2013 NFL Mock Draft – 3rd Edition

March 1, 2013

The 2013 NFL Scouting Combine has passed, and several pro prospects impressed scouts, while others have created an uphill climb as the NFL Draft approaches.

Granted there are still Pro Days and individual workouts that will occur, but the first impressions made by players on scouts and coaches will be remembered by everyone when decision day comes.

So here is the third edition of the 2013 NFL Mock Draft.  This draft includes the first three rounds.  There still could be an added compensatory selection at the end of the third round.  The next edition will come closer to the draft, once teams have filled some of their needs through free agency.

As stated before, there is no obvious first overall pick in this draft.  This overall class is way down.  A team has just as good of luck of landing a super-star player in the fourth round, as they do in the first round.

The one big change in this third edition of the mock draft is moving West Virginia QB Geno Smith into the first round.  Southern Cal QB Matt Barkley’s injury concerns, and no real indication on an individual workout, makes it a little risky to pick him right now.  Barkley does go very early in the second round.

Just as a reminder, any similarities to other mock drafts are purely coincidental.  This is on my own research and guesses based on team needs to determine this mock draft.

First Round:

#1 – Kansas City Chiefs – T Luke Joeckel, Texas A&M

#2 – Jacksonville Jaguars – DE Bjoern Werner, Florida State

#3 – Oakland Raiders – DT Sharrif Floyd, Florida

#4 – Philadelphia Eagles – T Lane Johnson, Oklahoma

#5 – Detroit Lions – CB Dee Milliner, Alabama

#6 – Cleveland Browns – G Chance Warmack, Alabama

#7 – Arizona Cardinals – QB Geno Smith, West Virginia

#8 – Buffalo Bills – WR Cordarrelle Patterson, Tennessee

#9 – New York Jets – OLB Jarvis Jones, Georgia

#10 – Tennessee Titans – CB Xavier Rhodes, Florida State

#11 – San Diego Chargers – T Eric Fisher, Central Michigan

#12 – Miami Dolphins – DT Star Lotulelei, Utah

#13 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – DE Dion Jordan, Oregon

#14 – Carolina Panthers – DT Sheldon Richardson, Missouri

#15 – New Orleans Saints – OLB Barkevious Mingo, LSU

#16 – St. Louis Rams – FS Kenny Vaccaro, Texas

#17 – Pittsburgh Steelers – DE Ezekiel Ansah, BYU

#18 – Dallas Cowboys – G Jonathan Cooper, North Carolina

#19 – New York Giants – T D.J. Fluker, Alabama

#20 – Chicago Bears – ILB Kevin Minter, LSU

#21 – Cincinnati Bengals – DE Datone Jones, UCLA

#22 – St. Louis Rams (from Washington– WR Tavon Austin, West Virginia

#23 – Minnesota Vikings – WR Robert Woods, Southern California

#24 – Indianapolis Colts – CB Desmond Trufant, Washington

#25 – Seattle Seahawks – DT Kawann Short, Purdue

#26 – Green Bay Packers – RB Eddie Lacy, Alabama

#27 – Houston Texans – WR Keenan Allen, California

#28 – Denver Broncos – DT Johnathan Hankins, Ohio State

#29 – New England Patriots – CB Johnthan Banks, Mississippi State

#30 – Atlanta Falcons – DE Damontre Moore, Texas A&M

#31 – San Francisco 49ers – DT Jesse Williams, Alabama

#32 – Baltimore Ravens – ILB Manti Te’o, Notre Dame

 

Second Round:

 

#33 (overall) – Jacksonville Jaguars – QB Matt Barkley, Southern Cal

 

#34 – San Francisco 49ers (from Chiefs) – SS Matt Elam, Florida

 

#35 – Philadelphia Eagles – OLB Alec Ogletree, Georgia

 

#36 – Detroit Lions – DE Sam Montgomery, LSU

 

#37 – Cincinnati Bengals (from Raiders) – WR DeAndre Hopkins, Clemson

 

#38 – Arizona Cardinals – TE Tyler Eifert, Notre Dame

 

Cleveland Browns – Forfeited pick due to making selection in 2012 Supplemental Draft

 

#39 – New York Jets – QB Mike Glennon, North Carolina State

 

#40 – Tennessee Titans – DE Alex Okafor, Texas

 

