Comments on: 2012: A look ahead

By: rsmeans

rsmeans — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 21:30:58 +0000

The Odds Makers and many pundits see USC as a serious Title threat. These same people see Barkley as a Heisman front runner. These same people always point to Derek Dooley as being on the hottest seat in the CFA. All of these people are fools. USC has virtually no chance of winning the NC and Barkley has little chance of being a Heisman winner or a first round first pick QB in the 2013 NFL Draft. Derek Dooley has the support of his AD and probably will win 8 or 9 games this year.

By: drjem

drjem — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:08:43 +0000

TO: raiderredleg

I agree with your statement “OU will certainly rebound, IF (big “if” at this point) RGIII stays at Baylor, Texas keeps improving, and Wies is able to work his magic on KU.” BUT…….B U T……my opinion is that it’s a “pipe dream” to think that “I see the Big 12 matching up VERY well against the SEC from top to bottom.”

I like the Big 12, but…..I’m a realist here. The Big 12 has a significant amount of rebuilding to accomplish before it can match that SEC dynasty. AND……my team isn’t in the SEC. In fact, I’m a “U” graduate & it kills me to see where we are now (at the bottom of the heap practically) from where we used to be. But, as I said……I’m a realist & hence well understand that the University of Miami is just a third (perhaps even worse) rate team now. Though it gives me great pain to type those words since the University prepared me well for medical school & a good lifestyle these past forty years. AND….no, I never played the game; I just “like to think” I know a tad about it. lol Anyway, thanks for your post & opinion as well raiderredleg. One more thing…… incidentally, Coach Mike Leach is my favorite college football coach.

By: drjem

drjem — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:55:30 +0000

NEXT…..TO: centexhorn. As regards your take on Texas and a stellar running game next year….I suspect you’re correct. I’m not a Horn fan, but neither do I dislike the team; I’m just ambivalent when it comes to the Horns. BUT…….B U T……the Horns have given me a lot of fun “watching time” through my almost 70 years. So, good for the Horns & I wish them well next season. However, I don’t think they will be a “contender” anytime soon. Maybe another five years & a different head coach & you good folks in Texas can see a return to national prominence. Hook ‘em !!!! Thanks for your post though.

By: drjem

drjem — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:50:39 +0000

I’m new at this “blogging,” but “OLD” at reading these great opinions pieces by the various “knowledgeable” folks on here. Sooooooooo….I’d like to just make a few comments myself regarding some of the opinions stated here.

TO: woodruff2250
“PERHAPS” I’m incorrect on my take of Clemson. BUT…..seems to me that they “COULD” be a SEC & hence national threat yearly if the current Coach (how do you pronounce his name? Dee – bow? (Not being facetious, just asking.) Anyway, I saw this coach make coaching errors this past year that can only be attributed to a newly hired high school coach. Dee – bow (I guess it is pronounced Sweeny) needs to exit Clemson. “THEN” they (Clemson) will be real contenders.

By: bassmaster357

bassmaster357 — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:19:09 +0000

I’m with you tide4life.hat does it take to convince yaw that the SEC will win another national championship and make it (7) in a row. USC will go down again to a wimpy oregon or oregon st as they all ways lose to a team in the pac 10 or is it 12,8? lol; no matter they will lose at least 2 games. You sports writers ought to know by now the SEC teams will dominate anyone they play. ROLL/TIDE,GO!GATORS

By: tide4life

tide4life — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:51:30 +0000

Do the Honey Badger care, now?

By: tide4life

tide4life — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:06:39 +0000

Already with the USC worship? Sheesh . . . .

By: LogicalConsideration

LogicalConsideration — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 21:17:08 +0000

I’m not sure why some of you are getting so bent out of shape over Mr. Taylor’s predictions. He freely admits that he is often wrong in his prognostications. He freely admits that next season is nearly 9 months away and it is very hard to make predictions until real play starts. But so what? He’s trying to entertain us and, regardless of his accuracy in the details, many of the story lines he throws out are things anyone interested in college football should pay attention to, regardless of whether they pan out, one way or the other.

@John Taylor and @ Ben Kercheval—seriously, doesn’t hoopsvader’s post violate some sort of site policy? Maybe not enough to get hoopsvader banned, but certainly enough to have the comment deleted.

@suprmous—are you sure you were posting on the right article? You act like he insulted LSU and/or The Honey Badger. He ranked LSU Pre-season Top 5 and he put THB in his Top 10 Heisman candidates. Besides which, if you (and anyone else) think Mr. Taylor’s article is complete BS because no games have been played yet, then ALL such articles, by ANY columnist are inherently BS. It’s so simple—don’t click the link and read when the headline reads “2012: A Look Ahead” What did you think it was going to be?

