College Football 2007

[S John]

I dont think that I can wait any longer. I am really looking forward to this season. I've seen West Virginia preseason ranked anywhere from #2 to #6.

Now I don't know if they deserve the #2 spot, but with Patrick White, Steve Slaton, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrON0qieSDk, and Darius Reynaud all returning I think a spot in the top 5 is reasonable. Not to mention that WVU snagged Florida HS football running sensation Noel Devine. Reload, sweet. I've heard the kid can barely read, but thats neither here nor there.

The great news is that with a preseason ranking that high, all they have to do is not blow it a la the South Florida game last year and they are a serious NC contender. More good news is that both Pittsburgh and Louisville are making trips to Morgantown this year. Bad news is that WVU is @ Rutgers, Maryland, and South Florida. I have a feeling those little bastards down in S. Florida are going to come out in force when WVU comes to town. My boss and I are trying to work out a way to go down there for a 'business trip' that weekend.

My main concern is the WVU defense. I have every confidence in the offense, many touchdowns will be scored, I'd just like to see the D beefed up a little bit. In other words, I'm less likely to have a heart attack in a blowout than a shootout.

Oh yea, probably the sweetest benefit of my new job is WVU season tickets.

To get everyone in the spirit I leave you with the last 3 plays of one of my favorite drives of last year, best if you have the sound on. I love Pat White.

[S John]

Seriously guys? Nobody wants to pimp out their team with only 6 weeks to go?

I'm heading out of town for the next week. I hope somebody who is equally stoked about their boys finds this thread before I get back.

[ZANNI_1276]

S. John -

You should be primed w/WV for a few reasons.

1. Steve Slayton and Pat White are AWESOME - other than the Nebraska team of the early 80's i have never seen a team run EVERYONE out. * Side note and see #2

2. They play in the weakest big conference in footbal - w/ teams like Rutgers and Louisville being the best they will play they should be ranked and end up or be in the top 5 this year or Rodriguez should commit harey carey and just leave so he can be medicore at somewher like "BAMA". If They don't run for 500 yards in every game fugadaboutit - at best they will get a lower BCS bid.

3. 3 words: Strength of Schedule

Personally my team should have an off year but I think underating Tressell is a total plus b/c he will sneak up on people this year - good litmus test to see just how good of a Head coach he really is.

GO BUCKS!

[S John]

I hear ya.

For the first couple of years I was really pissed about the loss of VT, Miami, and BC, but it seems that its all going to work out in our favor. Instead of having to yell at VT and Miami fans, its now mainly just Rutgers and Louisville. Every single S.O.B. in this state is a big Mountaineers fan and always has been (Marshall does not count). This should be our third good year in a row.

I still want a renewal of the VT / WVU rivalry... that got really heated in the most recent few meetings.

I hope Coach Rod continues to stay on board, a few more good years and we can scrape out a spot among the top teams in the nation permanently. A team like Ohio State, or Michigan already has that. Y'all can afford an off year. We can't. Not yet at least.

If WVU has a bad year they're still at the "oh, see, they don't play anybody" point. Good news on that front is that starting next year we have a home and home vs. Auburn instead of Maryland. Though I do like playing Maryland, it's turned into a nice border-state rivalry.

ETA:

They play in the weakest big conference in football

I think that is arguable.

[ZANNI_1276]

I still want a renewal of the VT / WVU rivalry... that got really heated in the most recent few meetings.

I hope Coach Rod continues to stay on board, a few more good years and we can scrape out a spot among the top teams in the nation permanently. A team like Ohio State, or Michigan already has that. Y'all can afford an off year. We can't. Not yet at least.

If WVU has a bad year they're still at the "oh, see, they don't play anybody" point. Good news on that front is that starting next year we have a home and home vs. Auburn instead of Maryland. Though I do like playing Maryland, it's turned into a nice border-state rivalry.

ETA:

I think that is arguable.

True that...I hope Rod stays too - i like him and with all this FREE AGENCY hired gun attitude it is refreshing to find someone who will walk away from the $$$ to finish what they started.

