SB Nation - Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns

Don't Bet On It!: National Game of Disinterest

T Kyle King — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:54:43 -0000

Your patience is about to be rewarded, faithful reader. You have reviewed the national games of interest and followed me around the SEC, so just one stop remains on our tour of the weekend’s college football action. It is now time to take a look at tomorrow’s least compelling matchup, to which we here at Dawg Sports refer as the national game of disinterest.

It was tough to find this week’s least worthy contest. Dishonorable mention goes to the Indiana Hoosiers’ visit to the home of the Northwestern Wildcats for a game pitting a pair of 4-3 teams sporting 1-2 records in Big Ten play. Consideration was given to recognizing the Rutgers Scarlet Knights’ face-off with the Army Black Knights, which is going on even as I write and which does not feature jousting, despite the names of the contestants.

State University of New Jersey alumna Kristin Davis was not pleased by the preceding dig at her alma mater, but, as a professional actress, she was able to hide her outrage effectively.

At the end of the day, though, there could be only one choice for the national game of disinterest:

Florida Atlantic Owls at Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns

Honestly, this would be more intriguing if you took the college football teams out of it altogether and just went with the mascots. I was a "Twin Peaks" fan and I saw "Southern Comfort," so I can tell you with absolute certainty that a fight between large fierce birds embodying evil spirits and rural Louisianans inebriated to the point of anger on homemade alcoholic beverages would be much more fun to watch than a Sun Belt Conference outing.

The real problem with this game, though, is that I, like 98 per cent of all college football fans, can’t tell either of these teams from their in-state rivals.

Be honest. If I’d just said it was the Owls, you wouldn’t have known for sure whether we were talking about FAU or FIU. At this very moment, you’re giving serious consideration to running a surreptitious Google search to see whether the Owls are the ones who are coached by Howard Schnellenberger.

Having one team like that in a game is bad enough, but you had the same reaction to the other competitor. If I’d just said it was the Ragin’ Cajuns, you wouldn’t have known for sure whether we were talking about Louisiana-Lafayette or Louisiana-Monroe. At this very moment, you’re giving serious consideration to running a surreptitious Google search to see whether the Ragin’ Cajuns are the ones who used to be the Indians until they changed their mascot to something more politically correct. (Hey, "Ragin’ Cajuns" is just as politically correct as "Warhawks," which is to say, not.)

When knowledgeable college football fans don’t know for sure who either team is, you have all the ingredients of the national game of disinterest. All that’s missing, really, is pervasive doubt over whether either or both of these teams plays in the Atlantic or Coastal Divisions of the ACC.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Updated BTBS Projections

Bill C. — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:45:11 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

Damn you, Bobby Johnson, and your team's projection-defying ways. I SAID, DAMN YOU, BOBBY JOHNSON, AND YOUR TEAM'S PROJECTION-DEFYING WAYS.

Browse more photos »

Being that we're roughly one-third of the way through the college football season, I thought it would be a good time to re-visit the BTBS projections and see what's changed over the last five weeks. But first, let's take a look at where the BTBS projections have done particularly well or poorly.

Finger on the pulse

Here's the against-the-spread record for the BTBS projections by team:

4-0. Florida State, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Miami-FL, Northern Illinois, Syracuse, Utah, Wisconsin, Wyoming.
3-0. UConn, Illinois, Kansas State, San Jose State, UNLV, Utah State.
2-0. South Florida, Western Kentucky.
4-0-1. Minnesota.

Have pretty much nailed a good percentage of the east coast (that's what she said), going undefeated on 19 teams in all, including three ACC teams and three Big East teams. Seem to have these teams figured out.

4-1. Bowling Green, Buffalo, BYU, Notre Dame, Ohio State, USC.
3-1. Ball State, Boise State, Boston College, Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Colorado, East Carolina, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Indiana, Kent State, Michigan State, Middle Tennessee, Nebraska, North Carolina, Northwestern, Southern Miss, Texas, Troy, UL-Monroe, Wake Forest, Western Michigan.

This does start to explain why evenings aren't usually very good to me: I've got a much more accurate finger on the pulse of the eastern and midwestern teams, while the western teams have been more of a crapshoot.

2-1. Arizona, Arkansas State, Baylor, Florida, Hawaii, Kansas, Louisiana Tech, Louisville, Missouri, N.C. State, Oklahoma, SMU, Temple, UL-Lafayette, Virginia, West Virginia.
2-1-1. California.
3-2. Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Idaho, Miami-OH, Michigan, Navy, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, Toledo, UAB, UTEP, Virginia Tech, Washington State.
2-2. Air Force, Central Florida, Colorado State, Iowa, Iowa State, Marshall, Mississippi State, North Texas, Pittsburgh, Texas A&M, UCLA.
1-1-1. Houston.
2-3. LSU, New Mexico, Purdue, Stanford, Washington.
1-2-1. Texas Tech.
1-2. Arizona State, Arkansas, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Rutgers, Tulane.

No real analysis here. A big mass of teams for which I'm a game within .500.

1-3. Eastern Michigan, Maryland, Memphis, Nevada, New Mexico State, Ohio, San Diego State, South Carolina, Tulsa.
1-4. Army, Georgia, Rice.
0-3. Akron, Duke, Ole Miss, TCU.
0-4. Vanderbilt.

Why do you taunt me, Akron, Ole Miss, TCU, and Smart Kid Schools (Duke, Rice, Vandy)?

Anyway, when you're reading the after-the-jump projections, you can use this to keep in mind how many grains of salt you should be using.

Range of Spreads

In terms of performance analysis, I also looked at the range of the spread to see if there's a particular group of picks for which I'm performing much better or worse.

0-5 Pts. 38-21-1 (0.642).
5-15 Pts. 60-34-1 (0.637).
15-25 Pts. 29-28 (0.509).
25+ Pts. 16-8 (0.667).

So really, it's the 15-25 point range that has me befuddled to date. Really, that makes a little bit of sense. Here's where junk-time touchdowns can make a big difference, along with how quickly the favorite gets rolling or how long they leave their starters in. More often than not, the pre-ordained blowouts are pretty easy to pick, and 64% for the spreads below 15 points really is, I think, pretty damn good. But it's those damn three-TD spreads that get me.

