By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
This is the weekend that will make or break some teams. While every team that has a shot at the BCS national championship needs to win in order to stay in it, but Texas and USC both face huge hurdles this week.
Texas has perhaps the toughest draw on the schedule this week in college football.
Here's the scenario: The Longhorns are ranked third in the BCS rankings with a 7-0 record. They take on Oklahoma State on the road at Pickens Stadium, where the fans provide one of the best home-field advantages in the nation. The Cowboys rank 14th in the BCS, which has them teetering on the edge of at-large eligibility. They need this game if they want to have a legitimate shot at the Big XII title game.
What happens if Texas wins: If the Cowboys lose, Texas is the only undefeated team in the conference with beatable Kansas, Baylor and Texas A&M remaining on their Big XII slate, making them the clear favorites to win, regardless of who comes out of the North. With a Big XII championship, the Longhorns has to have a ticket waiting for them.
What happens if Oklahoma State wins: If the Cowboys win, they hold the tiebreaker over Texas and an easy slate until the final game against Oklahoma, who also has one loss. They need to win both to have a real shot at a BCS game. Even if they beat Texas and move up in the BCS rankings, a loss to the Sooners would surely knock them out of the race for the Big XII title and could knock them far enough down to prevent any shot as an at-large team.
The matchup: This game pits two of the top offensive teams in the country. Texas is the top scoring team in college football with 41.9 points per game and Oklahoma State sits at sixth with 37 points per game. OSU has been without top receiver Dez Bryant and will be without him for the remainder of the season, but they have kept putting up points and kept winning. The question is which team's defense will make more mistakes. Texas is allowing less than two touchdowns per game on defense and Oklahoma State is also a top-40 defense in terms of scoring, allowing just 20 points per game. The difference, besides a touchdown, is that Oklahoma State's defense gives up a ton more yards and is more susceptible to the big play.
Prediction: Texas 35, Oklahoma State 24
Also facing a tough task is USC.
The scenario: USC ranks fourth in the BCS and the only thing that kept them from being undefeated at this point was a loss to Washington in which the Trojans were without their starting quarterback and top defender. That loss, however, has left the door open for Oregon, who hosts the Trojans this weekend. Oregon, ranked 10th in the BCS, is the only undefeated team in the league and in fact has not lost since the opening day game against Boise State.
What happens if USC wins: USC will hold a tiebreaker over Oregon, but still has hurdles, though none as hot as the Ducks are coming into this matchup. Arizona the final week is a final test, but if Oregon can knock them off, the Trojans will win the Pac 10 and are assured a spot in the BCS somewhere.
What happens if Oregon wins: If the Ducks win, they will be in the driver's seat in the Pac-10. With two losses, USC can kiss a shot at the BCS championship goodbye. Even if they finish 11-1, the Ducks probably don't have enough clout to make it to the national championship game, but a spot somewhere in the BCS is assured. Stanford and Arizona are tough road games, so it's hardly a lock, but Oregon will be in control of its own fate.
The Matchup: USC had boasted one of the most daunting defenses in the nation, but that was before giving up a combined 63 points on 849 total yards against Notre Dame and Oregon State. That said, the team is still ranked 15th in scorng defense. This weekend they face another top offense as Oregon ranks 16th in scoring offense. LaMichael James has done a great job in his freshman season filling in for LaGarrett Blount in a run-heavy offense, averaging almost seven yards per carry. But stopping the run is something the Trojans make their living on with an extremely talented and athletic front seven. Oregon is also stingy on defense, allowing less than 300 yards and 17 points per game. Oregon also has a distinct home field advantage and the Trojans have not won there since 2005.
Prediction: USC 20, Oregon 12
Thursday, October 29, 2009
With backs against the wall, Yankees desperate for a spark
By Chad Garner
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
Cliff Lee was just outstanding last night, so tip your cap and move on.
The Yankees better turn the page real quick or this World Series will be over in a blink of an eye.
Yes, Game 2 tonight against the defending champion Phillies is a must-win game for New York.
While Lee scattered six hits in a complete-game performance with 10 strikeouts, it's hard to imagine that Pedro Martinez can do the same tonight.
It's been well documented that Pedro knows the Yankees, but remember the Yankees know him, too. And this isn't vintage Pedro of old, this is a guy nearing the end of his career that happened to pitch well against the Dodgers in the NLCS so everyone from Red Sox Nation to Philly thinks he's a staff ace again.
But I'm not buying how Pedro will dominate the Yanks tonight.