If WV wants to be big league they have to play like it - bottom line - maybe they have a weak schedule so they have to win and in some cases win really big, totally run it up. I don't know if i would bank on the Maryland rivlary -not too sexy or big BCS points, agree with VATECH though. Honestly other than the backyard brawl i didn't know of any WV rivals - but other than the BUCKS - i like WV; ever since major harris i just liked em, been to morgantown and had a blast.

[S John]

been to morgantown and had a blast.

Hahaha yea, I know. I've been a WVU fan my whole life but its only been a matter of months since I've moved to ground zero. Let me take this opportunity to extend the invitation... if anyone wants to come to Morgantown, at any time, PM me. I swear to God this place parties like a town 10 times its size, there are at least 30 bars in tiny downtown Morgantown that I know of.

But, anyway, I don't bank on the Maryland rivalry either. I just like playing them, its only about a 3 hour drive for opposing fans either way and they are more respectable then some of our other out of conference games.

You're an Ohio State fan right? I think I've heard Michigan is the Big 10 favorite this year. Any comments on that?

Personally I freakin' hate Michigan. My best friend is a big Michigan fan. It is a point of contention.

Last year I got into a huge college football argument with some Michigan fans in Chicago. Alcohol was involved. They were telling me that WVU could never beat Michigan in a million years. I remember saying, "You see this FACE!? REMEMBER this face when the day comes that you LOSE to WVU!!!!" Yea I was drunk. Good times.

[Mike]

Auburn has a ballbuster schedule in front of them this year. Away games at Florida, LSU, Arkansas, and Georgia are going to be brutal. Home schedule is completely manageable with the toughest games being Alabama and South Florida. The thing about this schedule though, is that Tuberville teams tend to play better on the road. We'll see if that holds true this year.

We're breaking in 4 new starters on the OL, which could make life tough for Sr. QB Brandon Cox. We're going to be more talented, for sure, but experience kills in the SEC and that's where we are lacking. If they can manage to gel before the Florida game (week 5) then we can win that game. If not, we're in trouble. Receivers are in pretty much the same boat. Loads of talent, short on experience. Good news is that they are all hard workers, and if they make a mistake, they make it 100%. Our running backs are going to be studs. Yeah, we lost Kenny Irons, but we won't lose a step. Brad Lester will make some waves this year, and his backups might be better than him. Brandon Cox had a horrible year last year at QB, but he was pretty much playing on one leg for the entire year after the LSU game. When he's healthy, he can be awesome. Guy is a very smart QB and is excellent at making the correct checks at the line of scrimmage. He's the key to our entire season. If he's healthy, we have a decent shot to win the SEC. If not, we're fucked.

Our D is going to be salty. The front 4 could be the best in the conference (the notable exception being Dorsey and co. at LSU) with freshman all-american Sen'Derrick Marks a year stronger and bigger, two Srs. returning at NG, and AA and Bednarik candidate Quentin Groves wreaking havoc at the D-End/Hybrid LB spot. Our linebackers will be fun to watch. We lost two starters from last years squad, but their replacements have all see significant action, and are a world away as far as talent goes. Tray Blackmon heads up this group. Remember this name. You'll be hearing it a few times this year. Our secondary loses its best cover man, but the rest is intact. Aairon Savage is a player at safety, and the rest of the guys are solid. Our front four will make their job easier most of the year.

Special teams is going to drop off significantly from last year. Our return game could be better, but losing an all-conference punter and kicker is not going to be easy. We won a few games we should have lost last year because of these guys and our defense. I doubt we have that luxury this year.

So overall, I think we will be a better team than the '06 version, but I think our record will be worse. 9-4 or 10-3 sounds about right.

S. John,

I'm really looking forward to the season opener against you guys in '08. I'm hoping Pat White and Steve Slaton blow up this year and decide to skip their senior years. Our defense is going to be awesome next year, but stopping those guys is going to be a tall order. Anyway, should be a fun trip to Morgantown, and I will definitely be there.

[dornish prince]

war eagle, mike!!

auburn has really listened to the SOS argument and has begun picking up some quality teams. in '10 and '11, they have a home and home with clemson and this year, even though kansas state isn't really scaring anyone, south florida is top 25 in many peoples preseason rankings.

i agree that the loss of bliss and vaughn is really going to hurt the special teams but hopefully the new guys can pick up some of that slack.

a couple of concerns that i have.