Anyway, on to the projections! Fun fact: there are 68 bowl bids available...and these projections spat out exactly 68 bowl-eligible teams. YIKES. What happens if there are less than 68? Go down to the 5-7 teams, I guess? Either way, this is a good time for both UL-Monroe and UL-Lafayette (not to mention Temple!) to squeeze out six wins. Automatic bid for anybody with six!

Big 12

North Division	Proj. Conf.	Proj. Overall	Proj. Bowl
Missouri	6-3	10-3	Holiday
Nebraska	6-2	9-3	Sun
Kansas	3-5	7-5	Insight
Colorado	2-6	3-9
Kansas State	1-7	3-9
Iowa State	1-7	4-8
South Division	Proj. Conf.	Proj. Overall	Proj. Bowl
Texas*	8-0	13-0	BCS Championship
Oklahoma	7-1	9-3	Cotton
Oklahoma State	6-2	9-3	Alamo
Texas A&M	4-4	7-5	Texas
Texas Tech	4-4	6-6	Independence
Baylor	0-8	3-9

No major changes here, only Colorado and K-State switching places in the North and ATM and Tech switching places (despite a head-to-head Tech win) in the South.
Missouri wins the North by virtue of a 0.4-point win over Nebraska Thursday night. MAJOR North title implications Thursday night...as if you didn't know. Meanwhile, Kansas needs to get things together a bit--they're undefeated, and that's nice, but they're not performing better than Mizzou or Nebraska right now, and being that their schedule is a bit harder (even with Tech's iffy play and OU's "struggles"), they'll need to.
And despite the fact that they quit playing ten minutes into last Saturday night's game against Arkansas, Texas A&M is projected to keep winning here and there. Their reward: a game against Navy in Houston.

ACC

Atlantic Division	Proj. Conf.	Proj. Overall	Proj. Bowl
Clemson*	5-4	8-5	Chick-Fil-A
Boston College	5-3	9-3	Gator
Wake Forest	4-4	7-5	Music City
Florida State	4-4	6-6	Meineke Car Care
N.C. State	3-5	6-6	Emerald
Maryland	2-6	3-9
Coastal Division	Proj. Conf.	Proj. Overall	Proj. Bowl
Virginia Tech	9-0	12-1	Orange
Miami	7-1	11-1	Sugar
Virginia (!)	5-3	6-6	EagleBank
Georgia Tech	4-4	7-5	Champs Sports
North Carolina	1-7	5-7
Duke	0-8	2-10

Florida State sinks a couple of spots, and N.C. State and Maryland switch places.
Looks like Bobby Bowden's career ends in Charlotte at the Meineke Car Care Bowl. And yes, I just had to look up where the Meineke Car Care Bowl is played.
I'm not sure what caused the BTBS numbers' sudden fascination with Virginia, but apparently they're due a bit of a turnaround. And after the projections completely nailed the UVa > UNC pick, I'm not asking any questions.
Speaking of UNC...had them missing a bowl before the season, still do. Not sure why they're not as good as everybody thinks they're supposed to be, but...they're not.

Big East

	Proj. Conf.	Proj. Overall	Proj. Bowl
Pittsburgh	6-1	10-2	Fiesta
Cincinnati	5-2	10-2	Gator
South Florida	5-2	9-3	Papajohns.com
West Virginia	5-2	9-3	Meineke Car Care
Connecticut	4-3	7-5	International
Louisville	2-5	5-7
Syracuse	1-6	4-8
Rutgers	0-7	5-7

Rutgers has PLUMMETED. From 9-3 and the Orange Bowl to a winless conference slate. I'm sure they're just lying in the weeds before getting hot the last half of the year again (like last year), but...yeah, the Dom Natale Experiment has not exactly been memorable...at least not in a positive way.
Meanwhile, Cincy's mediocre play over the last couple of weeks has allowed Pittsburgh to take over the projected title. A couple of weeks ago, Cincy was projected to go undefeated. Now, not so much.
Really, this would be the best-case scenario for the Big East--four teams with at least nine wins, at least a couple of which will likely thump an inferior bowl opponent thanks to the Big East's mediocre slate of bowls.
Seriously...PLUMMETED.

Big Ten

	Proj. Conf.	Proj. Overall	Proj. Bowl
Penn State	7-1	11-1	Rose
Ohio State	7-1	10-2	Outback
Wisconsin	7-1	11-1	Capital One
Iowa	6-2	10-2	Alamo
Minnesota	4-4	7-5	Insight
Michigan	3-5	7-5	Champs Sports
Michigan State	3-5	5-7
Purdue	3-5	4-8
Northwestern	2-6	5-7
Illinois	2-6	3-9
Indiana	0-8	3-9

Like Rutgers, Illinois has also sunk like a stone...but thanks to the low quality of the bottom of this conference, they don't sink all the way to the bottom.
Another best-case scenario, really--four teams with 10-11 wins. The top and bottom of the conference has really defined itself in pretty stark fashion. Penn State gets the nod here, but that could be because the preseason projections are still weighted as 40% of the overall projected total (there still isn't enough data from 2009 to make the 100% switch yet).
I'm slowly buying into Wisconsin...not anywhere near complete buy-in yet, but I'm coming around. Now watch them lose three in a row.
(And yes, I'm thinking a 10-2 USC team gets the BCS nod over an 11-1 Wiscy team. Call me crazy.)

Conference USA

East Division	Proj. Conf.	Proj. Overall	Proj. Bowl
East Carolina	6-3	7-6	New Orleans
Southern Miss	5-3	7-5	Hawaii
Central Florida	3-5	5-7
Marshall	3-5	5-7
UAB	3-5	4-8
Memphis	2-6	3-9
West Division	Proj. Conf.	Proj. Overall	Proj. Bowl
Tulsa*	9-0	11-2	Liberty
Houston	6-2	10-2	Armed Forces
UTEP	4-4	5-7
Rice	3-5	3-9
SMU	3-5	4-8
Tulane	2-6	4-8

ECU's projection (was 3-5, 4-8 in the preseason) has fallen back in line...due as much to the rest of the division being pretty iffy as much as anything. Marshall and Memphis have both fallen a bit. Meanwhile, Houston falls back in line with their preseason 2nd-place finish...and SMU is no longer projected to be decent. Thanks to their inexplicable whipping of Houston, UTEP moves up...I had them 0-8, 2-10, and now they're almost in line for a bowl bid.

