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College Football: Breakout Teams in 2009

Posted by Scipio Tex on July 2nd, 2009 under Football

Now that the July Rubicon has been forded and my mourning for Michael Jackson has ended, our attentions can turn in earnest to college football preview magazines and preseason prognostication. Like many of you, I will purchase several terrible college football magazines with outdated information (Jarvis Humphery’s development at DT will be key for the ‘Horns!), poor analysis (2008 Preview Headline: Can West Virginia prevent the inevitable Ohio State/Georgia national title game?), and uninspired writing (_____ will provide much needed depth and experience). Why do I do it? It’s part of my summer ritual and the bright glossy pictures are yarn dangled before a civet.

Plus, I just need it.

If you want to soothsay, it’s crucial to be able to identify breakout teams and separate the traditional powers from the traditional pretenders. Last year’s prognostications were particulary bad across the board for all of the magazines and online purveyors (see CFN’s 2008 Top 10) largely because of a consistent overfascination with name brand skill position talent.

Like Pro-Activ, I don’t have many hard and fast rules when it comes to projecting a break out, but here are a few tips for care and maintenance in anticipation:

Experience

Generally, we’re for it. However, the value of football experience, like The Dave Matthews Band, is consistently overrated because of its persistence, easy familiarity, and ability to play the harmonica in lengthy self-indulgent jam sessions.


OMG! You’re so quirky and real, Dave!

The first fallacy of overvaluing experience is that returning lots of talentless older players is good. See last year’s predictions for A&M to go to a bowl. I laughed at every magazine that lauded our LB corps experience in ‘06 and ‘07 or bemoaned the loss of “National Championship LBs!” in previewing ‘08. Trust me, we’re not alone in this transgression and if you can discern the dead weight in other programs – and relying on the opinions of their fans or beat writers is generally a terrible idea – you’ll be well ahead of the game. Count the experience that matters.

This year’s Vanderbilt squad returns 17 starters from a 7-6 team that went 4-4 in SEC play and won their bowl game. A conventional analysis posits that they’re on an upward trajectory and will exceed last year’s record – perhaps even be a bit of a dark horse in the weak SEC East. Sounds good. But would it be impolitic to point out that they somewhat suck? This is a key consideration, you see.

The second fallacy of fetishizing experience is the idea that it’s equally valuable in all positions. It’s not.

Look hard at: QB, OL, DB. All things being equal, the value of experience at QB, OL, DB is much greater than WR/TE, LB, DL, RB. Don’t misinterpret this, dear internet buffoon: I’m not arguing that the other positions don’t get better over time or that it’s advisable to start four freshmen DL, I’m simply pointing out that there are certain positions that consistently allow improvement by leaps and bounds with skill development, unit cohesion, and physical confidence. A badass RB is a badass the day he steps on campus. OL and DBs truly play together as units – most of the other positions play in parallel. QBs with twenty starts stifle a yawn when they see a blitz; QBs with three starts avoid blitzes by flinging the ball straight up in the air and digging a trench for their feces.

I can name a half dozen All-American level DBs at Texas who were hard to watch early in their careers (Richard, Huff, Griffin, soon to be Earl Thomas) only to blossom into elite talents with a little seasoning. You can’t do that with LBs, RBs, or DL.

Catalysts

For a team to make a jump above expectation they need an individual, a unit, or a new coordinator/scheme to take it to the next level.

If you’re looking for a single player catalyst, look hardest at QB. Specifically, a QB with a couple of reliable targets, a returning OL with some quality, and low expectations stemming from mental errors or an injured OL resulting in protection issues. Think Cal’s Kevin Riley and Notre Dame’s Jimmy Clausen.

As for unit catalysts, look hardest at the defense – particularly a young one that took lumps, made a lot of mental errors in the passing game, and returns their DBs. That was Florida last year.

If you’re counting on a new offense to give a team the edge – have a quick conference with Tommy Tuberville. It’s fool’s gold. And if it’s the solution, it’s generally the solution in Year 2 and 3.

