Looking ahead to next season

russ1945 · Jun 4, 2009

Conan said:
Also....

Iowa was 5-4 vs competitive teams and it should also be noted that Arizona was 4-5 vs competitive teams, including New Mexico. Toss out the bowls and keep to the regular season and Iowa was 4-4 and Arizona was 3-5.

I don't find it impressive when they lost all those games but beat Cal by 15 of those points in a game that they were outplayed. Were it not for Riley's typical guffaws, Cal would have beaten them like all the rest of the better teams did. Geeezus, I have never seen anyone fish around for something, ANYTHING to make a case and the pickens are getting slimmer and more far fetched with every post.

You are missing the point. The point is that Iowa and Arizona are two very closely matched teams, period. You are the one fishing not me. I told you once to stay off of my thread. I have not looked at yours. The more you pursue this thing the worse you look. You come back on here and misquote me and I don't have a clue what you are doing with this post.
I think just about everyone on here gets the whole purpose of paring down the teams points differential except you. Conan I do not know what your motives are but I just do not care to listen to your scatter any more man. Give it a rest. I know you have been on here a long time but somehow you just have trouble accepting anything foreign to your personal way of seeing things. I have made it clear that this paring down mehod is only one part of the equation. It is simply another perspective and a way to look at the numbers. To me fishing is picking teams and completely disregarding the numbers. If you at least look at the numbers and you choose to see them differently then power to you. You have made this a personal thing and like I said I have not read or posted on your thread and I will not ever again. That is just in our best interests and the best interests of the people who read these threads. No more pissing contests please.

Conan · Jun 4, 2009

russ1945 said:
And by the way if you actually read the post up above I never said Iowa had 5 losses. I said they beat the 4 pansies and then went 5-4 against the more competitive teams. Once again you misquoted me.

Holyshit. Another perfect example of how you mistake the meaning of words and make an argument against something that doesn't even exist.

I can't help but shake my head at your reactions. This is utterly stupid to even pursue. Let me put it into proper context since you seem to have a lot of trouble doing that....

My exact words:
"Here's an even better perspective that compares both sides. Iowa only lost 4 games last season, not 5 and the total margin of points in all of their losses was only 12 compared to 33 for Arizona. That is roughly 1/3 the total losing point margin and it puts Iowa less than 2 TD's from a perfect season.

Now think very slowly and carefully Russ. What does the sentence that precedes the bolded sentence say? Now how have I misquoted you? I didn't quote you in any way or suggest in any way that you mistakenly said Iowa had 5 losses.

That paragraph was announced in the very first sentence to be about COMPARISONS and nowhere were you ever called out for saying anything about anything.

"COMPARES BOTH SIDES" (keyword)

Iowa only lost 4 games last season, not 5 [Arizona's total] and the total margin of points in all of their losses was only 12 [Iowa] compared to 33 for Arizona. Compare compare compare.

Why the fuck did you think 5 was me saying anything about you getting it wrong much less you saying anything at all? That is how your brain works and it's how you answer everything, a little twist, a little misinterpretation a little irrelevant, a lot.

Note all the comparisons? Now that I've pointed out what the first sentence in that paragraph says, can you now see that 4 and 5 were comparative total losses for Iowa to Arizona and it had nothing to do with any quote I made from you? But if you had read and actually comprehended the first sentence, you would have gotten it but you didn't.

You say once again I misquoted you?
I didn't quote you at all.
You misunderstood the gist of what I said yet again.
You can quote me on that.

You argue with your own ghosts, not me but you have dragged me in in a very strange way because you comprehend just enough to make trouble but not enough to be cogent and interesting and communicative other than to be spun out some way... if that's called communication.

I have from the very beginning been defending the balanced approach by looking at all sides in every post I have ever responded to about this Arizona BS, that goes back months. You have converted that in your mind and no one elses, into a "down with Zona" chant from the whole lot of the Pac-10 posters. Yet another classic misinterpretation and twist of the truth.

Nothing new. As a matter of fact, this one-sided, defensive, combat vs ghosts in your own mind, misquoting and misunderstanding just about every thing I say (and others) is getting old.

By the way, that last post of yours was the initial "pissing point" for tonight. This will be my last. You have degraded a discussion into a flaming war. I've seen this before.

So it's all yours. Everything you've said since ASUdevil's post has been a limp wristed weak waste of everyone's time.

Remember when you said this: "So it is a case where a cursory look at the numbers could be misleading but a closer look at the numbers tells a more accurate story."

I thought we were telling more accurate stories but that idea went south in a hurry when it was applied to Arizona instead of just Iowa the way you presented it, didn't it? And you claim to be an impartial stats handicapper? I see nothing impartial about how you have evaluated Arizona when facts get in your way. Ignore and go fishing for another angle, any angle. Not an impartial way of handling it.

Have at it.