Independents

	Proj. Conf.	Proj. Overall	Proj. Bowl
Navy	--	9-4	Texas
Notre Dame	--	8-4	Poinsettia
Army	--	2-10

Congrats, Notre Dame. Your three tight wins over inferior competition have bumped your projection from 6-6 to 8-4. Keep up the good work.

MAC

East Division	Proj. Conf.	Proj. Overall	Proj. Bowl
Bowling Green	6-3	7-6	GMAC
Temple	5-3	6-6	St. Petersburg
Ohio	4-4	6-6	New Mexico
Akron	4-4	5-7
Kent State	3-5	4-8
Buffalo	2-6	4-8
Miami-OH	1-7	1-11
West Division	Proj. Conf.	Proj. Overall	Proj. Bowl
Central Michigan*	8-1	10-3	Little Caesar's
Toledo	7-1	9-3	International
Northern Illinois	6-2	8-4	EagleBank
Eastern Michigan	3-5	4-8
Western Michigan	3-5	4-8
Ball State	1-7	1-11

Really, the only major changes here are that Ball State has dropped off the face of the planet (they were projected 4-4, 6-6), and Buffalo has slightly exceeded their initial projections (they were 0-8, 1-11). It's still CMU > BGSU in the title game, though the mighty Temple Owls are catching up to BGSU in a hurry. Looks like it's going to be a nice turnaround season for Toledo, though they should probably be careful since they did almost try to lose to Ball State last week--took a miracle TD pass to beat the suddenly lowly Cardinals.

Mountain West

	Proj. Conf.	Proj. Overall	Proj. Bowl
BYU	8-0	11-1	Las Vegas
TCU	7-1	11-1	Armed Forces
Utah	6-2	9-3	Poinsettia
Air Force	4-4	6-6	New Mexico
Colorado State	4-4	7-5	Humanitarian
New Mexico	2-6	3-9
San Diego State	2-6	4-8
Wyoming	2-6	4-8
UNLV	1-7	3-9

Despite beating Clemson, TCU is now projected to lose to BYU after pretty iffy defensive performances against Texas State and SMU. Otherwise, no real surprises here. Looks like Dave Christensen's run of luck at Wyoming is about to crap out.

Pac-10

	Proj. Conf.	Proj. Overall	Proj. Bowl
Oregon	9-0	11-1	Rose
USC	7-2	10-2	Orange
California	5-4	8-4	Holiday
UCLA	5-4	8-4	Sun
Oregon State	5-4	6-6	Emerald
Washington	5-4	6-6	Las Vegas
Arizona	4-5	5-7
Stanford	4-5	5-7
Washington State	1-8	2-10
Arizona State	0-9	2-10

Arizona and Arizona State have both fallen from their initial projections (of 7-5 and 4-8, respectively). Everything else has stayed basically in the same order, including Stanford, who looks like another team riding a string of good luck and about to crash and burn. I hope the projections are wrong, though--would love to see the Cardinal play a role in the Pac-10 race, just for variety's sake.
And yes, the combination of a) really good projections, and b) improved play of late means Oregon is still projected to win the conference. I'll believe it when I see it, but if they beat USC in Eugene, they're obviously the favorite.

SEC

East Division	Proj. Conf.	Proj. Overall	Proj. Bowl
Florida*	9-0	13-0	BCS Championship
Georgia	5-3	8-4	Outback
Tennessee	5-3	8-4	Chick-Fil-A
South Carolina	3-5	6-6	Independence
Kentucky	2-6	6-6	Music City
Vanderbilt	0-8	3-9
West Division	Proj. Conf.	Proj. Overall	Proj. Bowl
Alabama	8-1	12-1	Sugar
LSU	6-2	10-2	Capital One
Arkansas	4-4	8-4	Cotton
Auburn	4-4	8-4	Papajohns.com
Ole Miss	2-6	6-6	Liberty
Mississippi State	1-7	2-10

Only minor changes so far...Vandy and Kentucky trade places in the East, and Auburn and Ole Miss trade in the West. Otherwise, status quo here. Auburn is seen as a surprising success early in the season, but they've done pretty much exactly what they were projected to do.

Sun Belt

	Proj. Conf.	Proj. Overall	Proj. Bowl
Troy	8-0	9-3	New Orleans
Middle Tennessee	5-3	8-4	Motor City
UL-Monroe	5-3	6-6	GMAC
Florida Atlantic	5-3	5-7
UL-Lafayette	4-4	6-6	St. Petersburg
Arkansas State	4-4	5-7
Florida International	3-5	3-9
North Texas	2-6	4-8
Western Kentucky	0-8	0-12

That's right, it's Temple vs UL-Lafayette in the St. Petersburg Bowl, otherwise known as The Final St. Petersburg Bowl. I'll say this, though: I'll watch it.

WAC

	Proj. Conf.	Proj. Overall	Proj. Bowl
Boise State	8-0	13-0	Fiesta
Nevada	7-1	8-4	Hawaii
Fresno State	6-2	8-4	Humanitarian
Louisiana Tech	4-4	5-7
Utah State	4-4	5-7
San Jose State	3-5	4-8
Hawaii	2-6	4-9
Idaho	2-6	5-7
New Mexico State	0-8	2-11

Looks like Nevada should rebound fine the rest of the season, helping Mizzou's rankings out a bit. Meanwhile...come on, Idaho and Utah State! Find one more win somewhere, and you're bowling!