1. will tray blackmon stay out of trouble? he really hasn't so far.

2. lester, tate, fannin, or davis? lester's the starter right now, but i don't see his frame handling 25 carries a game. we are known for spreading it around, though, so its not a bad problem to have; fannin tore up 'A' day and tate is the real deal.

3. can sen'derrick have the same kind of year he had last year with the move to DE? i don't know. he was tremendous in his freshman year at T, so hopefully.

4. as you mentioned mike, the road schedule is brutal. a horrible side effect of this schedule is that except for bama, all the best games to see are away from jordan hare; not the greatest year to be a season ticket holder.

5. the game that i'm most concerned about is going to lsu. they owe us from last year and death valley is a bitch to play in. the florida game worries me some also and sooner or later bama's gotta win one don't they..

if the kicking game can come through at all, with cox healthy and 4 starting caliber running backs, i'm gonna go out on a limb and say we finish 11-2 but miss the sec championship because lsu will be stopping by atlanta on their way to another national championship

[King Mudd]

geaux tigers!

LSU is going to be riiiiidiculous this year. Best D in the country hands down.

[S John]

Auburn has a ballbuster schedule in front of them this year. Away games at Florida, LSU, Arkansas, and Georgia are going to be brutal.

Damn, that is a brutal away schedule. Tuberville needs to be very good on the road this year.

I'm really looking forward to the season opener against you guys in '08. I'm hoping Pat White and Steve Slaton blow up this year and decide to skip their senior years. Our defense is going to be awesome next year, but stopping those guys is going to be a tall order. Anyway, should be a fun trip to Morgantown, and I will definitely be there.

I hope they stick around. It is easy to forget that they're only rising Juniors since we've already gotten two good years out of them. If I had to guess I'd say Slaton goes and Pat White stays. Though they both may stick around, I've heard talk of Slaton being 'undersized' which blows my mind because you've got to catch him before that becomes relevant.

[Andrik the Unsmiling]

Go Stanford! Win more than one game, and make your students and alums proud!!

ETA: Oh, and if one of those wins could be against Cal, that would be sweet. In fact, that would make the entire season worthwhile. And I'm not even being sarcastic there-- seriously, just beat Cal... please??

[Annelise]

You're an Ohio State fan right? I think I've heard Michigan is the Big 10 favorite this year. Any comments on that?

I quote my Wolverine friends, after the loss to OSU last year... "Fuck...another year of this shit."

Michigan is so keen to beat on the Bucks that they won't keep their minds on their weekly bidness & they get upset at Illinois. This is the year the Illini get back in the game (or I throw myself down a well). They've got Michigan, Penn State, Wisconsin and Missouri at home, so that should help. I think they could sneak by the Bucks on the road; they kept it close against them last year. I don't think they will put it all together and win the conference, but I do expect them to improve and surprise with some upsets, maybe get a minor bowl bid. Go into 2008 as a major contender for the conference.

[Mike]

War Eagle, DP! Always good to hear from another AU fan!

I think Tray is going to be okay. Word from the grapevine is that he really understands the opportunity that is before him and that this is his last chance to seize it. They say that he is doing very well in school this summer and that he is being a leader at the voluntary workouts. Oh, and he's up to 220 now. Somebody's head is going to roll this year.

Lester is going to be the guy. He won't get 25 totes a game, but like you said, he doesn't need to. I still think he ends up our most productive back. The guy hits the hole quicker than Kenny did and has the best vision out of all of our RBs. Ben Tate and Fannin will make some noise, and I expect Carl to have great SR at FB.

Sen'Derrick's move to DE is going to just be situational, I believe. We are going to be running a hybrid 4-3/3-4 with Q acting as the End/Linebacker rover. I think when Q stands up, Marks will play the DE spot. I've read that the coaches also did it as a wake-up call to our strongside DEs. Kind of a "get your ass in gear" statement. Regardless of where he plays, I think he's going to be someone opposing coaches worry about.

I've got season tickets this year, but I've also got road tickets to LSU, Georgia, and Florida. Should be fun.