But I'm also not banking on New York starter A.J. Burnett dominating, either. Burnett is so hit or miss. He's got great stuff, but lack of control always hurts this guy. He walks too many and then gives up a hit that drives in runs. Burnett needs to stay in the zone, use his fastball inside and outside and get that breaking ball over on a consistent basis.
I think the offenses deliver tonight and then it's up to the bullpens to do the job.
The Yankees stunk with their bullpen in Game 1, but someone needs to step up to bridge the gap to future Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera. Watch, manager Joe Girardi will try to use Mo for three innings (joking)!
We all know it's must-win time for the Yankees. If they lose tonight, there's not way -- yes, I said no way -- that they can win this series.
But they've also got to swing the bats. Mark Teixeira where are you? Time to hit in the clutch and drive in some runs, no more excuses. Is he the new postseason A-Rod dud?
Everyone that takes a bat to the plate is being called out.
The Yankees have a lot of heart and pride. They won't go down quietly, they just need a spark from someone.
Who will it be?
In a perfect world (only Yankee fans allowed), Burnett provides that lift and the offense rallies around the right-hander.
Or will Pedro steal the spotlight?
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Bruins turning it around
By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
A slow start and early season injuries could have buried this team, but they are finding a way to stay afloat and are showing signs of improvement.
Since starting the season at 3-4, the Bruins have gone 2-0-1, scoring three goals or more in each game. Sure, the two wins came against some pretty terrible teams in Nashville and Ottawa. But the Nashville game convinced fans, and perhaps the Bruins themselves they could win without some of their top talent.
Philadelphia dealt the B's a shootout loss proved that the team can still hang with a team some considered a favorite to win the Eastern Conference.
But the he Ottawa game was one that could be a defining moment for the team. The Senators are not a powerhouse by any means (don't let the fast start fool you), but overcoming a 3-1 deficit with 1:28 remaining against any team, then beat them in a shootout is something that can give a team a huge lift.
Over this stretch, the Bruins have done an outstanding job of distributing the wealth in terms of goal scoring in the absence of two of last year's top-5 goal scorers (Chuck Kobasew, who was traded and Marc Savard, who broke his left foot.) Really, they're doing it without three of their top goal scorers from last season if you include No. 1 Phil Kessel, but even if he was still with the team he wouldn't be available until November. Blake Wheeler, Mark Recchi, David Krejci, Derek Morris, Matt Hunwick, Steve Begin, Michael Ryder and Patrice Bergeron all have scored over the last three games.
Now the B's have to do something they haven't done yet this year - win back-to-back games.
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
A slow start and early season injuries could have buried this team, but they are finding a way to stay afloat and are showing signs of improvement.
Since starting the season at 3-4, the Bruins have gone 2-0-1, scoring three goals or more in each game. Sure, the two wins came against some pretty terrible teams in Nashville and Ottawa. But the Nashville game convinced fans, and perhaps the Bruins themselves they could win without some of their top talent.
Philadelphia dealt the B's a shootout loss proved that the team can still hang with a team some considered a favorite to win the Eastern Conference.
But the he Ottawa game was one that could be a defining moment for the team. The Senators are not a powerhouse by any means (don't let the fast start fool you), but overcoming a 3-1 deficit with 1:28 remaining against any team, then beat them in a shootout is something that can give a team a huge lift.
Over this stretch, the Bruins have done an outstanding job of distributing the wealth in terms of goal scoring in the absence of two of last year's top-5 goal scorers (Chuck Kobasew, who was traded and Marc Savard, who broke his left foot.) Really, they're doing it without three of their top goal scorers from last season if you include No. 1 Phil Kessel, but even if he was still with the team he wouldn't be available until November. Blake Wheeler, Mark Recchi, David Krejci, Derek Morris, Matt Hunwick, Steve Begin, Michael Ryder and Patrice Bergeron all have scored over the last three games.
Now the B's have to do something they haven't done yet this year - win back-to-back games.
Why the Phillies will Win
By Rick Eggleston
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
The curtain goes up on the 105th Fall Classic tonight that to the surprise of few, finds the Yankees as the American League representative. Of course, $202 million can buy you a lot of things. So, will it be enough for the Yanks to hoist the World Series trophy over their heads for the 27th time in their storied history? I say no, and here are five reasons why the Phillies and their $113 million payroll will beat the Yankees.