Bowl Projections

Date	Bowl	Tie-ins	Matchup
12/19	New Mexico	MWC vs WAC	Air Force (6-6) vs Ohio (6-6)
12/19	St. Petersburg	Big East vs C-USA	Temple (6-6) vs UL-Lafayette (6-6)
12/20	New Orleans	C-USA vs Sun Belt #1	East Carolina (7-6) vs Troy (9-3)
12/22	Las Vegas	MWC #1 vs Pac-10	BYU (11-1) vs Washington (6-6)
12/23	Poinsettia	MWC vs Pac-10 #6	Utah (9-3) vs Notre Dame (8-4)
12/24	Hawaii	C-USA vs WAC	Nevada (8-4) vs Southern Miss (7-5)
12/26	Little Caesar's Pizza! Pizza!	Big Ten #7 vs MAC	Central Michigan (10-3) vs Middle Tennessee (8-4)
12/26	Meineke Car Care	ACC #5-7 vs Big East #3	West Virginia (9-3) vs Florida State (6-6)
12/26	Emerald	ACC #5-7 vs Pac-10	N.C. State (6-6) vs Oregon State (6-6)
12/27	Music City	ACC #5-7 vs SEC	Wake Forest (7-5) vs Kentucky (6-6)
12/28	Independence	Big 12 vs SEC	Texas Tech (6-6) vs South Carolina (6-6)
12/29	Eagle Bank	ACC #8 vs Army	Virginia (6-6) vs Northern Illinois (8-4)
12/29	Champs Sports	ACC #4 vs Big Ten #4-5	Georgia Tech (7-5) vs Michigan (7-5)
12/30	Humanitarian	MWC vs WAC	Fresno State (8-4) vs Colorado State (7-5)
12/30	Holiday	Big 12 #3 vs Pac-10 #2	Missouri (10-3) vs California (8-4)
12/30	Texas	Big 12 #8 vs Navy	Navy (9-4) vs Texas A&M (7-5)
12/31	Armed Forces	C-USA vs MWC	TCU (11-1) vs Houston (10-2)
12/31	Sun	Big 12 vs Pac-10 #3	Nebraska (9-3) vs UCLA (8-4)
12/31	Insight	Big Ten #6 vs Big 12 #6	Minnesota (7-5) vs Kansas (7-5)
12/31	Chick-Fil-A	ACC #2 vs SEC	Tennessee (8-4) vs Clemson (8-5)
1/1	Outback	Big Ten #3 vs SEC	Ohio State (10-2) vs Georgia (8-4)
1/1	Capital One	Big Ten #2 vs SEC	Wisconsin (11-1) vs LSU (10-2)
1/1	Gator	ACC #3 vs Big East/ND	Cincinnati (10-2) vs Boston College (9-3)
1/1	Rose	BCS vs BCS	Penn State (11-1) vs Oregon (11-1)
1/1	Sugar	BCS vs BCS	Alabama (12-1) vs Miami (11-1)
1/2	International	Big East vs MAC	Toledo (9-3) vs UConn (7-5)
1/2	PapaJohns.com	Big East vs SEC	South Florida (9-3) vs Auburn (8-4)
1/2	Cotton	Big 12 #2 vs SEC	Oklahoma (9-3) vs Arkansas (8-4)
1/2	Liberty	C-USA #1 vs SEC	Tulsa (11-2) vs Ole Miss (6-6)
1/2	Alamo	Big Ten #4-5 vs Big 12 #5	Iowa (10-2) vs Oklahoma State (9-3)
1/4	Fiesta	BCS vs BCS	Boise State (13-0) vs Pittsburgh (10-2)
1/5	Orange	BCS vs BCS	Virginia Tech (12-1) vs USC (10-2)
1/6	GMAC	ACC #9 vs MAC	Bowling Green (7-6) vs UL-Monroe (6-6)
1/7	BCS Championship	BCS #1 vs BCS #2	Florida (13-0) vs Texas (13-0)

Some BIG-TIME firepower in the BCS bowls. Some combination of Va Tech, Miami, Alabama, and USC could make for interesting matchups, especially if somehow USC and Alabama ended up facing off for late-1970s supremacy.
Most interesting matchups: Sugar, Rose, Alamo, Holiday, Liberty, Meineke Car Care, Las Vegas (rematch of last year's LockerGate controversy, or whatever we're supposed to call it), and St. Petersburg (because I'm a masochist). But really, the most potentially fun game to watch could be the Champs Sports bowl, with Georgia Tech and Michigan combining to rush 100 times.
Least interesting: GMAC (YUCK), Fiesta, Humanitarian (the bowl rematch nobody asked for).
Still Florida vs Texas in the title game, but I'm REALLY hoping one of them loses, just to see if Boise has enough juice to sneak into the title game undefeated. It took BYU a few years to work itself up the prestige ladder when they won in 1984, and even then it took an unprecedented number of flops from higher-ranked teams. We're seeing plenty of flops this year, but Boise will need at least one or two more to hop into the title game. And while they obviously wouldn't win, I have to say I've been really impressed with the amount Boise's overall athleticism has improved in the last couple of years. They're not big enough to compete with Texas, Florida, or Alabama, but speed really won't be an issue.

Titans check out Ndamukong Suh

Mocking Dan — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 02:34:05 -0000

More photos » by Dave Weaver - AP

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Scouts from the Tennessee Titans were present for the Nebraska/Louisiana-Lafayette game, and it's doubtful they were there to see the Ragin' Cajuns.

And considering the Cornhuskers have few solid NFL Draft prospects, it's highly likely the team was checking out senior defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.

Although the Tennessee Titans haven't allowed 100 yards rushing in a game this season, the team still seems to be lacking a great push up the middle following the departure of Albert Haynesworth.

Suh has been dominant this season. He manhandled multiple blockers in a loss to Virginia Tech. In that game, he had eight tackles, four passes defended and a sack. His play was even better than that impressive stat line. On the year, Suh has 26 tackles, six tackles for loss, three sacks and six passes defended.

Currently Suh is my No. 6 overall player in the nation. It's conceivable he could rise.

Keys to Victory for the Nebraska Cornhuskers over Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns

Jon Johnston — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:27:09 -0000

More photos » by Steve Helber - AP

None of this kind of stuff going on this week. We're playing an inferior opponent and there is no reason for stupid mistakes.

Browse more photos »

The Louisiana Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns are the third Sun Belt opponent of the year, the worst of the teams from we'll play from that conference. Let's not bother pretending that there's much of a challenge here - the Ragin' Cajuns are in a rebuilding year and are coming to Lincoln for a paycheck. They may not have realized that they'd be the answer to a future trivia question (who did the Huskers bash for their 300th consecutive sell out?), but they're in Lincoln just the same.

On to the keys to victory over the Ragin' Cajuns.