LSU is going to be a bitch of a game for us, for sure. It doesn't help that we play them a week after going to Fayetteville to play Mcfadden and co. either. Right now, I expect us to lose, but if Cox is playing well, and our young O-line has come together enough to keep him from getting mauled by Dorsey, Beckwith, etc. then I think we could possibly come out of Death Valley with a win. Florida in The Swamp is always tough, but I'm not a believer in Tim Tebow. If he throws less than 12 interceptions this year, I'll be surprised. As for Alabama, sure they'll win one some day, but I don't think it will be this year. Their defense is going to blow ass.

An 11-2 season sounds great to me! I'd take that right now and smile about it. Regardless of how things pan out, it should be a fun football season. War Eagle again!

[King Mudd]

Tiger Stadium is going to be insaaaaaane this year. We get Va Tech, Spurrier, Florida, Auburn, and Arkansas this year. Oh boy... I cannot wait, almost shaking with excitement. I always have trouble sleeping the night before big games, this year I won't be getting much sleep. Anyway War Eagle fans, I'm thinking this year we'll have another fucked up classic for the ages. Last year I nearly cried at the end, two years ago I think I almost had a heart attack. I move back to Baton Rouge for the start of the new semester in three weeks, at which point I will start restocking my alcoholic arsenal in preparation for the season.

[Mike]

Tiger Stadium is going to be insaaaaaane this year. We get Va Tech, Spurrier, Florida, Auburn, and Arkansas this year. Oh boy... I cannot wait, almost shaking with excitement. I always have trouble sleeping the night before big games, this year I won't be getting much sleep. Anyway War Eagle fans, I'm thinking this year we'll have another fucked up classic for the ages. Last year I nearly cried at the end, two years ago I think I almost had a heart attack. I move back to Baton Rouge for the start of the new semester in three weeks, at which point I will start restocking my alcoholic arsenal in preparation for the season.

KM,

I was at Tiger Stadium two years ago. While your heart was getting attacked, mine was breaking. That one is in my top two of most painful Auburn football games that I've seen live.

As for last year, if it's any consolation, you guys beat us up so bad that the rest of the year we were, offensively speaking, half the team that we were before that game. It was unbelievable.

[TheHoundRules]

College Football..........College Football...........Those 2 words bring back lots of unbelieveable memories and feelings. It is almost time to lace up the cleats, put on the shoulder pads, strap on the helmet, and kick off.

UGA is good to be good this year. The offense should be the best Richt has had a UGA. Stafford finished strong with wins against Auburn, GT, and VT last year. He should be very good. WR will be better with Bailey returning. RB will be great with Moreno, Brown, and Lumpkin. Southerland is a strong FB. O line will be inexperienced but talented. they need to come together during 2 a days.

Defense is talented but inexperienced. We have to fill a lot of holes. If they defense gels quickly, UGA will be very strong.

Special teams will be very good with Henderson returning punts and kickoffs. Coutu is the best kicker in the nation.

The schedule starts strong. Oklahoma State and South Carolina at home. We need to win both. We go to Tenn, Alabama, and GT. We have a good chance to win the East I believe.

Gooooooooooooo Dawgs! Sic em! Woof! Woof! Woof!

Anyone want to do the pickem on yahoo each week.

Any predictions from anyone.

College Football............I love those words.

[King Mudd]

I don't want to be a homer... but I think we've got the best team in the country here in Baton Rouge this year. I mean we have a couple question marks, how well will Flynn play? is Miles going to be on his game all year? how will crowton's new offense be? But the amount of talent we have is just overwhelming.

[TheHoundRules]

KM - It would be hard to argue with you. LSU has a ton of talent. Flynn is a big ? for me. I am not sure if he can lead your team to an undefeated season. The D will be awesome.

[King Mudd]

by the way THR, love your sig, was front row at the WP show at Bonnaroo in June, kicked ass, one of the best shows I've ever been to, I wanted to go to their 3 night Austin run earlier this month but had to work

[TheHoundRules]

There is no better band around. Especially live. I am listening to them tonight. Sipping beer on the back porch, grilling steaks, and listening so WP. Life is good.