Schedule

There are two sides to this coin. First, to deny the importance of a forgiving schedule is foolish. But stressing it too much lulls you into Buckeye-itis – yes, the Big 10 is navigable, but they’ll have to play a quality team eventually if they want to claim the prize. The key is to project forward into the bowl season and make sure that your pretender won’t be unmasked. The SEC/Big 10, SEC/ACC mid-tier bowl matchups are helpful here.

Coaching

There are certain dudes I trust to deliver the goods. If a coach is prone to a pretty high beta, you have to balance that big upset win with their inexplicable loss to a scrub two weeks later. Public perception doesn’t always match the reality here either. Mike Leach’s Tech teams are often portrayed as erratic. They’re actually incredibly consistent. For that reason, projecting Notre Dame to break out worries me. Weiss has coached like a dickhead for two years in a row. I digress…

2009

So factoring in all of the above, I like the following to turn around or increase their fortunes this year:

Southern Mississippi


This Eagle player was given a small white child to raise as part of his sociology lab

Yes, really. Southern Miss. Mississippi’s 3rd school. Ole Miss will get all of the in-state attention, but this is a team flying under the radar. In addition to returning 19 starters, Southern Miss returns their entire OL (four SR, one JR)and their entire DB group. QB Austin Davis is a baller (23-8 TD to INT, 508 rushing yards – a poor man’s Colt McCoy). RB Damion Fletcher was 1st team All CUSA in ‘08 and in ‘06. They even have a 6-6 WR named DeAndre Brown who had 1117 yards receiving last year. They’ve got experience in the trenches and weapons at every level. The defense will be better (last year’s D had only four returning starters; over their last four games they gave up a total of 35 points) and I’d be surprised if they don’t manage a 10 win season and become a surprise BCS contender. Head coach Larry Fedora is the X factor here – he got them off to a slow start last year.

California


Peyote say: ten wins!

All of their OL have started some games, scatbacks Jahvid Best & Shane Vereen are damn good, they return their entire DL intact, and they return all four secondary starters. Kevin Riley has been a disappointment at QB, but he has the tools, an experienced WR crew, and a running game to build off of. This is a double digit win football team that has a good chance of surprising USC when they travel North. If Riley can perform at the level Tedford has gotten out of most of his QBs, this could be a legitimate top 10 team.

Notre Dame


I have a hunch

Yeah, it pains me me as much as you and I don’t trust Weiss, but Notre Dame is likely headed to a BCS bowl unless Weiss is as big a failure at college coaching as he is at Jenny Craig. 4/5 OL starters return. Jimmy Clausen – douchebag – will turn the corner this year throwing to an elite WR corps of Floyd and Tate along with a top notch TE in Kyle Rudolph. 3 of the 4 DB starters return. The schedule is forgiving as well. This team will resemble the 10-3 2006 team greatly: very good offense, average defense, whipped in a bowl if they face a real opponent. Still, they’re likely to be on your television after New Years.

Arkansas

They return 18 starters, but I’ve never seen a more brutal schedule: Georgia, @ Alabama, @ Florida, @ Ole Miss, @ LSU. That limits their upside, unlike the teams I profiled above. Like the Miami Hurricanes, I expect Arkansas to improve qualitatively a great deal, even if it’s not reflected in a giant leap in record. Unlike Miami, I trust the Razorback coach. They’ll go to a bowl and beat the dogshit out of whatever mid-tier opponent they play assuming they’re not a walking infirmirary by then. Mallett is a good fit for Petrino’s offense and they should be able to scrap together enough defense with ten returning starters who took a beating last year as sophomores and freshmen.

Baylor

Robert Griffin is the truth. Any questions? Baylor will improve on their 4-8 mark and manage a bowl for the first time since 1994. Aside from Griffin, I love their LBing corps, their DL has some potential with key transfers like DT Phil Taylor and they return 3 of their 4 DB starters. They shouldn’t pose a threat to the Sooners or Longhorns, but don’t pencil Oklahoma State in Waco in their loss column just yet.

Wildcard picks:

UTEP

Possibly this year’s Tulsa or Rice. I love QB Trevor Vittatoe, he has some targets, they return an underrated and physical OL and Price is a very solid coach when not being bilked by strippers. The defense is beyond a disgrace, but if they can cobble together even a modest improvement, a strong-armed QB is all you need to take you to a Conference USA championship. If you’re a Longhorn fan, you need to become a strong UTEP advocate because our anemic OOC schedule has the potential to submarine us. A team like UTEP winning nine would help our cause immensely.

