My mock draft was horrendous last year so I recruited a so-called expert for assistance. Although we did not totally agree, here is his: http://students.cup.edu/jen2369/Sports/NFL/index.htm
Here goes nothing...
ROUND 1
1. Miami Dolphins - Jake Long (OT, Michigan)
2. St. Louis Rams - Chris Long (DE, Virginia)
3. Atlanta Falcons - Matt Ryan (QB, Boston College)
4. Oakland Raiders - Glenn Dorsey (DT, LSU)
5. Kansas City Chiefs - Ryan Clady (OT, Boise State)
6. New York Jets - Darren McFadden (RB, Arkansas)
7. New England Patriots - Vernon Gholston (DE/OLB, Ohio State)
8. Baltimore Ravens - Aqib Talib (CB, Kansas)
9. Cincinnati Bengals - Sedrick Ellis (DT, USC)
10. New Orleans Saints - Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (CB, Tennessee State)
11. Buffalo Bills - Leodis McKelvin (CB, Troy)
12. Denver Broncos - Keith Rivers (OLB, USC)
13. Carolina Panthers - Kenny Phillips (S, Miami)
14. Chicago Bears - Malcolm Kelly (WR, Oklahoma)
15. Detroit Lions - Antoine Cason (CB, Arizona)
16. Arizona Cardinals - Dan Connor (LB, Penn State)
17. Minnesota Vikings - Quentin Groves (DE, Auburn)
18. Houston Texans - Jeff Otah (LT, Pitt)
19. Philadelphia Eagles - Limas Sweed (WR, Texas)
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Mario Manningham (WR, Michigan)
21. Washington Redskins - Derrick Harvey (DE, Florida)
22. Dallas Cowboys - Felix Jones (RB, Arkansas)
23. Pittsburgh Steelers - Brandon Albert (OG, Virginia)
24. Tennessee Titans - DeSean Jackson (WR/RET, California)
25. Seattle Seahawks - Rashard Mendenhall (RB, Illinois)
26. Jacksonville Jaguars - Phillip Merling (DE, Clemson)
27. San Diego Chargers - Gosder Cherilus (RT, Boston College)
28. Dallas Cowboys - Mike Jenkins (CB, South Florida)
29. San Francisco 49ers - Chris Williams (LT, Vanderbilt)
30. Green Bay Packers - Reggie Smith (S, Oklahoma)
31. New England Patrots - Forfeited because they are cheaters
32. New York Giants - Sam Baker (OT, USC)
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
V egas MLB Odds
http://www.vegasinsider.com/mlb/odds/futures/
Vegas says the Baltimore Orioles will be the worst team in baseball this year, with only 66 predicted wins. I certainly can not disagree with that, as it will probably get ugly for O's fans this year. Oh wait...what's new? Nevertheless, many O's fans will agree with me that this is a necessary and long-overdo step this franchise needed to make. For the past decade, the O's have been the biggest underachievers in baseball. So many expectations and false hopes shattered by a team with just enough talent to make us think: "if A, B, C, & D happen for us, then the O's could go above .500 this year!" In the end, "A, B, and C' were an utter calamity of epic proportions and D was mediocre at best. The combination of which eventually sent us spiraling down in the standings once again.
FINALLY! We have no expectations for this team in the near-term. No false hopes, no if this, if that, no more wasted money on superstars that don't make a significant difference in the end. We need a TEAM, not a few good men. And when you have a poor foundation you can't expect to build on that like we thought we could. You have to do exactly what new GM Andy MacPhail is doing, build from the ground up. We have a lot of good prospects down on the farm now, and a few that will contribute in the big leagues as early as this year. The centerpiece of our resurgent minor league scouting is RF Nick Markakis, our likely All-Star selection (and a deserving one at that). If we are going to be a great team in a few years, we need to develop our OWN talent like we used to, not overpay for everyone else's washed up players.
A part of me laughs when I say this, but the hope in me is still the driving force when I say "O's in 2010." Kinda funny to know we have no chance this year AND next year. But I really do believe that if MacPhail continues to steer this ship in the direction it seems he is going, we should become perennial playoff contenders beginning in 2010.