#41 – Buffalo Bills – QB Tyler Wilson, Arkansas

 

#42 – Miami Dolphins – T Kyle Long, Oregon

 

#43 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – TE Zach Ertz, Stanford

 

#44 – Carolina Panthers – FS Eric Reid, LSU

 

New Orleans Saints – Pick forfeited due to bounty scandal

 

#45 – San Diego Chargers – CB Jamar Taylor, Boise State

 

#46 – St. Louis Rams – OLB Arthur Brown, Kansas State

 

#47 – Dallas Cowboys – SS Jonathan Cyprien, Florida International

 

#48 – Pittsburgh Steelers – WR Quinton Patton, Louisiana Tech

 

#49 – New York Giants – CB David Amerson, North Carolina State

 

#50 – Chicago Bears – T Terron Armstead, Arkansas-Pine Bluff

 

#51 – Washington Redskins – WR Terrance Williams, Baylor

 

#52 – Minnesota Vikings – DT John Jenkins, Georgia

 

#53 – Cincinnati Bengals – OLB Khaseem Green, Rutgers

 

#54 – Miami Dolphins (from Colts) – WR Justin Hunter, Tennessee

 

#55 – Green Bay Packers – C Barrett Jones, Alabama

 

#56 – Seattle Seahawks – WR Markus Wheaton, Oregon State

 

#57 – Houston Texans – T Menelik Watson, Florida State

 

#58 – Denver Broncos – CB Jordan Poyer, Oregon State

 

#59 – New England Patriots – DE Margus Hunt, Southern Methodist

 

#60 – Atlanta Falcons – RB Giovani Bernard, North Carolina

 

#61 – San Francisco 49ers – OLB Sio Moore, Connecticut

 

#62 – Baltimore Ravens – T Dallas Thomas, Tennessee

 

Third Round:

 

#63 (overall) – Kansas City Chiefs – QB Ryan Nassib, Syracuse

 

#64 – Jacksonville Jaguars – CB Darius Slay, Mississippi State

 

#65 – Detroit Lions – FS Phillip Thomas, Fresno State

 

#66 – Oakland Raiders – DE Cornellius Carradine, Florida State

 

#67 – Philadelphia Eagles – C Travis Frederick, Wisconsin

 

#68 – Cleveland Browns – OLB Jamie Collins, Southern Mississippi

 

#69 – Arizona Cardinals – OLB Trevardo Williams, Connecticut

 

#70 – Tennessee Titans – G Larry Warford, Kentucky

 

#71 – Buffalo Bills – SS Shamarko Thomas, Syracuse

 

#72 – New York Jets – WR Da’Rick Rogers, Tennessee Tech

 

#73 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – QB EJ Manuel, Florida State

 

#74 – San Francisco 49ers (from Panthers) – CB Robert Alford, Southeastern Louisiana

 

#75 – New Orleans Saints – CB Tyrann Mathieu, LSU

 

#76 – San Diego Chargers – TE Vance McDonald, Rice

 

#77 – Miami Dolphins – CB Logan Ryan, Rutgers

 

#78 – St. Louis Rams – T David Bakhtiari, Colorado

 

#79 – Pittsburgh Steelers – RB Joseph Randle, Oklahoma State

 

#80 – Dallas Cowboys – DT Brandon Williams, Missouri Southern State

 

#81 – New York Giants – OLB Sean Porter, Texas A&M

 

#82 – Miami Dolphins (from Bears) – TE Gavin Escobar, San Diego State

 

#83 – Minnesota Vikings – FS Bacarri Rambo, Georgia

 

#84 – Cincinnati Bengals – RB Montee Ball, Wisconsin

 

#85 – Washington Redskins – CB Dwayne Gratz, Connecticut

 

#86 – Indianapolis Colts – WR Aaron Dobson, Marshall

 

#87 – Seattle Seahawks – DE John Simon, Ohio State

 

#88 – Green Bay Packers – WR Ryan Swope, Texas A&M

 

#89 – Houston Texans – OLB DeVonte Holloman, South Carolina

 

#90 – Denver Broncos – RB Johnathan Franklin, UCLA

 

#91 – New England Patriots – DT Sylvester Williams, North Carolina

 

#92 – Atlanta Falcons – C Brian Schwenke, California

 

#93 – San Francisco 49ers – WR Marquise Goodwin, Texas

 

#94 – Baltimore Ravens – FS Tony Jefferson, Oklahoma

 


Gamecocks at the NFL Combine

February 26, 2013

Below are a summary of the South Carolina Gamecocks that participated at the 2013 NFL Combine in Indianapolis.