Nevada

Like UTEP, this is a pick totally contingent on their ability to develop some semblance of a defense. QB Colin Kaepernick is a guy you should familiarize yourself with: a 6-6 white Vince Young wannabe who threw for 2800 and ran for 1100 last year in the innovative Pistol offense. He was the WAC POY. He has an outstanding RB named Vai Taua who topped 1500+ last year on the ground. Like UTEP, Nevada will have to rely on outscoring people. Even a modest improvement in defense will get them to 9 or 10 wins. They also play Notre Dame early, which should be interesting.

One of these two wildcard picks will pan.

Honorable Mentions:

Miami, North Carolina, Illinois

Miami has a tough schedule, but I don’t like their head coach. UNC has the right tools on defense and offense and I like Butch Davis, but they need to show more consistency. Illinois is coached by Ron Zook – ’nuff said.

Talk to me.

__________________________

For teams that may struggle a bit this season, see: And They All Fell Down

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36 Responses

  1. Trix for Kids said:

    July 2nd, 2009 at 8:58 pm

    Great mention of Nevada’s Pistol offense. A variant of the spread with the one RB lined-up 8-yards deep directly behind the QB in the shotgun. Opens up so many possibilities in both the run and pass game. I still curious why I haven’t seen an imitation of this offense yet. Kaepernick is fun to watch.

    While I concur with your comments re: Weiss, when I look at Notre Dame’s schedule, I can’t help but think that 10-3 is a worst case scenario for the loathsome Irish.

    Also agree that Arkansas will be much improved.

    I think that Cal and Va.Tech are candidates to crash the BCS party.

    I think Cincy repeats in the Big Least conference (yuck).

    Disagree on UNC. I think the hit to the skill positions (WR in particular) prevents them from making any real noise in 2009, though I like their direction for post-2009.

  2. Scipio Tex said:

    July 2nd, 2009 at 9:58 pm

    Thanks for your thoughts.

    I really like the Pistol. Obviously, it places a burden on your QB to run and throw equally well, but it’s a handful to defend.

    I actually believe Cincy takes a big step down, as I detail in my second piece.

    We’re on the same page with respect to the Irish. Forgiving schedule, legit offense.

    I find the ACC hard to get a grasp of – it’s shaping up as another year of parity there. If anyone breaks out, I favor UNC or Va Tech.

  3. Loadholt's Lost Money said:

    July 2nd, 2009 at 11:39 pm

    Greg Davis would be a dipshit not to take a look at the Pistol. I’ll leave it up to everyone else to not the logical next step there. Kaepernick is definitely fun to watch, one of the most exciting quarterbacks most people don’t know about, maybe the most exciting. Their running back from 2007, Luke Lippincott, will be back after a medical redshirt, so the backfield will be deep.

    Will DeAndre Brown be ready when the season starts? He didn’t quite Tyrone Prothro his leg, but he had a pretty nasty-looking break. Big-time talent, though if he gets healthy.

    Robert Griffin is downright scary. He will give OU and Texas all they can handle before he leaves Waco. Will it result in a w? That’s definitely up for debate with what Briles is doing up there.

    This post is a breath of fresh air in the off-season.

    I would ask how the preseason mags manage to write nothing of real interest, but that would just be stupid.

  4. Capt. Insano said:

    July 3rd, 2009 at 7:11 am

    I can’t figure out why the pistol is so hard to defend against.

    Don’t the linebackers just need to key in on the OG?

  5. Ragglefrock said:

    July 3rd, 2009 at 8:40 am

    How much of a dive does OU take without an experienced OL? Does that put their National Championship hopes on hold (pun intended)?

    According to your analysis, the losses at WR don’t matter as
    much.

  6. CloseToJumping said:

    July 3rd, 2009 at 9:59 am

    Great write-up. I agreed with what feels like all of it. I’ve been talking up Notre Dame to anyone that will listen and the response is almost homogenous that I am an idiot. For bringing it up, as opposed to the general “you’re an idiot” which is tougher for me to counter.