Unfortunately it is still 2008, and let's hope the O's can at least do better than the '62 Mets (40-120). Then again, the 2003 Tigers were 43-119 and look at them now, arguably the best team in baseball. Nice turnaround in 5 years time....hmm, O's in the World Series in 2013???
To my loyal reader(s), I will post my pre-season baseball predictions around March 10. For now, I will leave you with my 2008 playoff predictions:
ALDS: Tigers over Red Sox (3-2), Angels over Indians (3-2)
NLDS: Braves over Cubs (3-1), Mets over Dodgers (3-1)
ALCS: Tigers over Angels (4-2)
NLCS: Braves over Mets (4-3)
WS: Tigers over Braves (4-2)
Vegas says the Baltimore Orioles will be the worst team in baseball this year, with only 66 predicted wins. I certainly can not disagree with that, as it will probably get ugly for O's fans this year. Oh wait...what's new? Nevertheless, many O's fans will agree with me that this is a necessary and long-overdo step this franchise needed to make. For the past decade, the O's have been the biggest underachievers in baseball. So many expectations and false hopes shattered by a team with just enough talent to make us think: "if A, B, C, & D happen for us, then the O's could go above .500 this year!" In the end, "A, B, and C' were an utter calamity of epic proportions and D was mediocre at best. The combination of which eventually sent us spiraling down in the standings once again.
FINALLY! We have no expectations for this team in the near-term. No false hopes, no if this, if that, no more wasted money on superstars that don't make a significant difference in the end. We need a TEAM, not a few good men. And when you have a poor foundation you can't expect to build on that like we thought we could. You have to do exactly what new GM Andy MacPhail is doing, build from the ground up. We have a lot of good prospects down on the farm now, and a few that will contribute in the big leagues as early as this year. The centerpiece of our resurgent minor league scouting is RF Nick Markakis, our likely All-Star selection (and a deserving one at that). If we are going to be a great team in a few years, we need to develop our OWN talent like we used to, not overpay for everyone else's washed up players.
A part of me laughs when I say this, but the hope in me is still the driving force when I say "O's in 2010." Kinda funny to know we have no chance this year AND next year. But I really do believe that if MacPhail continues to steer this ship in the direction it seems he is going, we should become perennial playoff contenders beginning in 2010.
Unfortunately it is still 2008, and let's hope the O's can at least do better than the '62 Mets (40-120). Then again, the 2003 Tigers were 43-119 and look at them now, arguably the best team in baseball. Nice turnaround in 5 years time....hmm, O's in the World Series in 2013???
To my loyal reader(s), I will post my pre-season baseball predictions around March 10. For now, I will leave you with my 2008 playoff predictions:
ALDS: Tigers over Red Sox (3-2), Angels over Indians (3-2)
NLDS: Braves over Cubs (3-1), Mets over Dodgers (3-1)
ALCS: Tigers over Angels (4-2)
NLCS: Braves over Mets (4-3)
WS: Tigers over Braves (4-2)
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
New NCAA Top 50
These rankings are an update from my rankings last month and include all games through Monday, 2/25. From this point on through March Madness, I will do my best to post weekly rankings. We'll see how that goes though.