1. Experience. The Phillies were just here and with many of the same players back from last season’s championship team, they know what to expect. The newness and awe of getting to the World Series has worn off, so this time around it’s all business for Philly. The Yankees haven’t been here since 2003, when they spit the bit against the Florida Marlins. Six years is a long time and though it’s true, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Hideki Matsui were all around for the last rodeo, a few of them probably can’t help but feel like that it’s now or never, so the pressure will be on for the Yanks to win. Matsui, whose four-year deal is up this season, and Pettitte, who signed a one-and-done deal this season, won’t be in New York next season. The Phils are the defending champs — the pressure is off.
2. Pedro Martinez. Junior’s back to exact some revenge on the Yanks, whose fans let Martinez have it in 2004 with chants of “Who’s your daddy?!” in his return to Yankee Stadium with the Red Sox after he — with help from manager Grady Little — allowed the Yanks to come back and win Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS. Proclaiming that the Yankees must be his “daddy” before a 2004 match-up due to their recent successes against the right-hander, Yankee fans came up with the memorable line. This time around, however, will be different. While the chant is sure reign down from the stadium’s infamous Bleacher Creatures when Martinez toes the rubber for Game 2 tomorrow night, he will quickly make them shut up. Martinez thrives in the face of doubters and adversaries, and relishes the big stage that is undoubtedly Yankee Stadium. And with him entering fresh off a scoreless, six-innings effort over the Dodgers in the NLCS, Martinez will transform the chants into whimpers.
3. Alex Rodriguez. The Curse of A-Rod lives. Admittedly, the two-handed bum-grabbing bandit (watch out Derek Jeter!) Rodriguez has done much in the previous two series’ to shed his image as a postseason choke artist at the plate. The being said, Rodriguez is due for a slump. Unlike Minnesota and Anaheim, the Phillies possess the pitching that will keep the big guy off balance. Cliff Lee is dominant right now, and the aforementioned Martinez has faced Rodriguez enough to know what works. Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton probably won’t be too effective, but at least they’ll have the home crowd behind them for Games 3 and 4 in Philly.
4. Ryan Howard. Like Rodriguez, Howard has been mashing the ball this postseason (11-for-31 (.355) with seven extra-base hits and 14 RBI). Look for that to continue against the Yankees, who if they’re going to have a shot at thwarting the Phillies, must shut down Howard at the plate. Yanks starter CC Sabathia will get the first crack at Howard tonight in a lefty vs. lefty match-up.
5. Joe Girardi. The Yankees manager likes to tempt fate. He made some questionable calls with his bullpen against the Angels in the ALCS, one of which cost the Yankees Game 3 after he elected to lift reliever Dave Robertson with Alfredo Aceves with two-out in the 11th inning. The Angels responded with two straight hits and won the game. Then in Game 5, after the Yankees rallied to take a 6-4 lead in the seventh inning, Girardi’s decision to send starter A.J. Burnett back out to the mound led to the Angels copping three runs and an eventual 7-6 win to force Game 6.
My pick: Phillies in 5.
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
The curtain goes up on the 105th Fall Classic tonight that to the surprise of few, finds the Yankees as the American League representative. Of course, $202 million can buy you a lot of things. So, will it be enough for the Yanks to hoist the World Series trophy over their heads for the 27th time in their storied history? I say no, and here are five reasons why the Phillies and their $113 million payroll will beat the Yankees.
1. Experience. The Phillies were just here and with many of the same players back from last season’s championship team, they know what to expect. The newness and awe of getting to the World Series has worn off, so this time around it’s all business for Philly. The Yankees haven’t been here since 2003, when they spit the bit against the Florida Marlins. Six years is a long time and though it’s true, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Hideki Matsui were all around for the last rodeo, a few of them probably can’t help but feel like that it’s now or never, so the pressure will be on for the Yanks to win. Matsui, whose four-year deal is up this season, and Pettitte, who signed a one-and-done deal this season, won’t be in New York next season. The Phils are the defending champs — the pressure is off.
2. Pedro Martinez. Junior’s back to exact some revenge on the Yanks, whose fans let Martinez have it in 2004 with chants of “Who’s your daddy?!” in his return to Yankee Stadium with the Red Sox after he — with help from manager Grady Little — allowed the Yanks to come back and win Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS. Proclaiming that the Yankees must be his “daddy” before a 2004 match-up due to their recent successes against the right-hander, Yankee fans came up with the memorable line. This time around, however, will be different. While the chant is sure reign down from the stadium’s infamous Bleacher Creatures when Martinez toes the rubber for Game 2 tomorrow night, he will quickly make them shut up. Martinez thrives in the face of doubters and adversaries, and relishes the big stage that is undoubtedly Yankee Stadium. And with him entering fresh off a scoreless, six-innings effort over the Dodgers in the NLCS, Martinez will transform the chants into whimpers.