PS... I have OFTEN changed my opinion when someone says something that's cogent. You do as you typcially have done in the latest forray of misinterpreted words as I have clearly illustrated. You don't know me well enough to make any judgments. Where did I ever say Arizona could not show up and play a decent game at Iowa? Where do you get this information? It's not about that, it's about your analysis and the holes you leave in your points that are easily exposed, and the way you react to that whenever it happens. You are distinguishing yourself as a malcontent, understanding challenged and full of piss the first chance you get when someone challenges your absolute correctness. You fuck up a lot of discussions the very same way with a lot of people that attempt to have a discussion with you. You've done that again. People are right, you have an attitude and you act like an asshole.

Conan · Jun 4, 2009

russ1945 said:
You are missing the point. The point is that Iowa and Arizona are two very closely matched teams, period. You are the one fishing not me. I told you once to stay off of my thread. I have not looked at yours. The more you pursue this thing the worse you look. You come back on here and misquote me and I don't have a clue what you are doing with this post.
I think just about everyone on here gets the whole purpose of paring down the teams points differential except you. Conan I do not know what your motives are but I just do not care to listen to your scatter any more man. Give it a rest. I know you have been on here a long time but somehow you just have trouble accepting anything foreign to your personal way of seeing things. I have made it clear that this paring down mehod is only one part of the equation. It is simply another perspective and a way to look at the numbers. To me fishing is picking teams and completely disregarding the numbers. If you at least look at the numbers and you choose to see them differently then power to you. You have made this a personal thing and like I said I have not read or posted on your thread and I will not ever again. That is just in our best interests and the best interests of the people who read these threads. No more pissing contests please.

This was your last comment to ASUdevil:

"Also remember that Iowa was 5-4 against the more competitive teams."

I didn't miss any point because I wasn't making any points, I was only using Arizona's record vs competitive teams as you used Iowa's record. I was filling in for your lack of telling both sides.

Conan said:
Also....
Iowa was 5-4 vs competitive teams and it should also be noted that Arizona was 4-5 vs competitive teams, including New Mexico. Toss out the bowls and keep to the regular season and Iowa was 4-4 and Arizona was 3-5.

I was filling in where you were not being impartial and looking at both sides. The entire post was done for that purpose and nothing else. As long as you read anything more into it, you are not taking it for face value. I did not start a pissing contest. You became befuddled by the arguments and then you reacted. That is how the pissing contests begin, with you volleying some BS because you see what people say in the wrong light, EXACTLY as I have pointed out here, and where you accused me of misquoting you about Iowa's losses, which was completely out of left field on your part. A pissing match in your mind and nowhere else until you made it into something nasty which never really happened except the way you chose to see it.

russ1945 · Jun 4, 2009

Conan

For the very last time please just do not read my thread much less post on it any more. It gets nowhere. It accomplishes nothing. Is there any part of that you don't understand? If you think I am an asshole power to you. I am already over it. I have and will continue not to read much less post on your thread for all of the obvious reasons that you have chosen to disregard by reading and posting on mine after I asked you not to earlier. I have nothing else to say. You are on the verge of being a thread stalker as it is (whatever that is). To sum it up you think I am an asshole and you and I do not agree on much. I say if I am an asshole it is because I don't agree with you much. So be it.

russ1945 · Jun 4, 2009

One more time

I just want to apologize to everyone who has had to listen to the Conan/Russ diversion. I had asked Conan not to post on here and he disregarded that request. I in turn said I would leave his thread alone, a promise which I have and will keep. I knew when he posted on here and I responded that he was back in his element. I just don't get it. I have never done this forum thing before and I think he is trying to turn it into a competitive thing. I will continue to post topics on here that interest me in the hopes they interest you. I am always open to criticism and I actually think that Conan somehow in his heart thinks he is doing some kind of a public service or something. I have had some positive interaction with many of you. I realize Conan has "earned his due" on this forum but I think he should simply do his thing and allow me the freedom to do the same. Again, sorry for the diversion. The whole idea of expressing yourself online is a very frustrating experience and a very difficult way to deal with people you really do not know. I would not be on here except to expand my horizons and to share what I have learned in my 40+ years of handicapping and wagering. It sickens me to know that people lose money to casinos, etc. because of compulsion, lack of research, and the confusions and distractions that come up along the way. Tout services are self serving and good honest opionions from people that are in the same boat is what can help keep that boat moving in the right direction. Nothing positive is coming from these exchanges with Conan. Again sorry for the distraction.

russ1945 · Jun 4, 2009

Great timing for this story - no I did not write it

June 4, 2009

<SCRIPT language=Javascript src="http://vmedia.rivals.com/js/swf.js" type=text/javascript></SCRIPT><SCRIPT language=VBScript> on error resume next For vCount = 2 to 6 If Not(IsObject(CreateObject("ShockwaveFlash.ShockwaveFlash." & vCount))) Then Else bFlash = true flashVersion = vCount End IfNext </SCRIPT><SCRIPT language=Javascript></SCRIPT><OBJECT id=rvflash codeBase=http://active.macromedia.com/flash2/cabs/swflash.cab#version=6,0,0,0 height=60 width=620 classid=clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000>

