Bleacher Report - Articles by Victor Anderson

College Football Picks to Click: Week Two Recap

Victor Anderson — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 05:39:46 -0400

While Week Two of the college football season saw Ohio State struggle with Ohio University and Notre Dame nearly lose to a team who lost to a FCS opponent, it wasn't like my picks to click did any better.

Don't get me wrong: 6-4 is a pretty good start all things considered, but if not for Big East officiating, lack of manhood (WVU-ECU), and questionable picks (Oregon State/Penn State), I could have been 9-1. On the other hand, if it wasn't for Pac-10 officiating (Washington/BYU) and Sam Swank's foot (Wake Forest/Ole Miss), I could be 4-6.

Here is how my picks to click broke down.

Canes @ Gators

P2C—Gators; Winner—Gators, 26-3

Tebow and his crew had a little bit more than they could handle from the young Cane squad before special teams and Percy Harvin took over in the second half. Very quietly, the Gators defense has been solid heading into their matchup with Tennessee in two weeks. Meanwhile, Miami looks to bounce back against an inconsistent Texas A&M squad.

West Virginia @ East Carolina

P2C—WVU; Winner—East Carolina, 24-3

To quote Britney Spears, "Oops, I Did It Again." For the second straight week, I thought that East Carolina would pull the upset, yet I didn't pull the trigger on the pick.

Skip Holtz and his bunch have now entered the BCS buster conversation with back-to-back wins over ranked teams to start the season (three straight overall if you include their Hawaii Bowl victory over Boise State) and a No. 14 ranking.

Two questions now come out of this game: Can East Carolina handle the pressure of being the hunted? Has the game plan to beat West Virginia been revealed? Only time will tell.

USF @ UCF

P2C—UCF; Result—USF, 31-24 OT

It's a shame this rivalry won't continue since USF would rather get easy wins over directional schools than play teams inside their own state. BTW, someone tell the Bulls special teams that kicking to Joe Burnett was just as bad as the officiating in the game.

Oregon State @ Penn State

P2C—Oregon State; Result—Penn State

Simply put: WHOOPS!!!

Cincinnati @ Oklahoma

P2C—OU; Winner—OU

Ole Miss @ Wake Forest

P2C—Wake Forest; Winner—Wake Forest

BYU @ Washington

P2C—BYU; Winner—BYU

Did the refs make the right call according to the rule? Yes.

Should they have made the call? No.

Navy @ Ball State

P2C—Navy; Winner—Ball State

Stanford @ Arizona State

P2C—ASU; Winner—ASU

Texas Tech @ Nevada

P2C—Texas Tech; Winner—Texas Tech

Not too bad for my first round-up. Stay glued on Friday for my next college football picks to click.

College Football Picks to Click (Week 2)

Victor Anderson — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 10:47:41 -0400

I know Lisa has her little pick'em article (which rocks btw if you haven't read it), but I figure I might as well give it a shot and do some picks of my own.

This Saturday is a sandwich week in college football with opening week a memory and a huge weekend of games next week.

Nothing really to get excited about as far as TV games, but I did manage to pick a few out of the bunch. And away we go.

Miami (FL) at No. 5 Florida

How would you like to make your first start EVER on the road...at night...IN THE SWAMP...versus reigning Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow?

That's how the Robert Marve era will begin on Saturday. Good luck Robert; you'll need it, a few acts of God and a couple of miracles and THAT might not be enough.

Gators 38, Canes 24

Cincinnati at No. 4 Oklahoma

Sam Bradford and the Sooners better not sleep on the Bearcats this week as they return nine starters to a team that led the Big East in turnovers last season.

Having said that, their offense will not see a team with the speed, size, power, and overall talent level like Oklahoma until possibly their game against USF. Consider this another tune-up for Boomer Sooner.

Sooners 45, Bearcats 10

No. 8 West Virginia at East Carolina

The good news for East Carolina: They knocked off Virginia Tech last week for the biggest win in the Skip Holtz era. The bad news: They knocked off Virginia Tech last week for the biggest win in the Skip Holtz era.

While the win was huge for the Pirates, they also may have made the Mountaineers more aware of them heading into this match-up.

