By Chris Maza Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
(Note: As the college football season approaches, I will be breaking down the following conferences: The Big XII, the PAC-10, the WAC and the Big East. This week I tackle the WAC. If you haven't already, don't forget to check out past previews of independent Notre Dame, the Big XII and the PAC-10)
It has been an interesting off season for the WAC as it and the Mountain West signed a BCS television contract in July. Along with the signed contract, the WAC sent along a letter with it's "concerns" about the BCS process. But in reality, they are still on the receiving end of one of the biggest screw jobs in sports in the fact that even after signing the contract, WAC teams are still not given automatic BCS bowl consideration. The conference vowed to continue its fight for equality, but how many waves can you make while being part of a $500 million machine?
So Boise State remains the WAC's best chance at busting things open for the WAC. Not that that means very much. The WAC champion Broncos were ninth in BCS polling at the end of the regular season, ahead of Ohio State (who lost to Texas in the Fiesta Bowl) and Cincinnati (who were thumped by Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl). If you weren't paying attention, even with a decent strength of schedule ranking of 56th, undefeated Boise State was relegated to the Poinsettia Bowl, which did turn out to be one of the best games of the bowl schedule against TCU. Still, the fact that it was a great game against another underappreciated team does not take away the sting of such an obvious snub. Especially when you lose that game.
So the Broncos once again will look for legitimacy in the college football ranks. And while their conference schedule gives them little help in that regard, but if they are able to beat a tough Oregon team in their season opener, it will be a pretty good indication that this team can beat teams with top talent.
Defense remains the main strength of the Broncos - they were 10th in the country in points allowed last season - and that is not likely to change, even with turnover in the front seven. Ryan Winterswyk is a young, but active d-lineman who will help solidify the front line and an experienced secondary will jam up receivers, giving the youngsters up front enough time to get at opposing quarterbacks.
Offensively, sophomore Kellen Moore figures to be even better than his first year and a good line and capable running backs will look to take some of the load off Moore's shoulders. That's a good thing, because if the Broncos have a major weakness, it's in the receiving corps. Beyond Austin Pettis, there isn't much there in terms of truly reliable options for the passing game.
Nevada will be an interesting team to watch coming out of the conference with an absolutely explosive offense. Even though they and Hawaii were tied with 5-3 conference records, many make the argument that Nevada was the better team, citing specifically the Wolf Pack's 38-31 victory over the Warriors. This year there will be no doubt who the number two team in the conference is. Colin Kaepernick is an absolute stud, having compiled nearly 4,000 of total offense (2,849 passing, 1,130 rushing) and 39 touchdowns. Also returning is Vai Taua, the man who actually led the team in rushing, believe it or not, with 1,521 yards, good for eighth in the nation. Nevada's problem last year remains its problem this year - defense. Nevada was ranked 150th in points allowed, giving up an average of 31.5 points per contest. The Wolf Pack had the worst defense in football against the pass, which makes life difficult for them when they face good throwing teams on their schedule like Notre Dame, Missouri and Boise State. The good thing is they are a year older, but adding a year to a bad secondary doesn't mean it's necessarily going to be better.
Two teams that could make a major leap in the conference on Fresno State and Louisiana Tech. The killer for Fresno State could be the fact they play a heavier out-of-conference schedule than others, which includes traveling to Wisconsin and Cincinnati. Its strength lies in its defense, which may sound stupid, considering it ranked seventh in the conference last year. However, let's not forget that a multitude of injuries and the fact defensive coordinator Dan Brown was battling cancer had a lot to do with that. Brown died in March of this year. If they can stay healthy and the players buy into the new coordinator's game plan, 2009 could be a much different story. The big question is who will lead the offense for the Bulldogs? If Ryan Colburn turns out to be even a decent quarterback, with the backfield the Bulldogs have, they could be very successful, especially in conference play.
Louisiana Tech might be ready to step into the big time in the WAC. Last year's defense was the best in the conference in scoring defense, allowing just 10 points per game. That was good for sixth in the nation, too, by the way. Their 8-5 record earned them a spot in the Independence Bowl, where they beat Northern Illinois by a score of 17 - (you guessed it) 10. While the defense probably won't be quite that good this year with several key pieces missing, the offense should be able to pick up a bit more of the slack this season. With a strong line in front of him, Daniel Porter should find similar success in the running game as he did in 2008, but for this team to get over the hump, Ross Jenkins will have to become a true leader at the quarterback position.
Hawaii has made news recently because head coach Greg McMackin is still stewing about getting trounced on his home field by a disappointing Notre Dame team, so he felt the need to call them a derogatory term. That's pretty much the only reason this team will make headlines this year. The suspension is a joke, as McMackin will still be able to coach on a "volunteer basis," so don't expect the Rainbow Warriors (ironic, isn't it?) to skip a beat in that regard. Where they will be hurting is on defense, where the team returns just three starters. Offensively, they should be fine, having found a competent quarterback in Greg Alexander, who threw 14 touchdowns and five interceptions in the final six games of the year with a 63 percent completion rate. But is that offense good enough to make up for all the shortcomings they will have on defense? Don't count on it.