| Rank | LW | Team | Record |
| 1 | 9 | Tennessee | (25-2, 11-1) |
| 2 | 1 | Memphis | (26-1, 12-0) |
| 3 | 3 | Texas | (23-4, 10-2) |
| 4 | 4 | UCLA | (24-3, 12-2) |
| 5 | 7 | North Carolina | (26-2, 11-2) |
| 6 | 5 | Georgetown | (22-4, 12-3) |
| 7 | 11 | Wisconsin | (23-4, 13-2) |
| 8 | 8 | Duke | (23-3, 10-2) |
| 9 | 15 | Xavier | (24-4, 12-1) |
| 10 | 2 | Kansas | (24-3, 9-3) |
| 11 | 14 | Butler | (25-3, 14-2) |
| 12 | 18 | Stanford | (22-4, 11-3) |
| 13 | 12 | Indiana | (23-4, 12-2) |
| 14 | 13 | Vanderbilt | (23-4, 8-4) |
| 15 | 21 | Drake | (24-3, 14-2) |
| 16 | 27 | Notre Dame | (21-5, 11-3) |
| 17 | 30 | Louisville | (22-6, 12-3) |
| 18 | 23 | Purdue | (21-6, 12-2) |
| 19 | 29 | Connecticut | (21-6, 10-4) |
| 20 | 31 | Marquette | (20-6, 10-5) |
| 21 | 6 | Washington State | (21-6, 9-6) |
| 22 | 35 | Gonzaga | (21-6, 10-1) |
| 23 | 10 | Michigan State | (22-5, 10-4) |
| 24 | 24 | Kansas State | (18-8, 8-4) |
| 25 | 16 | St. Mary's | (23-4, 10-1) |
| 26 | 17 | Texas A&M | (20-7, 6-6) |
| 27 | 47 | South Alabama | (22-5, 14-2) |
| 28 | NR | Kent State | (23-5, 11-2) |
| 29 | 58 | Davidson | (21-6, 18-0) |
| 30 | 36 | Villanova | (17-9, 7-7) |
| 31 | 57 | New Mexico | (22-6, 9-4) |
| 32 | 63 | BYU | (21-6, 10-2) |
| 33 | 20 | Pitt | (19-8, 7-7) |
| 34 | 25 | Oklahoma | (18-9, 6-6) |
| 35 | 33 | Clemson | (19-7, 7-5) |
| 36 | 39 | USC | (17-9, 8-6) |
| 37 | 52 | Miami (FL) | (19-7, 6-6) |
| 38 | 34 | Massachusettes | (18-9, 7-6) |
| 39 | 43 | Maryland | (17-11, 7-6) |
| 40 | 41 | Arkansas | (18-8, 7-5) |
| 41 | 42 | West Virginia | (19-8, 8-6) |
| 42 | 45 | Syracuse | (17-11, 7-8) |
| 43 | 50 | Creighton | (19-8, 10-7) |
| 44 | 64 | Kentucky | (15-10, 9-3) |
| 45 | 61 | VCU | (21-6, 13-3) |
| 46 | 62 | UNLV | (20-6, 9-3) |
| 47 | 65 | Houston | (20-6, 9-3) |
| 48 | NR | Illinois State | (20-8, 11-5) |
| 49 | 19 | Dayton | (17-9, 5-8) |
| 50 | 22 | Arizona | (17-10, 7-7) |
Friday, February 08, 2008
Chicken, Alaska: -72°F!
Yesterday morning, the booming metropolis of Chicken, AK reached a low temperature of -72°F. Can you imagine feeling that? FYI...the all-time Alaskan, and U.S., record for coldest recorded temperature is -75°F. That's brisk baby!
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Finally Gearing Toward Madness
Since high school I have been a huge fan of the Gonzaga Bulldogs, Maryland Terrapins, and college basketball in general. Usually I am gung ho into it by December, but not this year. For some reason or another I am just now paying attention to it and it is almost February. I have caught some games here and there and have noticed something a little surprising. In a game full of parity, there is even more parity and unpredictability than ever before. So much so, that if there were ever a year that a #16 seed would beat a #1 seed in the tournament, I think this would be the year. Aside from Memphis and maybe Kansas, there really aren't any dominating teams. I think you have to attribute this to so many star players leaving for the NBA after their freshman or sophomore seasons. Still, that doesn't hurt college basketball as it just makes a fun game even more fun. By the way, the game that got me back into college basketball was none other than the Terps' upset