Buckeye Blogger Network
Thursday, December 20th. 5:00p.m. on ESPNThe 9-3, 7-1 Mountain West Champs SDSU Aztecs take on the 7-5 BYU Cougars in the eighth installment of the ever changing second bowl of San Diego. There have been at least five different agreements with conferences over the years and in 2008 the PAC10(12) couldn’t meet the required seven teams to send a team to the southern most city in California.
7-5, with losses to 3 ranked opponents, INDEPENDENT
The Cougars of BYU have had an up and down season and just about gave the country what they wanted in upsetting Notre Lame. Head coach Bronco Mendenhall, who may have the coolest name for a head coach ever, has an issue at the QB position. His starter and heart of the team, Riley Nelson, has been injured and still isn’t sure he’ll be able to go on the 20th.
Playmakers: On offense, Cody Hoffman has been the consistency that the Cougars have needed amid their QB issues. Having Riley Nelson and James Lark in the backfield during the season hasn’t deterred Hoffman from having a stellar year. One of the top playmakers in the nation, but under the radar, he has 90 receptions for 1,134 yards for an average of 94 yards a game and 11 touchdowns. A long TD of 64 yards this season he is the playmaker they need to step up despite uncertainty at the QB position. I am honestly surprised he hasnt had more than just 3 KO returns all season.
Defensively, there is one person that really stands out and single handedly kept the Cougars in the ND game. LB Kyle Van Noy almost had Notre Dame LB Manti Te’o as a teammate as they are both Mormon and Te’o considered BYU. Van Noy is a junior but a hot NFL prospect so he may be suiting up for the last time. A stud pass rusher, he will have to step up his rushing D as the Aztec’s set a new team rushing record for a season. Read More
As you do the research necessary to win this year’s BBN Bracket Challenge, we here at tBBC are previewing each region to give you just a bit of info on teams not named “Ohio State”. Here’s a gander at Bob Seger’s favorite part of the bracket.
Favorites: You can’t spell “Midwest” without “Meh”- While North Carolina is the top seed, you’ll have to drill all the way down to the #7 slot before you find a team that won it’s conference tournament, and that was an OT victory for St. Mary’s in the WCC final. Sure, Carolina won the ACC, but they couldn’t solve FSU more than once this season, and KU ended up behind Mizzou in what’s left of the Big Integer. There’s really no one who stands out, but there’s no one that looks to be mis-placed, either… You’ve got to think that Roy Williams will have his team ready for the long haul and intensity that is March Madness. Based on their mix of experience and youth, I’m going to go with the Tarheels as the obvious favorite in the region.
Dabo and his Tigers are HUNGRY....
It’s week four of the college football season, and you weaklings are gaining strength. No, it’s not from our expert prespective… Yeah, no. This week, us college football fans get our inspiration for top notch picks by pumping ice water in our veins!
We might be in Death Valley, but it’s our time to choose greatness! Are you going to be the next greatest tBBC College Challenge Champion? Are you going to put the ! in Yahoo!??? Week three is in the books, and another slate of games is in front of us. Are you going to eat rock like Dabo?? Or are you going to eat crow like Brady Hoke?
It’s time to step up your game like OSU Silver Bullet, Buffalobuckeye, The Silver Bullets, BWCGF3, and Culp’s Freaking Hill. tBBC is here to help you with your picks. We’re just not sure if we’re helping you jump up the standings or jump off the face of the earth.
Week 3 Review:
Everyone but yours truly finished .500 or better in week three, with the experts receiving a week off. The staff swept the board with Southern Idaho State, Nebraska and LSU. Only Joe L had the cajones to pick Notre Dame against Michigan State. He and Jime were also smart enough not to dip their picks into the Miami (OH) Butter. Here’s a look at last week’s standings.
Mali 6-4 – Eric 6-4 -Jim 8-2 – Experts **BYE – Joe L – 7-3 Joe D 4-6 – Computer – 5-5
Oh Boy. As you can see, the picks get harder as we get closer to conference play…. Or maybe I’m just destined to finish worse than a machine. Here is a look at the current standings heading into week 4.
Mali 20-9 – Eric 21-8 -Jim 20-9 – Experts – 14-5* – Joe L – 17-12 Joe D 14-15 – Computer – 13-16
Week Four Analysis:
There are some big games this week, but there are also some ugly ones. Helping us break down some of the better ones is Kyle Kensing of Saturday Blitz. We talk expansion, Alabama/Arkansas, Oklahoma State/Texas A&M, Florida State/Clemson as well as scUM vs. SDSU. Kyle also breaks down our Week 4 games in writing this week.
Picks For The Weak: Week 4 by The Buckeye Battle Cry
Now to the games!