Prediction: Boise State again takes the conference, but not without a bump in the road at Louisiana Tech, causing them to fall short in their quest for a BCS bid.
Projected WAC standings:
1. Boise State
2. Nevada
3. Louisiana Tech
4. Fresno State
5. Hawaii
6. San Diego State
7. Utah State
8. New Mexico State
9. Idaho
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Fantasy Football: Despite injury, Brady's the top dog
By Jim Ingram
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
Starting this morning, FFS will take an in depth look into the positional rankings for upcoming fantasy football season. Despite the fact the running back position is traditionally viewed as the most important fantasy position, we'll start with the Quarterbacks today. The leaders on the field, should be the leaders in this series in my opinion. We'll take a good look at the top 10 of each position, and round out with a list of the rest of the top 20.
The Top 20:
1. Tom Brady - Patriots
You can cut me the line about him being not fully recovered. He'll be fine, especially since he's emotionally strong and ready to take on the blitz. He won't put reset the touchdown mark this season, but shouldn't be too far off. He is dealing with the best receiving corp in the leagues thanks to the addition of Joey Galloway. There's not one team in the league with a better trio of receivers. He also has a very deep chart of running backs on the team that opposing defenses need to respect.
2. Drew Brees - Saints
It's going to be hard to top the 5,000 yard season he had last year, but he still has a good offensive line, good crop of running backs, and a ton of targets to throw to. I doubt he'll reach the 5,000 yard plateau again, but look for him to get 4,500+ and 30+ TD's.
3. Kurt Warner - Cardinals
I had a tough time with this slot, but ultimately put Warner in front of Peyton Manning because of the offense the Cardinals run. Despite adding Beanie Wells in addition to Tim Hightower, the Cardinals will still primarily throw the ball. Of course it doesn't hurt that Warner will be throwing to the 2nd best trio of wide receivers in the NFL in Fitzgerald, Boldin and Breaston.
4. Peyton Manning - Colts
Don't get me wrong, Peyton is still the 2nd best quarterback in the game, just not in fantasy land. Manning did have a down year last year. It says a lot when a QB throws for 4,020 yards and 27 touchdowns and that is considered a step back. I do have him downgraded at the 4 slot because of a lack of depth at the wide receiver position.
5. Aaron Rodgers - Packers
Mark my words. Aaron Rodgers will have a fantastic fantasy season this year. In his first full season as a starter, Rodgers threw for 4,038 yards, 28 TD's, 13 INT's & even rushed for 4 TD's. I anticipate a better year with him topping 30 TD's and getting closer to the 4,500 yard mark. Ryan Grant should have a better year, so it should open up the passing game even more.
6. Donovan McNabb - Eagles
I know I'll get a little flack having McNabb so high, but I think he's poised for a big year. The Eagles are locked and loaded for a run at the Super Bowl this year. If Brian Westbrook misses the start of the season, McNabb will be relied on even more to move the ball down the field.
7. Phillip Rivers - Chargers
I am not a Phillip Rivers fan at all, but after his performance against the Patriots in the AFC Championship two years ago, I have to respect him. He followed up that game by having a career year last year topping the 4,000 yard mark and throwing 34 TD's. He's come into his own as a passer and has better chemistry with Vincent Jackson and the rest of the wide receiver corp.
8. Tony Romo - Cowboys
Romo would be a much better fantasy player if he wasn't so much of a gunslinger. He still has way too much Brett Favre in him for me to draft him. He still has a ton of weapons despite the subtraction of Terrell Owens. The big question for me is the chemistry between him and Roy Williams. Have they had enough time together to put up a good year?
9. Matt Schaub - Texans
Yes, Matt Schaub is a top 10 fantasy QB this season, he just needs to stay on the field. in 11 games he averaged 276 yards per game and had a 92.7 rating. Andre Johnson is a stud, and people don't realize how good Kevin Walter really is. Throw in Owen Daniels, a very solid tight end, and a good running game led by Steve Slaton, and it all adds up to an offense that should score a lot.
10. Matt Ryan - Falcons
Matt Ryan had a very good rookie season, but still wasn't asked to do too much. He'll get a lot more responsibility this season. I expect him to throw around 4,000 yards, and could reach the 20+ touchdown Plataea after throwing for 16 last year. He has a shiny new toy in Tony Gonzalez and a two good wide outs in Roddy White and Michael Jenkins. The Falcons do pride themselves on a good running game, but that will only help Ryan out in the long run opening up passing lanes and creating one on one match ups down the field.
11. Matt Hasselback - Seahawks
12. Ben Roethlisberger - Steelers
13. Carson Palmer - Bengals
14. Jay Cutler - Bears
15. Matt Cassell - Chiefs
16. David Garrard - Jaguars
17. Joe Flacco - Ravens
18. Eli Manning - Giants
19. Kyle Orton - Broncos
20. Trent Edwards - Bills
Watch out for:
Matt Hasselback
Carson Palmer
Byron Leftwich
Brady Quinn
Be wary of:
Matt Cassell
Eli Manning
Jason Campbell
(stay tuned for the running back rankings tomorrow by Chad Garner)
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