PLAYER

40-YARD DASH

BENCH PRESS

VERTICAL JUMP

BROAD JUMP

3-CONE DRILL

20-YARD SHUTTLE

60-YARD SHUTTLE

TE-Justice Cunningham

4.94

DNP

31.5

116.0

7.12

4.45

11.88

RB-Marcus Lattimore

DNP

LB-DeVonte Holloman

4.76

15

33.0

113.0

7.30

4.26

DNP

OL-T.J. Johnson

5.33

32

25.5

96.0

7.83

4.74

DNP

WR-Ace Sanders

4.58

7

32.0

117.0

6.81

4.37

11.29

S-D.J. Swearinger

4.67

17

37.0

124.0

DNP

DNP

DNP

DL-Devin Taylor

4.72

14

35.0

128.0

DNP

DNP

DNP

Source:  NFL.com

For all of the players, there is room for improvement at the Gamecocks’ Pro Day and the players’ individual workouts.  There were good performances in some drills, but no player had an overall impressive workout.

Each player could use to decrease their 40-yard dash time.  Of all the players, Ace Sanders’ 40-yard dash time is the most disappointing.

Devin Taylor impressed scouts and coaches at the NFL Combine with his athleticism, but it would help his draft status if he can show a little more strength.

Justice Cunningham’s numbers were also good, but he will definitely need to show that he can do all the things a tight end does.

T.J. Johnson will only help himself if he can prove he is versatile enough to play all the positions on the offensive line.  It also helps that he played center.

DeVonte Holloman is an intriguing prospect, as he enters the draft as a linebacker.  He played some safety and the SPUR position for the Gamecocks, which brought Holloman more into a linebacker’s position in a traditional defense.

D.J. Swearinger has the tools, but his numbers were so-so, and he will need to prove that some of his antics this past season are a thing of the past.  An NFL coach will only give you so many chances.

Players also have to go through the interview process with teams.  For some, it’s a good thing those aren’t publicized.  For others, it puts the foot in the door to get a shot at the NFL.

Unless someone has a spectacular workout before the draft, don’t expect any Gamecocks’ players to be taken in the first round of the NFL Draft.  The two main candidates to be taken first of the Gamecocks will be either Taylor or Marcus Lattimore, likely on day two (second and third rounds), or early on day three.

An updated NFL mock draft will be coming soon, now that the 2013 NFL Combine is complete.


Outback Bowl Pick: Gamecocks Just a Little Better

December 31, 2012

The 2013 Outback Bowl should be a great match-up between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Michigan Wolverines.  Both teams have a lot of similarities, but one is just a little better.

Michigan had a tough season at times.  The Wolverines did have to face both teams who are playing in the National Championship, plus an undefeated Ohio State team.

For the Wolverines, it was supposed to be a dual threat attack with the running ability of QB Denard Robinson and RB Fitzgerald Toussaint.

Toussaint suffered a gruesome ankle injury late in the year, while Robinson developed a nerve injury in his throwing arm, that has relegated him to an all-purpose player, lining up at both quarterback and running back at times.  Devin Gardner is the quarterback for Michigan.

Michigan also has a top-20 defense in terms of points against, ranking 16th in the country.

Meanwhile, for the Gamecocks, this was supposed to be the season that everything was put together, making a run for an SEC Championship.

After being on top of the world with a statement win against then 5th-ranked Georgia, South Carolina lost a tough one on the road against LSU, before having their fate sealed with an embarrassing loss against Florida.

However, for a team that does not have a long history of winning football, a 10-win season still is not too shabby.

The Gamecocks’ offense has had moments of greatness, followed by moments of inconsistent play.  A late season injury to RB Marcus Lattimore also hurt the offense.

This was supposed to be the year that the quarterback position would be stable for South Carolina.  Injuries to starter Connor Shaw opened the door for Dylan Thompson to see some action.  Thompson helped to lead the Gamecocks to two wins, including rival Clemson the last week of the season.

