Madison. This game should be a playoff game between two great teams in different conferences for a shot at playing in the national championship instead of a game in which the winner wins a trophy filled with oranges.

Stanford as one-loss, on the road at the team playing in the national championship. Had that game been in Palo Alto, CA, it is likely we would've seen Stanford hold their early lead and they would be the 2nd ranked team in the country.

Every year we get closer and closer to a playoff because of teams like Stanford and TCU who finish their respective seasons deserving of the opportunity to play for a national championship. In the off-season, more pressure will be put on the NCAA to consider a playoff system, and I feel we will get one after the current TV contracts expire in 2014.

Falcons Clinch the #1 Seed and NFC South

The Falcons picked up a big win today against the 2-14 Carolina Panthers which gives Atlanta home-field advantage all the way to the Super Bowl in Dallas. The Falcons looked very good today on both sides of the ball, except for another Michael Turner fumble inside the opponent's 5-yard line in the 1st quarter.

So how far will the Dirty Birds go this year? I think this year we go all the way to the Super Bowl. The running game with Turner is there, while Ryan can sustain a solid passing game without many turnovers. The defense can make the big plays that can swing the momentum instantaneously, and hold opponents when a big stop is needed.

The key will be winning the turnover battle and the Falcons' secondary. If the Falcons see the Saints (Brees), Bears (Cutler), or Packers (Rodgers) again in the playoffs, then expect them to expose the secondary and big plays will need to be made against very talented quarterbacks and wide receivers. If the Eagles come to town, then containing Vick will be huge. The secondary will need to play close to the line of scrimmage and make tackles before Vick or wide receivers get a head of steam and make the big play.

Matt Ryan has lost 2 career games at the Georgia Dome in 3 seasons. Picking up home-field advantage today was huge. The Falcons will get a much needed bye week to rest their players after a rigorous 16 game season and scout their divisional opponent. In 2 weeks, the Falcons' playoff run will begin, and let's hope that this time Matt Ryan will pick up his first postseason win in the NFL.

The TCU Surprise

This will be yet another year in which a D-1 team will go undefeated and not have the opportunity to play for a national championship. I took Wisconsin (+3.5) pretty confidently today and luckily still covered since TCU won 21-19, but I expected Wisconsin to win easily today. I was on the Boise State train all year up until their loss at Nevada, and I was disappointed that a non-automatic qualifier would not have a chance to shake up the traditional BCS system on the big stage.

I doubted TCU because of their weak schedule, but they did win all of their games. Today, at the Rose Bowl, TCU looked stellar on both sides of the ball. I was highly impressed with TCU quarterback Andy Dalton's poise in a big game and he did not make the big mistake today to cost his team a chance at the biggest win in the program's history.

So, here we go again, does TCU have the right to call themselves national champions? I think they do. If you go undefeated and beat everyone you are assigned to play, and then go beat the #5 team in the country, you should be playing for a national championship. Unfortunately, college football is so tied to the traditional bowl system, it is unlikely that we will be crowning any "true" national champions anytime soon.

SEC goes 3-0 in Bowl Play on New Year's Day

After starting bowl play 0-3 with losses by Tennessee, South Carolina, and Georgia, the SEC repaired its image in impressive fashion to start the New Year today.

#21 Mississippi State dominated Michigan all day and won the game 52-14. #16 Alabama beat #9 Michigan State in similar fashion 49-7. Florida and Penn State had a mistake filled, but competitive game. Florida won 37-24 after an interception was returned for a touchdown in the final minute when Penn State was threatening in the final seconds of the game only down 6.

The performances today by the SEC once again should prove to the rest of the country that the speed and physicality of the teams in this conference are a tall task to deal with. Watching Michigan State attempt to move the ball against the Crimson Tide was an interesting sight. The offensive scheme by the Spartans that led them to a share of the Big 10 title was useless against the Alabama defense. On the other side of the ball, the Alabama offensive line had its way with an inferior Michigan State defensive line.

I think we are very likely to see similar performances in the Sugar Bowl where Arkansas faces Ohio State and in the National Championship when Auburn plays Oregon. The teams in this conference have been battle-tested all-season long against the best competition in the nation, while their opponents have yet to be tested. The SEC has won the past 4 National Championships, and unless Oregon plays their best game of the season and Auburn doesn't show up, it will be a 5th straight title.

Georgia Football Season Recap

The football season for the Georgia Bulldogs is over after a 10-6 loss to UCF at the AutoZone Liberty Bowl in Memphis, TN. The loss gives Georgia their first losing season (6-7) in 14 years.

It was a season that started ugly at 1-4 with the lone win coming against Louisiana-Lafayette. Star receiver A.J. Green being suspended for the first 4 games of the season definitely contributed to the slow start of the Georgia offense and team morale. After 3 great looking wins against average competition (Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and Kentucky) it was time to go to Jacksonville to face the Gators.

The 34-31 loss to Florida in overtime was devastating and a hard fought game, but too many mistakes were made on both sides of the ball that ultimately lead to a loss in a game that should have been won. After a slaughter of Idaho State, Georgia went into Auburn at 5-5 with nothing to lose and a chance to knock off the top-ranked Tigers.

After a terrific start up 14-0, the momentum began to shift as the defense was unable to stop the rushing attack of Cam Newton and Auburn. The Georgia offense played well, yet the defense could not get a stop when one was needed and the Tigers blew it open in the second half for the win.

Then, Georgia Tech rolled into Athens after a bye week in which the Georgia coaching staff should have been ready for the triple option offense of the Yellow Jackets. However, this was not the case. Georgia Tech compiled 512 total yards of offense, with 411 of those yards on the ground and just about pulled off the upset with a back-up quarterback that is not even suited for the option had Tech not missed a late extra point. The most stunning play of the game came in the closing minute, when Georgia rushed for a touchdown while Georgia Tech stood aside and allowed it in hopes to get the ball back down only one possession. It showed a complete lack of strategy on behalf of the coaching staff, and this single call could have let Tech force overtime after the fat lady had sung.

After a 6-6 regular season, the Bulldogs ended up in the Liberty Bowl facing the C-USA Champ Central Florida. The most memorable play of the game to me was the 20 yard field goal by Blair Walsh in the 1st quarter after a 95 yard drive. Faced with 4th and inches from the UCF 3 yard line, Richt decided to take the field goal. This decision showed the tentativeness of the Georgia coaching staff displayed the whole game, and the game ended without a Georgia touchdown losing 10-6.

The biggest win this season is most likely an away game at Kentucky. The bottom line is something needs to be changed. Since the Sugar Bowl win against Hawaii, it seems that this program is fading away. It is going to be a long off-season, one that I hope includes some changes at the top.

Welcome to the Show

Hey readers, welcome to my Blog!

I have been told for some time by many people that my ramblings, rants, and information should be posted for entertainment purposes, so here it is.

What you'll find here is a lot of news pertaining to the state of Georgia at the college and professional level, but important nationwide news will be discussed as well.

Also, sports handicapping will be offered on this blog. Enjoy my advice, and I hope it'll be useful!

Happy New Year!