Bowl Predictions & D-Money’s 2014 College Football Awards

Well, it’s been a great College Football Season but we still have some Bowl Games to play. Now, usually I post my Biggest Surprises & Biggest Disappointments article around the holidays but I’ve decided to wait until after all the Bowl Games are played and of course the College Football Playoff is done before posting that.

 I thought I do something fun this year by giving out my awards to the best players at each position plus the Coach of the year , Freshman/Redshirt Freshman of the Year and so on. This along with my Bowl Predictions,too. Well, Ladies & Gentlemen this is my First Annual College Football Year End Awards for 2014.

QUARTERBACK OF THE YEAR , OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR & COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYE R OF THE YEAR:

Marcus Mariota (Oregon)

Led Oregon to another PAC-12 title, 38 TD’s & only 2 Interception’s, 68 Completion %, 3783 Passing Yards, 669 rushing yards and 14 TD’s, and he even caught a 26 yards TD reception. Hands down the Quarterback of the year and my College Football Player of the Year. Was also PAC-12 Offensive Player of the Year and PAC-12 Title Game MVP, and Heisman Trophy Winner.

RUNNING BACK OF THE YEAR: Melvin Gordon (Wisconsin)

He may not have had a great game against my Ohio State Buckeyes but still had a phenomenal year. Over 2300 yards rushing, 26 TD’s, 151 yards receiving and another 3 TD’s. He broke the NCAA record for rushing yards in a game with 408. Well, he had it for one week, but became the fastest player to ever reach at least 2000 yards in a season. Won the Doan Walker Award and was the B10 Offensive Player of the Year.

WIDE RECEIVER OF THE YEAR:  Amari Cooper (Alabama)

Clutch receiver for Bama this year. Had 1656 yards receiving & 14 touchdowns. He was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.

OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE YEAR: BJ Finney (Kansas State)

3 Time All Big 12 Selection. Up for the Rimington  Award for outstanding center & leader of K-State O Line. Next year Cody Whitehair will be the leader of the O Line. Hopefully he’ll be up for the award.

DEFINSIVE LINEMAN OF THE YEAR: Joey Bosa (Ohio State)

Yes I’m showing some favoritism here but the guy was a beast this season. He had 51 tackles this year(16 of them assisted), 14 Sacks, returned a fumble for a TD in the B10 Championship game, B10 Defensive Player of the Year & First Team. Here’s his memorable moment during the Penn State game.

 

LINEBACKER OF THE YEAR & DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Scooby Wright III (Arizona)

He’s got a pretty cool name but don’t let that fool you. He had the stats to back it up. 153 Tackles(63 of them assisted and 27 for a loss), & 14 Sacks. This guy definitely earned his Scooby Snacks!!!

DEFENSIVE BACK OF THE YEAR: Gerod Holliman (Louisville)

Only had 37 tackles but had 14 interceptions( one of them returned for a TD), 19 pass deflections, had a sack.

KICKER OF THE YEAR: Roberto Aguayo (Florida State)

He’s one of the reasons why Florida State is still undefeated & Jameis Winston should be thanking him. He made 25 of 27 field goals this season and 46 of 49 over the past two seasons. He hasn't missed an extra point during his college career.

PUNTER OF THE YEAR: J.K. Scott (Alabama)

Field position is very important in football and he was big for Bama this season. He ranks third among FBS players in punting (47.0 average) and leads the country with 26 punts inside opponents' 20-yard line. Scott had 18 punts of 50 yards or more, including a long of 70. Alabama is No. 2 in net punting among FBS teams (43.3 yards) and has allowed only 73 punt return yards.

FRESHMAN/REDSHIRT FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: J.T. Barrett (Ohio State)

There is no question that Barrett gets this award after winning the job before the season when Braxton Miller went down. After a terrible game against Virginia Tech in Week 2, Barrett rebounded to lead the Buckeyes to an 11-1 record. He couldn’t play in the B10 Championship game due to a broken ankle in the Michigan Game the week before the championship. But, Cardale Jones took his place and finished the job for Ohio State to win the Big Ten. Barrett finished with 2,834 passing yards, 64.6 Completion % 34 TD passes 10 INT, and ran for 938 yards and 11 Touchdowns. Both Barrett & Jones will come back next year. 