While Pat White and his five touchdown passing performance might signal he'll turn into Graham Herrell, he and backfield mate Noel Devine will give the Pirates fits all day. It'll be close, but WVU gets the duke.

Mountaineers 34, Pirates 27

Upset Special: Oregon State 27, No. 19 Penn State 21 (Beavers playing in Beaver Stadium = KARMA)

Upset Special #2: UCF 24, No. 17 USF 21 (No way the Knights let USF punk them like last season)

No. 24 Wake Forest 31, Ole Miss 21

No. 15 BYU, 45 Washington 21

Navy 45, Ball State 42 (If you love a clash of styles and have nothing to do tonight, then watch this game)

No. 15 Arizona State 41, Stanford 21 (Hey, if Hardbaugh can win at.....NAH, NO WAY)

Texas Tech 54, Nevada 45 (A pistol can only do so much against a six-shooter)

I'll be back on Monday to review my picks (and probably kick myself in the process) and give you my All-Anderson performers.

NFL Picks To Click: Week One

Victor Anderson — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 06:37:55 -0400

We are less than eight hours away from the start of the 2008 NFL season, which means it's time to begin our quest (or in some cases, futile attempts) to out-pick the experts.

Every week, I'll make my picks for each game and give you my upset special. No Caliendo impersonations needed here, although a weather report with Wendy Nix or Molly Qerim wouldn't be bad.

So, without any further ado, here are the Week One picks to click in the NFL.

Thursday

Redskins at Giants

The Super Bowl champs head into this one with all of the questions coming on the defensive side of the ball for once. No Strahan (retirement), no Osi (out for the season), no problem in my book. Justin Tuck and the rest of the Big-Blue D will make life miserable for Jason Campbell and the new-look 'Skins at home. Look for a big game from Kevin Boss, as he begins life without Shockey. Giants 24 Skins 14

Sunday

Jets at Dolphins

Jet Favre and his Gang Green head to South Beach to start the season against the man he ran out of town. Chad Pennington would love nothing more than to get revenge on the Jets, but considering how it might turn out to be a de facto home game in Dolphins Stadium, gotta go with the J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!!! Jets 17 Dolphins 14

Upset Special: Bengals at Ravens

The Joe Flacco era begins against a Bengal defense that played more like kittens last year. The matchup to watch will be the mind games between Chad Ocho Cinco (or Johnson, whatever you prefer) and Ray Lewis.

We all remember last season, when Chad scored his first TD of the season against these same Ravens and broke out the Hall of Fame jacket. What Ocho Cinco does for an encore won't matter, as the Ravens will do enough to get the victory for debut Head Coach John Harbaugh in my upset special for the week. Ravens 24 Bengals 17

Game of the Day: Cowboys @ Browns

When was the last time you heard a Cleveland Browns fan be optimistic about their team heading into a season? (Sorry, false hope not applicable here.) That's how close Romeo Crennell and his Dawgs are to being a playoff team, but they get tested in Week One against America's Team.

With the bitter taste of last season's Divisional Round heartache still lingering, Romo, T.O, and the gang will be ready to feast on a Browns defense that looks improved, but has yet to be tested.

This game will also mark the debut of Marion Barber as the feature back for Big D, but expect to see first-round pick Felix Jones get some touches in the backfield and on special teams. In the end, it will be too much for the Browns to overcome. Cowboys 31 Browns 21

Patriots 38 Chiefs 10 (Provided Brady is healthy and can throw it to #81.)

Steelers 27 Texans 24 (Don't sleep on Kubiak and his young Texas bunch.)

Jags 34 Titans 14 (Playing with heavy hearts will inspire Del Rio's crew.)

Detroit 42 Falcons 17 (Matt Ryan era begins with a thud at home.)

Seahawks 35 Bills 24 (Holmgren's swan-song season starts with road victory.)

Saints 27 Bucs 17 (Saints will have city depending on them again, and they will deliver.)

Rams 27 Eagles 21 (Healthy Marc Bulger plus Al Saunders equals resurgence for Rams.)

Chargers 27 Panthers 17 (Stewart/Williams combo won't equal Tomlinson.)

Cardinals 28 49ers 10 (Warner makes Whisenhunt look smart for making him the starter.)

Sunday Night Football: Colts 27 Bears 7 (If the coin I flipped landed tails, the Bears would be shut out.)