Shaw is the runner with passing ability.  Thompson is the passer, with running ability.

The key to the Gamecocks’ offense is going to be the running game.  South Carolina has to be able to run the ball against Michigan, to take the pressure off the quarterbacks, to give them an opportunity to win.  Senior RB Kenny Miles has a knack for coming up big in significant games.

Defensively, the Gamecocks must force the Wolverines to pass.  Michigan offers a lot of options running the ball, with the versatility of Robinson.  It will be important for the Gamecocks’ front-7, which includes All-American DE Jadeveon Clowney, not to over-pursue the run, and get pressure on the quarterback with the pass.

Despite some good plays, the Gamecocks’ defensive backs are not good enough one-on-one in coverage, without getting pressure on the quarterback to force bad throws.  South Carolina’s defense thrives on that pressure.

At the end of the day, while these two teams match-up well, the Gamecocks are just a little more battle tested, especially this year.

In 2012, the Big Ten Conference’s competition just did not seem up-to-par, as seen when a 7-5 Wisconsin team, only in the championship game because of penalties to Ohio State and Penn State, demolished the conference’s best team, Nebraska.

The SEC was as strong as ever in 2012, with two teams ranked in the top-3 to end the season.  While the strength of this conference is still in the Western Division, there are about 10-12 teams in this conference that could compete with anyone in the country.

Like last year’s Capital One Bowl, it is close for three quarters, but the power of the SEC pulls away late.

Gamecocks 34, Wolverines 24


2012-13 Bowl Game Picks

December 14, 2012

In past years, I have compared my picks to that of a coin flip.  This year, the coin won’t continue, but the picks will.

Overall, it was a great season picking games, and hopefully the bowl picks keep up the great work.

Last Week:  1-0  (1.000) [Navy beat Army]

Overall:  302-77 (.797)

Nevada vs. Arizona  (First bowl game of the year, should actually be a close one.)

Toledo vs. Utah State

BYU vs. San Diego State  (Essentially a home game for San Diego State.)

Central Florida vs. Ball State  (Essentially a home game for Central Florida.)

Louisiana-Lafayette vs. East Carolina  (Essentially a home game for Louisiana-Lafayette.)

Boise State vs. Washington

Southern Methodist vs. Fresno State  (June Jones gets a win in Hawaii, his old stomping grounds.)

Central Michigan vs. Western Kentucky

Bowling Green vs. San Jose State

Duke vs. Cincinnati  (An upset special.)

UCLA vs. Baylor  (Essentially a home game for UCLA.)

Ohio vs. Louisiana-Monroe

Virginia Tech vs. Rutgers  (Virginia Tech tries to salvage an otherwise disappointing season.)

Texas Tech vs. Minnesota  (Essentially a home game for Texas Tech.)

Air Force vs. Rice

Syracuse vs. West Virginia  (Geno Smith has a great game in his final game.)

Navy vs. Arizona State

Oregon State vs. Texas  (Essentially a home game for Texas.)

TCU vs. Michigan State

North Carolina State vs. Vanderbilt  (North Carolina State has been disappointing after the Florida State win.)

Georgia Tech vs. Southern California

Tulsa vs. Iowa State

Clemson vs. LSU  (Defense should win this game.)

Northwestern vs. Mississippi State  (Northwestern will lead for 3 1/2 quarters, only to lose late.)

Purdue vs. Oklahoma State

Michigan vs. South Carolina

Georgia vs. Nebraska

Wisconsin vs. Stanford  (Defense wins this game.)

Florida State vs. Northern Illinois  (Congratulations to Northern Illinois for making it to a BCS game, that will be about when the celebration ends.)

Florida vs. Louisville

Oregon vs. Kansas State  (The only other good BCS game match-up.)

Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma

Pittsburgh vs. Mississippi

Kent State vs. Arkansas State

Notre Dame vs. Alabama  (Game has the potential to be one of the greatest in college football history.  Alabama just has a little more offense than the Fighting Irish.)

Keep track of all of the bowl game results here.


2012-13 College Football Bowl Schedule

December 2, 2012

Here is the complete listing of the match-ups for all of the bowl games this year, for your viewing pleasure.  There were several winners, and several losers.