By: florida727

florida727 — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:37:55 +0000

“hoopsvader”, please go back and re-read your post… slowly… and get the full effect of what you wrote. If you don’t see the problem there, please seek help.

By: suprmous

suprmous — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 23:16:35 +0000

All I can say is damn he’s got a pair to be sayin all of this. And how the hell does he know what the season will end up bein like? One thing that stands out in my mind is the Honey Badger. Tyrann’s zest for the game will have him playin at top knotch speed and we look for nothin but the best from him. Sooooo Mr. Writer Man of BS Article tell me how it is you think what you do. Other teams have just as many great players as well and you say what you do. I suggest that you wait till the season gets here and a few games are played before passin judgement.

By: sparty0n

sparty0n — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 21:14:14 +0000

What about Notre Dame? My son picked up NCAA Football for the Wii. The game is kinda lame. BUT, in the first season Notre Dame went 4-8 and STILL made it to a bowl. So in that regard at least the game is accurate!

By: emperorzero

emperorzero — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:22:21 +0000

A couple more questions to add: First, when will someone from the SEC actually travel to play someone good (and I don’t mean some cop out like going to Dallas to play Oregon on a “neutral” field or playing a bad name school like Penn State,)? Second, when will the BCS stop ignoring their own “rules” to rig it so an SEC team gets a free shot to the title game. By that I mean, the “free” loss that SEC teams get because somehow Mississippi is better than Arizona or Wisconsin.

By: gtizzo

gtizzo — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:13:54 +0000

First the top 5, I wouldn’t put USC at number one mostly because of Lane Kiffin. Lets put that aside and the problem with USC is up front. There defensive line looked good against Oregon, but awful in the beginning of the year and worse against ASU. There offensive line can’t take any steps back because they will face a quality front seven against ND. Michigan in the top 5 is big reach, even looking so far ahead. They needed a comeback and an awful final period to beat Notre Dame, and ND’s front seven is only getting better. They still can’t beat Michigan State. LSU has problems at QB, and might start freshman Gunner Kiel next season. Why Les Miles thought the option would work against Alabama I will never understand. If you ask me Mark Richt should still be fired, his team looked awful in the SEC championship game and worse in the bowl game.

By: drexelvol

drexelvol — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:15:56 +0000

“Anything other than the full support of the alumni, boosters and others connected to the university will doom this move before it ever really gets the chance to get going.”

Don’t forget the fact that there will be major NCAA sanctions that PSU will be dealing with.

By: dannygjay

dannygjay — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:39:40 +0000

I’ve read alot of post today from big 12 fans about oky st not being in the NC. First off you lost to iowa st, really. You don’t get to compete for a NC losing to a 6-6 team. You kids are too young obviously to know the SEC proves every year that thier defenses beat the best offenses in country. The 92 miami team was billed as the best offense ever and had defense and still lost to Alabama 34-13. Oky st had 0 chance just look at k state against our worst defense

By: Ben Kercheval

Ben Kercheval — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:50:22 +0000

Glad to see hoopsvader keeping it all in perspective.

By: lastdukestreetking

lastdukestreetking — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:30:20 +0000

Urban Liar ran away from the big boys in the SEC. Not much of a recruiter leaving UF bare. Be careful what you wish for, OSU fans.

By: hoopsvader

hoopsvader — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:24:42 +0000

Michigan will get smashed by Bama. Fuck the Walmart Wolverines and may they all die in a plane crash.

By: polegojim

polegojim — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:36:44 +0000

Way to go Sparty – Mr. Pot, perspective eludes you.

By: polegojim

polegojim — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:35:23 +0000

@dk – whoaaaaa Trigger – Most expect them to be .500. I expect they’ll be 8-3 going into Nov 24th… and finish 8-4 putting that cherry on top of my desert.

I hope Denard does not win the Heisman… because the Wolverines will be a better ‘QB’ team, rather than slashing by then. They better be winning games by running back pounding, not Denard’s shoelaces.

We saw with VATech that shoelace’a won’t win games on the ground against National Powerhouses…. and definitely not against Alabama in Sep – proven by Jefferson’s weak showing. LSU was never in the game because of it. Balanced O is required to contend at the top, as McCarron well displayed.

