Bleacher Report - Articles by Ross Crawford

Who Has the Edge: Vince Young Or Tim Tebow?

Ross Crawford — Sun, 10 May 2009 20:26:36 -0400

Who is the better college football player, Vince Young or Tim Tebow?

Statistics—Although Vince Young has some ridiculous numbers; Tebow is the first player ever with 20 passing TD's and 20 rushing TD's in the same year. Edge: Tebow

Hardware—Vince never won the Heisman Trophy, although if the Reggie Bush investigation continues, he may yet get one. He almost certainly would have one had he stayed his senior year. However, Tebow actually won it. Edge: Tebow

Championship Performance—Not even close. Young played the USC Trojans, winners of 34 straight and two straight championships. Tebow played the Oklahoma Sooners, who had lost just that season. Young threw for more yards, ran for more yards, and ran for more touchdowns. Tebow threw two interceptions compared to Young's zero. Young made quite possibly the greatest play in college football history with his 4th and 5 touchdown run to seal the championship. Sorry, Tim. Edge: Young

Regular Season Performance—Tebow lost three games in the 2007 regular season. That’s one more game than Young lost in all of his regular seasons. Edge: Young

Regular Season Crunch Time Performance—Tebow: 4th and 1, at home vs. Ole Miss. Didn't get it. Young: 4th and 18, on the road vs. Kansas. Got it. Edge: Young

Off the Field—This is barely worth discussing. Tebow spends his summers helping circumcise illiterate Filipinos, while Young spends his free time partying shirtless. Edge: Tebow

Final Call—This brings us to a dead heat, with Tebow winning three categories and Young winning three categories. However, while Tebow is a great player and a great human being, Young is simply one of the most talented college football players of all time.

He was always the best player on the field at any given time (yes, even vs. USC).

Winner: Vince Young

Oh, You Think You've Suffered? Why Chicago Cubs Fans Don't Have it That Bad

Ross Crawford — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 12:10:07 -0500

The Craw's Take

Oh, You Think You've Suffered

This is for all of those Chicago Cub fans who think that they are the most loyal and suffering fans in the history of sports.

You're not. And your far from it.

Ok, so you may not have won a title in 100 years. But an afternoon at Wrigley Field may be one of the most fun ways to spend time in sports. Your team is in the playoffs consistently, and although your success at that level has not been admirable, you are able to enjoy 162 games a year of pure bliss, win or lose. Anybody who considers that suffering must also think that Mark Mangino cries whenever he eats a hot fudge sundae.

There are many fan bases that have suffered a hundred times more than you.

Cincinnati Bengals fans find watching their team more painful than listening to Sanjaya Malakar cover Celine Dion. They also have had to deal with making one (that's ONE) playoff appearance since 1990. And during that lone appearance in 2005, they had to grimace as their arch-nemesis, the Pittsburgh Steelers pounded them en route to their record tying fifth Super Bowl championship. Wrap your ivy around that, Cubbies.

And believe me, Seattle Supersonics fans have felt the pain. They have dealt with the sports equivalent of murder. After fervently supporting their team for over 30 years (some more fervently than others) they watched as their team was ripped out of their city and relocated to the middle of nowhere, Kevin Durant and all. Okay, okay, so they did get that one title in '79. But hey, so did your lovable losers. It was just a while back.

The Cubs haven't even experienced the most heartache in their own league, let alone all of sports. Texas Rangers fans have watched as their team went from one of the most pathetic teams in sports to the most pathetic team in sports. With one playoff win in team history (and that's one game, not one series), the Rangers take the cake. And in 2001 the Rangers decided to sign superstar slugger Alex Rodriguez for a record $25.2 million a year. And in 2007 they were still paying that one off.

Sorry, Chicagoans. You have endured about as much pain as Lindsay Lohan getting a Mercedes for her birthday instead of a Ferrari. And I promise, you will be back in it next year. I can't say the same for every other team.

BCS Bowl Projections Week 10

Ross Crawford — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 09:18:30 -0500

BCS Predictions Week 10

Note: These opinions have nothing to do with personal opinion. For the conference champion, I select the highest ranked team out of each conference. I follow the BCS Formula for the at-large selections and give the highest ranked non-conference champions spots, so long as they are in BCS Conferences.

I put the top two teams in the NCG. I am also ignoring any Bowl Biases, i.e. Florida to the Sugar Bowl over Texas. I put Texas there because they are ranked higher.

Tie Ins- Big XII Champ

SEC Champ

Big 10 Champ

Pac 10 Champ

ACC Champ

Big East Champ

The No. 3 Team in the BCS Standings. If the No. 3 team is a conference champion, then the No. 4 team receives an automatic bid if they are not conference champions.