Central Michigan gets to a bowl game, but Louisiana Tech stays home.  However, after the reports that emerged about the Bulldogs’ bowl selection process by the athletic’s department, they are probably right where they deserve.

Northern Illinois does end up climbing high enough in the BCS rankings to go to the Orange Bowl as a non-AQ team.  This appears to have created duds in several of the BCS bowls.

Nevertheless, the National Championship game stands to be one for the ages, and several of the ‘other’ bowls are potentially great games.  Picks for all of the games will be coming in a couple of weeks.

So here is the complete list, before ESPN announces it.

Gildan New Mexico Bowl – University Stadium, Albuquerque – December 15th, 1 p.m., ESPN

Nevada vs. Arizona

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl – Bronco Stadium, Boise – December 15th, 4:30 p.m., ESPN

Toledo vs. Utah State

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl – Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego – December 20th, 8 p.m., ESPN

BYU vs. San Diego State

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl – Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg – December 21st, 7:30 p.m., ESPN

Central Florida vs. Ball State

R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl – Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans – December 22nd, 12 p.m., ESPN

Louisiana-Lafayette vs. East Carolina

MAACO Las Vegas Bowl – Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas – December 22nd, 3:30 p.m., ESPN

Boise State vs. Washington

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl – Aloha Stadium, Honolulu – December 24th, 8 p.m., ESPN

Southern Methodist vs. Fresno State

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl – Ford Field, Detroit – December 26th, 7:30 p.m., ESPN

Central Michigan vs. Western Kentucky

Military Bowl Presented By Northrop Grumman – RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C. – December 27th, 3 p.m., ESPN

Bowling Green vs. San Jose State

Belk Bowl – Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte – December 27th, 6:30 p.m., ESPN

Duke vs. Cincinnati

Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl – Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego – December 27th, 9:45 p.m., ESPN

UCLA vs. Baylor

AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl – Independence Stadium, Shreveport – December 28th, 2 p.m., ESPN

Ohio vs. Louisiana-Monroe

Russell Athletic Bowl – Florida Citrus Bowl, Orlando – December 28th, 5:30 p.m., ESPN

Virginia Tech vs. Rutgers

Meineke Car Care of Texas Bowl – Reliant Stadium, Houston – December 28th, 9 p.m., ESPN

Texas Tech vs. Minnesota

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl – Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas – December 29th, 11:45 a.m., ESPN

Air Force vs. Rice

New Era Pinstripe Bowl – Yankee Stadium, Bronx – December 29th, 3:15 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2

Syracuse vs. West Virginia

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl – AT&T Park, San Francisco – December 29th, 3:15 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2

Navy vs. Arizona State

Valero Alamo Bowl – Alamodome, San Antonio – December 29th, 6:45 p.m., ESPN

Oregon State vs. Texas

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl – Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe – December 29th, 10:15 p.m., ESPN

TCU vs. Michigan State

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl – LP Field, Nashville – December 31st, 12 p.m., ESPN

North Carolina State vs. Vanderbilt

Hyundai Sun Bowl – Sun Bowl, El Paso – December 31st, 2 p.m., CBS

Georgia Tech vs. Southern California

AutoZone Liberty Bowl – Liberty Bowl, Memphis – December 31st, 3:30 p.m., ESPN

Tulsa vs. Iowa State

Chick-fil-A Bowl – Georgia Dome, Atlanta – December 31st, 7:30 p.m., ESPN

Clemson vs. LSU

TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl – Everbank Field, Jacksonville – January 1st, 12 p.m., ESPN2

Northwestern vs. Mississippi State

Heart of Dallas Bowl – Cotton Bowl, Dallas – January 1st, 12 p.m., ESPNU

Purdue vs. Oklahoma State

Outback Bowl – Raymond James Stadium, Tampa – January 1st, 1 p.m., ESPN

Michigan vs. South Carolina

Capital One Bowl – Florida Citrus Bowl, Orlando – January 1st, 1 p.m., ABC

Georgia vs. Nebraska

Rose Bowl Game presented by Visio – Rose Bowl, Pasadena – January 1st, 5 p.m., ESPN

Wisconsin vs. Stanford

Discover Orange Bowl – Sun Life Stadium, Miami – January 1st, 8:30 p.m., ESPN

Florida State vs. Northern Illinois

Allstate Sugar Bowl – Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans – January 2nd, 8:30 p.m., ESPN