<EMBED SRC=http://vmedia.rivals.com/flash/contentheadlines.swf?h1=Stoops+has+Arizona+moving+in+right+direction+&h2=&lwidth=620&lheight=60&lshadow=1&sFontColor=000000&sLink= WIDTH=620 HEIGHT=60 SALIGN=lt QUALITY=best SCALE=noborder wmode=transparent ID=rvflash NAME=rvflash BGCOLOR=#FFFFFF allowscriptaccess=always TYPE=application/x-shockwave-flash PLUGINSPAGE=http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash></EMBED></OBJECT><NOSCRIPT></NOSCRIPT></P>Tom Dienhart
Rivals.com College Football Senior Writer
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The sign sits on the desk of Arizona athletic director Jim Livengood, the words figuratively screaming at him.
"What have I done today to get us to the Rose Bowl?"
<SCRIPT language=Javascript>document.write(insertImage('/IMAGES/Coach/PHOTO/MIKESTOOPS250_1008.JPG', '', 0, 300, 250, 1, 'Mike Stoops may have saved his job by taking Arizona to a bowl last season.', 'Rivals.com', 1244054645000, '', 1014, 'Align=Left'));</SCRIPT><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=258 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=252>

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</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Mike Stoops may have saved his job by taking Arizona to a bowl last season.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>"I have to ask that question each day," says Livengood, who has been athletic director at Arizona since 1994. "You don't need to remind me that we are the only Pac-10 school never to have gone to the Rose Bowl. We will get there one day."
Last season went a long way toward telling Livengood that Mike Stoops looks to be the right coach to help the program continue on its way to Pasadena. Last season, the Wildcats went to their first bowl since 1998, finishing 8-5 after a victory over BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl. The only "Big Six" schools with longer bowl droughts entering last season were Vanderbilt (1982), Duke (1994) and Baylor (1994); Vandy also went bowling last season.
"That was big," Stoops says. "We needed that. Now we have to back that up with another strong season to give us more credibility."
Another bowl trip would be further proof that Stoops – who signed a contract extension through 2013 in December – has gotten the Wildcats over the hump.
"Now we know what it's like to go to a bowl," Arizona defensive end Brooks Reed says. "We need to continue that momentum. We had a very strong spring but need to focus on finishing games in the fall. That has been a problem."
A 19-17 home loss to Oregon State last season was especially galling. The Beavers took over on their 20 with 1:19 left and no timeouts, then moved 73 yards to enable Justin Kahut to kick a 24-yard field goal on the final play of the game.
"That's what I'm talking about," Reed says.
But Arizona didn't let that loss ruin the season, and some of that can be attributed to Stoops, 47, who's continuing to evolve as a coach. One of the biggest adjustments has been a toned-down sideline demeanor. Stoops still remains a passionate coach, but he knows he sets a better tone and example if he remains calm rather than go ballistic.

And the winner is …
The biggest question that must be answered if Arizona hopes to advance to a second consecutive bowl is who will take over at quarterback for record-setter Willie Tuitama.

Sophomores Matt Scott and Nick Foles are battling to run the Wildcats' spread attack. Scott, who saw limited action as Tuitama's backup last season, is more of a runner. Foles, a transfer from Michigan State, is considered the better passer.

Whoever emerges will have some skill-position talent to work with, most notably tight end Rob Gronkowski, running back Nicolas Grigsby and a strong group of wide receivers.

"I think I have matured as a coach," says Stoops, whose biggest gaffe may have been an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty he drew in a 29-27 home loss to New Mexico in 2007. "It's just a process you go through to find a place of peace."
The best example of the positive impact a cooler and calmer Stoops can have was last season at Oregon. Trailing 48-17 in the third quarter, it's highly unlikely the Wildcats would have rallied to score 28 straight points to stay in the game had Stoops been coaching as if his hair were on fire.
"Mike loved being an assistant coach," Livengood says. "And it took him time to adapt to know the difference between being a head coach and an assistant coach."
Good thing, because there was a growing sense of urgency in Tucson entering last season. In his first four seasons, Stoops was 17-29 overall and 12-22 in the Pac-10. He had teased the fan base with some big victories, dumping No. 7 UCLA in 2005, No. 8 California in 2006 and No. 2 Oregon in 2007. The Wildcats also played USC close on several occasions.
But the Wildcats were just as quick to disappoint, having lost maddening games to the likes of New Mexico, Stanford and Washington at home. Stoops' best effort was a 6-6 record in 2006, which was Arizona's first non-losing season since Dick Tomey coached the program to a 12-1 record in 1998.
Arizona president Robert Shelton reportedly emphasized to Stoops before last season that it was bowl or bust, though Livengood downplays that.
"Go back and check to see what I said [before last season]," says Livengood, who has had to deal with a major transition in the basketball program with the departure of legendary coach Lute Olson, "You'll see that I believed in what we were doing under Stoops. It may not have been happening as fast as we would have liked, but I felt we were making progress."
If there was a win-or-else ultimatum, Stoops rendered it moot.
"If I had to pick a high point in my tenure, last year obviously would be it," Stoops says. "And the win over Arizona State [in 2004] also was a big point in my career, too."