    I’ve read a lot of all of the magazines but have not even bothered looking at the write-ups on Southern Miss. I didn’t realize they had so much coming back and I don’t remember seeing them last year.

    To whoever mentioned not seeing the Pistol emulated, I know that it has been incorporated into the LSU offense, as I remember seeing them run it with degree of regularity last year. I know I’ve seen others doing it too, just don’t remember who they were. I wish Davis would incoporate it, but he’ll probably wait 4 more years to do it and then get credit for being “innovative” when he does it.

    Here’s one for you – If Washington goes 4-8 or 5-7 after 0-12 last year, is that a breakout season? If Locker stays healthy, I could see them maybe pulling that off with some breaks.

  7. Ricky said:

    July 3rd, 2009 at 10:53 am

    I am not sure I see any way our OOC schedule hurts us this year outside of a one-loss logjam for a spot in the MNC game or another ridiculous 3-way divisional tie. No matter what we would likely get a BCS bid with one-loss. If we lose two the season would be an enormous disappointment and unless that still somehow garnered us a spot in the MNC game, I would probably care less about our bowl game.

  8. Capt. Insano said:

    July 3rd, 2009 at 11:30 am

    You may care less…but you’ll still be watching.

  9. Emmett Fitzhume said:

    July 3rd, 2009 at 3:38 pm

    Been a Cal fan for a few years, so obviously I’m hoping that Cal does break through. Though the team looks good on paper, the Bears have a frustrating tendency to tank when expectations are high. If they are ever going to beat the Trojans again this is the year, but Tedford always plays them not to lose. This is not the way for a less-talented club to beat USC.

    It will certainly help if Riley stops randomly hurling passes into the stands.

  10. Petey said:

    July 3rd, 2009 at 8:54 pm

    I agree that Notre Dame should be good next season. It is critical to their success though that Clausen makes strides to being a better QB. Clausen played really well in the bowl game, but his development went backwards at times last season.

  11. Miketag said:

    July 5th, 2009 at 11:16 am

    I like UNC. Davis finally should have all the pieces in place. I am not sold on the Baylor hype just yet, unless 6-6 defines a breakout year. ND should win 10.

  12. NorthDallasSooner said:

    July 5th, 2009 at 1:47 pm

    it’s kinda funny to see a Nevada Wolfpack love session break out on a burnt orange site. They’re really fun to watch and Kaepernick is a real talent. I would LOVE to see them knock off ND in the opener. That alone might sink Weis.

    ND–I can’t disagree with the BCS predictions, but ONLY because their schedule is ridiculous. They may play in a BCS bowl and not really be a top 30 team.

    UT’s OOC—

    ———————————————
    Ricky- I am not sure I see any way our OOC schedule hurts us this year outside of a one-loss logjam for a spot in the MNC game or another ridiculous 3-way divisional tie.
    ———————————————

    That may very well happen. How? You play Okie State in Stillwater, we play them in Norman. They’re not going to win in Norman but are capable of beating you in Stillwater. Fine by me, of course, but………..

    The University of Texas (and it’s football program) calls itself a leader. Is it? Academically, no question. Football. Look, here’s the deal.

    Leaders aren’t leaders because of what it says on their business card or front of their jersey in this case. Leaders are leaders because they ACT LIKE LEADERS. Behavior defines leadership, not hierarchy. UT football’s current non-conference scheduling philosophy is not the behavior of a leader.

    Now I can tell you all I want, and you can call me what you want, when I say that Oklahoma is the current “leader” in this league. Certainly the 6 B12 titles is the leading cause, but Joe C’s approach to non-con scheduling is a big part. In the next ten years, Oklahoma finishes a home and home with Miami (2009) and has contracted home and home series with Florida State (’10-’11), Notre Dame (’12-’13), Tennessee (’14-’15), Ohio State (’16-’17) and LSU (’18-19).

    I don’t write this note to be an ass, moreso it’s to challenge you guys to DEMAND of Mighty Mack to quit playing all JV games in September.

    In this league everyone is entitled to one or two “freebies.” The Big 12 is tough enough that it’s best teams needn’t paly murderer’s row in September. But, we, and I mean we, should play one “national” matchup, one “beatable name” matchup and two paycheck games.