 

Honorable Mention goes to Oklahoma Freshman running back Samaje Perine who ran for almost 1500 yards and broke Melvin Gordon’s NCAA FBS Single Game Rushing Record.

HEAD COACH OF THE YEAR (TIE):  Gary Patterson (TCU) & Dan Mullen (Mississippi State)

First, Patterson led TCU to an 11-1 record after going 4-8 last season and they were Co-Champions of the BIG 12 with Baylor. This is his 6^th championship at TCU(he had 4 in the Mountain West, one in Conference USA) and his first Big 12 title.

Then there’s Dan Mullen. He led Mississippi State to a 10-2 season after going 7-6 the year before. He had 3 straight wins over Top 10 teams at the time and was ranked # 1 at a time also the first for any Mississippi State team and highest ever ranking in team history. They lost to Alabama & Ole Miss but will play in a major Bowl Game this New Years, The Orange Bowl.

BOWL GAMES

Now it’s time to make some Bowl Predictions. I’m just going to give you a list of each bowl game and BOLD HIGHLIGHT who I think is going to win.

Dec 20 NEW ORLEANS BOWL:  Louisiana-Lafayette (8-4) vs. Nevada (7-5)

            NEW MEXICO BOWL:  Utah State (9-4) vs. UTEP (7-5)

            LAS VEGAS BOWL:  Colorado State (10-2) vs. Utah (8-4)

            IDAHO POTATO BOWL: Air Force (9-3) vs. Western Michigan (8-4)

            CAMELLIA BOWL: Bowling Green (7-6) vs South Alabama (6-6)

Dec 22 MIAMI BEACH BOWL: BYU (8-4) vs. MEMPHIS (9-3)

Dec 23 BOCA RATON BOWL: Marshall (12-1) vs. Northern Illinois (11-2)

            POINSETTA BOWL: Navy (7-5) vs. San Diego State (7-5)

Dec 24 POPEYES BAHAMAS BOWL: Central Michigan (7-5) vs. Western Kentucky (7-5)

            HAWAI’I BOWL: Fresno State (6-7) vs Rice (7-5)

Dec 26 HEART OF DALLAS BOWL: Illinois (6-6) vs. Louisiana Tech (8-5)

            QUICK LANE BOWL: North Carolina (6-6) vs. Rutgers (7-5)

            ST PETERSBURG BOWL: Central Florida (9-3) vs. NC State (7-5)

Dec 27 MILITARY BOWL:  Virginia Tech (6-6) vs. Cincinnati (9-3)

            SUN BOWL: Duke (9-3) vs. Arizona State (9-3)

            Duck Commander INDEPENDENCE BOWL: Miami (FL) (6-6) vs South Carolina (6-6)

            PINSTRIPE BOWL: Boston College (7-5) vs. Penn State (6-6)

            HOLIDAY BOWL: Nebraska (9-3) vs. USC (8-4)

Dec 29 LIBERTY BOWL: Texas A&M (7-5) vs. West Virginia (7-5)

            RUSSELL ATHLETIC BOWL: Clemson (9-3) vs. Oklahoma (8-4)

            AdvoCare TEXAS BOWL: Arkansas (6-6) vs. Texas (6-6)

Dec 30 MUSIC CITY BOWL: LSU (8-4) vs. Notre Dame (7-5)

            BELK BOWL: Georgia (9-3) vs. Louisville (9-3)

            FOSTER FARMS BOWL: Maryland (7-5) vs. Stanford (7-5)

Jan 1 OUTBACK BOWL: Auburn (8-4) vs. Wisconsin (10-3)

            CITRUS BOWL: Minnesota (8-4) vs Missouri (10-3)

Jan 2 ARMED FORCES BOWL: Houston (7-5) vs. Pittsburgh (6-6)