AT North Carolina. What a well-played game by Maryland and of course, another fine coaching job by Gary Williams. I also want to salute Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs for playing a brutal non-conference schedule. Granted, they haven't won many of those tough games, but they have been close. With today's loss to Memphis, 3 of their 5 losses are to teams currently in the Top 6 in the polls (Memphis, Tennessee, Washington State). Their other two losses were against Texas Tech in the Great Alaska Shootout and at Oklahoma. I think come tournament time, Gonzaga will be ready for anything. Now, onto my highly uncertain inaugural rankings for this season:
| Rank | Team | Conference | Record |
| 1 | Memphis | Conference USA | (19-0, 5-0) |
| 2 | Kansas | Big 12 | (20-0, 5-0) |
| 3 | Texas | Big 12 | (16-3, 3-1) |
| 4 | UCLA | Pac-10 | (17-2, 5-1) |
| 5 | Georgetown | Big East | (16-2, 6-1) |
| 6 | Washington State | Pac-10 | (17-2, 5-2) |
| 7 | North Carolina | ACC | (19-1, 4-1) |
| 8 | Duke | ACC | (16-1, 4-0) |
| 9 | Tennessee | SEC | (17-2, 4-1) |
| 10 | Michigan State | Big 10 | (17-2, 5-1) |
| 11 | Wisconsin | Big 10 | (16-3, 6-1) |
| 12 | Indiana | Big 10 | (17-2, 6-0) |
| 13 | Vanderbilt | SEC | (17-2, 2-2) |
| 14 | Butler | Horizon | (19-2, 8-2) |
| 15 | Xavier | Atlantic 10 | (16-4, 4-1) |
| 16 | St. Mary's | West Coast | (17-2, 4-0) |
| 17 | Texas A&M | Big 12 | (16-4, 2-3) |
| 18 | Stanford | Pac 10 | (16-3, 5-2) |
| 19 | Dayton | Atlantic 10 | (14-4, 2-3) |
| 20 | Pitt | Big East | (16-4, 2-3) |
| 21 | Drake | Missouri Valley | (18-1, 9-0) |
| 22 | Arizona | Pac-10 | (14-6, 4-3) |
| 23 | Purdue | Big 10 | (15-5, 6-1) |
| 24 | Kansas State | Big 12 | (14-4, 4-0) |
| 25 | Oklahoma | Big 12 | (14-5, 2-2) |
| 26 | Baylor | Big 12 | (16-3, 4-1) |
| 27 | Notre Dame | Big East | (14-4, 4-2) |
| 28 | Mississippi | SEC | (15-3, 2-3) |
| 29 | Connecticut | Big East | (14-5, 4-3) |
| 30 | Louisville | Big East | (15-5, 5-2) |
| 31 | Marquette | Big East | (14-4, 4-3) |
| 32 | Ohio State | Big 10 | (14-6, 5-2) |
| 33 | Clemson | ACC | (15-4, 3-2) |
| 34 | Massachusettes | Atlantic 10 | (13-5, 2-2) |
| 35 | Gonzaga | West Coast | (15-5, 4-0) |
| 36 | Villanova | Big East | (13-5, 3-4) |
| 37 | Oregon | Pac-10 | (12-8, 3-5) |
| 38 | Arizona State | Pac-10 | (14-5, 4-3) |
| 39 | USC | Pac-10 | (12-6, 3-3) |
| 40 | Rhode Island | Atlantic 10 | (17-3, 3-2) |
| 41 | Arkansas | SEC | (14-5, 3-2) |
| 42 | West Virginia | Big East | (15-5, 4-3) |
| 43 | Maryland | ACC | (12-7, 2-2) |
| 44 | Boston College | ACC | (12-6, 3-2) |
| 45 | Syracuse | Big East | (13-7, 3-4) |
| 46 | Florida | SEC | (17-3, 4-1) |
| 47 | South Alabama | Sun Belt | (16-3, 8-0) |
| 48 | Charlotte | Atlantic 10 | (13-6, 4-1) |
| 49 | Mississippi State | SEC | (14-5, 5-0) |
| 50 | Creighton | Missouri Valley | (14-5, 5-4) |
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Final 2007-08 Post Bowl Rankings
| Rank | Previous | Team | Record |
| 1 | 3 | LSU | (12-2, 6-2) |
| 2 | 2 | Georgia | (11-2, 6-2) |
| 3 | 1 | Ohio State | (11-2, 7-1) |
| 4 | 7 | USC | (11-2, 7-2) |
| 5 | 8 | Missouri | (12-2, 7-1) |
| 6 | 9 | Kansas | (12-1, 7-1) |
| 7 | 12 | West Virginia | (11-2, 5-2) |
| 8 | 4 | Virginia Tech | (11-3, 7-1) |