    Now, before you commence calling me names, think about yourselves as season ticket holders. Do you really want to see UTEP, Rice, UL-wherever and Wyoming, or do you want to see Florida St., Notre Dame, Tennesee, Ohio State and LSU come to Austin in the next ten years? I know a few of you are old enough to remember when, between 1990-1995 Penn State, Virginia, Syracuse and Notre Dame visited Austin. That ND game was the SHIT! And the hottest ticket in Texas.

    Remember the Ohio State series in ‘05-’06? I’m just sayin’

    MAKE YOU DECISION MAKERS CHANGE THE PHILOSOPHY. IT’S GOOD FOR YOU. IT’S GOOD FOR THE LEAGUE.

    and don’t ever fucking agree to play in Laramie, Wyoming again. Leaders don’t do that.

  13. Facebook User said:

    July 5th, 2009 at 1:54 pm

    NDS – Not sure you will engender a lot of umbrage on this site with those comments.

  14. RansomStoddard said:

    July 5th, 2009 at 3:06 pm

    Here’s a complete list of all the new ideas, creative twists and hard-to-defend innovations Greg Davis has installed in the Horns’ offense in the 213 years he has been OC:

  15. MIA said:

    July 5th, 2009 at 3:50 pm

    NDSooner makes a lot of sense.

  16. Crazy Joe Clark said:

    July 5th, 2009 at 6:12 pm

    you forgot Mike Sherman’s waistline

  17. Ricky said:

    July 6th, 2009 at 8:15 am

    NDS, the Big 12 South is so ridiculously strong right now, it is easier to get a BCS bid than it is to get a spot in the Big 12 Championship! I don’t have a big problem with our current scheduling (this year aside, I would have been fine if Arkansas hadn’t reneged)…at least we haven’t scheduled any non-FBS teams and I hope we at least avoid taking that ‘lead’.

    I don’t see any rationale for playing even teams that were once great like Miami, FSU, or Tennessee. The current system is all about going undefeated. In fact, if your name is OU or UT you can get an all-but-guaranteed BCS bid with one loss, so why risk getting that loss in some essentially meaningless September game. Only ND has the luxury of losing 2 or 3 games and getting a guaranteed selection by the BCS bowls.

    Would I like to see us play ND and OSU in one season or USC and Georgia in the same year? Sure, but why do I have to watch those games in September when it only risks our potential for playing one of them instead in January when both teams are firing on all cylinders? Drop two of those September games and give me a playoff and I’ll get to really see how my team stacks up against the best.

    Ultimately I don’t think our schedule is too far out of whack. We have UCLA and Ole Miss over the next 4 years and I am assuming Arkansas will be in the mix for at least one game. I don’t want to get into scheduling potentially ‘good’ games, especially when it is made up of traditional weak sisters be they BCS teams like Cincinnati (I am sure that series was scheduled with the idea that they would win their conference!) or BYU or Air Force. I don’t think you can brag about beating these sorts of teams if they end up winning 9 or 10 games that season (no one I know tried to fluff Rice up to much!), because in a normal year (unlike OU’s 2005 w/TCU) they should pose little opposition and or enthusiasm from the fan base(Who the hell got up for OU’s game against Cincinnati?).

    When the real leaders give us a system that rewards playing a tough OOC schedule or at the very least doesn’t punish at team for it, then I’ll be at the forefront calling for a schedule more like the one you are proposing, but at this stage there is no reason to do it. The outcomes certainly haven’t proven OU’s method is best. They get beat regularly by us and by their January opponent.

  18. TaylorTRoom said:

    July 6th, 2009 at 8:34 am

    OU last won a MNC in 2000. Their non-conf schedule that year? Three home games- UTEP, Arkansas State, and Rice.

  19. Ag_in_TX said:

    July 6th, 2009 at 9:37 am

    Watch out for Arkansas State.

    Watch.

    Out.

  20. ed said:

    July 6th, 2009 at 1:04 pm

    Arguing about SOS is kinda pointless. It takes years to get a big name on there, and by then you or they may be Purdue or Mississippi State.