            ALAMO BOWL: Kansas State (9-3) vs. UCLA (9-3)

            CACTUS BOWL: Oklahoma State (6-6) vs. Washington (8-5)

            TAXSLAYER GATOR BOWL: Iowa (7-5) vs. Tennessee (6-6)

Jan 3 BIRMINGHAM BOWL: East Carolina (8-4) vs. Florida (7-5)

Jan 4 GO DADDY BOWL: Arkansas State (7-5) vs. Toledo (8-4)

This Year’s Non-Playoff but Other Big Bowl GAMES

Dec 31 CHICK-FIL-A PEACH BOWL: Ole Miss (9-3) vs TCU (11-1)

            VIZIO FIESTA BOWL: Boise State (11-2) vs. Arizona (10-3)

            ORANGE BOWL: Georgia Tech (10-3) vs. Mississippi State (10-2)

Jan 1 COTTON BOWL CLASSIC: Baylor (11-1) vs. Michigan State (10-2)

            COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF

Jan 1   ROSE BOWL: Florida State (13-0) vs. Oregon (12-1)

            SUGAR BOWL: Alabama (12-1) vs. Ohio State (12-1)

Jan 12 COLLEGE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Alabama (13-1) vs. Oregon (13-1)

Yeah, I know I’m upsetting some Buckeye Fans in picking Alabama. I honestly hope it’s a close game and Ohio State doesn’t embarrass themselves on the National Stage. If they win that will be GREAT!!! Oregon, in my opinion is the Best Team in the Country and I believe they’ll win the College Football Playoff. Well, that’s it for now. Happy Bowl Watching, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, & Happy Festivus!!!

The Best Worst Movie of All Time!!!!!!!!

   Well, it's now time for funny but positive blog post. This one will be hilarious!! Now, we all had watched some movies most of them we like and there are a few that we love. However, I still mention the ones we hated or thought they stunk and we can not believe we wasted so many minutes of our life watching it. For me it's Batman & Robin. That movie destroyed the Batman Franchise so bad that Christopher Nolan had to repair it with his Dark Knight Trilogy.

    There is a list of movies that are considered the Worst Ever. And this Movie The Room, is one of the worst ever. But, the thing is with The Room is so bad it's actually good. Many of the flaws & terrible acting are noticeable and it made this movie some what of a cult classic. It was made in 2003. Written, Produced, Directed, and Starring Tommy Wiseau.

I could just put the whole movie on here and let you see but I'm going to put the review from the Nostalgia Critic. The Nostalgia Critic reviews bad or chessy movies and this is his review of The Room. So if you have almost a 1/2 hour watch this

So there you have it. The Room. I admit I actually enjoyed watching this movie. Laughing at all of the bad scenes, dialogue, unresolved subplots and so on. Pretty much the Plot of the Room is this. Johnny Loves Lisa, Lisa gets bored with Johnny, sleeps with Johnny's Best Friend Mark, Johnny finds out, goes crazy and kills himself. It was so suppose to be a Drama but turned into a Dark Comedy as Tommy Wiseau clams because of its terribleness. I think it's unbelievable that this movie cost $6 Million dollars to make, but due to the Billboard that was rented for a long time in Hollywood.

And the fact that after it was in the theater for only 2 weeks, those very few who saw it made fun of or riff it ( ala Mystery Science Theater 3000 Style) liked it that it got Tommy Wiseau to request midnight showings of the movie all over the country for the last 10 years or so and it made him more famous and the Movie has now become a cult hit. Several Movie Celebrities seemed to enjoy it for it shear of bad acting and potlines. The Actor who played Mark(Greg Sestero) wrote a book called The Disaster Artist about his relationship with Tommy Wiseau and what went on in making the movie itself . The Book is going to be made into a movie thanks to James Franco and Seth Rogan. 

I think if I survived this movie I can make it throw anything, Nuclear War, a Zombie Apocalypse, and a Sharknado!!!  LOL!! Ok I'm being ridiculous but if anybody wants to watch this movie with me sometime I can be able to riff or make fun of it some it can be more enjoyable. I'll leave you now with some clips. 