| 9 | 5 | Oklahoma | (11-3, 6-2) |
| 10 | 6 | Hawai'i | (11-1, 8-0) |
| 11 | 14 | Boston College | (11-3, 6-2) |
| 12 | 16 | Tennessee | (10-4, 6-2) |
| 13 | 26 | Texas | (10-3, 5-3) |
| 14 | 24 | Auburn | (9-4, 5-3) |
| 15 | 15 | Clemson | (9-4, 5-3) |
| 16 | 11 | Arizona State | (10-3, 7-2) |
| 17 | 25 | Texas Tech | (9-4, 4-4) |
| 18 | 22 | Cincinnati | (10-3, 4-3) |
| 19 | 27 | Michigan | (9-4, 6-2) |
| 20 | 10 | Florida | (9-4, 5-3) |
| 21 | 13 | Illinois | (9-4, 6-2) |
| 22 | 21 | BYU | (11-2, 8-0) |
| 23 | 17 | Wisconsin | (9-4, 5-3) |
| 24 | 28 | Utah | (9-4, 5-3) |
| 25 | 38 | Oregon | (9-4, 5-4) |
| 26 | 23 | Virginia | (9-4, 6-2) |
| 27 | 31 | Oregon State | (9-4, 6-3) |
| 28 | 18 | Arkansas | (8-5, 4-4) |
| 29 | 32 | Wake Forest | (9-4, 5-3) |
| 30 | 33 | Kentucky | (8-5, 3-5) |
| 31 | 36 | Penn State | (9-4, 4-4) |
| 32 | 34 | Michigan State | (7-6, 3-5) |
| 33 | 29 | Connecticut | (9-4, 5-2) |
| 34 | 19 | Boise State | (10-3, 7-1) |
| 35 | 20 | South Florida | (9-4, 4-3) |
| 36 | 35 | Texas A&M | (7-6, 4-4) |
| 37 | 40 | Mississippi State | (8-5, 4-4) |
| 38 | 41 | TCU | (8-5, 4-4) |
| 39 | 37 | South Carolina | (6-6, 3-5) |
| 40 | 45 | Fresno State | (9-4, 6-2) |
| 41 | 43 | Oklahoma State | (7-6, 4-4) |
| 42 | 39 | Central Florida | (10-4, 7-1) |
| 43 | 30 | Air Force | (9-4, 6-2) |
| 44 | 46 | Rutgers | (8-5, 3-4) |
| 45 | 44 | Florida State | (7-6, 4-4) |
| 46 | 48 | Tulsa | (10-4, 6-2) |
| 47 | NR | East Carolina | (8-5, 6-2) |
| 48 | NR | California | (7-6, 3-6) |
| 49 | 47 | UCLA | (6-7, 5-4) |
| 50 | 42 | Georgia Tech | (7-6, 4-4) |
After evaluating players entering the NFL draft, returning players, and recruiting classes, I will issue an early pre-season ranking for next year. Don't look for this until next month though. This will be revised again in August I suppose. Take them with a grain of salt though. Here's a tease though with my current thoughts:
1. Georgia
2. USC
3. Florida
4. Missouri
5. LSU
6. Ohio State
7. Texas Tech
8. Utah
9. Oklahoma
10. Kansas
Saturday, January 05, 2008
College Football Update
With the bowl season winding down, I have begun my post-bowl rankings. I have completed rankings 4-45, and will complete my rankings after tomorrow night's GMAC Bowl and then the National Championship. I will give you a few sneak peaks:
1. Georgia will finish no worse than #2.
2. Texas profits the most from their bowl game. Their blowout of Arizona State jumps them to #13.
3. After a HUGE win, Michigan returns to the top 20, finishing #19.
4. Utah, a team to watch next year, reaches the Top 25 for the first time all season, finishing at #24.
5. After falling flat on their faces in their bowl games, Boise State and South Florida finish at #34 and #35 respectively.
1. Georgia will finish no worse than #2.
2. Texas profits the most from their bowl game. Their blowout of Arizona State jumps them to #13.
3. After a HUGE win, Michigan returns to the top 20, finishing #19.
4. Utah, a team to watch next year, reaches the Top 25 for the first time all season, finishing at #24.
5. After falling flat on their faces in their bowl games, Boise State and South Florida finish at #34 and #35 respectively.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)