Monday Night Football Part 1: Vikings 24 Packers 21 (Rogers has showing, but Peterson and Taylor will be too much in a close victory.)

Monday Night Football Part 2: Raiders 27 Broncos 24 (The McFadden Era begins on Monday night, and I expect the rookie to shine as the Raiders knock off Denver.)

More You Might Be A College Football Fan-atic If...

Victor Anderson — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 05:41:47 -0400

Someone asks you about the four faces of Mt. Rushmore and you say, "Paterno, Bowden, Rockne, and Osbourne."

Asked to sing the theme song from Rocky, you start singing Rocky Top.

You wreck your car and use the insurance money to get tickets for the bowl game.

A co-worker makes a point and you make your objection by waving a pencil in their face and saying, "Not so fast my friend!"

You refuse to get gas in the state of your rival and rather push your car across the state line (OSU/Michigan fans know this one pretty well).

You have ever said the following things to a fan of a school:

What is Tulsa backwards?

You can't spell citrus without UT.

You've called in sick from work just to get in line for tickets for the conference championship game.

You've ever had a craving for your opponent's school mascot for a meal.

You mute the TV anytime Holly Rowe speaks, but you make everyone else shut up when either Erin Andrews, Stacy Dales, Bonnie Bernstein, or Lisa Salters says something on camera (sorry Tracy Wolfson fans).

As usual, I am open to more thoughts, ideas, and your own signs of fanaticism.

You Might Be A College Football Fanatic When....

Victor Anderson — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 05:45:15 -0400

Your school fight song is your ringtone

You rather be single and lonely than date the hottest girl from your arch nemesis

Someone tells you to dot your I's and you suddenly start high-stepping like you're a Tuba player at THE Ohio State

You know every word to your school's fight song, but don't know a word to your wedding song

Every time your team wins, you cover your front room with toilet paper

Every time you speak of your rival, you either don't mention them by name, or you refer to them as "That team up/down (insert direction)"

You know who the play-by-play man is for your school better than your co-workers

You kiss your wife/girlfriend/date/significant other every time your team scores....IN ANYTHING!!!!

That's all I can think of for now. If you guys have any more you want to add, feel free to add them on and I'll make some more during the season.

College Football's All-Anderson Team (Week 1)

Victor Anderson — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 05:31:20 -0400

While the opening week of the 2008 season didn't provide us with the earth-shattering upset 07 gave us (unless you're Pitt, Texas A&M, or Michigan), it still gave us some memorable individual and team performances.

It's time for us to recognize the dominant performers for the first week of the season with the first edition of the All-Anderson Team.

Now you're wondering what is the criteria to be considered All-Anderson. Well, it's pretty simple: Work ethic, maximizing your talent, making all the plays, and being the best at what you do.

So, with all due to respect to the Dating Game; HEERRRRRRRREEEEEEEEE THEY ARE....

QB: Juice Williams of Illinois (26-for-42, 451 yards, 5 TD, 2 INT)

For a guy who was known more as a run-first QB, Juice Williams had another breakout game in the loss to Missouri in the Arch Rivalry game in St. Louis.

While some of the credit should be given to the Tiger secondary for their less-than-stellar performance, Juice set career highs in completions, passing yards, and touchdowns.

He single-handedly kept the Illini in the game after being down 31-13 at halftime. If he can find a decent running attack behind him, the Juice could be on the loose once again.

Honorable Mention: Chase Daniel, Kevin Craft (2nd half only), John Parker Wilson

RB: Ryan Matthews of Fresno State (26 carries, 163 yards, 3 TD)

As a freshman last season, Matthews had 13 scores, and he looks like he's well on his way to continuing that after his performance against Rutgers.

The Scarlet Knights had no answer for him during the second half, and Badger fans had better be ready for Matthews this Saturday in what many are calling the biggest game in Bulldog history.

RB: Shun White of Navy (19 carries, 348 yards, 3 TD)

I don't care if its FCS opponent Towson State. If you break your school's single-game rushing record by 50 yards and AVERAGE 18.3 YPC doing it, that's automatic All-Anderson membership.