Destruction Demo

We know it, they know it - the Ragin' Cajuns are in this one for a paycheck. Games against inferior opponents have a simple formula - get on top the lesser team early, crush their will, and then destroy them.

The Cajuns have one bright spot - their offensive line. ULL is one of only two teams (Kentucky the other) has yet to give up a sack this season. It's time for Ndamukong Suh, Barry Turner, Jared Crick, and Pierre Allen to demolish that statistic. None of this blitzing off the edge stuff - Git R Done with the front four.

Intensity

The Huskers have lacked it in their other games against Florida Atlantic and Arkansas State. During Florida Atlantic it came in the first half, which is a little surprising given that it was the first time the Huskers had a chance to hit someone besides themselves.

Despite the score, there should be no lacking for intensity throughout the entire game tomorrow. There's no excuse for it, and if it shows up again, fans should be prepared to lower their expectations for the season because it will come back to bite us.

Perfection

During the Arkansas State game, a beautiful 70-yard touchdown pass to Niles Paul was called back because of holding. Stupid mistakes cost the Huskers the game against Virginia Tech. In the third quarter when the Huskers had a first and goal they responded by getting two holding penalties - the first of which negated a touchdown pass to Mike McNeill - and a false start - resulting in no points.

There's a theme here, and it's not a good one. The theme is slop. Eliminate the slop and the Huskers are 4-0 and part of a national conversation. But they're not, and that's solely because of mistakes.

It's time to end the them. ULL has no Rusty Smith, Alex Carrington or Jason Worilds. They have some good offensive linemen like Brad Bustle, and a good linebacker in Antwyne Zanders and that's it.

The Huskers are playing in front of their home crowd - there are no excuses for mistakes. Eliminate them. Or prepare not reach your goals and to suck this season. Again, nothing mysterious, nothing magical - just stop making stupid mistakes.

Zac Lee needs a good performance before heading into Big 12 conference play. You might excuse him for the lousy performance against Virginia Tech because of his thumb injury, but that's a little weak, isn't it? If the performance against the Hokies is what we're going to see when Lee plays decent opponents, don't expect this team to get very far. Lee should do well against the Cajuns and restore the faith.

(Wow. Can you tell I was grouchy as hell when I wrote this?)

Game Day: September 19

Year2 — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 19:00:18 -0000

A rundown of what's on TV.

a.k.a. 11 AM Central

Best Game: Boston College at Clemson, Raycom

The Eagles were supposed to fold this year after losing their coach, two quarterbacks, and Mark Herzlich. Instead, they've blown out their cupcakes in a more authoritative fashion than just about any other ACC team has performed against overmatched opponents. This is their first real test against a Clemson team that gave Georgia Tech a great game last week.

Prediction: BC keeps it interesting for a while, but eventually wears down in the heat. Clemson wins, 27-24.

Next Best Game: Cal at Minnesota, ESPN

This game is kicking off at 9:00 Pacific, and the last time the Bears did that, they suffered an inexplicable loss at Maryland last season. Jeff Tedford had them leave a day early for Minnesota to combat any jet lag. Minnesota meanwhile has played two close games, edging out Syracuse and Air Force. Perhaps the time and a little Gopher magic will make this one close too?

Prediction: It will take some time for Cal to wake up, but once it does, Minnesota is toast. Cal wins 38-14.

SEC Games

Louisville at Kentucky, ESPNU: join the Wildcats in their new annual tradition of beating down the Cardinals.

North Texas at Alabama, SEC Network: the Tide won't start slow again this week.

Best Game: Nebraska at Virginia Tech, ABC, 3:30 ET

This one has the best combination of overall quality and closeness of competition. Nebraska could make a big statement by winning this one on the road, while VT is looking to avoid a 1-2 start.

Prediction: The mystical Blacksburg Vortex of Mediocrity swallows the Cornhuskers upon arrival, forcing them to inexplicably play below their potential like so many visiting teams that play there. Tech wins a slugfest 19-17.

Next Best Game: Tennessee at Florida, CBS, 3:30 ET

This one is the next best solely because of the story lines. From a football standpoint, it should be ugly and over before halftime. Several teams last year hoped great defense would overcome bad offense and keep them in games against Florida. Most went home losers with scores like 42-14, 56-6, and 63-5. Even if you ignore the subplots and focus on football, Tennessee should get waxed.

Prediction: Tennessee keeps it close for a quarter, but the dam breaks in the second. Florida rolls 52-3.

Honorable Mentions

There are no other SEC games besides the CBS Game of the Week, but these could be interesting enough to take a look at if you get bored with the above two games.

Michigan State at Notre Dame, NBC, 3:30

USC at Washington, ABC, 3:30 (not sure, but this might be on your ESPN2 if you get Neb-VT on ABC)

Utah at Oregon, ESPN, 3:30 ET

Best Game: Georgia at Arkansas, ESPN, 7:45 ET

One week they're a low scoring defensive team. The next, they're a high scoring no defense team. Anyone know which Georgia team will show up against Arkansas? I'd sure like to know. This is also the first test for the Razorbacks, who got some love for their offense in the preseason. Bobby Petrino versus Mark Richt. Rennie Curran versus Michael Smith. There's a lot to like in this game.

Prediction: Georgia plays tough, but Arkansas end up outscoring the Bulldogs 31-27.

Next Best Game: Texas Tech at Texas, ABC, 8:00 ET

I personally think Tech is better than everyone is giving them credit for right now, and that they'll give a surprisingly uptight Texas team a run for their money. I don't think the Red Raiders will win, mind you, but they'll make the Longhorns sweat and it's always interesting when Mike Leach is around.

Prediction: Texas Tech keeps pace with Texas for three quarters, at which point the Longhorns will pull away 42-30.

Honorable Mention: West Virginia at Auburn, ESPN2, 7:45

I really don't think West Virginia is as good as most people think, but at the same time, this is the first pretty good team Auburn has played. If the Tigers have even 70% the success they've had in their first two games running the ball, this one will be over quickly.

Prediction: Auburn will start slowly as it figures out West Virginia will push them back pretty hard. Eventually they'll get rolling and outlast the Mountaineers 26-17.

Other SEC Games

UL-Lafayette at LSU, ESPNU, 7:00 ET: you'll laugh indeed as LSU finally lets it rip against someone and wins big.