    As long as Texas wins 10 every year and recruits at the current level, they’ll ALWAYS be in position to achieve a top-two rating — as long as the Horns get to the Big 12 title game. Getting beat up (physically) by Tennessee and Oregon State in September is a good way to make OU’s task in October a lot easier.

  21. Dickie V said:

    July 6th, 2009 at 8:10 pm

    Playoff, Baby . . .

    Sooner dude – you guys lost to Oak St in Norman and set the longhorn nation off into a major QB controversy – or at least exacerbated it. Eff off for that. We would have been content to go to the Holiday bowl again without that disaster in Dallas.

    Or maybe we went there anyway.

    Point is . . . a sooner win in Norman over the pokes is no guarantee. . . . especially this year.

  22. Tuesday Morning Linkage: | In The Bleachers College Football Blog said:

    July 7th, 2009 at 5:01 am

    [...] Tex at Barking Carnival looks at teams who he thinks could have a breakout year in 2009, and what are the key ingredients behind these breakout [...]

  23. ponderos said:

    July 7th, 2009 at 5:14 am

    Dickie. If you throw out the Schnellenberger and Blake years (we’ll gladly do that), OSU has beaten OU in Norman exactly once in the past 33 years and three times since World War II. The scores since that 2001 upset are 52-9, 42-14 and 49-17. Stoops also shelled them 44-7 at home in ‘99. So, not only is a win in Norman likely, but so is a woodshedding.

  24. Adam Nettina said:

    July 7th, 2009 at 7:59 am

    I think UTEP is a great pick, but I would include Texas A&M as a ‘wildcard’ if they can ever get their defense in order. I know everyone wants to talk Baylor, but I would not be surprised if A&M finished ahead of the Bears this season.

  25. Ricky said:

    July 7th, 2009 at 9:04 am

    ponderos,
    Texas has only lost to OSU once since the inception of the Big 12 (Mackovic’s horrid last year in Austin). So if Sooners and the media are going to suggest we are likely to lose in Stillwater even though we haven’t lost to OSU since Brown took over, then we are certainly within our bounds to think that an OU win over them is not a shoe-in (no has said that OU is likely to lose, just that there is no guarantee of victory, even if the game is in Norman).

  26. ponderos said:

    July 7th, 2009 at 9:23 am

    Ricky. I’ve never (any year) suggested OSU would beat Texas. The media hypes OSU every year, only to watch them crumble at critical times – every year. No reason to think this year is any different.

  27. TaylorTRoom said:

    July 7th, 2009 at 12:11 pm

    You know, I kind of like Michigan to break out this year. They were weakest on offense, but return all the starters but the QB there (which may be good). They only return 5 starters on defense, but have Greg Robinson as the new DC. Their three toughest games (PSU, tOSU, and ND) are all at home, and their first four games are Western Mich, ND, Eastern Mich, and Indiana, all at home. I think they have a great shot at winning 9 this year.

  28. BatesHorn said:

    July 7th, 2009 at 12:18 pm

    Ricky- I love your positive attitude about OSU this year and if you could bottle it, I’d buy, but looking at our defensive line and OSU’s rushing attack is giving me a severe case of redass.

  29. CloseToJumping said:

    July 8th, 2009 at 7:50 am

    The guy mentioning ATM above needs to put the bong down for a while and sit the next few out.

  30. ponderos said:

    July 8th, 2009 at 8:09 am

    I know everyone wants to talk Baylor, but I would not be surprised if A&M finished ahead of the Bears this season.

    Way to set the bar high there.

  31. Scipio Tex said:

    July 9th, 2009 at 10:50 am

    Taylor -

    Michigan will break out in the sense that they’re not going to go 3-9 again and will probably qualify for a minor bowl. So they’ll break out in the way that Baylor will break out – from misery to near respectability.

    However, given that they are Michigan, I grade them on a harder curve. Unfair and arbitrary? Yes. Makes sense to me? Yes.

  32. Gene Claude said:

    July 13th, 2009 at 9:41 am

    QBs with twenty starts stifle a yawn when they see a blitz; QBs with three starts avoid blitzes by flinging the ball straight up in the air and digging a trench for their feces.

    Not Benjamin Button Daniel.