Honorable Mention: Damion Fletcher

WR: Will Judson of Illinois (4 receptions, 122 yards, 2 TD)

For someone to equal his season total in receptions in his first game as a starter, that man deserves some All-Anderson love. Judson was the recipient of two of fellow AA QB Juice Williams' 5 TD's in their loss to Mizzou. Not bad for a guy who came into the game with 11 total receptions.

WR: Shane Morales of Oregon State (13 receptions, 151 yards, 1 TD)

See Will Judson from Illinois, PLUS Morales scored his first career touchdown in the 36-28 loss to Stanford. His performance was overshadowed by the return of Beaver standout WR Sammie Stroughter (12-157-2), but he gives Coach Riley a nice 1-2 punch in Corvallis, which could get them back in the top four in the Pac-10.

Honorable Mention: Stroughter, Dennis Pitta, Dezmon Briscoe

Offensive Line: Mizzou

Team Defense: Alabama

All the hype heading into the Alabama-Clemson game was about the duo of James Davis and CJ Spiller. Someone forgot to tell Nick Saban and his Tide D about the part where they roll over and lay down like a red carpet.

Minus a 93-yard kickoff return by Spiller to start the second half, Alabama held the potent backfield to a combined 15 yards rushing in their victory. Look out SEC, the Tide might be back a year earlier than you think.

Coach (tie): Skip Holtz and Rick Neuheisel

One coach began the process of restoring the glory days of his alma mater, while the other began his quest to become a BCS-buster.

You can't deny East Carolina is one of the favorites in Conference USA, but their win over No. 17 Virginia Tech and a shot at No. 5 West Virginia this week has some people in Greenville think more than just C-USA Title.

As for UCLA, give QB Kevin Craft a ton of credit for maintaining his poise after being picked off four times in the first half against No. 18 Tennessee (the final one returned for a TD) and leading the Bruins to a 27-24 victory.

Team: Arkansas State

You just don't walk into Kyle Field, the home of the 12th Man, and expect to get a victory. Apparently you do if you're Arkansas State.

Playing their first game with their new nickname, the Red Wolves marched into College Station and ruined Mike Sherman's Aggie debut, 18-14. This marks the second straight season a Sun Belt team went on the road to beat a BCS (remember Nick Saban's Pearl Harbor comparison when his Tide lost ON HOMECOMING to Louisiana-Monroe last year)

Stay tuned each Monday for the All-Anderson team...

College World Series Preview: Part 4

Victor Anderson — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 06:15:24 -0400

Today begins the 2008 College World Series, so we're gonna make this final part short and to the point.

In this preview, we take a look at one team with a ton of history in Omaha and another that has no business being here.

LSU Tigers

(48-17-1, #7 National Seed, 14th CWS Appearance, 5 National Championships)]

Goodbye Alex Box, Hello Omaha!!!! That was the headline as the Tigers ended their era at Alex Box Stadium by rolling over UC-Irvine in Game 3 of their Super Regional match-up 21-7.

After missing the NCAA Tournament last season, the Bayou Bengals are back in Omaha for the first time since 2004 and they are back to their "Gorilla Ball" hitting ways. By the way, if any LSU fan would like to inform me on what that means, please let me know.

As I was saying, the Tigers are a threat to put up 10 runs in an inning at any time with their powerful lineup, led by Blake Dean (.359 BA, 20 HR, 70 RBI) and Matt Clark (.347, 26, 61). Keep an eye out for Ryan Schimpf (.321, 12, 54) and D.J. LeMahieu (.340, 6, 42) who will be asked to provide some depth in the lineup if their two big boppers hit a funk.

As a team, LSU has 97 home runs and 144 doubles on the season (maybe that's what they mean by Gorilla Ball), but they also have 92 steals on the season.

Pitching-wise, LSU doesn't ask for much when it comes to their staff; just protect the lead that offense gives them.

Ryan Verdugo (9-3, 3.90 ERA) and Jared Bradford (10-4, 4.50, 5 Saves) head up their starting staff, with Blake Martin and Jordan Brown also providing strong numbers, as they are a combined 10-2.

Bradford also doubles as their closer, along with Daniel Bradshaw (4-5, 4.12, 4 Saves), who has been solid in their last 10+ innings of work versus the Anteaters. They will need more of the same if they want to knock off the Heels later on today.