Florida vs. Louisville

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl – University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale – January 3rd, 8:30 p.m., ESPN

Oregon vs. Kansas State

AT&T Cotton Bowl – Cowboys Stadium, Arlington – January 4th, 8 p.m., FOX

Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma

BBVA Compass Bowl – Legion Field, Birmingham – January 5th, 1 p.m., ESPN

Pittsburgh vs. Mississippi

GoDaddy.com Bowl – Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile – January 6th, 9 p.m., ESPN

Kent State vs. Arkansas State

Discover BCS National Championship – Sun Life Stadium, Miami – January 7th, 8:30 p.m., ESPN

Notre Dame vs. Alabama


Bowl Predictions FINAL Edition (After 12/1)

December 1, 2012

Here they are, the final edition of the Bowl Predictions.  Tomorrow the final BCS standings will be released, and the bowl picks will be revealed.

Information is certainly going to be pouring in throughout tomorrow on leaked bowl picks, and I will try to keep the table and subsequent changes updated leading up to the selection show.

The complete list, and times of games, is listed here.

UPDATE #1 1:10 p.m.:  Pittsburgh is in to a bowl game.  Appears they are going to be allowed to play in a game, even with one of their 6 wins coming against different division.

UPDATE #2 1:50 p.m.:  Looks like ACC, Big Ten, and SEC bowls are close to being set, at least the bigger games, based on reports.  Remember, it is still VERY UNOFFICIAL.  On the NIU in the BCS front, I just don’t think it will happen

UPDATE #3 2:20 p.m.:  Rutgers has accepted bid to Russell Athletic Bowl (source) and Nebraska returns to the Capital One Bowl (source).

UPDATE #4 3:10 p.m.:  Cincinnati officially going to Belk Bowl and Michigan to the Outback Bowl.

UPDATE #5 3:40 p.m.:  The rest of the Big Ten bowl games appears to be set.

UPDATE #6 4:50 p.m.:  The BCS has busted, as reports are that Florida State and Northern Illinois will play in the Orange Bowl.  That changes everything.

UPDATE #7 5:40 p.m.:  It appears that SEC teams will be next to start announcing where they are going.  Georgia to Capital One, Mississippi State to Gator, and South Carolina to Outback.

UPDATE #8 6:10 p.m.:  No more specific updates, the bowl announcements should be coming quick now, as with the BCS figured out, it’s just about slotting teams at this point.  Will continue to update as information is released.

BOWL: TEAMS:
Gildan New Mexico Bowl Nevada Arizona
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Utah State Toledo
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl BYU San Diego State
Beef ‘O’ Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl Central Florida Ball State
R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Louisiana-Lafayette East Carolina
MAACO Las Vegas Bowl Boise State Washington
Sheraton Hawaii Bowl Southern Methodist Fresno State
Little Caesars Pizza Bowl Central Michigan Western Kentucky
Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman Bowling Green San Jose State
Belk Bowl Duke Cincinnati
Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl UCLA Baylor
AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl Ohio Louisiana-Monroe
Russell Athletic Bowl Virginia Tech Rutgers
Meineke Car Care of Texas Bowl Texas Tech Minnesota
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl Air Force Rice
New Era Pinstripe Bowl Syracuse West Virginia
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl Navy Arizona State
Valero Alamo Bowl Oregon State Texas
Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl TCU Michigan State
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl Vanderbilt North Carolina State
Hyundai Sun Bowl Georgia Tech Southern California
AutoZone Liberty Bowl Tulsa Iowa State
Chick-fil-A Bowl Clemson LSU
TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl Northwestern Mississippi State
Heart of Dallas Bowl Oklahoma State Purdue
Outback Bowl Michigan South Carolina
Capital One Bowl Georgia Nebraska
Rose Bowl Game presented by Visio Wisconsin Stanford
Discover Orange Bowl Florida State Northern Illinois
Allstate Sugar Bowl Florida Louisville
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Kansas State Oregon
AT&T Cotton Bowl Texas A&M Oklahoma
BBVA Compass Bowl Mississippi Pittsburgh
GoDaddy.com Bowl Kent State Arkansas State
Discover BCS National Championship Notre Dame Alabama
Italics indicate team has already accepted bid.