Pulling rank
Mike Stoops has five victories over ranked teams in his five years on the job. Before his arrival in 2004, the Wildcats had lost 18 games in a row against ranked teams dating to a 31-15 win at No. 22 USC in 2000. Here's a look at the five upsets:
Nov. 26, 2004: 34-27 over No. 18 Arizona State
Nov. 5, 2005: 52-14 over No. 7 UCLA
Nov. 11, 2006: 24-20 over No. 8 California
Nov. 15, 2007: 34-24 over No. 2 Oregon
Oct. 18, 2008: 42-27 over No. 25 California

Now comes the difficult part: stringing together success. Arizona hasn't been to bowls in consecutive seasons since 1997-98.
The school's best run of prosperity was from 1992-94, when Arizona posted a composite 24-11-1 record and went to a school-record three consecutive bowls. The highlight was the '93 squad, led by a defense known as "Desert Swarm." That season, the Wildcats went 10-2, tied for the Pac-10 title and thumped Miami 29-0 in the Fiesta Bowl.
Tomey was forced out after going 6-6 in 1999 and 5-6 in 2000, just two years removed from that 12-1 record in 1998. Among other things, drab and predictable offenses were Tomey's undoing.
Then came the John Mackovic era, marked by bad football and player unrest before it came to a merciful end five games into the 2003 season. Mackovic went 10-18, and left the program largely devoid of talent and spirit.
Enter Stoops, who was defensive coordinator at Oklahoma for his brother when he was hired.
"When we got here, this program pretty much was rock bottom," Stoops says. "It has taken us time to build up the talent base."
It's too much to ask Arizona to win the Pac-10 this season, but the Wildcats' rise may be coming at the right time. The conference looks to be in a bit of flux. USC still is USC and California remains solid. But UCLA and Washington are in transition, Oregon just changed head coaches and Arizona State looks to be a work in progress.

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 width=300 align=right><TBODY><TR style="PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; FONT-WEIGHT: 900; FONT-SIZE: 8.5pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; COLOR: white; PADDING-TOP: 4px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #464646"><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; PADDING-TOP: 4px" colSpan=7>Feeling left out </TD></TR><TR><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; PADDING-TOP: 4px" colSpan=3>Last season, Arizona ended a bowl drought that stretched to 1998. Here is a look at Football Bowl Subdivision programs that haven't gone to a bowl this decade. </TD></TR><TR bgColor=#f6f6f8><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; PADDING-TOP: 4px">School</TD><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; PADDING-TOP: 4px">Last bowl season</TD></TR><TR><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; PADDING-TOP: 4px">New Mexico State</TD><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; PADDING-TOP: 4px">1960</TD></TR><TR><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; PADDING-TOP: 4px">Kent State</TD><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; PADDING-TOP: 4px">1972</TD></TR><TR><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; PADDING-TOP: 4px">Temple</TD><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; PADDING-TOP: 4px">1979</TD></TR><TR><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; PADDING-TOP: 4px">SMU</TD><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; PADDING-TOP: 4px">1984</TD></TR><TR><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; PADDING-TOP: 4px">Eastern Michigan</TD><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; PADDING-TOP: 4px">1987</TD></TR><TR><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; PADDING-TOP: 4px">Baylor</TD><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; PADDING-TOP: 4px">1994</TD></TR><TR><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; PADDING-TOP: 4px">Duke</TD><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; PADDING-TOP: 4px">1994</TD></TR><TR><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; PADDING-TOP: 4px">Army</TD><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; PADDING-TOP: 4px">1996</TD></TR><TR><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; PADDING-TOP: 4px">Utah State</TD><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; PADDING-TOP: 4px">1997</TD></TR><TR><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; PADDING-TOP: 4px">Idaho</TD><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; PADDING-TOP: 4px">1998</TD></TR><TR><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; PADDING-TOP: 4px">San Diego State</TD><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; PADDING-TOP: 4px">1998</TD></TR><TR><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; PADDING-TOP: 4px" colSpan=3>NOTE: Florida International, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe and Western Kentucky never have been to a bowl. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
"We have a chance," Stoops says. "That's always our goal, to win the league."
Record-setting quarterback Willie Tuitama is gone, but the offense still welcomes back eight starters. Stoops made a good move when he hired Sonny Dykes from Texas Tech to run the offense before the 2007 season. Since Dykes' arrival, the Arizona offense has flourished. Nic Grigsby heads a nice collection of running backs. And the strength of the unit this fall will be the wide receivers, led by Delashaun Dean and Terrell Turner. Dean is from California and Turner from Texas, and that duo is evidence of where Stoops and his staff have gone to increase the talent base.
Defense always has been strong in Tucson under Stoops. Perhaps the biggest offseason move was a non-move by coordinator Mark Stoops, Mike's younger brother. He was wooed by another "Big Six" school for the same job but opted to remain. He'll have plenty to work with, as eight starters return.
The schedule is tough. There are five league road games, and the season begins with a potentially dangerous visit from Central Michigan and its star quarterback, Dan LeFevour. There also is a trip to Iowa, which should be one of the top teams in the Big Ten.
That trip to Iowa – Stoops' alma mater – begins a three-game road swing that also has stops at Oregon State and Washington. Visits from Stanford, UCLA and Washington State follow. Still, Arizona's ultimate success will be dictated by the final four games, three of them on the road: at Cal, Oregon, at Arizona State and at USC.
"We are going to get after it," Reed says. "We have a sign hanging in our locker room that says it all for us: 'Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard.'
"That's what Coach Stoops preaches to us. And it has gotten us this far. Now, we want to go another step further."