Fresno State Bulldogs

(42-29, WAC Tournament Champions, 1st CWS since 1991, 1st 4th Regional Seed to make CWS under current format)

Every year, there's always that one team that makes it to Omaha and you say "How did THEY get here?" Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Fresno State Bulldogs.

A team who many figured at the start of the tournament would be 2-n-BBQ are now one of the last eight teams playing in Omaha. The Bulldogs are coming off what may be the biggest upset in college baseball history as they knocked off No. 3 national seed Arizona State 12-9 in their winner-take-all showdown in Tempe.

While the Bulldogs may not have the offensive firepower of Miami and LSU or the pitching proficiency of UNC and Rice, they have nothing to lose in this spot.

The heart and soul of their team is OF Steve Susdorf (.345 BA, 11 HR, 81 RBI), who stayed in school for his senior season after being drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 2007 MLB Draft.

The offensive sparkplugs of this team are Alam Ahmady (.384, 12, 84) and Tony Mendonca (.282, 15, 59) who lead a Fresno State offense that won't wow you with their power, but does the little things well to win baseball games.

The pitching staff has had to battle throughout, since they lost ace Tanner Scheppers to a shoulder injury in mid-May.

Brandon Burke (4-5, 3.15 ERA, 12 Saves), Clayton Allison, Justin Wilson, Holden Sprague and Justin Miller (combined 21-15) have filled the void in his absence en route to Omaha. If I were Rice, I remember; A dog with nothing to lose is a very dangerous dog.

Predictions

At the start of tournament, I said that it would be Miami and Arizona State in the CWS Championship Series, but with them out, I'll plug in LSU in their place. However, when it's all said and done, the Hurricanes led by Blake Tekotte (my pick for CWS Most Outstanding Player) will win their third national title under Jim Morris in a thrilling three-game series and get payback for Warren Morris.

College Football: Who Will Be This Year's Kansas? (Part 1)

Victor Anderson — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 10:56:15 -0400

Every year in college football, you have a team come out of nowhere to make noise and shake up the Saturday landscape. In 2007, the Kansas Jayhawks came out of nowhere—and I literally mean NOWHERE—to win 12 games and the FedEx Orange Bowl.

While I highly doubt they can duplicate that performance, there are several other teams lying in the weeds who can make a statement this college football season. Here is who I think can make a sudden impact in '08:

Texas Tech

It's not very often that a sophomore wide receiver is mentioned as a Heisman candidate. Then again, Red Raider WR Michael Crabtree isn't your ordinary sophomore WR.

After leading the nation in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdown his freshman year, all secondaries will focus their attention on No. 5.

That's where senior Eric Morris comes in—to pick up where Danny Amendola left off as the No. 2 receiver in Mike Leech's "Air Raid" Offense.

Of course, it helps when a senior signal caller like Graham Harrell is protected by an experienced offensive line led by Rylan Reed.

The two questions for the Red Raiders continue to be: Can Texas Tech play defense: and can they win the big game?

The good news is that they get Texas and Oklahoma State at home. The bad news is that they travel to Norman to face a Sooner team hell-bent on revenge after a 34-27 upset last season.

They could very well start the season 6-0 when they entertain Nebraska on October 11th—but if the D doesn't come through, they could end the season 6-6 very easily. Trips to Kansas and Texas A&M come before the Texas/Oklahoma State/Oklahoma swing.

Indiana

Perhaps the most inspirational story of the 2007 season was the Hooisers fulfilling the promise made by late Coach Terry Heppner of "Play 13," and making it to a bowl game for the first time in 14 years.

This season might be an encore of that success. With no Ohio State or Michigan on their schedule, an 6-0 start could be in the works for now-permanent head coach Bill Lynch and his Hoosiers.

But that will be tough, after losing stud WR James Hardy and CB duo Tracy Porter and Leslie Majors to graduation.

QB Kellen Lewis Jr. will look to carry Indiana with his arm and his legs this season (3,779 total yards, 37 total tds in 2007). But Lewis needs RB Marcus Thigpen to establish the ground game, and the receiving corps to fill the void left by Hardy's departure, for the Hoosiers to make a repeat performance in the postseason.

If 2007 was inspirational, what would 2008 be if the Hoosier could duplicate the Jayhawks' miracle season a year ago?

More to come....