3. Alex Rodriguez. The Curse of A-Rod lives. Admittedly, the two-handed bum-grabbing bandit (watch out Derek Jeter!) Rodriguez has done much in the previous two series’ to shed his image as a postseason choke artist at the plate. The being said, Rodriguez is due for a slump. Unlike Minnesota and Anaheim, the Phillies possess the pitching that will keep the big guy off balance. Cliff Lee is dominant right now, and the aforementioned Martinez has faced Rodriguez enough to know what works. Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton probably won’t be too effective, but at least they’ll have the home crowd behind them for Games 3 and 4 in Philly.
4. Ryan Howard. Like Rodriguez, Howard has been mashing the ball this postseason (11-for-31 (.355) with seven extra-base hits and 14 RBI). Look for that to continue against the Yankees, who if they’re going to have a shot at thwarting the Phillies, must shut down Howard at the plate. Yanks starter CC Sabathia will get the first crack at Howard tonight in a lefty vs. lefty match-up.
5. Joe Girardi. The Yankees manager likes to tempt fate. He made some questionable calls with his bullpen against the Angels in the ALCS, one of which cost the Yankees Game 3 after he elected to lift reliever Dave Robertson with Alfredo Aceves with two-out in the 11th inning. The Angels responded with two straight hits and won the game. Then in Game 5, after the Yankees rallied to take a 6-4 lead in the seventh inning, Girardi’s decision to send starter A.J. Burnett back out to the mound led to the Angels copping three runs and an eventual 7-6 win to force Game 6.
My pick: Phillies in 5.
Celtics look like the real deal
By Chad Garner
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
Great start to hopefully another memorable season for the Boston Celtics.
In the season opener in Cleveland, a team slated to compete for the world championship, Boston showed will, toughness and poise under pressure late in the game to claim a 95-89 victory over LeBron James and the Cavaliers.
When you think of Paul Pierce, you have to think about a clutch performer in crunch time. Pierce, who carried the Celtics late in games in the playoffs two years ago and right to the championship, delivered once again last night.
Pierce didn't have a great night overall (23 points on 6-of-13 shooting, 11 rebounds), but late in the game "The Truth" canned two jump shots and then two free throws, including scoring 10 points in the last four minutes, to propel the C's.
Is it a surprise that Boston goes to Pierce when games are on the line? And you think the Cavs would have figured that out, but I guess not.
Also, how nice was it to see Kevin Garnett back on the court after knee surgery derailed his season last year. Garnett is so intense, he plays defense and can change games in the paint offensively and defensively. While he only had 13 points and 10 rebounds, we all know KG is shaking off rust and it's going to take some time to be in midseason form. But a double-double is just fine with me, carry on KG you the man!
Ray Allen had 16 points and was 4 of 5 from 3-point range, and point guard Rajon Rondo had 8 points, 10 assists and 6 rebounds.
I like Rondo, but with those numbers it's hard to believe the Celtics will pony up approximately $11-12 million per season to keep him in the green after his contract is up after the year.
How many C's fans hated Rasheed Wallace for so many years (everyone raise their hands)? But now how many like him (put those hands up again). Wallace's debut with the C's was a success. He's physical down low, loves playing defense and can score from anywhere on the floor. Wallace had 12 points and canned three treys in 24 minutes off the bench. No doubt he's got to be one of, if not, the best sixth men in the league.
Although James got his complimentary 38 points, every other Cleveland player was held in check, including Shaquille O'Neal who had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
At least for one night, all signs point to the Celtics being able to contend for another NBA championship.
But we all know Boston will have to stay relatively healthy in order to rise to the top.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Chris Maza on ESPNU
Sorry about the poor video quality, but I thought this was pretty cool. My girlfriend Eileen and I went to South Bend for the Notre Dame-Boston College game. We were on NBC when they were showing the crowd singing the alma mater after the game on Saturday, but I haven't been able to find any video of that. However, this was broadcast on ESPNU's Coaches Spotlight today.
How do the predictions hold up?
By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
Sorry for the delay in posting. This weekend I went to South Bend for the Notre Dame football game against Boston College and got a total of seven hours of sleep this weekend.