Tom Dienhart is a national senior writer for Rivals.com. He can be reached at dienhart@yahoo-inc.com.
Talk about it in the Message Boards

russ1945 · Jun 4, 2009

Nebraska - one of my mystery teams

There are a few teams I just cannot come to grips with. One of them is Nebraska. I came across this article on their homepage that really helped me for the first time kind of see where this program is going. Here is an excerpt from that article.

Strategy And Personnel

2009 Outlook: Nebraska should be a deeper football team in 2009, particularly on defense. In other words, coaches won’t likely turn to unproven walk-ons to fill starting roles in Big 12 Conference games. That happened last season, as coaches fought to preserve redshirts of freshmen when regulars were injured. The offense is strong up front and in the backfield, although the loss of Joe Ganz at quarterback is key. The defense’s strength is also up front, where three starters return.

Scouting The Offense: Nebraska fans concerned about the quarterback position were breathing a bit easier after watching junior Zac Lee go 15-of-18 passing for 214 yards and three touchdowns in the spring game. And they didn’t get a chance to see the mobile Lee display his speed, as coaches kept the quarterbacks under wraps. Senior receiver Chris Brooks had an outstanding spring game. Nebraska must get leadership at the position with the losses of Nate Swift and Todd Peterson.

Scouting The Defense: As many as nine redshirted freshmen could be a part Nebraska’s two-deep roster come fall. Most of those players will be filling key backup roles, although Sean Fisher and Will Compton are serious contenders for starting linebacker positions. P.J. Smith also had an impressive spring at safety.

Scouting The Special Teams: Coaches seemed set on letting Alex Henery pull double duty this fall. Henery, a junior place kicker who’s 26-of-29 on field goals for his career, was also punting in spring. He displayed a strong leg in punting, too, but the spring game showed walk-ons Brett Maher (four punts, 41.5 average) and Jon Damkroger (two punts, 47.5) can also get the job done.

This really helped me so I thought I would pass it along.

russ1945 · Jun 4, 2009

More Tidbits

Again I just found these random comments in Steele's preview magazine that should be coming out next week:

TCU under HC Patterson is 50-1 straight up in games when they allow their oppositiion 17 or less points.

San Digo St is 0-20-1 vs. UCLA (they meet on week one) by an avg of 23 ppg and have lost 21 straight to BCS opponents (SD St has a new HC)

Ohio University plays Conn in their home opener. L6Y Bobcats are 5-1 in their openere and in 2005 beat Pittsburgh in a big upset.

In the Mia Fl/Florida St game the team who has scored first has won 16 of the last 20.

Wisconsin has won 13 straigh home openers by an avg of 20ppg and are 10-1 lately vs. N. Ill who they meet on week one.

russ1945 · Jun 4, 2009

returning points vs % yds returning

Steele has on his 5-29-08 Daily Blog a list of teams and their off yards returning from 2008. Be careful and it least think about this. What he does is basically deduct a non returning QB's yardage from the total yard offensive production for a given team. This does not give any credit to the WR's yardage. Very misleading in my book. That is why USC is rated #85, Arizona #88, and Iowa #81. USC lost a QB, Arizona lost a QB, and Iowa lost a big time RB. When the season ended I rated all 120 teams based on the returnng points scored by players from the 2008 team and it tells a different story. I value points over yardage and I do not think you can disregard the yardage by pass receivers. That appears to be what Steele does in this breakdown. For instance, Shonn Greene does not return for Iowa and had 1850 yds of their 4815 yds thus the 57.5 returning yards % that Steele shows. In terms of points he scored 20 of their 36 TD's . Arizona lost Tuitama and Steele has them at 51.4% total yards of offensive production returning. A closer look reveals that Arizona returns players who scored 30 rushing TD's alone. So in terms of points (TD's) Tuitamas not returning does not hurt Arizona as much as Steele's numbers might lead you to believe. Arizona's point production drops from 37 ppg to 27 ppg (not as bad as the % of yards returning might lead you to believe), USC drops from 38ppg to 27ppg. Both these teams are probably going to be ok in terms of point production. Iowa's point production drops from 30ppg to 10ppg so they have a huge void to fill both in terms of lost points and lost yardage.
You can analyze any team just like I did those but the point is that loss of returning yardage as shown on Steele's blog should not be a stand alone factor.

russ1945 · Jun 4, 2009

My Final Ratings - Top 20 ratings

I have finalized my experimental rating for 2009. They are based mostly on Ret off pts, pts allowed, and returning starters including special teams.
This is not necessarily a top 20. Picking a top 20 doesn't win you any money but I think these 20 teams have a distinct edge.