Mississippi State at Vanderbilt, FSN Regional, 7:00 ET: this one ends up more high scoring than you think, but Vandy takes it.

SELA at Ole Miss, CSS, 7:30 ET: there's no reason to watch this bloodbath unless you're a Rebel fan.

Honorable Mentions

The televised night games all suck, so I won't even go so far as to call one the "best game." The only one between two Big Six teams is Kansas State at UCLA, but that's not even remotely interesting. If you need football to be on your TV, go with Hawai'i at UNLV (MTN/CBS College Sports) at 11:00 ET, because James Bates is calling the game and he's a hoot.

Don't Bet On It!: Around the SEC

T Kyle King — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 01:59:15 -0000

My 5-0 record in last week’s conference picks brought my season-long ledger to 15-1, which might be taken as a sign of skill on my part. The more likely explanation is that league teams have been playing patsies and even a broken clock is right twice a day, so I would caution you, as always: Don’t Bet On It!

Here are this week’s SEC games:

North Texas Mean Green at Alabama Crimson Tide: Typically, I start each week’s set of conference prognostications with the weakest game involving a league team, and this one certainly qualifies. Yes, Ole Miss is playing a Division I-AA opponent, but the Red Elephants apparently are taking on the fictitious team from "Necessary Roughness," and I’m pretty sure both Sinbad and Scott Bakula have exhausted their eligibility by now. Unless Kathy Ireland is going to boot more field goals this week than Spencer Lanning, I think ’Bama is the way to go here.

Southeastern Louisiana Lions at Mississippi Rebels: Walk me through the math on this one, folks. Ole Miss opens the season on a Sunday with a September 6 road trip to Memphis, takes the following week off, hosts a team that is a second-tier wannabe even by Pelican State standards (which is saying something) following said open date, then travels to South Carolina for a Thursday night date in Columbia on September 24. The fellow in charge of the Rebs’ scheduling is doing his job approximately as well as Kyle MacLachlan’s agent was when he committed his client to appear in "Showgirls." Mississippi will win but will be unable to justify having played this game in the first place.

Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns at LSU Tigers: This weekend, Baton Rouge will play host to the Ragin’ Cajuns. How is that statement not redundant? I have been increasingly less impressed with the Bayou Bengals, but do you believe ULaLa is going to beat BCS conference opponents on back-to-back weekends? Me, neither. Louisiana State may win ugly, but win the Fighting Tigers will. (I don’t know what it is with me lately. First, I sounded like Bilbo Baggins at his birthday party; then, in the last sentence prior to this parenthetical aside, sounded like Yoda I did.)

Florida Atlantic Owls at South Carolina Gamecocks: If Mike Slive agreed to host a black-tie fundraiser for the Sun Belt Conference, would that enable SEC teams to get out of scheduling crummy games like this one? Even the name of their conference recalls images from the ‘70s of leisure suits and wide white belts and wider neckties and collars the size and shape of Ginsu knives, of retirees boasting leathery tans hitting the highways in RVs while inspiring some of Tom Wolfe’s most prescient essays and some of Walker Percy’s most dated ones. I’m for booting every last sad sack one of them right back down to Division I-AA where they belong and declaring a league-wide moratorium on scheduling any of them. Until that great day arrives, though, games like this battle of the birds are going to continue, alas, and this particular avian affray will go to the team whose mascot has razor-sharp spurs on his heels as the Gamecocks demonstrate that the Owls are not what they seem.

Mississippi St. Bulldogs at Vanderbilt Commodores: The gap between these two teams is huge. I am, of course, referring to SAT scores; athletically, this should be a pretty competitive game. As reclamation projects go, Vandy is farther along under Bobby Johnson than MSU is under Dan Mullen, so I’m giving the edge to the home team as the ’Dores host the ‘Dogs.

Louisville Cardinals at Kentucky Wildcats: These in-state rivals took a 70-year break from playing one another between 1924 and 1994. Really, wasn’t that for the best for all concerned? Honestly, it’s all right with the rest of us if both of these fan bases stop pretending they care about football. Still, if they insist upon playing this game (if only to distract themselves from Rick Pitino’s and John Calipari’s various ways of getting caught cheating), you should be forewarned that Kentucky is going to emerge victorious.

West Virginia Mountaineers at Auburn Tigers: As I understand it, this game was arranged as part of a promotional campaign. The first 25,000 fans to show up with a marriage license and a pair of birth certificates to prove they’re married to their cousins get in free. The last time this many inbred hillbillies got together in one place, Burt Reynolds and Ronny Cox had to save Ned Beatty’s behind . . . literally. Although both teams are shadows of their former selves, the game is being played in the so-called Loveliest Village (which, to be fair, probably looks lovely to someone from Morgantown), so I’m going with the Plainsmen.

Tennessee Volunteers at Florida Gators: If you’re reading this, I’m pretty sure you’ve already read this, but, if you haven’t, go read it, because it’s all the reason you would ever need to know that the Sunshine State Saurians are going to win this game and cover the point spread. I have enough faith in the fundamental order of the universe to believe that, in the end, Good will triumph over Evil, but, in the meantime, Evil will triumph over Dumbass.

These, at any rate, are the outcomes that seem probable to me, so I should hasten to add that, my early season success notwithstanding, I am bad at forecasting football games, which is why I invariably add a disclaimer which I would urge you to heed: Don’t Bet On It!

Coming Soon: National Games of Interest.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Mid-Major College Football Week 2: Rocks, Papers, Scissors

umass09 — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:18:09 -0000

Rocks: Brandon West, RB, Western Michigan

The Broncos suffered a tough loss to Indiana this past Saturday 23-19. The offense was decent, but Brandon West averaged 2.4 yards per carry and finished with 36 yards on the ground. West didn't even find the end zone and against a team like the Hoosiers who rank 7th in the Big 10 in total defense, the Broncos should have had more success on the ground.