One non BCS conference team receives an automatic bid if they are in the top 12. However, if more than one are in the top 12, only one is guaranteed a spot.

There is a selection process that is used, but is too complicated to explain here. I will be using it. To see the process, click here -> http://www.bcsfootball.org/bcsfb/eligibility

FedEx BCS National Championship Game

(1) Alabama vs. (2) Texas Tech

Rose Bowl presented by Citi

(3) Penn State vs. (7) USC

FedEx Orange Bowl

(19) North Carolina vs. (25) West Virginia

Allstate Sugar Bowl

(4) Texas vs. (11) Ohio State

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl

(5) Florida vs. (8) Utah

Midseason BCS Bowl Projections

Ross Crawford — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 07:56:18 -0400

These projections are based on the BCS formula and the current AP Poll. The top two teams are in the championship, and the highest ranked team in a conference is regarded as the champion.

For at-large teams, I will select the highest ranked available team.

FedEx BCS National Championship Game

1. Texas vs. 2. Alabama

Rose Bowl presented by Citi

3. Penn State vs. 6. USC

FedEx Orange Bowl

17. Virginia Tech vs. 14. Utah

Allstate Sugar Bowl

5. Florida vs. 18. North Carolina

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl

4. Oklahoma vs. 12. Ohio State

I know it might be surprising to see teams like UNC in the BCS, but because of the rule that prohibits conferences from sending more than two teams to BCS bowls, deserving teams like Texas Tech, Georgia, and LSU get passed over for teams like UNC, Ohio State, and Utah.

Also, if Utah remains undefeated, they will most likely automatically qualify.

Heisman Watch Week 5

Ross Crawford — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 06:16:57 -0400

1. Chase Daniel, QB, Missouri- His stats are ridiculous and his Heisman status can't be hurt if he is off.

2. Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma- He won't win it. They won't give it to two straight sophomores, but I'm obliged to put him here so as to not appear biased.

3. Colt McCoy, QB, Texas- Where's the love for Colt? He has proved that his sophomore slump is over and that he is a threat on the ground and through the air. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if he was in New York for the Heisman Ceremony at the end of this year.

4. Javon Ringer, RB, Michigan State- He is an incredible runner and the emotional leader of an up and coming Spartans team.

5. Jeremy Maclin, WR/PR, Missouri- This guy can flat play. I think that he will at the very least get an invite to New York.

6. Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia- Yes, he can still run, but that throttling at the hands of Alabama hurt his stock, especially because he was not a huge factor in the game.

7. Tim Tebow, QB, Florida- His stats are nowhere near where they were last year, and the only reason he's even on here is because he was a preseason hopeful.

8. John Parker Wilson, QB, Alabama- He's not as flashy as most, but if you haven't noticed, he has pinpoint accuracy and is leading an incredible Alabama team.

9. Graham Harrell, QB, Texas Tech- He's silently compiling monster stats.

10. Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech- He's on the receiving end of those monster stats.

Three Trades That Would Send the Mavs to the NBA Finals

Ross Crawford — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 08:31:42 -0400

These are three trades that the Dallas Mavericks could make if they wanted to "pull a Boston" and totally reload.

Trade One: Trade Jason Kidd and $3 million to Denver for Allen Iverson. This trade isn't so much about getting better as it is about a change of scenery. So far, Kidd hasn't quite shown that he fits in the Dallas system. Keep in mind, however, that the addition of Rick Carlisle could change that.

Trade Two: Trade Josh Howard to Sacramento for Ron Artest and a second round draft pick. The Mavs' defense has been a weakness as of late, and Ron Artest is one of the premier defensive players in the league. He wants out of Sacramento and the Mavs might be looking to trade Josh Howard due to his marijuana remarks.

Trade Three: Trade Brandon Bass, Erick Dampier, and two first round draft picks to Toronto for Chris Bosh. This is the big one. The Mavs are desperate for a good big man and Chris Bosh can play both power forward and center. He would complete a starting five that could rival the best in the league.

Starting Lineup

C—Chris Bosh

PF—Dirk Nowitzki

SF—Ron Artest

SG—Jason Terry

PG—Allen Iverson

Early Preseason Top 10 Heisman Candidates

Ross Crawford — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:09:36 -0400

Early Preseason Heisman Trophy Predictions

1. Chase Daniel, QB, Missouri

2. Chris "Beanie" Wells, RB, Ohio State

3. Matt Stafford, QB, Georgia

4. Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech

5. Pat White, QB, West Virginia

6. Graham Harrell, QB, Texas Tech

7. Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma

8. Colt McCoy, QB, Texas

9. Noel Devine, RB, West Virginia

10. Joe McKnight, RB, USC

Are The Texas Longhorns BCS Bowl Bound?