1. Florida 32.6
2. U.S.C. 32
3. Texas 29.2
4. Oklahoma 27
5. Oklahoma State 26
6. T.C.U. 24.7
7. Arizona 22.7
8. Boise St. 22.6
9. B.Y.U. 20
10. Miami Fl 19.8
11. Virgina Tech 19.7
12. Penn St 19.6
13. So. Mississippi 18.5
14. Rutgers 17.8
15. Georgia Tech 17.7
16. North Carolina 17.3
17. L.S.U. 17.1
18. California 16.9
19. Notre Dame 16.1
20. Clemson 15.8
120. Idaho -29.5

All of these are on my spreadsheet but like I said they are numbers I built up for week one and they will have to be adjusted every week of the season.

russ1945 · Jun 4, 2009

toughest schedules/experience ratings

I extracted some rating from Steele and set them up so that you can take the 30 teams with the toughest schedules for 2009 and compare them with how tough their schedules were in 2008 and also take into account their experience rating which may indicate their ability to handle their 2009 tasks ahead.

<TABLE style="WIDTH: 240pt; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=320 border=0 x:str><COLGROUP><COL style="WIDTH: 48pt" span=5 width=64><TBODY><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; WIDTH: 48pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=64 height=17>RATING</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; WIDTH: 48pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=64></TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; WIDTH: 48pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=64></TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; WIDTH: 48pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=64>RATING</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; WIDTH: 48pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" align=right width=64 x:num>2009</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" align=right height=17 x:num>2009</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"></TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"></TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" align=right x:num>2008</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">EXP RATE</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=17># 1</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; mso-ignore: colspan" colSpan=2>FLORIDA STATE</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 57</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 59</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=17># 2</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; mso-ignore: colspan" colSpan=2>OKLAHOMA ST</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 44</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">#10</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=17># 3</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; mso-ignore: colspan" colSpan=2>SYRACUSE</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 18</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 62</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=17># 4</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; mso-ignore: colspan" colSpan=2>S. CAROLINA</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 5</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 117</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=17># 5</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">AUBURN</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"></TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 28</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 36</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=17># 6</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">BAYLOR</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"></TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 9</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 20</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=17># 7</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; mso-ignore: colspan" colSpan=2>MISS STATE</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 42</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 108</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=17># 8</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; mso-ignore: colspan" colSpan=2>WYOMING</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 69</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 54</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=17># 9</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; mso-ignore: colspan" colSpan=2>TEXAS TECH</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 17</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 106</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD class=xl22 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=17># 10</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; mso-ignore: colspan" colSpan=2>MIAMI, FL</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 38</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 74</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=17># 11</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; mso-ignore: colspan" colSpan=2>MINNESOTA</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 61</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 1</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=17># 12</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; mso-ignore: colspan" colSpan=2 x:str="OKLAHOMA ">OKLAHOMA </TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 20</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 50</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=17># 13</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; mso-ignore: colspan" colSpan=2>MARYLAND</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 46</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 114</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=17># 14</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; mso-ignore: colspan" colSpan=2>NEW MEXICO</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 55</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 101</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=17># 15</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; mso-ignore: colspan" colSpan=2>CLEMSON</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 39</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 86</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=17># 15</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">VIRGINIA</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"></TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 3</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 94</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=17># 17</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; mso-ignore: colspan" colSpan=2>N.C. STATE</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 11</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 64</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=17># 17</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; mso-ignore: colspan" colSpan=2>LOUISVILLE</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 78</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 96</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=17># 19</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; mso-ignore: colspan" colSpan=2>VIRGINIA TECH</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 43</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 21</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=17># 20</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; mso-ignore: colspan" colSpan=2>S JOSE ST</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">#108</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 16</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=17>#21</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; mso-ignore: colspan" colSpan=2>VANDERBILT</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 14</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 47</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=17>#21</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">UNLV</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"></TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 74</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 42</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=17>#23</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; mso-ignore: colspan" colSpan=2>GEORGIA TECH</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 54</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 27</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=17>#23</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; mso-ignore: colspan" colSpan=2>ARKANSAS</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 2</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 66</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=17>#23</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">USF</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"></TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 58</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 75</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=17>#26</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">IOWA</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"></TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 52</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 28</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=17># 27</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">INDIANA</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"></TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 50</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 35</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=17># 28</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">ILLINOIS</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"></TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 32</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 56</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=17>#28</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; mso-ignore: colspan" colSpan=2>MICHIGAN ST</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 15</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"># 92</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=17>#30</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">DUKE</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"></TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">#14</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">#107</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

russ1945 · Jun 4, 2009

comments - toughest schedule/experience ratings

From the looks of the top 30 list for 2009 it seems like some AD's are out to self destruct. For two years in a row S. Carolina, Auburn, Baylor, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Virginia, N.C. State, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Michigan State, and Duke have made this top 30 list.
The teams that may be in trouble are the ones who have tougher schedules this year and lack the experience to handle it on paper. Syracuse, S. Carolina, Miss State, Texas Tech, Maryland, Virginia, N.C. State, Lousville, USF, Michigan St, and Duke may pay a price and may be at some point the tough schedule will take it's toll.
Minnesota with the #1 exp rating drops from the 61st toughest schedule in 2008 to the 11th in 2009 but is that still too much to ask?
Some teams like Oklahoma ST, Baylor, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Iowa, Illinois have tougher schedules but look like they have the experience to give it a good shot anyway.
By far the team with the easiest path to the top 10 both years is Boise St who had the 111th toughest schedule in 2008, and 103rd in 2009 with an experience rating of 68th in the nation coming into 2009.
The teams with the easiest schedules almost every year are the teams from the Mac and the Sun Belt because their conferences are inherently weak. Both lists are on page 317 of Steele's new preview.