By: tailgatersanimal

tailgatersanimal — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:29:36 +0000

No mention of FSU. I am not just being a homer, we have EVERYONE returning except Zerbie Sanders and Bert Reed. If our current rercruiting class stays commited then we will have one of the most talented DLines in FSU history. Playmakers on both sides. EJ needs to stay healthy and Jimbo needs to keep improving his playcalling. We could’ve been a year early for a NC run but a top ten preseason ranking is in the run.

By: sparty0n

sparty0n — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:22:32 +0000

Michigan TOP 5? Are you kidding me. And Denard Robinson for the Heisman! This is stupid. Michigan looked terrible in their bowl game. If not for some luck bounces and an inept coach for VaTech, they would have lost their bowl game. Robinson is not a QB. He cannot make the passes needed to be successful. They got lucky, and had an easy schedule this year. Next year they open with Alabama. Come back and see me after that game and tell me they are top 5.

By: dkhhuey

dkhhuey — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:10:00 +0000

@pole – ah, it does my heart good to see that glint of optimism in your eye!!! It makes the Buckeye victory in the Shoe all that much sweeter!!! It will be awesome to rip that Heisman out of Denard’s hands as well!!! Good to have you back, especially next year since we can’t go bowling – it makes The Game that much more intense!

GO BUCKEYES!!!

By: polegojim

polegojim — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:59:41 +0000

@overratedgators – They could still play well enough though. I believe they’ll do better than many expect.

By: polegojim

polegojim — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:57:53 +0000

JT – thanks for whetting the appetite for next year.

The first posters are early morning crabs who take themselves WAY too seriously…

The end of College football season officially starts my ‘bummed out’ period and you gave us something to chew on with great debate.

As much love as I have for my much older sis Deb and SouthPats, SEC has maybe one more year, then the balance of power shifts again. Could happen this season.

Can’t wait for September… GO BLUE!

By: phillyb6

phillyb6 — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:39:26 +0000

JT don’t be so hard on yourself man! Last year you got 4 out of 5 right on the Rich Rodriguez memorial hot seat, and you absolutely NAILED the Joepa thing…

…uhh, too soon?

By: tobeexact

tobeexact — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:22:25 +0000

You beat me to the vt mistake ,but ill take it one step further and add this, its amazing when the pre season polls come out every year that there are certain teams that regardless of the formula used to put teams in any kind of order isnt dolled and teams like oklahoma ,vt, ohio st ,arkansas etc start in the top ten every year regardless of there record the previous year along with a losing end of season record.
For example oklahoma was pre season number one this year,yet there losses weren’t even close they got spanked by baylor and okla st, then there is vt who can have 4 losses even 5 lose there bowl game have no identity for the following year and still start in the top ten .
And when they lose they only drop a few spots even if it was too a division two school.
Then there has been a team like penn state which the AP and coaches polls alike cant stand , can go 12&1 with the majority of the team coming back and not even make the pre season top 25, this is the joke we call the polls, and it makes it easy for those teams to never drop out of the top 25. The whole system is now a joke that caters to the almightoer then thou sec.
Even the bcs doesnt even come close to following there own extensive system anymore and this year was more indicative of that then any other with the bcs NC match up, oklahoma st or stanford in my opionion both would have beaten alabama or Lsu,instead they chose to go against everything they setup to insure there favorite son the sec was guaranteed to win the national chairmanship.
I guess they didn’t want to see a different conference win or they would have not went against there own rules .

By: overratedgators

overratedgators — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:21:32 +0000

“The Buckeyes may be a year away from contending for a spot in the Big Ten championship game — I wouldn’t bet the house on that, incidentally …”

I WILL bet the house on that, since the NCAA post-season ban will prevent them from playing in the Big T(welv)en championship game even if they go undefeated during the regular season. Due to the sanctions, by definition: yes. They’re a year away from contending.

By: drummerhoff

drummerhoff — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:03:04 +0000

Luv the early hype for the Wolverines… its good for the pocket.

By: raiderredleg

raiderredleg — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:47:46 +0000

Mr. Taylor,

Agreed with keeping OSU out of the top five since Coach Gundy has to replace Blackmon and Weeden.

I do think this is the year that people realize that the Big 12 can play on par with the SEC from top to bottom.

I think by Texas A&M (new head coach and a ton of holes to fill) and MIZZOU is “addition by subtraction” for the Big 12 without even considering the fact that WVU and TCU are replacing them (both better football programs at this point).

OU will certainly rebound, IF (big “if” at this point) RGIII stays at Baylor, Texas keeps improving, and Wies is able to work his magic on KU, I see the Big 12 matching up VERY well against the SEC from top to bottom.