Seeing as how I've already broken with the schedule, let's break with the format all together and take a look back at my early predictions for the Pac-10, the Big East, the Big XII, the WAC and Notre Dame and see how my predictions are holding up thus far.
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
Sorry for the delay in posting. This weekend I went to South Bend for the Notre Dame football game against Boston College and got a total of seven hours of sleep this weekend.
Seeing as how I've already broken with the schedule, let's break with the format all together and take a look back at my early predictions for the Pac-10, the Big East, the Big XII, the WAC and Notre Dame and see how my predictions are holding up thus far.
This week’s game between USC and Oregon will pretty much decide the Pac- 10 conference. Oregon has been impressive since the opening week loss to Boise State and subsequent suspension of Lagarrette Blount. USC has been USC, which is to say a top-10 team that perennially loses what would normally be considered a gimme game to lose a shot at the national championship. Stanford has become a dangerous, underrated team. California’s back-to-back losses to Oregon and USC have dropped them pretty much out of the running.
The Big East is making a major statement as a football conference this year with three top-25 teams. Probably the most surprising has been Cincinnati, which sits and No. 5 and just proved it can win without one-time Heisman candidate Tony Pike under center. Pitt is undefeated on the season and West Virginia is riding a four-game win streak. Pitt (4-0), Cincinnati (3-0) and West Virginia (2-0) are all still undefeated in the conference. It figures to be exciting right down to the end. The Big East doesn’t have a championship game, but the last three weeks of the schedule shape up to be its own little playoff as all three teams play each other.
The Big East is making a major statement as a football conference this year with three top-25 teams. Probably the most surprising has been Cincinnati, which sits and No. 5 and just proved it can win without one-time Heisman candidate Tony Pike under center. Pitt is undefeated on the season and West Virginia is riding a four-game win streak. Pitt (4-0), Cincinnati (3-0) and West Virginia (2-0) are all still undefeated in the conference. It figures to be exciting right down to the end. The Big East doesn’t have a championship game, but the last three weeks of the schedule shape up to be its own little playoff as all three teams play each other.
Nevada has been mediocre this season and terrible out of the conference at 1-3. But they’re undefeated in the WAC. Boise State is undefeated as expected, thanks to a weak schedule, both in and out of conference. Idaho is 3-1 in the conference after allowing 70 points to Boise State. The biggest surprise in this conference is probably the fact that Hawaii has slipped so far. It was expected they would slump, but a 2-5 season, including 0-4 in the WAC is astoundingly bad.
While I didn't go so far as to predict the standings of the two divisions of the Big XII, but here were the predictions: Texas wins the South, Kansas wins the North. Texas wins the conference and carries its 12-1 record into the BSC national championship. As of now, Kansas State is leading the North at 3-1, having the benefit of playing Iowa State, Texas A&M and Colorado early. That could easily change with Oklahoma and Kansas in back-to-back weeks. My pick for the North, Kansas, is 1-2 in the division with back-to-back losses to Colorado and Oklahoma. In the South, Texas holds the lead at 4-0 and can pretty much wrap it up by beating Oklahoma State this weekend.
For Notre Dame, I predicted a 9-3 finish and a 5-2 record to this point with losses to Michigan State and USC. I also predicted they would fall short of a BCS bid. At this point in the season, The Irish sit at 5-2 with losses to Michigan and USC. After beating Boston College this week, Notre Dame stands at No. 23 in the BCS standings, giving them an outside shot of at-large consideration, but it appears they will have to win out. Another loss and a 9-3 record will not do it.
While I didn't go so far as to predict the standings of the two divisions of the Big XII, but here were the predictions: Texas wins the South, Kansas wins the North. Texas wins the conference and carries its 12-1 record into the BSC national championship. As of now, Kansas State is leading the North at 3-1, having the benefit of playing Iowa State, Texas A&M and Colorado early. That could easily change with Oklahoma and Kansas in back-to-back weeks. My pick for the North, Kansas, is 1-2 in the division with back-to-back losses to Colorado and Oklahoma. In the South, Texas holds the lead at 4-0 and can pretty much wrap it up by beating Oklahoma State this weekend.
For Notre Dame, I predicted a 9-3 finish and a 5-2 record to this point with losses to Michigan State and USC. I also predicted they would fall short of a BCS bid. At this point in the season, The Irish sit at 5-2 with losses to Michigan and USC. After beating Boston College this week, Notre Dame stands at No. 23 in the BCS standings, giving them an outside shot of at-large consideration, but it appears they will have to win out. Another loss and a 9-3 record will not do it.
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