Between 1:07-1:10 & 1:24-1:25 is funny & now here's the funniest scene in the movie

How is your sex life??

When Johnny Finds out!!

The Chicken noises

and the best line in the movie!!!!

Race Recap: 2014 Columbus Marathon Ran the Half Again.

 

Well, it’s been awhile since I blog. Busy with training, coaching, and finishing up house hunting to do this but definitely now have some time to blog about my race. Coaching this year had been great and I’ll try to get a little bit of my experience and what I learned in the next blog post or so but now recapping a great weekend for the Columbus Marathon.

The Columbus Marathon Weekend has always been one of my favorite weekends. It makes a great weekend for running in Central Ohio, especially with the High School District Cross Country Meet at Watkins Memorial High School in Pataskala just 20 minutes from Downtown Columbus. Anyway my parents came down and after some housing business we went to the expo which is always a great time. Then we ate at Carrabba’s while watching the Buckeyes destroy Rutgers. After my folks left to go to their hotel I was able to get most of my stuff ready for the next morning.

Woke up at 4:45 and gathered my stuff and left at 5:45 to Downtown Columbus. Traffic was a little crazy when I got into town with the Marathon but I was able to park at the parking lot on the corner of High and Long Street. Walked just one block over to Spring Street where the Courtyard Marriott Hotel was, that was where the Elite Runners Pre Race Headquarters were. Met up with some of my teammates (Jason, Brian, Cory, Scott, Joe, Andrew, Tyler). All of us were doing the Half except for Tyler & Andrew who were doing the Full. We just ran a little over a mile along High & Broad Street to get to blood flowing, laughter all around. We got back in the hotel to get our stuff organized along with our other CRC teammates and ladies, and other elites to receive our final instructions. We were able to give our bags to them and keep some sweats on to jog/walk down to the start at 7:10 (20 minutes before the race.

The walk to the start was nice. But, it was a little strange since the start and finish are at the exact spot. The Start was no longer on Broad & 3^rd and the finish was no longer at Nationwide Arena. They now were both on Long Street and Neil Ave at North Bank Park. I noticed as we walked down Long it has a little dip underneath the railroad bridge which blocks the start/finish. You will see it as you go down it and have to come up the little hill for the finish. Little different but something we got used to. Saw my mom when I got up to the start and prayed Psalm 23 & the Lord’s Prayer. After that went and did some strides and drills before they wanted the elites to take our sweats off then came the National Anthem.  After that AC/DC’s Hells Bells came on to get the wheelchair race underway at 7:27.

 

Finally after they took off THUNDERSTUCK came on to get everyone else ready and the countdown began. At the gun the fireworks sounded and the race was underway.

 

As we took off in the front the first thing that I wanted to do was not go to crazy but not want to feel congested since we’re crowded together going down the hill and back up towards High Street. I had my Garmin on for this race so I can control my pace for the first part. I went behind and with Ben Engelheart, my CRC teammate, to start off with my buddy, Brian Cull, right behind. We made the sight increase going east on Broad towards East Side & Bexley with the first mile in 5:13. Little faster than I wanted to but I actually felt good. Since the first mile mark was different than the old one the 2^nd mile seem to be a little uphill and it made mile 2 I ran turn out to be 5;27, 10:40 at 2 miles still on pace. It flatten out a bit as we continued towards Nelson Road as Mile 3 was in 16:05 (5:25 mile) going past the Franklin Park Conservitory.

We turned on Nelson Road up north towards Clifton Ave and turned right passed St.Charles High School and Jeffery Park where Bexley Cross Country had our practices this season. As I hit mile 4 in 21:30 (5:26 Mile) I hope being in Bexley would give me a boost from the few parents whose kids I coached this year. There were a few who did which was good.  I was still doing ok going into mile 5 where I hit 27:00 (5:30) then Brian and Levi Fox passed me I just decided to stay behind them and after going down Drexel towards Captial then right onto Main Street then back North on Nelson we hit Mile 6 in 32:25 (5:25 mile) little better in that mile.