Week 13 College Football Picks

November 22, 2012

It is rivalry week across college football, which makes it even tougher to pick in some of these games.  Some teams have everything to lose this week, while others are merely playing for pride and bragging rights.

Several teams also need wins to become bowl eligible, while others are just jockeying to get a little higher in their conference.

Last Week:  24-5 (.828)

Overall:  269-65 (.805)

TCU vs. #16 Texas

#7 LSU vs. Arkansas

#14 Nebraska vs. Iowa

Ohio vs. #23 Kent State

Arizona State vs. #24 Arizona

#25 Washington vs. Washington State

#1 Notre Dame vs. USC  (No Matt Barkley means no chance for the Trojans.)

Auburn vs. #2 Alabama (Not exactly the Iron Bowl of a couple years ago.)

Georgia Tech vs. #3 Georgia

#4 Florida vs. #10 Florida State

#5 Oregon vs. #15 Oregon State  (This probably would be closer if Oregon beat Stanford last week, but the Ducks likely want revenge.)

#8 Stanford vs. #17 UCLA  (This could be the first of back-to-back weeks of this match-up.)

Missouri vs. #9 Texas A&M

#12 South Carolina vs. #11 Clemson (Gamecocks’ defense won’t be able to hold Clemson the entire game.)

#21 Oklahoma State vs. #13 Oklahoma

#18 Rutgers vs. Pittsburgh

#19 Michigan vs. Ohio State (Ohio State finishes off the season undefeated by winning the best rivalry in football.)

Connecticut vs. #20 Louisville

Virginia vs. Virginia Tech

Miami (FL) vs. Duke

Boston College vs. North Carolina State

Maryland vs. North Carolina

Vanderbilt vs. Wake Forest

Kentucky vs. Tennessee

Mississippi State vs. Ole Miss


Defense is Key to South Carolina vs. Clemson Winner

November 21, 2012

As crazy as it might sound, the key to Saturday night’s game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Clemson Tigers, is defense.

However, when you take a second to think about it, it’s not as out there as you think.

The Gamecocks defense has been one of the top in the country in 2012, but has struggled against the option and pass heavy teams.

Of course, Clemson does not run the option, but QB Tajh Boyd has been putting up spectacular numbers the last few weeks.  Add on the running of RB Andre Ellington and the big play abilities of WR Sammy Watkins and WR DeAndre Hopkins, the Clemson offense can be almost impossible to stop.

The key to South Carolina’s defensive success will be getting pressure on Boyd.  If Gamecocks’ Defensive Coordinator Lorenzo Ward cannot get pressure on the Tigers’ quarterback, it will expose the defense’s biggest weakness, the mediocre cornerbacks.

D.J. Swearinger has been all over the field, legally and illegally (quite regularly) tackling the ball-carrier and making big defensive plays in the secondary.  But Clemson has as many weapons offensively as anyone the Gamecocks have faced this season.

The health of Jadeveon Clowney is crucial.  Clowney sat out last week’s game against Wofford to rest his foot and knee injuries.  If he does not play, the Gamecocks will not be able to get the consistent pressure on Boyd to slow down Clemson’s offense.

Clemson’s defense is a little surprising, and it might not be as bad as people say it is.

Take a look at these numbers–19, 27, 7, 49 (loss), 31, 31, 17, 13, 20, 10, 48–that’s how many points the Tigers have given up in each game this season.

While there are a couple of numbers that stick out, there have been several good defensive performances this season.

Clearly, Clemson’s best defense, is its offense.  But the Tigers’ defense will have it a lot easier if Gamecocks’ QB Connor Shaw does not play.  Since the injury to RB Marcus Lattimore, the offense’s success solely rests on Shaw’s ability to make plays.

Shaw is the key to the Gamecocks offense, and his back-up, QB Dylan Thompson has not shown he can beat a top-ranked college program.

For South Carolina to win this game, they will need both Shaw and Clowney available to play, and hold Clemson to fewer than 40 points.  If not, the Gamecocks’ offense will not be able to keep up.

So, it’s simple, defense is the key to determining who wins this game.


Week 12 College Football Picks

November 14, 2012

It’s November for college football, meaning losses now hurt much worse than they did back in September.