Paper: Ricky Bustle, HC, Louisiana-Lafayette

Although it could be easy to give this to Kevin Sumlin, of Houston or Butch Jones at Central Michigan, there has to be some recognition for the Sun Belt conference and Louisiana-Lafayette Rajin Cajuns. Ricky Bustle led his team to a 17-15 win over Big 12 foe, Kansas State Wildcats on the road. They were down early on, but then jumped out to a 14-3 lead at half. Late in the fourth quarter, KSU came back to go up 15-14 and then with less then a minute left, the ULL, kicked the game-winning field goal to solidify a 17-15 victory of KSU.

Scissors: Tie between Case Keenum, QB, Houston and Dan LeFevour, QB, Central Michigan

Both quarterbacks took their teams into hostile environments and came away with huge wins.

Keenum brought the Cougars into Stillwater, OK and won by double digits 45-35 over the Cowboys. He went 32-46, 366 passing yards and three touchdowns. Keenum also added 16 yards on the ground and one rushing touchdown. This was the first time in over 20 years that the Cougars have beat a Top 5 team.

LeFevour narrowly escaped a victory in East Lansing as Central Michigan beat Michigan State 29-27. Similar numbers to Keenum, LeFevour went 33-46, 328 yards through the air and three touchdowns. He brought his team within one point with under a minute left in the game with an 11-yard touchdown pass which led to the successful onside kick and game-winning field goal. He also became the Mid American Conference all-time leader in total offense.

Around the Country, LSU Style: Week 2

Richard Pittman — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 11:36:23 -0000

Unfortunately, there are no mid-week SEC games this time around, so our week is encompassed entirely within the calendar day of Saturday unless a game goes really long. Also, a number of SEC teams are taking a break this week, including Ole Miss. Anyway, the out of conference games of interest to LSU this week:

Washington vs. Idaho: It sure would be embarrassing if Washington followed up its strong performance against us by laying an egg against the Vandals. I bet anything that Poseur listens to "Holiday in Cambodia" in honor of this game being played. Game time is 2:30pm, no television.

Louisiana Tech vs. Navy: I wonder if this one is on CBSCollegeSports. They often show the service academies. The Bulldogs were not as tough against Auburn as a lot of people hoped, and Navy played Ohio State surprisingly well, not going away until a botched two-point conversion led to 2 points for Ohio State late in the game. I would like to see Derek Dooley's team bounce back, but not become so good as to challenge us.

Louisiana-Layette vs. Kansas State: Talk about a step up in competition. The Ragin' Cajuns took on a SWAC team last week, and they get a Big 12 team this week. If their performance against Southern is any indication, they are quite overmatched. Again, no television.

Tulane vs. BYU, ESPN2, 2:30pm: The premier OOC game of specific interest to LSU fans. BYU is coming off a huge win over Oklahoma. Can lowly Tulane take advantage of the potential let-down? ESPN2 is sure glad they got this game now that BYU is getting national attention. If Tulane's performance against Tulsa is any indication, it's going to be very difficult for them.

SEC Matchups After the Jump:

Troy @ Florida, 11:21am, Neuvo Jefferson-Pilot: While I don't think anyone thought Troy would be an even match for Florida, you would have at least put this matchup into the "mildly interesting" pile before the season started. Then the season started, and Troy got manhandled by Bowling Green by a score of 31-13. Bowling Green is not Florida. It's hard to see how Troy can keep up with Florida, which of course pains me to say.

Mississippi State @ Auburn, 6:00pm, Fox Sports Net: Again in an unfortunate turn of events, the televised SEC game in the midafternoon involves Tennessee, who is not among our teams to watch this year, as we do not play them. So, in the midafternoon you can either watch Tulane get pounded by BYU or you can watch Tennessee play UCLA. I'll probably switch back and forth until one or the other is a blowout. This game, Mississippi State versus Auburn, is actually a pretty interesting game. Both teams have new coaching staffs and have installed new and supposedly exciting offenses, both of which put up a lot of yards and points last week. Plus, we play both of these teams, including a tilt in just a couple weeks with Mississippi State. Seeing each of these offenses go up against an SEC defense would be a real learning experience. Unfortunately this game starts at the same time as our game against Vandy, so forget it. Maybe I can catch it on a replay.

South Carolina @ Georgia, 6:00pm, ESPN2: This one is on after the Tulane vs. BYU matchup. Obviously the storyline here is that Georgia has to rebound from a disappointing loss. It will not be simple, as the Gamecocks can really play defense. But so can Georgia, and Georgia can play a little offense too. We don't have any evidence that South Carolina can do that yet. I think Georgia is ripe for another upset, but I'm not sure South Carolina is the team that can do it. Obviously, an 0-2 start would be devastating for the 2009 Georgia team. I would like to see if the USC offensive line can get any kind of a push against the Georgia front seven, which they will need to do in order to have a chance to win. Stephen Garcia will also have to play better against Georgia than he did against NC State. We'll see. Again, unfortunately, this game starts at the same time as LSU's tilt against the Commies. Can't wait to see Rece Davis show us the highlights, as long as we don't miss our own highlights in the process again.

Florida International @ Bama, 6:00pm, no television: Would you believe, FIU did not play in week 1? They chose the opening week of the season for their bye week. That sounds phenomenally stupid. Anyway, nothing to see here.

Around the Football World, LSU Edition: Week 1

Richard Pittman — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 17:47:00 -0000

by Sue Ogrocki - AP

3 months ago: Oklahoma State's Dez Bryant dives into the end zone with a touchdown against Georgia during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

View full size photo »

Even though it was the first week of the season, a handful of future LSU opponents played teams with a pulse, and there are some other things to say about the other teams.

In the SEC, there were two pretty big bits of news. First, Georgia lost to Oklahoma State, 24-10, and didn't look particularly good in the process. To make matters worse, their starting left tackle was lost for the year with another knee injury. I was bullish on Georgia before this, and needless to say, I am no longer bullish. The story of this game was the turnovers. Georgia committed 3 of them, while OSU did not commit any. Oklahoma State scored 10 points off of those turnovers, both on short fields. Oklahoma State also outgained Georgia, though both defenses played well. Georgia only allowed 307 yards of offense. A.J. Green was held in check, catching only 4 passes for only 52 yards. No one really stepped up to replace Knowshon Moreno's ground game. This was an important game for Georgia, as they were out to prove that the doubters were wrong, but they couldn't do it.