trentmoney · Jun 5, 2009

russ1945 said:
This will show you why you have to analyze statistics and separate them to get a true picture. Look at Iowa LY. Ly they scored an avg 0f 30.25 ppg and gave up just 13.25 ppg. That is a point differential of +17 ppg. That is phenominal and reflects in their 9-4 record. But lets take a closer look.
LY Iowa beat Maine 46-3, FIU 42-0, Indiana 45-9, and Minnesota 55-0.
Now if you throw those out because they inflate the points differential and look at how they fared against more competitive teams you come up with this. In their 8 more competitive games (I am not including the bowl game) they scored an avg of 21.88 ppg and allowed 18.38 ppg which dropped their point differential to + 3.5 ppg. Big difference. So it is a case where a cursory look at the numbers could be misleading but a closer look at the numbers tells a more accurate story. So when you throw out the four give me games Iowa's record was 5-4. That is a more accurate picture of how they performed against competitive teams.
This same system can be applied to any team but I thought the Iowa example was a good one. Hope this is helpful. Many people on here have questioned why I think Arizona can give Iowa a run for their money (albeit with a new QB) but this is one reason I give them a better chance than most.

big mistake in your stat analysis that makes a big difference but more a word of caution so maybe you don't make it again-

look at the 8 games throw out between iowa and az because they were blowouts...7 teams are similar, one is VERY different. it shouldn't be too hard to recognize, and that result should not be throw out. rather, iowa should get bonus points for that result instead of it being held against them

i'll give you a hint:
it's on the road in conference against a bowl team with a winning record
i'll give you another hint:
it was their opponent's senior day and last game at their old stadium

if you like az against iowa that's your perogative
but don't try to force something to fit your opinion
those are the types of mistakes that will eventually get you in trouble

good luck

slatter · Jun 5, 2009

Where can I access the list of strength of schedule for the upcoming season?

russ1945 · Jun 5, 2009

Trentmoney

trentmoney said:
big mistake in your stat analysis that makes a big difference but more a word of caution so maybe you don't make it again-

look at the 8 games throw out between iowa and az because they were blowouts...7 teams are similar, one is VERY different. it shouldn't be too hard to recognize, and that result should not be throw out. rather, iowa should get bonus points for that result instead of it being held against them

i'll give you a hint:
it's on the road in conference against a bowl team with a winning record
i'll give you another hint:
it was their opponent's senior day and last game at their old stadium

if you like az against iowa that's your perogative
but don't try to force something to fit your opinion
those are the types of mistakes that will eventually get you in trouble

good luck

Not forcing anything. In this day and age who doesn't go to a bowl game.
The whole idea is to pare it down to get a better idea of how two competitve teams compare against each other. Look at the Pac 10 they have 9 conf. games every year. If you want to give bonus points that is your perogative. This is one of probably 25 methods I use and and you can do the same thing and isolate just the conference games, etc. In the case of this particular matchup I have several indicators that this should be a very competitive game and I think the public will be on Iowa. That is about all I can ask for. Like I said if you want to give bonus points for this or that power to you. You could give bonus points to Arizona for playing USC closer than anyone else did LY, etc. I perfer to keep it simple and rely on many factors not just this one. This game is really non-consequential to me at best but others on here have forced the issue on my Arizona breakdown.

asudevil88 · Jun 5, 2009

trentmoney said:
big mistake in your stat analysis that makes a big difference but more a word of caution so maybe you don't make it again-

look at the 8 games throw out between iowa and az because they were blowouts...7 teams are similar, one is VERY different. it shouldn't be too hard to recognize, and that result should not be throw out. rather, iowa should get bonus points for that result instead of it being held against them

i'll give you a hint:
it's on the road in conference against a bowl team with a winning record
i'll give you another hint:
it was their opponent's senior day and last game at their old stadium

if you like az against iowa that's your perogative
but don't try to force something to fit your opinion
those are the types of mistakes that will eventually get you in trouble

good luck

I know exactly who you are speaking of and almost posted that.

For me, there is one major stat that can't be interpreted any other way: Arizona sucks ass on the road and Iowa is almost unbeatable at home. That is the only stat I need in deciding which side to play. With the right line it is Iowa all day, otherwise a no play. I see NO scenario where Arizona would be the play.

Iowa's home record last year:

Beat Maine 46-3
Beat FIU 42-0
Beat rival Iowa State 17-5
Lost to Northwestern 17-22. Dominated the stats but had 5 turnovers
Beat Wisconsin 38-16
Beat #1 ranked Penn State 24-23
Beat Purdue 22-17

Arizona's road record last year:

Lost at New Mexico 36-28
Beat UCLA 31-10
Lost to Stanford 24-23
Beat Washington State (Who did'nt?) 59-28
Lost at Oregon 55-45

Last year Arizona had a schedule set up for success with 7 home games and they still only managed a 7-5 regular season record.