However, with the recent BCS rankings, it shows if you’re in a good enough conference, it might not hurt as bad.

With that said, it was a solid week picking, still with single digit losses for the week, continuing the streak of not incorrectly picking more than nine games this season.  You can never complain with that.

Also, after checking out the picks, be sure to find where your favorite team might be playing after the regular season on our 2012-13 College Bowl Projections.

Last Week:  20-7 (.741)

Overall:  245-60 (.803)

#1 Kansas State vs. Baylor

#13 Stanford vs. #2 Oregon (If Oregon makes it to the National Championship game, you can not say that November was easy for them.)

Wake Forest vs. #3 Notre Dame

Western Carolina vs. #4 Alabama

Georgia Southern vs. #5 Georgia

Jacksonville State vs. #6 Florida (The Gators should be able to win this without Jeff Driskel, but then you do have to remember about last week.)

Ole Miss vs. #7 LSU

Sam Houston State vs. #8 Texas A&M (Normally you would say that the Aggies are set for a let-down, but that shouldn’t happen with Sam Houston State.)

Wofford vs. #9 South Carolina

#10 Florida State vs. Maryland

North Carolina State vs. #11 Clemson (If N.C. State were to win, they could at least claim they beat the two best teams in the ACC this year.)

#12 Oklahoma vs. West Virginia

Minnesota vs. #14 Nebraska

California vs. #16 Oregon State

#18 USC vs. #17 UCLA (Winner will likely go to Pac-12 Championship game.)

Utah State vs. #20 Louisiana Tech (Louisiana Tech has to win out to have a shot at going to a BCS bowl.)

Iowa vs. #21 Michigan

#22 Rutgers vs. Cincinnati

#23 Texas Tech vs. #24 Oklahoma State

#25 Washington vs. Colorado

North Carolina vs. Virginia

Virginia Tech vs. Boston College

South Florida vs. Miami (FL)

Duke vs. Georgia Tech (Closest to 100 wins, unless they go over.)

Arkansas vs. Mississippi State (The Bulldogs have to rebound; they were going strong but have really stunk it up the last few weeks.)

Alabama A&M vs. Auburn (The SEC should win this, right?)

Syracuse vs. Missouri (The SEC should win this, right?)

Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt

Samford vs. Kentucky (The SEC should win this, right?)


Week 11 College Football Picks

November 6, 2012

An overall good week in Week 11.  A couple of upsets didn’t quite end up happening, but that’s the risk.

Don’t forget after checking out this week’s picks, to check out the 2012-13 Bowl Predictions.

Last Week:  20-6 (.769)

Overall:  225-53 (.809)

Ball State vs. #25 Toledo (This game is the reason these picks are coming Tuesday, as opposed to Wednesday or Thursday.)

#10 Florida State vs. Virginia Tech (Any other year, you would consider calling the upset.)

#15 Texas A&M vs. #1 Alabama (If Alabama is going to get upset in the regular season, this will be the week.)

#2 Kansas State vs. TCU (If Kansas State is going to get upset in the regular season, this will be the week.)

#3 Oregon vs. California

#4 Notre Dame vs. Boston College

#5 Georgia vs. Auburn

Louisiana-Lafayette vs. #6 Florida

#21 Mississippi State vs. #7 LSU

Arkansas vs. #8 South Carolina (If this Arkansas team has QB Tyler Wilson playing well, a poor South Carolina secondary might make this a closer game.)

#9 Louisville vs. Syracuse

#11 Oregon State vs. #14 Stanford

Baylor vs. #12 Oklahoma

Maryland vs. #13 Clemson (It’s hard to think of an upset here when you are out of quarterbacks.)

Penn State vs. #16 Nebraska (Nebraska really needs this one to show they are legitimate, not just the class of the Big Ten because of Penn State and Ohio State having postseason bans.)

Iowa State vs. #17 Texas

#18 UCLA vs. Washington State

Arizona State vs. #19 USC

#20 Louisiana Tech vs. Texas State

Kansas vs. #22 Texas Tech

Army vs. #23 Rutgers

#24 Northwestern vs. Michigan

Miami (FL) vs. Virginia

Georgia Tech vs. North Carolina

Wake Forest vs. North Carolina State

Missouri vs. Tennessee

Vanderbilt vs. Ole Miss