Gene Chizik and, in particular, Gus Malzahn announced their presence in the SEC with authority, as Auburn whipped up on a Louisiana Tech team that many thought might pull an upset. The passing game was good, but the ground game dominated, as two different Auburn running backs went for over 100 yards, including true freshman Onterrio McCalebb. Auburn had over 500 yards of offense. Louisiana Tech receiver Phillip Livas was not really a factor, though I still wish we had him on our roster. Sadly, I didn't watch any of this game because I was busy cooking gumbo. I can't really say much about it, unfortunately. Still, it's a pretty impressive stat line. Auburn is starting to look like a formidable opponent.

One other SEC team played an opponent with a pulse, as Alabama wore out Virginia Tech early and beat them late, eventually winning 34-24. It went pretty much as expected, as Alabama used a strong running game and OK passing to run up a few points, while the defense clamped down on the Virginia Tech offense. If not for an early kickoff return for a touchdown, this would not have been a particularly close game. Still, Virginia Tech took a lead to halftime, but couldn't get anything going after that, though it was still a contest until Alabama scored a clinching touchdown with under 3 minutes to play. Mark Ingram made a case to be named ATVS SEC Offensive Speed Position Player of the Week by racking up 150 yards rushing and scored the clinching touchdown on a swing pass out of the backfield. Alabama clearly had the most impressive debut of any of our future opponents, when you take into account the quality of competition.

Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, and Florida all played patsies and none of them had any trouble or suffered any significant injuries as far as I've heard.

Outside of the conference, future LSU opponents Louisiana-Lafayette and Tulane were in action. ULL beat Southern University 42-19, but they gave up a lot of yards to a SWAC team. They gave up over 8 yards per pass attempt and gave up pretty good points, though they were certainly never in danger of losing. This is a game that does not exactly announce ULL as a difficult opponent.

Tulane was blown out by Tulsa and appeared to be badly overmatched the entire game. They do not appear to have the line play to keep up with a good team, but I was pretty impressed with Tulane's running back and their #1 wideout, Jeremy Williams, who made some big plays.

It was a good first week, as first weeks go. Still, coming weeks will tell us a lot more.

2009 MidMajorMadness Sun Belt Conference Preview

aGent37 — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:00:12 -0000

The Sun Belt has made significant strides over the past few years in terms of its competitiveness over other conferences, especially ones in the BCS. Last season FAU beat Central Michigan, Arkansas State was victorious over Texas A&M and MTSU beat Maryland. Troy also was very competitive against Ohio State and LSU, but was not able to close out.

The conference will get another opportunity this season to show that they can compete at a high level. Sun Belt teams face off against the likes of Nebraska, Alabama, Rutgers, Clemson, Florida and LSU in 09. Tough out of conference schedules define the Sun Belt, but to gain some respect [and pay bills], you must play the best.

The 2009 Sun Belt conference can be summed up in one sentence: The Trojans of Troy and the 8 dwarfs. No team in the league seems to have the capability of challenging Troy for its 4^th straight conference title, but that being said FAU and MTSU will have should have decent seasons and be bowl eligible.

What team will be the biggest surprise in 2009?

The biggest surprise in the conference might be Middle Tennessee State. It is clear that Troy will be at the top and FAU will have a solid season, but the Blue Raiders could be the conference's sleeper team. They enter the 2009 season with plenty of talent, experience and depth. The entire starting offense is returning from last season, which is good news for MTSU. The only question mark is quarterback Dwight Dasher. He needs to play up to his potential

and be consistent if the Blue Raiders are to have a successful season on offense.

The defense also has veteran talent returning in 2009. They return seven starters on defense including lineman, Dwight Smith. Smith recorded 30 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss last season. The line needs to continue to get pressure up front, especially more pressure on the quarterback. Although the secondary might be considered undersized, they possess as much talent as any other team in the league, including fantastic speed and depth. They return four starters from last season including the leader at free safety, Jeremy Kellem. Kellem had 72 tackles, two interceptions and a sack last season. The secondary should be one of the stronger ones in the conference and has the talent to make some game changing plays.

The Blue Raiders should be able to reach .500 and be bowl eligible. If MTSU can steal a game, look for them to make a push to be a top the conference.

What player if lost will impact the team the most?

It is without question that the FAU Owls would be devastated if they lost their veteran senior quarterback, Rusty Smith. Smith is a candidate for Sun Belt Player of the Year and has plenty of weapons surrounding him. A true leader in every sense of the word, Smith has shown to have all the tools to be a great college and possibly even NFL quarterback. He has thrown for over 3,000 yards and more than 20 touchdowns the past two seasons.

With talks about the Owls making a push for the Sun Belt title, they need Smith to stay healthy. Behind him they junior Jeff VanCamp and red shirt freshman Graham Wilbert, neither of which have a ton of experience. Although Wilbert might be the future, if the Owls want to compete this year, Smith must be healthy and productive.

Does a team from the Sun Belt make a BCS game?

Although the Sun Belt teams have made improvements over the past few years on their talent and playing at a higher level of competition, they are still not close to having their names mentioned in the BCS talks. Troy may have a decent chance at a double-digit win season, but you will be hard pressed to see them playing in a BCS game this season. Even though their out of conference schedule is impressive, the weakness of their in conference games will leave their RPI wanting every time... even if they go undefeated.

What Sun Belt team has the opportunity of beating a team from one of the major 6 conferences?

In the past Sun Belt teams have given some of the major conferences a tough time. This season there are a few games that could end up in a Sun Belt teams favor including Troy's trip into SEC country when they play Arkansas in the middle of November. Arkansas is coming off a 5-7 season, lost their starting quarterback and finished last in the SEC in total defense. If Troy can take advantage of the inconsistent play of the defense, the Trojans might be victorious.

We might also see a repeat of last year's performance between Maryland and MTSU. This year the game is at Maryland and the Terrapins showed last year that they are inconsistent. They lose seven starters on defense and a few key players on the offensive line. With the experience returning at MTSU and a solid defense, the Blue Raiders might have the Terrapins number again in 2009.

Poll

Troy 10-2

Florida Atlantic University 7-5

Middle Tennessee State University 6-6

Arkansas State 5-7

North Texas 4-8

UL Lafayette 4-8

FIU 4-8

UL -Monroe 3-9

Western Kentucky 2-10