Ross Crawford — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:55:28 -0400

Do the Texas Longhorns have a chance to reach and maybe win a BCS bowl? The only thing the roster shows is a team inferior to last year's underwhelming 10-3 team.

I guess they were the champions of a bowl. Oh, yeah. It was the Holiday Bowl. However, this team seems much improved, and I will show you why Longhorn fans have a reason to believe.

First, many of the "slow linebackers" from last year's corps have now graduated and moved on, opening the door for such talents as Roddrick Muckleroy and 2006's number five recruit (Rivals) Sergio Kindle. This will add talent and speed to a defense that needed it desperately, especially when you look at the big runs allowed in the Texas A&M game.

Also, this team has a totally new level of mental toughness. Between the pathetic A&M game and the proud Holiday Bowl, Coach Mack Brown held 6 AM practices and held all positions up for grabs. This added a sense of urgency, and upped the effort for the whole team.

An addition more valuable than any recruit is new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp. The stats speak for themselves; his past defenses have been among the country's best. The team will most certainly learn a bunch from him and his incredible past.

The most important player on the field, for better or for worse, will be quarterback Colt McCoy. Trust me, this year it will be for better. My prediction is that last year's average performance was a combination of a sophomore slump and a nagging pinched nerve suffered during the road loss to Kansas State in 2006. He will record numbers more like his freshman season than his sophomore season.

Finally, the schedule and my prediction. Keep in mind that for a realistic chance at a BCS Bowl game, Texas must either win the conference, or record two or less losses.

Florida Atlantic- The 'Horns need to watch out. This should-be-patsy recorded the program's first bowl win last year. However, with vastly superior talent, Texas wins this easily. W

at UTEP- Although it is an away game, any Texas game in the state of Texas that isn't against Tech or A&M is a virtual home game. UTEP won't keep up. W

Arkansas- With the departure of star running backs Darren McFadden and Felix Jones, Arkansas QB Casey Dick must show something special for the Razorbacks to win this one. W

Rice- B-L-O-W-O-U-T. They have no chance against a vastly superior team. This will be the easiest game of the year. W

at Colorado- This will be a real challenge vs. up-and-coming Colorado. In a very hostile environment, the Longhorns pull through in the 4th quarter to win by two touchdowns. W

vs. Oklahoma (in Dallas)- This year's Red River Shootout will be better than ones in past history. It will be a close game the whole way through, and it will be decided in the trenches.

With Oklahoma's first class offensive line blocking NFL Draft first round prospect Brian Orakpo and the Bednarik Award watch list's Roy Miller, it should be interesting. Look for sophomore DE Sam Acho (#81) to make a big impact on this game.

If he or another young, unknown player steps up on defense, Texas will win. Barely. If not, OU takes this one due to the huge running lanes open for sophomore phenom DeMarco Murray. Sorry, but for now, this one goes to OU. L

Missouri- Thank god this is a home game. In a tight game, the whole way through, Texas takes advantage of the home stadium and wins. W

Oklahoma State- They can get up by 10. Or 20. Or 100. It doesn't matter, because Texas still wins this one. W

at Texas Tech- Texas Tech will be good, but not as good as they hoped. The home field will be hugely important, as will Mike Leach's liberal play calling. Texas, however, stops Michael Crabtree, and wins in Lubbock. W

Baylor- This one is never tough, especially not at home. The Bears are sent home crushed. W

at Kansas- The Longhorns will march into the stadium with a chip on their shoulder due to the loss at Tech. Colt McCoy recently said, "We're more of a team than at any time since I've been here, which is saying a lot." That is saying a lot, especially sense he was here for our championship run. The Longhorns fight as a team and win in Lawrence. W

Texas A&M- This one is too close to call. The Horns should win. They have more talent, a better coach, and a better bench. But that was the story the last two years. I'm going to leave this one alone. W/L

BCS Predictions

BCS National Championship Game: Georgia Bulldogs vs. USC Trojans

Rose Bowl presented by Citi: Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Arizona State Sun Devils

Allstate Sugar Bowl- Florida Gators vs. Texas Longhorns

FedEx Orange Bowl- Clemson Tigers vs. West Virginia Mountaineers

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl- Oklahoma Sooners vs. Wisconsin Badgers

note: These are not necessarily who should go to these bowls, these are who I thing will go.