Levi & I at Mile 6

 

Mile 6 had the all so favorite Columbus Running Company Water Stop. Eric Fruth provided the Play by Play there this year as we passed and fellow CRC group runners and team members working the water stop gave anybody wearing a CRC jersey a louder boost. I did get a Gatorade, one of only 2 times I did. Yet the Gatorade always made my hands sticky and I had to go through the water line just to dose them to get it off. I hit the 10k in 33:31. Slower than last year. I wanted to go 33:19 like I did in Minster. But I knew I wasn’t in the best of shape this year due to nagging injuries.

Turning back on Broad Street towards downtown following Brian & Levi and I saw someone I know, who will not be named exit the porta-john there at the 6.55 mark. Somehow I dunno that gave me a little boost that maybe I wasn’t the only one not feeling too great and like this Animal House Clip it just lit a fire underneath me to just pick it up and see what happens

 

 

 

So with that I decided to pick it up after getting up the hill on Broad to Mile 7 in 37:50(5:25 mile). I ended up passing both Levi and then Brian along Broad Street as the other runners on the other side of Broad cheered us on including some of my friends running either the Half or Full which gave me a little boost. I worked on my stride to just see how much I could go faster in these middle miles. The course then turned on 18^th Ave south down towards Bryden Road where I hit Mile 8 at 43:10 (5:20 mile) still feeling good. Then after a tiny bit on Bryden the course turned South again on Parsons Ave going towards Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

Behind Brian after Mile 7

 

Parsons Ave to Livingston Ave was the new part of the Half Marathon Course. They wanted to take us there because of the main sponsor (Nationwide Children’s  Hospital). They have dedicated each mile to a patient which was great and it was a nice feeling going through there as we turned right going west on Livingston. Brian was able to pass me again before we got on Livingston after the hill on Parsons but I tried to follow as my Mile 9 in 48:37 (5:27 split) due to the hill on Parsons. I tried to stride it out on Livingston and Levi soon caught up again and I went with him as we turned south on 3^rd Street.

South at 9.5 going thru German Village

 

       We went on South 3^rd Street through German Village. Even though it got flatter I was still trying to keep it in the upper 5:20’s. I think I hit mile 10 in 54:07 (5:30 mile split) as the course did it’s usually turn on Reinhard Ave. along Schiller Park then on Jaegar Street to Deshler Ave to go back towards High Street as I tried to keep up with Levi. We hit Mile 59:40 (5:33 Mile split) but I didn’t know since the clock looked kind of off. Anyway I headed up on High Street with that little uphill but thankful that my back, right foot, and calves held on around this point. I had dealt with all of them at one point or a couple points throughout the year and wanted at least a good showing at this race.

Before Mile 12 up High Street

 

Mile 12 was in 1:05:15 I think but I wasn’t sure since I just wanted to pick it up around this last mile since Levi & Brian got ahead of me by 15 seconds so we headed up towards Long Street passed Broad and it got a little louder as we headed left back on Long Street. The final stretch seemed like it was forever as we went downhill on Long and went underneath the Railroad Bridge which blocked the view of the finish as you went downhill. At this point I didn’t care. I ran my last mile in 5:20 according to my watch but the course was a little longer as expected. I just wanted to have a good finish as the crowd cheered on as I ran uphill towards the finish.

Home Stretch

 

      1:11:34, over a minute from my PR of 1:10:23 and slower than last year. But, after dealing with back issues the beginning of this year, having a not so great experience at the Indianapolis 500 Mini Marathon and dealing with plantar fasciitis this year I’ll take it. I still ran some good times to remain part of the Elite at my age.

Back to the race, after almost coughing when I got through the finish, myself and the rest of the elites were escorted to the White Elite Tent where we were able to retrieve out belongings and bags, got free food and drinks, and were able to get a post-race massage. My folks left early but not before a post-photo. My buddies and I saw a couple of our friends finishing the Half or the Full before we left to prepare for the Post Marathon Party.