  33. Gene Claude said:

    July 13th, 2009 at 9:46 am

    Scip, query: Have you actually looked to see if your hypothesis about returning experience at OL and DB is more important is supported by the numbers? Makes sense, I’m just curious, especially about the DB part. And, when you say “experience” do you only mean game experience, or program experience? Guys like Kevin Rutland and Munir Prince don’t have much game experience, but significant program experience, and I’m curious what your take is on that.

    Great stuff, per usual.

  34. Scipio Tex said:

    July 13th, 2009 at 9:56 am

    GC:

    I haven’t tested it quantitatively. I’m kind of curious to do it now. It’s just something I noticed a few years ago and I’ve always used it as a key measuring stick, generally to good effect.

    I value Game Experience 2X over Program Experience.

  35. Travis said:

    July 13th, 2009 at 10:40 am

    Everyone forgets that we played that same Tcu team in 07 just like ou did last year but of course when we do it, we are refusing to play real teams and when they do it… Wow what a leader ou Is, what a joke. By the way just thought I would say this site is becoming a favorite, scipio Tex you always write very good stuff , even the posts are actually people that understand football and our love for Texas football.

  36. Gene Claude said:

    July 13th, 2009 at 12:03 pm

    Scip, I agree. I’ll get with Euclid and see if we can come up with a way to test it. Going to be tough to mine the data for it. I had always considered experience at DB to be less important than QB and OL, on par with LB, WR, etc. But what you say makes sense.

    Judging secondary work is so difficult. Context and line play have huge effects that are well nigh impossible to separate from secondary play.

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  • Kevin Berger wrote a new blog post: Madness Magic: Northern Iowa Upsets Kansas   4 hours, 28 minutes ago

    Today reminded me why I love this tournament so much. A good friend of mine mentioned to me that college basketball is the great equalizer of all athletic endeavors. At least of the sports we care about. He’s right.

    For instance, you can have a 40 inch vertical, be Iverson quick,

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  • Nate Heupel commented on the blog post Because We’re Dedicated To Doing Stupid Things – Tiny Gallon Reportedly Took Payout   4 hours, 32 minutes ago

    Patrick,

    Unless you’re completely retarded, you know precisely what I meant. The closest any Big 12 team has gotten to winning the infamous Fuller Cup is the 2007 Texas squad. I can’t remember a team being that horribly undisciplined as a whole aside from the insane OU teams of the 80’s. That’s not

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  • Nate Heupel commented on the blog post Because We’re Dedicated To Doing Stupid Things – Tiny Gallon Reportedly Took Payout   4 hours, 32 minutes ago

    Patrick,

    Unless you’re completely retarded, you know precisely what I meant. The closest any Big 12 team has gotten to winning the infamous Fulmer Cup is the 2007 Texas squad. I can’t remember a team being that horribly undisciplined as a whole aside from the insane OU teams of the 80’s. That’s not

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  • Sailor Ripley wrote a new blog post: This Is Sparta!   4 hours, 44 minutes ago

    Please make yourself welcome and Adam will be by shortly to keep you up to date on all Michigan State Spartan happenings.

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  • Nickel Rover commented on the blog post Barnes worst team   4 hours, 49 minutes ago

    I suppose anyone could be your “favorite Longhorn basketball player” but Ford did more than just about anyone…although Durant is clearly better. Ford’s supporting cast was better than Durant’s in his sophomore year. Durant’s had more talent (Augustin, James, Abrams) but Ford’s was more developed (Boddicker, Ivey, Mouton, Thomas) and had worked with him for

  • Nickel Rover commented on the blog post Bradley or Hamilton?   4 hours, 55 minutes ago

    Crazy Joe, your thoughts intrigue me and I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

  • Nickel Rover commented on the blog post Bradley or Hamilton?   4 hours, 58 minutes ago

    This notion of Hamilton as being a disaster area on defense is all a bit much. He rebounds extremely well which, if it wasn’t obvious, is extremely important in this game since it secures possession of the basketball. Winning in basketball is achieved through the scoring of baskets and it’s necessary to possess the basketball

  • Ojnab Bob commented on the blog post Best Opening Round I Can Remember   5 hours, 8 minutes ago

    I posted earlier about how Collins’ effort just crippled Kansas today, but what amazed me the most was his complete inability to stay in front of his man on defense. UNI got a LOT of good looks out of penetration/pass after one of UNI’s modestly gifted athletes blew right by Sherron. The best

  • Scipio Tex wrote a new blog post: Best Opening Round I Can Remember   6 hours, 20 minutes ago

    At least it’s shaping up that way if Sunday delivers.