Iowa's defense is built to stop the run and minimize the pass. That plays perfectly into a team, Arizona, who likes to run the ball and will have a conservative game plan with a new QB in a hostile environment. You may say Arizona will have a better running game this year and I wouldn't disagree. However, Iowa has shut down and dominated far better Big 10 running games.

Finally, there is a major disparity in coaching in this game. No contest that Kirk F. is a superior coach.

I saw the fluff piece posted on here about Stoops from Rivals. If you look, you can find contrary pieces as well. To wit:

The Most Overrated Coaches

10. Mike Stoops, Arizona–This is the coach who is always predicted to have a breakout season and then it never happens. Last year’s Arizona team had about as good a set-up as possible for Stoops and he still went 8-5!

russ1945 · Jun 5, 2009

asudevil88

Spoken like a true Sundevil I might add. It is not like I have not considered everything you and trent have thrown this way. All I am saying is that I think you will see a different Arizona than you are used to seeing and you may not want to accept that fact. I have nothing against Arizona State by the way. I do not think beating Minnesota LY was any big deal myself, much less worth mentioning. Minnesota had just lost 3 in a row including two in a row at home so whoppee do. I think you guys are in for a big surprise. I expect the line to reflect all of the things you guys have brought up and for the public to go right along with it. On Steele's Power Poll 120 he had Iowa #16 and Arizona #27 (page 315). These teams match up well but I think Arizona is going to have a little different look than everyone is used to seeing and a more established running game.
I also think Stoops has an axe to grind in this one. I don't care which way you are going to bet and you can bet it any way you want. That's the American way. I pick out a few teams every year that I think are going to run under the radar. Arizona is one of them and from the way you and trent and others are reacting the are even below the sonar. I could be wrong. Good Luck.

russ1945 · Jun 5, 2009

Iowa Tidbit

I guess most people think I am a dumb ass (those who don't think I am a pompous ass) and a lot of it has to do with my take on Arizona and that they have a good chance against Iowa. I have maintained that Iowa and Arizona matchup well and that Iowa has weakness just like Arizona (first time starting QB on the road). Here is an outside source I found on espn.com:

[SIZE=+0]Fall questions[/SIZE]
[FONT=verdana,geneva]1. No Shonn -- Record-settling running back Shonn Greene is a major loss for Iowa, and the coaches didn't get a full chance to evaluate his potential replacements this spring. Projected starter Jewel Hampton and third-stringer Jeff Brinson both missed some practice time with injuries. It will be interesting to see if Hampton establishes himself as the top back this summer, or whether Brinson or Paki O'Meara emerge. [/FONT]
[FONT=verdana,geneva]2. Defensive tackle -- Four-year starters Mitch King and Matt Kroul might be bigger losses than Greene, and Iowa needs to build a rotation in the interior defensive line. Junior Karl Klug performed well in limited time last fall, but the Hawkeyes must identify more run stoppers.[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana,geneva]3. DJK is MIA -- It was hardly a secret that leading receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos fell out of favor this spring. The man known as DJK must prove himself again to the coaching staff in preseason camp and show he can do more than make the flashy catch. Despite McNutt's emergence, the wide receiver position remains a bit iffy heading into the summer.
[/FONT][FONT=verdana,geneva]
[/FONT]

So the Iowa fans (or Arizona dissenters) should look deeper also.

russ1945 · Jun 5, 2009

Arizona Tidbit

Same thing applies to Arizona

[SIZE=+0]Fall questions[/SIZE]
1. Replacing Willie: While sophomore Matt Scott may have emerged with a slight lead over sophomore Nick Foles coming out of spring, the competition to replace quarterback Willie Tuitama is far from over. Scott is a great runner and good passer. Foles isn't a bad runner but is more of a drop-back passer. It's possible both could play in the first two games to sort out a final pecking order in advance of a visit to Iowa.
2. What's left at tackle? It's still not clear how the offensive line will end up, particularly at left tackle, where the departure of Eben Britton left a sizable void. JC transfer Jack Julsing might be the answer. Or the emergence of junior guard Conan Amituanai might allow Mike Diaz to move outside from left guard. If Phillip Garcia comes back successfully from knee surgery in the fall, he also could be a factor.
3. The next step: Winning a bowl game was huge for a program that's been looking to regain its mojo for a decade. But the question now is sustaining and building on success. Coach Mike Stoops believes a winning attitude is developing. The way to prove that is another bowl berth. And maybe a better bowl berth.

russ1945 · Jun 5, 2009

Phil Steele's College 2009 Preview

This comes out Monday I think. I aready have mine. This weekend I am going to go over hisTop 40 list (page 28/30). Last year 10 of his top 25 were not there at seasons end. I am going to come up with the 10 teams that I think might not be there at the end of next season should the same thing happen again this year. You might consider doing the same. Just a time killer between now and Sept 3.

Looking ahead to next season

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