Mom, Me, and Dad after I left the Elite Tent Post Race

 

However, I  had to run over to Groveport-Madison High School, a few miles Southeast of Columbus, where the Ohio Middle School State Championships were held. We only had a few kids compete but they were some of our top ones. Our top Girl Claire was 14^th in the Division II race and Sophia ran her best time of the year. On the Boys Side, Grant was 3^rd in the Division II race, which is great considering he played soccer on Saturday and had Hockey Practice that morning. My 2 7^th grade boys who were our # 2 & 3 boys all year round ran their best times and both broke 12 minutes for 2 miles. I can’t wait to see what both of them can do next year. Hopefully they’ll let me be an assistant again next year. After that it was time to party up to North High Brewing with the rest of my CRC Brethren & listen to the BEST DAMN 90’S COVER BAND IN THE LAND, THE WET BANDITS!!!   http://www.wetbanditsband.com/

 

 

 

 

For me this day was not only about my accomplishments of my race but to others who race, ran, volunteer, or even watched the Columbus Marathon. One of our teammates Brandon, almost got 3^rd he was in a battle but just got edged out yet still ran a 1:05:40. Ballsy race I must say.

 

 

 I definitely want to thank Levi Fox and my buddy Brian Cull for pushing me along during the last half of the race. I made a move around mile 7 and they went along. I’m glad I was able to surge because I didn’t know how my race wouldn’t turned out if I didn’t . The course was great but we just have to get used to the start & finish at the same spot but it’s still mostly flat as it was with the old one but with a few changes it can’t all be perfect. Yet, the Race Directors still do a great job as always the support of the volunteers and the fans was unbelievable. I’ll say this is usually one Sunday that I don’t mind missing Church Service for this event. It’s great how they involve Nationwide Children’s Hospital in this race. It makes your heart smile with pics like this.

 

The last few months have been much better than what I could have asked for. I got a job promotion at work finally, I was able to coach middle school cross country with a great group of kids, and I finally as I’m typing this bought a place where I can get some value and stop renting. Yet, I know that will be a challenge I’m willing to make a few sacrifices but still work hard to keep doing what I love. I dunno if I’ll do Club Nats with the team being busy trying to move hopefully at the beginning of December but I’ll do some 5k’s (Westerville Gameday and a Thanksgiving one) to maybe finish out the year. Thinking of what I’m going to do next year but one thing for certain The Columbus Marathon(Half or Full) will be on my list. We'll see I still want a shot at that Half now that my motivation is back and I know what I can do with getting over injury and not training like I wanted to due to being busy this summer/fall. I'll get a plan going but wanna keep doing it.

That’s my two cents!!!

 

 

D Money's 2014 College Football Predictions- The Rest plus College Playoff Matches.

College Football Playoff Predictions plus rest of conferences

 

 

Hi, again. I’ve been posting different blogs that show my predictions for the 2014 College Football Season. Here are the last few in case you missed it.

 Big 12 & Pac 12

Big 10 & Independents


SEC & ACC

 

 

Now on with the rest of the predictions. I’m just going to give you what I think the record will in the lessor conferences. I focused my breakdown on certain teams on the Power 5 Conferences. I just don’t have time to go into the rest but I’ll say something brief on each here.

I think Cincinnati is the best team in the American Athletic Conference, though I think Central Florida & East Carolina will challenge. The bottom half still stinks.

American Athletic Conference     Conf  Overall

Cincinnati                                         8-0      10-2

East Carolina                                    7-1       8-4

Houston                                             6-2      9-3

Central Florida                                  6-2       8-4

Memphis                                           4-4       6-6

South Florida                                    4-4       5-7

SMU                                                 3-5       4-8

Connecticut                                       2-6      3-9

Temple                                              2-6      3-9

Tulsa                                                 1-7      2-10

Tulane                                                1-7      2-10

In the Mid-American Conference, Northern Illinois is still the team to beat but Jordan Lynch is gone but talent is still there. Bowling Green I think will be the best team in the MAC this year. But I would not count out Ohio or Akron to challenge them in the East Division. Central Michigan could surprise if there D gets better.