    As disappointed as I was in last year’s opening weekend of March Madness, this one is exceeding all expectations. Putting aside the fact that my bracket now resembles Kabul after the Taliban rolled through in ‘96 – a map of ordered failure –

  • J commented on the blog post Bid Dance: Day Three   6 hours, 47 minutes ago

    Thanks for the kind words, Trips.

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  • J commented on the blog post Bid Dance: Day Three   6 hours, 48 minutes ago

    You know who’s bitter and angry as fuck? This guy —> ME.

    I can only hope our returning players (whoever that may be) remember this and realize they need to play motivated EVERY FUCKING GAME and put forward 40 MINUTES of effort each game.

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  • Raoul Duke commented on the blog post Rumor Alert–TMG   7 hours, 19 minutes ago

    Kid seems like a fantastic collegiate player. I haven’t seen any NBA info. Is he a legit prospect?

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  • Raoul Duke commented on the blog post Bid Dance: Day Three   7 hours, 26 minutes ago

    Tough day for Sherron on O and D.

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  • GoHornsGo90 commented on the blog post Bradley or Hamilton?   8 hours, 10 minutes ago

    To leave or stay?

  • Patrick Bateman commented on the blog post NCAA Tournament Open Thread: Weekend Edition   8 hours, 11 minutes ago

    KSU moving on led by a hot shooting Pullen. BTW, White Mormons can shoot FTs. 22 for 25, I think. Imagine if we could shoot like that.

    Wake’s coming back on Kentucky. They’re within 25 right now…..

  • Trips Right commented on the blog post Bid Dance: Day Three   8 hours, 29 minutes ago

    Just wanted to say I feel for you guys. As a Texas fan I know how this feels even if it’s from a football perspective.

    I still think you’re the best basketball team in the country, and unfortunately you ran into a team that packed a Villanova circa 1985 type game today. Meaning they

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  • ghostofagroundgame commented on the blog post NCAA Tournament Open Thread: Weekend Edition   8 hours, 39 minutes ago

    Wow. Wake won’t break 50. Not surprising really — we should have beaten Wake and they are not a very good team.

  • Patrick Bateman commented on the blog post NCAA Tournament Open Thread: Weekend Edition   8 hours, 44 minutes ago

    Kentucky doing their best to beat Wake by half hundred. Close call….

  • RRR wrote a new blog post: Survive and Advance   8 hours, 48 minutes ago

    We really struggled in the first half, but battled through it to get a tough win against Jacksonville.  On to Oxford!

     Forget what conference they play in, Jacksonville is a very good basketball team, and they got to Lubbock not because of a crazy bank shot at the buzzer in Phoenix, but by playing aggressive, intense defense for

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  • ghostofagroundgame commented on the blog post NCAA Tournament Open Thread: Weekend Edition   9 hours, 5 minutes ago

    The shamrock is on his left shoulder. The Griffin looking thing is on his right.

  • ghostofagroundgame commented on the blog post NCAA Tournament Open Thread: Weekend Edition   9 hours, 14 minutes ago

    Everytime I see a Gumbel brother I think of “Gumbel to Gumbel”

  • Patrick Bateman commented on the blog post NCAA Tournament Open Thread: Weekend Edition   9 hours, 27 minutes ago

    Kentucky starting to pile on Wake. That would have been our fate…..

    KSU just killing the Mormons on the glass…

  • Patrick Bateman commented on the blog post NCAA Tournament Open Thread: Weekend Edition   9 hours, 54 minutes ago

    10 point lead for the Mormons again…

  • ghostofagroundgame commented on the blog post NCAA Tournament Open Thread: Weekend Edition   10 hours, 9 minutes ago

    This is the first-time Frank Martin has ever met a Mormon who wasn’t on a bicycle.