 

 

Mid-American Conference

East Division           Conf  Overall             West Division         Conf  Overall

*Bowling Green        8-0      11-2                   Northern Illinois       7-1      9-4

Ohio                          6-2       8-4                     Ball State                  6-2      9-3

Akron                        6-2       7-5                     Toledo                       6-2     7-5

Buffalo                      3-5       5-7                     Central Michigan       4-4     5-7

Kent State                 3-5       4-8                     Western Michigan      1-7     3-9

UMass                      2-6       2-10                   Eastern Michigan       0-8    1-11

Miami (OH)             1-7        2-10

            Everybody likes Marshall to not only win Conference USA but go undefeated and be the Non-Power Conference Representative in the 6 Bowl Games that will represent the rotation in the College Football Playoff (Rose, Sugar, Orange, Cotton, Fiesta, and Peach). I looked at their schedule and with what they got back I agree. UT-San Antonio has come a long way and now their program will be one of tops in C-USA, and to think they just started their Football Program in 2010.

Conference USA

East Division   Conf  Overall                         West Division     Conf  Overall

*Marshall          8-0      13-0                              UT-San Antonio   7-1     8-5

Mid Tenn. St     6-2       7-5                               North Texas          7-1      8-4

Florida Atlantic 5-3     6-6                                  Rice                       6-2      7-5

W. Kentucky     4-4     5-7                                  Louisiana Tech      3-5     4-8

U.A.B.               2-6     4-8                                 Southern Miss        2-6     4-8

Old Dominion   2-6     4-8                                  U.T.E.P                  1-7    2-10

F.I.U                  0-8     2-10

 

Fresno State was ranked as high as #13 in AP and #16 in the BCS undefeated into the last weekend of regular season. However, they lost to rival San Jose State which spoiled their BCS Bowl hopes but still won the Mountain West Conference Championship Game. This year they’ll hope to repeat without QB David Carr but they still are in the thick of the race. Boise State, despite losing Head Coach Chris Peterson to Washington appears to be the favorite since they now have a little more experience this year. Could Hawaii finally get out of the Mountain West Cellar & be close to what they once were?

Mountain West

Mountain Division    Conf  Overall                  West Division     Conf  Overall

*Boise State                7-1      11-2                          Fresno State         7-1      8-5

Utah State                   6-2       9-4                           Nevada                  6-2     7-5
 

Colorado State            5-3       7-5                          San Diego State     5-3    7-5

Wyoming                    3-5       5-7                         San Jose State        3-5    4-8

Air Force                     1-7       3-9                         UNLV                    3-5    4-9

New Mexico               1-7       3-9                          Hawaii                    1-7    2-11

 

And the Sun Belt Champion will be Louisiana-Lafayette. Don’t feel like doing Sun Belt. But they do get Appalachian State, Georgia Southern, Idaho, and New Mexico State joining the league.

As all of you know this is the first season for the New 4 team College Football Playoff. It replaces the BCS System. The rotation is set on a three-year cycle with the following pairings: Rose/Sugar, Orange/Cotton, and Fiesta/Peach. The two semifinals plus the other four top-tier bowls are marketed as the "New Year's Six with three bowls played per day, typically on consecutive days that include New Years Day. Championship Game will be on the following Monday and there will be a selection committee for picking the teams. Here’s who is going to the Six Major Bowl Games.

Peach Bowl: Marshall vs. Georgia

Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma vs. UCLA

Orange Bowl:  Notre Dame vs Auburn

Cotton Bowl: Baylor vs. Michigan State

Rose Bowl: Alabama vs Oregon (SEMIFINAL #1)

Sugar Bowl: Florida State vs Ohio State (SEMIFINAL #2)

Well, that’s all of my predictions and my fantasy of being a College Football Analyst. Enjoy another great season & GO BUCKEYES!!!!